How to Visit a Small Town

My time in Colorado has led to many day trips and brief overnighters to the far reaching small towns this state has to offer. We’ve traversed north to Boulder, Fort Collins, and Nederland, west to Buena Vista and Leadville, and south to Pueblo and Wetmore.  Most recently was my trip to Leadville, in which I took two new travelling buddies and I realized I had compiled a sort of how-to as I explained to them my methods for taking a town by storm.

1)   1) Do a little bit of research if possible- I love roadsideamerica.com for its ability to outline the odd and out of the way places you wouldn’t otherwise know about

2)   2)Read the signs! I cannot tell you how many times I have found out about other events because I look at bulletin boards and the flyers that are hung in coffee shop windows…for example, on a Saturday, there could very likely be flyers for a musical group playing in town.

3)   3)Visit the Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Info Center- Stop in the places that say VISITORS!! It is most helpful to stop in and ask about anything in particular you may be looking for. At the very least you can get a map of the area, and if you’re lucky, the person will pick up on your excitement and tell you about things you couldn’t have found on the internet.

4) 4)  Look for festivals- small towns go all out when they have some reason to celebrate, take for instance, Nederland CO, where a festival is centered around a cryogenically frozen man.

5)   5)Talk to the locals- the owners of the small stores on those main streets love their towns, that’s why they are still there. They are a wealth of stories and information.

6)   6) Smile! And ask questions! People love when people who visit are excited and eager to learn about this new place. In Leadville, we learned the history of the town not from a museum, but from the husband of a shop owner who realized I wanted to know more than just the average ski bum who shoes up in the spring.

So those are my secrets, and truth be told, I hardly ever plan further than getting directions or someone who knows the way, knowing the time and general location of events in town, and finding someone to sidekick for the journey.  I think most of the fun comes from unique discoveries and unexpected conversations.  Even if it’s not at all what I thought it was going to be, I always come back with a fabulous story!

A Raw and Hopeful Heart

There are some things that are hard to go through the first time, much less a second time a month later.  I think about the timing of my arrival into Colorado Springs, to the School of Worship.  I left a stable and healthy home and it is only in the home stretch that it looks a bit more grim in VA.  Bubba has been in the hospital with pneumonia, sent home, and now is back in... and it looks like when he does come home again, it will be with IV's and strict diet and who knows what else as his care... another huge shift to how the family operates and functions.  We all want Bubba well, happy, and comfortable, and I know the family will rally together to make that happen.... just the fact that we lost Grandpa Cox last month makes all of this..... hurt really bad.  And to be all the way out in CO doing my best to persevere to finish out the last few weeks... let's just say the bags are easily packed at a moments notice.  I am reassured that God has all of us in his hands and his grace and peace will hold us steady through the next few weeks.

Your Team, My Team

There's this people watching game I play when I am out and about with friends. When you see someone you can call whether or not they are on your team or someone else's. Once a person has been determined to be on a team then they cannot be put on anyone else's. The parameters are set by whoever is playing...for instance I never want anyone wearing uggs to be on my team...so I immediately place them on another team.  Since it's all imaginative and you would never approach the strangers walking around you, it's a fantastic mental game among friends.... my explanation confusing? Well, I call this guy on my team....

Check out his helmet with a tail!

You Hold it All CD Release!!!!!

I am so excited this live recording from New Life Worship came out!!! It released last Tuesday, much to our joy and anticipation.  We were part of the choir for the night of the actual recording and then later on spent several evenings dubbing over the choir and crowd parts since so much of it is lost in the noise of the room. The album is incredible, it was a great night and it makes my heart so happy to get to relive it whenever I hear the songs...ask me about it sometime, there is of course a brilliant God encounter behind it all... but a bit too personal for the wide open world of blogging.

