hi! i am so privileged to add to this blog since i did take part in some of the disasters . . . i mean adventures. it's all about perspective, right? well, last week i got to go up to steamboat springs with susan and peter and i must say, it was a blast!! quite stellar, actually. we drove over trailridge road, hiked, saw moose, ate on the edge of a waterfall, finally found a camping spot after midnight (oh! the memories!), didn't get to ride our bikes, but did get to spend a lot of time in the hot springs, ate good food, looked at the lake in the moonlight, and then came all the way back. . . . i didn't even mention everything in there! in short, we had a lot of fun.

i thank God for good friends who love Him and are always an encouragement to be with. even in the short half day susan and peter have been here on their way home, has been an adventure. my church was getting flooded by a torrential downpour, quite unusual here in colorado, but we all got to work and vainly tried to save the lounge from getting soaked. where would we be if we did not have the perspective that life is short and everything works together for the good of those who love Jesus Christ? well, i'm guessing we all would have been quite crabby and we may not have gotten much done. i know people who live relatively happy lives, but i know that deep down inside they have no purpose and aimlessly go with the flow; they can never be truly joyful. . . . ok, enough theology.

susan's and peter's adventures included me for a short time and i'm just excited to blog for the first time. yay! even if noone ever reads this, i got to blog!! sweet! okay, i just totally repeated myself, which means it's time to go sleep. may your life be an adventure every day!  i pray you find true peace in life and a hope that outlasts everything you face. happy or sad, may each moment be an opportunity to learn and grow, not just something to get through or pass the time. i pray you come closer to the Truth Himself, seeing yourself as He does and yet how much He loves you anyway. what is life without purpose? and what is death without True Life on the other side? wow! that's a sad and awful thought. dang it! really, i'm going to stop now. goodnight!

~christine

So it's late and we are going home tomorrow, but haven't had time to write.  My hopes are that I will update this later...more for me...or probably for my parents who I know will read this.  =0)  But for now a quick summary...

-Stephen, Peter and I hiked 5 hours down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon Monday.  Breathtaking and unimaginable beauty...gigantic.  We were blessed to spend the night at the bottom (they said you had to get reservations a year in advance)...and of course we only brought something to shelter us from the rain...no tent so I worried about the scorpions and rattle snakes (I actually saw a scorpion!).  The rain did come that night and so did the wind!!!  I was thankful because even in the evening the temp was 102F

-Hiked back out 7 hours Tuesday and then off to Las Vegas which was so different.  Peter and I were both incredibly sore and looked a bit out of place having just hiked and still wearing the same clothes.  We stopped by the Hoover Dam ,and I didn't even think I could walk...but I did...kind of like an old lady for a bit...an old lady with a limp.  Las Vegas was an adventure...everything from dancing fountains and moving statues to seeing Rome, Venice, Egypt, Pirates, Paris, New York, and a Castle to a free buffet, lions, gardens, light shows, river pools and more.  Peter said it well...it was like a Disney World for adults.  Most of what I saw was incredible, but there were some things I could have gone without seeing too.  It's a fantasy world...that's for sure.

-Now we are back in Fort Collins and there was an incredible storm today!!!!  We went to the young adult group and by the end got to help scoop of water that was flooding the church!!!!  There was a swimming pool in their court yard!!!

So I'd say more, but it's off to bed.  =0)  See you all soon!  Susan

Tears coming to my eyes, I saw before me the familiar white hair and blues eyes of a dear friend as she struggled to walk toward me.  Mrs. Crouse!  Unbelief that my old neighbor of 97 was still alive and doing well, I quickly embraced her and we held onto one another.  I never dreamed I would see her again on earth and here I was standing in her home in New Mexico!  Same butterfly couches with Mark’s rocking chair near by.  The cabinet filled with memories and pictures were all there…just in a new arrangement.  The house was familiar, though I had never been there before.  Billy, her son, was the same with just a little more gray hair.  What an honor to sit and chat with her.  Priceless.

