Taking Kristin to ACU

Saturday,
8-18-08

It is so hard to believe that my baby girl is really a college student. As wonderful as it is, I just can't believe time has flown so fast. Kristin started packing for college 2 weeks in advance. She has counted the days down for 3 weeks plus. She is so ready to be here at ACU!

Mike and Kristin started loading both her car and mine last night. As we headed out this morning, I just had to laugh at how much was packed in both cars and yet still be able to see out of the blind spots. Kristin's room at home seems so vacant now.





The drive to Abilene is a straight shot, but we got into some heavy rain. It was a good experience for Kristin. She drove very defensively and I was very proud of her as I rode shot gun.

By the time we entered Abilene, the rain had ceased. It was humid, but the temperature was in the low 80's. YEAH!

Kristin was almost hyper as we approached the campus. Driving into the main entrance, I had an icky feeling in my stomach. This is it, she is truly entering this adult phase of her life. Mike and I have raised her and now it is time to let go. AHHHHHH! Thankfully, God is in control and watching over her. GO GOD!

We checked into Kristin's dorm, McDonald Hall and met all the RA's. Delightful young ladies!!




McDonald Hall is only three stories high, but Kristin is on the 3rd floor. WOW! Lots of stairs when you are carrying boxes. Fun Fun!!! We got everything up three flights after many trips (lots of thanks to the guys of the move-in crew who helped carry boxes up the stairs). Mike and I were very grateful for these young men who volunteered their time. Kristin immediately got in the groove setting up the room. Her roommate, Chanine, and family were still on the road.




We had several RA's in the room helping us get all the furniture moved where the room space is used to its best potential. We had 6 yrs of RA experience in these two sweet RA's alone. Shoot, these two girls kicked in moving furniture around and giving their advice in 'how' to maximize space.


As well, the Tech guys were so nice, walking up and down the halls seeing who needed help with computer hook ups, etc. Tim and Nat worked on Kristin's laptop as she has developed a major virus or two. They'll work more tomorrow. Apparently it is bad.
:(((((


The dorm is one of the oldest dorms, but has just been renovated. It has two living areas in the main lobby. Both have big screens and one has a ping pong table. All the furniture, paint and carpet are new. The community bathrooms have even look like they've been re-tiled. It is really nice.





During the course of the day, Kristin's friend, Dale, who is driving in from Colorado kept in touch with his progress of getting to Abilene. Unfortunately he got a speeding ticket......:((((
We are sorry Dale!


As we all made attempts to get unpacked, we were blessed with several visitors!!!!!
Craig Fisher and his precious two boys, Rylie and Owen, came by. While they were visiting, we were blessed to have the President of ACU and his precious wife come to Kristin's dorm room to introduce themselves. They were so personable and precious. What a wonderful college!!! Later in the afternoon, our favorite Admissions Counselor, Lindsey Hall, stopped by as well. We had fun visiting and catching up with her. Lindsey - we love you!!!!!!!!!!!!






After several hours of getting unpacked, we headed to the Library to get Kristin's free Iphone that ACU is giving to all freshman. By this time her roommate, Chanine, had arrived. We met them back at the dorm room as they had started the move in.




The RA on the third floor is Ashley. She is really sweet and cool. Her room is just across the hall from Kristin and Chanine. Right outside the girls' dorm room is the common area for their floor. It has been nice for us parents to take advantage of the coach and chairs.



Mike and I left to get checked into LaQuinta.

Chanine and her family went to eat and get checked into their accommodations after we left. Kristin called Mike and I while she was alone in her dorm room. She said it was exciting to be in her own space. She picked up dinner, brought it to LaQuinta to eat with us, and promptly went back to the dorm. She said it was exciting, yet strange, leaving her dorm and getting in her own car to come to LaQuinta. She is enjoying the beginning of her freedom.

Tomorrow will be another busy day. Kristin changed her major to Children's and Family Ministry. We have to get her books and figure all entailed with her new schedule. We will be trying to figure out what to do about curtains as the girls have two windows in their room - cool!!!!! This mom?????? - Have sewing machine, will travel. Also, we have to do a major shopping trip to Walmart for dorm room food.

I feel so blessed that Kristin is in a place that so many people are interested in her success, walk with Christ and education experience. THANK YOU GOD and everyone at ACU! GO WILDCATS!!!!!!!!

PS - As I finish this blog, a segment on the local news just broadcast showing the kids moving into the dorms at ACU and the new campus IPHONE community and educational launch!!!!

