out of my league

Here's a pic of the little guy.








Today was the first full day that I nannied for my new little family. Elise is 3, Sophia is 1 1/2, and Gavin is 4 months old (shown above at 5 months). There have been a lot of anxieties churning in my head over the past week in anticipation of my first day with such young kids.

What if I don't know enough about babies?
What if, half way through the day, I realize I've only got two with me?
What if the baby never gets used to me?
What if...while Elise is washing her hands, I hear Sophia choking on her hot dog, to get there just in time to hear elise fall off her bathroom stool and crack her head open, just in time to hear a huge thud from Gavin falling off the bed?

Morbid I know. But my mind can tend to go there.

So yeah, after the first day was over, I am happy (and even a little bit proud) to say,



everything went well.



I mean don't get me wrong, there were of course a few face plants, a finger shut in a dresser drawer (sorry elise), a wet bed, some digested wood chips and playdoh, and a floor covered in cream of wheat but that's all very typical...right? But outside of those things, there were a few small victories and sweet sweet moments that made the day so fun. Like when Sophia face planted for the third time and actually raised her hands in the air to me...ME! And when Gavin finally fell asleep tucked in my arms after finishing all 5 oz. of his formula. Love that. I'm looking forward to more sweet moments.

Eva Rae

My grandma recently celebrated her 83rd birthday.

I didn't get to be with her on her birthday. This picture is from about a month ago when I was in the Chicago area for a wedding and went down to visit her for the day. Its hard to say what it is about Eva Rae that is so endearing. The best phrase I can use to describe her is to comment on her

"heart of gold".

She is a beautiful woman who has loved deeply in her life. This past year has been an especially difficult one for her as my grandpa passed away in February, her husband of nearly 60 years. The commitment and tenderness that she provided grandpa was something truly supernatural. I wish you could have seen the way that my grandpa used to brag about my grandma, calling her his bride and his honey up to the very last days of his life.

Eva Rae Dietrich's deepest loves in life are her family and her Father. In her younger years she was an incredibly gifted singer and pianist. She could still out-play and out-sing most who are reading this. She once recalled that as a young lady in her teens and twenties, parties were known as times to "swing and sway with Eva Rae".

It certainly has a ring to it:)

This Post is an opportunity for me to reflect on the sweet, caring, dynamic, beautiful person that she is. I will never forget at my grandpa's wake, as she greeted each person that walked in with such enthusiasm and sincerity reminiscing on old times with them. She is and has always been a vibrant and self-giving woman.

An inspiration.

I hope you get to meet her sometime.

therapy for the soul

Well, once again, the posts are few and far between. So I guess I'm going to just stop apologizing about it and accept that Lindsey the student just doesn't mix well with Lindsey the blogger. But for now, I am only taking 5 credits and and working 16 hours so the enemy time appears to have lightened his oppressive hand if even for just a few moments.

The Meyers' just returned from a memorial day weekend of camping in the Spanish Peaks. We would like to consider the weekend a sort of marriage therapy...minus the therapy.

To Those Who Didn't Believe America was crazy

With having so many friends involved internationally I've heard the insanity that exists in other countries. Whether it's two dozen time tables and fees required to get out of the country, or the absolute lack licensing laws for doctors and other professionals. Let this story be a testimony to the insanity that exists inside the state of the Union known as Colorado.

To obtain a driver's license. By Mark Meyers

It all started when for the first time in my entire life I permanently lost my wallet. It was at that fateful moment I lost my Illinois driver's license that would lead me down an indescribable path. A path of anger, pain, parents, humor and lots of money and time.

So after driving for a month without any license I decided it would be prudent to get a new one in case, God forbid, I was ever pulled over (plus I wanted to get a part-time job as a shuttle bus driver). So I did my research on the internet. What I found was that I needed my home state driving record. This led me the Illinois Secretary of State's website. I mailed in my signed request along with a $12 check.... and I waited.

$12

3 weeks later it arrives in the mail. "Typical for bureaucracy", I thought. I waited another week. I left early for work on Tuesday morning, pulled a number and waited. Once called up I turned over all relevant documents. After examining the driving record she pointed out to me that the record needed to be generated within 30 days. The record was printed 1/20/07 and the day was 2/23/07. I was 3 bloody days late! I needed a new one. They simply would not budge on this issue.