This is how my Sunday started off and it did make me smile.  How could it not?  More than an hour slipped by before we had to leave.  She sat on her front porch, waving us goodbye.  Then we were off.

Taking our time to the Grand Canyon, we stopped at another national park where petrified wood is plentiful.  The place in spots reminded me of the Badlands.  Hopefully Peter can place some photos here to better describe it.  Mounds of shaded rocks in the distance, it looked like we were on the moon or at least a different planet.  When I found out we were allowed off trail in the backcountry, I could barely contain myself.  Yes!  We could roam and this was in the US!  We started down a steep hill.  All I could think about was the fact that there were rattlesnakes and scorpions in the area and that the ground had quite a few holes in it.  Climbing down a steep hill of dirt and rocks, we found ourselves on strange ground and moved toward a cave-like hole in the distance.  Getting muddy and exploring we eventually made our way back to the trail, dirty, sweating, but satisfied.  The park had more surprises as we discovered hundreds of pieces of petrified wood, saw a mini dust storm, experienced indian ruins and enjoyed the strange hills of color.

Back on the road again, we met Stephen late at night near the Grand Canyon!!!  Did you know you can stay in National Forests for free?  Well...I didn't till that night...that's where we slept.

However, by the time we reached Albuquerque, the green was replaced with rocks and red dirt.  Peter dropped me at “The Inn at Paradise” where all the out of town guest were staying and then went off to the rehearsal dinner.  (Peter and I got to stay there for free!  He stayed with a couple guys, one named Stephen who we got to hang out with later and I stayed with the groom’s aunt.  The rooms and place were elegant and cozy at the same time).  An eastern European man ran the place and you could tell.  The atmosphere reminded me of Europe and I loved the opportunity to sit in the garden staring at the assortment of colorful flowers and talking to some of the other guests.

Sitting in a room covered in windows overlooking the gardens and sipping wine, I talked with Bob.  Brown and wrinkled from travel and years, I listened.  I thought that his perspective on life would have changed after spending four months in the hospital (including much time in the ICU and fighting against cancer), but he had left his wife, daughters and granddaughters once more to travel.  Never staying in one place too long, his philosophy on life was to “play”.  Four questions he asked. “Where were you born?  Where is your home?  Where are you going?  What do you do?” Well read and very knowledgeable, we had some great discussions from God to truths to family and responsibility.  He believes in something out there…but knows that formal religion isn’t for him.  He’s lived with the monks in Thailand and fished off the seas with descents from Pirates.  From an early age, he’s believed in reincarnation.  When questioning him further, he confessed he believes that “we are all ‘gods’ and have forgotten it on purpose”…why?  So that we might “play” on earth…that’s his philosophy…to enjoy life and play on earth.  I asked him if he had any regret, with a smile on his lips he answered “none”.

I also talked with a marathon runner!  Originally from Poland, she has run all over the world and has placed in the top 15 runners for the Chicago marathon 5 years in a row!  She is running in Italy soon and is training down in Arizona.

Wow!  I am writing too much…okay so let’s fast forward…

Saturday:  The wedding

I am impressed with Peter’s skills to take so many excellent pictures in a day and not get exhausted.  I took photos for about 10 hours straight today and took hundreds!  Sarah and Will were the couple who were married.  Such a fun couple, I enjoyed their wedding and couldn’t believe how calm they were.  The entire wedding party, including the bride, set up for the ceremony and reception in a quaint park at 11am.  The girls left around one and I went with them, as they did their own hair and got on their dresses.  Peter was there for a bit too.  It was fun getting to know them and I loved how Sarah was so down to earth.  We rode in a camper to the park, where the girls waited inside the vehicle till the ceremony began.  Orange and green were the colors and fit the setting well.  They had built an archway that people added a variety of flowers to as they entered.  The women received beautiful wooden fans and the men were given programs.  The clouds gave perfect shade and coolness to the day.  Clicking the camera and trying not to annoy the camera shy people, the ceremony passed quickly.  Jazz band playing, laughter, apricot drinks, food and dancing the evening past and night came.  My wrist was aching by the end and I happily gave Peter’s cameras back.  Photography is fun, but hard work at times.

