And Indians

Yesterday we did some off roading (not on purpose) to Palatki Ruins. We had to make reservations which seemed strange. I have never heard of making reservations to hike. It rained the night before so the road had some muddy spots and areas we thought we might get stuck. It was a fun drive, but it would have been funner in a Jeep. The scenery was amazing though. The red rocks have distint horizonal lines and so many different shades of red and pink and some areas of white. It's so cool. The green trees and plants on the red sand really makes every pop out at you.

We found the parking lot and walked up to the information desk. The park rangers where very nice and loaned us some handmade hiking sticks. They pointed out the two different hikes and sent us on our way.

The first hike was up a hill to the Rock Art. Once we reached the top there was a park ranger there waiting to give us a tour. He pointed out the art work and explained the meaning. It was very interested. We then toured a cave dwelling that a farmer made and lived in 1920 while he built his home. I can see now why you need to make reservations. It's very small and fragile and the walking trains are very narrow in some parts.

- boys in old Farmer's house.

Our next hike was to the Indian Ruins. As we hiked up the red dirt road we stopped to get a lot of family pictures. I'll be adding the pictures to the blog when we get home. The more we hiked up the hill the cooler it got. The trees became thicker and created a tunnel or shade for us. It was very pretty and something I wouldn't expect to experience in Arizona.

We finally reached the top and found another guide waiting for us. Dante asked where the Indians were since we were visiting their homes. He's been curious and excited to meet some Indians since he saw their dancing video at the shops in town :) We walked around and even went inside one of the ruins. It was very interesting.

- Tough guys!

Cowboys...

Today was all about the "good ole western days". We took a short scenic drive through Old Town Cottonwood and the road ended at Verde Canyon Railroad. The train ride was very interesting and beautiful. The landscape went from lush, green valleys to red, dry rock within only a few miles. We saw old Copper mines, Indian dwellings (caves carved into the rock), homes and deserted ranches. The boys enjoyed the journey for the first 2 hours, but lost interested on our way back home. Luckily my genius husband bought a deck of cards at the gift shop before we boarded the train! Overall it was a beautiful, relaxing ride.
Our next stop was Blazin' M Ranch. It was only about 10 minutes from the railroad station in Cottonwood. We arrived early enough to visit the gift shops, pet the animals and shoot a round. What's an Old West experience without a 6 shooter? I'm impressed with our little family, we all did really well! I felt like Annie Oakley for a few seconds :)
The dinner bell rang at 6:30 and after chomping down on some delicious bbq chicken and all the fixin's we enjoyed some cowboy songs and poetry by the Blazin' M Cowboys. It was much funnier than I expected it to be and very family friendly. During one song in the show they interrupted with a comedy act (which was scripted) and a few things happened unexpectedly which made the singers laugh. You could tell they didn't mean for it to happen but it made the act funnier and then the singers got the giggles and kept trying to pull it together. It was funny.


By the way, while California is experiencing a heat wave with humid weather and record high temperatures we are keeping cool here! On our way home it was about 70 degrees. It's supposed to be 85-95 all week. So ironically we came to Arizona to "cool down".
Tomorrow we are visiting the Indians...

Sedona - Day 3 - PRAISE

Wow. There are so many amazing things about Sedona. But here are some interesting thoughts I've had through the week...

Sedona is a mecca for people who believe in mystical spirits. But I look around and all I can see is extreme evidence for a Creator. I mean, there are lots of great theories about how all this rock formed the way it did (we heard one lecture where they claimed everything used to be completely flat and then through a series of tectonic plate fluctuations, volcanic activity, and water) and they very well MAY be true... But to imagine that all came together by coincidence is just too much. I think Sedona proves there is a Creator and not the other way around.

We are sitting in a thunderstorm. Yep. California is having a heatwave and we are in Arizona watching the rainfall. It doesn't seem right, does it? If it offers any consolation, we don't have any power due to the storm. Fortunately, my laptop has standby power and a wireless connection so I can still write this. This got me thinking... In the "good ole' days" we would have been stuck playing games as a family... And how sad would that be? I mean what would we ever do without electricity? How did the native people live though this heat without AC? Maybe its not all that great to be known as the "world's superpower"!
(for the record - we are playing Bingo at the resort in about 30 minutes... as a FAMILY)

Today we went out for a three hour ATV ride through some mountains in Sedona. I realize how cool my kids are. Dorian went with the guide, Derek was on my ATV (yeah, he's the brave one), and Dante went with Bobbie. Dante surprisingly thought it was a video game (Kirby's Airride) and Derek kept telling me to go faster. They loved going over the bumps and rocks and we were on the lookout for snakes the whole time. And through 100 degree temps, dirt, rocks, etc - they never once complained. They are easily the coolest kids and I think its because they have the coolest parents!

Last thought... Vacations are fun but the key is who the vacation is with. I have so much more I want to write but I'm on vacation with my family and really want to get back to them now.

CV - We're having rattlesnake tonight...

Oh, and I suggest you take out yourBible and read Psalm 148 and think about all that God created. All the things I see and the things you see. The sun, the moon, the rocks, the sky, and YOU. And look at how many times the word PRAISE is written in this Psalm! Look at how many things are supposed to praise Him. Say a prayer of thanks for all the things He has given you as a PRAISE to the Creator!

