Sunday, June 12, 2011

Shades of Green


 Greetings To All,
One of the reasons I could give for not updating this blog is: the sun has actually appeared here in Oregon for more than two hours straight.  It's a minor miracle. Since there has been so much rain and now we get the sun everthing is a bright shade of green.   And, because of the sunshine, the Ropes Course phone has been ringing more frequently.  And that is a good thing.  The girls have also been able to get outside more these past couple of weeks.  I'll give you a small insight into our lives for the past month and a half. 
In May Dakota turned 5!  We had a party for her here on base, and it was quite the site to see.  There were so many 4 and 5 year olds.  After we ate cake we up to the Ropes Course to celebrate Dakota Mei-style.  We opened up our newest element, the Big Swing, for all of the party goers and parents (if needed) to ride.  It was a hit.  Dakota is still a little ball of energy.  Along with turning 5 she has just about mastered the jungle gym at the playground (as you can see from the picture), and she has learned (in one day!) to ride a bike without training wheels.  It's almost like we can't call her our little girl anymore.
A couple of weekends ago we took advantage of the nice weather and drove east to Sisters, OR.  It is a quaint little mountain town that hosts a large annual quilt show.  There are shops all around of crafts and food.  And then, in the "distance" are the Sisters Mountains: North Sister, Middle Sister, and South Sister.  We paused for a photo op with our little sisters. 
Desi has been being cute, as always.  Is it possible that she reinvents cuteness everyday.  Her latest discoveries are the playground, and stairs.  We think she will soon master both. 
Kathy has been helping to figure out the summer child care situation.  There will be a lot of kids on base as we are getting a new batch of students and staff.  She has also been staying on top of making sure our little ones are getting enough outside time. 
I have been busy with keeping the course functioning.  I spend more time in the office than I have in the past, but I still get to work with the groups.  In the past month we have worked with special needs high school students, college students, numerous families, middle schoolers, and church groups.  The special needs high school group was a privilege to work with.  They are kids that face challenges every day, so when they came here, they were able to face new and different challenges like never before.  One difference being that here they are in a safe place, and they were directly involved in helping each other with their accomplishments.  One of the ways we are called to live is in relationship.  The power that is released when a healthy relationship is formed and continued between two humans  is a great example of how God wants to release power through our connection with Him.  Those kids discovered what it can be like to live in that relationship. 
How have you been enjoying the sunshine?  Just being outside? Gardening? Taking day trips?  We would be thrilled to hear from you.  Thank you for taking the time to see what we have been up to lately.  We hope and pray that all is well with you.
Many Blessings,
Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desislava