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!

Leigh's Bachelorette Weekend and Carter's 7th Birthday Party!

Those are 2 opposite things to blog about at once right?  A Bachelorette Weekend and a little girl's birthday party!  Well, the common denominator in these two events is my LOVE for these people...

Leigh Kellerman, she is my oldest friend and my dearest.  We became friends when she was in 2nd grade and I was in 3rd.  We were on a swim team together, I made fun of her for her unibrow and her jeans with holes in them... I even called her homeless at one point.  May I add this is before I truly met Jesus and began a relationship with Him... truth.  Don't worry though, Leigh retaliated my mean words with actions by punching me in the stomach.. I cried.  So, rocky start... and a beautiful friendship!  This girls knows me to my ROOTS... she is my roots!  I love her and CANNOT believe she is getting married in 6 short weeks!  Her weekend was SO fun!  Relaxing with a lot of laughter!  If anyone has ever been around this girl for more that 4 seconds, they know what I mean.. she is FUN!

Here she is...

I really do LOVE this friend and cannot wait to celebrate she and Brently!

Here is our crew from the weekend!  It was so fun to meet all of Leigh's friends and enjoy a relaxing BEAUTIFUL weekend at the beach!

And then, to Fuquay on Sunday to celebrate our precious niece Carter! Oh I love Carter!  I love being an aunt!  Carter and I have a special bond where we can laugh and play pretend together.  I cannot believe she will be turning 7 later this month.  Where does time go??

I love this child....

Well, we are headed to Camp Cheerio on Thursday to celebrate Radford and Teresa! YAY!  Cannot wait to witness this sweet marriage and union of 2 people who love Jesus and each other SO much.  Teresa is my sister-in-law, one of Clint's older sisters, and such a sweet friend!  I love that I was friends with Teresa before I was friends with Clint, and what a gift it is to be FRIENDS with your sister-in-laws!  Oh, I am so excited for this weekend and the party that it will be!  Here is a little sneak peak of where the wedding will be...

I mean... could there be a more beautiful place to be married!?

Stay posted for many of pictures!

Until then, have a great day and happy early Easter!

My Big Brothers have Little Girls

So, growing up I had 2 older brothers: Thom and Stewart! I love my big brothers, they have loved me and shaped me into the person I am today. But, I would be telling a lie if I didn't tell you that I always wanted a sister. And so fun how The Lord hears our simple wishes and knows the desires of our hearts. Now.. My big brothers have beautiful wives Margaret and Karla who I cherish as sisters. And it didn't stop there, I married a man who has THREE incredible sisters! I mean wow! The Lord's provision right there. And then to add to it, my two big brothers have little GIRLS! 

Stewart and Karla's daughter is Phoebe! Oh and she is a joyful 1 year old! She will be the most musically talented little girl with your musician parents! Phoebe is a busy little girl who is into everything! She laughs and smiles with a little crinkled nose! Oh she is such a joy with her blonde curls, blue eyes, and full cheeks! #shegetsitfromherauntmary

Thom and Margaret's daughter is Carter! And if there has ever been a little 6 year old that can quote Emily Post's book of manners she could! Carter is the definition of a little lady! She remembers everything, she loves people better than some adults I know, she has a heart of gold! Carter and I will always share a special bond because she was our flower girl! I love this sweet little Carter so much!

So, can you only imagine... I bet Clint and I will have 5 sons. Only The Lord knows! Bring it on! #weareNOTpregnant 

Having it all together...

So, you know those people you look at and you say, "Wow, they have it all together!"  They have clean large homes, well landscaped lawns, flawless skin, always rocking a size 4 in their name brand clothes, drives a clean nice car, their children are beautiful in their smocked monogrammed clothes, and their Christmas Card just brings tears to their eyes because it is so cute.  Wow, I am exhausted listing these things.  Well, y'all let me just tell you this.  This is my struggle.  I want to have it all together.  I want it to seem like Clint and I are picture perfect.  But, wow that is exhausting and will NEVER happen.  We do not have it all together, and will never have it all together.

So, this past Christmas I wanted SO bad to send a picture perfect Christmas Card and I stressed so much over making these cards, paying for these cards, addressing the envelopes in some fancy calligraphy, getting these pictures made... oh Christmas Cards!  I love receiving them during this marvelous season!  There is something about them! Please, don't get me wrong I LOVE Christmas Cards.  They are still taped to our kitchen door!  I look at them everyday!  But, I just stressed and got mad and kinda crazy to be honest over these cards.  I asked myself, "Mary, why do you want to send this piece of paper so bad?"  Then I realized the root of it all, I wanted people to see Clint, Reynolds, and me and to say, "Wow, look at that couple and family... they have it all together." I wanted it SO bad.  But, y'all the most freeing thing happened.... I didn't send them.  I realized the freedom that came from not sending these.  It doesn't matter... I will never have it all together, so why do I strive so hard to make it seem like I do.  So, y'all I do not have it all together.  I praise Jesus that he takes broken things and makes them beautiful in His time and in His way.  And it isn't about what this world offers, but what the Lord gives.  All these things I strive after are from the world, so that the world would think I had it going on.

