Creede, Colorado 2014

 That is the town of Creede, behind us...

 That is another view of Creede...

 We drove up to the Continental Divide....Hannah is looking  for some rocks....

 This is us driving down from the Divide...it started to rain and sleet! We could not have done this in our van!

 Fishing at Love Lake.....

 He is so cute!!! We were feeding him our crackers......

 The wildflowers are so beautiful!

 These two guys ended up on our dinner table...

 A favorite activity of ours....2 hour horseback riding..(our guide was from Arlington, Tx)

 North Creek Falls- remember going here, Jo?

 This is at the BOTTOM of the falls- a steep hike down and back!

 See the fish?

 LOVED the flowers!

 Can you see the rainbow?  It rained just a little 2 days.

The valleys we hiked and drove through were amazing!

Happy 17th Birthday, Jake!

 Celebrating with the Youth Group!

It was sweet watching Luke really shop for his brother. He had several things in mind and settled on a sling for Jake's bow and this hat. Jake had tennis all day today and has Satin Strings tonight; he leaves tomorrow on a Satin Strings retreat, so we plan to go out to dinner Monday to celebrate as a family.

25th Wedding Anniversary Trip - Canyon of the Eagles

Lane surprised me with the "Sweetheart Package" at the Canyon of the Eagles, a 940-acre nature preserve. When we arrived, we had chocolate-covered strawberries waiting in our lodge/cabin.

We enjoyed all of our meals at the "Overlook." We ate inside, but this is just outside. The chef was quite amazing, and each meal had special touches. The view from our window was beautiful.

Sorry - I tried to delete this duplicate, and everything shifted, so I just reversed.

This was the view outside our lodge/cabin, where we would sit and read. Our room was quite nice - very peaceful, no television. While the rooms do have a "cabin" appearance, they are full-service with coffee, room service, etc.

This was a view from our first hike. On the far upper right,  you can see two gray "spots" - one of those is our cabin.

There are 14 hiking trails available, we so enjoyed taking long walks, several miles, no one else in sight. We saw deer, rabbit, armadillo, fox, and beautiful wildflowers. They do have mountain lions and bobcats, so I looked over my shoulder every now and then!

This building is actually an observatory. The roof opens up and there are two giant telescopes. We hiked up to the observatory, then returned by car later that night and saw Mars, Saturn with its rings, and several other really fascinating constellations, including an arm of the Milky Way. The stars were amazing.

After our hike we returned and read by the pool and swam. So quite and peaceful. We thoroughly relaxed.

Overlook Restaurant

We had a wonderful time. I actually got teary-eyed leaving, and we plan to return again some day.

We returned to a tennis tournament! Jake and his doubles partners won second in the winner's bracket, and Jake won first in the boys consolation bracket.

Spotlight 2014

 Tonight was the performance....the girls did great!!!

 Hannah had a 2 line speaking part, then she was on the sides "building a wall"

 Faith was part of a church group...she wanted to be a "star" in a band

 Here is the main cast, reading a bible passage together.

For one scene/song, the girls sit together.....so neat to see them sing/perform!!!

Father's Day 2014 - SO Thankful for Lane!

I could not have picked a better example for our sons. I am so thankful I married someone who models thoughtful listening, genuine interest and concern for others, and a servant heart.

We are back to our family dinner/42, now that Luke is home, and I couldn't be happier! We learned a three-person domino game to play when Luke is gone...but we're still adjusting!

Look what three good "rains" have done for our grass! I rarely landscape, what with the continual water rationing, but I tried some flowers this year and am thankful for the rain. Lane is replacing all of the rotting fascia board on the front of house, one of the many projects he has lined up for the summer.

Recent Happenings at the Reynolds Home (Part 2)

Anmer has had so much fun learning to dance and these precious sisters helped her make her very own ball gown/skirt.  She and Andrew love to go to these "Civil War Balls."  (Note from Anne Marie: This particular dance was two hours away in Troy, TN. We didn't get home until midnight, and some of us didn't get to sleep until 1am. Mom is a trooper, and I am so thankful for her allowing us to have these cool experiences, especially when they cost her so much sleep!)


Anne Marie with Jenna (left) and Amy (right)

 Above -- Andrew and Heath get their camouflage on -- Heath goes with Hayden that just graduated with Anne Marie, and the youngest boy, Hunter, is great friends with Thomas.

 Andrew is attempting a "Minute to Win It" game with the Teen Trek group (our homeschool support group teens).  He has his permit and is driving some, he does well, and so far my nerves are holding steady!

 Below:  Anne Marie has been volunteering a lot with Habitat for Hope, an organization that provides support to families with terminally/chronically ill children.  They work with families at both St. Jude and LeBohneur.  Here, we are visiting with a sweet boy at a "Water Fun Day."  Only, this little guy couldn't get wet because he has a central line.  His backpack houses the bag that drips into his line.  I took him on a ride on the 4-wheeler, and we did bubbles, and he crawled onto my lap.
Anmer organized this event; it was a wonderful afternoon.  Andrew and a few other teens from our homeschool group helped.

 We went to a book signing for the "Women of Duck Dynasty" book that was recently released.  This event was at Wal-Mart.  The event staff were organized and strict; you couldn't take a picture while standing at the signing table. I had to stand back several feet to take this pic.  Also, we were herded through the line very quickly, but Anmer and I got a chance to say we love the show, and thank them for being Christian role models.

 Corbin and I went to a work party at an Irish pub in Memphis.  It was fun (and loud).
I did start a garden, but....it isn't doing very well, so here are the plants that are actually producing.  I may only be able to enjoy baby tomatoes (red & yellow) this summer, but I'll take it!