So overall the wedding was wonderful (mostly because of the atmosphere).  I also had a good talk with my roommate, “Aunt” Nancy.  A fifth grade teacher, working in the inner city somewhere in California, she’s lived a hard life.

-Realizing there’s just no grass around here…water is precious

-Helping a girl chase down her lost dog

-Eating pizza with a little extra “protein”…ants!

-Being an “invisible” wall while getting a peek into this guy’s life…Peter hear some too…we think he’s just a friend of the owner and he just talks like people aren’t around…very interesting

I am tired and it's late...so this will be short.  We've had lots of adventures the last couple of days and I truly feel blessed to see and experience all that I have.  As I looked around at the snow on the mountains and saw a colorful multitude of wild flowers, I stopped to think how this experience of beauty isn't seen every day.

 
The creek bed with rushing water and so many different types of rock formations, animals usually seen in the zoo roaming in their natural habitat, what a privilege it was for us to experience all of this! 

Christine, Peter and I took off camping for a few days.  Here's the highlights...

-Roaming through Rocky Mountain National Park being awed by the scenery and wildlife

-Taking a hike and seeing moose (one on the path headed home that at first I thought was a log!)
 

-Eating dinner by a cascade of waterfalls on rocks

-Trying to find our way back to the car in moonlight, singing songs

-Almost (well...not really...but it could have happened if the police officer would have been mean) spending the night in jail!  And by that point, we didn't even really care...we just wanted a place to sleep!

-Attempting to find a campsite late at night and not finding one until almost 1am!  Then seeing the stars displayed in such a wondrous fashion...the tiny ones came out so you could even make out the milky way!  And waking up to discover we were camping by a lake!!


-Visiting and swimming in the hot springs on top of a mountain covered in birch trees

-Spending time in a bike shop and taking my first bike ride (sadly I only have had one so far) with my new bike that Peter put together!

-Climbing to the top of a hill and over looking the lake and surrounding mountains

-Cooking potatoes and soup over an open fire and finding interesting ways to eat it (since we only had one knife and one spoon and no plates between the three of us)
 

-The rain NOT getting our tents wet
-Meeting our neighbor campers

Tomorrow we head to New Mexico early in the morning!!!

=0)

A note from Peter...
One of the places to stop along the road in Rocky Mtn. Ntn'l Park is nick-named "Puffer Hill" because it's a pretty steep hill at a high elevation. We talked to a family of Germans on the way up and helped them take some pictures, but on the way down one of their daughters twisted her ankle. Susan got an ace bandage out, had me check with the tourist store to get a cold pack (but no ranger was there!) and put some ice in a bag to imobilize the ankle and keep it cold. They were so grateful that Susan took the time and cared enough to do it that the father insisted that Susan take some money. She refused, but he was insistent! 

Sleeping in this Monday morning was wonderful.  Eating a Greek dessert for breakfast, we started making plans for the week.  Sadly, my bike hadn't come in on Friday and we didn't know when it was going to get to Colorado Springs.  After making some phone calls, Peter got the great news that it was there!!!!  Packing a lunch, we headed out the door and down the road...mountains on the right, we stopped by Focus on the Family.  My favorite part was walking through a warerobe to......(I'll let you guess) and getting to explore Witt's End and eating ice cream in the Soda Shop!

We picked up my bike next!!!  So excited was I that I held the boxes in my lap and tried to open them while still in the car.  I kept bumping the rear-view mirror.  It was like opening Christmas presents!

Then we were off to "The Garden of the Gods".  I thought it was some type of flower garden.  To my shock, we drove up to these GIGANTIC RED ROCKS...sort of like cliffs that just shot out from the ground...artistic in design...I just stared at them amazed.  We walked on a red dirt path passed wildflowers and even cactus.  The landscaping was so different that I felt as if i was in the desert.  We even did a little rock climbing!!!  I tried looking for a cave, but only found one big enough for an ant.  It would have been easy to spend hours there.

