What a Wonderful Gift

I was thinking the other day about music and what an emotive tool it can be. I've thought about the different types of music I've listened to and recalled how I felt when I listened to them. Before I joined the Navy my life was an absolute shambles so I took solace in "The Final Cut" by Pink Floyd. In high school I would channel my angst through Ozzy Osbourne. I was so troubled during that time that I craved something much harder but couldn't find it. When I was only allowed to listen to Christian music while growing up, I always sought the hardest I could find like Stryper, Rez, and Bride (I think it's a riot that Stryper has come out with a new album!).

It's funny how it is now. Of the music I listen to now, I enjoy the music but don't necessarily channel emotions through it. I still like Ozzy and Pink Floyd, and have even taken on some of the new rock (I can't help it, I'm a rocker at the core), but it's just music to me now. The other night we were watching a video that Trey's and Katy's friend Bekah sent to Katy where a choral jazz group from Slovenia called Perpetuum Jazzile covered "Africa" by Toto (from the 80's) and did a fantastic medley of Bee Gees music. As I sang the songs along with the group, it brought back some good memories. It's funny how you forget the bad memories that happened during adolescence when Jesus' Holy Spirit begins renewing your mind. You remember the innocent diversions, recall only enough of the bad ones to see God's grace in your life, and can enjoy the art that music is unhindered by other people's opinions and judgments.

My kids astonish me. My oldest son likes the music I grew up on: Led Zeppelin, Bee Gees, Journey, and even likes dance R & B like Earth, Wind, and Fire. The other night we played "Beth" by Kiss over and over again! Kate's into the pop stuff, but that goes with age and personality I guess. Regardless, her interests really make her a likable kid.

Hymns, Christian, and church music has much more meaning to me. During our Thanksgiving Eve service a week ago Wednesday, I went through spells where I couldn't sing from just the emotion that our Thanksgiving hymns evoked. Sheila had a hard time too. Hymns have such a way of providing artistic imagery which can convey God's greatness and majesty, His love and care, His grace and mercy, and His justice and might. Music allows us to express in a finite way, God's infinity and splendor where words can fail and fall short of melting our hearts. I think that's why He gave it to us. When my heart is cold, an old or modern hymn can speak through me until my heart melts and begins to stand behind what I already know in my head: God is great and worthy of praise, and He loves me though I have nothing to recommend myself to Him.

Pride and Prejudice was a neat medium for music this year. For the first time I heard songs that enhanced and reinforced themes in the story. I love the story, but the music made it better. When Mary sings "The Girl Born Plain," or when Darcy and Elizabeth sing "First Impressions," it just makes the production much better. I really hope to see this again in a nationally recognized venue some day. The play and music were just that good. It was a pleasure to help with the support staff so I could see bits of it every night.

I've rambled enough, but it was something I wanted to put to "ink." God bless us one and all.

My Parents' Visit

My mom and dad came to visit us early this month which was a very pleasant time. They arrived on the first of November and stayed until the following Sunday morning. It was a very busy time as Pride & Prejudice was just about in full swing, which took up most of Sheila's evenings, limiting the amount of time she and the kids got to spend. Trey originally was going to be with me, Mom, and Dad, but he volunteered to run spotlight.

Dad had a conference in Denver that he would attend for most of the week, but it gave them funds for coming out. Dad took the FREX (Front Range Express) to Denver for 2 out of 3 of his conference days. It's a neat bus that runs hourly and costs about $14 round trip. It has luxury seating and even has WiFi. I took leave that week which I'm glad of. Otherwise we would have had very little time together.

For events, we took them to Pride & Prejudice's opening night (to see their grandkids act), out to the Sangre de Cristos on Friday, a hockey game on Friday night, and the Army/Air Force football game on Saturday. It was a great visit and we look forward to seeing them again.

Bass Pro and Pride & Prejudice

Alright, I promise I'm going to get better about blogging. I'm learning that small updates are better than none at all. Besides, Sheila updates you all so much better, but here are some goodies that I'll post and then I hope to tell you about my parent's visit with us week before last. This entry is about culture and culture on the skids.
Pride and Prejudice was performed at my church for the last two weeks and I had the opportunity to get involved with it, mostly setting up concessions and sitting with the townskid extras. Today has been sad knowing that there won't be anymore performances or rehearsals. Most of the actors and crew don't go to our church, but they are very special to me in addition to the fact that I love the story itself. There were producer scouts at this thing who are interested in trying to get this thing to Broadway. If it ever gets there, you owe it to yourself to see it. Music is such and emotive device, and when used with such a great story, it is greatly enhanced. I give glory to God first, then I give my complements to Karen Hamer and Abby Carsich for such a great production (also everyone else too). Some of those kids may go to Village Seven Pres for church, but I still think of them as covenant kids. You can't help but love them! I don't have any play pix of Kate, but Sheila does. See her blog!
These gals play Elizabeth and Jane Bennett. The fellow plays Mr. Darcy who John played the younger of when Darcy is writing to Lizzie.
These pix are from our vacation this past summer when we went to Bass Pro in Leeds, Alabama. I must have one of those recliners! The Bible is for reading in the tree stand. Not even the Devil can spot that one. Otherwise it'd have to be blaze orange!

