Guitar Picks & Bobby Pins

Everywhere I go in this house, I find guitar picks. 

On the kitchen table, kitchen counters, kitchen floors.

In Joshua's toy bins, between the couch cushions, on the piano bench.

On the dryer, in the lint trap, on the basement floor.

Guitar picks are everywhere. 

This used to irritate me. I'd think, Why can't he just keep them all in one place? When is he going to be more responsible with his picks? {frustrated sigh} {musicians}

Then one day I noticed something ...

Everywhere I go in this house, I find bobby pins. 

Wedged in the carpet, caught under pillows, slipped under shelves.

On the counters, in the car cup holders, on the end table. 

On the dryer, in the lint trap, on the basement floor.

Bobby pins are everywhere. 

This has never irritated me. Why? 

Because the bobby pins are mine.

The guitar picks are his.

Why is it that we (and by "we" I mean wives) see only the things our husbands do and not the things that we do? (by "things" I mean potentially irritating things).

I'm not better than he; and he is no better than I. We each have our oddities; we each have our strengths. We choose to do this life together and therefore ...

Guitar picks and bobby pins are everywhere. 

And always will be.

An {almost} Perfect Day

Today was an {almost} perfect day.

Wanna know why?


4.5% good messy hair bun
11% fun activities
20.5% just us three
23% great weather
41% my chosen attitude

It also helped that Joshua slept til 7:21am, and I only remember having to get up twice in the night to relieve my poor squished bladder.

Isn't it incredible how much my attitude affects my day! I honestly, physically felt the difference this morning in the mood of the home. When Erik (who gets up after me) got up from bed, I CHOSE not to be crabby at him and bitter about his extra sleep. I CHOSE to embrace being a mother--the one who generally wipes up/cleans up/picks up (though Erik has done a lot of that lately ... :) ) I CHOSE to recognize that I was choosing to be on my feet a lot, and do a lot of stuff. I CHOSE to take moments to interact with Josh, but I also CHOSE to not be guilty about letting him play alone, which he was once again doing well--hence an {almost} perfect day.

My husband and I conversed. We parented. We explored {again} the zoo with our adorable son. We ate. We relaxed. We sorted through stuff in the garage (one of my favorite parts of the day...). He ran errands while I rested my feet. I baked communion bread while he watched football. We ate Chinese food for dinner. We watched "You've Got Mail" and munched on popcorn and M&Ms.

Joshua and I colored. We blew bubbles. We shared a pretzel and took photos in a photo booth. We raked the dirt in the yard. We rode the carousel. We fed some ducks. We laid on a froggy blanket and read a book. We made music--he on the drum, and me on the egg shaker. We rang the doorbell. We sang monkey and rhino songs. We did bathtime.

I disciplined. I baked. I boiled pump parts and bottles. I packed my hospital bag. I chatted with my neighbor. I interpreted two-year-old language and calmed a frustrated little boy. Twice today I kissed scraped hands and brushed off dirty knees.

And in all this, I CHOSE. I CHOSE to recognize that a large part of my role as a wife is to do tasks--often mundane ones--that keep this house functioning. I CHOSE to accept that the dirty truth of parenting is that I have to be consistent in my discipline. I CHOSE to laugh with my husband and enjoy my time with him. I CHOSE to think good thoughts about my still unclean house, instead of discouraged ones. I CHOSE to sit down, with my laptop, with my feet up while there are still many messes in this house.

So much of ANY day is about CHOICE. So much of being a mom--and enjoying it--is about CHOICE.

I chose this life, I chose this role, I chose all of this--and when I get over myself and CHOOSE to enjoy it, it is truly wonderful.

Granted, today, due to the amazing weather, good hair day, fun activities and good company it was quite EASY to choose ... I'm still proud of myself for doing so. Many an {almost} perfect day has been not quite {almost} so perfect because my attitude has tainted it.

So what would have made it perfect you ask? If it had been just a tiny bit warmer when we were at the beach ... I wanted to build sand castles and get in the water! And of course, if I went into labor right now....well, then this might just be a {completely} perfect day. :)

Oh How Life Has Changed

Mother's Day in 2009 ... I purposefully scheduled a weekend getaway so as to not have to be at church.

