Kirk's Kingdom

Merry Christmas 2011 from the Blackstocks

2011-12-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

2011 has been a year of great joy and great pain. Great joy over the relationships we’re building with our grandchildren. Great joy over a long-planned Inland Passage Alaskan cruise in May. Great joy over the June weddings of a beloved niece (Catherine) and beloved nephew (Justin). Great joy at having son Steve, wife Beth and their girls so close. Great joy at being able to spend another week at Ghost Ranch with granddaughter Kyra. Great joy at being able to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary in November. Great joy that Dwight began a miraculous recovery from some of the chronic pain that has plagued him for the last 15 years. And great despair at the downward spiral our son Marc’s life has taken and the horribly broken relationship that has resulted in removing his two youngest children from our lives, probably forever.

The Grandchildren:
Since Steve and Beth moved to Byers in 2010, our relationship with their daughters, Grace and Ava (almost 5 and 3) has blossomed. They all spend the night a couple of times a month and drop in at other times as well. It’s a thrill to hear the joyful screams of “Gaga! Granddad!” as they burst through the door. We are also very close to our two oldest granddaughters, Kyra (age 13, Lafayette CO – 8th grade) and Jordan (she’ll turn 11 in January, Fountain CO – 5th grade), plus Jordan’s brother, Jaden (age 6½ - 1st grade), who has become our grandkid, too. And we continue to have wonderful communication and occasional visits with grandsons Caleb (age 9, Kearney NE – 3rd grade), and Kaelan (age 7, Albuquerque – 2nd grade). We are thrilled this year to be able to connect with Hannah (age 10, Englewood CO – 5th grade) and Trae (age 8, Thornton CO – 2nd grade) before Christmas, plus meet Trae’s little brother.

Quick overview of travel/visits:
February – Caleb and his family traveled from Nebraska for a hockey tourney in Colorado

March – Long photography weekend in south-central Colorado for the Monte Vista Crane Festival

May – Annual women’s retreat at Highlands Presbyterian Camp; Beth came, too – great weekend!

May – Alaskan cruise (Inland Passage) – an early 40th anniversary gift to each other

June – Wedding weekend, Milwaukee, for niece Catherine Gallagher and groom Jonathan Brown

June – Wedding weekend, Lake Tahoe, for nephew Justin McElroy & bride Jenny; Steve officiated

July – New Mexico with Kyra, included a day with Kaelan, followed by a week at Ghost Ranch

August – Caleb and his mom visited from Kearney; included a pool day with Grace and Ava

August – Annual Genesis Church retreat; this year with Beth and Grace, and Jordan and Jaden

September – Labor Day weekend with Steve & family at Kepners’ cabin – Winter Park (Thank you!)

October – Sharon to Dallas, grade ordination exams; Dwight to Princeton, 40th seminary reunion

November – 40th anniversary weekend with Jon & Danny Yeagley at their cabin (Thank you!)

Brief visits with Sharon’s brother, Richard, who flew to Denver a couple of times on business

Holiday traditions include the Genesis Church “Holly Daze” event with Jordan, Jaden and their parents, Thanksgiving with Kyra’s family (Steve, too; this year, Beth and girls traveled to Indiana to be with her folks); gift exchanges with the grandchildren; Colorado Symphony Christmas Concert and Zoolights with Kyra and her mom (hoping for Zoolights with Grace & Ava, too); Live Nativity with Jordan & Jaden; lunch with Dwight’s cousin, Bill & family; and Christmas day with Steve’s family.

After Christmas, we will spend a few days with Steve, Beth and the girls at Kepners’ cabin (Thank you again!) Snow play and a sleigh ride are on the agenda, plus a visit from Kaelan and his mom on the 29th, followed by a visit on the 30th with a couple of Sharon’s college buddies from NJ who will be here for the holidays. Somewhere in the middle we’ll squeeze in birthday parties for both of us!

Dwight:
Dwight will celebrate his 65th birthday on the 29th and officially retire after being on disability for nearly 10 years. He still preaches and teaches occasionally and serves on presbytery committees. The “miracle” mentioned above occurred after preaching for the Presbyterian church in Idaho Springs on Father’s Day. Following the service, a member of the church asked if she could pray with him regarding his chronic back pain. “Sure”, says he (thinking this is the 10,000th person to pray for him over the last 15 years, can’t hurt …!) The next day, he experienced significant reduction in pain. That relief has continued with only occasional bad days. His pain medication levels have been slashed, his activity increased, his attitude greatly improved – we’re beginning to believe we’ll actually have some kind of life after retirement. It’s not a panacea – he still needs lots of rest, but it is a huge improvement – and one we attribute to persistent medical care and equally persistent prayer. For the 10,000 of you out there who have been praying for Dwight all these years – thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sharon:
Sharon continues to work for the City of Lakewood – 15 years as Central Records Administrator in the City Clerk’s Office and plans to work until age 66 (3 more years). She sings in her church choir (Genesis Presbyterian, Littleton) and serves on session. She traveled to Dallas for the last time in October to grade Presbyterian ordination exams (exam grading goes digital next year), and serves on an annual church women’s retreat planning committee. This year’s trip to Ghost Ranch was taken in early July, which meant Sharon could participate in the Ghost Ranch Chorale with a bunch of very talented singers and musicians. Lots of fun, very challenging, great music!

Marc:
In September, son Marcus pled guilty to felony theft of an at-risk adult (his father-in-law) and was sentenced in November to 8 years of closely-supervised probation and a huge restitution bill. Before he’s released, he faces child support and failure-to-appear charges (and another huge bill) in a different county. Our relationship with him and his wife is so badly broken that we don’t expect to see Jaellynne (age 4½) or Ayden (born March 14) again unless they seek us out after they become adults. Also learned recently that Marc has another child we’d never heard of, probably several years old (a girl named Jayden, we think). That makes 10 for him.

Steve:
Son Steve started the MSW program at the University of Denver this fall, earned straight A’s his first quarter and is doing an internship at a non-profit housing agency in Aurora. He continues to serve as part-time pastor at the Presbyterian Church in Byers (about an hour’s drive from our house) and Beth is working part-time in the local school district. We are blown away by what wonderful parents they have become (and a bit humbled; they’re better than we were …. ) We get to see a lot of them and their girls (Grace, almost 5, and Ava, 3) and love every minute of our time together. They are, without a doubt, the most talented pre-schoolers on the planet! Betcha never heard that before!

Kirk:
Our lovable Great Dane is doing well at 7½ years old, but has developed fear of walking on wood or vinyl floors, also icy conditions.

Merry Christmas!
Our prayer is that the Prince of Peace will bring peace to our world and that you will experience God’s blessings at Christmas and in 2012.

Dwight and Sharon at the Rockies season opener - April 2011

Ghost Ranch - July 2011

Steve, Beth, Grace, Ava - July 2011

Dwight and Kyra at her 13th birthday dinner - Sept 2011

Jaden and Jordan - Angels for the Live Nativity - December 2011

Sharon and Hannah - December 2010

Grace and Caleb - Pool Day - August 2011

Kaelan and Kyra - Albuquerque - July 2011

Jordan and Jaden with Kirk - February 2011

May and June Travels - Alaska, Milwaukee, Lake Tahoe

2011-07-01T13:20:00.009-06:00

May and June were very busy for us with lots of fun travel. In late May we took a week-long cruise up the inland passage to visit Juneau and Skagway, Alaska. On the way back to Seattle, we went on a whale-watching tour and followed a pod of orcas for about an hour. We enjoyed the cruise - the weather wasn't great so we don't have a lot of great pictures to share, unfortunately. Our cruise was with Royal Caribbean. The ship was Rhapsody of the Seas.

Our niece Catherine was married in Milwaukee on June 11th and it was a beautiful event. Again, the weather was cold and foggy, but could have been worse - that didn't stop anything, however. Following are pictures of Sharon's brother Richard & wife Ann with bride and groom and rest of their family and close friends at the reception (Milwaukee Country Club); Jonathan and Catherine; gorgeous flowers everywhere; Elizabeth (sister of the bride)and husband Chris; Sharon's sister Kathy and husband Tom; our nephew Tim and niece Elizabeth (cousins); beautiful strawberries "dressed" like bride and groom and served at a luncheon for the bride two days before the wedding; three more nephews and their wives (left to right: Heidi, Jaime, Nathan, Mike, Matt, Tracy); and finally a pretty nice picture of us at the reception!

Our nephew Justin was married on June 25th in California. Son Steve officiated the ceremony which was held at Murphy's Irish Pub in South Lake Tahoe. Thirteen of us spent the weekend together in a rented house and that was great fun: Dwight and Sharon, Steve, Beth, Grace, Ava, Dwight's sisters Marcia (and husband Calvin), Donna, Annie, Calvin's parents Jim and Dorothy, and Marcia/Calvin's granddaughter Jordan. Our ages range from 2-81 years old! Following are photos of Grace at Pope's Beach Lake Tahoe; Grace and Ava having a picnic lunch on the beach; Ava in her car seat; Grandpa Jim (the piper) with Ava, Grace and Jordan; Sharon and Steve; Grace, Annie, Donna, Ava, Jordan (Dwight in the background) finding their seats for the ceremony; bride and groom Jenny and Justin; the bridal party (our niece Dawn is the bridesmaid 2nd to the right of the bride - Dawn is mother of Jordan and sister of the groom); a cute picture of Grace, Beth and Steve, followed by another good one of the 3 girls (cousins) Grace, Jordan, Ava; the mothers of the bride and groom (Marcia is Justin's mom); Steve and Calvin (father of groom); and more beautiful flowers!

Welcome Ayden Reese

2011-03-29T13:58:00.012-06:00

Marc, Kim and Jaellynne (almost 4) welcomed a new baby boy on March 14, 2011 - Ayden Reese - born in Colorado Springs. Grandma and Granddad were at the hospital waiting for him to be born and watching after Jaellynne. He's tiny, but growing. Everyone's healthy!

Dwight holds Ayden about an hour after he was born!

Jaellynne, Kim, Marc and Ayden having lunch with Grandma on March 27th.

Marc holding Ayden - he's 13 days old in this picture.

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-17T13:02:00.015-07:00

2010 started out with a road trip to help son Steve move from New Mexico to Indiana, close to Beth’s parents, so that Steve could start an MSW program at Northern Indiana University (Master/Social Work). Beth and Steve and the girls (and all their worldly goods) drove from Belen (near Albuquerque) to Denver after Christmas. Friend Jim flew to Denver from Wisconsin on January 1st to help with the drive east. On January 2nd, Beth and the girls flew from Denver to Chicago where her parents picked them up, while the rest of us started the drive east. Steve and Jim drove the moving truck, hauling a sedan behind, and Dwight and Sharon drove the family van along with Mello, their chocolate lab. First night, Kearney NE, where we met up with grandson Caleb and his mom. Next day, lunch in a very cold and snowbound Omaha restaurant with Steve’s friend, Howard. That night, we made it to Cedar Rapids, where the below freezing weather and wind froze up the moving van and we ended up cooling our heels until the following afternoon. That meant driving through Chicago during rush hour, followed by snow and wind and dark roads as we finished the journey into Michigan City. After a day of helping with the unpacking, Dwight and Sharon flew home. What did we learn? After nearly 4 decades of marriage, we still enjoy spending long days together in the car! It was a great adventure.