So, here is the truth.. The Lord doesn't give the way the world does, he will meet EVERY need and he will equip us with everything. Give him the glory because he is the one to give the joy, not what we have or what we look like.

Psalm 30:11, "You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy."

John 14:27
"Peace I leave you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Philipians 4:19
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus!"

Hebrews 13:20-21
"May the God of Peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he word in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen."



So, you want to see those pictures we had taken by the incredible Lindsay Corrigan (Check out her blog: 311 Photography)
Here are a few...

So, there you have it!  Merry Christmas from the Rouse House.

BAE

"BAE."

If you hang out with high school girls on a weekly basis you hear this saying about just about anything.  That boyfriend...BAE.  That ice cream.. BAE.  That new puppy... BAE. Your best friend...BAE.  That emoji... BAE.  That celebrity... BAE. All this BAE talk for the past couple of months and I had no idea what it was... I just assumed it was an abbreviation for baby.

I was wrong...

BAE is like the new BFF.  BFF stands for Best Friends Forever.  And this was the cool saying while I was a teenager, which was 8 years ago! WHAT, when did I get to be old and in my late 20s. But, BAE means Before Anyone Else.  Yes, my mind was blown when I heard the news of this new abbreviation.  That you would love something so much you would put them before anyone else.  I kinda love these 3 letters which for a 1 syllable word.

SO, my prayer for my friends for the past couple of weeks is that Jesus would become their BAE.  Is that a strange and trendy prayer? Well, yep.  But, I think if my friends truly grasped how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ for them would they put Jesus as their BAE.  That is my prayer that they would find full life in Jesus as we put him first in our life!

Hosea 6:3, "Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him (aka: make him our BAE).  As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."

I LOVE that truth, that we never have to doubt that the Lord will be there.  Each day he is as SURE AS THE SUN RISING! What a reminder.  So, if you would like to feel encouraged and filled up you should listen to this song: Ellie Holcomb is the BOMB.

So, who is your BAE?

Have we ever wanted Spring SO bad?

All in favor of Spring time, warm weather, and sunshine!?

I am SO ready for this rainy cold season to be over! Heck, I am even ready for some mosquitos to come infest our yard as long as we can have some sunshine...

Well, it has been a while since I have posted in the Rouse House blog.... Our life has been rather calm since the new semester has begun.  So, what have we been up to?  Let's see... We have been driving to Raleigh for NCSU Basketball games at least once a week to cheer on the Wolfpack (they need some cheerling these days), leading Young Life clubs on Monday nights when they haven't been snowed out, working at Chick-fil-A, oh and Clint went to Colorado for a week.

Yes, Clint went to Colorado for a WHOLE week.  This was a huge milestone in our family because I lived in Kinston by myself with out my best friend, my roommate, and my husband.  Clint has been a huge comfort in this transition moving from Raleigh to Kinston.  But, I survived!! I lived in Kinston on my own!  And, the GREAT part is that I didn't hate it, I kinda liked it!  I had sweet time with girl friends, had supper with YL friends, rested well, went on many of walks with my 4-legged best friend.  Of course, I would prefer my other half to be here, but I would say this was one huge step for man kind with me enjoying K-Troit on my own (new nick name for Kinston, like Detroit, but K-Troit... get it?).

So, Clint left on a Monday morning and was supposed to arrive home late that following sunday morning.  But, something happened in the clouds that I can't really explain, but it's name was TITAN! Storm Titan hit the mid west and cancelled every flight on Sunday... So, Clint made it to Washington, DC where he had great quality time with J.Blake Sunday night.  And then Monday flights were canceled out of DC, so Clint took the train from DC to Raleigh.  This train ride which normally takes 4 and a half hours took 11 hours! Yes... Clint was on this one train for 11 hours!  He could have flown to Europe in that same time!  But, praise the LORD Clint is home! Yay!  Life is back to it's normal schedule!

So, side note and fun note: Clint and I will be spending a month in Colorado this summer at Frontier Ranch! Clint will be one of the Head Leaders and I guess you could call me the assistant to the Head Leader that can be found by the pool reading a book or napping in her bed! Yes, I look forward to these assignments.  Especially with out children this is such a gift to a spouse of a YL Area Director.  No cooking, cleaning, working, just to support and encourage my husband and to rest! PRAISE! And, so thankful that my boss is allowing me to go! What a gift right?  The Lord provides!

So, it is hard to not post a single picture on a blog for you to see... But, I don't really have any (lame..) So, I will post a picture of my 4-legged son, the most joyful and loyal creation I have ever met, my 4-legged best friend: Reynolds Rouse!

I mean really... Can it get any cuter!?  Most of my friends are posting pictures of their precious children on instagram or blogs... But, as for me and our house we will post Reynolds!