(Granted, I mixed up my dates, and we actually had our getaway the weekend before Mother's Day, so I ended up still at church that morning. But you get the point--I did NOT want to be there.) 

2009 Blog

Mother's Day 2010 ... I had a 2 week old! Quite a change from the year before.

2010 Blog

Mother's Day 2011 ... I hardly remember. Our life had just been turned upside down, and that following weekend we were headed to Madison, WI to see what God had in store for us at Ezra Church. It's a blur to me! 

2011 Blog

Mother's Day 2012 ... I'm pregnant with Baby Girl, halfway done! I'm heads over heels in love with my little buddy, Joshua, and incredibly blessed to do life with a man who loves me as unconditionally as a human can. 

I feel like this is the first Mother's Day that I truly experienced as a mother. 2010 I was barely a mom--still sleep walking, and recovering from natural delivery. :) 2011 was, like I said, a blur. This year--this year--I really appreciated the day, and felt truly appreciated. By my husband, who let me take a nap, go shopping and eat pizza and by my son, who is old enough now to give me random hugs, say "I-ol-u, Mama!" (I love you, Mama!), and ask me to "cuddlecuddlecuddle" relentlessly.

Motherhood--what a long awaited, and incredibly cherished blessing.

Happy future Mother's Day to all of you out there who wish-hope-dream to be mothers someday. I've been there, and I know how this day can pierce a heart ... Claim Psalm 62:5 this morning .... Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. And focus today on cherishing the mothers in your life!

Good bye Old Friends

2005, new kittens

2008, Christmas cats

Pretty Nicolett

Sheridan loves Erik--and his stuff!

Nicky, my princess, 2011, the Giveaway Day

Sheridan, "Evil", 2011, the Giveaway Day

My life is a constant streams of "lasts" and "goodbyes." A little unexpectedly, one of the hardest good byes happened today.

We gave up our cats. My first babies, my princess and "evil" -- nicknames. Don't ask.

Six years ago we got married.

And my Mom's crazy best friend gave us cats for our wedding present. Longest lasting, most rewarding wedding gift. Ever. (actually, she just gave us supplies, and a check to be used for the adoption.)

July 2005, we brought home Nicolett and Sheridan from MaxFund, not realizing that we'd just named them after an actress. TOTAL ACCIDENT! We were not, and still aren't, Desperate Housewives fans. We chose their names after a major avenue (Nicolett) in Minneapolis, our home town, and the boulevard that the store we got them from was on (Sheridan).

These cats have been such a joy in our lives. They truly were lifesavers throughout our struggle with infertility. They cuddled with us, they played with us, they let us cry on them ... I miss them so much..

We got home today, and I immediately looked for Nicky in the window behind the sheer white curtain. I listened for fatty Sheridan's "thud" of jumping off our bed upstairs to come greet us. I waited for Nicky to brush up against my legs and beg for a cuddle and fresh, cold water. I was confused when I saw that the basement door was shut, because we could NEVER leave it shut because that's where their litterbox was.  I'm sure tonight I will miss the weight of Sheridan, who loved to "spoon" with me all night long.

An awful lot lately I have shoved them off my lap, rolled my eyes at their head butts, sighed in exhasperation at their incredibly persistent requests for love ... I know this was the right thing to do. I know their new owner has a lot more love to give than we do right now.

I love my babies ...

And yet, I'm sitting here, shedding tears for my babies, and wondering why I was ever annoyed at Nicky for climbing onto my lap and through my arms while I typed. Because that's all I wish would happen right now.

My Life Lately

Life is a little bit of a blur lately. I remember the beginning of August ... but I'm not quite sure when and how it became August 25th. I remember saying that I wanted August to be over ... and here it is almost over and I'm not sure how I feel about that!

I'm excited to move and start this adventure--an adventure we've been talking about and planning for since April. 

I'm scared silly to do every day life without our amazing support network of family and friends.

I'm anticipating the joy of discovering a new life and new friendships. 

I'm nervous for the meltdown that I know will come once I've used up all the adrenaline from moving.

I'm counting on the growth that will be forced upon me in new situations and life experiences.

