New Addition to our Family

We have been looking for a while for a vehicle that would fit our needs. Our needs being: better gas mileage, 4 wheel drive, decent clearance (for the rocky roads we have to drive), cheaper parts than our Isuzu and enough cargo space to travel. Finding something to match all of those requirements is pretty much impossible. So which ones were the most important? That was a question that kept us awake at night. OH.... and like anything else, of course, it had to fit into our budget. Well, it is a very long story, one I am sure you don't want to hear, so I will spare you. But we had pretty much given up when we saw this one online in denver, and since we had been given a 2 night stay in Colorado Springs (just 35 mins. away), we decided to give it one more weekend. We looked at the Denver vehicle on friday and piles of cars in Colorado Springs on Saturday. After finding nothing in C. Springs, we went back to Denver for one last look. If we didn't like this one, we were done for a while. They accepted our first offer on the vehicle and we didn't pay more than we had planned!!! It was such a relief but also nerve-racking driving it the 5 hours home through the mountains. It is a 2003, Jeep Liberty Renegade and it has 54,000 miles on it! (it also gets anywhere from 5 to 8 mpg's better than our Trooper) I think John and I have only bought one vehicle that had less than 100,000 miles and it was just barely under. We praise God for this vehicle that should last us a long time!

Horse Club

If you read the previous post, here is a horse club picture that another mom sent me. This is Ethan and Sparky.

First Day of School

We are homeschooling Ethan and this picture is his first official day of school for his first grade year. Not the typical picture of a kid in a large class room with his back pack and cubbie, but It is pretty exciting for him. We pulled out the school table and set up for the day. Our first week went very well and we are looking forward to starting our second week tomorrow. Well, at least Ethan is, I have yet to sit down today and work on our lesson plans. Today was the first day of fall Horse Club. I cannot believe the improvement over last year. Last year I was his teacher, mainly getting him comfortable on the horse and getting him used to trotting and steering. But he would get very frustrated with me making him make the horse obey him. Weird sentence but it does make sense! It brought up a lot of good opportunities to share how John and I feel trying to guide him when he wants to do his own thing. Today was awesome though. He was with a group of 5 6yr. olds and he did great. I didn't see him fighting with the horse and he seemed to be very assertive with Sparky. Of course I forgot my camera, but I will get some pictures next week.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

What John has been up to

John got a archery bear tag this fall but wasn't sure if he would have the time to fill it, since it coincided with his Elk hunting season. Then we found Mr. Bear up a tree near our house. John and the guys waited for him to come down and he got a good shot, hitting one lung, but the bear still had some life left in him. They tracked him from 9:15 am til 3:30 in the afternoon. When they found him he was injured badly and almost done for, so John stuck him one more time. This time though it did not glance off the shoulder blade and he died instantly. Now we have, most likely, a record size bear with his height measuring around 7ft 4in and his skull measuring 21 to 22 inches initially, but not officially. He was massive. If you don't like hunting pictures... you may not want to continue; However, I did try to keep the real bloody pictures out.

In this picture you will notice the two blue tags in his ears. This was a problem bear that was relocated and had 2 strikes against him. Next time he would be destroyed and the Department of Wildlife was pleased that a hunter got to him and will benefit from the kill rather than it just being tossed. This picture was taken of him up in the tree, if you hadn't figured that out.

The Hunters (L to R): John, Mark, Brant and Justin. (we missed Kirk in this photo somehow but he was there and a big help)

John and Mr. Bear

John, Ethan, Jimmy (who helped Track him) and Brant

John's Hand in comparison to the bear's front paw

A Men's Retreat was taking place at the Family Ministries Facility and some of the men saw the guys dragging Mr. Bear out of the woods. They came over to help and get their picture taken with the massive bear. They, being from Atlanta, Georgia, were shocked that women and children would be there witnessing the events.