What I Did For My Summer Vacation

Alright, I know I haven't updated in forever. Besides, I don't know who even reads this blog anyway, but for those of you who still do, here is what I did for my summer vacation.

In June I took the rest of the family (Trey was in Mississippi) on a TAD/TDY to the D.C. area. I had a course to go to in Bethesda, so Sheila, Katy, and the boys stayed with friends in Annapolis and Fort Belvoir while I attended the school. It was great! I stayed in a nice Holiday Inn in Gaithersburg, MD, so I slept well, ate well, and unfortunately, worked on a term paper. At least I finished the paper and it kept me out of trouble with my fellow Chiefs. The first Friday of the course we went to the Capitol Building for a tour. One of our fellow Chiefs works in the Office of the Attending Physician and we were actually able to get gallery passes and learn what goes on there during special events. It was very informative. Thankfully, Congress wasn't in session. I suspect it would have been a waste of time if the were. We learned that it was hard, but we could drive straight through the night if we needed to in order to get to where we were going.

The next three weeks after we got back from Bethesda, we spent recuperating and catching up on my office work. I spent a great deal of time working on the lectures for my seminary class. With the paper behind me, I only had to worry about getting the lectures done, the exams, and finishing the required reading. I finished my final the day before we departed to go to Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.

Prior to leaving, we took the van in for an oil change and tire rotation and were greeted with the horrible news that our front struts were blown and it would be over a $1000 to get them replaced along with the brake work that had to be done due to the strut fluid causing the front rotors to warp. They fixed it, but when we picked it up the next day, there was a crack in the windshield, possibly from the frame being flexed during the compressing of the strut springs. We couldn't get the windshield replaced until the afternoon of the day we were to leave. Knowing this, we knew we were not going to be able to spend the night in a hotel on the way. Thankfully, the Bethesda trip prepared us for this not-as-long all-nighter we would have to do.

Mississippi was pleasant. We had a great time visiting with Sheila's aunt and cousins. We got to go to First Presbyterian Jackson that Sunday which is always a treat to us. Ligon Duncan was on sabbatical, so Derrick Thomas preached. Fantastic! There's something about excellent preaching enhanced with a Welsh accent! Weight Watchers gets a holiday for Jerry's Catfish House all-you-can-eat catfish!

Birmingham was a lot of fun. We stayed with my in-laws who are always very hospitable to me (I'm a lucky son-in-law). We had much fun with extended family. We went bowling with Sheila's sister's family, the McWayne Center, swimming at my folks place, visiting with my uncle and cousins (I'd not seen one of them in many years), Mexican food night, etc.





In Georgia, we had our customary vacation-from-vacation-before-we-go-back as the Wichterselfs. We went to the beach, got sunburned, had our traditional double-date, listened to eighties dance music, karaoke, and just hanging out. While we were there we visited some friends from North Carolina who have moved there recently. So many of our friends are moving to Georgia now. It was great to visit with Kevin and Cheryl and get caught up. There new place is beautiful.


When we got back, it took me three weeks to get caught up with all of the work I missed. I finished my seminary course on vacation, so I didn't have that to worry about upon our return. Chief's Induction season has started. I preached (you can hear it on www.forestgate.org; I'll post a link on the side) and youth group is back to full swing. John and Katy are in the church's musical production of Pride and Prejudice, and football season has begun. It's good to be back home.

Tattoo You

Katy got a henna tattoo kit for Christmas and just opened it up as she was saving it for a special occasion. I guess she got tired of waiting because she's been tattooing everything! First, she did her ankle, then she did a butterfly on her thigh. They turned out quite nice and then she said she would tattoo me. Today she did Sheila's foot. I told her that though she might have a gift for this, she should still seek a different vocation. Kate just wouldn't look right working at a tattoo studio.

The Little Engine That Could

This past weekend Sheila and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary! It was actually Sunday, but we left Friday after we put Amy and the girls on a plane back to Alabama, and stayed in Canyon City, Colorado.

I booked us a room at the Jewel of the Canyon Bed and Breakfast which was not only the most elegant lodging in the city, but was also the best value. We stayed in the Red Rocks Canyon Room which was decorated in red. The breakfast was very fine as well and we enjoyed chatting with the other guests that had stayed the night.
Before we checked in Friday, we drove up to the Royal Gorge Park. Though the scenery around it was pretty, the park didn't seem nice enough to put out a lot of money to spend time there. The main attraction is the suspension bridge built in the early 1900's, 1050 feet above the Arkansas River. On our way back we drove along Skyline Drive which was built by the local prisoners back in the 1920's (Canyon City has a prison there that helps support the economy).

