In memory of our friend, Zonya Campbell

Our friend, Zonya Campbell, went home to heaven August 17. Cancer had invaded her body and God, in His wisdom, chose not to heal her. We don't understand His reasons, but we know He doesn't make mistakes. Zonya and her family are very special people. We feel blessed to have known them and fellowshiped with them. Together we enjoyed many meals, picnics, snack times, lots of volleyball games, popcorn, bonfires, even a hay ride, several hikes, lots of songs, much laughter, some games, and lots of visits and testimonies of God's leading in our lives. Zonya had such a cheerful and grateful spirit; she was creative in many types of crafts. She loved the outdoors, gardening, singing, making something special out of what other people did not value. She homeschooled her children and taught her girls to cook, sew, crochet, and keep house.
Here is a picture of her family, minus their older son, from sometime in 2005.

Their family are quite the walkers and hikers and this is a picture taken one evening when we and other church families went on a mountain hike with them. Never mind that it rained cats and dogs and we were all soaked when we got back to the trail head! Zonya has an arrow pointing toward her.

Labor Day in 2005, we spent the day together in Rocky Mountain National Park. Here we are at the top of Trail Ridge. Zonya has the arrow pointing to her again.

For 2005 Christmas, the Campbells wanted to do a Living Nativity for the community. This picture is special to me because the little girls in the picture are the girls I have babysat all their lives. They were experiencing baby Jesus and mother Mary (Zonya) up close and personal.

Zonya's funeral and burial last Friday brought blessing through the tears. She has finished her race and won the prize--she's at home with Jesus in Heaven. I'm anxious to go there too. Don, Isaac, Hannah, Abigail, and Phineas are in our prayers as they learn how to live without the wife and mother in their family. God's grace will hold them.

Janet's birthday

We are privileged to live very near the Rocky Mountains and like to take advantage of that fact by having picnics in the mountains frequently. Last evening, since we wanted to do something special for my birthday, we took a picnic to the hills. On the way, we passed this beautiful sunflower field. It was so gorgeous that we stopped and took pictures of it with the backdrop of the mountains we love. This was a couple of miles east of Loveland on State Highway 402.

We drove up the Big Thompson Canyon, past Drake, and up Glen Haven Road. It is a slower, more scenic route to Estes Park than Highway 34. If you ever get a chance and have time, take this road. The speed limit is 25-35, so it does take longer, but it is very enjoyable. If you go on to Estes, you will get to experience two switchbacks that are very exciting to drive! We were not going to Estes last evening, but stopped at one of the picnic areas about 13 minutes past Drake.

Our favorite places to picnic have the river running beside them. We love the sound of the river. This is our second favorite place on Glen Haven road. There were too many people at the other one, and this one was empty except for us. We were eating homemade chicken fajitas, lettuce salad, potato salad, tomatoes, and chocolate zucchini cake for dessert.

Mountains and birthdays are cause for pictures, so I'll share a few of the many that we took after supper.

Besides lots of mountain picnics, we want our children to always remember that we love each other!

Next to our relationship to God, our marriage is our most treasured relationship.





Jeffrey, our 18 year old, who had his first day working at ACE Hardware on my birthday!

Beth, (almost 16) who missed our last 2 mountain picnics because she was in NC!

Jason will be 14 on Saturday!

Emily, 11.5, who got 5 baby teeth pulled last week because they refused to come out on their own!



Janet, 48, and still too young to drink coffee!

The sign by our picnic area--so you will know where to stop for your Northern Colorado Rockies picnic!