Courageous Joy

Day 10Whit’s End, Garden of the Gods, Birthday Celebrations

{connection is being touchy - I'll try photos after I get today's entry loaded too. } LOL

This is another day that was packed as full as possible.

We began our adventures at the Welcome Center of Focus on the Family. If you ever visit the Colorado Springs area, this is worth a visit. I’ve not agreed with all that Dr. Dobson has said over the years…but I HAVE always 100% endorsed his vision of strengthening the family. The Welcome Center has something for everyone. We enjoyed the art, the explanations of various aspects of their ministry (which is much broader than it was the last time I really followed it), and of course Whit’s End.

The basement is amazing…..Scenes from various Adventures in Odyssey, Last Chance Detective and Narnia are set up. There is a giant 2 or 3 story slide for kids (75 feet); all for FREE. Whit’s End serves reasonable meals. There’s a picnic area where you can picnic. I was impressed that they’ve made their headquarters such an inviting place for families; affordable to all.

We picked up samples to various magazines that I’ve heard pros and cons on for years. ::snort:: I’m interested to find out what the Focus Institute is all about. Oh yes, the book shop. We picked up 3 more AinO volumes, a computer game and a Father Gilbert book on audio. They had ipods with all the AinO pre-loaded…made me think….hmmm. They give a 10% military discount.
We drove over to Garden the Gods next. This is an old Ute camping ground. There are amazing rock formations of various sizes and shapes. We drove a bit, walked a lot and drove a bit more. This was also FREE.

Next we headed for Dairy Queen. Did I mention that we decided to celebrate Stacia’s 3rd birthday today?

Back on base we stocked up at the commissary and made sure the girl’s car was ready for the trip back to WA.

We played a few games, sang Happy Birthday and gave Stacia a gift we’d found in Westcliffe and a Barbie from BreAnne.

©2008 D.R.G.