WE ARE GOING!!

We did it!! The last $15,000.00 needed to pay for the trip to Washington, DC was received on June 5 at the Cougar Canyon Golf Tournament. We will be getting on the planes on July 3 and the kids will be stepping off at 12 pm EST on July 4. We have heard that CNN will be televising the parade, so be sure to watch for the Trinidad High School Marching Band to make their appearance. If you miss it, when I get back I will try to download the video of them so you all can see it. What a great opportunity for our kids and for us.

We just found out last week that there is room for James to go with us, so this will truly be a family vacation!! Hope to hear from some of you that you saw them on television. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Until we return, may God Bless you all!!

May 26, 2008

Once again I want to spotlight the Trinidad High School Marching Band. Most of all I want you all to see some of the photos that the Colorado Springs Gazette published on their website when they did a great article about the kids fundraising efforts to get to Washington, DC. We owe them a great deal for the article as it has helped bring in over $9000 in donations. I also want you to see why they were invited to particiapte in the National parade, so I have included some of the photos from this year's marching season. I hope you will enjoy them.

Mr. Michael Curro, THS Band Director
Elizabeth

May 23, 2008

As you can see above, the countdown to the National Parade and our trip to Washington, DC has begun. We are all excited to be going and having our kids represent their school, town, and state in the National Parade. Hopefully this will be televised so that all of you will see the entire band marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. Be sure to see if you can see Ben in the trumpet section near the front and watch for Beth in the flutes, she will be the only one playing the piccolo.

We look forward to going and to coming back with lots of photos to share on this blog and on our myspace pages.

Will keep you posted on any changes, until then keep us in your prayers for a safe journey.

May God Bless you all!!

Time Flies

Tomorrow will be our 20th wedding anniversary! I can't believe how time has flown for us. James is 19 and just finished his first year of college, Elizabeth is 17 and will graduate from high school next year and our baby, Ben, is 15 and just completing his freshman year of high school. They have grown so fast and yet I can still remember the way they smelled and how it felt to hold them in my arms and rock them to sleep each night.

If you are a new parent, please take pleasure in each and every moment of their lives while they are babies, because they grow so fast. Do everything you can with them while they grow, make wonderful memories with them. Keep them close don't push them away, if anything, pull them closer and enjoy your time with them.

I treasure every moment and every event I attend with my kids. I have been a Cub Scout and Girl Scout Leader, a chaperone for band events, a soccer coach and anything else I could to be near my kids. I treasure all of the time I have had with them and love to hear from them how much they love me for all I have done with them. They are growing in to fine adults and I believe they will be great parents.

Mother's Day was wonderful, I was treated like a queen. Tonight they gave me my anniversary presents and I cried like a baby at the beautiful words they wrote in the cards.

Just remember that life is not measured by the breaths we take but the moments that take our breath away. I know I wait for moments like that and have had many of them.

God Bless you all!!

THS Marching Band in the News

Please check out these links to see an article that appeared in today's Colorado Springs Gazette and the photo slide show with music and voice commentary from the kids and Mr.Curro concerning the band's efforts to march in Washington, DC July 4, 2008!!

http://www. gazette. com/articles/march_35973___article. html/money_raising.html

www. gazette. com/interactives/trinidadband

I think you will enjoy both of them. I know the kids in the photos will enjoy seeing themselves and hearing the music they were playing.

Sad News

We learned today that David's cousin, Earl Steffen, from Fairbury, Illinois was the lone individual killed in the multiple car accident that occurred on May 1 in eastern Colorado. Earl was a God loving man who had a huge heart. Our love and support goes out to Earl's family especially his loving wife Betty. Rest in Peace Earl, we love you!

Crown Financial

David and I have begun a new bible study that is designed to help us learn to use money in the ways God intended. The study is called Crown Financial Ministries. For ten weeks we will be taught how God wants us to use the riches he has given us. We are so excited to see if we can find true financial freedom and to be blessed by God even more than we already are. We will also be learning to be content with what we have, something that has long eluded us.

I pray all of you will be praying for us as we study and learn so that we will get the most out of this and come out the other side better stewards of the Lord's money and that we learn to live within his guidelines for our lives. We will be praying for all of you, that God may shine his light upon your lives and bless you as richly as he has blessed us.

Will keep you posted on our lives and our study. With much love to all our family and friends, God Bless you all!