8-19-08

WOW! The rain is coming down in sheets. Glad we all those boxes out of the car, up the stairs and in the room. WET WET WET!!!!! We picked up breakfast/lunch and took it to the dorm to eat with Kristin. Later Chanine and her parents arrived back to the dorm and we got a game plan for the day. Mike, Kristin and I headed off to the bookstore to get her books figured out since changed her major. We had done 'reserved textbooks' back in June with the idea that we show up in August, the bookstore has put them all together and we just pay. Thankfully, Kristin had cancelled her reserved textbooks before we ever left Fort Worth. That turned out to be a good thing. We down stairs of the bookstore and there were isles and isles of books. It was a bit overwhelming trying to figure out what she needed. (I don't remember it being this difficult when I was in college - LOL) Anyway, thankfully we found someone who worked there and literally within 5 minutes we had everything we needed. Good thing we found this angel, because otherwise it would've been minutes plus for the three of to try to find them all.

As we hung out in the dorm for a just a bit, we enjoyed meeting alot of the girls. It was fun. Then both families headed to walmart in the rain. Besides shopping for food, we looked for hardware needs, and curtain needs. Not really finding any material that would work well to make curtains, we got lucky and found some pre-made curtains that helped tie in both girls linens. We took our haul back to the dorm to continue getting everything set up. The dads headed back out to homedepot to get some additional lighting for over the vanity.

Try hanging pictures, clocks, etc....w/o nails. 3M makes velcro stick on things that don't peel off the paint, but it takes many of them to hang anything of significant size. We got the accessories hung on the wall, the food put up and then Cindi (Chanine's)and I attempted the currents. They turned out precious, but with the balloon style, it took two of us to get them up. FUNNY TIMES! Then the guys came back and worked on lighting.

All in all we had fun getting it all set up! We ended the evening at Chili's for some grub. Kristin left early to meet up with her friend from Colorado, Dale. I'm pooped and ready for some good slumber.!!!!!!!!!

8-20-08
Final day. I don't want to leave. I've had so much fun meeting the girls in the dorm, setting up the room, etc. We met up with Kristin and took her laptop to be checked into Tech 55 as the virus is pretty bad. She will be without for about a week...but should be ok as this is Welcome Week and she doesn't have classes. Just tons of fun activities.

We took a final look at the new "Bean". ACU remodeled the cafeteria. It is beautiful!!!!!!!! Very nice. We all headed to the car and huddled for a prayer. As Mike said a prayer we both felt weepy. Kristin was ready to get on with her activities which was good. We hugged, and then hugged, and then hugged again. Finally we got in the car and both of us just sat there and cried. Mike looked at me and said, "Well honey, it is just you and me now".........

Continued........

Ruidoso, NM

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With the help of the McLelands, I was able to pull off an incredible 60th birthday surprise for my sweet hubby, Mike! We are in Ruidoso, NM, the week of July 21st. This log cabin is amazing! Located in Lincoln National Forest the cabin is tucked on the moutain with an incredible, and I do mean incredible, view of God's majestic country.

With three bedrooms, two bathrooms, living, dining, kitchen and amazing deck this cabin is one of the most tranquil places I've been to.

July 21st - The drive to Ruidoso was fun and crazy ride with Kristin and Michelle making us all laugh! Just as we got to the cabin the car tried to overheat. Thankfully, we opened the hood and it cooled off. Back at home our air conditioner went out and my stepdad was sweet and stayed at the house for the repairman. It needed a part and could not be repaired until the next day - UGH. Our incredible housesitter and sister in Christ, Tricia, made it through the evening with the help of one of my best friends and sister in Christ, Ruth, with no air and mercifully took care of our sweet dachsund who isn't doing too well and all our other critters.

We arrived about 6:15 p.m. and within 1 hour we saw two wild turkeys and 3 deer. The deer will come within a couple of yards of us. Beautiful!


We got ourselves settled in and went into town for dinner at Casa Blanca. Their stuffed jalapenos were wonderful! We hit the local grocery store for a few items and went back to the cabin for an amazing slumber.

July 22nd - AHHHHHHHHHH to wake up in the moutains. Kristin and Mike cooked bacon, eggs, sausage and toast. We ate breakfast on the deck and took in the beautiful scenery. A little rain shower came through and dropped the temperature just a bit. The weather was in the 70's during the day.

Later, we went into town for some mountain shopping. Ruidosa has such cute and wonderful shops. The big thing here is carved wooden bears.



I found my own to bring home. Kristin and I both got our ear cartlidge pierced. Both of us had let our old ones grow back. That was fun!

We came back and spent the evening at the cabin watching the sun go down and just enjoying the solitude. For dinner, we cooked steaks and corn on the cob on the grill.....yumo! While on the deck Kristin sketched, Mike read, Michelle played on the computer...etc. Michelle made us a tasty crumb cake for dessert.