Sharon and Caleb pose for a picture in Kearney in January when we met for dinner.

Steve on the phone trying to arrange for service for his frozen moving truck, Cedar City, Iowa.

Service arrived, but it took several hours to get the truck going. It was very very cold!

The Carlisle house in Michigan City, where Steve and Beth lived for most of the year.

Dwight keeps busy taking a photography class every semester at a local community college, offers the opening prayer for the Colorado Senate on a few occasions (January-May), and preaches around the presbytery when he can. He was invited to teach a Sunday morning Bible study series at First Presbyterian, Littleton, in the fall and has been asked to come back and do another series beginning in January. He loves teaching so this has been a real gift. He continues to be a member of the Denver Presbytery Permanent Judicial Commission (which didn’t meet this year; that’s good news) and to serve on the Synod Coordinating Council. He is still on disability because of his back injury, is in constant pain and spends the better part of every day resting so he can keep up with the few activities he’s able to manage.

Sharon continues to work for the City of Lakewood – 14 years as Central Records Administrator in the City Clerk’s Office. She sings in her church choir (Genesis Presbyterian, Littleton) and will serve on session starting in January. She traveled to Dallas for several days in October to grade Presbyterian ordination exams (hard work, but very meaningful and important), and hopes to be able to do this again next year.

Marc: Son Marc and wife Kim live in Colorado Springs with daughter Jaellynne (age 3½). Sharon recently enjoyed having dinner with them (see pictures below). They are expecting a baby boy in March.

Steve: Son Steve started the MSW program at Northern Indiana University last summer, but after seeing that a part-time pastor position was available in Byers, Colorado, he and Beth decided this could be an opportunity to live in Colorado and still have the time and resources to earn that 2nd master’s degree. He applied, the church responded and the rest is history. Yup, they moved again, arrived in Colorado mid-September. We have enjoyed seeing them and their girls (Grace, almost 4, and Ava, 2) regularly. Within days of landing in Byers, Beth was offered a teacher’s aide position at the local elementary school, so Steve is currently a stay-at-home dad. Steve just learned that he's been accepted into Denver University's MSW program, with partial scholarship(!) and will begin in the fall.

Dwight wanted to start a holiday tradition with Grace and Ava - making gingerbread cookies, so that was on the agenda last week:

Other Stuff:
May – Traveled to Michigan City, Indiana to visit with son Steve and family and to attend nephew Michael’s wedding in Milwaukee.

June – Very busy month! Grandson Caleb and his mom drove from Kearney for a weekend visit. Also in June, grandson Kaelan and his mom (Albuquerque) came to Denver to visit family so we got to spend a day with Kaelan; in mid-June we were well taken care of by friends Jon and Danny Yeagley for a weekend at their cabin near Fairplay.

July – We enjoyed July 3rd fireworks in Avon/Vail with friends Tom and Ruth Powers (an almost annual tradition). Dwight flew out to Southern California to visit sisters Donna, Annie and Marcia. Later in the month we traveled to New Mexico with granddaughter Kyra for a week at Ghost Ranch. We drove down a couple of days early so Kyra could meet half-brother Kaelan. They enjoyed a Sunday afternoon getting acquainted (and chasing a couple of roadrunners through a shopping center parking lot!)

August – Steve and family came for a week-long visit and while here, he candidated for the part-time pastor position at Byers, Colorado (about an hour’s drive from us). Also while they were here, we enjoyed a visit with Dwight's cousin, Bill, and family, who live in Highlands Ranch.

October - Dwight flew out to Oakland to join sister Donna for sister Marcia's surprise 60th birthday party (organized by Marcia's family). Unfortunately, Dwight ended up in the hospital overnight and now his doctor is working on figuring out why Dwight's "episodes" happen primarily when he travels. Dehydration appears to be the culprit, based on recent tests. Dwight has nearly doubled his fluid intake to address this issue (which is hard to maintain when he travels).

November – We had hoped to spend our mid-November 39th anniversary weekend with the Yeagleys at their cabin, but after just one night, Dwight was experiencing high altitude issues and we came home early, much to everyone’s disappointment. Our annual Thanksgiving gathering with Kyra's family resumed in 2010 after a couple years' hiatus (we spent some Thanksgivings in New Mexico while Steve lived there).

2011: Next year we celebrate our 40th anniversary (November 14) and plan to spend the year doing some things we’ve always wanted to do, including a cruise to Alaska in late May! Cruising is one form of travel that works well for us - Dwight can rest and maintain his fluid levels as needed, and Sharon loves the pampering!!

The other grandchildren: We are particularly close to our two oldest granddaughters, Kyra (age 12, Lafayette CO – 7th grade), and Jordan (she’ll turn 10 in January, Fountain CO – 4th grade). Jordan’s brother, Jaden (age 5½ - Kindergarten), has become our grandchild, too. And we continue to have wonderful communication and occasional visits with grandsons Caleb (age 8, Kearney NE – 2nd grade), and Kaelan (age 6, Albuquerque – 1st grade). We will see Hannah (age 9, Englewood CO – 4th grade) over the holidays, and hope to connect with Trae, age 7 (Thornton CO), sometime soon.

Kirk: Our lovable Great Dane is showing some signs of age – mostly in the form of fears (afraid to walk on wood floors, refuses to get in the car) so that has been a source of concern.

Dwight and Kyra at the Colorado Symphony Christmas Concert this month (a tradition we enjoy every year with Kyra's family).

Sharon, Jordan and Jaden at the Genesis Presbyterian Church retreat in Estes Park last August.

Jordan and Jaden came up last weekend for our church's Live Nativity. Jordan played the part of a king and Jaden was a sheep.

Caleb got a kick out of having a Great Dane lap dog! Caleb and his mom visited from Kearney last June.

Kyra and Kaelan ham it up for the camera last July in Albuquerque.

Kyra and Dwight at Ghost Ranch last July. Sharon enjoyed a Gospel Singing workshop, Dwight did R&R, and Kyra had a wonderful time.

Kyra, Grace and Ava - three cousins - our house last August.

Grace, Steve, Ava and Beth at Rocky Mountain National Park last August.

Jaellynne enjoys playing in the pool during the summer. This picture was taken in June at her home in Colorado Springs.

Merry Christmas!
Our prayer is that the Prince of Peace will bring peace to our world and that you will experience God’s blessings at Christmas and in 2011. We love your holiday letters, even the ones that don’t arrive until Easter!

Steve, Beth, Grace and Ava visit Colorado!

2010-08-31T13:48:00.008-06:00

Son Steve, Beth, Grace (3-1/2) and Ava (will be 2 in Oct) spent last week with us and we have wonderful news to report! Steve has received a call to be the new pastor at the Presbyterian Church in Byers, about 30 miles east of Aurora, so they will only be about an hour away from us, YAHOO! It's a PT position, includes a house and will give Steve time to pursue his educational goals (MSW - Master/Social Work) so it works well for them. Grace is already enrolled in preschool and the move will happen quickly! Here are a few photos from their visit:

First stop: Western Welcome Week Parade in Littleton. We parked our chairs on the lawn of First Presbyterian Church and enjoyed the fun.

Next, a morning at the Denver Zoo. There's one picture below that could well be named ("Komodo Dragon Eyes Ava ... Looking for Lunch?")!

Sharon brought the family up to Lakewood to say hello to her co-workers at City Hall and it was amazing! Grace and Ava got to sit on Abraham Lincoln's lap!

Then we were off to the library to read and check out some books. Grace loves Dora the Explorer and Ava loves the fish!

Lucky for us, there were also some quiet times at home (very loose definition of "quiet"!) and Granddad got to look at animal pictures with Grace.

We enjoyed a family gathering and BBQ, too. Granddaughter Kyra and her mom, Angela, cousins Bill, Steffani and Connor all joined us to congratulate Steve on his new call to Byers.

Ghost Ranch - July 2010

2010-08-08T15:40:00.014-06:00

We took our annual trip to Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico, the last week of July with Granddaughter Kyra, age 11 - her 6th trip to the ranch (see the 2005 picture included below to see how she's grown!). The trip started with a Saturday drive to Albuquerque and a visit the following day with grandson Kaelan (age 6). Kyra and Kaelan are half-siblings and met for the first time. We enjoyed an afternoon of swimming, playing games and chasing a roadrunner! On Monday (July 26), we headed for Ghost Ranch. Sharon participated in a week-long Gospel Music workshop, Dwight did a week of R&R, and Kyra joined in with other junior high youth for lots of fun activities.

Sunday afternoon in Albuquerque: C'mon Kyra and Kaelan, let's get outside and go for a walk!

Look! There's a roadrunner! Let's chase it (this could have gone on forever if Grandma hadn't eventually declared an end to it!)

"Stalking" the roadrunner was great fun. Here, Kyra and Kaelan watch carefully to see where he's hiding.

Granddad, Kyra and Kaelan pose for a picture at the end of our afternoon together. Both Kyra and Kaelan decided it was a fun time together and hope to do it again sometime.

Ghost Ranch, the most beautiful place on earth. The weather was partly cloudy all week with occasional showers, but that didn't stop us from having a wonderful time.

You can see Abiquiu Lake in the distance here. Kyra's group spent one morning there learning to kayak and they had also planned an overnight campout in the same area, but rain and lightening moved the event to a building (where they had a "camp-in"!)

Of course, we have to pose for a picture with the grandparents every year. Notice that Kyra is now as tall as Sharon!

But she's not as tall as Dwight ... yet!

Kyra at the ranch in 2005 - just had to show you how she's grown since that first visit to Ghost Ranch!

Kyra and Ema became great friends during our most recent week at the ranch - as you can see, our granddaughter is becoming a young woman (isn't she beautiful?) and we are very proud of her.

Recent pictures of Jaellynne

2010-06-28T11:38:00.014-06:00

Granddaughter Jaellynne turned 3 in May. Her dad and mom (Marc and Kim) just forwarded some new pics of Jaellynne enjoying her backyard pool (she saved up her money to buy it herself!)

Saturday morning at Starbucks with Marc

2010-06-26T17:25:00.002-06:00

So, how come guys never smile in pictures?! They were facing the hot sun so these "smiles" are more like grimaces, but we enjoyed a leisurely visit with son Marcus this morning over coffee. Nice to catch up.

