November Update

Good Morning All,

It's hard to believe that October is gone! November is here, and that means Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Although there is never a day where we don't have many things to be thankful for, it is always a blessing to set aside time to make it a point to give thanks. With the new month comes more birthdays for our family: Only eight days left until Christie's birthday, and eleven until Becca's!

On Wednesday of this week, we enjoyed getting to meet some of our new neighbors that have recently moved into the houses that Challenger Homes has built in our neighborhood. For Halloween, we set up a table with candy and hot chocolate at our house; we were also able to pass out Gospel tracts with the treats. I've included some pictures of all of us in costume below...

In the past week, we've also enjoyed visiting with Uncle Gary and Aunt Darlene (Mom's aunt and uncle) who are here from Tennessee.

This morning, we will head out soon to participate in NiceServe with our church. NiceServe happens a few times a year, and is a practical way of serving our community with the love of Christ. For example, the first time we participated, we were able to assist an injured Iraqi veteran and his wife by totally transforming the landscaping at their house; today we will be helping out a local elementary school that is in need of some restoration. Pray that we are able to bless those that we come in contact with today.

For the Tribe,

 -Nate

Josh and I were cowboy buddies; I took him trick-or-treating, and everyone thought he was pretty cute!

Switchfoot & Paper Route!

As a birthday present, Dad took me and my friends Nate and Jon to see two amazing bands--Switchfoot (my favorite band ever) and Paper Route--in Denver this past Monday. Here are some of the pictures from the concert (and waiting in the long line)!

To give perspective on how big the crowd was, the line that you see in front of the entrance wrapped around the side of the building for an entire block (about 4x) what you see, then turned around the corner and continued for more than another block. We guessed that there were probably around 1,200 in attendance (keeping in mind that the max occupancy is 900), but even though it was packed, we had a great time.

   

   

A few other pictures...

For those of you who were wondering, if you receive this update in email form, you can click on the link at the bottom of the email, and it will take you directly to the blog post. Once on the blog, you don't have to click on each picture to load them individually; they can be viewed similar to the web album, so you just click on one, then use the arrows to flip through the photos.

I forgot to add the nostalgic pictures that a kind aunt sent me on my birthday (thanks Laura).  ;) So without further ado...

October Update

All,

It's been another busy week, complete with sports, school, homecoming (the theme was Hollywood, see the picture below), and my 18th birthday. I'm adding some pictures from both Josh's and my birthday, our school's Powder Puff game (Katie was the quarterback for the Juniors!), snowy Pikes Peak, and a few nostalgic pictures that I was sent on my birthday.

Softball is over for Christie, and almost done for Katie, who is finishing the season with the Varsity. Soccer ends on Thursday for me; even though we've had a rough season, I've enjoyed playing and am grateful for this opportunity God has allowed me to have during high school.

On Friday, Katie, Christie, and I went to our school's football game (it was a bit chilly!); last night, both girls went with some of their friends from softball to the homecoming dance.

I'm going to try something new with this post. Instead of adding pictures to different pages, I'll include them in the actual post. I thought it might be easier to see them, rather than having to search for the latest ones. Feedback is always appreciated!

For the Jarrett Tribe,



 -Nate

Happy First Day of Fall!

All,

I am excited to be sitting down and finally putting another post up on the blog! I never intended to let this sit so long, but life has for our family has been busy; there are always things that we want to do, and then there are the things we have to do. Finding a balance is an ever-changing challenge, making me all the more thankful for the grace of God as He leads us through life and has a perfect plan in everything.

Since my last update, I served with a team from Castleview on a mission trip to Camp Ray Bird; Mom, Anna, Dad, and Will celebrated birthdays (with Joshua's coming up in two days); school and sports began; we enjoyed wonderful visits from cousins, aunts and uncles, and great-Grandma Paige; some of us volunteered with Samaritan's Purse disaster relief teams to help homeowners affected by the fire; I had my wisdom teeth removed; we've taken family hikes in the mountains; Mom trekked up Pikes Peak with a group of her friends; and we visited one of those friend's ranch in the mountains with the other families for a fun day of fishing, kayaking, driving ATVs, food, and more.

To borrow the sentiment of a picture being worth a thousand words, I don't have time to draft a dissertation on all the details of these aforementioned events, and you probably wouldn't have time to read it. So, I'll do my best to upload a sampling of photos that will instead convey what I might have told you; for the rest of this year, I will try to not let so much time pass before posting to the blog again.

