Category: Rhonda’s Ramblings (Page 8 of 10)

Gracious! It has been too long since I wrote and caught everyone up! We have had great times of fellowship with friends and family coming by and so many other things! Where to start?

My brothers family, ‘The Terrys’, as we affectionately call them, came to visit in mid-March. That was a BIG surprise! Terry and Danelle, his wife were having dinner and discussing how their plans for the weekend had been cancelled. They decided a trip to Colorado would be a great thing for them all. They called and asked if they “could come by after breakfast and then stay until after church on Sunday.” My logical question was, what are you doing in town? Terry’s response was they wanted to come and see us and would leave Friday eve if they could be with us that weekend. Continue reading

One of the treats in our lives is any interaction we might have with any part of the Ginn family. God put us together several years ago when Michael came back to the states from the Czech Republic for medical care and needed a place to stay. That stay in our home, marked our lives forever as friends. Though painful for Michael (and us as we watched his pain), we all walked away from it richer, deeper. Being with Michael is always a challenge! You have to know Michael’s passion for the Word and Jesus to understand that comment. It is a good thing! As time has passed, we have been blessed by the friendship that bloomed between our families.

It was with excitement that we received a call from Michael to inquire if the Grimes Bed and Breakfast had availability in March for a preacher to stay as he traveled to Arizona to speak. Of course, we couldn’t turn down a traveling preacher, so we threw the other guests out and let Michael stay with us. Be forwarned if you are staying with us and a preacher calls you will be at the Hilton instead. Just kidding! Continue reading

Last Saturday, while I was working with a customer at Chico’s, one of the ladies I work with handed me the phone and said ‘it’s Matt’. Matt does not call at either job unless something BIG is happening! When he does it always makes my breath catch just a bit. There have been a lot of things in the lives of his family recently and my mind began to reel. Silly me!! Sometimes I laugh at myself -woman of faith – sure you are! First, thinking the worst and then letting the spirit of fear in the door. Shame, shame!

When I answered the call, Matt informed me that Joshua’s lifetime friend, Peter Jaques, was in Denver and wanted to come spend the night with us. Now, THAT was light-years from where my mind had gone and what an awesome surprise!! Was I excited! We were not that busy in the store, I was allowed to leave early, and was fixing dinner when Pete arrived.

It is hard to pen all the feelings we had when Pete arrived! I had been a little homesick that week and so to have hugs from Iowa was a delight to be sure. Pete’s hugs, however are special and you have to understand Peter to understand how special they are. Pete seizes life by the ruff of the neck and shakes everything out of it that there is. His enthusiasm is so contagious! He loves the Lord and now he is in love with Megan as well. When Pete hugs you, those feelings are all felt and it is an intense moment. Not to mention that he brought a ‘spare hug’ from our Kristina! It was grand!!

We had dinner, laughed, and just shared all the stories of our lives. We told some childhood ones, too. Josh, I know a few things I did know before! We’ll talk later… It was grand to catch up on Pete’s life and the lives of his family. Peter is going to be married this summer to the lovely Megan. He is involved in exciting business ventures with his uncle, some here in Colorado. We hope those endeavors are successful and will bring him back again – maybe even with his wonderful bride.

Thanks, Pete, for blessing us with your visit. It was a grand time and a much needed time of fellowship from Iowa.

This should have been written a couple of weeks ago but with a new job, exhaustion from the ‘old’ one and the emotion of all “the transitions” in our lives, neither of us have taken ‘up the pen’ to write about one of the latest chapters in our lives. Kristina has, to quote one of our favorite movies; Nemo, gone “Out There”. Out into the big unknown like Nemo did – going out beyond the safety of the Reef! Also like Nemo’s Dad, we know that Kristina will keep on swimming, finding many new things that will cause her to stretch her boundaries. She will be challenged and then rise to those challenges; coming back to tell the stories and strengthen us all.

There has been a stirring in Kristina for some time. In early December, she got real serious about her own life and it’s direction. She was feeling very strongly that she had something in Iowa that she needed to “take care of” as she put it. We had been praying for sometime that God would make His way clear for her and we believe that He did.

She had made several preliminary plans that had not materialized and her grandparents, Jack and Peggy Grimes, volunteered to have her stay with them until she could get settled in a job/apprenticeship and her own first home. She accepted. On Jan 2nd , Kristina and Matt stuffed the Jeep FULL! The following morning, we gathered around for tearful hugs and then prayer. She slipped into her trusty blue Jeep and disappeared down the street headed East to the heartland and her Big Adventure. Continue reading

Twenty-eight years ago today, it was VERY cold in Iowa! It was my wedding day and I will never forget how cold it was. I understand why some Iowans want to be married on the beach somewhere! It was a day that started off with a number of challenges besides the weather! None of them small. My dress wasn’t done, our rings had gotten lost in the mail (it was the Christmas season, you know!), my veil had not come in. Yes, it was a morning of tears and action that needed to be taken. Everyone supported us and dried my tears. We worked together to do what needed to be done -finding a dress, running errands, getting the ‘demo case’ rings etc. It was an exhausting day but obviously, a memorable one! Continue reading

It is the middle of the night. A storm is brewing over the mountains and the occasional fighting of two wind currents is taking place. This, of course, causes WIND! Here, that means BIG gusts! I am still adjusting to all the sounds of the city when the wind blows so hard and howls down the streets. Not like the wind of the Iowa landscape, blowing mightily through the hollows and over the cornfield. The neighbors garbage can sliding haphazardly down the concrete street has a different affect on the senses. So I find myself here, awake, thinking ‘outloud’ about life and relationships, tomorrow being my last day at CHICO’S. Atleast for now.

I think of many of you whom I have not spoken with for sometime and wonder how you are. How was your Christmas? Are you well? How is God pouring into your lives and growing you? I ask God to richly bless you and bring you closer to Him and His plan and purpose for your life. I wander over to see if my lovely daughter has written any recent thoughts on her blog. I have seen her very little of late as we are both working retail and until three weeks ago, were both working two jobs. Time together has been precious but sparse. Her blog often helps me keep my finger on her heartbeat. Continue reading