And of course, there are videos from the night! Sometimes I watch to try and find myself, but I was in the back row/corner behind the drummer so no luck other than what I think might be my hand...:o) Not as obvious as the ads published in worship leader magazine! This song is called "Great I Am", written by Jared Anderson, who is currently teaching our songwriting class... I just love the bridge... the mountains shake before him, the demons run and flee, at the mention of the name King of Majesty, there is no power in hell or any who can stand before the power and the presence of the Great I Am!...make sure you watch through the repeat of the bridge...the musical build and stop is just amazing and makes me want to be a drummer just so I could play that part.

"Be Thou Exalted", written by Mia Fieldes from Hillsong...again, the bridge!!!! So incredible....

Enjoy....it was a lot of fun getting behind the scene glimpses on how this whole live recording thing works!

Happy Birthday Bubba!

I grew up with two amazingly different grandfathers.  While Grandpa Cox lived eight hours away and we only saw him occasionally, my other grandfather, who we refer to as Bubba, always lived just the next neighborhood over, then next door, and now in the very same house.

Bubba has always been intricately involved in our lives, from teaching us how to ice skate and my brothers how to drive ( my dad got the lucky job of teaching me :o), to endlessly helping us with school projects....he is a genius in construction.

And I love the story of his life, how by the age of 5 both of his parents had died, and he was raised by his Aunt in New York City and he joined up with the Coast Guard when he came of age. Then stationed on Cape Cod, he met my grandmother at a dance and they both knew after that one night they were right for each other even though he was slightly inebriated and both of them lacked dancing skills.

Bubba is a man that has always worked hard and loved deeply. I have seen him persevere through a stroke and the onset of macular degeneration... I am so thankful for his strength and faith and I can only hope for him many more long years with us. Today makes me wish I was home so I could sing him happy birthday and eat cake along with the family, but I know they will celebrate it up right!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBBA!!!!

6 Weeks Left Update!

Time is flying out here in Colorado... after a mild winter, we only see the random snow overnight...although I hear tell it's not uncommon to still get a big snow in April or May. It's hard to believe that in a month and a half, I'll be packing up the green bullet and heading back East to Virginia to wait and see what God has next.

Classes are pretty awesome this module, especially with guest lectures like Paul Baloche in our songwriting course! We also have a solid Systematic Theology class and alongside worship practicum and applied music theory...well, the lessons we are learning are endless.

I do feel a bit like I can't get my feet under me since spring break. I went from losing Grandpa Cox and experiencing my first family loss, to playing catch up with missed classes back out here, and just when I feel like I can wrap my head around healing and adjusting to where I am at...this week Bubba went into the hospital with pneumonia. He's now recovering at home now, but you want to talk about opening up a rawness inside of me that I wasn't ready to face yet? I had to remind myself that not everyone that goes into the hospital with pneumonia comes out with a terminal tumor in their lungs, but the honest cry of my heart was, "This is too hard. It's too soon....too soon."

When I sent the text to friends, "hey my grandfather is in the hospital, I'm waiting to hear more"...the common response was... is this a text from 3 weeks ago I'm now just getting? I showed up to my weekly dinner Tuesday night and when asked about Bubba, I said, "He went home" and then quickly recovered, "but not to the Lord! Just to our house...I mean, he was released from the hospital." Whew, didn't realize how that was going to sound before it came out.

And in the midst of a strong desire to be home, the green bullet got terribly ill...vomiting liquid everywhere on Monday, prompting a trip to an auto shop to my relief what I thought was only a broken radiator cap and a $45 charge....but as things go these days, it merely put a band aid on the larger problem/leak which just yesterday required a complete water pump system replacement...which costs a lot more.... a whole lot more....

I'm taking each hiccup as it comes and am more determined than ever to press in to the things of God and community and hope.  Turns out, the fam back in Virginia is under the onslaught of circumstances as well, between Bubba's recovery and a slew of pink eye, and flat tires..... all in the midst of continually working towards moving houses... but tonight I am with friends celebrating birthdays and community...for that I am very thankful.

Denver

If you find yourself out west and feeling just a tad homesick for the east...you can find the feeling of D.C. in downtown Denver... tall buildings, a few grassy areas, and white columned buildings!

Almost like the mall!