Spare Change

Camp Anaconda: R&R Over

Posted by Bryan

The latest from Jim:

Hello Everyone!

I had a great time at home with my wife and kids last week. I played golf with the staff at Cornerstone Baptist Church, caught up with several of my friends, and just hung out at the house.

The highlight was all of us going to see the Rockies defeat the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field in Denver. This was the first baseball game my boys had ever been to and they loved it. We went out and bought baseball gloves soon afterwards and now I have two die hard Rockies fans. I loved playing catch with them in our backyard.

On one particular day, Beth and I took the boys out shopping and went to Barnes & Nobles. While we were there, Alex, our seven year old, brought us a book and asked if he could have it. Beth and I looked at it and thought it might be a little advanced for him. Alex disagreed and sat right down and read aloud a few pages to our amazement. Needless to say, he now owns the book and has been reading everyday before going to bed.

Ryker celebrated his eleventh birthday while I was home. It‚s hard to believe he is eleven; he is growing up to be quite a handsome young man. One of the things I brought back with me is an essay he wrote for school about his hero. I won‚t go into details for modesty‚s sake, but his perception of why I am here and the sacrifices we are all making is very astounding. I have it taped to my wall locker and read it every day. I find it very inspirational.

Jackie, who is living in Denver attending the University of Colorado, came up to see me several times. I loved spending so much time with her; she is quite a young lady. Her only fault is being so much like me, very opinionated and stubborn. Come to think of it, I love that about her! She stands on her own two feet and doesn‚t fall prey to peer-pressure.

Beth was able to arrange her schedule so we could be together almost the entire time I was home. We spent a lot of time just talking and planning for the future.

It was tough leaving them once again, but knowing that my tour of duty is almost over made it a little easier. I have already counted the days until my return in August.

Thanks for all of your prayers for me and my family. We all appreciate them more than you know. Talk to you soon!

-jim