June visit with Kaelan, followed by a weekend in the mountains with friends Jon & Danny Yeagley

2010-06-26T17:18:00.004-06:00

Grandson Kaelan (6) spent a day with us week before last because he and his mom were in Denver visiting family. Kaelan lives in Albuquerque so this was a real treat and, of course, we had to go to the pool! Also watched a couple of videos (Beauty and the Beast; The Fox and the Hound). Here he is with Dwight and Kirk.

A day after our visit with Kaelan, we headed into the mountains to enjoy the hospitality of long-time friends (37 years!) Jon & Danny Yeagley at their cabin near Fairplay. The weather was beautiful and they let us bring Kirk (not pictured here, we wore him out with all the walking we did)!

May travel for Wisconsin wedding, Indiana visit with Grace & Ava, followed by June visit with Caleb

2010-06-10T16:46:00.021-06:00

We've enjoyed a busy couple of months, traveling to Wisconsin for nephew Michael's wedding to Tracy on May 22nd in Milwaukee, followed by a week with son Steve, Beth, Grace and Ava in Michigan City, Indiana. The weekend after we returned from Indiana, grandson Caleb and his mom, Dawn, drove to Denver from Kearney NE and spent the weekend. Enjoy our pictures!

Sharon and sister Kathy (mother of the groom) share a warm moment over coffee in Milwaukee, each wearing our team's baseball caps!

Siblings Richard, Kathleen and Sharon - the family joke when Mom & Dad were alive was that we always needed to take a "last picture together" before it was too late, so we have carried on the tradition! Here we are at Nathan and Tracy's rehearsal dinner.

Granddad and Grace enjoy a fun moment in our hotel room in Milwaukee during the wedding weekend.

Grace and Ava enjoyed playing in the sprinkler at nephew Nathan's house the day after Michael's wedding - it was hot and muggy and the rest of us wished we could take off our clothes, too!

Dwight, Beth and Ava enjoy relaxing in Nathan's backyard. Ava's wearing a Rockies cheerleading dress :)

Big Sister Grace enjoyed wearing Nathan's football helmet!

Granddad keeps Grace warm after her romp through the sprinkler.

Beth is building her "Giggle 'n Go!" business - weekly classes in movement and dance for preschoolers in Michigan City.

Grandma Sara Carlisle and Ava pose for a picture.

Sharon and Ava relax after a fun time in the kiddie pool at Grandma & Grandpa Carlisle's.

Steve is working 3 part-time jobs while he prepares to enter an MSW (Master of Social Work) program in July. Here he is filling out reports related to his work with the U.S. Census.

Grace came to church with GaGa and Granddad - First Presbyterian Church, Michigan City.

GaGa and Ava say good-bye just before we head to Chicago to fly back to Denver.

Before traveling to Indiana, we contacted an old friend, Hank Blunk, who lives in South Bend, and made arrangements to visit. Hank and his wife, Mabel, invited us to their home for lunch, then gave us a tour of South Bend, including Notre Dame University. Here we were introduced to "Touchdown Jesus", so of course, Dwight had to have this picture!

Dwight, Sharon, Hank and Mabel - enjoying a walk along the St. Joseph River.

Caleb (age 7-1/2) got a big kick over having Kirk sit on his lap!

Grandma (Sharon) and Caleb enjoyed getting to know each other again.

Caleb and Granddad (Dwight) pose for a picture at Starbucks.

We took Kirk for a couple of walks over the weekend. Here we visit the "prickly bush" that Caleb fell into 3-4 years ago (and has never forgotten!)

Caleb wore his Rockies shirt with pride over the weekend! We went to the Rockies dugout store on Saturday to buy a Rockies cap he can wear for his baseball games this summer.

Kyra joins Sharon for Take Your Kids to Work Day!

2010-04-22T09:42:00.007-06:00

Granddaughter Kyra (age 11, 6th grade) spent the day with Sharon for City of Lakewood's Take Your Kids to Work Day. She participated in a mock trial, mock city council meeting, toured the city's KLTV studio, then headed outside (in the rain/mist) for Earth Day displays on the plaza, walked a couple of blocks to visit the Lakewood Heritage Center, ate lunch and climbed all over big public works trucks, then returned to Civic Center for a K9 police dog demo!

Kyra's in the middle - photo taken early in the day as groups were forming.

Kyra played the role of City Clerk during the Mock City Council Meeting!

Kyra and Grandma during the lunch break at the Lakewood Heritage Center. The sun came out for the 2 hours they were outside - a perfect day!

Kyra and her group. There were nearly 80 kids who participated in today's event - all kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews of city employees.

Sharon receives 2010 City of Lakewood Eco-Employee Sustainability Award

2010-04-13T10:12:00.012-06:00

Sharon received an award last night at the Lakewood City Council meeting, along with several other employees, youth and local businesses during the city's 2010 Sustainability Awards ceremony. Sharon's "Eco-Employee Award" was in recognition of 13 years of being "responsible for the single-stream recycling awareness and collection for the Civic Center, Public Safety Center, four recreation centers and three other city facilities, and coordination and oversight of the shredding of confidential documents and media throughout the Civic Center. The positive impact to sustainability at Lakewood facilities resulting from these programs includes the recycling of an estimated 100 tons of materials each year through single-stream recycling and saving 196 trees through the shredding program. Sharon is currently an active member of the Employees' Committee for a Sustainable Lakewood and is actively planning for future expansion of the recycling program, including ways to increase employee participation."

And if you're REALLY interested, you can see a video of the presentation by clicking on this link to the city's website, then click on Item 6 for all the awards, or move the timer to minute 33 just to see Sharon.

Sharon's co-workers in the City Clerk's Office (who nominated her for the award) came to the reception and City Council meeting to cheer her on.

The award was presented by Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy

And Dwight came, too, to take pictures!

Zoo Day with Jordan and Jaden

2010-03-17T11:31:00.004-06:00

We took granddaughter Jordan (9) and her brother Jaden (almost 5) to the Denver Zoo on Saturday. It was our first adventure with the two of them together with just the two of us. It was a gorgeous day! We packed a lunch and rented a wheel chair for Dwight. The kids rode the train and the carousel and we got to see the afternoon sea lion show. It was a great day and we're looking forward to the next time. Oh, and congratulations to Jordan, who exceeded her goal by selling 500 boxes of Girl Scout cookies!! (We bought 3 of them)

Caleb comes to Denver for a hockey tournament!

2010-02-19T13:04:00.006-07:00

Grandson Caleb (age 7) came to Colorado for a 3-day hockey tournament at Westminster's Ice Centre February 12-14 and we loved seeing him play. A large contingency of parents and grandparents traveled from Kearney NE with the team, including Caleb's mom, grandma, great aunt and uncles and cousin Jillian, who all came down to Littleton for dinner at our house on Saturday night. We spent the evening watching the Winter Olympics and thoroughly enjoyed the visit! Here's a picture of Caleb on the ice:

Rodeo!

2010-01-25T12:45:00.004-07:00

We went to the National Western Stock Show and rodeo on Saturday with granddaughter Kyra (age 11). We've been taking her since she was 4 or 5 so we think it's the 7th or 8th year she's gone with us and we hope she never tires of it! Now that Kyra has her own mobile phone, with camera, she's taking pictures all the time. The rodeo was exciting and fun. Afterwards, we visited the barns and met some of the animals.

Road Trip!

2010-01-14T13:38:00.022-07:00

A few days after Christmas, son Steve, Beth and their girls arrived our house from New Mexico with a 26' van packed to the gills, on their way moving to Michigan City, Indiana. They stayed with us in Littleton for a couple of days, we celebrated Grace's third birthday, and a friend flew in from Wisconsin to help with the drive east. On January 2nd, we took Beth and the girls to the Denver airport, they flew to Chicago where Beth's parents picked them up, and the other four adults (Steve and friend Jim, Sharon and Dwight) started the drive east in two vehicles. Sharon and Dwight drove Steve and Beth's family van (accompanied by Mello, a gentle and sweet Chocolate Lab, who kept asking where we were taking her!) Steve and Jim drove the truck hauling Steve's other car on a trailer. Steve and family now live near Beth's parents while Steve completes a master's degree in social work at Indiana University NW. They will probably be there 2-3 years.

The following are pictures of Grace (3) and Ava (1) with Dwight and Sharon, also one of Grace with granddaughter Kyra (age 11) who came down from Boulder with her mom, Angela, for Grace's birthday party. Our first night on the road was spent in Kearney, Nebraska, so we got to have dinner with grandson Caleb (age 7) and his mom, Dawn. On our second day, we stopped for lunch in Omaha so Steve could visit with friend Howard. We spent our second night in Iowa City and it was so cold that the rental truck wouldn't start the next morning so we spent half of day 3 waiting for mechanics to get it going. By the time we arrived Chicago, it was rush hour, but fortunately we were skirting the southern edge of the metro area and had no problem.

We arrived Michigan City, Indiana in the early evening of day 3 and the unpacking and moving in process started the following morning with help from Beth's sister, Mary, their father, and some friends that work for Beth's parents. Dwight and I flew home on January 6th. It was nice to discover that after 38 years of marriage we could still enjoy 3 days in a car with each other!

Thanksgiving in New Mexico

2009-12-22T17:06:00.006-07:00

Since it's almost Christmas, we decided we needed to post a few of our Thanksgiving pictures! We spent the weekend in Belen, New Mexico, with son Steve, Beth and their girls, Grace and Ava. We did a day trip to Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge and enjoyed a visit with grandson Kaelan and his mom, Genevieve. The highlight of the weekend (besides the turkey!) was Granddad and Grace making sopapillas!

Dwight, Grace, Ava and Beth bird watching at Bosque del Apache.

Ava, Steve, Sharon at Bosque del Apache.

Genevieve (Kaelan's mom), enjoying a break from her studies (she'll graduate in May as a Nurse Practitioner)

Granddad and Kaelan - Kaelan and his mom came down from Albuquerque for a visit.

Granddad and Grace make sopapillas! The recipe is one that Dwight collected from his friend, Mrs. Lopez, in the 1960's in Truchas, New Mexico.

Visited sisters in California, cruised Baja with friends!

2009-11-25T13:59:00.007-07:00

In November we celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary with a trip to Southern California to visit Donna and Annie in their new home, and spend a couple of days with Marcia, who was in town for a conference. Following the weekend visit, we cruised for 4 days to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico with friends Tom and Carmen, who were celebrating their 4th anniversary. The weather was so-so, but that didn't stop us from having a relaxing and wonderful time! The following pictures show visits to the Blackstock and Kruschke parental gravesites, Tom's miracle packing job that got us all to the port, and our first full day of the cruise - Catalina Island.

Race for the Cure, Dog Park at Chatfield State Park

2009-10-05T15:50:00.002-06:00

Angela and Kyra and one of Angela's co-workers joined Sharon in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure on Sunday, October 4th. It was pretty chilly until the sun came out, but we were very comfortable after completing the 5K walk. Denver has one of the largest events like this in the nation - over 60,000 participants!

