Royal Gorge

For some reason today something made me remember a place we've been that was really neat, the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, in Canon City, CO. The Royal Gorge Bridge is the highest suspension bridge in the world & hovers 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad run under the Bridge, along the banks of the Royal Gorge, which is a 10-mile canyon with a 50 feet wide base and a depth of 1200 feet.

The Royal Gorge Bridge is 880 feet and18 feet wide. It has a wooden walkway with over 1000 planks. The Colorado Royal Gorge Bridge is suspended from towers that are 150 feet high. In November of 1929, the Royal Gorge Bridge was constructed as a one-lane toll bridge. Of course the bridge is listed in the Register of Historic Places.

We of course walked across the bridge...scarrry. The shaking wooden bridge is 95 stories above the ground. The Arkansas River looked like a small creek way down there. Very different from the way it looks here at home. The only thing between us and an extremely long fall was a plank of wood! We also rode the Incline Railway at the park. It it the world's steepest railway & travels at a 45-degree angle going straight down into the gorge. Of course you had to wear a harness/seat belt. You actually felt like you needed to try to stand up, although you couldn't. It was extremely steep.

Visiting the gorge is a must if you are ever in Colorado. You can walk across the highest suspension bridge in the world & ride the steepest railway!

Just a thought....

That wasn't an earthquake today in D.C....

It was the founding fathers rolling over in their grave!

If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. Romans 12:8 NLT

Mediocrity is....

a region bound on the north by compromise,

on the south by indecision,

on the east by past thinking,

and on the west by a lack of vision. ~unknown

Directly Proportional

Our love for others is directly proportional to our love for God.
In other words, the more we love God....the more we will love others.

ST

School Begins

Yesterday was the first day of school for us! One down 177 more to go. I hear all of these parents who are so happy that school has started because they are sick of their kids....which makes me sad in a way. Considering the limited time we really have with our kids we should be happy for that time. And then I think, well if they're sick of them, they trained them....soooo....maybe that's the problem? Oh well....

We have a 6th grader & a sophomore! Chandler actually drove his first day which was extremely weird but was an accomplishment for him! He said he thinks he will like most of his "odd" day teachers. Clay did most of his work without complaints so that was nice. That is one problem with your mom being your teacher, for some reason you feel you have the right to complain about things....we're working on that!

Our days are filled with school, cross country practice, football practice & just life. I try to remind my kids to not be so busy to forget the important things in life....God, family & friends. We should take time each day to cultivate those important relationships especially our relationship with God.

We're praying for a blessed year, & we hope you have a blessed one as well!

Leadership

I ran across this quote I read in a book a few years ago....very thought provoking.


The measure of leadership is not the quality of the head, but the tone of the body. The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers. Are the followers reaching their potential? Are they learning? Serving? Do they achieve the required results? Do they change with grace? Manage conflict?

Leadership is an Art, Max De Pree

A Call to Anguish

No Sales Tax Holiday

This weekend our state celebrated back to school shopping with a no sales tax holiday. I'm not entirely sure how much people will actually save, but every dollar counts. According to Google, 16 states celebrated this holiday. This is a first for our state. People seemed really excited to shop with no sales tax! I mean, we are taxed to death aren't we? So any break we get from taxes I think we should all take advantage of.

The state published a list of items that were tax free. The list was absolutely hilarious. I would love to know what they were thinking upon making this list. School supplies obviously were on the list, but some of the items were ridiculous like garters & garter belts, suspenders, beach capes, footlets, disposable diapers, wedding apparel, insoles & costumes. Please explain to me what person who attends school wears footlets? Does anyone wear footlets? And what exactly is a beach cape? Is that what Batman wears to the beach? And what 6th grader needs shoe insoles? Or what sophomore wears suspenders? And on the list was hosiery, pantyhose, AND stockings? Really? Isn't that overkill? Does anyone even wear those things anymore?

I'm wondering do the people creating this list even have kids who attend school? Or are these people who have absolutely no clue? The more I read the list the funnier it actually got. I kept thinking is this a list from the 1950s? Because who actually needs these things to go back to school? Baby receiving blankets? Honestly!

I'm extremely thankful for the break, but honestly, if we're going to pass a sales tax free holiday, we need to have progressive-minded people creating the laws & making the lists. Not people who obviously haven't looked at a school supply list in the last decade.

I am anxious to see how much our cities lost in sales tax this weekend. I know I've heard several mayors already griping about losing the money. When I heard that it made me realize how much our governments don't really care about giving the citizens who provide their jobs, a little break in such an awful economy. It will be good for people to see how much revenue is created to operate city & state budgets in a 2 day period.

We took advantage of the opportunity. We bought things we were already going to buy so nothing extravagant or anything. But it was fun to think that we were getting away scot-free so to speak. I think that I will plan for next year's event & try to buy a lot of stuff tax free! Just for the fun of it!!!! I'm planning my list now....beach cape, suspenders, footlets, earmuffs, pantyhose.... :)

He Watches Me.....

Sometimes we feel down & out & wonder.....but God is faithful. He loves us & never forgets us! If you're feeling that you've been forgotten.....know this...His eye is watching you!

Last Ice Cream Truck

We've experienced some extremely hot weather the last few days. Today we reached 114...a record high for our state, with a heat index of 120. It is sad when 80 degree temperature in your house feels cool! I thought this picture pretty much sums it up....it's HOT folks!!!

How Does God Want You to Live?

When I woke up this morning, I asked myself, "How does God want me to live life today?" I found the answer in my room...the roof said, "Aim high." The window said, "See the world God created for me!" The clock said, "Every minute is precious." The mirror said, "Reflect before you act." The door said, "Push hard for your goals." The floor said, "Kneel down and pray."

• Aim High – 1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
• See the World God Created for Me – Romans 1:20 NIV “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made....”
• Every Minute is Precious – Psalm 90:12 NCV “Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise.”
• Reflect Before You Act – James 1:19 NIV “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry”
• Push Hard for Your Goals – Philippians 3:14 NIV “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
• Kneel Down and Pray – Psalm 55:17 NKJV “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray”, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV “Pray continually”

~unknown