Wwwhhhheeeeeeeeee!!!!

That's what I've been wanting to scream all day long. Actually, I have been. Oh my, this has just been a blast. We got to Colorado pretty late last night, and we woke up this morning and walked out of our hotel to this view:

I was so glad God let it snow for us during the night! What a beautiful sight to see. For this Texas girl, snow is a big deal. And I love snow when it covers everything and makes it so pretty...and then the temperature gets up into the 50s and is bright and sunny and the snow melts off by the end of the day. That's my favorite kind. Because let's be honest, I'd be really sad if I had to live in snow all the time. But THIS is amazing! The conference we are attending didn't start until late this afternoon, so Joel and I spent the day driving around and sightseeing. We just took in all the beauty as we drove through the Pike's Peak area, saw some adorable little towns nearby, and visited the Royal Gorge and Bridge. And it was a blessed time. Really. Joel and I spending that much time together in the car and actually enjoying it and each other's company is kind of like a miracle. Some of you married people have the gift of glorious togetherness in car traveling. We do not. So what a sweet gift that not only were we not ready to kill each other by the end of this sightseeing adventure, we actually have really enjoyed each other's presence. Quite a lot, in fact! I like that man. =) He's very cute. Speaking of his cuteness, this was his first time to be in Colorado, and I just loved watching his excitement and discovering with him all these places that are so beautiful. He couldn't hide his enjoyment at all, and I just loved it. I lost count how many times he pulled over on our scenic drive to take pictures. He led us on these adventures without being the least bit task-oriented, and I just loved the time we had to just be together, not be rushed, talk, and enjoy together this creation of God's that we don't normally get to see. I'm telling you, it has been WONDERFUL.


Please try to ignore Joel's "halo" in this next picture:

We did all kinds of goofy touristy things at this next place...the world's highest suspension bridge over the Royal Gorge:

The conference "we" are attending is a training event for a simulcast Focus on the Family will be doing in the fall for The Truth Project. If you haven't been through this Truth Project curriculum, well....you should. In my opinion, it's the best thing Focus on the Family has ever done. It's a DVD series/study that is being used in small groups and Sunday school-type classes in churches all over the country, and it's just amazing how relevant and powerful this ministry is. I'll let you check out the link to learn more. Or you can ask me questions anytime! I say "we" are attending because I am not quite committed in my attendance. I left out early tonight because my back has not been my friend lately and I needed to rest it instead of continuing to sit in extremely uncomfortable chairs. I plan to join Joel for what I can. Originally, I had planned to go very little, if at all, and instead lay around the hotel and read and relax and all that. But the opening session tonight got me so excited...I got highly energized about the purpose of the Truth Project and so want to be a part of the conference as much as I am able. To see the hundreds of people representing churches all over the country who are participating in The Truth Project and leading people to get involved in it is just so amazing. I really believe so many people's lives will be changed. I know they already have. But I think it's going to be really big. The whole idea of this study is that there are so many Christians who really are under attack in their beliefs and are starting to believe Satan's lies about life so much that they are really not living much differently than the non-believing world. So we need to learn (or re-learn) the basics of truth. Real truth. And it explores so many different facets of truth. It is basically a worldview curriculum, and the teaching is so clear and helpful. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. (Random note....we happened to run into two different people we knew from our church in Bartlesville. It was funny. For those Bville friends who read this, we walked in at the exact same time as Joe Kauffman. Quite ironic.)

We were able to visit Focus' bookstore, and if you know me, then you know that that was definitely my favorite part of the day. Conference attendees received a discount at the bookstore, and I was so giddy. I did pretty well though....we only left with a few books. One was a Bible Joel picked out for me. As our community group wives have been studying 1 Peter the last couple of months, I have used Joel's Bible a whole lot because it's a version that I haven't used before but that has brought lots of great new insights. So I started borrowing it on occasion to look up a verse or two in this translation that is evidently closer to the original Greek text. Then, I started using it a whole lot more, borrowing it almost every time I was studying the Bible. He has another Bible he uses, so he didn't mind too much. So after a while, I just decided to keep it for myself. Some might call this stealing. But I contend that it's not stealing if he knows who has it and how to ask for it if he needs it back. I knew he knew I had it, and I assumed he didn't mind. But he came up to me in the bookstore today and showed me what he decided I needed to have....it was the same Bible I've been 'borrowing" from him, only it is hot pink!!!! I actually started jumping up and down. Yes, there were people all around, and I'm sure they thought I was crazy. But I didn't care at all. I actually planted a big kiss on him. Yep, right there in Conservative-ville. I was so excited! I've never had such a pretty little Bible before! Y'all, it's PINK! Does my husband know me, or what?! I'm so in love with him.