Angela thought she was hiding but didn't realize that Sharon had sneaked up on her and taken the earlier picture (see above)!

Dwight and Kirk at Chatfield State Park a couple of weeks ago. The dog park there is HUGE and Kirk loves it!

Summer's End

2009-09-08T13:09:00.017-06:00

Sharon and granddaughter Jordan attended the Genesis Presbyterian Church annual retreat, "The Summit", in late August at the beautiful YMCA of the Rockies. The subject matter was presented very creatively and with lots of laughter. We all attended "Zombie University", identified those parts of our lives that get in the way of our relationships with God and family and called them zombies, even naming them and trying to stone them out of our lives! Here Sharon poses with the Zombie University mascot.

All who attended Zombie University received a diploma and commemorative pen from Pastor Don and C.E. Director Rob. Here is Jordan receiving her diploma.

Jordan shows off her diploma!

Dwight flew down to Albuquerque to attend a funeral on Friday and got to spend an overnight with Steve and family. Here he is with granddaughters Grace (above) and Ava (below).

Granddaughter Kyra spent part of the Labor Day weekend with us and joined Sharon and Kirk at the church picnic. Kirk really liked the singing!

Kyra and Granddad finally got to go fishing on Sunday! Didn't catch anything but it was quite an adventure.

Kyra thinks fishing is fun!

Ghost Ranch 2009

2009-08-07T12:28:00.021-06:00

This year's visit to Ghost Ranch was very special. It was Kyra's 5th trip to the ranch with us and she had a wonderful week (and threatened to tie herself to a tree so she could stay longer!) She's already planning to apply to become part of the Ghost Ranch college staff (in 10-12 years!) Sharon participated in a very interesting course on "NEW EYES FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE FROM THE WORLD CHURCH", led by Clifton Kirkpatrick. Dwight enjoyed a week of rest and relaxation, and was the only one of us who could stand the 74 degree temperature in the pool (the heater was broken) because he brought along his wet suit! Steve, Beth, Grace and Ava came up to the ranch for an overnight on Friday. Enjoy our pictures!

We spent a weekend with Steve's family in Los Lunas before heading up to the ranch. Here are Grace, Kyra, Ava and Beth.

We worshiped at First Presbyterian Church, Belen. This is Steve giving the children's sermon.

Kyra and Grace had lots of fun playing together.

Ghost Ranch - picture taken at dusk by Dwight. A place of peace.

Kyra and Dwight ham it up after breakfast. We're so happy to be here!

Kyra got to go horseback-riding twice this year - including cantering across the ranch to the cabin used in the movie "City Slickers".

"Lady", a 40-year-old horse (88 in human years), roamed the ranch and greeted people, but spent most of her time in the alfalfa field.

Steve and Beth and the girls enjoyed the air conditioned family center at the ranch - designed specifically for very young children and families.

Beth caught this picture of Steve with the mesas behind him. He celebrated his 33rd birthday the week we were there.

Sharon and Beth froze in the pool with Grace and Ava and it was fun (but short-lived!)

Dwight, on the other hand, was able to spend more time in the pool!

Sharon and Ava (picture sent by Beth after Sharon complained that since she took most of the pictures, there were very few of GaGa with the grandchildren!)

Sure wish you could have seen the scene just before this picture was snapped - Grace saw Kyra walking up toward the dining hall and took off running, crying in delight, "Kyra"!!"

Couldn't resist adding this fun video of breakfast with Grace, Kyra and Ava.

Kyra won an award for earning top points in a scavenger hunt during the week's youth program. Awards were given out during the Saturday celebration at the end of the week.

Time to say farewell and see you next year. This is Kitchen Mesa (so named because the dining hall/kitchen sits below it). Photo by Dwight.

Home at last. Kyra greets Kirk when we picked him up after 10 days at Rover Retreat (where he made good friends with a yellow lab).

Brief visit with Kaelan

2009-08-07T12:24:00.003-06:00

While we were visiting Steve and family in late July, we drove up to Albuquerque for the afternoon and spent a couple of hours with Kaelan and his mom. Kaelan loves his trucks and trains!!

Kirk gets a new sandbox; Jordan & family spend the day with us; Dwight has a wet suit (and he's a real hit at the pool)!

2009-07-12T21:58:00.004-06:00

We contracted with a neighbor to build a giant sandbox for Kirk this weekend, and are working on training him to understand that this is the place he's allowed to dig. We're hoping to stop Kirk from digging up the lawn, eating the trees and bushes, etc. So far, our neighbor has poured 30 50-lb bags of play sand into the box and another 40 bags will be added tomorrow. See pictures below of Kirk getting used to his special place.

Granddaughter Jordan and her brother Jaden and their parents came up Saturday for a fun day at the pool, including a picnic lunch, an afternoon of hangin' out and dinner together. Jordan and Jaden collected all of Kirk's toys from around the yard, put them in the sand box and buried some of the toys to help Kirk understand this is where he's allowed to dig. Kristi and Will took Sharon over to Home Depot to pick up an additional 40 bags of play sand for the sand box (and they unloaded it for us ... THANK YOU!) See picture below of Kristi, Jaden and Jordan.

Dwight bought a wet suit so he could swim outdoors this summer (cold water is debilitating for him so he can't use most pools, but this wet suit has done the trick!) He's been using the pool for physical therapy almost every day for the last couple of weeks. See picture below of Dwight in his new swimgear.

July 4th Weekend with Friends

2009-07-06T17:07:00.006-06:00

We enjoyed a couple of restful days with friends Tom and Ruth Powers in Edwards (near Vail) over the weekend, including watching the Avon fireworks from above(!) on July 3rd. Here are a few pictures from our weekend:

Everything is so green in the mountains because Colorado has had so much rain. Truly beautiful!

Eagle River from an overlook on the Presbyterian Church site in Avon.

Dwight and Sharon enjoying a restful moment at that overlook.

Dwight, Tom & Ruth, outside their home in Edwards. We were on our way to see the fireworks.

Kirk was very glad to see us when we came to pick him up on the 4th. He did not like the fireworks and we spent several minutes on the floor trying to calm him that night even though we were in the house and the fireworks were a couple of miles away!

Steve, Beth, Grace & Ava - Weekend Visit

2009-06-29T10:00:00.008-06:00

We enjoyed a brief visit with Steve and his family this weekend and got to spend some special time with their girls, Grace (2-1/2) and Ava (8 mos). They were here for a couple of days before heading east to visit with Beth's family in Indiana.

A weekend with Caleb

2009-06-14T19:20:00.008-06:00

Grandson Caleb (age 6-1/2) and his mom, Dawn, who live in Kearney, Nebraska, came to town for a visit and a very busy weekend. We saw "Land of the Lost" Friday night (ugh!, but the "boys" giggled through it), took Kirk and some fishing gear to the dog park at Chatfield on Saturday. The fishing was a bust, due to wind, high river, busted gear, and about 10 attempts at casting that all ended up caught in bushes, trees or stuck under rocks.

We all worshipped at Genesis Presbyterian Church this morning, where Dwight was the guest preacher, then we headed for the ball park to watch the Rockies beat the Mariners - yahoooo! There was a brief rain delay (and tornado warning) so we left and headed for a nearby Starbucks, then drove out to the airport so Caleb and Dawn could catch their flight back home (we learned later that the flight was cancelled due to weather and they ended up spending the night in a hotel - quite the adventure!) Here are some pictures of our time together:

Caleb and Kirk on a walk around Grant Ranch (our subdivision) on Saturday morning.

Dwight and Caleb get their gear ready for fishing in the South Platte River, Chatfield State Park. It was a great idea ...

Dwight, Caleb and Dawn at the Rockies game. Rox beat the Mariners in a 3-game sweep!

Sharon and Caleb enjoy the game. The skies were starting to cloud up and soon we were running for cover from the wind and rain.

Kyra graduates from elementary school and Kirk turns 5 years old!

2009-05-31T07:46:00.008-06:00

Dwight and Sharon enjoyed attending a graduation ceremony for 5th graders at Kyra's school this week. Each diploma provided an individual description for the particular student, based on comments received from other students. Kyra's description: "You are called bouncy, lively, and witty. You are one who never gives up, in other words - you're a bit stubborn. You love a group project and work hard and remain focused on what you have to do. In fact, you've sort of made our rat a group project and she loves you for it. You like to explore and see endless possibilities." Kyra is responsible for caring for the class pet rat, Bonnie, for the summer. We are very proud of her.

Kyra spent part of the weekend with us and we celebrated Kirk's 5th birthday during a trip to Starbucks. Another customer (and admirer of the world's greatest dog - Kirk!) took this picture.

Go Nuggets! Rockies Will Rise Again! and Other May Pictures

2009-05-21T21:00:00.005-06:00

Steve, Grace, Beth and Ava are dressed in their Nuggets gear and supporting Denver from their home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. Go Nuggets! Dwight has a bet with his lifelong friend, Tom, who lives in Southern California that Denver will beat the Lakers in the playoffs. Whichever team loses, it appears that Starbucks will be the winner because either Tom or Dwight will end up buying!

Early in May, we spent a couple of days with our friends, Jon and Danny, at their cabin in Fairplay, Colorado, and caught this picture at dawn when we were returning to Denver early in the morning. It was a lovely visit and to a beautiful area.

Grandaughter Jordan spent an overnight with us for Mother's Day weekend and we went to two Rockies games! For the second game, we were joined by Jordan's family. That's her brother, Jaden, below. The picture was taken in the Mountain Ranch Grill in Coors Field.

Granddaughter Ava Baptized on Easter Sunday

2009-04-18T12:56:00.015-06:00

The Blackstock and Carlisle family descended on Belen, New Mexico, over the Easter weekend for granddaughter Ava's baptism. Ava turned 6 months old this week. Sister Grace turned 2 years old in January. It was a delightful visit. On Friday, several of us climbed Tome Hill (between Belen and Los Lunas) along with hundreds and hundreds of other pilgrims. Dwight drove to Chimayo and joined thousands of pilgrims (they were on foot; he "walked" with them while staying in his car and driving very very slowly) as they headed for El Santuario (http://www.archdiocesesantafe.org/AboutASF/Chimayo.html). On Saturday, we enjoyed some time with Grace while most of the Carlisles helped Beth pack up the house for their move from Belen to a new home in Los Lunas scheduled for end of this month. We gathered for dinner on Saturday night at a restaurant in Los Lunas and were joined by our grandson Kaelan and his mom Genevieve (Kaelan will be 5 years old in June). Sunday was Easter and a very big day for everyone, including worship, an outstanding sermon by Steve, Ava's baptism, a fun Easter egg hunt and lunch in Los Lunas. Everyone headed home on Monday. Hope you enjoy our pictures:

Three crosses on Tome Hill, a pilgrimage climb on Good Friday. Sharon, Beth, Steve, Mary (Beth's sister), Jacob (Mary's son), Grace and Ava all made it to the top!

