Me at the helm of the sailboat on Flathead Lake
Our Wild Women 4.2 group (4.2 stands for 4th year, 2nd group this year).
Wild Women are as follows: (back row)Heather Frederickson, Erica Campbell, Kris Cross, Marilyn Stoesz, Kendra Grev, Michelle Caravatt, Me (front row) Asha Wyatt, Dawn Matejka, Vicki Eatwell, Brandee Jepsen, Dawn Dederman. Missing is Kristina Nelson whom we picked up on our way in Jackson, MN. (sorry if I misspelled any names)
One lovely person who is not in this picture either is Bernice, who was on bended knee for us while we were in Montana. Bernice Wall is 73 I believe and went on this trip last year. She is a ferocious prayer warrior and we brought our concerns, fears and adventures to her so she knew how to pray for us. I know for a fact, that the concerns I gave her were brought to the Lord and He got me through this trip. The things I was concerned about were completely washed away - literally. Once we were there, I had no fears about being in Montana and doing the things that we did. Amazing how God handles things when you put your trust in Him!!
Our sleeping quarters at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp (we did have mattresses to sleep on which were about 3" thick and actually weren't that bad to sleep on)
This was our sailing vessel. They split us up into 2 groups, but this was the sailboat that I was on
The high ropes course at FLBC. This is about 34 feet in the air and I was the only one that didn't do this. I ended up with a very bad sleep-deprived headache this morning and slept in. I managed to watch some of the gals up there, and I think that if we would have been able to go up in the afternoon, I probably would've tried it just to say I did it, but as it was, I didn't.
This is beautiful Flathead Lake
And Devils Tower in Wyoming.
I thought I would be ahead of myself and get these pictures put in here in order, but as it turns out they aren't, so I apologize for that. Also, I ended up not taking that many pictures because when we went hiking at Glacier national park, I forgot my camera at camp, so I only had my phone camera to take pictures with. And I need to figure out how to download those yet to the computer. Also, we figured that we would combine all of our pictures and give everyone a CD with all the pictures on it so we would have a big assortment of pictures for everyone. And we haven't got the CD yet.
We took off on Tuesday, the 29th and got to FLBC on Wed. afternoon. Thursday we went hiking on beautiful Glacier national park and went on the Hidden Lake trail. Its about 3 miles total (1 1/2 miles one way) to get to the Hidden Lake that is in the mountains there. Its absolutely gorgeous and we actually hiked through snow. None of us were expecting that as the previous group said there was a little bit of snow, but this was more than a little bit of snow. It was a beautiful cool day to hike as most of us were in long sleeved tops or light jackets. Last year the group said there was no snow up there and they roasted going on the trails. It was very hot. So we were fortunate to have it be cool out. The highlight of this day was actually sliding down the mountain on garbage bags (supplied by Kendra) in the snow. We had a blast doing it and it was something I definitely think I would do at the age of 38 (maybe when I was 20 or so, but not now!) That was the point that I decided that my life needed to start changing.
Friday we went sailing in the morning and then white water rafting in the afternoon. Sailing left a lot to be desired for me only because of the winds we had out there. I was made "helmsman" and didn't like handling the wheel when the winds picked up even more. Katie, our captain was trying to get the sails down and really wanted to relinquish my position at the wheel to someone else, but no one else knew how to steer the boat, so I was there til Katie could take over. The other group had their sail tear and they headed to shore early. The rafting was awesome and I would strongly encourage anyone to do it if they possibly can. If you are familiar with "stages" or "categories" for rapids, the first 2 we went through were about 2 or 3, but the final rapids were a stage 4. Those were pretty good rapids and our guide told us that if we'll flip, those will be the rapids. Well, needless to say, we didn't flip and neither did the other 1/2 of our group. Thank goodness. Although another raft with a couple families on there did flip and the kids were in the water, but the kids did surprisingly well considering what had happened. We had a fabulous time and I remember feeling very invigorated after that! It was a lot of fun and I would do it again in a heart beat!
Saturday was the high ropes course there at camp, and because I had a sleep deprived headache (I wasn't used to staying up past 10 every night, waking up around 6:00 or so and then being on the go so much every day, plus sleeping at night wasn't exactly an easy 8 hours of good sleep). So I knew I needed to just sleep a little bit and then I would be ready to go and that's all I needed.
Going to Montana was definitely a life changing experience and the Wild Women I went with were certainly some of the most special women I have gotten to know in a long time. All of us had different reasons on going on this adventure, and we ended up getting some great friendships on the way.
One of the biggest things I learned (which I have always known, but have not always been able to see for myself), is the power of prayer. We had keys lost, fanny packs lost and numerous other things or ways we needed prayer. Everytime we got on our knees to pray, our prayer was answered. Almost instantly. It was amazing what God was trying to teach us out there! To put our trust in Him and He would show us the way. How cool was that?!?!
While I was out there, I was challenged to what would be in my bucket list and I decided that my bucket list wouldn't consist of things I would do before I die, but rather the things I would accomplish in my lifetime. Needless to say, those things are being written down, changed, crossed off and added too all the time. The list will be never ending, but my life will be changed because of this fantastic trip!
Thank you for all your prayers! I definitely felt them while I was there!
Martin and Josiah acting goofy in Old Navy. Of course Martin would tell you that Josiah put him up to that, but we all know differently don't we?! wink wink
The boys both got brand new bikes this weekend. Josiah got his on Sunday and Isaac just got his today. And yes, you are not seeing things, they are identical. Well, there will be one difference for sure - that will be the height of the seat on Isaac's bike - it will be higher than Josiah's bike. That and Isaac says that Josiah's bike already has a scratch on it. 
In front of the MN Institute of Art
Josiah in front of the cute puppy
the boys at the Mall of America trying their hands at getting some stuffed animals (like they need any more of those?). Needless to say, they didn't win anything and walked away disappointed - atleast for a little bit. 
