Montana Continued

So besides getting sick, quite a few of the kiddos did too, the rest of the week was just as incredible as it started.


Ella's favorite things were a toss up between kitties and horses.
She was TOTALLY obsessed with both(though i think the kitties definitely got the worst of it.


She also had the staff wrapped around her little fingers. Every time she went into the kiddie corral she ended up somehow talking someone into putting her on a horse. And every time we took her off, boy did we hear about it!

Before


After



The week for Blythe was ALL about kitties and friends. She loved going to Cabin Fever, chapel and chasing kittens ALL DAY LONG! And she also enjoyed spending time with her cousins from eastern oregon.



Blythe and Embrie


Kitties!



Cade loved shootin stuff (he even shot our babysitter the first night, fortunately with only a toy gun), pretending to shoot stuff, riding horses, and running around with The Mega Team (his and Mason's self proclaimed club).


Coming back from the shooting range


Hiding in the Boulders


The Savage Warrior


The Mega Team


Sierra had an absolute blast with the horses. She rode every day and even spent one afternoon helping out the wrangler with cleaning, putting the saddles away, scooping, etc...

Sierra and Big Jake

Coming back from a ride


Sierra, Mom & Dad

Justin and I had a great week too. Justin and Doug's two on two volleyball team won the tournament as well as our six man team, which consisted of Justin, Doug, my Dad, my uncle Daryl, Mesina's bro Micah, Chris(a counselor), and me. We had so much fun playing, though we were all a bit sore in the days to follow.
I think maybe the favorite point for both of us though was the ride we took Friday afternoon. We rode our horses up the mountainside, across the river and then loped through a beautiful meadow. It was amazing. I can't even really even put words to what it feels like to run with a horse, but if you've done it before, you know what I'm talking about.

I'm not sure I knew I could smile that big.





So anyway, we made it home safely and for the most part uneventfully, and i'm back to dishes, cooking, laundry, noise, etc...

It's a fairly rough transition.

Oh well...anyone in for '09?

Montana

Amazingly enough, our little ranch in the mountains of Montana now has wireless web,(really what is this world coming to!) so i thought i'd write about the trip so far.
Getting here was a bit rough. We had a great time visiting with out friends, the Soth's on Friday night. They fed us an incredible dinner and breakfast as well as housing us for the night. Cade hit it off with their nine year old Barrett right off and it was a little sad to leave them behind this year. I also had a good time beating four men at Princes of Florence (how's that Marko- your argument is suffering tremendously).

Jaydon, Barrett, and Cado

Saturday was a little rough. Between two seperate car troubles, SLOW dinner service, and a little side of unrelated drama, we didn't end up reaching our hotel til one a.m. The kids did surprisingly well though and it was just us big people who were a little tired and grumpy.
Fortunately, that couldn't last for long because we were headed that day to one of the greatest places on earth, Clydehurst Christian Ranch. On the way down the little "highway" (really, can you call a dirt road a highway?) we saw an antelope an elk and several deer, including two adorable fawns. The Boulder River Valley is incredibly beautiful. There's no question why it has been chosen as the backdrop to so many movies.
Being here is incredible. The beauty, the way the kids just thrive and run around- dirty and with total bliss, the horses, the staff, the camraderie... Really there isn't a way to bring justice to the Clydehurst experience. Those of you that have had the privilege of being here know what i'm talking about.

Sunset at the corral

Monday night I went on an hour and a half night ride. We started out at dusk and rode up onto the mountainside overlooking camp and the valley below. Then we made our way down and back to camp by the glow of the golden orange moon. It was breathtaking.


Fishing on the Boulder

We've been doing so much- horseback riding-which ella can NOT get enough of!, fishing, volleyball, swimming in the river, games, shooting, archery, reading, napping, eating, kitten smothering, boulder hopping, the list could go on and on...


Justin says we looked like a girl band. I can't quite think of a clever name yet.


me and ella at the river



kaia, blythie and friend

Today I've been mostly sleeping and reading. I'm not feeling so great. There seems to be a little bit of a bug that's going around, so I'm taking it easy and saving my energy for my ride at three. (We're going running in the meadow across the river!)

Camp is definitely too short.

See ya!

So we'll be meeting up with the Wilken's, the Lunz's, Traci Yellowhair and her crew, and my parents at seven (a bit optimistic, but oh well) tomorrow morning to head to Clydehurst Christian Ranch. It's one of my favorite places in all the world and I'm so glad to be going back with so many of my dearest friends and family.
We'll be staying the first night in Spokane with some old friends from BCC, the Soths. Then we'll stay the second night in beautiful downtown Butte, Montana. Then wake up Sunday morning to complete our drive to Big Timber and south about 45 mins down a dirt road. I love it.
I've been going to the camp since i was 5 and it never fails to bring me total joy. The place is AMAZING! It just has something that can only be understood by those who've experienced it. Anyway...if you want to get a sense for the scenery at least watch A River Runs Through It. The fishing scenes were filmed right across from the camp and the crew even stayed on the grounds.
You can check out the camp on their website or just wait to be inundated with pictures and stories when our little caravan gets back (which should be around the evening of the 29th).
See you then.

I love this kid!

Psalm 86

I've been reading through the Psalms. Searching for encouragement, understanding and hope. This is what i found today.

Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for i am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you-
you are my God.

Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.

Psalm 86:1-7

CHEESE!

How does a shattered life move on?

It moves on with a hope.
A sliver of a hope at first
That you have to trust will grow.

A hope that the intense pain will subside.
A hope that God will not turn his back on a broken spirit.
A hope that the strength will surface...from God knows where...

to make it one more minute, one more hour, one more day.

And that's how it goes.

One day at a time.
One foot is placed trustingly after the other
And I walk forward.

So here I am

Well, i figured it was time to join the rest of society.
I'm at times not even sure how to. Or that i want to even.
(those of you who really know me know that i always have been a bit of a rebel)
Anyway, it seems like this could be a good way to start, and has the chance of making me almost as cool as all of you out there who already have one.
So, for those of you who find me, here I am.
I am not neat, clean, or by any means fixed. Just a broken, fallen soul in need of some healing. And good friends. And a Savior.
Thanks for walking with me on my journey.