What a trip! It didn't exactly start out the way I wanted it to. Being the meticulous packer that I am, I pulled out & considered 3 different sleeping bags for the trip...and didn't bring any of them! Needless to say, I got a little chilly Friday night. Tried sleeping, wrapped in my tent's rain fly. By 4:30am the cold was too much & I rested my eyes in the truck. We got up & had our site packed up by 5:45am and were hiking up the bluffs by 6:05am. Sounds early? Not early enough! It was a huge weekend at the park. We got beat by an outfitter who was working with a Boy Scout group, and he grabbed our preferred spot (Misery Rocks.) Sad!
We ended up setting ropes at Cleopatra's Amphitheater. Access was kinda tricky, but we made it work. Group arrived a little after 10am & we spend almost 4 hours on the rock with them. Our group talk with them went really well & God gave me the words to say - you could see it on some of the kid's faces.
Following tradition, Kurt, my friend Paul, and I went to Pizza Hut in Baraboo for pizza and salad bar.
Hey there, davewave fans! I'm writing this during a little break in the action. I've got to pack for a climbing trip I'm leading at Devil's Lake tomorrow. We're taking a confirmation class from a church in LaCrosse climbing and rappelling as part of their "graduation." The rappel is symbolic of their stepping into adulthood & trusting God with their lives. My friend & co-leader Kurt and I are leading a bible study on the rock with them. Pray that God gives us the words to say that communicate God's desire to be a vital part of their lives.
Wow, our first parental holiday! It was so weird getting Jen a Mother's Day card. That's not a holiday we normally shopped for. Our moms celebrated Mother's Day (and we usually forgot it!)
So many firsts! Soon I'll be celebrating my first Father's Day. I wouldn't trade it for the world!
For Mother's Day, we went to have pictures taken with five generations of firstborn girls on Jen's side of the family. Pictured is Olivia with Gram (Lila Hubing, where Olivia gets her middle name!) Gram turned 100 recently!
Some strong thunderstorms passed just to the north of us tonight, resulting in some of the best lightning pictures I've taken so far. Definitely gonna make it into the "Best of..." photo book for 2007.
It's a beautiful Spring day outside & I'm spending the rest of my day off at home with Jen and Olivia. We're still trying to figure out the various squeaks, snorts, and cries of her ever increasing vocabulary (the wet flarp sounds she makes from the other end we've got down.)
Though we're definitely lacking in sleep as Olivia currently likes being active after 2am, we wouldn't trade our lil' monster for anything. No matter how tired we are, there's nothing sweeter than than looking into our daughter's eyes & see her smile.
Now, I know you parents out there are thinking, "that's not a smile, they don't smile intentionally when they're that young." I beg to differ, especially when I play the "Towel Game" with her. That's definitely a grin.
Here's kind of a cool thing. Last month I submitted a letter of intent applying for a position on the Board of Directors for the Professional Ropes Course Association (the professional organization that sets construction and training standards for the ropes course industry.) I struggled with sending it for a while, thinking, "I can't apply! I'm just Dave from Timber-lee, I don't have a chance." Well, I finally decided that the worst they could say was "no," so I sent in my stuff.
Well, a couple weeks ago I found out that I was selected amongst other highly qualified applicants for the position. I am now a voting member of the board, serving as the "Organizational Representative."
What a trip! It didn't exactly start out the way I wanted it to. Being the meticulous packer that I am, I pulled out & considered 3 different sleeping bags for the trip...and didn't bring any of them! Needless to say, I got a little chilly Friday night. Tried sleeping, wrapped in my tent's rain fly. By 4:30am the cold was too much & I rested my eyes in the truck. We got up & had our site packed up by 5:45am and were hiking up the bluffs by 6:05am. Sounds early? Not early enough! It was a huge weekend at the park. We got beat by an outfitter who was working with a Boy Scout group, and he grabbed our preferred spot (Misery Rocks.) Sad!