After calling the Illinois secretary of state's office I discovered a parent could get a driving record at an actual DMV site. My dad paid the appropriate fees, $12, and faxed to me.

$12+$12

I walked in Wednesday morning, pulled my number and waited. My number was called called, showed them my documents and was then informed that faxes are unacceptable. They needed the original. "You mean the original printed from the printer from 1988?! The 'original' that I could have typed up Word?!"
"Yes that one", they replied. Well a quick phone call to my dad and I had it priority mailed to me.

$4.05+$12+$12

Monday morning, fully armed and ready. "Suck it Colorado"... so I thought. I walked in and took my number and went through the well ingrained ritual. I showed them my documents.
"Wait, what's this? Is this birth certificate authentic."
"Well, it's the one used to get my social security card and passport. Plus the multi-colored stamp that says 'This multi-color stamp authenticates this birth certificate. Any birth certificate without a colored stamp is a copy'. So I would say that it's authentic."

::wait 2 minutes::

"This is a city birth certificate."
"Yeah, so."
"Well Colorado requires state or county certificate. Any city clerk could have signed off on this. This authentic birth certificate that was used to obtain your social security card and passport is invalid!"
"This was the one I was born with. Where else am I going to get one?!"
So after discussing the logistics of it with her and having my mom do some research with a social worker, my mom went to a Cook county court house, paid the appropriate fees and priority mailed it to me.

$4.05+$13+$4.05+$12+$12

Today: I walked in victoriously knowing that nothing can stand in my way between me and my licenses. I eagerly pulled a number and couldn't wait to shove all the documents in their faces and tell them "suck it" because I was getting my license. My number was called and I did just what I pictured, shoved the documents in their faces and told to "suck it". The man behind the desk had no choice but to give me the vision test and then my license. I stick my head in the machine and was told, "Read the first line"
"ZRHTP OECDQ"
"Ah sir, there are 15 letters"
"What do you mean?! There are only two columns of letters, the left column is just a column of dull yellow."
"No son, there's a whole column of letters on the left-hand side"
Convinced he was lying I pulled my head out and stuck it back in and focused like I've never focused before. I focused like I did when I was a little kid trying to catch the sexual innuendos in the Disney movies.
Nothing! Freaking nothing! I kept thinking my eyes would come into focus. So I gave myself five minutes. Still nothing. "FINE YOU WIN!" America's Best here I come, home of the free exam with two glasses for $69.

$69(plus taxes)+$4.05+$13+$4.05+$12+$12

Monday morning I will walk into the Colorado DMV and humble myself before them, cleanse my lips with a burning coal, bring an unblemished slaughtered kid, my corrected vision and the $16 fee and perhaps I will be deemed worthy enough for a Colorado license.

$16+$69(plus taxes)+$4.05+$13+$4.05+$12+$12= One legal driver and the new part-time shuttle bus drive for the Children's Hospital!

welcome back :)

I realize that a lot of people (and by that I mean the 6 that were reading it…hi mom:) have probably given up on our blog. There were those few weeks after our last post that you checked in to see if anything new had been posted…nope. And after about a month and a half you probably just stopped checking. A small part of me experiences a certain kind of freedom in that realization. I could probably write almost anything and chances are no ones gonna read it for a very long time. A lot has happened over the past 5 months since I have stopped posting. Nothing monumental…just some growing pains, some funny stories, and some special moments. As I reflect on the pictures that rush to my mind, these are some key memories that emerge:

Making a coffee table with dad.
Lots of time in airports.
Snow.
Skiing with my new favorite ski buddy Shmem.
Mid-day chats with mom.
Sitting on the couch reading for hours upon hours.
Bears football.
Watching my sister live in a world that I remember so well, and making it her own.
Class.
Forming new friendships w/ Whitney, Nicole, Brent, Jen and others.
Resurging old friendships.
Snow.
Make-your-own-pizza night.
Loving Dallas (the girl not the city) even more than I already did.
Facebook.
Midterms and Finals.
Snow.
Being forced to redefine “home”.
Doing life in a very beautiful place.
Saying hello and goodbye to my grandpa for what felt like the last time.
Kenya, Uganda and Sudan.
Discovering that Rocky is so much more than a boxer with a low IQ.
Snow.
Being played the fool and forced to dig into a part of me that was uncharted territory.
J. Crew.
A new found phone date with Monica.
Learning a little more about what community is and what it takes.
Becoming more and more ok with myself.
Mark never ceasing to amaze me with his patience, humility, and kindness.