I'm grieving the inevitable fade of friendships and loss of connection--Facebook is incredible, but there's nothing like a real live squishy human hug.

I'm in awe of how quickly this has happened ... and shocked at how slow these months have seemed. 

I'm proud of us for doing this ... and nostalgic already for "the good ole days" in Colorado. 

I'm looking forward to doing life in Sun Prairie ... and I'm already tired of saying goodbye in Colorado. And it has truly barely begun .... 

Awareness and articulation--these are two words that have stuck out to me lately. I, increasingly every day, become aware  of my feelings, emotions (and hormones I'm sure!) that are swirling around inside of me. And after a bit of processing, it becomes very essential that I be allowed to articulate these feelings and emotions, without fear of rejection, bad consequences, and/or toooooo much sympathy and pity. Aware, articulate, move on. (and sometimes revisit!) That's been my process lately. So, if you run into me, and I randomly blab some form of articulation about how I'm feeling--I'm sorry! If it sounds for a minute like I'm crabby about this move--I'm not! I'm just in the process of processing. The journey of awareness and articulation. It's a rollercoaster, that's for sure.

But let's be very clear about one thing: I am choosing this. Choosing this because God has called us to it, and I choose to be in His will. Because as much as I'd love to be near family, as much as I'd love to stay with friends, as much as I love my view of the mountains .... His place for me is far better than my place for me. So do not be confused. I am not angry, I am not kicking and screaming, I am not fighting. I'm just aware, and articulating. :)

Mixed Up, Muddled & In Between

What a funny stage of life we're just now entering. I feel a little Mixed Up--Where am I going? What am I supposed to be doing again? Who am I connecting with?

I feel pretty Muddled--Wait, what? Who's idea was this? What's the plan again?
And definitely, quite In Between.

Part of my heart is in Madison, because I know that's where we're going.
Part of my heart is in Broomfield, because that's where I just left.
Part of my heart is and always will be in Colorado, because it's my home, my safe place, my family.
Part of my heart is ... in San Francisco? :)

I feel so In Between.

We just started the newest phase in our life--the In Between Colorado and Wisconsin phase. The In Between Discovery and Ezra phase. The In Between known and unknown phase. The In Between home and adventure phase.

And I'm not quite sure what to do ... do I pack? Or do I not? Do I plan? Or do I not? How do I keep doing life here, since parts of my life have not changed, all the while knowing that this life I'm doing is rapidly coming to a close? I just don't know.

We're learning how to have more faith than ever. We're learning how to raise support, when really, we have no idea how. We're learning to cast a vision to others for something we've only just grasped ourselves. We're learning how to walk this road together. We're learning how to relax, let go, be still--and know that He is God.

That's a lesson I've supposedly learned many times in the past, and it's a lesson I'll continue to learn for the rest of my life. I'm so Mixed Up, Muddled and In Between ... and God is right here with me. And so, I know we'll be okay.

44 days

A few nights ago, I was at a really low point. I'm realizing it has kinda sorta maybe been a really rollercoaster-y 6 weeks, and my breaking point was rapidly approaching.

We only just were informed (by God) about our life direction change toward Ezra Church on April 9, 2011.

April 9th. That was only 44 days ago.

44 days.

And in that 44 days, we have experienced:

the excitement of realizing an adventure is upon us
the incredible grief of announcing this life change to my parents and sisters
the bittersweet emotions of preparing to leave our Discovery family
the yucky-ness of telling our students
the thrill of visiting Madison/Ezra for the first time
the reality check of visiting Madison/Ezra for the first time
the shock and devastation of losing a student's father to cancer
the sadness of leaving the only home we've known as a married couple
the stress of packing and decluttering a home for listing
the fatigue of processing various emotions
the awkwardness of each feeling differently than the other
the questions of the unknown future
the peace of knowing this is right

It has been a crazy 44 days. And I'm sure the next 44 will bring their own surprises. I just hope I can continue to learn how to process. emote. vent. pray. trust. and let go.

