Surreal Saturday

This morning we woke up to a gray, foggy morning and it was unclear what the day had in store for us. The past few days have been quite an adventure for parts of Colorado. If you've been watching the news, you may know what I'm referring to.

A photo from yesterday's Denver Post 

Thankfully, the area that our house, offices and stomping grounds are located has been free of flooding and damage. We haven't even seen any flooding. We have drinkable and hot water. We are allowed to flush our toilets and we still have power. The rest of our city and the surrounding area is not so lucky.

After we got up, I remarked to Rick that it seemed strange that everything seemed so 'normal'. We got dressed, went out for coffee and checked to see if our local farmer's market was running. A lot of the regular vendors were missing, due to restricted road use. Side Note: Rick has access to a crazy-nice camera this weekend, so if you notice a measurable difference in image quality on this post, that's why. Also, he's a pretty awesome photographer, if I do say so myself.

Our local coffee shop, The Blue Mug @ Margie's 

My brother & sister-in-law. Love them to pieces.

Since then, we've just been bumming around the house, mostly being thankful for all that we have. But shouldn't I really be this thankful everyday? I am just so, so lucky & blessed and it shouldn't take a natural disaster or tragedy to remind me of that.

Our little rescue, Rook. 

Cat Brothers 

The Jango-Man  

Oliver. This cat's spine is made of noodle.

Tonight I'll being praying for Evans, Greeley, Northern Colorado & my state. If you're so inclined, I ask you to pray that those effected find comfort. If prayer isn't your thing, I ask that you send up a kind thought and as much positive energy that you can muster. 

If  you're like me, you might be looking for a way to tangibly reach out to the community members who are currently suffering.  A way to help the people who are homeless, without clean water or without access to other basic needs. Here's some info I've found:

• If you are able, you can donate to The American Red Cross here. In situations such as these, organizations ask for monetary donations because they have a hard time organizing & delivering donated goods and they can often get more (food, clothing, toiletries, etc) per dollar donated than you or I could. 

• To make a donation to the United Way of Weld County please visit their home site. These donations will most likely be used for long-term recovery. 

• The Rec Center in Greeley is currently taking donations of pre-packaged travel-sized personal hygiene items like: toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, combs, razors, tampons, sanitary napkins, shaving cream, etc.  What would you want to have if you were away from home? 

• Many churches in the area, like Journey & Atlas ,are putting together toiletries, housing, pet boarding and many more resources. Consider donating time or resources to the cause. 

If you are outside of Weld County and looking for a way to help, a lot of the local news channels and government agencies are doing a great job of getting info out there. So much has already been done through the police officers, fire fighters, community members and volunteers who are out there, saving lives & helping. For those of you out there giving up time with your families and comfort to help those in your community, you absolutely ROCK. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

Happy & thankful Saturday, friends.