Go Muff Commercial

Check out this hilarious video my brother, Daniel, made for a marketing class at West Point. and start your day the GO MUFF way! :)

YFC annual picnic: western-themed! :)

Springstons Sleepover!

Last night Mary, Sam, and Mason Springston spent the night at my apartment b/c Sam had to go to CSU's orientation. The four of us had a blast hanging out: eating dinner, jamming, and playing "Loaded Questions." It was a night to remember, that's for sure. :)







Things got even more crazy when we pulled out the nose flutes. :)


Mason demonstrates how to put a fitted sheet onto a bed.

(he made this up all by himself!)

Andrea Kohl passes through Denver

andrea kohl and i first met in 1988 in europe. her parents and my grandparents worked for the same missions organization in germany and twice a year we'd get together for conferences: once in the summer (in lauterbrunen, switzerland) and once in the winter (in beatenburg, switzerland). it was during these week-long conferences that andrea and i cultivated our friendship and went on many adventures. some of our stories include getting lost in a small mountain town, wading in ice-cold creeks, and our sledding episode where we flipped over a fence (you'll have to hear the story in-person).

when i moved from germany to virginia in 1991, i had to say goodbye to andrea, but we've kept in touch and have been able to see each other again a couple times over the years. she was in denver for a week and stayed with me for a few days. it was such a blessing to see and talk with her again. she will move to okinawa, japan, next month to continue working with malachi military youth ministries.

circa 1989, switzerland

circa 1994, kansas

circa 2006, virginia


circa 2007, colorado

My New Job @ YFC

I began my new part-time job about three weeks ago, and I'm LOVING it! I'm working as an administrative assistant in the World Outreach Department of Youth For Christ (www.yfc.net). I walked into the office on my first day and found myself surrounded by maps, flags from other countries, newsletters from missionaries around the world, international artifacts, and people who have both a passion for Christ and traveling. I felt like I was home! :)

I'm working with a few familiar faces, including my former youth pastor, Bill Springston, and my friend from college, Megan Lake! Our department is responsible for recruiting, training, supporting, and debriefing all American YFC missionaries. Even though my role is small (I work about 10-15 hours a week), I feel so excited and honored to be a part of such an effective and respected organization (YFC was founded in 1944 by Billy Graham and a couple other guys). Plus, YFC has impacted me and my walk with the Lord since my first missions trip back in 1996!




Megan and Me.


DD (a way cool co-worker) and me. Bop-it has already made its appearance. :)



My space.

More or Less

I've been in Colorado for about six weeks now, which has provided time to observe the new culture. :) I've collected a list of "More and Less," comparing here to Northern Virginia:

More:

-motorcyclists (without helmets)
-mountains
-altitude sickness / headaches
-people with tatoos
-SUVs and pick-up trucks
-Aspen trees
-Evergreen trees
-streams and creeks
-people doing outdoorsy things
-random and short thunderstorms
-hitchhikers
-comfy shoes (i.e. Crocks, Tevas, Chacos, etc.)

Less:

-oxygen :)
-mosquitos
-humidity
-sports cars
-"vanity" license plates
-wide rivers
-police cars
-lush green foliage
-rain
-fashion-concious people (i.e. women with high heels/pearls, guys with pink polo shirts :)
-traffic

Parents passing through: July 2-3

I meant to post this earlier, but forgot. :) My parents passed through Denver on their way to their new home in Phoenix. It was awesome to have them stay the night in my new place and show them around Littleton & Denver!

Here are photos from the Captial (we climbed the stairs to the top of the dome--quite a view!) and a Catholic cathedral.

Weekend in MD/VA

This past weekend was spent in Virginia and Maryland visiting with friends and attending Matt and Meg Hoffman's wedding! It was a whirlwind visit, but so much fun to see familiar faces and places.



Friday night was spent with Beth, Megan, Sarah, Justin (Sarah's older brother), and Dimitar at the Cheesecake Factory.


I highly recommend the Dulce de Leche cheesecake!!





Saturday (7-7-07!!!) was spent at the wonderful Hoffman wedding in Petersburg, VA. It was a nice ceremony, fun reception, and Meg was a beautiful bride.




Elizabeth and Robbie tell Katy they're engaged. :)




It was so fun to be with so many old friends from Mary Washington!



I'm not sure why I'm leaning into Dana like that.

Kelly with baby Brooke Roberts








Sunday morning I went to church at TFC and then lunch at Anthony's. In the afternoon I hung out with my grandparents, aunts, and uncle. Then Rob drove me up to Baltimore, where we met up with Meghan and enjoyed the sights of the Inner Harbor.









Monday morning I met up with Paul and we enjoyed an awesome brunch before he drove me to the airport.



Thanks to all of you who drove me around and let me stay with you...I had a BLAST and you made it hard to come back to Colorado!!! :)

4th of July adventures

This was actually my second Independence Day in Colorado. The first was back in 2000 when I interned with Military Community Youth Ministries in Colorado Springs. (Who knew that I'd be back here seven years later, this time as a resident? :)

Anyways...Jess and I headed to Washington Park (the best park in Denver) for a BBQ with some of her friends from church. We hung out there for about four hours, playing volleyball, eating good food, and talking with new friends.





this is the cute little puppy that kept wandering over to our picnic spot. i was tempted to snatch him up and take him home with me. :)
Adrian, me and Jessica.

There are these pretty flower gardens in Wash Park.


The highlight of the day was getting to ride on a motorcycle (it's always been a personal goal of mine :). One of the guys in our group owns a Harley and was happy to take me around the block. It was everything I dreamt it would be and more! :)



Adrian, Jess and I wanted to find a spot for fireworks, but since all of us are new to the area, we weren't sure where to go. We started asking around the park and a woman outside the porto-potty told us that the best fireworks are at Evergreen Lake. We packed up and drove 45 minutes west into the mountains. Once at the Lake we were excited to stake a claim and watch "the best fireworks show in CO." It wasn't too long, however, until we realized that something was awry...there were only about a dozon people at the lake. We stopped an older couple and asked them, "Is there a firework show tonight?" They replied, "Oh no, they haven't had fireworks here in seven years." They told us about a show 20 minutes south, in a little town called Indian Hills. So we drove there. But that show was cancelled because of potential forrest-fire hazards. (go figure.)


at Evergreen Lake, a really pretty place.


Not sure whether to laugh or scream, we looked at each other and decided to just head back to Denver and try to find something. By the time we got there, it was nightfall and we were drained, about to call it a night and give up. Instead we thought we'd head back to my apartment to watch a movie. Ironically enough, as we pulled into Holleywood Video to rent a DVD, we noticed people gathered in the parking lot. We ended up sitting there with them, eating cherries, sour watermelon-flavored gummies, and McDonalds, and enjoying three simultaneous firework shows: one to the east, one to the south, and one to the west. It was awesome and a great memory...we kept laughing at the irony that we drove for hours trying to find fireworks when all along they were half a mile from my place. :)



Earlier in the day, Adrian commented, "This is going to be the best 4th of July ever...I can just feel it." One thing is for sure: it was definitely memorable. :)

Jazzercise in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-07-02-fitness_N.htm?csp=34