Enjoy the first day of fall!

For the Tribe,

         Nate

Fire and Other News

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope your summer has been enjoyable thus far! We have been in Indiana for one week exactly now, and our departure from Colorado couldn't have been at a better time. The massive wild fire that spread through the foothills came within 3 to 4 miles from our home, but progress is being made toward containment. Although the fire did not reach where we live, the air has been affected by the smoke and ash, so it is a blessing that we did not have to be in the midst of this. Pictures of the fire and the resulting damage can be seen on the Colorado Springs Gazette website. (The link below)

http://www.gazette.com/sections/slideshow/?id=15002311

Our visit has been encouraging and quite busy. Dad will arrive tomorrow night to join us, but in the meantime, we've spent plenty of time with cousins, friends, aunts, uncles... it has been good to catch up with so many dear people.

For those of you who are supporters of the trip to Camp Ray Bird with the team form Castleview, I have been meaning to send an update. When I get back to Colorado on the 8th, I'll send a more detailed note; the trip is coming up in two weeks, so please pray for the last minute details! We have a team meeting on Friday, and we will leave on Sunday the 15th. Thanks!

The weather has been extremely hot and humid (I'm missing the dry heat of Colorado!), but it has made the pool a great place to be. Unfortunately, we may not get to see fireworks due to the burn bans and lack of water. Even so, we look forward to celebrating our country's freedom (and Mom's birthday) on Wednesday. Have a great 4th of July!

     -Nate

Week of Firsts

All,

As you can tell, the summer has been quite busy, hence my blog posts being sporadic at best. However, I want to give you a quick sampling of what's been happening these past weeks.

Since I last updated the blog, Grandpa and Grandma Paige have moved into their new home here in Colorado Springs! So, we are once again close in proximity to them. Last Saturday, the Abells arrived; we've had a wonderful visit thus far. In particular, this week has held many "first" experiences for some of us. Wednesday, Luke and I joined Ethan and Mr. Abell on a day trip to fly fish; today, we took the Abells up the Incline, saw our first bear here, and the four oldest guys hiked to the top of Pikes Peak! Our trek lasted eight hours, but the time was enjoyed by all of us... although we will be feeling the pain tomorrow.

Rafting Pictures (plus a couple others)

The rafting pictures are up! There aren't any of the rapids themselves, but we did get some of our Jarretts vs. Jarretts splash battle, as well as us modeling the very attractive wetsuits. (The were quite a few comments among the ranks that these suits looked like they were from Star Trek and totally out of style.)

Pictures Are Up!

The pictures of the baptism are up, and tomorrow I'll post the rafting pics tomorrow.

Baptisms, Rafting, and Surfing... Water Anyone?

We just returned home after an evening of worship and celebration of twelve baptisms at church; three of the believers baptized were Luke, Becca, and myself! It was a joyous ceremony and an exciting event for all of us. I will upload tonight's pictures tomorrow.

On Memorial Day, Dad and Mom took Elissa through Ben (ten of us!) white water rafting on the Arkansas river. The weather was beautiful, the views scenic, and the water a bit chilly! The only time we really noticed how cold the water was occurred at the end of the raft trip, when quite a few of us jumped in for a quick swim. For his trip, we stuck to the class two and three rapids, but we're looking to take on the class three, four, and fives next time! Grandpa and Grandma stayed with the four littlest boys, and we ended the day together with dinner and then s'mores by the fire.

For Katie's birthday, Dad, Mom, and Christie (and the birthday girl of course!) are leaving tomorrow for an extended weekend trip to Oceanside, California... and surfing!

Summer Break!

Today was the last day of school for Katie and myself! Since Christie on down finished earlier this week, the whole family is on summer vacation.

Elissa arrived late last night, and we're glad to start our extended visit with her. Katie, Christie, Elissa, and I went out for ice cream this afternoon to belatedly celebrate Katie's birthday, as well as Elissa's arrival and the end of school.

Tonight is my baseball banquet to end the season, but Dad and I have continued to play on the men's softball team from our church. At three wins and three losses (two of them very close), we've progressed greatly since the first weekend. Our last win was 21-6!

Most of us have been making summer goals as we organize the house, preparing for our upcoming guests and a much-anticipated break from school. There are many things we are hoping to do, but we can trust in God's plans for these next months.

