forever young

i just ran across this photo the other day 

and i laughed out loud

here's the love of my life, Matt.

he was trying to make some point 

about the unnecessary abundance 

of fabrics and bags i've collected through the years

And I was reminded of my friend, Kate's advice 

to our other friend, Sarah, on her wedding day.  

her profound marital advice: be silly together, laugh often, have fun!

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

As people ask me, "how's married life?" 

or "are you enjoying married life?"

- - I always think I should have some profound response

or deep lesson or revelation I've learned

and i always draw a blank...

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

but I agree with Kate, my advice is to laugh often

and have fun with each other.

dress up in each other's superfluous accessories 

and smile as you walk down the sidewalk together.

home on the range, part 1

Montana is stunning!

horses

big sky

ranches

fences

small towns

camping

beautiful lakes

no gas stations

lots of cowboy hats

pick-up trucks

many glaciers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

matt and i just went on the most amazing road-trip through Wyoming, all over Montana and ultimately Glacier National Park. we rented a little car with great gas mileage. it was a dream. we did it and it was unforgettable. we are thirsty for more.

this is day 3 of our backpacking trip - aka one of the most incredible experiences in my life

we hiked about 26 miles, saw many incredible glacial lakes, deer of all sizes,

marmots and chipmunks galore, mountain goats clinging to the side of the rocks

and drumroll please, we saw a grizzly about 200 yards away slowing making his way to our campsite - not gonna lie, i was pretty scared - but he didn't bother us -

Grizzlies, my friend Joel told us are about 80% vegetarian! and they rarely kill their food themselves, they usually stumble upon other hunters' leftovers

at Glacier you just run across stuff like this and it's not famous like Yellowstone

but way more organic and delicious!

on our way to campsite #2 -

where we saw the grizzly

sorry, i was too stunned to run get the camera

just thinking about the kids

Today i cried just thinking about saying goodbye someday to the twenty-five kids i have come to love beyond words here in the center of Denver. I just decided to stay working with the kids for another year - which means i won't have to say goodbye for a long time - but just the thought seems overwhelming to me.

i find it so interesting that I love these kids soo much and they might not even realize it or might not even remember me when they get to high school. i might just be a passing thought to them in a few years - but i have been changed forever by my interactions with these kids. My love for them has changed me. I'm not troubled by my lack of recognition amongst the kids - I am only amazed that as I have poured out my life, my gracious God has filled up my heart more than i ever could have imagined. And I am inspired as i think of the people from an older generation who poured into my life as a child with perhaps little recognition but much vigor and endurance.

I guess they don't have to know that "this love" they may be experiencing is in part from me - i just want them to claim their belovedness at an early age. Maybe that's my new life motto to help others claim their belovedness established by God. and why not start as early as possible?

here are some of the kids on a normal day at the playground

(it's hard to get photos when they're actually looking at the camera and eyes open, etc.)

a little bird told me so

winter has come and gone ~ a little bird told me so

and come back again

and gone again

and come back yet again

and fled for good this time

yesterday we went on a lovely bike ride

under a warm sun in a cool breeze

we sat on the

perfect secret hill

in the park by where we live

i'll have to take a picture

of the view

sometime

photo: my husband's footsteps

in Roosevelt Nat'l Forest outside of Estes Park

Lost & Found

well i lost my passport and my mailbox key.
i left my Chacos in Estes and forgot my purse at another Cafe.
i misplaced a gift certificate and i don't remember who i still need to send "thank you" notes to.
i found the cucumber in my backpack and the jam beneath the seat.
i had to buy a new phone and I always forget my I.D.
i leave the "doggy-bags" at the restaurants - why do i even try.

but all these things usually find their way back to me, graciously, suddenly, pain-stakingly.

i feel like i spend so much of my life looking for things, straining, remembering, relocating, reclaiming. on my knees, reaching under couches or circling the tiny bedroom. but i'm gonna get better - i'm gonna write lists and jingles to help me remember things. and if i get good at it, maybe i'll write a book: - "Overcoming Absent Mindedness" or "Reclaiming Your Brain" or "Finders Keepers." So, i'm really staying hopeful. and i'm sorry, brother, that they never found the camera i lost at the Catherine the Great exhibit in fifth grade.