Then we pulled up to the Family Lodge and the men continued to pour out to see it and get their picture taken with it. Talk about the perfect men's retreat!

Kate, Claire and Ethan enjoying the event.

Riding in the truck with bear didn't seem to bother the kids at all

John enjoying the spectacle

Ethan Turns 6

Every Birthday party we have ever had for Ethan has been a big ordeal. His first Birthday was combined with John's surprise 30th birthday (Which I am sure many of you remember). Then every other one was out here in Colorado. When you live in a community like the one we live in... you don't just invite a few people. It is usually all or none since we all live next to each other, not to mention that we all work together, eat together, go to church together, live together and basically breathe together. There is no privacy in your home life except maybe in the bathroom and bedrooms.... MAYBE. All of that to say... when you have a party, you invite everyone. For some reason I hit a slump in my motivation to cook lately and cooking for 30 to 35 people sounded like torture. I also knew John's birthday followed 5 days later.

So I started thinking about my childhood and what made my birthdays so special. I know I never once had a party like Ethan's last 4 parties but what made it fun was the surprise. I always knew who was coming and when it was going to be. I also got to pick out my meal and type of cake. However... the surprise was when my dad or someone would keep me busy for the afternoon and then return me to a house covered in streamers and balloons. THAT WAS IT!!! No party favors, no matching plates, no themes and rarely a party hat. So what was so great about it? Yes there was my favorite food, my favorite cake and gifts but all the rest didn't matter. I was with my family! As I pondered these things and how spoiled my son was when it came to birthdays, I began planning his sixth birthday party.

I wanted surprise, I wanted small and I definitely wanted family. I always had my parents, siblings, grandparents and 1 or 2 friends. But Ethan's party was going to be devoid of siblings and grandparents, and Camp Staff have always been our surrogate family, so now I was facing a dilemma. We ended up having a destination party and we invited one family to go with us. The whole day was a surprise to Ethan. First we drove 2 hours to a children's museum and let the kids play for a couple hours. Then we went to an awesome park with their razor scooters and ordered Pizza Hut pizza and a Cold Stone Creamery cake. It was so great! I haven't been so relaxed at a birthday party in so many years! I didn't have to cook and I didn't have to clean. The only thing Ethan says he would have changed is that he wished he hadn't lost his watch at Arby's. And in the end we ended up with family, surprise and small. What a blessing!

His Soccer Cake

Blue Tounges

Ethan and His good buddy Claire

Ethan's first and very own pocket knife from Dad

Its been a while.... I'm sorry

I have been thinking about this blog a lot but you have had no way of knowing that since it has been 5 months since I posted! Those months have been jam packed and I intend on letting you know all about our summer over the next few weeks as I post pictures and write. So I am writing this note to keep myself accountable :D There is so much to share with you but it will take some time. So I beg you to be patient with me. Also.... if you want to know when I update.... I can place you on a email list that will notify you when I post. Just let me know. johnandbrookewright@hotmail.com

God's Timing

You're getting warmer...



Hotter...




You found it!!!

Praise God for revealing the location of both water main leaks just days before campers arrived!!! Thank you for your prayers.

The Main Issue

There are endless things to be built and fixed at Camp Redcloud, however, with Wade on the injured reserve list, we are down one man. But the biggest blow, is the broken water main. Three staff homes, the dining hall, the office building and a couple of the cabins are without water except for 4 times a day when we turn in on for an hour. Most of the water from the tank ends up in the ground somewhere during that hour, but we are still waiting on God to reveal the location. Everything else at camp hinges on this issue, at least until a couple days ago. As the guys have been tearing up the camp looking for the 30 year old pipes (their many locations are also a mystery) we broke another one that turned out to be a blessing. They were able to put a split in it (for you plumbers, I obviously don't know the right terms) and restore water to the
kitchen/dining hall, offices and one staff home. Praise God for the ability to feed the campers when they show up in a week!!! What timing God has. This narrows down the locations, but now know that we have two breaks. One by the cabins, and one by the remaining 2 staff homes. Pray for these families, as when they do have water, it is a trickle and takes an hour to fill the tub. We know that it will take God

to locate the breaks under several feet of snow and ice. It is in His hands completely and it will happen in His timing.

