Time flies when you're having fun!

How did it get to be the end of October? I am in the middle of planning costumes and trick or treating and I am doing it at my house in Texas. Wasn't it just yesterday that we were getting excited for summer, packing for camp and enjoying life in Denver?

They say that time flies when you are having fun -but it also happens to go pretty fast when you start making drastic life changes! I guess that explains how I kinda lost track of June, July, August and September. Lots has changed for the Carlsons and here is a quick update for those who may have missed a few plays.

We started our summer early by skipping school and going to kids camp in Cedaredge, Colorado. Brian and I are both challenged when it comes to kids in mass but I think we held our own and got to make some great memories with our boys. At one point Brian was walking back from the showers and as he got to their room he could hear the other kids telling Jake and Josh, "Your Dad is awesome!" You can't plan (or buy) that kind of word of mouth ;)

The speaker at kids camp was Pastor Brian Henley, a church planter from Michigan. In addition to the amazing job he did all week with the kids we got to have a candid conversation with him about church planting. Brian H. told us about several lessons he learned the hard way (picking a funeral home as the launch venue) and a few things that were a must. One point he mentioned several time was the importance of having people on your team that were "all in". People who shared your vision and were willing to chase it whole heartedly with you.

This struck a chord with us. Six months before camp our amazing friends Ken and Jalee Rice left Denver to start the process of planting Vintage Church in McKinney, Texas. When Ken first told us about going to McKinney - we were immediately captured by the vision God had given them. At the time there was no open door for us to make the move to Texas and despite a longing to join the journey we had resigned ourselves to hearing about it from a distance. Coming back from camp to find Ken and Jalee in town giving an update on Vintage was a great surprise for us - we were excited to hear about what was happening.

During that weekend, Brian and I got to sit down with Ken and have a conversation that has started our own adventure. In that conversation Ken used a phrase, "the power of the ask" and an invitation to come be part of Vintage took root in hearts that had been prepared... at kids camp. By that point Brian already knew - we were supposed to be in McKinney - we were supposed to be Vintage.

And so began a crazy summer of watching God be BIG and faithful and miraculous.

Because Brian really likes the company he works for we started to think of ways that we could make a job in Denver compatible with living in Texas. We dreamed about how awesome it would be if Brian could stay with his company and work remotely. Because we still had the phrase "the power of the ask" in our heads we decided to be brazen enough to do just that, ask. Brian presented a proposal to his boss that detailed him moving into a new position and working from home in Texas. As June gave way to July we got a response that, to be honest, we were not expecting. Yes.

July became a crash course on McKinney. Research, rentals, school systems, real estate all led to a house hunting trip in the middle of July. We packed the kids into the van and left Denver on Wednesday evening, drove all night and then spent three days looking at houses (lots of houses). On Sunday we loaded back in the van and after a nap at the start of the trip (desperately needed by me to simply cope) Brian and I made a short list of the houses we liked. The first home we submitted an offer on is the home we are living in now - and we love it!!!

July is also the month my Daddy had a heart attack and multiple surgeries to stent the heart arteries. I was able to fly into Kansas City and then Cheri and I drove up to spend a couple days with the family. This is the first time that there has been a major medical issue for a parent and it puts new perspective on things. I was so thankful for time with them and with my siblings. One night Mom took us out to dinner at the Drake - Chere, Shawn & Amanda and myself. What a gift that night was - reconnecting and laughing and enjoying my brother and sister. I also got a chance to have lunch with Janelle and to say hello to James (these were my two best friends in high school) and it was really great to see their faces and hear how their lives our going.

After the house hunting trip we spent our last few weeks in Denver cleaning and packing and cleaning and packing and cleaning and packing. Around all that we tried to spend as much time as possible with the Denver people we love so much. Even thought we had only been in Denver for four years God had given us many "lifetime friends" there and leaving that was going to be really hard. To everyone who changed their schedule to see us extra during those last few weeks, Thank You so much. Brian and I love and miss all y'all so much!

On Thursday, August 20th we loaded into the van around 1pm and started the long drive to McKinney. We were packed to the gills with one goal in mind - CLOSING! Brian started the drive with an empty stomach and multiple large Red Bulls so he was starting to have the shakes by the first stop. A belly full of Subway and a nap helped to put him right and we traded driving back and forth. I happened to be doing the last two hours heading into McKinney at about 4AM in the middle of the most awesome lightning storm I have ever seen. Between bouts of worrying if the car top carrier was water proof or water resistant (it was not water proof and, truth be told, I don't think it resisted very hard either - sopping wet bedding and clothes) it was amazing to see the lightning strike so fast. By the time Brian woke up it felt like I had been driving under a strobe light and I needed his help to make sure I was really seeing the road correctly. After a breakfast at IHOP (which was so not good that it is currently banned) we headed to the closing site to take a nap in their parking garage.

