Respite

December was a tough month for me. Now that I've had some time to process it, I realized that I was struggling to find a new way to rest and recuperate in our new home. When we lived in Denver, it was easy. Head west! We would pack up our gear (or maybe just pack a quick bag), load up the wienie dogs, and head into the mountains. Whether it was a day hike or a long weekend backpacking trip, Jody and I found that the surest way to rest was to spend time outdoors. 

So, after experiencing subzero temperatures, a foot of snow before Thanksgiving, and no view of the sun for a month (yes, you read that correctly), Jody and I decided we needed a break. We did what all Wisconsinites do to vacation (or at least it seems that way)... we went "up north" and rented a cabin. 

We did some research online and found a fully furnished cabin near the small town of Glidden, right near the Chequamegon National Forest - about a five hour drive northwest of us. So, the day after Christmas we got up early, packed up all our things and headed north. :)

It wasn't a long trip, but it was just enough to fill my tank. Jody and I had a blast! We hiked in the nearby National Forest, watched Band of Brothers, played board games, got warm next to the wood-burning stoves and ate home-cooked meals that I'd prepared before we left and brought with us. It was heavenly.

Your New Year's card picture. Ha!

Martens? We're not in Colorado anymore...

There were TWO heavenly wood-burning stoves.

Complete with an old school home entertainment system!

It was a fantastic trip, and I loved every moment of it. It truly helped to hit the "reset" button and to prepare for all the challenges that 2015 will bring. We came back home refreshed and grateful for the life God has given us.

Desert Day Rest

In church world, there is always buzz about Mary vs. Martha. The discussion is based upon a passage in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 10:38-42), that describes a scene in the life of Jesus and the two sisters of his friend Lazarus. The two sisters were Mary and Martha, who hosted Jesus at their home. Here's the text from that passage.

Luke 10:38-42

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Martha and Mary

³⁸ Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; ⁴² but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

I often think about Mary and Martha, because 1) I am a woman, 2) I am in church ministry, 3) I am my mother's daughter and therefore have an attentiveness to detail, and 4) I am my mother's daughter and therefore love to sit at the Lord's feet, as well. 

Throughout the course of my week, I am constantly trying to balance the time I spend getting things done with time spent with the Lord. It can be exhausting always evaluating the levels of "margin" in my life, especially because there can be guilt and discouragement when I don't quite reserve time for the Lord like I know He deserves... Thankfully, I am blessed to work at a church that values rest, as well as knocking out what is on my task list, and the church leadership has proven so by allowing and even encouraging us to take one day a month to spend with the Lord. 

I love that. I love it, because it keeps me sane. I love it, because it helps me not to resent church ministry. It helps me pace myself in this marathon of life. It gives me the chance to hear myself. To hear God. To get outside and enjoy beautiful Colorado - a place I love so well. 

One of our favorite places to go is the Cherry Creek Open Space, which is a five minute drive from our house. It's in the middle of the Denver Metro area, but you would never know it when you're out there. You can't hear cars or anything. Just the wind in the trees. The sound of water from the lake. 

These pictures are from a Desert Day I took late last fall. I took my camera, hoping I would catch some of the late fall colors. I remember being surprised that there were still leaves on the trees (I think it was early November). Penny was at the vet all day, getting a medicine bath for the mange (poor girl!), so it was just Eu-mi and me in the great outdoors. I snapped a bunch of pictures, because it was just a perfect late fall day. 

When I see these pictures, I think of David's words in the Psalms.

19 

Psalm 19

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Works and the Word of God. A Psalm of David.

19 The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
² Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
³ There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.

So thankful for Desert Days... they give me the chance to be a Mary. 

French Pass Trail

On our way to Fun Valley (near South Fork, CO) every year, Jody and I make the drive on 285, heading southwest. The first part of the drive is over and through the mountains (front range). And then, you crest over the last mountain and see the most beautiful valley before you. In fact, every time we make the drive, my breath catches, and Jody and I discuss - without fail - how we'd love a piece of this land. 

And as we continue to drive, we would see signs indicating National Forest entries and trailheads. Inevitably,  we would say that we needed to get out here and explore some of this land. 

