May Musings

Mother's Day was such a treat --- the real enjoyment came from seeing the excitement in my girls as they just about burst with joy watching me open their beloved gifts. They are both SUCH givers and find such pleasure in seeing people receive their works of art. I was treated to the best pancake joint in Westcliffe where we then went to church to hear my "preacher" husband give the sermon on marriage. Good stuff.

Soccer continues - this is our last weekend.

Syd is in the green going for the attack.

Emily after practice.

This spring we are attempting to start a garden. I have the guidance of one of the valley's best gardeners which is a good thing since I barely know how to plant a seed. This is the beginning of our plot. Still need to work in the manure - won't be able to start planting until the last week of May. We also aquired chickens this spring. What? I know, I don't know what we were thinking except that I will be thankful come fall when I have free access to all the eggs I could ever want. Pictures of the coop will come on the next post... here is a shot of them when they were chicks. They are now 5 times the size and have quite the appetite. Scraps, anyone?

One of the major signs it's spring around here is when our creek begins to run. Last Sunday, we heard the wonderful sound of water running. Yeah!

It wouldn't be the end of school with out field trips. Here are a few shots of Syd at the zoo with her friends and some wily beasts.

The highlight of my week during the school year is on Tuesday mornings when 5 other moms meet to pray for our kids and our school. It is officially called Moms in Touch and it is such a rich time. We pray scripture over our kids and for each teacher by name through out the year. It is also fun to be able to bless the staff in different ways, mainly through providing meals during staff meetings. If you are mom out there with kids in public school, see if there is a local chapter at your school - it is well worth your time.

And finally, I will leave you with some photography by my 10 year old. She went out behind our house a few weeks ago and I must say, I was impressed!

It's Finally Here

The month I long for each winter has arrived. May. It means summer is-a-comin and the brown all around begins to have a hint of green. Notice I say a "hint". I really don't want to hear about anyone's tulips or daffodils blooming. Keet it to yourself, please. Our 9,000+ altitude kills me sometimes.

It has been a full month. Jeff has been gearing up for summer plus finishing interviews for our interns that will come this fall. He recently completed a 2 weekend long EMR (Emergency Medical Responder)class which was intense but he can now oficially change a band-aid and do other fancy stuff. Camp needed him to get certified; I think he actually enjoyed it. He is planning on running the Leadville Marathon in July...getting started again after the snow has kicked his tail, but he's getting there. I am thinking about dong the Aspen Golden Leaf Half Marathon this September - we'll see if my thinking actually turns into crossing the finish line. Any peeps out there want to join me?

Emily and Sydney have played soccer this spring - it has been a total blast. There really is something about watching your own kid play a sport and i hate to say it, but Jeff has needed some tape over his mouth a few times. He's passionate about soccer and his kid, what can I say. He loved playing as a boy so I think he is vicariously playing through his children. He is a total encouragement and teacher to them, though...I just provide the orange slices. The other night before bed, in the bedroom, as I was trying to quiet things down...you get the picture...Jeff was teaching Em how to do a slide kick. Whatever. They have both really enjoyed playing and will hopefully continue again in the fall. I have been a bit lame with getting any pics - it has been incredibly cold every game (!) so my hands are usually in my pocket. I am hoping on some temps above 60 next Saturday - come on! But here are a few of practicing with Jeff and some from the first game.

We continue to meet with our small group Monday evenings in our home - a highlight of our week. Currently, we are finishing the book Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claborne. If you've read the book, you'll understand that our discussions have been, um, intense. If you haven't read it, then I encourage you not to unless you are ready to be offended, uncomfortable and challenged. Jeff has started his own blog with his own thoughts on this book among other things...check it out.

http://www.choppythoughts.blogspot.com/

Some sad news for me personally...my sweet Grampy of 87 years passed away on Easter Sunday. I loved this man dearly. He was just about the kindest and most gentle man I have ever known. I grew up living within just a few minutes of he and my Grammy's house, so we had a special relationship. Not to mention i was his only grand-daughter. My brother and I thankfully had a chance to spend some time with him a week before he died - what a tremendous gift.