Closing went well on our end - there was a glitch and a delay with the seller sending their documents so instead of getting the keys at noon we got them after 5pm. This meant we had possession of the house but no utilities till sometime on Monday at the earliest. Originally we were going to stay and clean and work on the house all weekend and then head out for vacation. No water makes cleaning hard and flushing impossible so at 5:30pm we decided to empty the van, reload it with vacation stuff and get back on the road. After a quick shower at the Rice household (Thanks again - no one wants a long van ride with stinky people) we were headed north to Minnesota.

In case you missed any of that the travel was

• Thursday - Denver
• Friday - Dallas
• Saturday - Minneapolis

which is why we consider ourselves road trip royalty.

Vacation was a week at Grandma Dee's house in the cities and then a week at Grand Vu lodge on Leech Lake. Both weeks were amazing. With Brian being between positions at work it was the first trip in a long time that he did not have to work through, he was not on call!!! The boys loved having Dad all to themselves and we had a great time together. A few highlights of the trip was taking the family to Valley Fair to celebrate Josh's birthday, Grandma Dee came and it was fun to hear the stories of how she would take Brian there when he was about the boys age. I also loved seeing the boys play with Grandpa Don - he is so proud of them and introduces them to everyone. There were several days with Jenny and John and all the cousins and we finally got to try the famous Perogi - homemade by Jen! Lake time is all highlight and I am so glad we got to spend time within the Krueger / Carlson clan. Fishing, swimming, eating, laughing, playing games --- all good!!!

After leaving the lake Brian and I headed to Burlington, Iowa for a few days at my parents house. Dad's health is stable but I wanted to take an extra opportunity to have time with him and Mom. We spent a day at Old Threshers - eatting, walking, laughing, looking. Dad rented a scooter so he could keep up with the grandkids and enjoyed it a little too much. I am half expecting one to become part of his everyday life - of course it will be a little more tricked out then the rental :)

We left Old Threshers to start the long drive home - to TEXAS!!! By this point we were ready to get home and work on getting settle in, curious to see what this new stage in life would hold.

Amazing friends had been in our house while we were gone, cleaning and getting it ready for our arrival. That made our first day home so much easier - just needed to touch up a few areas and we were ready to tackle unloading the POD on the next day. More friends came to lift, carry and sweat until the POD was empty. At one point I looked up and they had the antique Stickley dresser (about a gazillion pounds) over their heads to clear the bend in the staircase. Our friends ROCK!!!

Things are starting to settle in here at the Carlsons. We are mostly unpacked (you have to have a few boxes linger around for a bit), the boys are in school and making friends, Brian is sketching out the details of his new position, Alpha is up and going and Vintage is launched and now 3 weeks old. We can not even tell you how much we love being Vintage!!!

Life is good here in the new zip code and who knows, maybe things well settle down enough that I can blog a bit more often.

Mothers Day

I am normally all for any day that wants to celebrate me, but I have to confess that this year I was ... hesitant? removed? apathetic? bah humbugish? I am not even sure what I am about Mothers Day this year - except that it is very different then last year.

Do you have days that live in your memory as golden? They were so close to perfect that they should be subtitled with, "God is in his heaven and ALL is right in the world!"

Mothers Day 2008 was one of those days for me. We had planned in advance to picnic at Washington Park in Denver with friends after church and the day was sunny and beautiful. On the way to the park we picked up Popeye's Chicken with an extra tub of red beans and rice just for me (it is a long standing addiction). From there we proceeded to laugh and play - volleyball, track ball, boccie ball - you know - all the important ball games. The boys stripped down to their swimming trunks and played in the creak with the Vernaza boys and relished every minute of it!







At the end of the day we went home exhausted, sun burnt and happy.

*****Then came the week that changed everything*****

This Mothers Day - 2009 - was gray and cloudy with mists of rain off and on. The Carlson men asked what I wanted to do on my day and I have to admit I felt more then a bit withdrawn (maybe life remembers the wounds of last year). Most of the day was spent giving me time and space to process through... I guess memories of last year.

And now, at the end of the night, the boys are getting ready for bed and I am realizing that this day - while very different - is no less golden then last year.

God IS in his heaven, I am loved by my boys and all is right in my world.

Muligan

Wednesday was originally scheduled as "Sight" day in our experiment.

Most of our day rotated around Jake and the infection he is fighting - leaving little time to dedicate to using our sense of sight.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity - Sight day has been rescheduled for Saturday.

Day 2 - Smell

I have to tell you that, for me, there was nothing profound about about Day 2 - smell.

Apparently we are a nasally challenged family.

