Ike's Welcome Home

We have arrived safely home from Colorado with no damage except a few tree limbs from Hurricane Ike. We are extremely blessed that we still have power, water and can get fuel with very little trouble (for now).

We had a spectacular and memorable time in Estes Park, Colorado. Without television or internet access (it was absolutely blissful), we didn't even realize there was a hurricane headed our way until Wednesday (a big thanks to all our friends who helped tie things down!)

Our week was phenomenal. We spent time hiking, driving up the mountain, playing games, drinking coffee and hot chocolate in front of a nightly fire, enjoying the wildlife (chipmunks, ground squirrels, marmots, elk, birds) reading, and more. Tanner became a junior ranger by completing a booklet about Rocky Mountain National Park (and has loved telling anyone who was willing to pay attention). We also enjoyed an afternoon of snow in the mountains! The main road over the mountain was shut down due to the snow, but, we drove up to where it was closed and Tanner was thrilled to have a snow ball fight with Jon. One of Tanner's favorite things was watching the glassblowers, we went back 3 times! I could go on and on, but don't want to bore you.

It was a truly restful and beautiful week. One of our favorite things was Tanner's joy and genuine thankfulness for the beauty and creation that we experienced. He would notice something and sign "Thank you, thank you for the beautiful mountain Jesus!" and then he'd want us to do the same. Another time, "thank you Jesus for the elk" and did he this all week long! It was such a precious thing to see.

Our last morning there we were packing up the truck to leave, and in the front of the cabin we saw a herd of 40-50 elk! It was a clear morning with an amazing view of the mountains and we were surrounded by these majestic animals. What a beautiful parting gift from our Father. We are truly blessed to have had this week together that was absolutely unforgettable!

I've tried (it was hard) to pick out some of the best pictures to show you here. Enjoy!