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Jeff and I had a two night get-away in April to Keystone. We spent half of one day cross-country skiing in some serious back country. At one point, we took off our skies (is that plural for ski?) and hiked to the top of a very high mountain. Fun!



We continue to live each day thankful and grateful for where we are and what we are doing. Camp's finances are still somewhat like a yo-yo, so we just keep on relishing the day and savoring the here and now. Having the summer staff come is always such a boost and there is plenty of opportunities to live some great day to day life with them. Jeff is still working some hours for our church as well which has proven to be quite a learning experience, in a good way. Stretching. Giving more of himself, but always finding it rewarding in the end.

Until next time...

Leslie

What's not to Love?

Our recent visit back to St. Louis for a wedding reminded me of just why this little slice of the mid-west will always have a place in my heart.

Kirkwood.

... the parks


...walking to parks (Charlotte pulling her son and Sydney)

...The Magic House

...watching for the train

...gazeebos

...scooter rides

...and of course, the beloved neighborhood swing.

The timing of our visit was perfect.

Good to be in some warm, springy weather and to see something green besides a pine tree.

Other things we enjoyed...

Walking barefoot on the sidewalks, reading in the grass, visiting with dear friends, hearing an ice cream truck (and just missing it by meer seconds!) being 5 minutes from a St. Louis Bread Co., taking evening walks around the block, Greentree Community Church, getting to stay with our amazing neighbors on Van Buren, being in a place where there are memories...a history, hearing the train come through Kirkwood, the church clock striking every hour, hearing the morning birds and admiring all the cool front porches.

All these things are unique to Kirkwood and to the mid-west. As I was telling a friend, it is good to be able to go and appreciate those things and then come back here and marvel at what is here. One isn't better than the other, though my mind would like to sometimes make it that black and white. Our 10 years there was rich and good and full of life and stories.

But now we are in a new chapter and are creating new history, new stories.

Isn't life fun that way?

As much as I had hoped for settling somewhere for 30 years (boring, I know) that isn't the book God wanted to write for the Foxes.

And maybe that is a good thing.

Look what we would've missed out on...

Sledding in our backyard meadow 2 days after our return.

The difference in the girls facial expression represents their personalities!

-Leslie

Rocky Mountain Oysters

Tonight was an educational experience, to say the least. Our friends Lance and Gretchen Villers invited us to go to the FFA (Future Farmers of America) Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry at Custer County High School. Leslie and I saw this as a great opportunity to hang with Lance and Gretchen, and also further acquaint ourselves with our Westcliffe culture. Westcliffe, a town of 900, and a county of a few thousand is a unique mix of ranchers, tradesmen, school teachers, mountain folk, retirees and several other types. Now that we are beginning to work at our local church in town, along with working at Horn Creek, we have been making an effort to engage more in the community. This was another step.

Now, before a couple of years ago, I had no idea what a Rocky Mountain Oyster was. I would have guessed it was some sort of clam-like critter that came out of the local mountain streams, that people would fry up and eat. Though such food would not interest me at all, I didn’t think much of it when I heard people talk about these oysters. I never really picked up on the half smile people had when they talked about eating them. Come to find out, I was way off base. As many of you may know, a Rocky Mountain Oyster is actually a cow testicle, that people slice up and deep fry – somewhat of a delicacy around these parts. So every year, here in the small little mountain town of Westcliffe, there is a Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry to raise money for FFA. I’ll be honest, I was looking forward to going – but also a bit terrified. I am used to sticking to the OTHER parts of a cow if you know what I mean.

And let’s be honest: I am not much of an FFA guy. I know nothing about Future Farmers of America, having spent most of my living years in suburbia. I figured there would be lots of cowboy and cowgirl types, so I pulled out the only Wrangler shirt I could find. I did purchase a pair of cowboy boots a couple of years ago, but I figured I might as well write POSER in permanent marker on my forehead if I was going to wear those in public! So, with the wife in tow, and my shirt on, we headed into the high school cafeteria. There we met our friends Lance and Gretchen and jumped into line. I quickly got back to my fear of the impending encounter. I could clearly smell something being deep fried. I certainly could not tell it was testicles, but let’s face it, my imagination was running wild. As we pulled up to the counter, where several FFA students were serving up food, it was suddenly my turn. What was I going to do?? Were there going to be options, or would I have to just smile and take em?