We miss you all and hope you have a wonderful week. Be blessed.

Sedona, Arizona

Yello!
Yesterday we drove from Las Vegas to Sedona. What a long drive! I have to admit I was a little skeptical about our vacation. First of all, I can't handle the heat. I grew up in Lompoc and the only place I've ever lived other than that is Minot, North Dakota. It snowed in July when I was there! So 100 degrees is an oven to me.
We cruised into Sedona around 4:00 p.m. not knowing what to expect. The scenery is BEAUTIFUL! Driving through Flagstaff we were amazed how cool it was (70 degrees!) and how many trees, rocks and creeks there were. The kids thought we were in Tahoe! As we descended down the hill we dropped into the cutest little town, Sedona! Small and cute. We passed a Church of Christ on our way to the resort and we will be visiting later today.
We checked into the Sedona Pines Resort. They are great! It took about 1 minute to check in and then the concierge to helps you with your questions and tells you all about the resort. They have an 18 hole mini golf course, basketball courts, huge pool, two spas, and so much more. They also have so many activities for families to do we could just stay here all week and be entertained.
Last night we went to a flute concert in the activities room. It was so cool. It was just one man playing different flutes he made. He said he spent years in the canyons playing and then duplicated the sound with his special flutes. He sang Amazing Grace in his native language too! Derek said it almost made him cry!
We played a very competitive game of Mini Golf and I got 3 hole-in-one's back to back! Oh yeah - I'm pro status! Vince some how still beat me... he had the score card... hmmm. The boys did great too. Derek each got a hole in one too!
Our suite just sealed the deal though. They are like single-wide mobile homes. Actually, I think they are! Full kitchens (dishwasher, fridge, microwave, stove top, full stocked with pots, pans, plates, etc) , living room area, dining table inside and outside, patio, huge jet tub, master bedroom with TV and all that jazz! And that's just our room! The boys have a completely separate room with their own tv, dvd, bathroom, shower, tub, etc.! It's soo cool! We aren't connected to anyone! There is a BBQ grill and a small creek just off our patio. It's so relaxing and it's not as hot as I imagined! We have AC in our rooms, but we've left the doors open most of the day. This place is hooked up with wireless connection... so I'm sitting here in our living room typing this!
We are just so stoked on this whole place and experience and we haven't even been here one full day! We are looking into the soonest we can come back!
Blog ya later!

JULIE'S BAPTISM!

Julie Montes was baptized into Christ on Friday night, JULY 14th in the Pacific Ocean!

While praying down at the beach as part of the YouthWAVE event, she heard that somebody else was being baptized. At that very moment, she realized that she could also give her life to Christ in baptism, something that had been on her heart all week. Without hesitation, she grabbed Bobbie and some others and ran into the water. She had no change of clothes, no towel, no worries, and now... no sin! It is a moment in any Christian's life that they can look back on and remember the commitment they made when they confessed Jesus as their Lord and symbolically followed Him to the grave only to be raised up to live a new life. For Julie it will hold an even more special place in her heart since she did it in front of 60 of her "closest" friends - the other teens and leaders from YouthWAVE. The Lord does amazing things and it is so refreshing to see Him bring this kind of joy into our lives.

Julie is an amazing person who has overcome many things. She will undoubtedly lead many people to the knowledge of the truth by simply doing what she does best - love people.

We love YOU Julie and are so happy for you. You have been an encouragement to many of us on our faith journeys and I pray we can do the same for you as you continue in your faith journey!

Praise God!

YouthWAVE Slideshow

Happy Independence Day!

On July 4th we celebrate our nation's independence from England and at the same time celebrate our nation's values, creativity, perserverance, pride, and honor. Have you ever thought about what makes the United Sates of America such a great country? Most of us don't - at least not on a regular basis. So I would like to tell you some of the reasons that I love the USA!

1. Freedom. We take it for granted, no doubt about that. In many countries around the world, it is illegal to do many of the things we do every day! What are those things? In some countries it is illegal to: own a Bible, eat meat, wear jeans, cut you hair, listen to music, say something negative about the government, vote, own a business, just to name a few. Also, in some countries, marriages are arranged, cars are not used, cows are sacred, healthcare is shoddy, and the color of your skin determines where you are allowed to live. But here in the USA, we have many freedoms we take for granted. The next time you play your IPod, remember that if you didn't live in he USA, you might not even be allowed to own an IPod!

2. Pride. We are blessed to have people in our country that are so proud of the freedoms we represent, they are willing to die for it. Thank God! There have been hundreds of thousands of men and women that have died so that we can enjoy those freedoms I described. It is because of this freedom that we are the most powerful country on the planet - and will stay that way as long as we continue to love the USA.

3. Compassion. The USA has shown so much compassion towards other countries over the past 200 years. We are always ready to help, either with out military or our money. We have allowed billions of dollars to go unpaid by third world countries in order to help them establish themselves. We have given thousands of our soldiers lives to help people gain the same sort of freedoms we enjoy. I love that about the USA. We are a country filled with compassion for the world and use our resources for the good of mankind.

I know there are many other reasons to love the USA. As a matter of fact, I could probably go on for the whole day! But instead, it's time to go enjoy my day and celebrate the country that has given me so much!

May you enjoy your day and be blessed!