Steve carried Ava up Tome hill (Mary carried her down); Jacob carried Grace up and most of the way down.

Grace with cousin Jacob at Albuquerque's Children's Museum on Saturday.

Grace snuggles with Dwight (Granddad) while we wait for a table at Little Anita's in Albuquerque following our trip to the children's museum and aquarium on Saturday morning.

Cousins Grace and Kaelan pose for a picture after dinner in Los Lunas on Saturday night.

Aunt Mary holds Ava and Grace before worship on Easter Sunday.

Steve baptizes Ava with the family surrounding, including Bill and Sara Carlisle (grandparents), Mary holding Grace, Church Elder Ginger, Beth and Steve with Ava, Dwight and Sharon.

Steve with Ava following Ava's baptism at First Presbyterian Church, Belen NM, Easter Sunday 2009.

Cousin Kaelan with mom Genevieve hunting Easter eggs. Kaelan (our grandson), Genevieve and her sister Esperanza joined us for Easter worship and Ava's baptism.

Beth and Grace hunt Easter eggs.

Sharon (GaGa) with Ava on Monday morning just before we headed for the airport and home to Denver.

Home from the Holy Land

2009-03-29T11:18:00.008-06:00

Dwight and Sharon spent the last year organizing a Lenten pilgrimage to the Holy Land, using Educational Opportunities as tour host. Our group of 28 left Denver on March 10 and most returned on the 19th, while the rest continued onto Egypt for another week. It was a wonderful experience for everyone except Dwight who landed in the hospital in Tiberias, Israel for two days because of dehydration and exhaustion (a story in itself but we won't bore you with it). The two pastors who were traveling with us, Don Shrumm (Genesis Presbyterian Church, Littleton) and Rob Wilson (Eagle River Presbyterian Church, Avon/Vail) picked up the leadership piece and were a real blessing to the group and to us. Dwight missed about 2/3 of the tour either in the hospital or resting in his hotel room; Sharon missed about half the tour as a result, but it was a great joy to see how meaningful the pilgrimage was for everyone else. Here are just a few highlights:

The Sea of Galilee from the Mount of Beatitudes Church. The natural amphitheater in the foreground is the traditional site where Jesus is believed to have delivered his "Sermon on the Mount".

The Garden of Gethsame, where Jesus prayed before being arrested and later crucified. These olive trees are believed to be 3,000 years old.

Sharon and Dwight reaffirm their baptismal vows in the Jordan River.

Our group, plus Saad, our guide (and missing Dwight who was not strong enough to tour with us the day this picture was taken). Jerusalem is in the background.

The Garden Tomb: A beautiful setting for a tomb very similar to the description of Jesus' tomb in the New Testament. Our group ended it's tour of holy sites here with a communion service.

Dwight exits the tomb. A sign posted inside the tomb quotes scripture: "He is not here - for He is risen".

Pilgrimage leaders: Don, Adnan (bus driver), Dwight, Saad (guide) and Rob.

Sisters: Grace & Ava

2009-03-01T13:11:00.001-07:00

Grace is 2yrs+2mos old; Ava is 4 mos old and has her first tooth!

Kyra and Granddad's Alto Sax

2009-02-28T19:27:00.003-07:00

Kyra is growing up and becoming a really wonderful person. We spent a special day with her today having conversations about movies, geneology and family. We attended a fun production of "Beauty and the Beast" at Chatfield H.S., then home for lunch. Dwight pulled out the alto saxophone of his childhood/youth and let Kyra play it. She seems to have a natural talent so we've decided to have it reconditioned and loan it to her for the next school year and for as long as she's interested in playing it. Here are some pictures:

Valentine's Day Pictures

2009-02-16T07:01:00.012-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day! We're sharing some pictures from our weekend with granddaughter Jordan (age 8, lives near Colorado Springs), and new pictures of daughter-in-law Beth and grandaughters Grace (2) and Ava (4 months). Beth, Steve and girls live in Belen, New Mexico.

Jordan took this picture of Dwight and Sharon during a visit to Starbucks after church on Sunday.

Happy Valentine's Day from Beth, Grace and Ava!

Grace "decorated" Ava with Valentines hearts :)

Wake up Jordan, we're late for church!!

Jordan poses for Granddad.

Dwight's Photo Project - Silos and Windmills!

2009-02-08T19:17:00.008-07:00

Dwight is taking his third semester of black & white film photography at Arapahoe Community College (ACC) this winter and decided on a project of photographing Colorado eastern plain silos and windmills. So he and Sharon (and our Great Dane, Kirk) headed for beautiful downtown Limon on Saturday afternoon and spent the night. On Sunday, we started out with wonderful mocha/lattes at Buffalo Bean Coffee (picture above) and then worked our way back toward Denver while Dwight took photos (to be developed later in the ACC photo lab). It was gray, cold, rainy and very, very windy! Sharon decided to record the event with her digital camera. Despite the weather, we had great fun and talked about how wonderful it is that we continue to enjoy each other's company after more than 37 years together!

Holy Land Pilgrims Pre-Departure Gathering February 7, 2009

2009-02-08T19:06:00.004-07:00

Only four weeks until our group of 30 pilgrims departs from Denver on March 10th for 10 days in the Holy Land! Dwight will be leading the pilgrimage through Educational Opportunities, a travel agency that specializes in Christian tours. The group met on Saturday at Genesis Presbyterian Church in Littleton, Colorado, to get to know each other a little better and talk about the trip.

Committee on Preparation for Ministry Retreat - January 30-31st

2009-02-01T19:14:00.008-07:00

Sharon is finishing up her term this year as moderator of Denver Presbytery's Committee on Preparation for Ministry. The committee held a retreat this weekend at the beautiful Franciscan Retreat Center in Colorado Springs.

National Western Stock Show and Rodeo!

2009-01-25T07:18:00.002-07:00

Dwight and Sharon have taken Kyra to the rodeo every year since she was 4 years old and we continued the tradition yesterday. Dwight was recovering from a surgical procedure 2 days earlier so we skipped our usual walk through the animal barns, but enjoyed the rodeo immensely! Here are a few pictures.

Dwight pulls off surprise 60th birthday party for Sharon!

2009-01-10T14:05:00.033-07:00

Dwight and the rest of Sharon's family plotted for months to surprise Sharon on December 31st, her 60th birthday! First, Steve and family arrived from New Mexico, the Sunday after Christmas (instead of 2 weeks later as Sharon had been told). Sharon thought that was a great surprise and she rearranged her work schedule to spend a little more time at home between the two holiday weekends. On Wednesday, she arrived home from work around 4:30 (after stopping at the store to shop for food for a birthday party for Grace planned for the next day). When she walked in the door, she found sister Kathy, brother Richard, sisters-in-law Donna and Marcia, plus Steve, Beth, Grace and Ava all shouting "Surprise!" Within the next hour or so, granddaughter Kyra and her mom Angela and Kyra's other grandparents Bill and Rosemary arrived and then cousin Steffani. Food and drink just kept appearing - Wow!!

Beth, Steve and daughters Ava (born October 16) and Grace (2 years old on January 2nd) came up to Sharon's office on her birthday (just a few hours before the surprise party!) to take her to lunch. This picture was taken by one of Sharon's co-workers.

Earlier that week, we had celebrated Dwight's birthday (December 29th) at his favorite steak place.

Steve, Grace and Beth wait for our food at Dwight's birthday dinner. Sharon's thinking we'll be doing this again 2 days later for her birthday ...

Beth and Ava enjoy a rare quiet moment, just relaxing around the house during their surprise visit to GaGa's and Granddad's house while the rest of the family finds its way to Colorado for a BIGGER surprise ...

Sharon (in shock!) embraces sister Kathy after arriving home from work on Wednesday, then looks around to see who else is there. Kathy came from Green Bay for the party.

Sharon's brother Richard and Dwight's sister Marcia "pose" for Grace (who loves taking pictures, but usually holds the camera upside down and sideways). Richard came from Milwaukee for the party. Marcia lives in the Bay Area.

Dwight's sister Donna, Sharon's sister Kathy, and cousin-in-law Steffani enjoy a moment at the party. Donna came from Louisville for the party. Steffani lives in Highlands Ranch.

Look at this cake! Beth took one of Sharon's high school graduation photos to the store and they scanned the image onto the frosting!

Kyra came back the next day for Grace's birthday party (which we held on the 1st instead of the 2nd), then spent the night. The two girls had lots of fun the following day.

Kyra with her newest cousin, Ava.

Donna, Marcia, Dwight and Grace pose for a picture.

Grace gets acquainted with some of the toys she received for her birthday. Here she is in her party dress, playing veterinary doctor! That's her aunt Julie on the left. Some of Beth's family members were visiting in Colorado over the holidays and all came over on the 1st for Grace's party.

THANK YOU EVERYONE for making Sharon's birthday weekend so special!

Sisters!

2008-12-08T09:58:00.003-07:00

Thanks, Beth, for sending this precious photo of your girls!

Granddaughters Grace (23 months) & Ava (7 weeks) Blackstock

Weekend visit with Jordan

2008-12-08T09:44:00.006-07:00

On Friday, Dwight and Sharon exchanged Christmas presents with Jordan's family, then brought Jordan home for an an overnight with Grandma & Granddad. Jordan will be 8 years old in January.

Jordan poses for a picture with Kirk

Jordan enjoys playing with her new "Littlest Pet Shop" gift.

Thanksgiving 2008 in New Mexico!

2008-12-08T09:26:00.006-07:00

Dwight and Sharon traveled to Belen, New Mexico over Thanksgiving weekend to visit with Steve and Beth and granddaughters Grace (will be two years old in January) and Ava, born October 16. It was fun to play with and enjoy Grace, and to meet Ava. They are beautiful girls! On Thanksgiving Day, we all drove up to Albuquerque for a wonderful dinner at grandson Kaelan's house, hosted by his Mom, Genevieve, and aunts, Esperanza and Bernadette. The drive home was horrific. We drove half way on Saturday afternoon and spent the night in Raton so we could have a short trip home the following day. When we woke up Sunday, it was snowing. The normally 4 hour trip took 8 hours, including nearly 4 hours of 5mph travel between Colorado Springs and Castle Rock (30mi distance). Yuck!

Sharon (GaGa) and Grace watch Sesame Street online

Cousins Grace and Kaelan say farewell following our Thanksgiving time together

Grace, Beth, Steve and Bernadette (Kaelan's aunt)

Genevieve (Kaelan's Mom), Grace and Beth

Dwight (Granddad) with Ava

Niece Elizabeth marries Christopher Petree November 15 in Florida

2008-12-04T06:43:00.006-07:00

Dwight and Sharon traveled to beautiful Gasparilla Island for the November 15th wedding of niece Elizabeth Gallagher and Christopher Petree. The setting was gorgeous, the weather acted up a bit during the reception, but nothing could ruin the festive and happy gathering.

