Friday, October 17, 2014

Called By Love ~> Revealing A New Direction In Life's Journey :-)

Life is like a river & at this moment in time… I'm bravely riding the rapids.

For years I've sensed God's Call on my life & yet… the river seemed forever littered with obstacles & debris. Whirlpools, sinkholes, logjams, stagnation & shallows to name a few… the obstacles of life's journey towards answering His Call continuously challenged every ability to stay afloat, not to mention futile gasps required just to breathe… Until Now

answer, answer the call, bible, call, call of God, calling, Co-Bear, cobear, iphone, love, love is calling, ministry, phone, spiritual, the call

Without telling a soul I'd long ago resolved time and again to simply trust God's call to lead me along the journey & that if His call was for real… that somehow someway He'd lead me in His way. These past couple years the journey for the most part has proved to be a serene beauty to behold. Every bend of the river revealed scenes my heart would treasure forever. Life for once was slipping by very enjoyably… for the most part. And yet His voice, His call… forever whispering reminders of dreams & visions He's filled my inner spirit with time and time again… hopes that caused my flesh to quiver in fear and my mind to wrestle through sleepless nights daring to trust while wrestling in prayer over obstacles that never would clear.

On July 10th of this year Danny & I had been talking about plans & what we were to do… but our conversation just kept going no where. Frustrated with my photography career or the lack thereof & wondering even if it did take off whether or not I'd be able to handle holding a camera up for the long grueling hours required during a wedding shoot (due to ongoing neck problems)… I decided to go for a prayer walk & give it all to God.

As I walked along a fence row overgrown with trees, praying about numerous things... I came upon this perfect little heart shape in the trunk of one old dead tree... And right then in that moment… Love Called! I listened as Holy Spirit gently whispered it was about time… and seeds of fear and doubt quickly attacked my mind. You see, I really didn't think there was anyway possible that Danny would ever agree to me answering God's call. Quickly I took those thoughts captive and challenged God by giving even those to Him… I told Him if it was according to His will, than I trusted He'd handle Danny's heart as well and that I wouldn't even ask Danny but would rather wait for God to move his heart and voice into agreement.

The following is an embedded post I shared the following day on facebook along with a quick iPhone shot of the heart. As you can read in the post by clicking 'See More' I had lots I wanted to share… but couldn't yet.


What I wanted to share was that: After snapping that photo I'd ran all the way back to the RV excited to show Danny the photo but when I got there he was as serious as stone. I sat down beside him & he asked me, "Do you think maybe the reason your necks still hurting is because maybe God's got a different plan & maybe just maybe He doesn't want you doing photography full-time?" With tears beginning to stream down my face I agreed & listened as Danny asked me what I really wanted to do. My mind began to race, God that wasn't the deal… Danny has to voice approval first. And Danny asked again, "What do you really want to do?"

Sobbing I blurted out that the only thing besides photography that I've ever wanted to do more than anything was to study the Bible & share God's love with others but that that wasn't even a possibility. Danny replied, "Why not?" My mouth gaped open in frustration and I shouted really… easy for you to say. You know it would have been so easy if God would have just created me a man but He didn't and everywhere I turn something has always come against it. Besides as a women I could never make a living doing just that. Again Danny said, "Why not? Haven't you been listening to Pastor's sermons here lately? If that's what you believe your meant to do, then do it. Just because your a women is no excuse." Hmmmmm… my mind raced… Could it be that my husband was for this? Already Lord? That quickly? Danny I asked… are you serious, I mean really… I didn't think you'd ever agree to me doing something like this… Full-time? With a nervous smile he replied something along the lines of, "I've known this all along." :-)

For the first time ever it seemed as if every obstacle &/or excuse was melting away… and I had my husbands full encouragement & support to answer God's call on my life. But for what exactly? And Now what…?… I felt strongly that I needed to talk to Pastor Glen but ugghhhh… my stomach was in knots & my flesh feared additional obstacles. Was I crazy? Crazy or not, I was and am fully determined to press on. But Lord I cried out, I know you led us to this church but Lord it's an Assembly of God church & I don't know anything really about their beliefs and Lord I still belong to a baptist church even though I don't fully agree with their doctrine, and now what Lord… and on and on my mind and my prayers raced. Finally at 3 am on July 14th I got up the nerve to email Pastor Glenn of Pittsfield Assembly & poured out my heart, and fears & The Call from God & lack of proper training, etc. In short Pastor Glenn graciously replied:

Please know that I do not think you are crazy at all.
It would be a pleasure to discuss this further with you.

A couple weeks later I met with Pastor Glen & one of his recommendations was that I pray about enrolling in ISOM - Illinois School Of Ministry. So after praying with Danny that's exactly what I did. I cannot begin to list all the ways in which God has opened doors these past few months but I'm riding the river rapids with a smile of adventurous excitement that can't be washed away. Even our kids who we thought might balk slightly about the news have been nothing short of encouraging in this new adventure God is leading us in.