It has been so nice to have NO TV on. The difference is amazing once you don't have a million noises going on how relaxed you find yourself. We are too over stimulated in our everyday lives.

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

When we came back to the cabin from a day of shopping around 5:30ish, a sweet deer had bedded down right on the property. I was able to get within yards or so from her. Beautiful!

July 23rd - The restful slumber is different from the city! Mike and I were up before the girls and just enjoyed listening to the sounds. There is woodpecker around the cabin that goes from tree to tree....he won't stay in one place very long. But fun to watch and listen to.

Mike and I cooked eggs, sausage gravy and toast this morning. We all ate on the deck. Today is a bit warmer (in the 80's), so we went to ride go karts and bumper boats. What a blast the bumper boats were as every one of us became drenched. Each bumper boat had a name:
Kristin's boat was "Jammer"
Michelle's boat was "Turtle"
Mike's boat was "Big Squirt"
My boat was "Tubby"


Fun Trackers also has minature golf, bungie jumping, and a human maze. Kristin and Michelle decided to try the human maze. The record time has been around 5 minutes - they finished the maze in 10 minutes. Mike and I got to watch them from the observation deck. It was very interesting! Everyone enjoyed a couple of hours of "fun in the sun" !!!


The car still wants to overheat. Mike went to Western Auto to get coolant. We are not sure what the problem is, but are praying over this.

This cabin sits at the top of a steep hill in the mountains. I decided to walk this hill after we got back from Fun Trackers. My goodness, I've ran two marathons, but this hill will get ya! When I got back to the cabin, Kristin thought I had ran it because I was so out of breath. It was the last part of the hill that is the toughest - good workout though.

Our pet sitter, Tricia, called. Lucy is eating her boiled egg, but not doing well with the dog food. Praying over this too.

Tonight's menu was homemade hamburgers with grilled potatoes and onions. WOW! The hamburger patties were sooooooooooooo juicy! Kristin made lemon squares as well and they taste delightful!

As we were eating on the deck at dusk and saw quite a few bats coming out to eat. How cool!! We put out a hummingbird feeder this afternoon, so we will see what happens.

I am sitting under the stars as I continue to journal this day. How beautiful and serene it is up here. When I look at all of this beauty, I am reminded of how majestic God is! To sit on the deck and listen to the wind rustle through the pine trees is a reminder of God's voice and His message to us of how much He loves us.



"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

July 24th
This morning when we woke up the hummingbird feeder was bone dry! So we refilled it and 2 others totaling 3. We now have hummingbirds flying all around. One almost lit on Mike's head this morning.

Today we went to Ruidoso Downs and had a ball at the horse races. While we are not big gamblers ($2 bets), we had so fun. The weather was beautiful and the track was not crowded. Very pleasant! Mike and I both were ahead the first 5 races, but didn't finish as strong. Bummer! We saw a horse get claimed during one of the races. That was interesting as neither of us have witnessed that before.


Once again, we had fabulous weather today - In the 80's. We keep noticing how beautifully blue the sky is here. Without all the pollution, the skies are just so clear day and night! I was looking at the pine trees and noticing the early blooms of pine cones. What a sweet beginning stage of the entire growth of pine cones!



As I cooked out fajitas at the cabin for dinner, Michelle and Kristin went for a walk. They were gone about an hour and it was getting dark. Luckily, I had them take their cell phone. They called very close to dark and wanted one of us to come get them - which I did. They must've walked a good 3 miles in the winding and steep mountain roads. They saw lots of deer and a coyote. The coyote was enough for Kristin to want to come back to the cabin - for which I was glad. I saw several deer on my way to go get them.



Michelle made yummy warm brownies for dessert with ice cream. Yumo! My diet has been fully blown on this trip, but that is what vacation is for.

God is good and we are enjoying our relaxing time away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

July 25th

Temperature is in the 70’s today. Very nice! The hummingbirds are really enjoying the feeders we put out! We drove to Alamogordo to the White Sands Monument.

At the north end of the Chihuahuan Desert lays a valley encircled by the mountains known as the Tularosa Basin. From the heart of this basin, one of the world’s great natural wonders has evolved - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Wave-like dunes of gypsum sand cover 275 square miles of desert. It is the largest gypsum white dune field in the world.

The White Sands Missile Range surrounds the park. During World War II it was used for testing rockets captured from the German Army. Now the 4,000 square mile range is used for experimental weapons and space technology.

The historical video at the visitor center was very insightful in learning how the dunes were formed as well as how some of the plant and wildlife continue to thrive. The dunes are ever changing due to the continued production of the gypsum sand and strong winds. If you’ve never been to White Sands, I encourage you to go or at least visit their website. It is so amazing to know the largest WHITE sand dune in the WORLD is right here in the Southwest!

