Living Quarters and Contact Info

Many of you have wondered where in the world I'll be living this summer and how you can contact me.  Well, today is your lucky day because I am about to show/tell you!

I will be living in a house this year!  The house is on the Anderson's property and is complete with a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.  Elise, Cori, Amy, Jeanne Marie and myself will be staying in it throughout the summer.  The boys will be living with Steve.  I'm not sure how they've got things set up there but I'll show you a little bit of what our space looks like.  Please keep in mind that the house is still under some minor construction (a door needs to put in and all the walls were just painted) so look past the mess. :)

Welcome to our humble abode.

This is how far away we are from Mark and Sarah's house.

When you first walk in this is what you'll see: The kitchen sink and the bathroom.  Don't worry Mom, we're being really heathy already (note Krispy Kreme box).

Elise and Amy standing in the living/dining room.  On the left is a stove/oven and refrigerator and on the right is a couch and a few chairs.

Our bedroom.  The opposite side of the room has a washer/dryer and a closet.

We have a deck outside our bedroom door!  Pretty good view if I do say so myself!

So, as you can see we have a pretty swell spot to live for the summer.  As I mentioned things will probably move around and look a little more finished/lived in as the summer goes on so maybe later I'll post some updated pics.  

Elise, Amy and I drove to Salida today and below are a few pictures I took along the way.  There is so much more snow in the mountains than this time last year!

 

We start training tomorrow (Monday) morning.  Pray for safety and fun!  Josh and Ryan will be arriving tonight and Cori and Ben will be coming next weekend (they have to finish up school).  

If you want to look up where we are or send me SNAIL MAIL!  Then here is the address...

Journey Quest

Attn: Elise Holmstrom

27077 Highway 50 Suite 4

Texas Creek, CO 81223

Disclaimer...

I do not have cell service or internet where we are living so don't be offended if I don't get back to you for several days. 

The beginning of another summer

On May 11th I'll be traveling to Colorado for yet another summer of adventure!  I will be working with Journey Quest again as a summer guide.  However, this year is sure to look and feel different from last year.

First, the living situation has changed for everyone!  We have houses this year!  No more tents or campground bathrooms for us.  The boys will be bunking at Steve's house and us gals will be living in a house on the Anderson's property.  I didn't mind sleeping in tents last summer (in fact I have a suspicion that despite the fact we have roofs to sleep under, several of us will choose a more star filled night of sleep), but I DID mind having to share a bathroom with every other person at the campground.  People are just gross...  And I'm looking forward to being able to keep my towel and soap in the bathroom.  It's the little things in life. :)  

Beyond that, now that Steve and the Anderson's have a house nearby we no longer have to watch movies and spend all of our free time in the boat house!  Again, it's the little things, but I sure am excited for the idea of more space!  

Another big difference is something we've all been praying for: more water!  If you didn't know, the Arkansas River (and many other rivers) was extremely low last year.  That made for a lot of rock dodging, getting stuck on rocks, and overall slow trips.  It looked as though we were going to have a repeat year of low water until Colorado started having some late season snow fall.  Now the snow pack is near average and it hasn't really started melting yet.  Which means a LOT more water!  Not only is this good news for rafting companies but this will also allow farmers to have better water supply and will hopefully reduce fires this summer.  

As for our team this year... I'll be working with 6 other summer staff, 3 full time staff (possibly 5 if the Reiff's can finish raising support before the summer), and 1 lovely volunteer.  Below is a collage of the lot of us.

Top Left (clockwise): Steve, Mandy and their 3 kids; Ryan; Mark, Sarah and their 5 kids; Amy; Me, Jeanne Marie, Elise and Cori; Josh and Steve; and Ben

If you're interested in learning a bit more about all of us feel free to check out the Journey Quest website and Meet our Full-Time Staff and/or Meet our Guides.  

In the days before I leave for Colorado I will be packing, cleaning and hanging out with friends and family as much as possible before I have to say goodbye.  Not going to lie... I'm not looking forward to that, I'm already missing home...  But I am excited for the summer and what God has in store for all of us!  I'll keep y'all posted on things during the summer.  So, follow my blog or keep it book-marked and check back once in awhile. :)

Thanks for all of your prayers and support!  And you are always welcome to come out and visit me.  I'll take you down the river, hike you up a mountain, or cook you some awesome food!  Seriously... Check out the JQ website (http://journeyquest.org) for more info!  

Summer Catch Up

Yes, I am aware that I dropped off the face of the blogging world again this year.  At least I'm consistent. :)  

To those of you who may be wondering how the rest of my summer turned out I'll give you a few highlights via pictures...

JULY

A group from Lincoln Ave Baptist came for a week long river and rock trip.  Here we are on the Arkansas. 

Jeanne Marie and I packed a lot of stuff into the Explorer so we camp out for the night.  

We camped at Hartman's Rock.  It was great to get away from Texas Creek for a few days.  The students also loved exploring the rock formations.  

We played in the water... a lot.

Some of us were forced more than others...

We hung out with the one and only "Pee Rock"

We tried on some of Cori's dresses and took model shots.

An extreme water fight happened.  (I chose to stay dry... it was cold...)

Black Widow spiders really do live in Colorado.  This one was found near the boat house in an old dog dish.

And...... I got hit with a paddle.  Well, only my left pinky.

AUGUST

More rafting through the Gorge

Elise guided through the Gorge (except Sunshine Falls...)

We took a staff hiking trip up Mt. Princeton

Most of us made it to the top! And then napped.

Todd volunteered for a few weeks

We finally took a full staff picture.

Second Annual Bad Manners Night

Chaco tans after a summer in the sun. 

Steve bought a house

Dan tried to be a stow-away on our Green River trip. 

We had a motor for the Green River trip with AOI 
so we attached all the boats and barged our way down the river for the first day.  

Everyone on the trip got to try out the double duckies and they were all able to get through the rapids. 

We camped on wonderful sand beaches...

...Explored ancient ruins...

...And started training some guides for summer 2022 

They did a great job!

SEPTEMBER

Audra and I went for a hike in Estes Park

Me and my trusty steed ventured across Colorado.

We stopped in Boulder...

...Leadville...

...Grand Junction to visit Cori...

...Traveled over many passes that were just starting to turn colors for fall...

...And finally stopped to see Elise in Pagosa.

All in all, a good summer.  I hope these few images have caught you up to speed on my summer. There were a lot of ups and downs, but ultimately the summer was a learning experience for all of us.  It was the first summer for Journey Quest, my first summer as a raft guide, and a time of self growth.