So this summer when we realized that we had a free weekend - incredibly exciting when you are in ministry - we decided to get away. And so I did some research, hoping to find a place out near that beautiful valley just short of Fairplay. I discovered the French Pass Trail, which seemed about what we were looking for (in terms of difficulty, length and frequency of individuals). We decided to go for it. Though the directions weren't the clearest, we did figure out how to get there. 

[As a side note: On our way to the trailhead, we passed a ranch with a sign above the driveway entry. I believe the sign said, "Founded 1876." Yep, so that's when you had to get here to get a piece of that beautiful valley land. *Sigh* It's nice to dream, though, right?]

The French Pass Trail was fun. I don't know that Jo and I made the entire trek, but of what we did do, we loved it. It wasn't too difficult, but it was so beautiful. In the midst of a drought year here in Colorado where everything seems permanently brown, in this oasis of wonderful goodness we saw flowers and an abundance of greenery. Throughout the hike the words of David's Psalm 23 resonated in my heart. 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; 

He leads me beside still waters. 

He restores my soul.  (vv. 1-3a)

Truly, time spent in these mountains do restore my soul. The longer I'm out there, the more still my heart becomes. The hustle and bustle of life in Denver fades into the background, and I can finally hear my own thoughts, and I find my spirit is much more sensitive to the Lord. My spirit is quiet, and I find myself drinking in the peace and the presence of the Lord in His beautiful creation. Also, there is something so wonderful about  carrying only a few things on our backs that will sustain us during the few days we're away from 'civilization,' and the only items we have to worry about are food, warmth, shelter... and each other!

I actually love the picture above. Jody's pack is what I'm most often following on a trek and therefore what I find myself seeing the most on an uphill trek. He sets a good pace for me, and I just follow his lead. Love that guy!

It was also fun to use our new camera to capture shots like the one above. While it's only a point-and-click kind of camera, it has a large zoom, and I can therefore capture pictures of animals or flowers out in the wild that are too far away or too skittish to allow me to come closer. So much fun! This little guy was atop a rock munching on something yummy. So cute. :)

And then there was the moment when we came to this point in the trail. An open field. Perfect for frolicking! So I set my pack down and went racing down into the field. Ha! I'd like to say it was as carefree as Sound of Music makes it look, but - alas - what I was thinking as I'm galavanting down the hill was, "I hope I don't twist an ankle. Oh my word, my back is sweaty. My shirt is soaked!" Much less romantic than Sound of Music, I'm afraid. 

But then we came to this lovely spot. So, so beautiful. The water was flowing, and it just seemed so perfect. The flowers were everywhere.... We just didn't want to move!

And so, we didn't. We plopped our tent down about 20 yards from the trail and high above the water. We leveled a spot for the tent in the trees and quickly got our tent up right before it rained. Phew!

It's so wonderful and scary when the weather turns in the mountains. I am reminded of the majesty and strength of our God. Whenever I try to put Him in a box, He reminds me He is not constrained by my understanding. I am so thankful for that!

So, here's what it was looking like when we're getting our tent up... and what we did while we're waiting out the rain...

We ate dried apples made in our dehydrator!

We played Pass the Pigs. Our favorite backpacking game.

The wiener dogs rested after the hiking adventure.

It gets cold when it rains! So, we bundle up in our sleeping bags. 

After the rain stopped, we were able to get out, feed the dogs, make ourselves some warm food. Since the rain had soaked most everything, we decided not to attempt a fire... and so we had a low-key evening. I did, however, catch some lovely shots of the view of that lovely valley from where we were at back in the mountains. Such a lovely spot! 

I also captured the rain clouds!

And then, it was morning, with much adventure to be had! It was time to get up, feed the dogs, get some hot coffee and breakfast going for us. And then it was time to explore! What a beautiful day it was.

A panoramic view of the mountains all around us

Our campsite

Penny & Eu-mi sniffing :)

Gorgeous blue sky!

The token jumping picture of Jo   :)

Jody and I

Happy dogs!

I'm in love.

The beautiful stream below us

I am so thankful for a husband who shares my love for the great outdoors! We thoroughly enjoyed the French Pass Trail, and we're still dreaming of our own spot in the mountains.