As you enjoy the warmer weather this season, take time to give thanks for it!

Tribe Update

These past few weeks and months, updates have been sporadic at best, so I'll do my best to relay the events and adventures of the Colorado Jarrett Tribe...

The end of school is nearing! Our official last day--for those homeschooling and attending DCC part time--is the 25th of this month. I have finals this week (thanks to my classes with leaving seniors), and Spanish will be my only subject that won't be officially finished until the last day. Although I still have the AP Language & Composition test on the 16th, I have taken the SAT and ACT. Quite a relieving feeling! The kids in AWANA, Luke through Mark, have their last night on Wednesday; they've done a fantastic job of memorizing scripture this year. 

Tonight, Katie and I were to have our last games for soccer and baseball, respectively. However, today brought in a rainy front, so God had other plans. Both games have been rescheduled for later in the week. Although we're sad to see the season over, I know that we are glad to have more free time. Plus, the men's church softball season began Saturday: Dad and I are both on one of the teams from Pulpit Rock, forming a father-son duo in the outfield. 

Elissa finishes her first semester at Moody Bible Institute soon, and she will arrive in the Springs on the 24th. The next day, Grandpa and Grandma Paige get here as well! They'll return again to Indiana, but the following trip will be to move out west to join us. With a satisfied buyer for their house, they're excited to soon live near the grandkids. 

Along with all the school and sports, we had a family trip up Pike's Peak via cog railway, met new friends, and hosted "small groups" (a relative term, as there are around 25 kids... I give an estimate because you hardly see them all in one place, sitting still enough to count). ;) 

We're already filling the calendar with summer plans; everyone is excited for both a break from school and time to see family and friends. Until our next update, have a blessed spring! 

 For the Tribe,

    Nate

Haircut time!

Monday morning, all the boys but Luke got their spring haircuts. Here are pictures of Mark, Josh, and me: 

Happy Easter!

The Jarrett Tribe of Colorado wishes you a Happy Easter! He is Risen!

Spring Break

All,

I'm sorry to say, I've had little discretionary time since I last posted, hence the lack of updates. Our visit with Elissa was quite fun; we loved being with her for a while.

Spring Break began Friday for Katie and me, yet I am still plowing through my AP Language & Composition work. The other students took off the days while Sis was here, and when Amy comes in two days, they will finish the rest of their break.

The forecast for this week shows the spectrum of 70˚ weather--we're excited! The past few days have been beautiful blue skies and most pleasant in temperature: God's gift of spring.

Until the next post (and when I finally have time to add pictures),

        Nate, for the Colorado Springs Jarrett Tribe

Happy Birthday, Luke!

Today is Luke's 13th birthday! And on this day, another teenager joins the ranks of the Colorado Jarrett Tribe.
The past two weeks were quite busy; last week was the beginning of the spring sports. Last Saturday Katie had a soccer tournament while I had two baseball preseason games. She made varsity, and I made JV, but as a swing player. So, it sounds like I'll get to do some pinch running quite often for varsity.
Tomorrow morning is the SAT at 7:45 for me, then a baseball work day right after that until 5:30, topped off with family small groups. It's going to be a busy one!
I'll try to find some time to post pictures of Luke's celebrations, but I'm off to get some chocolate birthday cake...

Weekend Update

Here's the weekly update for the last full week of February:

Last Sunday night, Katie, Christie, and I went to the Rock & Worship Roadshow with some friends from youth group. We had a really great time; the music was amazing! I'll put up some pictures of the concert after I'm done writing this post.

Thursday ended up being a snow day for Katie and me, but we got a lot of homework done. I also got to meet with a Mormon friend from school, and we were able to have good conversation about the Gospel and Mormonism.

Friday, Dad and the girls got to go to a father and daughter dance; they had fun finding dresses to wear  and spending a night out with Dad.

Yesterday was in the low 60's, so we took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed to the park as a family. It was a great day to play soccer and baseball; the little guys had fun on the playground.

Today was an especially special Sunday, as Katie was baptized this evening at our Colorado church home, Pulpit Rock Church! There were ten believers that were baptized, so a special event was arranged, and afterwards we had a reception to celebrate their professions of faith.

A busy week of work and school is ahead, so that's all for now...

Skiing!