Chris and Liz prepare to say their vows

Sealed with a kiss!

Bride Elizabeth with her father Richard (Sharon's brother) greet wedding guests during the reception dinner

Dwight and Sharon at the wedding reception

Mother of the bride Ann with daughter Catherine (Elizabeth's sister and maid of honor) during "girls" luncheon on Friday

Sharon with sister Kathy at Friday's luncheon

Niece Catherine (Elizabeth's sister) with boyfriend Jonathan

Congratulations Chris and Liz!

Ava Annette Blackstock - Grandchild #10 - Born October 16th!

2008-11-23T18:16:00.006-07:00

Congratulations to Steve, Beth and Grace, on the arrival of Ava Annette, born October 16th in Albuquerque! GaGa and Granddad are heading for NM for Thanksgiving and can't wait to meet Ava and see Grace again (oh ya, we want to see Steve and Beth, too)!! Here are a few pictures of the newest little Blackstock, her sister Grace (age 22 months) and their parents:

Beth and Ava (1 month old)

Steve with Ava just after returning home from the hospital

Grace, the giggle worm! with a sleeping 3-week-old Ava

Our favorite picture - Sweet Grace with little sister Ava (about 10 days old)

Tom & Carmen visit Dwight & Sharon - Labor Day Weekend 2008

2008-09-02T08:38:00.004-06:00

Tom, Carmen, Dwight & Sharon enjoyed an evening at the Buckhorn Exchange listening to the music of Roz Brown (a graduate of Randall Elementary School in Madison!!) Read about Roz (Dwight's favorite musician) at http://www.rozbrown.com/

You know you've "arrived" when Kirk starts sitting on your lap!!

We enjoyed an afternoon at the ball park - Rockies beat Giants 4-0!!

Grace & Kaelan pictures (oh ya, Beth & Steve, too)

2008-09-02T08:29:00.002-06:00

Beth sent pictures from a recent visit to Aunt Genevieve's and Cousin Kaelan's house in Albuquerque, including this sweet photo of Kaelan and Grace sitting on the trampoline

A very pregnant Beth teaches Grace how to use a trampoline

Steve enjoys bouncing on the trampoline with Grace

Wedding Weekend for Nephew Nathan

2008-08-17T15:19:00.009-06:00

Dwight and Sharon enjoyed a wonderful weekend in Milwaukee in early August to celebrate the wedding of nephew Nathan and his bride Jaime. We enjoyed visits with brother Richard, sister-in-law Ann, and sister Kathy, brother-in-law Tom, and lots of nieces and nephews. Here's a few pictures:

Sharon, Sharon's sister Kathy, Dwight - Wedding Reception

Nephew Tim and girlfriend Bethany

Sharon's sister Kathy & brother-in-law Tom (Parents of the Groom)

Niece Elizabeth, niece-in-law Heidi with son Brennan, soon-to-be nephew-in-law Chris, niece Catherine

Nephew Michael and girlfriend Tracey

Nephews Matt & Tim (middle) with Matt's son Brennan

Groom Nathan & Bride Jaime - Rehearsal Dinner

Dwight, Tom, Kathy & Sharon - Rehearsal Dinner

Sharon's brother Richard & sister-in-law Ann - Rehearsal Dinner

Niece Elizabeth with fiance Chris (Wedding - November 15)

Niece Catherine with her cousin Matt's son, Brennan

Congratulations and best wishes, Nathan & Jaime!

Ghost Ranch 2008

2008-07-28T16:03:00.004-06:00

Dwight, Sharon and Kyra traveled to New Mexico to spend a weekend with Steve, Beth and Grace, followed by a week at Ghost Ranch. Here are some of the highlights:

Sharon spent a fun week at the ranch singing with a group, complete with concert on Saturday night.

Pedernal - a view at dusk.

Kyra and other kids play outside the dining hall after their evening program.

Kyra and her buddies - Abby and AnneMarie

Kyra with Grandma and Granddad

Granddad with Kyra and Grace (Beth, Steve and Grace came up Friday evening so we could celebrate Steve's birthday during dinner in Espaniola).

We actually did take pictures of Steve and Beth, too, but not in this batch - will post later!

Midsummer Pictures 2008

2008-07-13T07:58:00.006-06:00

Dwight enjoys a beautiful July evening at Coors Field, before a Rockies game (we won!)

Sharon with Donna Wyatt on a mission tour to Cameron House, San Francisco while our husbands attended the Presbyterian General Assembly in San Jose, late June)

Granddaughter Jordan (age 7-1/2) spent an overnight with Grandma & Granddad and the visit included a walk to the local playground

Steve with his new buzz cut - very cool, dude!

Granddaughter Grace (age 1-1/2) beams in her new daisy dress!

Dwight (Commissioner to General Assembly from Denver Presbytery) with YAD (Youth Advisory Delegate) Kate Shrumm

Granddaughter Kyra (age 9) poses with our Great Dane, Kirk (we are looking forward to taking Kyra to Ghost Ranch in late July)

Sharon and Jordan pose for Dwight at the Rockies game on July 4th - a 4hour game (we won 18-17), followed by fireworks - didn't get home til almost midnight!

Grandson Caleb, age 5-1/2 (and his mom, Dawn), came from Kearney for their annual visit in June (Caleb is showing off his new Rockies truck - a souvenir picked up at the game the night before)

Granddaughter Grace (age 1-1/2) shows off her tie-dye shirt (we'll get to see her in late July and can't wait - oh yes, we'll get to see Beth and Steve, too!)

Grace and Beth enjoy a day at the pool!

A Visit With Old Friends

2008-05-18T20:55:00.002-06:00

We enjoyed a visit with Ed and Nancy Gustafson this weekend. Ed was the priest at Holy Communion Episcopal Church in Rock Springs in the 1980's and invited Dwight to use the church to organize the new church development that eventually became White Mountain Presbyterian Church. Ed and Nancy are now retired and living near Tucson and have invited us to visit some year for Rockies spring training. Can't do it next year, but sounds like a plan for 2010!

Retreat at Yeagleys' cabin near Fairplay

2008-05-17T16:20:00.002-06:00

We spent another wonderful weekend at Jon & Danny Yeagley's cabin near Fairplay in late April. It was pretty chilly, but wonderful to be able to relax in front of a fire, be fed by a wonderful cook, and enjoy time with friends. And they let Kirk come, too!

Kyra recovers from broken arm!

2008-05-17T16:13:00.002-06:00

Kyra broke her arm just below the shoulder while snowboarding the day after Easter. This picture was taken about six weeks later and she had just learned from the doctor that she could start running, swimming, etc.

Spring News 2008

2008-05-17T16:02:00.003-06:00

Grandson Caleb (age 5), his mom, grandma and uncle from Kearney were here for a visit in April. We enjoyed spending a day with Caleb while the rest of his family went shopping. Sharon and Caleb pose for a picture while taking Kirk for a walk at the dog park.

Steve, Beth and Grace (age 1) (and Mello, their chocolate lab) spent a week with us after Easter. We enjoyed a trip to the zoo and just hangin' out at home.

Dwight and Grace enjoy a moment together.

Kathy, Tom, Sharon and Dwight visit at Denver International Airport

2008-03-15T16:40:00.002-06:00

Kathy (Sharon's sister) and Tom Joynt had a long layover at DIA this morning, so Sharon and Dwight drove out to spend the morning with them. We enjoyed breakfast together, looked over the Gallagher photo album that Tom had put together as Christmas gifts for the family last year, enjoyed drinks and chips while watching the first half of the Wisconsin-Michigan State game, and asked the waitress to take our picture!

Jordan visits Grandma & Granddad again!

2008-02-18T23:36:00.007-07:00

We enjoyed another fun overnight with Jordan on Saturday. She went to the dog park with us and Kirk, then went shopping with Grandma. We bought "Snow Buddies", a fun video about a puppy sled team, then watched it. She took it home with her on Sunday to share with her family.

Granddaughter Grace's First Birthday - Jan. 2nd

2008-01-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

Check out this video of Grace, our grandaughter, opening her birthday presents! That's Mommy (Beth) sitting with her.

Rodeo!

2008-01-22T05:51:00.000-07:00

Dwight, Sharon and granddaughter Kyra (age 9) went to the National Western Rodeo yesterday and had a great time! This is an annual tradition for the Blackstocks, and Kyra has been going with us since she was 3 or 4 years old. Kyra came home with a new cowboy hat!

An Afternoon at the Dog Park

2008-01-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

Even though it's winter in Colorado, we take Kirk to Chatfield State Park whenever it's warm enough to visit the huge off-leash area dedicated to dog enjoyment. Last Saturday was a beautiful day and as you will see here, Kirk doesn't pose well for pictures or videos when there are other dogs to play with!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T13:16:00.001-07:00

Steve, Beth and Grace pose for a picture at their church on December 30th. Dwight and Sharon visited their home in Belen, New Mexico, for a few days after Christmas.

Grace and Dwight share a special moment. Grace celebrated her first birthday on January 2nd.

All of us enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Genevieve and Kaelan's house on Sunday, December 30th, in Albuquerque. Genevieve wanted a picture of Kaelan and his two Grandmas, plus Grace and Granddad.

Kaelan loves sitting on top of the dog house! He is 3-1/2 years old.

Merry Christmas from Kirk!

2007-12-24T16:21:00.001-07:00

Kirk enjoys playing with his Christmas gift, "Dino". Merry Christmas from the world's greatest dog!

Christmas with the Grandchildren

2007-12-24T10:14:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed the Denver Zoolights with Kyra on Friday night. We have taken Kyra to Zoolights every year since she was born.

Kyra spent the night (seen here with her new friend, "Penner", purchased at the Denver Zoo gift shop). On Saturday we met up with Kyra's mom and exchanged Christmas gifts.

On Sunday we visited with Trae and his mom and exchanged Christmas gifts. We enjoyed seeing a recording of his preschool's Christmas program. Trae LOVES reindeers!

Earlier in the week we met up with Hannah and her mom at a Starbucks and enjoyed an evening of visiting and gift exchange. Hannah was wearing a beautiful Christmas dress!

Jordan spends the night with Grandma & Granddad!

2007-12-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

Jordan and her Mom & Dad and brother Jaden visited yesterday to celebrate Christmas with us. After lunch we decided Jordan could stay the night so she and Grandma could go spend her Christmas gift certificate (see purchases above). Jordan attended two worship services with us this morning. It was a wonderful visit; we parted with tears this afternoon. Jordan will turn 7 on her next birthday, January 3rd.

Take the Geek Quiz!