As we talked about it Tuesday morning I explained to the boys the idea that our Pastor had shared on Sunday, lighting a candle during a time of prayer and bible study, and having that scent be associated with meeting God. I really like the idea of it - but maybe it takes more then one day for it to work. When I lit the candle my thoughts were much more of, "Hey - that would be great in the master bathroom!" then, "Wow, I am really connecting to God".

Jacob came up with his idea right away, which cracked me up because at the moment his nose was so stuffed up he couldn't breathe let alone smell. He explained that the smell of wood helped him connect with God because it reminded him of the cross. Joshua quickly added his thought that the smell of communion helped him remember that Jesus died on the cross.

My cynical instinct was to be dismissive of their ideas - Ok, great! You came up with an answer because I asked a question - but that is not really a way of connecting. I chose instead to think about the fact that Jesus is personal with everyone who follows him.

What about you? Is there anyone out there with thoughts / experience with using smell to connect to God?

Experiment Day 1 - Hearing

Our Monday night discussion did not go as I had imagined it (which is so often true of our family times), due largely in part to the high fever, hacking cough and nose blowing of my oldest son. While it did not live up to my Rockwell musings it was really good and surprisingly deep.

Jacob shared how hearing other peoples prayers helped him connect with God. He explained that over the last year as he has heard people pray for, with and over him - it helped him to know that God was big and able to take care of him.

This reminded me of a comment made by a wise woman on my scrapbooking retreat. 16 women talking and sharing stories of life while we get the pictures in an album. One friend said in passing, "I like hearing everyone's stories because they know something about my God I haven't learned yet." That thought has lingered with me for weeks and I love that thought. When we live life together, sharing stories and prayers, we learn more about God.

Joshua told us that he learns a lot about God by listening to the stories and teaching at church. I have to brag a little and say that we have the best people ever working in our Kid Connect Church. They do such an amazing job at not just teaching the story and bible facts but making sure that the kids understand the meaning and how that impacts and effects thier life.

For me listening to music has always been a great way of connecting to God. Over the last year in particular there have been several songs that have really helped me anchor in my faith. The week after Jake was diagnosed I was driving back to the hospital and my mind and emotions were spiralling out of control. Every possible negative outcome was playing out in my imagination and I could not stop... I was to the point where I was having trouble breathing... and then a new song came on the radio, "Voice of Truth" by Steven Curtis Chapman. Hearing this song helped me focus on God's truth and the promise we have in him. It was exactly what I needed in that moment and now everytime I hear the song it takes me back to that place of faith. Another song that has kinda became my mantra is "Counting On God" by Desperation Band. First of all, it is just an awesome song and I love to sing it, not that I sing good - but I do sing loud! But the words - that is what I want my life to look like - that is how I want my life lived. When I hear the words - it connects me to God.

Hear it for yourself at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RTR5EYnit4

Sacred Pathways

Our church is doing a series on Sacred Pathways for Lent and this week we looked at the Naturalists and the Sensates. I love the opportunity to pursue God in different ways so I am taking the "homework" assignments to heart.

The challenge for this week is two-fold

• Schedule some time with God outside.
• Use all 5 senses this week in worship.

I haven't made decisions yet about the where and when of the first (living in Denver gives LOTS of options) but I have a plan for the second.

As a family we are going to tackle one sense a day and focus on ways we can use that sense to pursue God and learn more about him and his character. We will then debrief at the end of the day.

• Monday - Hearing
  
• Tuesday - Smell
• Wednesday - Sight
  
• Thursday - Touch
• Friday - Taste

Anyone wanting to spend some time on this pathway is more then welcome to join our family experiment - I would love to hear what you learn about my God.

Looking Back.....Looking Forward

The Carlson family looked back on an incredible 2008. We learned this year just how essential it is to have an incredible family surrounding you. A family that includes those who appear on a family tree, and those who are considered family simply because of their proximity in our lives. We have taken an initiative in our family to pour ourselves into the lives of those around us. We reached a point this year where our pitcher had run dry and needed to be refilled. The love and support that we received from those around us was comforting and overwhelming all at the same time. There were people there for us when we needed physical support, mental support, and spiritual support. 2008 was a year where we got a chance to see the very best in people.

As we look forward to 2009 - we are anxious for the awesome things that God has in store for our family as well as for each of us individually. There are a number of areas where we have felt that God has been preparing the soil for an incredible harvest. Some of these areas will stretch us more than we would probably like. But many of them will allow us to grow in ways that can bring us closer to Him.

My prayer for our family in 2009 is that God continues to work His will in our lives and that we become increasingly purposeful in seeking after Him and listening for His guidance.

We thank you all for helping make 2008 a year that will never be forgotten. We also pray that 2009 brings incredible blessings in to all areas of your lives.