14th of February 2011

On the 14th of Feb 2011, there will be many couples celebrating Valentine's Day. For me, the 14th of Feb. 2011 will be the day I have to say good bye to my husband again as he travels across the world. With all the travel we do, we've never expected dates or days to have too much meaning. A birthday can always be celebrated a day or two earlier or later. Christmas can be celebrated a week later.

Valentine's Day is just another day- because doesn't every day exist for us to show our love and appreciation for each other. A dinner date or some flowers on one particular day in the year is a nice gesture, but it should only be the tip of the iceberg. We prefer the spontaneous gestures throughout the year. Unexpected gifts, words of love, or time spent together mean so much. Maybe we have come to appreciate these impromptu acts more than the planned ones because the planned ones normally never go as planned. Someone ends up in crisis or needs help and we have to scrap the plans we made. So it is much more advantageous to seize a moment when we have the chance.

We determine how special a day is. If we want, we can make every day a special day. As I used to tell my children- "We are going to have an 'unbirthday' today!"  They loved making an ordinary day extraordinary and hopefully they will continue to do so...and hopefully I will continue to do so.

Just a Peek

We did manage to visit Boulder, Colorado. The temps were still cold but the snow had stopped. It was a quick trip, but worth every second. I definitely would like to return during warmer weather. I would love to stroll through the streets of Boulder and enjoy every facet of this gem of a city. Unfortunately the cold climate kept us rushing into shops just to keep warm. We finally stopped at BJ's for lunch. Not necessarily because we wanted to eat there, but we were simply freezing to death outside and we needed a place to get warm.

After hitting a few shops after BJ's, we decided it was time to head back to Denver. We took one last look at the foothills as we headed out of town. I'm not sure when we will be able to return, so I'm thankful for the quick peek of Boulder, Colorado. 

Snow Lessons

We had every intention of visiting Boulder, Colorado. We even listed out places of interest to go to. Unfortunately,  a cold front swept in over Colorado and changed our plans. Instead of going to Boulder, we ventured out in the storm to buy groceries. The news reports implied this was just the beginning of something worse.

I do not know how to drive in the snow. Where would I have gained this knowledge? I grew up in more tropical climates. If you ask me how to navigate through a flood during monsoon season: this I can do! Driving through snow is a very different story, it doesn't always have a happy ending.

In life there are things you have to do even when you don't like doing them or you are not very good at them. You just have to do them, and driving in the snow was something I had to do to get groceries. My granddaughter was bundled up in her car seat, my daughter sat next to me navigating and I managed to miss all the important turns. My wrong turns sent us on an adventure down a road with snow embankments on either side and a looming steep hill up ahead. How in the world was I supposed to go forward? How in the world was I supposed to turn around?

Can we say panic? Picture me hunched over the steering wheel, knuckles white and eyes firmly looking straight ahead. By this time, Cassandra is telling (yelling) me to turn around. 

"Don't go up that steep hill with the ice!"

Now my eyes are darting side to side trying to find an escape route. All the while, my granddaughter is singing to herself. She is laughing and giggling. She has no idea of the danger we are in. She has complete trust that her grandmother knows what she is doing! Thankfully, I made a good turn managing to get us back on to a safer road. We took the groceries home and prepared for more storms.

I learned a great lesson from my granddaughter that day. Jesus has always said for us to come to him as children. Now I see why. Even in the storms of life, the wrong turns and the slippery slopes, we can trust in Him to navigate us to where we need to go. We don't need to worry or fret. We don't need to be anxious, because thankfully He is at the wheel not me! 

Another View

Each time I visit Colorado I'm invited to view another aspect of this State. The mountains cannot be described with mere words. They tower over me, taking my breath away. Words such as majestic, mighty, awesome, fade in comparison with what I see. To think this is only the creation, what of the Creator? I can barely breathe thinking of this.

 One of the new places I explored on this trip is Golden, Colorado. What a quaint little town. It may be little but it is the address to the National Renewable Energy Labs. A place which is attempting to move us toward new ideas for energy. Seems appropriate for this company to be situated in such a natural setting. If I'm not mistaken, I heard it was built into the back of one of the hills in the area.

Today I'm off to see Boulder, Colorado. I only drove through the last time I was here. This time I'll actually get out and walk through the streets.

All these geographic locations are wonderful, but my favorite part of being here is my adorable granddaughter, Kailynn! She lights up my heart each time I look at her. What a privilege to have this bonding time with her.

Three more days

Three days will pass very quickly. So much to be done before I board the plane to Denver. As always it appears this is too 'busy' of a time for me to be traveling. I know this isn't true, because every time I travel I feel this way. The root of the issue is just being busy. One day I will slay this busy dragon! 

Ah, but for now, I look forward to stepping off the plane in Denver and seeing my darling Kailynn. I have the privilege of spending an entire week with her. So, all my busy plans can be put aside for this one week and I will just enjoy every moment with my darling little girl. 

My Sweet Heart!!

My darling granddaughter, Kailynn, has captured my heart. How can a little thing like her just show up on the scene and become the star? In a short nine months, she has taken center stage and I love every thing about her.

This grandmother 'journey' is proving to be very fulfilling. I look forward to baking cookies with my little wee one. I can't wait to sit on the bed and hear her tell me about her new boyfriend...oops...I think I'm zooming ahead too fast. I need to just enjoy her right now at 9 months old.

Winter Fun

December proved to be wrapped up tightly in festivities. Delightful unwrapping of dinners, tea parties and time spent with family and friends. Church related activities, each one bringing us closer together. Laughter and joy filled every occasion.


The Mother Daughter Tea Party put on my the Ladies Fellowship at the church turned out to be a major success. Our first attempt at putting on such an event, we were all pleasantly surprised at how wonderful the time was. 


The weeks sped by with all the normal hustle and bustle of life. Everyone looked forward to the Christmas Dinner. What a dinner it was! The committee outdid themselves in putting on a spectacular event. The decorations transformed the room. The food, as always, was in abundance. 


At the end of the evening, people were talking about 'next year's Christmas dinner.' We all realized we need a bigger hall next year. 

 How wonderful to watch Kailynn enjoy her first Christmas. Her greatest treasure was the tricycle we bought her. She loved riding around the living room and through the kitchen on the little tricycle. Of course she couldn't ride on her own, she needed us to push her. Her face would light up every time she drove the kitchen and saw her family clapping for her.

The icing on the cake was the Watch night service. The church met together to welcome the New Year in. Each of us were filled with excitement, despite the late hour. We reflected on what the past year had given us.  We looked forward to what the New Year would bring. No matter what had taken place in 2010, we now were being presented with a brand new year to accomplish our goals, dreams and visions.