48 Hours

I cannot believe we have only been at this beautiful place for only 48 hours.  528 hours to enjoy at Frontier Ranch.

With Clint being on Young Life staff in Kinston the school year is FULL of events and relationships.  Then the summer comes around... Young Life slow downs in our town, so Young Life places Young Life Staff people like Clint at Young Life camps across the country to work for a month.  Clint's job this summer at Frontier is to be a Head Leader, so in a nut shell this means he will be the leader of Young Life leaders here that bring their High School friends, he will keep the schedule, and make sure that kid's are behaving.

 I learned a CRAZY fact yesterday about Young Life camping... so, yesterday over 100 Work Crew and Summer Staff (High School and College Students) who volunteer for the month to serve in roles like: cooking, serving food, laundry, life guard, landscaping, etc... Can I say it again that they VOLUNTEER, they pay their way to come, to work for free this month.  Okay, so anyways... Each week there are roughly 400 campers that come and fill these cabins at Frontier.  That is a 4 to 1 worker to camper ratio.  There is no camp, hotel, resort in the world with that kind of ratio.  I love how Young Life does camping in  such an over the top and excellent way.

Frontier Picture of the day:

These days have been so beautiful: mornings full of sunshine, then the clouds role in in the afternoon, and then it cools off and is nice and crisp and clear at night time.  This is the view from camp looking on to the Rocky Mountains.

So, since I have all of this incredible time to rest and be still I wanted to share with you what I am filling my time with.  I recommend all of you to visit your local book store or go to Amazon to download this book:

Jesus the King!  It is the BEST book I have ever read.  Timothy Keller is brilliant as he walks us through the book of Mark giving such great history and detail of the Gospel.  I have been reading it in the form of reading a chapter of this book and then reading the chapter in Mark that Timothy Keller explains.  This book has made my time with Jesus a time that I crave!  I will share a few experts that I love later this month.  But, if you are needing a "pick-me-up" in your Quiet Times, go buy this book!

Well, until next time!  I hope you are having a great time!

P.S.: If you wanted to send us some good old snail mail while we are here is our mailing address:
Frontier Ranch
Attn: Clint and Mary Rouse
P.O. Box 2025
Buena Vista, CO 81211

Well, it's been a month!

Appropriate title right?

Just like that a month goes by and here we are.  It has been a FUN past couple of weeks consisting of trips to Washington D.C., Teresa getting married, Leigh getting married, and celebrating 3 years of marriage.

So, here we go!

We went to Washington D.C. for Clint's Uncles wedding.  It was seriously the nicest wedding I will ever go to.  It was in the Willard Hotel.  I wasn't that familiar with the Hotel, so I Googled it like any other human would do.  I found out that this is the Hotel where President Lincoln had is inaugural celebration when he became president, the Hotel where Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his I have a dream speech.  This was quite the historical place to be married in D.C.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  The floral arrangements consisted of Cherry Blossom TREES, they had a great band, delicious 6 course meal... It was great!  Thank you for including us in your weekend Brandt and David!

Here is my Hot wedding date...

Then, the very next weekend... Teresa and Radford got married at Camp Cheerio!  I don't know where to begin with this wedding, it was so genuine, emotional, and beautiful!  Radford was the most precious groom not hiding a single emotion.  I have never seen a groom look at his bride the way he looked at Teresa.  Camp Cheerio was the perfect back drop for this wedding, this is how they met and where they fell in love.  I am so thankful for Teresa as my big sister and it was such a GIFT to be included as one of her Bridesmaids.  Happy Marriage to Teresa and Radford! #HydeyourkidsHydeyourwifes 

Then, Leigh Kellerman got married!!! My best friend on this planet earth! What a fun weekend!  Leigh is that friend that knows me and gets me the most, she can make me laugh harder than any person, she points me to Jesus in every conversation and interaction, she is my sister, my bestfriend, my ROOTS.  We have been best friends for 19 years... (Wow! Feeling old in this moment!) She and Brently are literally the most attractive couple I have ever been around.  I mean, really?  It is going to be a shame to see how beautiful their children look.  But anyways back to their wedding, Leigh was a glowing bride overflowing with Joy!  She was so calm and confident.  Yet, so elegant and silly at the same time.  I would not be the person I am today if it weren't for Leigh!  Cannot wait to live life beside you Whitackers!  Love y'all!

We celebrated 3 years of Marriage!  For our anniversary we boarded a plane and headed to Colorado! It blows my mind that we have been married for THREE years!  It seems just like yesterday that I got to marry my best friend in Beaufort, NC in front of everyone we love!  I love reflecting on that sweet day where we vowed to love one another for the rest of our lives.  It was the best decision I have ever made in my life and I can genuinely say to you Clint Rouse that loving you is the greatest JOY and GIFT in my life!  Happy Anniversary Clint Rouse!  Thank you for how you love me selflessly every day and point me to Jesus as I fall in love with you and Jesus in you.

And now...  here we are in Buena Vista, Colorado for the next month serving at Frontier Ranch.  My hope is it to be able to write more here.  Because let's be honest my only obligation the next 3 1/2 weeks is to rest.  I don't even know what to do with myself!  Clint and I go SO hard in life, some people might find it unhealthy how much we go and do.  So, I now get to sit, bet still, read, go on hikes, make new friends, sleep, repeat.  For example, today is the first day we have been at camp (we don't have campers yet, they come Sunday!)  But, my day has looked like this: I woke up at 5:30am (dang time change...), went back to bed, ate delicious breakfast that I didn't have to cook (thank you work crew!), went on a 3 mile hike (really it was a walk, but these hills are killer for an ENC girl), took a nap, ate lunch, and now I am sitting in our sweet little apartment reading, typing, drinking Chai, and listening to a babbling brook right outside our porch.  I mean... does life get any better?  I wish you could all be here with me! 

I am sorry for the long post, but there was just a lot to share.  Until next time!