They’re just snapshots but they represent a life. A life that, by the grace of God, is being lived. I look 5 years ahead and the uncertainty is so scary. I look 5 months behind and I see the growth, the friends, and the experiences that I deeply long for but don’t even know how to pray for. And for that, in this moment, at this second, I am very thankful. Period.

ok, back to studying…

more pics

Here's the other pics I was taking about...

the sissy and the mama!!

My mom and little hottsie tots sister were here last week. Don't tell them I told you but I'm pretty sure that they fell in love with the state and will be moving out here shortly...Here's some pics from our time together...



our best angle in my opinion.




my favorite girls:) :)








I don't have a picture from one of the coolest sights of the whole time they were here. We were up in Estes Park one day and as we were driving we saw LITERALLY at least a hundred elk crossing through a small neighborhood. Now normally I don't do well with infestations of this magnitude but this time it was just plain incredible. I'm gonna try to get the pic from my mom that she took.

Mom and Steany Beany, I just can't explain how wonderful it was to see you both. I love and miss you so much. I will see you in two weeks!!

The Collective Sacrifice

Isa 58:6-14 "Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke?
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness. And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell. If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word, Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

The Mile High Crew was sitting in Brent and Jon's apartment with our newly established Community Night this last week. Jon was sharing and asking for our thoughts on this passage. The more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that this passage was talking about fasting as a collective sacrifice.

Let me elaborate more. Fasting is the giving up of a very necessary resource... food, life... bread. The thing that keeps our minds working properly, the thing that keeps our muscles from atropheeing. The substance that keeps us from becoming sick. I then thought about the statistics you hear in Sociology 101. How America possesses 1/10 of the world's population, yet we consume 50% of the world's energy (this may not be completely accurate, but the truth has the same thrust).

People tend to ask where God is when they see evil: oppression, hunger, marginalization. And people who would like to blame God (and I know have wanted to) would demand that we have more resources. But I sincerely believe that we have enough to go around. If we were to have more, the people who hoard now would have even more. Yet when do we look at ourselves in relation to this truth? Freedom and opression rely on a collective awareness and sacrifice. I really need to look at myself and my lifestyle right now.

I think one way Lindsey and I would want to be challenged is going dry for a period of time. When I think about the quantity of drinks we consume in a month is by no means extravigent or over-indulgant by the West's standards. But drinks (whether it be alcohol or soda) can be so expensive, all one has to do is turn around turn on the faucet and we're hydrated. How many people are oppressed and become ill because they can't do that. Yet we call it a sacrifice when that's our only choice we have at the moment.

I know this sounds cliche. But some problems that can get us so down, and pesimistic can be found by looking at ourselves. What about the collective sacrifice of going dry or skipping 6 meals a month? I'm sure the 100+ who've viewed our profile/ blog have the luxury of skipping out on a few things in order to fight for the freedom of the oppressed.

Save Darfur

I think this is the first time we posted anything of this nature on here. This post is unfortunately very long overdue. In case there are readers that are unaware of the current situation in western Sudan, here is the 411. There are literally millions of displaced people who live in refugee camps in Darfur (western Sudan). They have been forced to move there for a multitude of reasons, one of them being that an Arab militia has been killing and demoralizing the people through raping the women and children and killing the men. The little physical support that is keeping the region semi-stable is because of the African Union peacekeeping force of 7,000. They are being made by the Sudanese government to leave at the end of the month. Please stand up for this under-publicized tragedy and urge our country to speak up in the UN; and lead the UN in bringing in UN peacekeepers into Darufr. Sign this petition below and seriously let everyone know.

http://action.ajws.org/campaign/UN

Also if you would like a clearer article about what is going on read this CNN article: http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/09/16/un.darfur.ap/index.html

Also if you would like to read the stories of an aid worker in Darfur click on the link: Scottpants. He's been in Darfur since this summer assisting however he can.

An end of an era

On Sunday September 10, 2006 the Meyers had a beloved family member move on. Our dear friend Jon Watson moved from our cozy little apartment with his two new friends, Callie Carpenter and Emily Kreis. We had some great times living at 6409 S. Vinewood, and Jon will be greatly missed.