Well, as I gazed down at the food, a young man picked up something with some tongs and held it towards me. Whatever it was, it was huge, a little squishy, and definitely very fried! I thought to myself, “This is the largest testicle I have ever seen in my whole life!!” It seemed to taunt me, and I thought of my own (if you know what I mean) and felt instant nausea. I quickly got chills down my body and said to the young man, “Not a chance!” He had a puzzled look on his face and said, “you don’t want any deep fried biscuits?” What? As I got over my gag reflex, I soon realized what I was staring at was not a huge bulging cow testicle at all, but rather a simple deep fried biscuit. The relief was immediate, and so was the continued awkwardness. So, I decided to take one of those after all, still not totally convinced it wasn’t the dreaded testicle. Later I got some chicken (thank the Lord), and passed on the local delicacy. I have to say, the testicles actually looked like chicken strips to me, but I passed on them anyway.

So, the night went on, and I actually did take a bite of a Rocky Mountain Oyster at some point just to say I did. We stayed and watched the FFA auction, won a raffle prize, and almost walked out with a bottle of Elk Urine that someone else won as a raffle prize. (Yes it is true, you actually buy the stuff and spray it on trees and bushes to attract Elk while hunting.) It was a great night and another in a line of unique experiences in Westcliffe. We really love this town, and continue to be thankful God has placed us here: in an amazing little town in the middle of nowhere.

Wood, Wood...and more Wood

For most of you reading this, you won't understand the title of this blog. But for those who live in the Wet Mountain Valley (Gretchen!), you understand all too well. Starting in August...June for the super ambitious...the pressure is on for the man of the house. It's time to start the quest for collecting firewood for the winter. Now this isn't just for the occassional, cozy, romantic fire. This is to HEAT our home. Yes, we do have electricity for you sarcastic ones who think we really live in the boonies, but it is expensive and inefficient. Thankfully, Jeff takes this task seriously...to provide warmth for his ladies! What a man. He says often that his Stihl (sp?) chainsaw is the best present I ever got him. Who knew.

The girls and I do pitch in, but Jeff is definately the one who spends hours and hours...and hours getting us set for the long winter.

And so it goes....

...cutting...

...hauling...

...unloading...

...moral support...

...splitting - with our beloved log splitter in the back ground...

...self talk... "Why can't we live in the suburbs?"...


...transporting...

...stacking...

...the final result...

...bringing warmth to the casa...

And yes, those are Carhartt overalls I am wearing. Darn proud of it, too.

...what a guy...

Here's to a cozy winter.

Leslie

On the Hunt

It is such a blessing, to head out the back door and go look for a Christmas tree. Today was another reminder at what a gift it is to live this lifestyle. We are indeed thankful. It has been an interesting fall, with camp going through some ups and downs. Yet amazingly, it looks as though the financial picture at camp is evening out a bit. The camp was able to refinance, and give us a couple of years to develop a new plan and turn the ship around. Doug Jones, our interim director has done an amazing job with the finances, and with us managers as well. We have been able to speak into a lot of things as we look at our ministry in the future. It will be exciting to see where the Lord takes Horncreek in the future, but I think all of us are re-engaged with renewed passion.

I have been traveling alot this fall for camp as we seek to re-stratigize and recruit some new summer staff and interns. The internship is up and running for next fall, and we have had good success recruiting. I have been to Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Indiana so far, and I head to Texas and back to Missouri this week.

The weather has been pretty mild so far this fall. We just got our first snow this week, just in time to get our Christmas tree. The girls are doing great, and school continues to go well for them. We will all be heading to Maui this Christmas to spend some time with my family. Looking forward to being warm and enjoying the ocean.

We will check in again soon. Bye for now.

-Jeff and the Foxy ladies