2007-11-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

21% Geek

Steve, Beth and Grace visit for Thanksgiving

2007-11-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Steve, Beth and Grace flew from Albuquerque on Thanksgiving morning and stayed until Saturday morning. We hosted a total of 15 for Thanksgiving dinner (5 of us plus 10 from the Young family, Kyra's other grandparents) and had a wonderful time!

Grace was very interested in playing with Kirk, but Kirk was a little skittish!

"Ga Ga" is Sharon's new Grandma name for Grace. We were thrilled that she was able to accept being held by us.

Grace, Steve and Beth with Grace's new hat (yes, we went shopping while they were here; temp's were in the 20's!)

Mexican Riviera Cruise - 36th Anniversary!

2007-11-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

We spent a wonderful week cruising with friends Tom and Carmen Kruschke, November 11-18, from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We were celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary that week and Tom and Carmen celebrated their 2nd! Coming home was a rude awakening - no one made our bed, fixed our meals or greeted us with warm deference any longer, sigh ...

Sunset from the ship at Cabo San Lucas. We only left the ship for a couple of hours in two of the three ports to do a little shopping. The cruise experience is wonderful, but it's not a great way to tour the countryside.

Grace - 10 months old!

2007-11-01T15:30:00.000-06:00

Granddaughter Grace and her parents, Steve and Beth, traveled to the Bay Area last week and met Jordan (daughter of Steve's cousin, Dawn), age 2.

Looks like the girls enjoyed themselves!

Sharon's Dad would have loved the World Series!

2007-10-29T22:52:00.000-06:00

Going to a World Series baseball game last night was a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience - Dwight and I were able to participate with a little help from my Dad. He was a great baseball fan and would have loved being there! What a blast! Even though the Rockies struggled through the series and lost to an obviously better team (Red Sox), it was so much fun. The energy was wild! Rockies 2008!!

We're Going to the World Series!!!

2007-10-23T10:18:00.001-06:00

Yes, we have tickets for Game 4 of the World Series: Rockies vs. the Red Sox! Yahoo!! Watch your TV screens for this sign and you'll know it's us! Go Rockies!! My brother-in-law wants me to remind everyone that we wouldn't be going to the World Series if the Brewers hadn't finished off the Padres at the end of the season, so our thanks go to all you Milwaukee fans for cheering on your team. Sure hope you'll be cheering for us this week!!

Go Rockies!!

2007-10-07T22:06:00.000-06:00

Who would have believed it! We were at the final game of the season on September 30th that got the Rockies to the game that got them in the playoffs. Denver has gone absolutely nuts with Rockies fever!! We're in a group with several others that owns one set of season tickets, and as a result -- if there is a game 5 in the National League Championship series, we'll be there! Look closely at the reflection in Dwight's sunglasses and you'll see the baseball diamond at Coors Field.

Grace is 9 months old!

2007-10-07T22:01:00.000-06:00

Grace and Beth try out a new backpack that was purchased for planned trips to Hawaii and Alaska next year!

Jordan has a new name!

2007-10-07T21:56:00.000-06:00

We enjoyed dinner with the Hensley family and friends yesterday to celebrate Granddaughter Jordan's adoption by Mom Kristi's husband, Will. Jordan's new name is Jordan Rae Hensley. Congratulations!

Busy Busy Busy!

2007-09-15T17:17:00.000-06:00

Granddaughter Jordan (6) and Sharon at Snow Mountain Ranch, August 2007, for Genesis Presbyterian Church's annual retreat. This is the 2nd year Jordan and Sharon have attended together.

Granddaughter Kyra (9) enjoys her birthday ice cream at PF Chang's, following a couple of games bowling at Lucky Strike in Lakewood last Saturday with Mom, Grandma and Granddad.

Dwight and Sharon at the Rockies game on Labor Day 2007. We won! Until this game, we were seriously considering asking the Rockies to pay us NOT to attend games, as it seemed they lost every time we went to one!

Dwight and Kirk getting ready to head home from Starbucks, September 15. We took Kirk for his weekly romp to the dog park, followed by a visit to Starbucks - adults and children alike love to stop and meet Kirk.

Ghost Ranch 2007

2007-08-06T23:11:00.001-06:00

Dwight, Sharon and granddaughter Kyra traveled to New Mexico last week to visit with family in Belen (Steve, Beth, Grace, plus Dwight's sister Marcia and husband Calvin), followed by a week at Ghost Ranch. Sharon went to a seminar on "Understanding the Israel/Palestine Conflict", Dwight did R&R, and Kyra made a new friend, Jennifer (granddaughter of a friend of ours) from Corvallis, Oregon. It was a wonderful week in a magic place. The pictures above show us relaxing on our porch, standing in the chow line with Steve, Beth and Grace, and Kyra with Jennifer.

Pictures of Grace - 6 months old!

2007-07-18T14:44:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to share some new pictures of Grace Elizabeth Blackstock, who turned 6 months old on July 2nd! She's thinking about crawling and when that doesn't work, there's always Mommy!

Visiting Family in Wisconsin - July 2007

2007-07-18T10:07:00.000-06:00

Sharon and Dwight were in Wisconsin last weekend and got to see the "fam". Took some flowers to Mom & Dad (Columbarium at Luther Memorial Church, Madison); went to a Rockies game with Kathy & Tom in Milwaukee (oh ya, the Brewers were there, too, and yes, they won, drat!) Got to see niece Catherine for a few minutes and meet her beautiful puppy, Lola (St. Bernard/Collie mix), and have dinner with Richard, Ann, Kathy & Tom. The last picture above is of the three "Gallaghers" - Richard, Kathleen (Joynt) and Sharon (Blackstock).

40th West High Reunion - Madison

2007-07-18T10:04:00.001-06:00

Sharon and Dwight attended Sharon's 40th high school reunion in Madison, Wisconsin last weekend. Had so much fun, forgot to take pictures, except this one of Sharon with Ginny Dunn and Bitsy Siebecker. Fun to see "old" friends and re-meet some others.

Kyra meets Pastor from Zimbabwe

2007-05-21T15:25:00.000-06:00

Granddaughter Kyra (age 8) worshiped with Sharon yesterday at Genesis Presbyterian Church in Littleton and met Rev. Paul Nashangwe, from Denver Presbytery's sister presbytery in Zimbabwe. Kyra told Rev. Paul that she wanted to help people in Africa now as well as when she grows up and can go to Africa. They exchanged addresses and will be communicating in the future.

Grace is baptized on Mother's Day 2007!

2007-05-21T15:13:00.000-06:00

We were in Belen for Grace's baptism on May 13th. She didn't like the idea at first, but settled down in Granddad's arms after a bit and took it all in! Sharon sang "Amazing Grace" and Beth's parents, Bill & Sara Carlisle, participated in the service. A wonderful family event! Thanks, Steve and Beth, for sharing this with us!

Ventura Harbor on a Pontoon Boat!

2007-04-30T06:46:00.000-06:00

We were in Southern California last week for the 2007 Western Regional Board of Pensions Consultation, representing Denver Presbytery, and added a couple of days to the trip to visit with friends Tom and Carmen in Oxnard. On Friday we rented a pontoon boat and puttered around Ventura Harbor - it was a beautiful day, beautiful boats and homes, shared with beautiful friends.

Grace Elizabeth Blackstock born January 2nd

2007-01-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

Steve and Beth are the joyful parents of a beautiful baby girl, born January 2nd in Albuquerque. Grace gets to meet her Grandma and Granddad Blackstock in a few weeks and we are ready to spoil her!

Steve is installed in his new church in Belen NM - October 29

2006-11-10T05:49:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a long weekend in Belen at Beth and Steve's new home in late October and celebrated Steve's installation as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church. Beth's parents came out for the weekend, too, as did Steve's good friend, Howard. Dwight and Howard participated in the service.

We also got to see Genevieve and grandson Kaelan (age 2), who live in Albuquerque, and enjoyed dinner out in Old Town.

Kirk gets blessed during today's worship service

2006-10-08T20:41:00.000-06:00

After finishing the Race for the Cure event this morning, Sharon headed home to pick up Kirk and get him over to Genesis Presbyterian for the animal blessing service. It was fun - lots of dogs and they all got along pretty well.

Sharon walks 5K in the Susan G. Komen Denver Race for the Cure!

2006-10-08T20:30:00.000-06:00

Julie Weisz, Judy Richardson and Sharon pose for a picture after completing the race on Sunday. The Denver Komen Race for the Cure (breast cancer) is the largest in the nation - 65,000+ participants.

Fall - Rocky Mountain National Park

2006-09-30T20:03:00.000-06:00

We took a day trip to Estes Park and into Rocky Mountain National Park today. Kirk rode along and was a big hit while we were sitting outside at Starbucks. It's like having a movie star in the family, the way people stop to meet, greet and pet him! But the fall colors were the real stars today. It was a perfect Colorado fall weekend and the aspen were glowing. What a difference a week makes! Last week the trees were still pretty green and dusted with snow. This week was glorious. Wish you were here!

Mountain Trip to See "Colors" Turns Into Snow Adventure!

2006-09-24T13:51:00.000-06:00

Dwight, Sharon and Kirk headed for Dillon, Breckenridge and Fairplay, Colorado on Friday & Saturday. We left Denver Friday night around 8:30pm and battled a blinding snowstorm, taking 2 hours to get to Dillon (normally an hour drive), and were relieved to get to our hotel! Saturday morning we headed for the Starbucks in Frasier, then a leisurely drive to Breckenridge, and over Hoosier Pass to Fairplay. Lunchtime found us at the Bucksnort Saloon, south of Shaffer's Crossing - a must-have experience for every Coloradoan! It was a cloudy day and actually a little early for the fall colors, but we enjoyed the time away! Kirk couldn't quite figure out what we were doing, but he travels well and loves going wherever we go. We used our time in the car to listen to a book on CD, "Marley and Me" about a yellow Lab and his family. If you have a chance to read or hear this book, and you're a dog lover, you should take the opportunity. You will laugh and cry! We only got about half way through the book and hope to finish it next Saturday when we head to Estes Park to look for colors once again!

Dwight launches his own professional blog!

2006-09-19T20:20:00.000-06:00

You can now visit Dwight's blog at http://journeywiththerev.blogspot.com/ and find his weekly sermons and lectionary readings. Your comments are welcome!

Sharon and Jordan enjoy a church retreat weekend

2006-09-19T19:53:00.000-06:00

Sharon and granddaughter Jordan enjoyed a weekend together with members of Genesis Presbyterian Church for it's "Summit" retreat in late August at the YMCA Camp of the Rockies near Estes Park. Outdoor worship, small groups, and lots of play time for the kids made for a great time for all who attended.

Kirk Enjoys a Mountain Weekend

2006-08-06T17:03:00.000-06:00

Dwight, Sharon and Kirk spent a couple of relaxing days with friends Jon & Danny Yeagley at their cabin near Fairplay early in August. We walked, talked, ate, talked, walked and laughed. Everyone experienced Kirk as a lapdog!