Peter, the great mechanic, and I put my bike mostly together (it takes more time than you think)...and I can't wait to ride it tomorrow!!!  (PS.  Peter also was able to fix the car for under $10...so it no longer steams.  Isn't that amazing?)  It's bedtime....

Susan's Sunday and her Dad's Birthday!!!!

Waking up early, Christine and I mounted on bikes and were off to church!!!!  Mountains in the background and following a creek to our right, we wove our way around turns and over bridges on a secluded bike path.  I stopped somewhere first, while Christine practiced for choir and then met her at the church.  We were in a hurry to leave for Denver where lunch was waiting.  A great day spent with friends we were treated to fondue for lunch, talked and played games and finished the day with Greek food for dinner and a movie.  I am SO full!  I am definitely going to get recipes to bring home.  But I think the most important part of this day is that it's my Dad's 65th Birthday!!!  Yay!!!  Happy Birthday Dad!!!  I love you SO MUCH and it sounds like you had a great party.  I can't wait to see pics when I get home.  I have to stop and say that I do have a great dad...I am blessed

Susan's Saturday

Today was my first wedding
photography...and it was fun!  =0)  I've never notice how many people
just naturally smile at weddings or the quickness at which laughter
comes.  I loved catching people in a moment and being creative.  Click,
click, click.  Plus I got to hang out with college friends.  YES!  Now I
find myself sitting on an over-sized purple ball in Fort Collins, CO typing on the computer. 
I didn't
know I was going to be here tonight until just a few hours ago.  It was
a last second decision and I left with nothing my the clothes I was
wearing and my toothbrush (and purse...so glad I put my tooth brush
there).  Peter is hanging out in Colorado Springs.

Peter's note: Susan did a fantastic job photographing the wedding! I can't believe this is her first one! She covered many things that I wasn't able to, or that I forgot about. She captured some amazing moments and details... Here are just a few of her pictures.

Driving two hours north in a hot car with windows rolled up, I went
with Christina to downtown Fort Collins to do street ministry.  (It was so hot my chocolate melted in my bag and got all over my white sweater and lots of other stuff too).  Doing street ministry was interesting and another thinking time.  I
had a couple more great conversations....one with a man who is now
passionately on
fire for God, but used to be an atheist.  He searched for truth for two
years, before coming to the conclusion that Jesus has to be real and
wanting him as his Savior.  I also had a long conversation with a
bitter middle aged man...a man who knows he's right and pities all
people who are religious.  I could hear the determination in his voice as he vocalized his opinion.  "I'm not saying there isn't something, but God is just a term....there are so many religions out there in the world and everyone thinks they are right!...I'm a good man and do what's right...I don't need the Bible to give me my morals...I don't lie, cheat....I treat my neighbors with respect...why can't all people do this and just leave religion out of it!"  These were just some of his comments.  So many people with various opinions.

Now it is time to fall sleep on that nice comfy blanket...the kind you seem to only find in the eastern side of the world...like China or this one from Korea.  Ahhh...sleep....it's a wonderful thing.

Peter's Saturday

This morning started with Rachel's hair and appointment at 10 am and didn't let up until we finished pictures at Glen Eyrie at 7 pm. But that is actually quite short for a whole day of wedding photography. And what a pleasure and an honor to be a part of it!!

Both the hair and make-up stylists did a fantastic job with Rachel! I love how some of her hair encircles the back of her head. The make-up stylist even took her outside to see what it would look like in bright daylight.

We finished all of the family pictures before the ceremony, which worked very well. It helps so much to do all photos before, especially when the reception is in the same location and you don't want your guests to wait too long.