2010 Christmas Letter

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5

Be at rest once more, O my soul,

for the Lord has been good to you. Psalm 116:7

2009: Brief recap! Our last Christmas letter was at the end of 2008. We were in the throes of infertility and were feeling very discouraged and depleted. The verses I listed above actually led me to get a second tattoo, and use the Hebrew word for “Rest”. That, along with my other tattoo, Hebrew word for “Hope”, were good, and sometimes hard, reminders to us on our journey.  2009 was difficult; almost every single one of our close friends gave birth to children.  It seemed like we were destined to be childless until … August of 2009, we discovered God had answered our prayers and we were pregnant!  The pregnancy topped off a long journey, during which we learned many lessons.  I was surprised to find, however, that pregnancy didn’t make me automatically feel better.  And I’m not referring to morning sickness. J  I still had to struggle with God.  Even though He had showed us His plan and blessed us with a pregnancy, I was dealing with residual anger and was quite confused.  He was patient with me, and has since allowed me to process my journey with infertility, and continues to use my blog (www.rememberjed.blogspot.com) to be a source of hope and inspiration for dozens of women who have or are experiencing struggles.  Infertility does not have to be a silent, hidden struggle!  I’m humbled and honored that God would use my words and often very raw emotions to speak to others.  God is good, all the time.

2010: A year of blessings and incredible change!  Joshua Nelson Lindeen entered our lives 13 days early on April 22- a whole 6 lbs 13 oz.  I accomplished my goal of natural childbirth—and I don’t regret it! J  Josh is our joy.  His smile is infectious; he’s finally learning how to sleep; he is army-crawling surprisingly fast; loves peas, bananas, and carrots, and keeps us on our toes.  We are just soaking up every moment of parenthood.

ERIK loves being a father.  He has often said that it’s funny- all the clichés you hear are true!  It’s amazing how much love you can feel for this tiny human.  Erik has now been at Discovery Christian Church in Broomfield for 3 1/2 years as the Pastor of Worship Arts and Student Ministries.  He loves leading worship almost every Sunday morning, leading the Wednesday night youth ministry, and really enjoyed the opportunities he has had to preach on a few Sunday mornings.  One of Erik's highlights this year was planning and running a Fall Retreat for the teens from Discovery and another local church.  Discovery sent 42 adults and teens on the retreat and saw 10 students give their lives to Christ and one student feel called into full time ministry!  It was a great weekend and definitely a highlight in his 10 years of doing ministry.

Another highlight was finally getting a smart phone this summer.  He loves his iPhone 4!  (Maybe a little too much in Kristin's opinion).  Erik also saved his pennies from teaching guitar and bought himself a Gibson Les Paul Standard, a guitar he has wanted for over 12 years.  Erik's five guitars often take over our dining room, but I guess that's what you get when you are married to a musician!

KRISTIN I absolutely love being Josh’s mom. The last 7 months have been the most exhilarating and exhausting months ever. J  I love my son to pieces, and still breathe thanks to the Lord everyday for allowing me the incredible opportunity to be a mom.  I waited so long for this … and it’s more than I ever dreamed it could be.  I still work for my Dad at QBQ, Inc.  Learning to balance working from home with ministry, family, friends, and now a baby has been a bit of a challenge—one that I’m still working on.  But I am forever grateful for a job that allows me such flexibility!  I still do a fair amount of traveling, so Erik and Josh get to spend good quality time together while Mommy is away.  I’m into my third year of mentoring a group of girls at church.  Three of these girls have stuck with me since Fall of 2008, while two joined our group last year.  I’m thrilled to be able to do life with these young ladies, and pray that I can make a lasting impact in their lives for Christ.

Joy and love to you and yours! With love and in awe of God’s goodness,

The Lindeens

Week 34: Dream Come True

34 1/2 weeks pregnant. That's a dream come true in and of itself, but it's not exactly what this blog is about.

My dream came true today when I entered our bedroom and found Erik on our bed, scratching our cat's head. That's obviously not the dream. :)

I wiggled my way onto the bed between them, angering the cat (as usual). After adjusting for a few moments, we settled into a comfortable position with me a little bit on my left side and Erik on his stomach with his head on my belly.

And this is where the dream came true!