We ventured into the dunes. WOW! As you first enter the 8 mile scenic drive, there is a fair amount of plant life that has managed to thrive in the small mounds of sand. The further you get into the dunes there is virtually very little plant life and the dunes become taller and larger. You can stop anywhere to climb, hike and slide on the dunes. Eventually it looks like a winter wonderland – white as far as you can see! The sand even covers the road. All it needs is a sleigh and a couple of Clydesdales. Oh, wait…one problem, it is over 95 degrees.

I thought the sand would be hot, but it wasn’t. In fact, it felt cooler at the top of the dune than the base of the dune. We took our shoes off and played in the sand almost as if we were at the beach, except there is literally no water!



We rented plastic disks and climbed one of the dunes only to slide our way down again. What a blast! Between all four us, Kristin seemed to slide down the dune the fastest. Perhaps her technique was better. None of us though found it very easy to climb back up the dune for another round.

Michelle went for a greater adventure and decided to purposefully thrust herself into several body spins down the dunes. Covered from head to toe in gypsum sand, she laughed each time she whirled downward.



As we drove back through Alamogordo, we stopped to get corn for the deer. We put the corn out and hope to draw more deer to the cabin. It was nice to feel the cooler temperatures as we re-entered the mountains.

The hummingbirds seem to like all of our feeders!










July 26th

The cabin has no air conditioning (doesn’t need it at all), so we sleep with the windows open. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning to the beautiful sound of steady, mountain rain. AHHHHHHHH - peaceful slumber! After Mike and I got up and checked out the beautiful residue of the rain on the foliage of the forest. The temperature is much chillier this morning. By 1:00 p.m. today the temperature was 57degrees. It has continued to be cloudy and rainy all day, so we planned all of our activities well in conjunction with the weather. This was our 'free' day, so it worked out well to sleep in, lay around, watch a movie, then stroll through town for some last minute buys.

We found a neat little wine shop that makes their own wines here in NM. We did a wine tasting. It was alot of fun and the wine was good!

We are camped out at Starbucks as I write this getting reconnected to world temporarily.

Late this afternoon, the deer showed up!!! They were eating like crazy on the corn. We probably spent more than an hour watching all of the deer come up to the cabin to eat the corn. At one point we counted a total of 12 deer! So awesome!!!!!!

Our awesome house/pet sitter has let us know that Lucy has had a couple of good days for which we are grateful for!!!! Please continue to pray for her.

We keep hearing it is really hot in Fort Worth. I'll admit, I do not look forward to going back to three digit temperatures.

We've had an interesting observation. Mike, Kristin and I have all worn Abilene Christian University t-shirts different times throughout the trip. Everywhere we go someone stops us about ACU. We've now been stopped a total of 9 times. Lots of alumni, Abilene residents, or ACU parents around Ruidoso. God is good.






I just love this sweet little town. I love the friendliness of the locals, the beautiful scenery, and the quaint atmosphere. If you've never been to Ruidoso, you must plan a trip sometime.

July 27th
Today is our last day in Ruidosa. I'm terribly sad. This trip has been one of the most relaxing ever! Last night it started raining really hard. By the morning (around 6:00 a.m) it was more of a light mist. The deer came out and we got to watch them again- the same twelve. What a neat observation. I get tickled at the 'alpha' deer that try to run off the others. The others stick it out until they get the corn too. The bucks will fight occasionally too. Anyway, I could watch them ALL day long! AWESOME.




We all four decided to go ahead and get on the road bach home. We found out through both the neighbor and the people who take care of the cabin that parts of Ruidosa were flooding.

We couldn't believe what we saw as we left town. The further down we got (from the mountain) the worse it was. So sad. Some small cabins and RV parks had been evacuated. The river was rushing and roaring - thrusting logs down stream.
Luckily, the main road was fine and we got out ok.



We thank the generosity of the McLeland family for the wonderful and indescrible accommodations!!!!!! We thank our incredible house/pet sitter, Tricia, who took such good care of our home and our babies!!!!!! Lucy made it through our vacation and we were glad to see her (as well as our other critters) when we got home. We thank our dear friend, Ruthie, for staying in contact with Tricia regarding any needs. We thank George, my stepdad, for staying over here for 2 days for the air conditioning repair man!

Most of all, we thank God for blessing our vacation!!!!!!!! It was such a neat time of bonding, relaxation, and rejuvination. Even though we had ALOT of togetherness, we are very thankful everyone got along well, enjoyed the nature and agreed on all activities!! YEAH!

Mike had a great birthday trip! GO GOD!~



Stay tuned for more......