up to the mountains.

i spent saturday and sunday up in the mountains camping with my church.

{while mr. lesley fished and canoed with his dad in the boundary waters in minnesota}

the weekend began as the rain made an appearance, just in time for me to take the most perfect of all naps, lulled to sleep by the rain slapping against the tent. 

when the skies cleared, it was time for an olympic competition for the masses.

there were water balloons, and tarps, and running around mini bases, and balloons, and a lot of laughter. 

as the day faded into night, we chatted around the campfire, and over a potato bar, and while stuffing our faces with banana boats {changed my life} and s'mores with peanut butter, and on a night hike to see the starts without the city lights getting in the way.

on sunday morning, i went on a nature hike and admired the beauty of a creation that God alone sustains.

it's nice to be reminded that He doesn't need any of us. 

creation gives the best sucker punches to our pride.

it's best that way.

our sunday service was a time of reflection.

we shared the things we had learned over the past year, how God had worked in us, and what the church had meant in our lives during it all.

a lot of us, myself included, shared about the difficulty of the past year. 

it was full of challenges and hardships for many of us. 

and as i sat and reflected on all the in-between happenings between last year's camping trip and this past sunday, i was reminded of all the moments life felt very hard, and yet how close I felt to God during those times. 

as much as we want happiness and ease, it's in the times of trial that we learn and grow and see most clearly our need for God.

and in the difficulty we realize that He is there.

a lot of times more accurately than when life is carefree and comfortable and happy.

we took communion together and were reminded that the God who created the mountains so beautifully displayed in the distance, also became emmanuel "God with us." 

that all of creation belongs to Him, including all of us, even, and especially in our brokenness and need.

we remembered him this weekend.

his creation helped to clear our minds of clutter and distraction

and to receive his many gifts with open hands and thankful hearts.

what a privilege it is to be his church.

former future.

for much of my growing up years, and let's be honest, well into my college years, "beer" was, for all intents and purposes, a four-letter word.

it was synonymous with a darwin fish on your car or skipping church to go to brunch.

beer obviously led to drunkenness and debauchery and premarital sex (oh, and dancing).

it was to be avoided at all costs.

in one word: unacceptable. 

but somewhere along the line, i realized that maybe beer (and alcohol in general) wasn't the enemy and that a little responsibility and moderation could go a long way.

but with all that said, i was still a little hesitant when mr. lesley and our good friend luke proposed the idea of starting a beer club with people from church.

a beer club connected to a church? 

my teenage self wasn't sure how such a proposal would go over. 

but fortunately for us, the church embraced the idea and the baker beer club was born. 

people from the church, people from outside the church, people who like beer, people whose spouses like beer all come together once a month, check out a local brewery, and talk about the goodness we see in the beer. 

how's that for redeeming culture? 

yes, we believe there is goodness and truth in everything God made.

even (and especially) in beer.

our meetings thus far have been great and we continue to see new faces and drink good beer, but nothing quite compared to our meeting this past friday. 

james and sarah howat, the owners of former future brewing company set to open in denver this fall, invited us over to their home for a preview tasting of four of their delicious beers.

did you hear that right? 

they invited almost 20 strangers from a beer club they had never heard of previously into their HOME to give us free beer! 

and it was absolutely wonderful.

sarah and james embodied hospitality that night. 

their home is beautiful, there were delicious snacks to pair with the beer, and the conversation was easy and comfortable. 

and then there was the beer.

i am very far from being a beer expert, but everything i tasted was delicious! 

{and i made sure to ask all the true beer lovers in the group what they thought, and they agreed!}

we all tasted their saison, ipa, stout, and salted porter (my personal favorite), and with each taste it was clear how much time and thought and energy they put into their brewing.

i left that evening feeling like all was right in the world with a deeper understanding of the church and community and hospitality and great beer.

so, if you live in denver...