Steve and Beth Head for Belen, New Mexico!

2006-08-06T16:53:00.000-06:00

Steve has received a call as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Belen New Mexico! Belen is located about 30 miles south of Albuquerque on I-25. Beth and Steve are looking forward to a lot of firsts in the next few months: Steve's first solo pastorate, Beth and Steve's first home, AND ... their first child, due in January!! Steve's first Sunday at First will be August 27th.

Ghost Ranch 2006!

2006-08-06T16:20:00.000-06:00

Dwight, Sharon, and granddaughter Kyra enjoyed another wonderful week together at Ghost Ranch in July. Dwight used his study time to write about 20 sermons - enough to get him through the end of year. Sharon took a class on the parables told in Luke 15 - The Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Lost (Prodigal) Son - a class that challenged her and also brought her some peace. Kyra found a friend and they spent the week having fun and enjoying the beauty that is Ghost Ranch. Sharon climbed Chimney Rock again and Kyra says she wants to join her in the hike next year. Steve and Beth also joined us for a couple of days and we all celebrated Steve's 30th birthday during a dinner at Rancho de Chimayo.

Fireworks! July 3rd - Avon, Colorado

2006-07-04T13:59:00.000-06:00

This was our third trip to the Vail Valley for the spectacular July 3rd fireworks display put on by the Town of Avon. The first time we enjoyed this adventure was two years ago, when Steve and Beth were married at Eagle River Presbyterian Church on July 3rd, while Dwight was the Interim Pastor there. Friends Tom and Ruth Powers have hosted our return visits the last two years and we have grown to love this new tradition. Had a wonderful dinner on Sunday at the Powers' home in Edwards, with friends/members of the church, and then viewed the fireworks Monday with Tom and Ruth on a hill above I-70. If you ever have a chance to see this show, don't miss it. Dwight took several great photos of the fireworks, including the one above.

Yellowstone Park - Winter in May!

2006-07-04T13:18:00.000-06:00

Dwight, Sharon, and sisters Donna, Annie, Marcia, and friend Penner traveled to Yellowstone Park over Memorial Day weekend and were treated to 3 days of snow, lots of wildlife, and much fun. It's been nearly 19 years since we moved from Wyoming, but driving through felt like home. It was a wonderful trip. We enjoyed 2 days in Yellowstone, 1 day in Jackson, Wyoming, which included a drive through Grand Teton National Park. The photos above include one of us in front of one of the many waterfalls in Yellowstone Park, a shot of Jackson Lake and the Grand Tetons as we were heading home on the last day (the day the sun finally came out, naturally!), and one of Sharon as we greeted our first day in Yellowstone!

A Visit with Grandfather Gallagher

2006-05-09T12:25:00.000-06:00

Sharon spent a long weekend in Wisconsin at the end of April, staying with Steve and Beth in Appleton. Sharon, Steve and Beth (and Mello, their chocolate lab) spent a day in Madison with Sharon's 88-year-old dad. Other visits included a wonderful dinner in Milwaukee with brother Richard and wife Ann, and another wonderful dinner in Green Bay with sister Kathy and husband Tom. Grandfather is still pretty sharp, but physically weak He is well cared for at Oakwood Village, and receives frequent visits from his pastor, and from the Gallaghers and the Joynts. Beth and Steve have gone down to see him a couple of times, too. Sure wish it could be easier, but if you're blessed with longevity, growing old can be a real challenge.

Sharon Skis Again - 20 Years Later!

2006-01-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right, Sharon decided to try skiing again - 20 years since the last time. Granddaughter Kyra (above with Sharon) is taking 6 weeks of lessons and this was the excuse Sharon needed to get her to try again. So, yesterday was the day - the weather was supposed to be mild (not too cold, not snowing). She hadn't counted on wind, however, and that turned out to be the biggest problem of the day (gusts that shut down chair lifts and took all the warmth the sun would have otherwise provided). It was a difficult day, but Kyra's mom (Angela, along with her sister, Shirin) graciously put up with Sharon's slow but steady progress. Once a pretty good skier, Sharon was plagued by a combination of age, poor muscle tone, and wind that swept most of the snow off the mountain, leaving ice and crusted snow. She was unable to get out of the basic snow plow position and regain her confidence, which meant a lot of physical labor. But ... she did it! And she's quite proud of herself - not bad for an out-of-shape broad of 57 years! After getting home last night, she suffered major leg cramps for a couple of hours, but finally got to sleep. Today, her arms and legs are a little sore, but that's about it. If she does this again, she may try "blades" (really short skis). Angela uses these and says they are a lot easier on the legs.

Happy New Year from Kirk

2006-01-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

Our 19-month-old Great Dane, Kirk, enjoyed a sunny Colorado outing at Chatfield State Park this morning. These shots show him playing with a chocolate lab, walking with Dwight, and enjoying a cup of coffee and donut afterwards with Sharon (note that he thinks he's sitting on her lap!) Kirk garners lots of attention wherever he goes. His size (125 pounds) and gentle personality, added to his puppy-like goofy-ness, cause people to stop to meet him and talk "dog talk" with us. It's so much fun that we often take him to Starbucks on Saturday mornings if the weather is warm enough to sit outside.

Christmas 2005

2006-01-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

Sharon traveled to Wisconsin a few days before Christmas, visited her dad briefly in Madison before driving up to Appleton to stay with Beth and Steve. Sharon and Steve drove to Milwaukee Friday afternoon and visited with brother Richard, Ann and their youngest daughter Catherine. On Saturday morning, Steve, Beth and Sharon headed for breakfast at sister Kathy's home in Green Bay. We enjoyed our visit with Kathy, Tom and three of their sons, Michael, Nathan and Timothy. That evening, Christmas Eve, Steve led the early service at his church in Appleton, then Sharon enjoyed dinner and games at the Johnsons (Beth's sister and family). Steve preached the following morning (a creative and dramatic reading from the perspective of one of the shepherds in the Christmas story) and then he and Sharon and Beth drove down to Madison to spend Christmas afternoon and evening with Grandfather Gallagher. Steve and Beth's chocolate lab, Mello, joined us for the visit and also got to meet Grandfather.

Dwight preached at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant on Christmas morning (in Colorado), enjoyed an afternoon dinner with friends Bill & Pat Shaffer, then flew to Madison that evening. We stayed overnight in Madison, then visited Grandfather one more time before heading up for Appleton where we spent a couple more days with Beth and Steve. They were very sweet to put up with the parents for so long; their home is warm and hospitable and we appreciated the "free rent"!

Our flight home from Madison turned out to be quite a (miserable) adventure. We agreed to give up our seats on our original flight in order to earn two free United ticket vouchers, expecting to get home by around midnight. It meant flying through Chicago, which had been socked in by fog all day (unbeknownst to us) and, long story short, we crawled into bed about 4:00am Thursday morning, Dec 29, and didn't do much the rest of the day except sleep! Sharon hopes to use those free tickets to see her dad again this spring. He's slipping a bit and we're not sure he recognized who all was visiting him, so it's important that she not wait too long before the next trip.

Anniversary Cruise to Baja Mexico!

2005-11-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary with a 4-night cruise and family reunion, November 14-18, with Steve and Beth, Donna (Dwight's sister) and Annie, Marcia (Dwight's sister) and Calvin, and life-long friends Tom & Carmen (who were married by Dwight just two days before the cruise). We all had a wonderful time hanging out with each other (and playing a lot of Skip-Bo!), and visiting San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada, Mexico.

Pictured above - (1) Tom, Carmen, Sharon & Dwight on formal night; (2) Beth, Steve, Dwight and Sharon on the tender from the ship to Catalina Island; (3) Donna, Annie & Beth; (4) Calvin & Marcia; (5) Sharon & Dwight.

Dwight performs wedding for life-long friends

2005-11-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

We traveled to Oxnard, California last weekend so that Dwight could perform the wedding cermony for Tom and Carmen Kruschke on November 12. Tom was the best man at our wedding 34 years ago, and Carmen's family lived on the same street as Dwight's family in the 1950's. Dwight introduced Tom and Carmen during their high school years, and they reconnected 3 years ago after Carmen picked out Tom's email address from a distribution list we used to communicate with friends and family. The wedding was small and simple and held on Mandalay Beach, a 10 minute walk from Tom and Carmen's home, and right behind the Embassy Suites, where we had dinner following the ceremony. Tom and Carmen then honeymooned with the Blackstock family as we cruised from Los Angeles to San Diego, Catalina Island, and Baja Mexico.

Dwight to start new position as Interim Pastor

2005-09-26T12:27:00.000-06:00

Dwight has been invited to serve as the Interim Pastor for Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, Englewood, Colorado (just 11 miles from our home), beginning November 1, 2005. Interim pastors have a critical role in helping congregations adjust after one pastor leaves and anticipate the arrival of a new permanent pastor. Most interim positions last about a year; this one may take a little longer. It will be the first full-time position Dwight has had since leaving Grace Presbyterian Church and going on disability three years ago, and it will be an opportunity for him to see if he is ready to handle the physical demands of full-time work.

If you'd like to know a little more about Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, here's a link to the website: http://presbycov.org/

Dwight bags a trout!

2005-08-27T21:18:00.000-06:00

Dwight and Sharon spent a couple of days near Fairplay, Colorado this week, with friends Jon and Danny Yeagley, who've built a beautiful cabin there. Jon took Dwight fishing at Jefferson Lake and after 18 years of complaining that he'd never caught a fish in Colorado, Dwight finally bagged a couple. Jon did the same and we had a fine trout dinner as our reward.

Memorial Service for Esther Gallagher

2005-08-16T21:50:00.000-06:00

Pictures above: (1) Picture of Mom, circa 1970; (2) Dad surrounded by three of his grandsons; (3) Sharon, Kathy, and Richard, children of Sid and Esther Gallagher, at the memorial service for their mother on August 12th at Luther Memorial Church in Madison.

Sharon and Dwight spent the last week of July in Wisconsin visiting family and celebrating the marriage of nephew Matt and fiance Heidi on the 31st. We were able to spend some time with Sharon's parents as well, and it was pretty evident that Sharon's mother, Esther, age 89, was failing. We were able to use this time to say good-bye to Mom and let her know how much she was loved. We returned home on August 1st and a week later, Mom died. We then flew back to Wisconsin for the remainder of that week which ended with a memorial service on August 12 at Luther Memorial Church in Madison. All 7 of the grandchildren present participated in the service. Brother Richard expressed for both him and Sharon the gratitude we feel for sister Kathy's steadfast care for Mom and Dad over the last six years. Mom fell in 1999, suffered a compression fracture of the spine and never really recovered. Sharon's father, Sid, age 87, is weak physically, but still of pretty sound mind. He misses Mom terribly, even though the last couple of years have been extremely difficult.