my mom gave me an amazing birthday present...she sent me to denver to visit my dear friends the lafleurs and rutts. mike and i became friends with mark & jenna and jake & mandy during our time in seattle at grad school. now they all live in the denver area (a fun coencidence!)
this trip was really good for my heart...to reconnect with some of my favorite people, to be a new place to step into another year, to soak up sunshine (yes, people of michigan the sun still exists!)
here's the lafleur family...last time we saw mark and jenna they were pregnant with their first baby. now they are an amazing family of five. mark is a full-time therapist and jenna is at home with the three lil' ones. i got to spend the day with jenna and see some pieces of the lafleur's life...
my time with jenna really refreshed me and inspired me. we got to share our lives over cups of tea (jenna has a beautiful way to make tea an experience) and she shared her art of journaling/scrapbooking. looking over the way she took paper, ribbons, pictures, words to create a storybook has helped inspire me to keep up with my journaling.
this trip was really good for my heart...to reconnect with some of my favorite people, to be a new place to step into another year, to soak up sunshine (yes, people of michigan the sun still exists!)
here's the lafleur family...last time we saw mark and jenna they were pregnant with their first baby. now they are an amazing family of five. mark is a full-time therapist and jenna is at home with the three lil' ones. i got to spend the day with jenna and see some pieces of the lafleur's life...
my time with jenna really refreshed me and inspired me. we got to share our lives over cups of tea (jenna has a beautiful way to make tea an experience) and she shared her art of journaling/scrapbooking. looking over the way she took paper, ribbons, pictures, words to create a storybook has helped inspire me to keep up with my journaling.
their children are beautiful! and have delightful personalities...emma saige
asher
rohan (when saying good-bye to me he asked when i'd be coming back...i hope real soon!)
mark was one of mike's dearest friends in seattle...i can still hear them greeting each other with "hey guy!" with a mutual love for coffee and pipes they shared many laughs and honest moments. i love this picture from graduation cause it captures how mark could make mike laugh.
oh the rutts! not sure where to begin about our friendship with jake and mandy...they have been some of our best friends since seattle. and they loved mike...they delighted in him, loved his michael w. smith impersonations, believed in him. we shared a lot of fun memories of mike and our times together as friends. it helped me feel closer to him, to be able to feel the joy of mike's presence in our lives.
this picture was taken the day we left seattle to move back to grand rapids...we HATED leaving our friends!
mandy and jake are the best hosts! they treated me a like queen during my trip...mandy is a gifted cook and can make anything taste like it's from a five star resturant. jake just puts me at ease and is a good man. we spent a lot of time just hanging out, catching up, eating. one day we did go for a hike near red rocks. here's one of me and mandy...did i mention i love this girl??? (plus this is her blog debut...she's been waiting to be featured)
jake & mandy...oh how i wished we lived closer!
one of the most beautiful persons i know...
red rocks...jake was one of mike's favorite backpacking partners. being out in the colorado wilderness it was hard to not imagine these two scaling the mountain trails. jake shared that he considers mike one of his heroes, the way he genuinely pursued and cared for people. i know that mike was a better person for knowing jake (and mandy). i can just see the joy in mike's face, saying "hey guy!", embracing the rutts.
how fun that jake and mandy live on "powers" street...
the SUN!!!!!!
me in the sun....it's very tempting to think about moving to denver.
well, mike should have been in denver with me. for the past year we've been talking about making a trip out there...but life happens and there are those "shoulda, coulda, woulda's". i heard the other day that losing a spouse changes your friendships, especially with your married friends. it's not the same and you lose those bonds. the lafleurs and the rutts affirmed to me that they will remain in my life, to continue to be my friend and to continue to honor mike.
can't wait to visit again friends! and again a HUGE thanks to my mom...you blessed me!
asher
rohan (when saying good-bye to me he asked when i'd be coming back...i hope real soon!)
mark was one of mike's dearest friends in seattle...i can still hear them greeting each other with "hey guy!" with a mutual love for coffee and pipes they shared many laughs and honest moments. i love this picture from graduation cause it captures how mark could make mike laugh.
oh the rutts! not sure where to begin about our friendship with jake and mandy...they have been some of our best friends since seattle. and they loved mike...they delighted in him, loved his michael w. smith impersonations, believed in him. we shared a lot of fun memories of mike and our times together as friends. it helped me feel closer to him, to be able to feel the joy of mike's presence in our lives.
this picture was taken the day we left seattle to move back to grand rapids...we HATED leaving our friends!
mandy and jake are the best hosts! they treated me a like queen during my trip...mandy is a gifted cook and can make anything taste like it's from a five star resturant. jake just puts me at ease and is a good man. we spent a lot of time just hanging out, catching up, eating. one day we did go for a hike near red rocks. here's one of me and mandy...did i mention i love this girl??? (plus this is her blog debut...she's been waiting to be featured)
jake & mandy...oh how i wished we lived closer!
one of the most beautiful persons i know...
red rocks...jake was one of mike's favorite backpacking partners. being out in the colorado wilderness it was hard to not imagine these two scaling the mountain trails. jake shared that he considers mike one of his heroes, the way he genuinely pursued and cared for people. i know that mike was a better person for knowing jake (and mandy). i can just see the joy in mike's face, saying "hey guy!", embracing the rutts.
how fun that jake and mandy live on "powers" street...
the SUN!!!!!!
me in the sun....it's very tempting to think about moving to denver.
well, mike should have been in denver with me. for the past year we've been talking about making a trip out there...but life happens and there are those "shoulda, coulda, woulda's". i heard the other day that losing a spouse changes your friendships, especially with your married friends. it's not the same and you lose those bonds. the lafleurs and the rutts affirmed to me that they will remain in my life, to continue to be my friend and to continue to honor mike.
can't wait to visit again friends! and again a HUGE thanks to my mom...you blessed me!
3 comments:
it's so wonderful to 'meet' these beautiful people who have blessed you and mike's lives. thank you for sharing these reflections...love, kristin
Dear, dear, Kelly.
Wow. Just reading about your friends and seeing these photos did something to MY heart. I can imagine your cup had to be overflowing after such a time as this. What a huge blessing. I am so happy that you had this trip! Even just to feel the sun and warmth compared to what we Michigander's experienced the last couple of weeks. Girl, you are immensely loved by God and His people. We all desire that you be able to drink deeply during times of refreshment like this. I'm praying for you and hoping to meet you sometime soon.
I am so glad you had such a wonderful trip to Denver. The photos are amazing!! Great friends are such a blessing.
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