My husband and I giggled (well, I giggled mostly. He maybe chuckled. Do guys giggle?), chatted, and just enjoyed taking a moment to chill. And then Bubba kicked. He kicked his daddy right in the chin! Erik continued to lay with his cheek to my belly while his son wriggled around inside me, doing his best to pelt his daddy with solid jabs with whatever appendage it is that he loves to slide back and forth on my left side.

Part of a dream come true.

The second part was when I asked Erik about his friend, Josh, who our baby boy will be named after. I asked him questions I think I've asked before, like, how long were you friends, when did he get sick, what did he have etc. But I also asked questions I'd never asked before. Like, was it hard, did he know Christ, how close were you really and did he quit school?

And Erik shared. His eyes kinda got this far away look--the look his eyes often get when I ask about Josh. And he answered my questions.

He and Josh played together every day from 1st-4th grade. They ran around, built forts, fought off bad guys--just the two of them, all the time. Then one day, the summer after 4th grade, Josh got cancer. (Erik mentioned that the family cat was diagnosed with cancer at the same time, which he deemed to be completely and utterly unfair.) Erik said it was explained to him that Josh had liver cancer, and it was really bad. There really wasn't hope. But they did chemo, and Josh lost all his hair. But Josh was confident, very, that he would be with Jesus. By the end of 6th grade, Erik's best friend was gone. And yes, Erik said, it was very hard.

And sometime in the years after that, Erik decided to name his firstborn son Joshua, in honor of his childhood friend. (I was told, when we first started dating, that if we were to marry and if we were to have a son, I'd better be okay with the name. :) I am.)

And so this is my dream come true: relaxing with the love of my life, with his head on my belly, feeling and seeing our son flexing his tiny little muscles, and sharing a tender moment, honoring the memory of Josh, and dreaming of the little Joshua who is to come.

In no more than 6 1/2 weeks, our little Joshua Lindeen will come to meet us--a miracle fulfillment of so many dreams.

He's the Man

So, I have this husband. Can I please tell you about him?

I love my husband so much, it hurts. I think of him and I get that full feeling in my rib cage (does the heart actually swell with emotion?), I involuntarily smile, my eyes get all teary and I suddenly need to breath deeply just so I don't cry.

Oh man, I just realized I'm going to cry while writing this blog. Figures--I'm pregnant! And I'm me! :)

My husband Erik is truly an incredible man. I absolutely am amazed at what God is able to accomplish through him. The work he does at our church, the vision he casts in all areas of life, the progress he has made with a bunch of crazy high school students astounds me all the time.

If you don't know him, or haven't had a chance to get to know him more than as "the guy who leads worship at my church" or "the guy who provides an insane place for my teen on Wednesdays", you won't know much of this. So let me share!

• My husband does the cat box every other day without complaining. Oh how I love him!
• My husband will do pretty much anything for me at anytime. (That's why I throw a small hissy fit when he actually says "no" to something--I'm just not used to it!)
• My husband takes the utmost care in planning for and executing a Sunday morning worship service. The amount of thought that goes into what songs and why and in what order and with what video .... it makes my head spin.
• My husband will clean the bathroom if I put out a desperate plea for help. (I've learned it's still just better to do it myself, but it's so nice that he offers!)
• My husband rarely cries--but this fall I got to watch him shed tears of joy over three great teen guys who came to know the Lord. If you want a glimpse into Erik Lindeen's heart, ask him about these guys!
• My husband is so excited to be a father--and I can't wait to see him experience it!
• My husband is so good at letting me vent/freak/shriek and sob about life--and he is so good about steering me toward the right "next steps". If there are no "next steps" and I just need to vent/freak/shriek and sob, he lets me do so, gives me a hug, and takes me to get Applebees boneless wings.
• My husband writes incredible songs. I won't know what's going on inside of him for months and then suddenly he'll produce this incredible song that outlines exactly what emotions have been rolling around inside his heart. I wait patiently for these moments where I get to glimpse so much deeper than normal into his soul.
• My husband, believe it or not, is quite funny. Sometimes I forget this because he can be so serious when talking about church, but when he decides to get silly, I LOVE IT! My favorite is when he randomly grabs me in the kitchen and pretends to dance. He's so not a dancer!
• My husband always wants to try new things--I love this about him.
  
