northstar on the news.

one of our awesome soccer coaches works for fox6 news in bham and did and excellent story on northstar soccer that aired a few weeks back.  

colorado.

i’m just chilling on the front porch, enjoying the surprisingly warm february weather, while awaiting time to go get a drink with some friends. and, I get this text.

jess:  hey.  wanna go skiing in Colorado Mar 25-31?

sara:  hey.  that's kinda a crazy idea.  where'd it come from?

j:  flight is only $100 round trip and we have a free cabin!  just pay for ski gear and lift ticket!

j:  it's kinda crazy and impulsive.  but it's a good deal.  offer ends tonight at midnight!!!!!!

s:  wowie.  how'd you find out about that sweet deal?  

s:  now i'm thinking about it.  carla jean says is trying to convince me...

j:  yeah it would be so much fun!

and, that it was...

colorado was good for so many reasons.  

1.  a little break in the middle of spring season (i went over our kids' spring break).

2.  breathing the crisp mountain air and experiencing the still and quiet of the mountains.

3.  hanging with some good buds.

4.  seeing beauty i hadn't seen before: the rockies, the high plains of colorado and new mexico, wild horses, antelopes, mule deer, blue skies, gorgeous sunsets and sunrises, and a frozen waterfall.  

5.  just being.  and, upon return to "life as usual," lots of thoughts to be had. 

day 1:  flight in.  driving from denver to la veta.  acclimatizing to the altitude.  sledding at the cabin.

the spanish peaks in la veta, co.

day 2:  skiing at taos, nm.  lots of wildlife on the drive.  avocado key-lime pie from a local taos restaurant.

did i mention wild horses?  never imagined i'd ever see one in real life!

beautiful sunset on the way back from taos, nm.

day 3:  churchy.  great sand dunes national park.  zapata falls.  

great sand dunes national park.

the crew.  ty, jess, ty's friend chris, and me at zapata falls (and a frozen waterfall!!).

day 4.  garden of the gods.  skiing.  dinner and ice cream in denver.  red eye back to atl.

view from the top of a ski run at loveland near denver.

also at loveland.

so, i write to remember.  this blog has taken many shapes and forms.  and, i've had many different reasons to write over the past years.  and, as of late, i've realized i've failed to write maybe more out of a fear of what others may think.  i've failed to write because i haven't taken the time to stop and think and process.  i've failed to write as i'm not sure exactly the purpose of this blog.  and, as my friend jmilla wrote - grace over perfection.  i think me writing and blogging is a needed thing.  good for my soul.  even if it's only every few months and only for me to remember things of the past.  i'll take it...

scary close

"that's the gist of this story, i suppose.  these are snapshots of the year i spent learning to perform less, to be myself more, and overcome a complicated fear of being known.  this book is about how i realized i could have a happy life without splitting an atom or making a splash.  it's true our lives can pass small and unnoticed by the masses, and we are no less dignified for having lived quietly.  in fact, i've come to believe there's something noble about doing little with your life save offering love to a person who is offering it back.

here's a thought that haunts me: what if we are designed as sensitive antennas, receptors to receive love, a longing we often mistake as a need to be impressive?  what if some of the most successful people in the world got that way because their success was fueled by a misappropriated need for love?  what is the people we consider to be great are actually the most broken?  and what if the whole time they're seeking applause they are missing out on true intimacy because they've never learned how to receive it?...

...i don't mean to overstate what is yet unknown, but part of me believes when the story of earth is told, all that will be remembered is the truth we exchanged.  the vulnerable moments.  the terrifying risk of love and the care we took to cultivate it.  and all the rest, the distracting noise of insecurity and the flattery and the flashbulbs will flicker out like a turned-off television."

- donald miller.  scary close.  p. 6-7.

just finished the new book from donald miller.  and, it definitely hit home.  here's to remembering and learning anew to love well.