Vacation Week is Over

The buds were down from Wisconsin last week and we had a great time! The first two nights were spent at Jackson House so they could get a better feel for how it is to live in community. They really enjoyed the house and the housemates. Thanks Jackson House for letting us stay a few nights. We spent some time in Berea and also went to Lexington for the Keeneland horse races. What a hoot! Two of us placed some bets and we had some winners. It was quite interesting to people watch at this affair. This is absolutely a "Kentucky" that I had not seen before. People were dressed to the nines, especially the women. It was really cool to watch the races, but I think I got more enjoyment out of watching the crowd.
The next day we left for Natural Bridge State Resort Park. OK, if anyone is considering coming to Kentucky for some vacation, this area is a "have to see" thing. We took the skylift up to the natural bridge, and then hiked around for awhile. The view is phenomenal!!!! After we returned to our Bee-yooo-tee-fulll cabin, I took some of the trails back up to the bridge and checked it out a little more thoroughly. The walk back felt like I was traversing through a jungle, way cool! Next day was Red River Gorge, which is a geological area. For those of you terminology impaired, this means it isn't a little park with well placed bathrooms. We had a bit of a struggle finding our way around, but well worth the search. So many wonderful places to check out and spend some time taking in the vistas. I just think Kentucky could do a little better with their signage.
Off to the east side to see more mountains and visit Diane. We all went to Pig in a Poke for dinner and enjoyed some of the best barbecued ribs ever tasted. Well done Pig! We spent the night at Floyd House in the upper area. Thanks for letting us invade, Floyd House. We appreciate the hospitality.
Our last leg of the journey was to Buckhorn State Resort Park. In my opinion not as cool as natural bridge, but still quite beautiful. All in all was a wonderful week and all made it home safely. Thanks to my friends for coming down and spending some time.
Tonight Jackson House has been invited to dine with some CAP-related people. John lives near Natural Bridge, so it will be another beautiful drive. Can't wait to see what is all on the menu.
This coming week is the Women's Retreat at Camp AJ. I think this is going to be alot of fun. I am looking forward to seeing all the ladies and leading them in some different crafts. The weather is not looking all that great, but such is life.
Hope you are all doing well.
Jane

Another Wonderful Week

Today is beautiful! The warm weather is on sabbatical and we are seeing the mid to upper 60's for the next few days. I am patiently waiting for my friends from Wisconsin to get here. I am so excited. We are planning a week of fun and adventure. First stops will include Berea and the horse races in Lexington. One of my housemates went this past week and said it was alot of fun. The place is called Keeneland and they have races in the afternoon. I think they start around 1 PM and the last race is about 5 PM. I'm looking forward to seeing it and maybe having a cold one while we watch the race.

Last Wednesday I went over to see Diane Beckmann on the east side. Don and Peggy Hasse were visiting and we all got together for a nice chat and dinner. It was a great night and was a real treat to see Don and Peg. We took a drive through Jenny Wiley State Park and then got out a bit at the Dewey Dam. It is really beautiful there and the weather was great. We then stopped for all you can eat catfish. Yum! Best catfish I have had in a long time.

This week we will be heading over to Natural Bridge and also Red River Gorge. I am pumped to see this area. Haven't been there yet but have seen some pictures, and people who have been there said it is awesome. We have a cabin or cottage and will be spending two nights in the area. Looking forward to taking the lift and getting a bird's eye view of the mountains.

The following week is the CAP Women's Retreat over at Camp AJ. This should be a hoot. There are about 60 women who attend and we all stay at camp. It is a three day event and the ladies really have a great time. We are having some speakers and Mrs. Kentucky International will be there too. I guess she is bringing her entourage and they will be doing make-up and hair for all our glamor shots. Can't wait to see that!

Hope you are all doing well. God Bless
Jane

Blossoms Galore!

Kentucky Blossoms!

This week has been great. The weather went from 89 degrees on Wednesday to about 55 on Thursday. You would think I was in Wisconsin with how different each day is. Youthfest is over and we are starting to return to a somewhat more normal routine. The sad part is that some members of Jackson House will start to leave in May. Once June hits we will lose quite a few of our housemates. This is going to be a sad time to say good bye to people I truly love.

I am more than half way through this journey and I still think this is one of the best decisions I ever made. I am really happy that I still feel that way after being here for this amount of time. There have been a few struggles but all in all it has been wonderful journey.

Not much to report right now. I hope all is well with you and yours.

God Bless

Happy Easter

What a week! Last Sunday I went with a housemate to see Guy Penrod in McKee. What an awesome concert! The tickets were free and then we sat in the third row! That is hot spit people. I mean literally, hot spit. Guy liked to walk around the auditorium and talk to people and he also handed out the prizes when they called the names from the door prize bowl. He is an amazing vocalist and really shared a wonderful message with all of us. I was so happy to be able to see him and it was one remarkable night of singing and sharing. If anyone is interested he has a new country CD out and I think it will be a good one. It really was a great night and what a wonderful way to celebrate Palm Sunday.

I just got home not too long ago from spending the weekend with my sister Beth. We met in LaFayette, IN and really had a wonderful Easter weekend. I went up on Friday and then Beth arrived on Saturday morning. We spent time in the hotel talking and then went out for dinner. Our favorite place, Olive Garden, was directly across the road from the hotel. Cool. Then we just went downtown to check out the shops and stroll the streets. It is a cute city and we found a nice spot to people watch. Then we walked out of one place and saw a crowd of people standing around an old theatre. We walked over to check it out and it was a presentation of The Passion Play and was starting in about 45 minutes. Well, the tickets were free so we just grabbed a seat and waited for the show. It was awesome! It was a musical and had two story lines going at one time. The story of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection was the main message, and then it included another side story of one of the actors in the show and how he came to be aware of God's grace and what it meant for his life. At first I wasn't too thrilled with the duo story line but by the time it was all done they had presented an excellent performance.

Beth and I found a Lutheran church downtown for Sunday service and then caught a quick breakfast before both heading out to go home. Beth to Wisconsin and me back to Kentucky. When I got back to Jackson House they were still eating Easter dinner so I grabbed a chair and joined them for conversation and a piece of lemon pie. What a treat to spend the weekend with my sister and then being able to spend part of Easter with my Jackson House family.

The weather has been wonderful here and when I was driving home I saw a hillside covered with Redbud trees and bushes. Man was that beautiful! In a few days they will be opened even more. That will be a treat.

Hope you all had a Blessed Easter! He is risen, He is risen indeed!