Jon isn't sad in this picture, the prissy boy was just pissed that he hadn't got to take a shower yet.

The Joys and Adventures of the Uninsured

It was a magical Saturday afternoon. The smell roasting cumin, garlic and oregano were wafting through the air. The light sizzle and crackle of onions and mushrooms provided the perfect soundtrack to the magical chili that was being concocted. There I stood in the corner of our kitchen in between the stove and the crock pot. There I was chopping away at the fresh vegetables and then throwing them into the pot. Then suddenly my phone started blowin up with Snoopy... "Nutin but a G thang". It was our highly anticipated new roomy. He was in the parking lot.

We ran down to greet our road-weary traveler, Jon Wat-son. We helped with his few possessions up to our third floor home: 6409 S. Vinewood St in the quaint and slightly industrial yet affluent Littleton, Colorado. With joy and excitement we showed him our abode and his current residence. Then we gather in the kitchen to partake on some seasoned game hens.

In a frenzy of excitement Jon began to call his friends and family reported his safe journey. While Lindsey and I continued to partake in the game hens and imbibe on some sweetened lemon-ade. After our celebratory break I continued to prepare our delightful dish.

There I was ::chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop:: ::scoop ofarley:: ::chop chop chop chop chop:: ::thump:: ::clank::.

Lindsey: "DEAR MOTHER OF EVERYTHING GOOD AND HOLY... YOUR FOOT!!!!"

I looked down on my wounded appendage. There was a vibrant pool of red around my right foot. Behold, there was more and more and more and more and MORE blood. I fell to the floor. Not because of a loss of blood rather to elevate my foot above my heart. I grabbed the Bounty on the counter and made Lindsey apply pressure. Lindsey was delighted to the stand surrounded by blood while touching my bloody foot.

At about this point Jon peered over the breakfast bar/ counter and noted "wow, that's a lotta blood. I need to go." And thus he hung up the phone with Brent Mueller relieved Lindsey of her duties.

So the next step: to find a clinic and seek medical assistance... or so we thought. After calling several people unable to locate a clinic. Jon went in to inspect. To our joy and amazement a tiny 1/8" incision on the top of my foot from our Honeymoon bottle-opener which struck my foot.

Jon continued to put pressure on my foot while Lindsey sopped up the pools of blood on the tile floor. During that time I assured Jon that I was indeed not infected with Hep B or C and that I was in no way compromising his mission to avoid those strains of Hep.

After Lindsey mended my wound with a Batman band-aid. I elevated and iced my foot for the remainder of the day. The next day Jon and I climbed to Saint Mary's Glacier.

All three of us are still in utter astonishment on how much blood initially poured from my foot. Lindsey still gets queasy to this day to think about the blood. So in the meantime I have been eating my red meat to replenish my red blood cells.

We will have pictures in due time. We took pictures with a traditional camera and it was only the 2nd picture on that roll. Please continue to be checking for updates for the next several months as to not miss the pictures. I will also make link when I post the pictures.

Striving

I think I heard almost all there is to hear about Christianity by the time I was like 20 years old. Don't get me wrong. I don't mean to say that I lived it, I had just heard it. I think that if at this point on in my life if I didn't learn one more new thing but instead just began to know with my heart the things that I have already learned, I would be 10 times the woman I am now.

The first "biblical concept" that I probably ever learned was God's unconditional, unrelenting, and pure love for me. But for an individual who has never performed those three adjectives in their rawest and truest form once in her life, its really hard to wrap an understanding around that love of God's.

I just finished reading "searching for God Know's What" by Donald Miller. He talks about how he thinks the thing that defines human personalities is that we are constantly comparing ourselves to one another. Ha. Now a few people that know me well, would know that I would strongly agree with this statement. He talks about how before the fall, our one and only source of rich and fulfilling love came from our Creator. But then came the betrayal. And that direct source was broken. When we turned our backs on God the way an adulterous spouse turns his/her back on their one true lover, we lost that perfect line of communication. And for the rest of history we have been trying to restore this Perfect Source of Love. So we find it in any source we can. And the easiest way is to prove to ourselves and the world how deserving we are of love. So we place a number value on everything we say and think and do, and on everything everyone else says and thinks and does. And then we strive. We strive and strive to improve our worthiness of love and value. So then when someone cuts us off on the highway, we get really pissed off because they just implied that they have more value than us. Or when someone owns up on us in basketball we either get frustrated at our shortcomings or rationalize in our mind something that we can do better than our competitor and then we feel better about ourselves again.

