Heavenly Snow

I am certianly closer to heaven here in Colorado. I'm sitting on the couch, drinking my coffee and watching the snow come down like a heavy rainfall. It is absolutely gorgeous. I just may not come home after all. :)
Don't get me wrong, Texas is a great place to be, but maybe if we could have more of Colorado there...it would be perfect! :)

Here's what I'm looking at.....

Of course the snow is actually falling harder than the pictures show, but it gives you an idea of what I'm enjoying right now....PURE BLISS!!!

Hope you enjoy your day....I know I will!!!

We're going on an eagle hunt...

I had the privilege of riding with the boys today - Chad, J, my brother-n-law Mark, and my nephew W - to go hunt eagles in some of the most beautiful places I have EVER been. (See below!!) I found where I want to live...Ridgway, Colorado. There is nothing there but amazing mountains, fun hiking trails, a cute little town with just about nothing :) and a school where K-12th grades all go together! :) Of course, unless we win the lottery or someone really rich in our family leaves us lots of money (man, we are out of luck!), we won't be moving to this sweet slice of heaven anytime soon.
The picture above is exactly what I think of when I think of Colorado...mountains, trees, beautiful rivers and a man in the background fly-fishing. I haven't seen anyone fly-fishing since I watched "A River Runs Through It!" :) I was in heaven and couldn't help but think about all the songs that quote how amazing God is....He's brilliant. I felt so clear-headed, so at peace, so at home and so close to God today. I wish I didn't have to leave.

J and I
Me and my boys
Daddy & J
Isn't that image amazing? ...and the mountains aren't so bad either!!! :)
Manly Men
A snow love note from my husband
My nephew
What a cutie
J about to get hit by the snow

On top of the world
J dancing on ice
SNOW BALL FIGHT!!!!! Catch me if you can.

See the snowballs in the air??? Not sure who they were trying to hit...maybe themselves! :)

Don't even think about it mister!!!

No eagles close up on this trip, but we sure did have a blast hunting for them!

Let it Snow, We're Freezing Cold, Let it Snow

The temps have been unpredictably tolerable for this Texas girl since we arrived in Colorado, but the weather outside today was sure frightful. BRRRR!!!! It hasn't felt this cold the whole time we've been here, however, when we went sledding today with the family....HOLY COW...I think Chad and I got frostbite! :) It was 15 degrees when we reached the top of the mountain where we stopped to sled and I thought I'd prepared myself very well....

Scarf - check

Wool hat - check

Gloves - check

Snow boots - check

4 layers of clothes - check

Thin socks with NO insulation - oops

Long underwear - wishful thinking

Gloves that are waterproof and therefore NOT FREEZING YOUR FINGERTIPS OFF - duh!!!!!

Despite the "bone-chilling" temps and the scary sign that was posted (see below), we did enjoy some fun times, but Chad and I were the first to wimp out and head to the car for fear we may never feel our fingers again. Good thing our kids don't enjoy hours of skiing yet...I don't know if we could have handled much more! :) Motivation to get in shape and buy much warmer clothes!Here are quite a few pictures to recap our wonderful day!

Chad and I
Oops...J slipped on the way back to the car. Nothing but smiles. :)

He is just too stinkin' cute!

Beautiful girl!

Me & My Cold Husband!

Where's Chad?

My niece sledding!

My sister and her son.

Chad so graceful....

NOT!!!!!

My brother-n-law holding on for dear life...look at that face! HA!

H sledding away

J was quite the pro

Me...not so much!!

What great memories!!!!

MJ's in the house

J's class got to dress up and do a special Costume Parade for the whole school. They also recited a sweet little poem for all the parents. He decided to honor Michael Jackson this year for Halloween and I think he did a pretty good job. Isn't he precious?

Crazy Hair Day

Chad and I share a quite different view of what crazy hair day looks like and this is his version...

I'm so glad that H is so much more sure of herself than I ever was. I don't think I could have ever walked into school with my hair like this, but she did! I was so proud of her. If they had held a contest, I think she would have won. :) Thanks Dad for your creativity!

Angels Rejoicing

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift then to have my sweet girl immersed in baptism. We now share a "birthday" together which makes this day even more special for me!

H has been asking us for over a year now about baptism and why it is important and over the past couple of months had decided that she too, needed to be baptized into Christ. We put it off to make sure that she was ready, but after a moving sermon last Sunday, and her confirming our feelings with the question, "Can I get baptized?" once again, Chad and I decided it was time. Our minister put it this way..."You do not know what tomorrow holds and if you know what is right and what you need to do, why wait?"

Chad was able to baptize her and it was just beautiful! Chad's parents and mine were able to be there with us for this special moment and it was so nice having them there. At the end of service, the youth group and people that know and love you join together on stage for "Time to Bind", a special time of prayer and song for our new sister. She is especially excited that she is now not only our daughter, but also our sister! :) Welcome to the Family Sister! We love you and are so proud of you!!!!