Easter in Cozumel

Memories were made with Courtney Gullickson, DD & Big John, and Rudy! The El Cantil was good to us and we all loved the roomy space, lovely pool, being across the street from the grocery store, and being able to walk to downtown and so many restaurants. CJ and Cadie had one room, Ranger and Colton shared a room, DD & Big John had a room, and then Grant and I had a room - each with our own bathroom! And plenty of living room space with a huge balcony too.

CJ, Big John, Grant, me, Cadie, and Ranger went diving and it was beautiful. CJ took the kids one day to the chocolate factory while Grant and I got a couples massage, and we had fun eating dinner at all our favorite places.

He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

Molly Mullens

While I have back-dated this blog to March 16, 2024, it is actually Jan. 26, 2026. It has taken me almost two years to write this blog. I am still not even quite ready and it still feels raw and strange. I can't believe this happened two years ago. I think God put us where we needed to be to help in ways that He had already planned. 

On our drive back home from Colorado we stopped on Saturday night in Amarillo. We stayed overnight and then started the drive back to Dallas on Sunday morning. We stopped at a small shop along the highway that sold Buffalo things, shoes and belts and such. Right after we got back in the car Big John called me and asked if we knew the Mullens family. I said, yes, we have known them for years. Big John shared that they had been in a terrible car accident and he wasn't even 100% sure if they were all alive. We were shocked. We started doing research and found out we were really near where the accident had occurred. I knew that their dog Ally was with them so Jack Ranger, Cadie, and I all started calling police stations and hospitals. The kids were incredible - so helpful. We miraculously got ahold of a lady at a police station who said they had been trying to catch the dog all night and she described to us exactly where to go to find the site of the crash and the last seen sighting of Ally. We managed to find it and we spent hours with locals and finally caught Ally. Jack Ranger ran and ran through the fields. By that time some of the Mullens friends from Dallas arrived who were the family of one of Ally's siblings and they took Ally to get cleaned up and checked out. Ally was scared, but ok.

We then headed to the hospital. Mike was still there and Grant was able to talk with him and pray with him. The boys and Marissa had already been transported back to Dallas, to different hospitals, and they were not in good condition. Molly hadn't made it. We were just in shock and wanted to help however we could. We ended up going to a local Walmart to get Mike a few essentials. We promised to do whatever we could to help, and that continues to be our goal. 

The Mullens have worked so hard to honor Molly through increased safety measures along the highway so no one else ever has to go through what they went through. We will honor Molly this Thursday, on her birthday, with the dedication of the Molly Mullens Mile. 

Molly, we will never forget you.

Keystone Colorado Spring Break

Written by Jack Ranger Walsh...

"On Friday we left in the afternoon for our 6-hour trip to Amarillo. The next day we left the hotel for the rest of the drive around noon. Once we arrived at the condo it was late. On Sunday, Colton and I went outside and scouted out sledding hills. After, we went to get our skis and Dad and I skied for around two hours. The next day, the whole family went skiing.

On Tuesday, we met up with Luke and Dan Cherkassky for the day to ski. After we finished skiing, we all went to Silverthorne Recreation Center to swim. The next day we skied with Lydia and Betsy Westcott (Cadie didn't ski). We had dinner at the Westcott's house and hung out for a little bit. On Thursday, we stayed home and didn't do anything at all besides go to hibachi for dinner. We stayed at a nice condo in Keystone Gulch and have got a decent amount of snow. I have had a really good time skiing and hope I can do it again soon."

We had a great time for the second year in a row at Keystone Gulch - thank you Lori Winters! The skiing was easy, we had a fun time with friends, and the boys loved a final evening of sledding at a big hill near the condo. 

Into the Woods

"Mark your calendars and get your tickets to Highland Park High School Department of Theatre's next production, Into the Woods! This classic retelling of well-known fairytales, such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Bean stock, will run March 1^st and 2^nd at 7 pm and March 3^rd at 2.  Seating is limited as we move from the Palmer Auditorium to an immersive experience set in the round at the High School in NW106, a large ensemble room by the cafeteria. Tickets are $12 pre-sale and $15 at the door. For more information and ticket sales. We hope to see you there!"

Cadie was the assistant stage manager for this theater-in-the-round production. It was so nice of DD, Big John, Preston and Hannah to join us to cheer her on. While this wasn't her favorite musical (kind of a tough sound track), we were all proud of all her hard work.

Destination Imagination Team & Tournament

Tournament Details:

• Scenario: Too close to an eagles nest
• Stock Character: Supervillian
• Intensifier: Silly (Options could have been Angry, Dramatic, Environmentally Friendly, Gloomy, Happy, Mysterious, Obnoxious, Old-Fashioned, Sad, Scary, Silly, Strange)

Team Members: Colton Walsh, Theo Sigfusson, Thomas Jacob, Harrison Hill, Smith Hoffman, Ruffin Boyett, Erin Walsh (Team Manager)

Lots of fun having the boys over most Fridays after school for teambuilding and preparing for our tournament. It was also a lot of work, but I loved getting to know each of these sweet kiddos.

From Colton: "My mom and I hosted DE at our house it was a lot of fun we always met up at my house on Fridays and ate pizza and practiced for the tournament. In the tournament we got second, we also did a performance for our school.

The team was sometimes rude and called me fat and said I was not important, so if I had a choice I would not do it again."

HP Presbyterian High School Ignite Weekend

"Hey Highland Students Families,

It's officially been a week since we wrapped up Ignite Weekend, and I am still feeling the peace and joy of Christ knowing that He moved in the lives of students. Several students committed their lives to Christ for the first time and plenty more experienced the presence of Jesus in new and impactful ways. 

Our guest speaker, Luc Ashley, challenged our students to tell people how God moved in their lives over the weekend, so I encourage you as parents to ask your kids, “What did God teach you during Ignite Weekend?” Don't settle for the simple It was good or It was fun, but instead challenge them to think deeply about the work God is doing in their hearts. As Luc repeated over the weekend (though it's applicable every day), God will speak to you if/when you are ready and willing to receive it.

Overall, Ignite Weekend was a BLAST! We danced at 90's JAM, sang shouts of praise in worship, and competed for the coveted Golden Toilet Seat (shout out to the champs: Blue Team)! As staff, we are confident that God will use this weekend as a catalyst for Highland Students as we cultivate spaces where students can encounter Jesus and deepen community.

With Joy,
Bailey Ray
Director of Students (Boys 7-12th)"

It sounds like Ranger and Big John had a great weekend at Allaso Ranch. About 100 kids went and the staff worked really hard to make it a memorable and impactful weekend. Ranger came home happy and absolutely exhausted. So thankful that our boy is growing in his relationship with our Savior. 

UNIVERSAL Studios Daddy Adventure!!!

Written by Colton Walsh...

Dad was surprising me by taking me on a mystery adventure. And when we got there I thought that we were just gonna go get settled in the hotel, but dad had other plans when we got in the car dad said "you ready to go to sea world?" I was so surprised!!!

After that we went back to the hotel and went to bed. I woke very well rested then dad said ready to go and I said where to and then he paused for effect then said universal. I was so excited I had been waiting to go to universal for sooooooooooooooooo long. The next day we got there and it was even better than i imaged. We even got fast passes to a ride that didn't even have fast passes - Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorcycle Adventure. We rode it 4 times.

After that even though I already knew, I couldn't help but think my dad is the best.