Its a tiring game isn't it? And yet, before us, is this source of perfect and fulfilling love that can bring the game to an end. Hmmm...this is where my thoughts and prayers continue to go. How do I finally know and experience that Perfect Source of Love? Because only at that point can I minister purely and wholy to my neighbor.

Donald points out the Disciples. They saw and experienced the righteous love of Christ, in His eyes, His words, His embraces. And many of them, because of knowing and experiencing that love, were able to go on to die for Him. Why? Because of their belief that He really existed? No. Because it made them feel better than the guy persecuting them? No. Because they knew His love. First-hand.

Hmm, the day my eyes are opened to His love in its fullness, is gonna be a good day.

So anyways, those are just a few of the thoughts from the book and that have been rolling around in my head. The book was a good one. Especially the last chapter. And just in case Donald Miller happens to fall across this blogspot (fat chance): Thanks for your thoughts Mr. Miller.

Lindsey's newest place of employment.

our new home

Our good friends Dave and Caroline spent the week out here Aug. 7-14. What a phenomenal week. Here's the week in pics



These first two pics were from a hike we took the first day. While hiking, we ran into a snake on the path. Just as Marky assured us that this was in fact NOT venemous, the little critter started to rattle its tail assuring that it in fact WAS venemous. After we all soiled ourselves, Mark and Dave gathered rocks and sticks in an attempt to startle the snake (well aware that we had a 50/50 chance that the rocks would just piss the snake off and send it slithering our way). But when we got back to the snake siting-location, it was gone.


Red Rocks Ampitheater


The Garden of the Gods

More from "The Garden"

Our first CD cover

And one more from The Garden

The Chipmunk Whisperer himself. In Estes Park.


This pic was taken at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. After our visit there, we have determined our new calling in life to consist of letting everyone we meet know what a CROCK these were. After a little research online, we came to discover that they were totally fake...which was what we all suspected when they were trying to tell us that the paintings on the walls in the cliff dwellings were authentic from 1100 AD. Save your $9.25 and spend more time at the Garden of the Gods, which was free.


gorgeous sunrise in Estes Park



Rocky Mountain National Park

On Friday night we went to an outdoor Matt Costa concert. Caroline and Dave love his music and introduced us to him. He's kinda Jack Johnson meets the Beetles. Check him out! Marky swore that Matt was checking him out all evening...maybe he was right judging from this pic that Marky took.


On Saturday we checked out a local winery. They let us taste every wine they produced there, which was 15! It was a blast, except for our dear little Caroline who tasted her way into a drunken stooper:)


A mama and baby moose at Rocky Mountain National Park.




Elk are hella huge.

Dave and Caroline-
What an incredible week! Marky and I can't express what a blast we had. God bless with school starting. Keep us updated when you pick a wedding date!!

Thank you

We just wanted to say thank you to the many who were so thoughtful and loving in their goodbyes as we prepared to leave Chicago. Thanks for taking a sincere interest in our lives. For helping us move. for generous gifts and thoughtful notes. For whatever kind gesture you showed, thank you. We have so much gratitude. We will miss (and are already missing) many of you. So come visit soon! We've got this spare bedroom that is just begging to be used!!

998 miles later

Lest you think that they don't have blogspot in CO, I assure you they do. Sorry its been awhile! Life got a wee bit hectic those couple weeks before the big move. So I assumed once we got here, we'd be on a campus so I'd have no problem getting internet. Well, alas, turns out, as a new student, I'm not in the system still for at least another week. But I found a Panera with wi-fi so all is well again:) So yeah! We're here! After fifteen and a half hours in the car, we arrived!
Since then (not a comprehensive list)...
Marky and our dear new neighbor moved all our stuff into our 3rd floor apt while I cheered them on and placed the boxes in the rooms they were supposed to go.
Had lunch with Marky's grandpa.
Visited Emily (Hamman) Kage and her family on Kage family reunion where we played a whole lot of Apples to Apples. Who knew there was strategy in that Apples to Apples? Well, when you play with the Kage family, there is.
Went for a couple of hikes.
Had a great time in the presence of my dear friend Hamlee.
I unpacked and decorated the apt...truly in my element:)
Marky worked three night shifts (8pm-4am) for a Temp Agency doing stocking.
Went for a couple scenic bikerides.
I continued to unpack and decorate.
Saw "Taladega Nights: The Story of Ricky Bobby" -hilarious-
Drove around and explored our new home!! (away from home of course mom:)

That's it for now...More to come soon.

