Waldo Canyon Fire - Up Close and Personal

Below are some images of the Waldo Canyon Fire. Most are taken from Manitou Springs, less than a mile from where the fire started. The fire came as close as 0.7 miles from the edge of the town; about a mile from my house. We were evacuated at 1:00am on June 24th, 2012. We were allowed to voluntarily return to our homes at 8:00pm that evening. We remained on pre-evacuation status until the fire was contained.

The night of June 26th, as has been commonly coined, The Fire Storm, we sat in a restaurant just down the street from Garden of the Gods around 5:00pm. Outside, ash fell in chunks and you couldn't see further than 100 yards. As we tried to make our way west on Garden of the Gods rd, all roads were blocked and we were diverted south. Within an hour, the fire moved down into Mountain Shadows, just blocks from where we had been eating.

There has been a constant whirr of helicopters and C1-30's. The fire truck sirens became a white noise in the background of the day. I am thankful for the consistent work of the fire fighters and their protection as they continue to contain what is left of the fire.

Myself and my neighbor - taken at about 12:30p on June 23rd

Close up at 12:30pm on June 23rd, 2012

Photo at 1:30pm on June 23rd, 2012

Photo at 3:00pm on June 23rd

Taken from my parking lot at about 3:00p

Too dark to really seen anything, but as soon as it went dark, the mountain range surrounding Manitou glowed red - this was taken from my porch at about 10:00pm on June 23rd.

This was taken, late morning, June 26th, 2012 from Garden of the Gods. Later this evening, the fire moved into Mountain Shadows of Colorado Springs. 

The fire just behind Garden of the Gods.

Late afternoon, June 26th, 2012 image from the Broadmoor Hotel.

Over 1500 firefighters descended on the fire over the next 10 days. Many fields near the fire became campgrounds for the first responders. We were so thankful for every single one of them and their safety.

Days 3 + 4 - Without a sink

Coffee/caffeine have not really been on my mind the past few days, but here's something that has...

My dad came up to visit for a few days this week and he noticed that my bathroom sink was breaking under its own weight. It had become a safety hazard. I had to fix my sink. I got into my car, drove to the nearest Home Depot, grabbed my cart and walked to the "bathroom" section of the store. Before me was an entire aisle of bathroom sinks. I strolled the aisle and found the one that would fit best. The best part, it was only $70.00. Sink, cabinet, faucet and matching mirror. Great deal.

We drove back, adjusted the pipes and and slid the new cabinet into place. A few hours went by and we discovered .... I had a leak in my new sink and we didn't have the fitting we needed to fix it. Which meant .... no sink. For the past two days, my kitchen sink has worked double duty.

As of 10 o'clock this evening, I have a brand new sink that works perfectly ... for under $100.00.

According to Charitywater.org, "In Africa alone, people spend 40 billion hours every year just walking for water. Women and children usually bear the burden of water collection, walking miles to the nearest source, which is unprotected and likely to make them sick."

For the past two days, I would walk the additional 15 steps, to use the sink in my kitchen. In comparison to what 1 billion people do everyday just to have water (not even clean water), is astonishing. Charity:water works to build wells for entire communities to have clean water, within every village.

Check out Charity:water - sponsor a well, to learn more!

Day 2 ....

....Honestly, I would have settled for either. I never mind an early morning, especially with a Starbucks stop thrown in. Today, began at 3.45am, without the usual pitstop.

- Team 2 back on the road for a 2 week East Coast tour as of 5am

- Last minute final details with our first PA stop around 7.45

- In the Summit office by 8.30

- Take the car to the shop at 11

- Back to the office at noon

- Off work by 5

- Short time babysitting my favorite little neighbors

- Writing a blog at 12.10a

I love what I do. I only wished for coffee about 3 times ... okay, maybe 7. It's amazing when you give something up for a short time - it's the one thing you want the most. Yet, if I didn't have clean water, I might be one of the one billion people today who wished for water.

We are blessed to have clean water whenever we want. Check out charity:water and see how you might share the wealth.

10 Days Without .... Day 1

Water is just coffee that hasn’t reached its full potential.

10 Days Without ... Caffeine.

As my co-worker, Daniel, goes 10 days without shoes ... I’ve decided to go ten days without caffeine. I know what you’re thinking ... “So what? It’s not like coffee is a big deal.... ten days? that’s nothing!” Sure, that’s what I thought too.

I realize, that means no Starbucks, no via, no espresso, no lattes.... No french press, no keurig, no seattle's best, no blue bottle. You see, I. LOVE. COFFEE.

Every morning, I walk into the office with my 20 oz. mug of “whatever I brewed that morning,” or my grande decaf macchiato that I managed to pick up at my local Starbucks on my way in. I have a Starbucks Gold Card, my baristas know me by name. New employees ask me which Starbucks I work at. It’s not an obsession, I just love coffee.

I decided to take a 10 day break from all caffeine. This means coffee, tea, coffee, chocolate, and coffee. One reason is for my own health, somewhat of a fully body caffeine detox. The second reason is to take advantage of the one thing we take for granted ... water.

Did you know that “one in eight people drink water that will likely make them sick?” Charity:Water works to bring safe drinking water to developing nations. 100% of donations go straight to bringing clean drinking water to those developing nations.

If we give up 4 lattes, we can give one person clean drinking water. If you’d like to join me in this cause you can donate here.

It's been awhile ... So, Happy Thanksgiving!

I know it's been a long time. Okay, a few years. Here is what's going on during the summer of 2011!

Franklin Road - Round 2

AXiS had the opportunity to return to Novi, MI this semester and spend a week at retreat with the students of Franklin Road Christian School. Below, I have posted a photo of my small group girls from 2008 and then a photo from this year’s retreat. I love my Freshman and Sophomore girls!

Summer 2008

Summer 2009

Not only did we reconnect with the students, we also kicked off our new presentation, called theTHREADS. In this presentation, we looked at the big ideas in our culture and how to engage those ideas in both truth and love.

On The Road Again!

It's official, Fall 2009 is in full swing for AXiS. The next few entries will be the Dove Real Beauty Slideshows for all of the venues we have visited thus far this semester. The first video is of the beautiful ladies from Grace Outreach Center, in Rio Rancho, NM.