Toward the end of the ceremony, instead of doing a unity candle, Matt and Rachel had people that had been a part of their lives come up and place flowers in a vase. All these flowers that represented people and experiences, joined together to form a beautiful boquet. I was honored that Matt asked me to place a flower and took this picture after I did so:

The decorations of the reception hall transformed the small gym into something amazingly lavish and beautiful. The cakes were elevated 3 feet off the table and were all kinds of flavors. Matt said that the idea was for people to try a few kinds and that there wouldn't be any left-overs. It was a sucess!

After the reception Matt and Rachel walked through tunnel of bubbles and rode away in a white limo, which was a complete surprise for her!

The wedding party and I met Matt and Rachel at Glen Eyrie, a castle owned by the Navagators. What an incredible setting!! Huge towers, stone arches, elegant interiors, and coniferous trees and red rock formations in the background.

As we were taking pictures inside, Andrew and Sim came in with their lougage and Matt handed Rachel a room key. They were going to spend the night there...! Another surprise Matt had for Rachel that day.

It was such a pleasure to be a part of your wedding, Matt and Rachel!! May God continue to richly bless you!

Susan's Friday

Smile wide and fountains of giggles, this two year boy grabbed the attention of Sarah, Mandie and I.  It's Friday and waking up early, Sarah and I went to work with Mandie.  She takes care of a small 2 year boy who already has a very broad vocaburly and loves to repeat after you.  Mandie is going to make an amazing Mom one day...she is so creative!  We went to reading hour at the Library and then to Starbucks Cafe and were treated to drinks.  Yum!  Playing in the fountains afterwards at the park, it didn't take long to get sunburned (oops! Too bad we didn't realize it till later that evening).  The mountains were in the back ground and the fountains did a dance as they jumped in various rhythms from the sidewalk.  Watching Nathan laugh delight as he filled and dumped his truck full of water made me smile. 

Dinner was classic...Salmon and grilled asparagus.  You'd think we were staying at a fancy bed and breakfast.  Chirs, Mandie's husband, is a brilliant guy (and he was the first of many deep conversations I would have over the next few days on Christianity).  He is getting his Master's in Religion and is quite interesting to listen to and gain a minut bit of his knowledge.  He made me think.  The rest of the evening I spent nervously preparing for taking pics for my first wedding!!!  Yikes!  There was so much information to learn...shutter speed, ISO, sizes of lenses and the aperture.  It was hard getting to sleep.....

 
Peter's Friday

I have never heard higher praise or approval given to a couple (at a wedding rehearsal dinner) than Matt and Rachel. Everyone in the room, including friends and relatives spoke highly about them. The idea was to tell what our connection was to them, but inadvertantly heart-felt stories and encouragement were shared. The dinner was held at an enourmous house with beautiful gardens overlooking part of CO Springs and the mountains around the city. Sim and I talked later about the blessings of generations following God and waiting for his timing. (Matt 19:29). Being a part of seeing these missionary families uniting through marriage because of their commitment to God and support for Matt and Rachel was an honor.

Earlier, I picked up Sim in Denver to have coffee with Matt in Colorado Springs. LeeAnn and Andrew Strecker (I know Andrew from Quito, and had photographed their wedding) were already at the house of Jim Allen where we were staying and they all ran errands througout the day to prepare for the wedding. We had lunch together at Boston Market and Matt shared with us the earlier stages to knowing and persuing Rachel. I hadn't heard some of the details and it was fun to hear it all.

The rehearsal went pretty smoothly... just getting those wrinkles ironed out took some work.

And thanks to Annie the church's animated wedding coordinator, it got done. She kept things moving and light-hearted. I laugh when I think about how she said "Mahkes sshhense??" with a lisp. (but all on purpose.)

Seeing everyone there was so much fun - Anita and Alison, some of Matt and Rachel's friends I had met in Indonesia, and both sets of their parents.
 

