Since this was our third trip to Colorado, we have a lot of favorite things we always want to do, always packing our vacation with a million and one things we want to do.
Along with hiking mountains, my kids also want to play on the mega slide at Whit’s End. On our last trip we saved FOF for last, thinking we could easily fill in our final afternoon there, but much to my kids’ chagrin that was too little time.
This year I promised we’d go to FOF first…and that first we’d check on KYDS Radio. We saw it being built 6 years ago, then forgot all about it when we returned last year when we saw it in action.
Although we considered signing up for a KYDS Radio spot, my daughter was too nervous.
I hooked my kids on Adventures in Odyssey when they were young, to work on their auditory skills. My daughter is probably their biggest fan, wanting to collect every episode on tape. She manages which ones we listen to on every family vacation.
She’s always talking about every story she hears: there is an Adventures in Odyssey story that teaches a lesson for every situation in life.
On our evening walks through the neighborhood she’d talk about our upcoming trip and she was still wobbly about doing the radio program. You see, KYDS Radio is a radio program within Adventures in Odyssey.
In essence I told her it’d be a great, once in a lifetime opportunity, to be part of something that she dearly loves. I also assured her we might all be nervous, but any mistakes would be expected and okay. We would just do our best and have fun with it. Before long she was highly anticipating this memory making event.
After entering the visitor center we signed in and received some free Adventures in Odyssey tapes. Wow!
Then we went to the recording studio where we were told the tapings were booked for the rest of the day.
We decided to finish out the afternoon playing and snacking at Whit’s’ End Soda Shoppe (also part of Adventures in Odyssey) and returning first thing in the morning for the taping.
Upon arrival we chose a script we wanted to use for our taping.
We had a brief time to look over our scripts, though we weren’t exactly sure what was going to happen.
While the kids each had a speaking part I was a foley (sound crew).
The door was officially shut to block outside sound, the theme song cheerfully played(wow!) and the voices of Kris, Connie and Whit were already prerecorded (goosebumps) and we read our parts. (We couldn’t believe we were doing this!)
Afterwards the sound girl produced our own CD to take home! WOW!! Best souvenir, ever!
And we also got a free CD set of “Adventures in Odyssey” and a 20% coupon for “Adventures in Odyssey” merchandise in the bookstore. WOW!!!
After the taping, we helped the kids finish the scavenger hunt they started the afternoon before.
When my kids saw the mosaic of Whit, they stopped in amazement. Wow! Having made their own mosaics a few months, before, they knew that took a lot of work!
Then we went to the soda shoppe for a Wodfamchocsod (World Famous Chocolate Soda…featured on some of the episodes) Delicious!
Then we went back to the visitor center and got another daily gift for visiting…”Adventures in Odyssey” tapes! WOW!!!!
We also looked at all the magazines they publish and got to take any freebies home that we wanted. WOW!!!!!
Then we watched the movie on Dr. Dobson’s founding of Focus on the Family. We haven’t done that in 6 years and they have a new movie from the recent 25th anniversary.
We saw neat things in the gallery like part of the destroyed baseball cap Dr. Dobson had given the Columbia crew to take into space that exploded upon reentry to earth, over Texas. (Rick Husband was on that flight and his wife’s book, High Calling is wonderful. We listened to the audio tape when we took a vacation to Johnson Space Center in Houston a few years ago.) There were pictures of the crew and that definitely tugged at my heart.
The man who had helped us in the sound booth gave us a tour of Focus on the Family.
We sat in the viewing area of the sound booth where Focus on the Family tapings occur. You know when Dr. Dobson will be there because there will be a pitcher of water at his place…he wasn’t there that day.
We were told about the publishing facility and there is only one author they do not publish…did any of us know? Hmmmm, I raised my hand and said, “Dr. Dobson.”
Yes, he publishes through another place and for a few of his books all of his royalties go to Focus on the Family.
Also he rents his office space at Focus and pays for his own secretary. He is their longest volunteer.
The tour guide told us about the magazines published there (which we had already seen in the other building, but were available to choose from in this building too.)
We also got to see the counseling center. Whenever someone writes, e-mails or calls for help, these are the people who aid the request.
They have pcs with search engines where they type in the problem and find resources to help the individual.
They also pray for the individual.
The tougher problems are sent upstairs, where the more experienced counselors help.
A corner is devoted to those who help children, and a life size placard of Eugene from “Adventures in Odyssey” designates that precious area.
Then the staff has special prayer days where they are given these letters to pray over.
The tour guide also told us about how the property is so large, they got their own zip code, and therefore, their own mail sorting and packaging facility which saves them tons of money when shipping.
As a result, other nearby ministries, like the Navigators, get to be blessed to use the facilities too.
Afterwards each of us on the tour were gifted…you guessed it…”Adventures in Oddysey” CDs! My daughter was just loving all these gifts! WOW!!!!!!
Hungrily, we went back to Whit’s End for lunch, a real value meal, good and cheaper than a fast food restaurant.
We could have eaten in the employees’ cafeteria. Or we could have eaten in the visitor center where they have a lovely restful snack area and free hot drinks. But there is something about going to cheerful Whit’s End.
Afterwards we shopped at the bookstore and purchased some great treasures for the new school year. And with our coupon, we chose a CD set when Dr. Dobson comes to Odyssey!
Finally the kids finished up the afternoon by sliding down the 3 story slide, A-bend-ne-go.
The kids had already spent a great deal of time sliding down, but they just couldn’t resist another opportunity.
Storm clouds were in the distance. We left for Garden of the Gods, where we escaped the rain in the amazing museum/gift shop. After the rain we walked around to see the rocks, then dinner at an old Railroad Depot.