Last day at CareNet

Today was my last day of work at CareNet Pregnancy Services of DuPage. It was more emotional than I thought it would be. And in honor of the people that work there and the work God is doing there, allow me a few words. Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs)can often be given a bad rap. They have been accused of being an unprofessional bunch of Bible-toting Republicans who strap women down to chairs forcing them to watch graphic abortion videos with the sole goal of saving the baby at the expense of the woman's dignity.

Now, I can't speak for all CPCs's but I can tell you that there couldn't be anything farther from the truth at the organization that I was a part of for the past two years. The ministry at CareNet of DuPage is not about political activism or about just saving babies with no thought of the woman. The individuals that I worked with day in and day out, are motivated by the heart Christ has given them for the women that enter the doors of the center and the beautiful unborn little lives inside them. The goal of every staff and volunteer is to give women a place to come and, regardless of their situation, feel loved, cared-for and of worth. And I can say with confidence, that is exactly what the center does. It has nothing to do with being a republican or a democrat. It has nothing to do with guilt and shame. It is motivated by a passion for LIFE. Physical life for the child and emotional and spiritual life for the mother. Each individual attempts the heavy and exhausting task of empowering these women through giving them knowledge based on truth and through displaying to them, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that they are worth our time, our care, our prayers, and our phone calls.

I must say, I could not be more honored to have worked with women with such sincere and authentically deep hearts for Christ and for the things that break His heart. I love you Emily, Kelly, Heidi, Barb, Whitney, Judy, Luna, Donna, Becky, Diane, Sharon, Sarah, Gentry, Annie, Nicole and Wendell and my life will forever be changed for the better because I have crossed each one of your paths. God bless.

And in honor of my time at CareNet, I'd like to share this story that I read in a newsletter just earlier today. It is powerful. Please put aside any cynicism and skepticism that you may have and read this story, in its entirity, for what it is.

Story written by the Assistant Minority Leader in the Colorado House of Representatives, Ted Harvey:

I want to share with you an awesome experience I recently had in the Colorado House of Representatives. It is a humbling experience to look back and realize that God used me to play a role in His divine orchestration.

As I was leaving the House chambers for the weekend when our Democrat Speaker of the House mentioned that the coming Monday would be the final day of this year's General Assembly. He went on to state that there were still numerous resolutions on the calendar which we would need to be addressed prior to the summer adjournment. Interestingly, he specifically mentioned that one of the resolutions we would be hearing was being carried by the House Majority Leader Alice Madden, honoring the 90th anniversary of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

As a strong pro-life legislator I was disgusted by the idea that we would pass a resolution honoring this 90 year legacy of genocide. I drove home that night wondering what I could say that might pierce the darkness during the debate on this heinous resolution.

On Saturday morning I took my eight-year-old son up to the mountains to go white water rafting. The trip lasted all day. As we were driving home, exhausted and hungry, I remembered that I had accepted an invitation to attend a fundraising dinner that night for a local pro-life organization. One of my most respected mentors had personally called me several weeks earlier and asked me to attend, so I knew I'd have to clean up and head over.

After our meal, the executive director of the organization introduced the keynote speaker. I looked up and saw walking to the stage a handicapped young lady being assisted to the microphone by a young man holding a guitar. Her name was Gianna Jessen.

Gianna said "Hello," welcomed everyone, and then sang three of the most beautiful Christian songs that I have ever heard. She then began to give her testimony. When her biological mother was 17 years old and 7 ½ months pregnant she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic to have an abortion. As God would have it, the abortion failed and a beautiful two-pound baby girl was brought into the world. Unfortunately, she was born with cerebral palsy and the doctors thought that she would never survive. The doctors were wrong.

