Gone to the Beach

We're at the shore:)  See you Sunday...

Tea Time

Well, we finally had our first tea:)  It was so much fun just sitting and talking with the girls.

Here was part of our conversation, initiated by Gracie...

  Gracie: Mom, we're celebrating!

 Mom: What are we celebrating?

 Grace: Baby Jesus

 Mom: Oh we are, what about Him?

 Gracie: His birthday

 Mom: When is Jesus' birthday?

 Gracie: Oh yeah, only at Christmas.

 Mom: Why did Jesus come?

 Gracie: Huh?

 Mom: Why did Jesus' Daddy send Him?

 Gracie: Oh, to die for our sins.  

 Mom: Yes!  So we can celebrate Jesus' birth everyday!!

 Sweet memories:)

Got Altitude?

  This is a popular saying here in Colorado.  I can say that today we definitely got altitude!  We went to Pikes Peak, 14,000 feet above sea level!  We took a cog railway to the top.  This is a type of train.  It took 45 mins to get up there and we went straight up, through, and around the mountains.  It was beautiful!  The pictures just don't do it justice.

  At the top, it was 45 degrees! And there is still a little snow up there. It even snowed yesterday they said.

  You can actually hike to the top if you want to.  It takes about 6-8 hrs to go one way.  Not me!  We did let some people off the cog who wanted to do it.  You can also drive up.  They said it takes about an hour to go up.  The Cog is definitely the way to go.

The amazing view from the cog

Going up the mountain...  This is a lake made by a glacier.  There are 7 of them on the mountain.  Colorado Springs gets its water from snow melt.  You can drink it right out of the tap and it's really good.

Jeremy, Ron and Jason venturing out on the rocks at the top of Pikes Peak
Awwwh, Ron and Wanda


You can see 300 miles from the top!!!!  To Kansas!!!  We couldn't today because it was a little hazy, but we saw pretty far.  And the white stuff is snow.
This afternoon we went to Garden of the Gods.  I really don't like that name. Anyway, it's a place full of rocks, just like everything here.  This is called the Rocky Mountains for a good reason:)  The mountains are nothing but rock.  

  This is a great place to hike and you can climb the rocks.
People actually climb these....
Jeremy being silly

We hiked a little.  Whew, I was worn out after half a mile!

  Our time in Colorado has come to a close.  We have had a good time.  But we are all ready to come home- to lower altitude, sweet tea, grits, and Dukes Mayonnaise.  And MOST of all-Our Girls!

  See you soon!

The Royal Gorge

Today we went to the Royal Gorge.  It was too cloudy for Pike's Peak.  The Royal Gorge boasts the highest bridge in the world.  The views are awesome.... As Jeremy would say, it's like a mini Grand Canyon.  A very mini one, but you get the idea.  It's all rock.

The view from the bridge

Jeremy and his dad

This is the view from the bridge.  I think I had the zoom on a little.  It was FAR down.
It was beautiful:)
Jeremy, Jason, Ron, Wanda, Hez, Angela, and Megan (Nicky's family)
I do exist, just usually behind the camera.
It was SO windy on the bridge.  It was crazy!  I about froze.
This is Jason, Ron, and Hez sky coasting.  I would totally have gone but I was way toooooo cold!
We went down to the bottom of the gorge on a little car thingy
Here's the car thingy
At the bottom, LOOK at those rapids!  We saw people rafting at one point.
The bridge from the bottom looking up
On the other side of the bridge they had a little old saloon town.  Complete with a huge rocking chair,
And an undertaker,
And animals,
And a cemetery, hmmmm, poor guy
And even a petting zoo

The Wedding

It was the perfect day for a wedding. It took place outdoors at a little inn.  The mountains were in the background.  Absolutely beautiful!

Jeremy, best man, Nick, Pamela, and her maid of honor Courtney
Love this one
Jeremy giving his toast.  He did a great job!  They have so many memories together.
Behold, his bride!  See those tears?
Love this one too
We are married!!!
Yeah!  We did it!
Don't you love the sun shining on her?  She was soooo radiant!
CONGRATULATIONS NICK AND PAMELA!!!!!!  

It was such an honor to be able to celebrate your wedding with you!  Clearly you two are in love:)  May God richly bless your marriage together.

Love you both!

This week/weekend has been a highlight for me.  I have watched my husband and in-laws deeply enjoy fellowship with these families.  They have a great friendship with the Liles (Nick's) family.  Nick is like Jeremy's brother and Angela (Nick's mom) is like Wanda's sister.  They have laughed, cried and everything in between.  What a privilege it has been to witness their deep affection for one another.

Now it's off to Pikes Peak with these two dear families! Ahhh, while Nick and Pamela leave for the River Maya!!!  Have fun you guys!!!!

Bride and Groom

Here are a few pics of the Bride and Groom

This is Pamela...Sure to be a gorgeous bride!

Jeremy and Nick
Pamela and Nick together at the rehearsal dinner.  We ate where he proposed to her. Awwwhh!
Jeremy and Nicky have been best friends since they were 4 years old.  They were neighbors in Angier.  They grew up like family.  Angela, Nicky's mom, said Wanda is like her sister:)  It was so fun for Jeremy and his parents to see all of Nicky's family last night at the rehearsal.  So many memories:)

Manitou Springs

Jeremy and I went to this cute little historic town yesterday.  It's nestled up in the mountains.  The weather was BEAUTIFUL.  I even took off my coat for a little while;) There were tons of little shops, mostly hippy and navajo indian stuff. And lots of little cafes where you could eat outside. So here are pics of our little excursion.  I uploaded them backwards.

This was a cute little boutique.  Don't you just love the name of it!

One of the springs, you can actually taste the water here (I don't know if you can tell, but there's water coming out of the center of this thing).  Of course, Jeremy stuck his finger in it!
Jeremy in his navajo coat.  No worries,  didn't let him buy it;)
My favorite store
A historic house, built in 1800s.  It was a retirement home, now it's a hotel.
The view from our hotel
Little things around Manitou Springs...


One of the streams in Manitou Springs