Bunk with the Beasts

The boys spent last night sleeping (indoors!) at the Denver Zoo as part of the Bunk with the Beasts program! They got up close and personal with a snake, a lizard, and a hawk - and got to see all of the animals "after hours" with special night vision scopes - very cool! A cougar scared them all half to death when they thought there was only one behind the glass, and out came another one right next to it! They learned a lot about different species and talked about habitats, endangered species, conservation, and so much more! Can you believe that Greg touched a snake?!?!

This last picture was actually in the Denver Post newspaper this morning! Fun!

Just Tooling Around

OK - so there are some very good things in the midst of this layoff. One thing - we're all eating really well (many of you know that Greg is a fabulous cook!). We also love having him available for field trips and other fun stuff! Yesterday he went along as a chaperone with Hannah's class to the Children's Museum of Denver. They participated in the Just Tooling Around program - working together as a group to read plans and then "build" a house. Meet our wonderful Project Manager, Hannah!

Farewell, Uncle Johnny

Uncle Johnny and Aunt Helen "Toots" Rife

My Uncle Johnny passed away today. He was a wonderful man - an amazingly hard worker who was still trekking around in his tractor (and yes, really working!) last year at 88 years old! No matter how hard he was working, he always took the time to come inside and visit with us when we were there, and he always made us genuinely feel like we were the most important people in the world. We loved him and he will be dearly missed.

This picture was taken when he was honored at the National Association of RC&D’s Leadership Forum in Washington D.C. as a 2007 winner of the National Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Hall of Fame award. He was considered to be the founding father of the RC&D program – not only in Minnesota, but perhaps the nation. He was one of three people in the United States who were selected to be inducted into the Hall of Fame that year.

John Edward Rife ~ August 4, 1920 - January 27, 2009

Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again.

~ William Shakespeare

A Few Great Quotes

I saw these online and they made me smile - enjoy!

"If evolution were true, mothers would have more than two hands. Only God gave us eyes in the back of our heads and the power to tune things out."

"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance."

A Pizza Party!

The Boys with Pastor Anderson
Our 4th grade Webelos ~ Joshua, Brandon, Dillon, Karl, Robert, and Kevin ~ just earned their Religious Emblem patch and certificate. Lots of time was spent over the past six weeks talking about and "creating" their pizza with their families: CRUST - the foundation of our family in Christ ~ SAUCE - layers of our family history and Christian heritage ~ TOPPINGS - our individual family members and their special gifts ~ CHEESE - the Ten Commandments and other family rules that hold us together. When a pizza comes out of the oven, it is no longer a collection of loose ingredients. Everything has baked together to form a single unit. The crust (foundation), sauce (spiritual inheritance), toppings (individual gifts), and cheese (guidelines) have come together as the pizza has baked. In spite of the heat of the hot oven, everything has come out in good shape. Most important now? Share with others! After presenting their pizzas and having a great get-together with Pastor Anderson they celebrated with - what else? A pizza party!

Hannah's Curls!

Remember the pink squishy curlers from our youth? Yep - they're still around but work much better than I remember! Hannah asked me to roll her hair the other night - and of course, it's blog-worthy. Here's the before and after...

Inauguration Day!

Whether you're red or blue, I believe it's an exciting day for our nation and the world. We pray for safe travels for everyone going to DC for the inauguration and for the event itself. The kids will be tuning in at school to watch President-Elect Obama take the oath of office. I found the following on Max Lucado's website - take some time and pray for these things...

"Pray for rulers and for all who have authority so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God." 1 Timothy 2:2

On this day, the day of the Presidential inauguration, we pray for:

Protection – Keep watch over the Obama family. “…keep them safe from the evil one.” John 17:15

Wisdom - Grant insight and foresight to the President and his staff. “But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to all people, so he will give you wisdom.” James 1:5

Reverence - Bestow humility upon our leaders and their office. “Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord; those who obey his orders have good understanding. He should be praised forever.” Psalms 111:10

Strength - Bless President-elect Obama with endurance and stamina. “I pray that the God of peace will give you every good thing you need so you can do what he wants.” Hebrews 13:20