Imagine the timing! A survivor of a Planned Parenthood abortion arrived in town just days before the Colorado House of Representatives was to celebrate Planned Parenthood's "wonderful" work. As I listened to Gianna's amazing testimony the Lord inspired me to ask her if she could stay in Denver until Monday morning so that I could introduce her on the floor of the House and tell her story. Perhaps she could even begin the final day's session by singing our country's National Anthem!

To my surprise she said she would seriously consider it. If she were to agree, she wanted her accompanying guitar player to stay as well. A lady standing in line behind me waiting to meet Gianna overheard our conversation and said that she would be willing to pay for the guitarist's room. Gianna then said that she would think about it. As I was driving home from the banquet my cell phone rang. It was Gianna and she immediately said, "I'm in, let's ruin this celebration." Praise God!

When Monday morning came, I awoke at 6:00 to write my speech before heading to the Capitol. As I wrote down the words I could sense God's help and I knew that this was going to be a powerful moment for the pro-life movement.

Following a committee hearing, I rushed into the House Chambers just as the opening morning prayer was about to be given. Between the prayer and the pledge of allegiance I wrote a quick note to the Speaker of the House explaining that Gianna is an advocate for cerebral palsy. I took the note to the Speaker and asked if I could have my friend open the last day of session by singing the national anthem. Without any hesitation the Speaker took the microphone and said, "Before we begin, Representative Harvey has made available for us Gianna Jessen to sing the National Anthem."

Gianna sang the most amazing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner that you could possibly imagine. Every person in the entire chamber was completely still, quiet, and in awe of this frail young lady's voice. Due to her cerebral palsy, Gianna often loses her balance, and shortly after starting to sing she grabbed my arm to stabilize herself, and I could tell that she was shaking. Suddenly, midway through the song, she forgot the words and began to hum and said, "Please forgive me I am so nervous." She then immediately began singing again and every House member and every guest throughout the chambers began to sing along with her to give her encouragement and lift her up. As I looked around the huge hall I listened to the unbelievable melody of Gianna's voice being accompanied by a choir of over 100 voices. I had chills running all over my body and I knew that I had just witnessed an act of God.

As the song concluded the Speaker of the House explained that Gianna has cerebral palsy and is an activist to bring awareness to the disease. "Let us give her a hand not only for her performance today but also for her advocacy work," he said. The chamber immediately exploded into applause. She had them all in the palm of her hand.

The Speaker then called the House to order and we proceeded as usual to allow members to make any announcements or introductions of guests. For dramatic effect, I waited until I was the last person remaining before I introduced Gianna.

As I waited for my turn, I nervously paced back and forth praying to God that he would give me the peace, confidence and the courage necessary to pull off what I knew would be one of the most dramatic and controversial moments of my political career.

While I waited, a prominent reporter from one of the major Denver newspapers walked over to Gianna and told her that her rendition captured the spirit of the national anthem more powerfully than any she had ever heard before.

Finally, I was the last person remaining, so I proceeded to the microphone and began my speech: "Members, I would like to introduce you to a new friend and hero of mine -her name is Gianna Jessen. She is visiting us today from Nashville, Tennessee where she is an accomplished recording artist. She has cerebral palsy and was raised in foster homes before being adopted at the age of four. She was born prematurely and weighed only two pounds at birth. She remained in the hospital for almost three months. A doctor once said she had a great will to live and that she fought for her life. Eventually she was able to leave the hospital and be placed in foster care. Because of her cerebral palsy her foster mother was told that it was doubtful that she would ever crawl or walk. She could not sit up independently. Through the prayers and dedication of her foster mother, she eventually learned to sit up, crawl, then stand. Shortly before her fourth birthday she began to walk with leg braces and a walker. She continued in physical therapy and after a total of four surgeries, she was able to walk without assistance. She still falls sometimes, but she says she has learned how to fall gracefully after falling for 29 years.

Two years ago she walked into a local health club and said she wanted a private trainer. At the time her legs could not lift 30 pounds. Today she can leg press 200 pounds. She became so physically fit that she began running marathons to raise money and awareness for cerebral palsy. She just returned last week from England where she ran in the London Marathon. It took her over 8 ½ hrs to complete. They were taking down the course by the time she made it to the finish line. But she made it none the less. With bloody feet and aching joints she finished the race. Members would you help me recognize a modern day hero, Gianna Jessen?"

