Colton at Sky Ranch Morph - The Saints

Colton and Thomas had a great time at Morph!

Colton received the Wisdom award which read, "Colton, It has been such a blessing having you in my cabin again this week. The energy and love of camp you have is contagious. The desire you have to get to know the Lord is so encouraging. The Lord is going to do great things in your life!! Matthew 5:6 - Sam Martin"

Sam shared that Colton spoke up a lot during Bible studies and that he knew so much about the Bible that he had to ask Colton to give the other guys a chance to answer the questions. That tracks.

By Colton, "Thomas and I left for sky ranch together, we rode in the same car. One of the first things we did was establish a friend group, we also noticed that we had sone of the same counselors from the previous year, we also gave the counselors nicknames, like Mr. Tall Guy, and Mr. Dude. We also built the "Mega Fort" on the second day. Some of the highlights were the party pool, and the water slides. On the second day we had tree tops which was a lot of fun, and we also had party pool again. That night Thomas and I started "bible study on the bunk" which was a small bible study with just us two. The next couple of days we had a lot of fun. Some highlights were the pier, the crazy pool, the yard, and the ziplines. on Saturday my mom brought Thomas and I to the farm and we played in the lake, overall I had a great time at sky ranch."

Cadie, Faith, and Heidi in NYC

Faith Mazzucchi: This summer, Cadie and I visited New York City with my mother! Cadie and I are both huge musical theatre fans, so we were super excited to get the opportunity to visit a city with as wonderful a theatre scene as New York. We landed in NYC after a smooth and quick flight on Wednesday afternoon, whereafter we saw our first show, Ragtime. One of our favorite actresses, Cassie Levy, was playing one of the lead characters, ‘Mother’, and we discovered a wonderful talent in Joshua Henry, who was playing another one of the lead characters, ‘Coalhouse Walker’. After Ragtime we had a slice of quintessential New York pizza and enjoyed some donuts as an after-show treat. The next day we headed to our second show, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, where we laughed to no end! We followed that show with lunch and games in a nearby courtyard space and dinner at a delightful dog-themed fusion restaurant. Our last show was Operation Mincemeat, which was both Cadie’s and my favorite! It was witty, meaningful, and energetic, and the talent of the cast blew us away! We spent our last night in New York, and the following morning flew home to Dallas after a wonderful and theatre-packed few days! 

Cadie Walsh: What she said. One more thing to add is that we had a super cool hotel room! It had a bunk bed with a twin on top and a full on bottom. I was on the top, and it was a wonderful little nest! 

Ranger at Quest Colorado

By Jack Ranger

This year I am going into 10th grade, so it was my first year in Colorado for Sky Ranch. Big John dropped my off in Van on a Sunday afternoon. We spent all of Monday in Van doing the most popular activities like the torpedo, Tree Top Towers, Party Pool and more. We left on Monday night to drive to Horn Creek at about 11:30 and we stopped at Chick-Fil-A and McDonalds on the way. When we got to Colorado it was about 4:00 pm. We unpacked and I was able to see some of my past counselors who were working in  Horn Creek. I didn't know many of the boys, because this was my first time doing sessions 1. I was good friends with Nash Holt though so we sat together on the way there. The two people I hung out with for the majority of the week was Nash Holt and Caden Titko. They were both in my bible study and cabin as well. My bible study leaders were Luc De Villers and Will Wolfe. They were both awesome and extremely helpful when I was confused. We went through the entire book of Colossians as our main topic. Another thing that happened was Caden and I created a "professional fuse ball team" that caused a lot of drama including tears. It ended up being way more popular than we intended and everyone cared even more than us. On the last day, before we drove back to Dallas, Braiden arrived for session 2 so I saw him for a few hours. I wish I had been able to go to our Gullickson Family Reunion in Boise, Idaho, but I was also thankful to be at Sky Ranch and I had a great time. 

Boise Gullickson Family Reunion

Our time together in Boise was incredibly special. We celebrated Aunt Kathy's life during a beautiful evening together hosted by Alan and Shanna at a local coffee shop that is owned by their friends. We connected with extended family including Brad and Nancy. Grandma was thrilled to have us all in town. The Heritage House was a unique historic central hub and a great spot for an epic evening of hide and seek with the cousins. We got to meet Foster for the first time ever. He is SO chute and chill.