• My husband has such a gift for reaching out to people and connecting them in the right places. You may not always know it's him doing it, but he's often pulling the strings and making sure a person feels connected.
  
• My husband really is a softie--beneath his sometimes loud opinions and fast-paced "Get it done" work style, he really really does care. I promise!
  
• My husband is my favorite. End of story.
  

I could go on and on and on, but I won't. Pretty much because my husband's son is kicking my bladder and I have to make a restroom stop. :)

Thank you for reading my tribute to my husband Erik. I love him so much and am so immensely blessed that God have given him to me for however long I may have him; I intend to live it up. Thank you Jesus for blessing me with such a wonderful man to love and do life with!

Sneezing, Bacon and Shampooing

So, I'm not getting much done today. I already know this to be true, even though there is a large portion of the day in front of me. I just have no desire to do anything. I knew I wanted bacon for breakfast (I often want bacon for breakfast, but i rarely indulge. Mostly because it makes the stove really messy, and I hate figuring out what to do with the grease...), and I knew we have friends coming over at 6. But beyond that, I have no desire to do anything. There's a new curtain rod to be hung, a garage to organize, a basement to organize, clothes to put away, two bathrooms to clean, cats' nails to trim, shoes to sort, flowers to debud and trim, budgets to balance, Christmas lists to write, letters to mail, business trips to plan for, a kitchen floor to sweep and strawberries to slice. And all I can do is lay on the couch, browse friends' blogs, and sneeze. Yep, sneeze. Because of allergies. I hate them. They are really bad this year. I am desperate for the first frost so I can stop being tormented. And to all of you who say, "No! Don't wish summer away!!" Well, you sneeze literally 17 times in a row, and have your eyes swell up to double their size and then see how fun summer is. It's not fun. Just one frost--that's all I'm asking for. One frost, and then we can have some more warm days (don't they call that an Indian summer? What does that mean anyway?) to satisfy all of our warmth longings. Just one frost...please.
We got a new couch. I love it! The cats peed one too many times (really, one time is too many, and they far surpassed that) on the old leather couches, so Erik had to destroy them and carry them out piece by piece. They reeked. But, now we have a new couch!! It's great. I love it. It's chocolate brown, is curved, and seats four easily. I'm so excited to sit on a couch without it crunching, to cuddle on a couch without having to hold my breath, and to feel free to invite friends to join us for movies! yea!
Erik is shampooing the carpets. Isn't he an awesome husband? the amount of cat hair that is coming up out of the carpet is DISGUSTING. If I could go back, knowing what I know, would I still adopt these kittens? Hmmm.....sometimes I think no. And yet, these kittens have been our joy. They have seen us through this whole infertile journey. They have brought such joy and comfort...and yet they pee. Ugh. Life is full of such hard decisions.

So, anyway, I'm still not going to get anything done today. I'm sneezing too much, ate way too much bacon, but at least Erik shampooed the carpets!

It's So Strange to Be Alone!

As I woke up this morning, I was conscious of the fact that I was splayed diagonally across the bed. And I was a little cold.

That's because there was no sleeping lump beside me to take up room or keep me warm. I could turn the lights on and talk to the cats without worry of bothering Erik. I took a lazy shower, and wandered downstairs to make coffee and check email.

Most of my mornings are spent just like this, but I can usually still hear the breathing of my husband still in dreamland upstairs. It's so strange to be alone!

Yet, I'm alone all the time on the road! I guess there, on the road, it is normal to be alone (in king size beds with pillow tops and down comforters. Tough job, but somebody's gotta do it).

Here, in my home, with my cats and my coffee, I expect to hear the creak of the floorboards when Erik finally rolls out of bed. I expect to hear the ridiculously annoying radio come on, just a second before I hear the bathroom door close and the shower come on. I expected to have to go up and turn off the ridiculously annoying radio because it's all commercials, and he can't hear it anyway through the door with the shower on.

I expect to see him doing his hair or putting in contacts when I run upstairs to change. And I expect to have him come downstairs, grab a piece of toast and race out the door to being his day. It's so strange to be alone! But it is SO GOOD FOR US!