Please be praying for John and his boss, Brant, as they continue to dig. Pray that they would not grow weary and that God would lead them to the breaks, so Camp can resume and other import jobs can get done. The coffee shop is still under construction after a year but work should resume as soon as this water issue is resolved.

Our new house guest

Last Wednesday night, my brother Wade fell while playing hockey, broke his fibula and blew out the ligaments that held the tibia in place. They had to take him into surgery imediately and put 4 screws in his leg. He is doing alright, but is in a bit of pain. His plan was to leave camp this coming weekend, but God obviously had different intentions for him. He cannot put any pressure on that leg for 10 weeks, so for now he is staying with us on our couch and I am kinda glad to not have to say goodbye to him just yet.

Oh the Joys of Winter

Winter has taken its toll on the camp facilities which has kept John and his crew very busy. Snow removal has just been a small portion of the trials as we have had record amounts of snow this winter. Leaks, leaks and more leaks! Including a large break in a water main that has forced staff to move from one cabin to another. In our house alone, I have 4 different spots we have to keep buckets under and a carpet that continually and mysteriously becomes soaking wet (we believe it is pouring down the wall and coming out near the baseboard into the carpet). Then low and behold our storage "weatherport" collapsed under the weight of the snow. Three other families and ours are now in search of a new storage area, as our trailers do not hold much. However, we are praising God for the moisture we need to sustain us through the dry summers.

Water draining out after I drilled holes in our sagging kitchen ceiling.

Pictures of our collapsed weatherport

For those of you that would like to see how snow gets into our bedroom. We actually don't have to worry about the snow so much now that the ice has filled the gap.

Baggage

In life, we often talk of baggage, but do we really grasp the meaning? I have always thought of a large heavy bag on my back, and maybe a couple other hand bags that are tying up the use of my hands. I now have a new appreciation of the term baggage. I imagine my airline allowing me to check 3 bags per person even though one of those persons is not big enough to carry one of those bags. Then on top of that, each person is allowed one carry on and personal item such as a purse or briefcase to carry your lap top. So I know what you are thinking and no we did not check 3 bags per person... just 2 per person. However having no trust in the airline baggage system after watching the "Dirty Jobs" episode where they visit the maze of luggage at a large airport, I decide it is best to cram as much as possible into our carry-ons and make Ethan's "personal item" a large backpack with lots of things to play with and my "personal item" I called a purse while I was at the airport even though it resembled a small suitcase with wheels and an extendable handle. I know, I know, It is looking like all my fault, but all I have to do is get it to the sky cap and Ethan and I will only have 4 items to be responsible for right?

Now as I am trying to decide what to put where I lost my brain all together. I can't have liquids, gels or aerosols... UNLESS they are 3 ounces or less and all fit in a 1 quart bag that will have to removed and sent though security. So lots of decisions to make and lots of hair pulling. What looks like a bomb? What looks like a weapon? If they open my bag, will my underwear be hanging out? I also had a precious candle I didn't trust to be checked but it was cylinder and black!