Yesterday was our Christmas present ski trip! Dad, Mom, Katie, Christie, Luke, and I left our house at 6:00 AM to drive to Monarch Mountain. We spent the beautiful day on the slopes with plenty of fun and wipeouts; by the time the lifts closed at four, we were exhausted.
Dinner was in Cañon City; and the drive home was fairly quiet, and most of us slept some of the way. I took some pictures that will be posted in a couple minutes. Enjoy!

P.S. The top of Monarch was right on the Continental Divide, so that was pretty cool!

As Promised...

Some more pictures are posted from the weekend. If you hadn't already believed the tales of Colorado Springs weather, specifically look at the pictures of Friday's snowstorm and Saturday's blues skies. (There's also one I took on Saturday... I was comfortable outside wearing a t-shirt and shorts!)
Also, I have great hopes for Josh as a musician. He loves to listen to and sway with any music (when I don't let him try to play it).
Only an hour till game time... we're loaded with the snacks and ready to cheer Eli and the Giants on to a superlative victory over the Patriots.

Pictures

Two new pictures up... 1) The view out our front door this morning. 2) Matt and I pause for a photo-op as we hurry to our friends' house for lunch.
I'll try get some more this weekend!

Snow Day!

It's official... Katie and I get to stay home today from school. The forecast was for a foot of snow, but we didn't get more than a couple of inches at our house. However, Denver and further east had over a foot and a half.
Mom is enjoying her visit with Elissa in Chicago; it's a blessing that she wasn't planning on coming back until Saturday--hundreds of flights have been canceled out here until tomorrow morning.
We're going to get school done and enjoy lunch at a friend's house, and then we might get some time in the snow!
The wind is still howling and the snow is blowing... but this time I need to take some "before and after" pictures to show how quickly it all goes away.
Superbowl Sunday is upon us; may God grant victory to the Giants.

The Latest News...

It's been a busy week; I just finished one out of three papers due by the end of this weekend. As you can tell, school has been a bit crazy, but the family is doing well. We just had a dance party in the basement... everyone joined in for at least a couple of songs each, while others partied hard for the whole time. :) The weather today was typical Colorado Springs: some windy/gray/cloudy, snowy/white, snowing/sunny, and finally sunny and pleasant. Not too bad.
Next hike we take will include a camera, because I need to post some pictures more recent than Christmas.

Quick Update

I am just sitting down before dinner to write a quick update...

This morning, Katie, Christie, and I went with our friends the Andersons to downtown CO Springs. A local mission for the homeless serves breakfast every Saturday morning, and we were able to come alongside them to help. It was a neat time, and those that we served were grateful for the love of Christ they experienced.
Katie, Mom, Dad, and I also went on a 5+ mile hike this afternoon. We've had some incredibly beautiful weather, so today was the perfect time to go hiking (today's high was 61˚!).
School has been busy, but God is sustaining us through this spring semester. We've had chances to talk with Elissa on Skype; she's doing well at college and is always glad to hear from family and friends.
I'm getting called to the dinner table, so that's all for now...

Pictures Now Up!

I have finally posted some memorable shots taken over our vacation. From these you can take a glimpse into our celebrations of Christmas, New Year's Eve, and just partying with friends!

Note: I want to give Seth Dias credit for the excellent top hat and mutton chops on the very manly
snowman the two of us made... dude, it was pretty sweet.

Christmas Break Recap

Our journey began Friday afternoon, after the last final had been taken and every suitcase crammed into the van's open spaces. We made remarkable time, reaching the Jarrett home in Zionsville by noon the next day. Although we were tired, it was a quite joyous reunion with Elissa and the rest of the family who dropped by. 

That night and the next two weeks were filled with much needed visits with family and friends, plenty of late nights, and no shortage of people to hang out with. We had a trip to Christmas at the Zoo, enjoyed a day of playing in the snow, going to a Pacer's game, celebrating Christmas with all the family who could make it, and more. 

School starts again today for Katie and myself, and Dad is driving Elissa up to college right now. We've unpacked and are trying to get back to "normal" life, although that's a relative word. 

It was a great encouragement to see everyone in Indiana again, and we all enjoyed every moment of it. So thank you to all our friends and family who helped make it a fun visit! 

I will post pictures as soon as I am able, but as of right now, the Dad has the camera (It got left in Indy!). Until then, Happy New Year!

Safe Return

We arrived late this evening, but we must have set a new record for quick van unloading. Everyone is tired but thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
I'll write with more details and pictures later, but it's time to catch up on much needed sleep.