    

I stopped reading.  There was no way I could focus as the car jerked again on the road...one side dipped low and I felt as if I was on an unstable roller coaster ride.  We were less than an hour away from Denver, CO and we weren't going to make it!  Turning off the light and sitting up in the car, I tried to think what I would do if the tire came off the car before we could pull over.  Close to midnight, we found a well lit gas station with the car still intacted.  My heart slowed down a bit and I breathe a little easier.  The trunk was steaming a bit and there was water leaking from under the car, but that was old news and didn't really matter.  Peter checked the tires...they seemed stable...not at all like they were going to fall off, but the sensation had been so real!  Checking the pressure of the tires, it was a mystery...they were fine too.  So what was wrong?  Walking up to a police car and shouting a hello, a ferocious dog began barking it's warning.  So I asked the policeman a few questions and soon we found out...if you have new tires (and Peter does), it often feels like the wheels are loose when you are on the highway...there are grooves in the road.  Breathing a happy sigh of relief that was the best news we had heard.  It wasn't the car!  Yay!  On the road again and reading, we made it safely to Mandie and Chris's house.  It was great to see Mandie and Sarah again and to see her creativity displayed through out her place.  The bed welcomed me and I was out before I knew it.  It had been a long day...traveling over 12 hours (don't know exactly how long because the satellite clocks kept changing on us), stopping at the Museum of Oz in Kansas and eating at "Toto's Tacos".  Who ever knew Toto the dog and tacos were connected, but wow...they smothered on the guacamole and toppings, exploding the favor.  Yum!  And yes...I drove the car!!!!  And did a half way decent job, even driving through a town, stopping at a stop sign and getting gas.  YES!   Success!

It’s time!  Yep our trip out west was about to begin (and we were only 45 minutes behind schedule…which is really quite good).  So off we started for our day of travel and sitting in the car.  Thankfully we had gotten some exercise the night before with my family, cousins and the Todias biking down to Headwaters Park for the Three Rivers Festival.



     

Traveling through Indiana in the middle of the day, we saw over five out of state license plates before finding an Indiana one.  Before we knew it we were in Illinois!  Time for a stop in a little town called Greenup.  We grabbed a snack at this little wooden restaurant where you walked right through the kitchen and dish area to get to the bathroom.  Fresh food and friendly people, I’d go back if it wasn’t so far away.



Traveling west again on the Historic National Highway 40…we didn’t travel far before stopping at a covered bridge (where Abraham Lincoln supposedly swam in the water) and then visited the LARGEST Catsup bottle in the world!  WOW!  It was up on a stand claiming it’s fame, but no one seemed to notice as cars raced under it.  I guess most people were in a hurry, because we were the only ones stopped to take photos.  Sadly, we missed the Catsup Festival by about a week!



I guess we didn’t feel like driving much, but more wanted to enjoy the day…so we stopped by the Cathedral near the Arch of St. Louis and of course went over to see the Arch and the Museum underneath it.  Sweat dripping from my face, it felt nice to be blasted by air condition.  Fascinated, I found myself running around the museum in excitement.  It was in a circle with each ring representing another decade from 1800 to 1900 and as I moved through the open feeling museum, I felt like I was traveling through time.  The arch…the symbol for the gateway to the west…welcome to the WEST!  We were off!

 
 
Getting stuck in traffic (but getting to see downtown St. Louis and travel on the Daniel Boone Highway), we made it to Grahams Cave State Park after stopping at Wal-Mart.  I LOVE caves and was so excited…we went straight to the paths searching for the cave.  Tromping through the woods in flip-flops and climbing a few rocks, we didn’t have success until we found the paved road that led us to an ellipse hole in a rock.  Of course it was fenced off, but they always seem to be in the US.  Looking in with a flashlight, I was impressed with the artifacts found.



After setting up our tents, I started learning how to drive a manual car!!!!  YES!  That was exciting and Peter was a great teacher.  I didn’t do too badly until I happened to look up and see smoke coming from the hood.  Opps!  So the car is older and Peter said it wasn’t my fault…so hopefully we will make our destination to Colorado by Thursday night.  It’s a nice car and well…it will get us there.  Stars shining and cicadas singing lullabies, it was easy to fall asleep on my slanted bed, in my tent on a slope.  (Well that is after the scare of the raccoon).  Tomorrow comes mountains!