Ok, on with the story. So I get to the bus in Madison that will take me to Midway Airport in Chicago. They told me no problem about getting on, they never fill up. So as we wait, more and more people file into the parking lot and then the bus arrives half full. To top it off, the driver was NOT having a good morning. So I am trying to shove her my pile of suitcases (5 for under the bus when my parents say "just get on quick and get a seat, we will make sure all 5 get on." So we did not get our long, tear-filled goodbye, saying all the things we hoped to say, as Ethan and I quickly pushed our way onto the now almost full bus, draging my so called purse, Ethan's back pack, a Bob the Builder suitcase and a bag of food my mom said we would need for the trip. But no worries right? They say it never fills up! No one looks like they are going to allow Ethan and I to sit together so instead of the fun 4 hour bus trip that we were looking for, Ethan and I take our seats in separate rows and on opposite sides of the bus (by the way it DID fill up and the last guy on had to sit on the front steps of the bus). Off we go and on the first turn out of the parking lot, my water bottle, an extra water bottle and coke go rolling to who knows where under somebody's feet. So much for any liquids this stretch of the trip, but low and behold about 45 minutes later, they come rolling back to me and I jumped out into the isle to stop their journey and return them safetly to their bag. We do get to switch buses in Rockford to a much nicer driver and a lot more room, however there is the task of transfering my 7 suitcases (yes I stopped calling my one suitcase a purse), ethan's back pack and Ethan his self. I left most of the food in the over head bin for some lucky bus cleaner to find. Alright, on to Chicago. This driver seems nice enough that I would imagine he would be thinking of the poor woman who had too many bags and try to drop people off near my airline, but no, he parked probably 50 yards away from my sky cap, tossed all 7 bags on the curb and left me to deal with my own insanity. I can see Southwest down the way but I am not seeing any carts. Now I am left with the dilema, do I leave my son and all my bags sitting on the curb in a Chicago airport to go inside and find a cart? Do I leave my bags on the curb to be confiscated by the TSA and risk being a "wanted" traveler? Or do I suck up my pride and begin the long, humbling, leap-frog journey to my sky cap? of course I opt of the latter and begin moving 2 bags at a time. Just far enough that no one is going to report me for leaving unattended bags, and then head back for the next 2. Two by Two I hauled my bags down the curb as others looked on in unbelief. So just as I am getting close, a van pulls up and a family piles out dropping all of their bags in my only path. The dad convieniently goes inside to get a cart and leaves me standing there in a traffic jam. I end up standing there for at least 10 mins as they try to figure out all of their baggage. Any one else would have had the luxury of walking around them but I have a wall next to me that I would have to back track and go around to get to the walkway. Not going to happen. So I patiently wait and I notice this one man still watching me and my predicament enjoying it thouroughly. Eventually I make it to the sky cap and I am sweating. I make it though there and Ethan and I are left with 3 suitcases and his backpack and we head to security. We get up to the spot where you begin to unrobe for the security agents and I realize we have not drank all the liquid in our Nalgenes. So we put our clothes back on, head back to a garbage can and dump out the contents to avoid them being confiscated. Back to the security check point, take off our shoes, jackets, belts and pull out the laptop, quart sized bag with toiletries, and candle so tests can be run on it. And we are finally through. I really think that they should have dressing rooms on the other end to put your self back together. Yes, it is lunch time and we find a Mc Donalds and find a place to stretch out for a couple hours. We are only a few bites into our meal we have pulled out and arranged so carefully when the dance starts. THE POTTY DANCE!!! Oh please no! We pack up all of our food and our computer and Ethan's toys and drinks and carefully balance all of them on my suitcase somehow because of course I can't leave ANYTHING unattended and we head to the largest bathroom stall we could find. Eventually we actually make it on to our plane and fly to Denver. The drive from home from Denver I will save for another time. But I now understand the meaning of baggage. And if you need a visual reference for the word, think of Ethan and I dragging 7 large suitcases down the curb of Chicago Midway Airport. Speaking of things weighing on me, I have had my blog site weighing on me and I have not forgotten you that check it everyday. I have just been trying to unpack my 7 large suitcases and find places for everything.

Random Pictures

Update

We are headed out tonight to visit family for Thanksgiving!!! Yay!! The long drive through the night awaits us. Before we left, I wanted to post a couple pictures of the houses and other work being done. The houses are beautiful. It really is wonderful for camp to have most of these homes donated. They will be very efficient and I don't think that the snow will be getting inside these toasty homes.