We spent a fun day at a local water park. Thank you Nina and Papa for the cabana! Eric brought bikes and we had a fun afternoon at a local bike park. Colton LOVED it. He will be signing up for the HP Scots Cycling team in the Fall, for sure. We had an outing to top golf, and we laughed a lot playing Tellestrations. Alan, Shanna and the girls were great local hosts and the weather was lovely. 

While it felt bittersweet to not have Aunt Kathy with us, we had the opportunity to look through some of her memorabilia and we found some treasures. I found a letter she had written to Grant and I before we even got married. It was also healing to be together. 

I read this letter at the event in her honor that I mailed to her right after her diagnosis. Aunt Kathy, we love you!

Aunt Kathy –                                        Feb. 2026

As you start this next journey, I wanted to let you know how much you mean to me. I think you know, but it never hurts to say the words anyway.

You have always been a safe place for me, and so many others. You make me feel loved, comfortable, and like my voice matters. I love you so much and am grateful for all the ways you have shaped me.

Your hospitality is inspiring. You love plants, animals, and people. You have been a safety net, letting people stay in your home until they were ready to venture back out into the world. It meant so much to me when you let me, my friend Nicole, and my friend Kit from high school stay with you for our 20^th High School reunion. You didn’t even know my friends Nicole or Kit, but I knew you would make them feel welcomed in your home. The three of us have texted many times about how much that small trip meant to us in the midst of our busy lives. We all three crashed in the king bed in your guest room and even though we had only 24 hours together, it was a very special time for us to reconnect.

You have also welcomed my daughter into your home and into your heart. Thank you for investing so much time in Cadie over the years. She loves you immensely. I know she cherishes her memories of time at your house, visiting Horton and the farm, spending time with family, exploring Kansas City, shopping, reading books, and watching TV together. A place that is so meaningful to me and full of memories, Kansas City, is also meaningful and full of memories for her. That would not have been possible without you.

I have so many happy times that include you, your generosity, and your help. A few that come to mind are:

·      -  Birthday sleepovers and shopping trips starting as early as I can remember. I remember being in your apartment, you staying at our Slater house, your first house with all the stairs, and of course, the Albervan house. I remember spending so much time thinking about places I wanted to go with you during our special birthday time together.

·      -  Horton and the farm will always include your presence for me. You and grandpa singing at church, sitting on the porch talking, or cooking up big meals for family July 4^th celebrations. I loved the farm. The time I spent there with you and our family influences the life Grant and I are building for our family.

·      -  So many times you helped celebrate family milestones. Bethany’s baby shower at your house is a wonderful memory. I have pictures of you, baby Cadie, me, CJ, and Bethany as we celebrated Samuel coming into the world. You worked so hard to make everything special, and it was perfect. I also loved the bridal brunch you hosted for me and my bridesmaid the day before Grant and I got married. We sat around your dining room table and it was so beautiful and special.

·      -  I loved our day together in Dallas when we took a trip, just you and me, to CRC farm. We talked the whole way there and back and I loved showing you all the things that Grant and I are creating to build a legacy for our family.

Thank you for sharing your journey with us. Your love for Alan, Shanna, Harriet and Della is beautiful. Your resilience and work-ethic is incredible. And your faith is grounding.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

You will be in my thoughts and prayers daily.

Thank you for being YOU!

I love you always,

Erin

 

Zion 6th Grade Trip to Camp Lone Star

By Colton Walsh, "I loved the experience at camp lone star. It started out with a normal school day, but at about 2:00 we boarded the bus and left. The bus ride was torture, but we did get to stop and play at a park halfway through. Once we arrived we headed to our cabins, then we went to devotions. After devotions we went to bed. First thing in the morning we got breakfast, then we did stuff around the lake. After that we had lunch then went to the slip & slide, we also went to the nature center. Then we went to dinner and devotions, and went to bed. the next day was a blur, we had all 3 meals and we went to the pool, but I don't remember the rest. On the final day we had breakfast, cleared out cabins, had lunch, then boarded the bus. The bus ride home was a lot more calm. I even got some sleep. When we arrived at Zion. My amazing Mom helped me pack up my stuff and drive me home."

The kids left Tuesday afternoon and got home around 5:30pm Friday evening. They had a great time and Colton got home happy and exhausted. He has spent most of this weekend recuperating. I am so thankful for Zion, the wonderful environment there, his sweet friends, and his amazing teacher, Mrs. Schkade. Thank you Zion!