Home…..finally! After five glorious days at our Proverbs 31 She Speaks conference, I rushed home, unpacked, re-packed, got Mitchell off to summer camp and myself back on a plane. This time, I was headed west to beautiful Colorado Springs to record an hour interview and several radio spots for Focus on the Family.

I was also able to connect with some dear, old friends (not as in over-the-hill but as in I-haven’t-seen-them-for-years). I stayed with my friend author Jonni McCoy of Miserly Moms. Check out her site if you want to save oodles of money on everyday living. I also was able to have a delightful brunch with my very first editor the sweet, patient, willing-to-take-a-chance-on-an-unknown-author Jeanette. That classy lady is a gem!

My brain is tired and on overload. But I was able to get pretty good at snapping pictures on my little-cell-phone-camera-that-could. When I landed, I thought, “Nuts!” I forgot the camera!” Then I remembered my kiddos capturing pics on their phone and texting them to their email accounts. So…..after much trial, a little error and a few fuzzy snapshots, I did it. Please enjoy a pictorial tour of my three days away.

Hopefully my rested brain will have some words of worth to post Monday or Tuesday after I catch my breath.

If not, well, then at least I’ll throw up a yummy recipe or two! Happy weekend!!!

The view from the back of the McCoy bed and breakfast, I KID YOU NOT!!!

Jonni feeding the horses that wander up to their back fence. Other things wander there too, coyote, bear, rattlesnakes, etc…I think I’ll watch from inside, thank you very much!!!

Arriving at Focus on the Family, I was greeted by a handsome chap–Whit from Adventures in Odyssey. Did you know that the very first person to play the voice of Whit was Hal Smith, the same man who played Otis the drunk on the Andy Griffith show?

Then, after a tour, I went into the recording studio. Now, I wanted to get my picture behind the big microphone, but didn’t want to confirm my “Gal from Hicksville” status, so I refrained! I did, however, manage to snap a photo of Dr. James Dobson himself…….Uh….He normally doesn’t look so stone cold, but the real him wasn’t in the office today, so this will have to do:

After the busy day recording, Jonni took me to see The Garden of the Gods. Isn’t this gorgeous!!! Look!

I could take a stroll there everyday!!!! Next, it was off to buy my kids a souvenir. Should I get some official Colorado trinkets? Perhaps some jewelry or a watch with authentic southwestern flair? What would my kids enjoy? We were driving down the freeway, when I discovered it. “Stop the car!!” Here is what I saw:

Yep….I bought each of my darling offspring their own big container of Chic-Fil-A sauce!!!! They nominated me for Mother of the Year!!!

Jonni and I stopped off at a Starbucks. One of their almost-daily thunderstorms rolled in. No sooner was it gone than the sun came back out again.

The lovely and equally sweet Jonni McCoy, my gracious host. I did take a picture of her with her handsome hubby Beau, but it was a bit fuzzy and when I uploaded it and they looked like aliens. Didn’t know if she’d still be my sweet friend if I posted alien-like pictures of them for the world to see, so I grabbed this one off of her website!

I saw 27 of them. Here is one sitting next to me at the Colorado Springs airport. And, yes, I asked permission to snap this fuzzy photo.

Oh Lord, let me NEVER forget the reason we can freely fly whenever we want to on an airplane, listen to helpful programs Christian radio, chow down on some nuggets at a Chic-Fil-A and return home safely to love on our families.

The next time you hit your knees, thank God.

And the next time you see a soldier, stop and say thanks.

Home-Sweet-Home Blessings,