At this point the chamber exploded into applause which lasted for 15 to 20 seconds. Gianna had touched their souls. Ironically, Alice Madden the Majority Leader and sponsor of the Planned Parenthood Resolution walked over to Gianna and gave her a hug. As the applause began to die down I raised my hand to be recognized one more time.

"Mr. Speaker, members, if you would allow me just a few more moments I would appreciate your time. My name is Ted Harvey not Paul Harvey but please let me tell you the rest of the story."

"The cause of Gianna's cerebral palsy is not because of some biological freak of nature, but rather the choice of her mother. You see when her biological mother was 17 years old and 7 ½ months pregnant she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic to seek a late term abortion. The abortionist performed a saline abortion on this 17-year-old girl. This procedure requires the injection of a high concentration of saline into the mother's womb which the fetus is then bathed in and swallows which results in the fetus being burned to death, inside and out. Within 24 hrs the results are normally an induced still-born abortion. As Gianna can testify the procedure is not always 100% effective. Gianna is an aborted late term fetus that was born alive. The high concentration of saline in the womb for 24 hrs resulted in a lack of oxygen to her brain and is the cause of her cerebral palsy. Members, today we are going to recognize the 90th anniversary of Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood,"

BANG! The gavel came down, just as I was finishing the last sentence of my speech. The climax of the morning, the Speaker of the House gaveled me down and said, "Representative Harvey, I will allow you to continue your introduction but not for the purposes of debating a measure now pending before the House." At which point I said, "Mr. Speaker I understand, I just wanted to put a face to what we are celebrating today".

Silence. Deafening silence. I then walked back to my chair shaking like a leaf. The Democrats wouldn't look at me. They were fuming. It was beautiful.

I have been in the legislature for five tough years and this made it all worthwhile.

The House Majority Leader wouldn't talk to me the rest of the day. Was it because I introduced an abortion survivor, or was it because we touched her soul? She could hug an inspirational cerebral palsy victim and advocate, but was outraged when she discovered that the person she hugged was also an abortion survivor.

The headline in the Denver Post the next day read Abortion Jab Earns Rebuke." The Majority Leader is quoted as saying "I think it was amazingly rude to use a human being as an example of his personal politics,"

Yes Representative Madden, Gianna Jessen is a human being. She was when she was in her mother’s womb and she was when she sang the National Anthem on the Floor of the Colorado House of Representatives.

The paper went on to quote Gianna Jessen, stating she was glad Harvey told her story. "We need to discuss the humanity of it. I'm glad to be able to speak up for children in the womb," she said. "If abortion is about women's rights, where were my rights?"

Leslie Hanks, one of the matriarchs of the pro-life movement in Colorado, was in the House Chamber that morning and told me that it was the single greatest moment she had witnessed in the State Legislature in the 20 years that she'd been lobbying in the Capitol.

All I can say is, "Glory to God!" He orchestrated it all, every minute of it, and I was so honored to have been chosen to play a part.

May we all continue to be filled with and to fight for the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In His service,
Ted Harvey
Assistant Minority Leader, Colorado House of Representatives

Sorry Jack...no, the other one

If you would have asked me a month ago what was the greatest TV show to ever be viewed by the human eye, I would have started telling you about these people that were in this plane crash and ended up on this island in the middle of no where...and there's this hatch...and these numbers...and polar bears...

But the thing is, that was before I was introduced to the crazy freakin' hard-A that IS Jack Bauer. Yes Jack Shepherd, I remember how you pounded on Charlie's chest like a maniac until he started breathing again and I am well aware of the surgery you performed on your future wife so that she could dance at her wedding. And don't get me wrong, that's awesome. Like really really good. BUT have you ever cut off your partners hand for the purpose of saving your country from a biological terrorist attack? Or have you ever become addicted to herroin just to get close to a major drug lord for the purpose of...again...saving your country? Or how 'bout this one Shepherd, ever had to shoot your boss in the head for the purpose of...yep you guessed it...securing the safety of your country? See Shepherd its not that you're not cool, its just that this Bauer dude is caraaazy! And when I say crazy, I mean totally LOCO!! So no hard feelings Jack??

Can ya tell I'm pumped about the prospect of beginning season four of "24" tonite?