Sunday, February 24, 2013

February = Lots of Snow

It's been over a month since I've posted, and quite a lot has happened with the Rocky Mountain Tribe since then. February has held a few pleasant days of warm weather, but this past week we were hit with  big snowstorm. Wednesday was the beginning (and the worst of it), and we got some more Friday and today as well. It's been out of the ordinary to see so much gray sky, but there's usually at least part of every day when we see the familiar Colorado blue! 
  • We're excited to begin digging the foundation for our new home within the next couple of weeks! 
  • I began my Learning Links observation program at Memorial Hospital two weeks ago. I am in the Emergency Department on Wednesday nights from 7-11 until the end of March, and I have enjoyed it immensely. Every night is so different of an experience, and I'm always seeing something new and fascinating. One of the most interesting opportunities was watching a plastic surgeon suture a man's nose back together. It was only held on by one side of the right nostril; the septum and left nostril were both severed. Once it was no longer flapping around, the patient (still in good spirits) asked if he was still modeling material. Another crazy case was that of a young hitchhiker. He was looking for a ride while drunk and decided the best way to get one was stand in the middle of the highway to flag someone down. It was already dark, so the semi had no chance of seeing him. The young man was airlifted to the hospital, yet the only injuries he suffered were a swollen ankle and a head laceration. Pretty miraculous! After my shift on Wednesday, the snow storm was so bad that it was too dangerous to return home. I waited in the nurses' break room until 1:00 AM, when Care Unit 3 (which handles less serious cases) closed down. I spent the night in the ED in a hospital bed, which was just another neat part of the experience. I'm sure that was the cheapest overnight stay I've ever had in a hospital.
  • Our family has come to the prayerful decision of church search. We went back to Pulpit Rock today to say goodbye to our friends there, and next week we will begin "more officially" attending Front Range Alliance Church, Grandpa and Grandma Paige's church (which is now ours too!). Although it has been hard to make yet another change, we feel God's peace about this transition. There are things we love about both churches and we have relationships within both congregations, but it will be nice to finally start settling in and feeling that we are where God has for us to be. Mom and I have auditioned for the worship team; she will be on the vocals, helping out more during the summer, and I will be alternating on electric, acoustic, and bass guitar. The youth group has been a great fit, and we really feel that we will have many opportunities to plug into ministry and relationships at Front Range.
  • Josh is quite the busy little man, sometimes a bit too busy and intelligent for his own good. Last week he decided to see what would happen if he put his metal Lightening McQueen car in the microwave. The instantaneous fire seemed to let him know that it was not quite the amazing recipe he had hoped, but Mom was able to save the situation from disaster. Once the paint chips were cleaned out, the microwave is still going strong. Josh also loves music, particularly guitar and piano. Whether we're having family worship time or he's just on his own, Josh usually finds his toy rifle, Star Wars ship, or his air guitar to strum along with the music as he dances. He loves singing his favorite two songs as well: The Veggie Tales theme song and The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. We love our Joshy-boy!
Here are some pictures to go with the update:


Me in Learning Links uniform 


Matt is ready for the big snow!


Will and Matt--prepared for winter fun


Snow fort made by Luke, Becca, Anna, and Ben


Ben and I helped out with the fort's wall this afternoon


Luke, Becca, Anna, Ben and a neighbor friend)


Where'd the mountains go?!