Month: June 2021

Day 3 would be a life changing, life preserving, life giving day. We gleefully left the hotel bright and early to arrive at Royal Gorge Rafting Adventures 30-minutes prior to departure. Now, we expected a 3-hour experience of water, fun, and adventure. Hmmmmmmm.

Ready to get our equipment on. And of course some Jesus; we were prayed up, baby!

Since it would be cold water, Tot and I opted for a wetsuit. Cute? Not so much. Warm. So much. The booties were a bonus.

How we lookin’?

The bus took us to the beginning of our voyage; we had one other family with us. (a perfect match…mom, dad, and kiddo about 6). Alex was our guide.

This guy was in training, and he would come as an important key to our journey.

Daddy and I sat up front with Tot in the middle. She was having a blast in our first few rapids. They came upon us pretty quickly and we all got so wet. Here the come! (Tot’s in the blue). Mommy is on her right and Daddy on her left.

Then. Shark! …the SHARK ate my family.

Well, not really. The Shark Tooth Rapids. YIKES.

We lost the guy behind me in one of the big rapids. He fell out which threw the boat off balance, and then Daddy fell out. Guess who was next???

Those two heads under our raft are Daddy and TOT!

I’m freaking out because I still need to control the boat with the other mom, but I’m more worried about my loves!

Daddy has the TOT! He’s saving her.

Then, it was key that Alex would get a hold of Tot, and luckily the guy in training grabbed Daddy. Amidst the rocks, cold water, and fear alone, they were completely shaken!!!

All are safe now. We get Daddy back on our boat, and continue to oar forward!

Tot is so cold and wanting to go home. I know she’ll remember this forever, but at this point, she is frightened. Daddy is shook up as well.

I’m SO grateful they are safe and unharmed. A few scratches, but truly a white knuckling on the whitewater.

When you fall in, you get to sign the bus. By the way, it is covered with a plethora of names. We are not alone!

Ah..he loves me. I love you too, Daddy. YOU TWO ARE MY LOVES.

Later, after catching our breath, we headed to the Royal Gorge to look down the bridge. We couldn’t get in, but we caught a glimpse. AMAZING!

The car trip home, Tot fell asleep, and when we arrived at the hotel, she was ready to swim in their pool. Recovered. Almost.

We came together again at dinner with our gratitudes. Here are mine.

What a day. I think it brought Daddy and Tot to a new level of closeness.

At least they had some war wounds to act as reminders of love, loyalty and LIFE!

ME? MORE gratitude.

Tot? Her happy self.

Tomorrow? BOULDER!

Good morning from the Spring Hill Suites in CO Springs! See the snow on the mountains?

The mountains are inviting, and we are ready to experience your beauty, Father. We started out the day with a nice workout and free buffet. Halleluia!
Then, we were off to Focus on the Family. It was a goal of mine to visit this place when Tatum was born. Doug and I listen to them daily, and Jim Daly, the president, is a man committed to family, LIFE, Fatherhood, and Jesus .

We started out in the admin building and saw the recording studio.

And Tot and I wished we could watch a recording!

The building was filled with references to how bathed in Jesus they are. They truly live what their building signifies.

We decided to hit the bookstore but first…..the kids area!! Adventures in Odyssey is a radio show we love, and they had a whole play area. First, we watched a 12-minute video about what Focus stands for. Completely inspiring. I desire for Tot to be a part of this ministry as we age and she ages.

Right now…fun! Three story slide anticipation.

Whatcha think?

Ready for some ice cream for sure.

We found the Narnia room! The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe! The wardrobe would lead us to…..

Aslan!

The bookstore was the most exciting part of the morning.

Tatum get a ton of Imagination Station books, a devotion, a book on girls growing up, and some T-shirts. Daddy and I got some family question cards and a couple of books.

While we waited for Daddy to buy his stash, Tot read. (oh, and she put on her shirt: Play Hard; Pray Hard (1 These 5:17)

What a joy to spend there. I only pray we can be more involved with them as time progresses. Thank you for all you do FOTF.

We decided to go over to the Broadmoor Hotel since it is a fancy and beautiful destination for many. (kind of like the Hotel Del Coronado).

The pool looked so inviting!

The views! Its looks like we are in Europe.

Walking around the lake, the foliage and trees were breathtaking!!!

Oh….look here!

The first pic is the one we took.

A magpie! I had to look it up.

Then, Tot took our pic. The trees!! Look how picturesque.

Tot found a friend.

More beautiful pictures.

The solo swan enjoying his alone time. The joy of the water!

Everywhere there are flowers and green.

We finalized our walk and got ready for lunch.

In the lobby…all roses. Daddy treats me like this daily….like he bought me this bouquet!

We got back to the hotel for our evening wrap up, a bit of swimming and chillin out.

We always end our night with our gratitude journals. Here is my entry for the day.

Tomorrow, watch out whitewater rafting; we are ready to take you on!

I love Colorado. Going to University in Boulder way back in the 80’s has made me even more hungry to return, but this time I’d return with my family. What a blessing.

I would surprise my Hay loves with the idea of going to Colorado Springs for a few days then we’d hit Boulder the last day. What would we do in CO Springs? Stay tuned!

We left on a Tuesday, and on the way to the airport, Doug remembered that he forgot his glasses, briefcase, and his book in his car. First bummer, but he made the best of it. Parked and ready to go in.

Then it happened. The Tot froze. I was on my way up the escalator to the gate shuttle and no Tot. Mommy!

Just get on, sweetie! You’ve done it a million times. Well, this nice man just yanked her on. He noted I have girls. What a helper he was.

And now…to the plane.

Aboard, Tot read,

I puzzled, and Daddy perused a magazine. All good and very lacking in food. But we survived.

After we got our rental, we headed to Co Springs, and oh, were we ready to get there!

But how beautiful does the greenery and the gray clouds look!
Hungry….hangry really and a bit pooped. We even didn’t want to make two trips to our room, so we hauled it all in one. Srsly.

Ok, Spring Hill Suites. We are ready to chillllll out and start our vaca. Honestly, just being together is the best part of it all.

Day 2 will be Focus on the Family!

We are so proud of your hard work. Wow, look at the handwriting improvement.

More importantly your character is what we look at. God looks at the heart, sweet girl, and you have the kindest and most loving. I love you!