-go to former future as soon as it opens ("like" them on facebook, so you stay up to date on all the info}

and

-come visit the baker beer club

for a bunch of church people, we're pretty cool.

“Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer!” ― Martin Luther

joy to the world.

when i found out christmas caroling in the neighborhood was on the agenda for our church's christmas party last night, excitement was not the first word to come to mind.

isn't it awkward to stand and sing in front of people's houses? 

it's going to be COLD! 

lord knows i can't exactly carry a tune.

but i do love christmas, and i didn't want to be left out, so i grabbed a song sheet, put on my coat, and stood in the back of the line as to avoid eye contact with any of the home owners we encountered.

but after we sang in front of our second house and the woman who lived there told us, with tears in her eyes, that this was the best thing to happen to her in 47 years, my attitude definitely changed. 

sometimes the world can seem so dark, so horrible, so broken.

the events of friday did nothing but confirm that evil is real and present all around us. 

but while i stood there and sang in my quietest, off key, ridiculous voice, i felt a true sense of peace. 

as we say "joy to the world, the lord is come" i remembered that in the midst of darkness, light has come.

and as i watched the faces of the people we met turn from confusion to ear to ear smiles, i remembered that there is goodness and grace, even in the midst of all the pain.

and even though i don't understand it all, i am thankful that Emmanuel is with us.

even in the cold, even when we can't sing to save our lives, even when there are more questions than answers, even when the darkness seems more prevalent than the light,

God is with us.

what an amazing gift.

laughing and crying and crying some more.

this past weekend i spent time up in the mountains with the lovely ladies of church of the advent on our annual women's retreat.

and it was so, so wonderful.

pretty much exactly what i needed. 

we...

::met new friends

::caught up with good buds

::snacked like it was our j.o.b.

::laughed until our stomachs hurt

::prayed for each other 

::spent time alone in prayer and study

::relaxed on the couch, read, and got in some solid naps

::painted our nails with fancy hearts and flowers 

::and of course, we cried. a lot.

we cried for ourselves. we cried for each other.

and it was so, so good.

(it wouldn't be a true women's retreat if we didn't cry, right?)

i am fairly confident that every woman left with a greater sense of God and the power of community.

and that is what i call a success.

the best weekend ever.

this weekend was chalk full of goodness. 

so much goodness that i had to take a 3 hour nap on sunday just to recover from all of it:)

on friday night, i...

had the best girls night ever with krista and nancy, which included buying fancy makeup, getting a makeover and making a new friend in the process (if you ever need your makeup done, you should probably go see sarah at nordstorm in cherry creek), and indulging at dbar. we sat at the bar and i was so mesmerized by the  chefs making all the desserts that i could barely talk. if you live in denver, going to d bar is a must in my book.

 oh, and there was also a little stop at the liquor store for a surprise for my honey. he is determined to find the squatch and he loves beer, so it just made sense:)

on saturday, i...

helped bring baby z home from ethiopia (go here to learn more), enjoyed a nice breakfast with my sis, and prepped for a very full day of engagement pictures. our amazing photographer, steve willis, drove all the way from kansas city to spend the day in denver and even up to loveland pass with us. i cannot wait to see the pictures. even from the little things i saw on the camera, i know they will be amazing. 

and mr. lesley and i got to make out all over the city. score.

on sunday, i...

helped mr. lesley gets some pictures for his upcoming grad project, went to church, and relaxed in the sun and dominated kickball with our church family (even children weren't exempt from my wrath). soaking in the sunshine and watching your pastor get super competitive are two of the best ways to spend a sunday afternoon. after kickball, we got to meet our honorary nephew leif! monica and kjaer welcomed their first baby on wednesday and are so amazing that they had us over for lunch. 

mr. lesley held his first newborn, and it was a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e.

this weekend was busy, busy, busy, but so full and wonderful. 

but, i mean, with girlfriends, makeup, dessert, a whole lot of  kissing and a whole lot of pictures, kickball, and a newborn how could you possibly go wrong?