After we checked into the B & B, Sheila and I went to the local microbrewery a couple of blocks from the B & B called McClellan's. They had excellent beer and food and was most reasonably priced. After we went back to the B & B, we hung out in the garden and on the front porch watching the bees work.
After we checked out the next day, we went to Walmart to get some things, went to lunch at Merlino's (not recommended) for Italian, and then went the Holy Cross Abbey Winery for wine tasting and spending a fortune for special occassion wine for the next year. After going back to the Walmart to get a cooler and some ice to keep the wine cool, we went to have coffee at a local coffee cafe for mochas and scones. Once we were done there, we went to the train depot for our dinner ride aboard the Royal Gorge Route train.
The dinner aboard the train was spectacular and the view was magnificent. We both had prime rib, salads, and cheesecake. They charge extra for the vista dome car, but I think we got better atmosphere in the dining car. The vista dome decor is somewhat like a Denny's while the dining car was elegantly decorated in the early 1900's motif. Each way out and back they stopped the train on the hanging bridge which is in the heart of the gorge. The Arkansas River was a half-foot below flood stage with all the rain we've received, so the water was really rushing.
It was a great anniversary away. We slept in through Sunday School and when we arrived at church, we were greeted with the good news that some of our young friends got engaged to be married. It sure was a mushy weekend!

Old Man Mountain Showing Us Who's Boss

This past weekend John, Randy, and I went to Mt Elbert with a buddy of mine from the Navy, Shawn, and his daughter Ashley. It took us about three hours to get there from the Springs, but as they say, getting there is half the fun. In this case it was beautiful. Shawn appreciated the fact that I was driving, so I had to let him get the pix, but I'll add them to this post when I get the pictures from him. Mt Elbert is the highest peak in Colorado and is the second tallest peak in the 48 contiguous states. Its actual height is 14,433 ft.
We set up camp at one of the most beautiful campsites I've ever been at. Our campsite was right next to Elbert Creek which flows into the Halfmoon Creek. Creeks in Colorado roar, so we had that sound to sing us to sleep at night. An old buddy of Shawn's from high school who lives close by also came out to see us. While the two of them caught up, I grilled burgers and dogs for supper. If you look past the camp and through the trees, you can see the creek rushing by. After supper, the kids made smores and then we brushed their teeth and sent them to bed. I've been sick, so I turned in with the boys.

The next morning after breakfast, we took off up the mountain. The starting elevation is at 10,050 ft which is already an altitude where one can get hypoxic who isn't acclimatized to the "Rocky Mountain high." We climbed a couple of miles below the tree line before emerging into some of the most beautiful scenery. We didn't know because my phone was turned off (yes, I could get a signal out there. I use Sprint and I expect a discount on my next bill for the plug), that a storm was coming in. Sheila had tried to contact us, but we suspected nothing because of all the people who were climbing the mountain that day.


Once we emerged from the treeline, we entered the alpine tundra. The tundra meadow had many pretty little wild flowers as well as alpine tundra lichen. This stuff expands its growth only about an inch every so many years, so if it is damaged, it takes a very long time to grow back. Above the tundra meadow was the boulder field. This was where it began to be very challenging. We were already hypoxic so we could only go so far before having to stop for a break. Our hands were purple by this time and our nail beds were blue. When we reached the first false summit, we discovered to our dismay that there were two more before we would reach the summit. By this time it had started snowing. The kids were wanting to turn back and after making that decision, realized it was the wisest one. As we descended, we were snowed upon, then came driving sleet which pelted and reddened our skin. As we got within 300 yards of the treeline, it began raining and continued to do so as the temperature dropped, all the way back down the mountain. When we made it back to camp, we were soaked and the temperature had dropped to 47 degrees. What had started as a fun hike up the mountain turned into a survival situation. By God's grace, we made it back without any permanent damage (I was already sick with a sinus infection and am hoping it does not turn to pneumonia).

We saw some wildlife up there which was neat. Below the treeline we met a snowshoe hare and once we got to the boulder field we saw marmots which look like a cross between a beaver and a guinea pig. I have some video of one making squeaking noises.

For our trip back we decided to take I-70 East through Vail to get home. The scenery through Leadville all the way to Denver was beautiful. We stopped in Frisco, CO for some Taco Bell which made the kiddos really happy (grownups too). Then the kids fell asleep while Shawn and I talked all the way back to his house. We'll definitely do the camping again, and I hope it will be there too. I'm not sure if I'll try to conquer another 14er again, but if I have the right equipment and a stout-hearted partner, I might try it again. Maybe next time I'll be healthier.