Deanna and I drove to Denver this weekend for camp planning meetings and had planned on touring the Camp Wondervu grounds as part of our trip. The camp operators were out of town but were expecting us and left a key and map for us to make the trek up ourselves and show ourselves around. Unfortunately, when we arrived, the snow banks were just too high for us to even get inside the campground area. Total bummer!

You can probably get somewhat of an idea how high the snow drifts were from the pictures below. In many places, snow was up to my chest (I’m 6’2″, for reference). We were able to drive up to the operator’s house, but after that nothing was remotely passable. We turned the car around but the car just didn’t have enough traction or horsepower to make it back up the snow packed road.

As the sun was beginning to set, after about 30 minutes of pushing and moving the car back and forth along the path, we decided that we had better go for help. Mind you, there is no cell service up there, so we wanted to make sure that we didn’t get stranded out there in the dark. Thankfully, after walking maybe a little over a quarter of a mile, we found a house with a couple outside sitting around a wood stove fire. We told them our situation, expecting nothing but maybe the opportunity to make a phone call, but the man – who’s name was Vern – told us without hesitation that he’d help us out.

We got into his 4×4 truck and drove it back to the car. We tried pushing and driving a bit more before hooking up with a rope because there really wasn’t any good places to latch on to. But after many unsuccessful attempts, it was becoming clear that towing it out was going to be our only option. Vern got in his truck, Deanna got in the driver’s seat of our rental, and I was in between trying my best to keep the tow rope tight enough so that we wouldn’t lose grip going up the hill. It still fell off several times as I walk-jogged in between the two vehicles as we slowly made our way out.

What an evening! It was definitely an adrenal rush adventure. Afterwards, Vern invited us back to his house for some sodas and some fireside chat. What a great couple!

On top of our mountain top fun, I had really been looking forward to taking Deanna to Cinzetti’s in Denver, as she had never been and I’m a big fan. It was scheduled to be open until 8:30 PM, but when we got there, there were signs on the doors saying that they had closed early for the Super Bowl! “Noooooooo!” We found another place to eat and went back to the hotel to rest our sore muscles. Phew! Regardless, we are thankful that we are safe and that our rental wasn’t damaged.

From the Shoup family to yours – Merry Christmas!

This year we filmed our visit to Bentleyville – Duluth’s very own Christmas light, winter wonderland featuring nearly 3 million lights illuminating the shores of Lake Superior. The park sports an ice skating area, bonfires, cocoa and cookies, popcorn, community marshmallow roasting, Santa’s village, and USA’s largest steel Christmas tree. It’s a pretty spectacular attraction – and all FREE! Two flew by without us realizing the time…

The year 2011 has been good to us. Deanna has been working hard at school, pursuing her degree in medicine. Shawn has had a really great first year as Gateway’s District NextGen Rep, caring for, resourcing, and networking NextGen pastors and leaders. He also gets to spend his days at home with Zion  who is now 18-months-old and about as “boy” as you can get. He loves cars, balls, and throwing things.

Kella, who turns 7 on Christmas Eve, just celebrated her birthday with friends this past weekend. She’s in first grade and is just as sweet as she’s ever been. Our little princess, who loves to wear dresses every day – if she can get away with it – and loves the color pink.

Bella is now 9-years-old and is loving fourth grade. She is always singing and brainstorming amazing rock-opera productions in her bedroom downstairs.

Cynthia is a 15-year-old, sophomore rock star. Especially since she’s been crafting her skill on her new drum set this year. She’s always been the creative, edgy-type, and is continuing that trend.

Autumn is 17 this year and has entered the world of boys. Pretty scary, but he’s an okay guy. It’s her junior year and we don’t want to think about the impending graduation that is coming next year. She’s such a joy to have around.

We’re excited for what is around the corner in the year 2012! We’re thankful for our AMAZING family and friends. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!