So Far in 2008 ... A Picture Montage

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Lessons on the Mountain

Lessons on the Mountain

my musings while climbing Grays and Torreys

1. Look up--a metaphor for life. When hiking, it's ironic that we all stare at our feet when the whole point is to see God's creation. Just like with life, it's safer, and easier, to focus on the circumstances around my feet--the boulders, the cliffs, the snow--instead of looking up to soak in God's majesty. Look up in the face of fear, and enjoy the view!

2. This wife learned a lesson in support. Erik got a pretty bad case of altitude sickness and could barely climb. I stayed with him every step of the way, even though I could have finished much faster. At one point, I could see my mom and friends at the top of the peak, relaxing, chatting, eating.....It's amazing to me that I can be so selfish. I was actually annoyed at Erik for getting sick. But God pointed that out quickly, and I learned a lesson in selflessness.

3. I am a doer; I accomplish stuff. Cleaning? Done. Friendships? Done. Prayer? Done. Grad school? Check it off the list. Done. While hiking, (and being forced to stop and wait for Erik), I learned a lesson in pausing. Pausing to enjoy the beauty, instead of just "doing". It might take longer, it might even require more energy, but pausing to enjoy the view was the smartest thing I did that day on the mountain.

4. Lesson learned: Oxygen is important.

5. Our bodies are amazing. When my lungs are screaming, "Stop!", and my heart is beating faster than it ever has before, all my mind has to do is say, "Ignore the pain; you can do it", and I keep on going. God has given me an amazing machine to use, and it's so wonderful when I remember all that I am capable of--mentally and physically.

6. Mountains, whether real or metaphoric, are tough to climb. Without my mom, cheering me on, and commiserating with me, I never would have made it. And on the flip side, without Erik needing me, I might not have done as well. Life without friends--mountain climbing without support--I'm not sure how it's done. I guess it all comes back to this: It's all about community.

Lastly, and I quote my mom, "Climbing a 14er is like childbirth--in the midst of it, you think 'never again!', but a year later, it's easy to forget the pain, and easy to remember the view."

Thanks goodness the pain fades, and all I remember is the amazing feeling of accomplishment, the lessons I learned and, of course, the breathtaking views of God's endless majesty.

The Rodeo

The Wild Wild West. Apparently, that's where I live, though I choose to deny it. I've never been much for the open plains...I'm more of a city/suburban girl. Oh, I enjoy a jaunt with a horse once every few years, but that's about all. Boots, spurs, horses and cattle just aren't my thing.

Until tonight.

I may be a City Girl, but I'm a City Girl who likes to be able to say that I've experienced my city. And, in all honesty, a large part of Colorado as a whole is the Wild Wild West. And so, in an attempt to better understand a large piece of the culture we live in, Erik and I went to our first Rodeo--The Greeley Stampede.

1. The first thing we noticed about the Greeley Stampede is the amount of qualifiers in their tagline. "The World's Largest 4th of July Rodeo and Western Celebration". Does that mean there are 4th of July rodeos that might be bigger? Or larger western celebrations that aren't on the 4th? Just curious....

2. Second, I seriously felt as if I had been transported into the movie "Big" as we wandered through the carnival area. I never did find the fortune telling head machine that made Tom Hanks "Big"....Kind of bummed about that.

3. Thirdly, which I wasn't super surprised about having spent high school in Brighton CO, we noticed that another language was being spoken--and I'm not talking about Spanish. Cowboy-ese, I guess they'd call it. Wait, it wasn't even the cowboys. It was the people who came to watch the cowboys...so, Cowboy-fan-ese?

4. Mutton busting is the most hilarious thing I have ever seen.

5. Bull riding is awesome...when the bull riders stay on the bulls. I know it sucks more for them than for us, but wow--what disappointment. The announcers spend 4 1/2 minutes building the crowd up, telling us about these famous cowboys, how many trophies they've won, how awesome they are...and then they fall off.

All in all, the rodeo was a fun experience. Well, fun might not be the right word. Culturally eye opening might be. It was somewhat intriguing, satisfied my low-level of curiosity, and the best part of all, I can say I've done it. Which means, I won't have to do it again.

To each his own, and this was not "my own".