I'm now in my 2nd month of ISOM classes. This month were studying about the "Assemblies of God - History, Missions, and Governance" and the knowledge I'm gleaning is absolutely incredible. As I studied the history & read testimonies of how God has worked mightily throughout the formation of the Assembly's history, I'm amazed at how their history seems to correlate so much with my own spiritual journey thus far in life. As part of the course we've learned about "The Assembly Of God's 16 Fundamental Truths" & all I can think to say in this moment is Praise Jesus & Thank You Spirit Of God for leading me. Many ask me… "So what exactly will you be doing?" That indeed is yet to be revealed in all it's fullness… but by His grace I will follow. Truly I can't begin to express just how grateful my heart is.

I can hardly wait to update you next time… my heart is overflowing with so much I'd like to share. For now, please be in prayer for us as we're considering selling 'Big Bear' our RV. With both our mom's health being what it is & my being enrolled in ISOM for at least the next couple years… well were just not sure it's wise or fair to the RV to keep her parked for so long. As soon as we have a decision well let you know. I ask your forgiveness if this post is loaded with typos as Danny usually proofreads for me but there's no time as we're preparing to head to ISOM classes this very moment. Until Next Time, I leave you with the challenge to 'listen' to His voice and the following photo:

His Word Is In My Heart Like A Fire!

bible, bone, burning fire shut up in my bones, Co-Bear, cobear, fire, heart, Hearts Afire, His name, His Word, Jeremiah, Jeremiah 20:9, scripture, speak, word


Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Lying Signs The Enemy Wants Us To Believe

Yesterday morning I finished reading a couple devotionals and having not quite 'got' them... (my mind was like a foggy battlefield) I quickly prayed that God would help me apply His word of truth to my life and then headed out on a praise walk... in hopes of stumbling across some inspiration and motivation for the day.

I'd decided to walk the same familiar path I most often take so the girls (our dogs Sparkles & Tilly) could go with me... across the back yard, around the grain bins, down a partially graveled dirt lane... on past the town sewage lagoon and thru the fields belonging to our neighbors...

...But just after I passed by the 'No Trespassing' sign hanging along side of the sewage lagoon fence, I was stopped dead in my tracks... I heard the Spirit Of God whisper, "Go Back". Without even turning around, I took 3-4 steps backwards… knowing inwardly that I was to look closer at that same familiar sign... and I mean I really looked at it.

Jesus; enemy; hope; iphone; lie; lying; no trespassing; promise; promise of God; sign; spiritual; truth


The sign was no different. A simple 'No Trespassing' sign that had been shot at numerous times by rebels of some sort not wanting to comply... but just above the sign I saw some words, as if written on the sky in clouds rather than ink, 'The Promises Of God… Are Not Far Away'...

And then in that moment He showed me numerous lying signs the enemy would have me, us to believe.

  • That laying hold of the promises of God is just too hard & probably requires wading through too much sewage... yet God's Word teaches us that 'He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire' - Ps 40:2b and that 'those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.' - Isaiah 40:31
    * In reality I've found that not taking hold of God's promises leaves us wading around in life's slimy cesspool without even realizing it more often than not… and certainly more often than I care to admit :-(
  • That God's promises are un-attainable and not reachable in the here and now... that they'll likely only become a reality later in the sweet by and by... and yet Jesus taught us to pray 'Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' - Matthew 6:10
  • That if we just fight hard enough (shoot the lying sign with guns and bullets repeatedly), if we try hard enough, do enough good things... etc., etc.... that we can (fill in the blank with whatever your striving or working hard towards)... and yet the Word teaches us in Zachariah that it's ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord' and 'though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does, that the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.' - 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 and to 'be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, that the weapons we fight with are not guns and bullets but rather the full armor of God consisting of a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the readiness to share the gospel, a shield of faith, helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit (which is the Word Of God) and prayer... all kinds of prayers.' - Ephesians 6:10-18 paraphrased
It absolutely amazes me how quickly in just the blink of an eye that God can show us something that seems so otherwise ordinary and familiar, and yet use it to reveal deep truths and bring a better understanding to my otherwise lifeless un-renewed mind.

So what are lying signs?
Any and every thought (negative or seemingly positive) that doesn't line up and agree with the Word Of God. It's almost as if every time we learn about a promise of God, the enemy immediatly throws up some sort of 'No Trespassing' sign in hopes of preventing us from grabbing ahold and believing it for here and for now, for us, for someone else… and especially for myself...

Better yet what are the promises of God that we believe on for ourselves and use to combat those lying signs?
His Word is full to overflowing with them. For Example:
  • The enemy tells us we're guilty & unpardonable • God's Word promises us grace and mercy and says that In Christ Jesus we are forgiven and are to put on His righteousness
  • The enemy leaves us feeling condemned and unloved • God loves us so much that He gave His son Jesus that we might know true peace and that In Christ I am free from any condemning charges against me
  • The enemy whispers of worry, chaos, fears & heartache • Jesus came that we might know His full measure of joy full to overflowing and that God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.
  • The enemy reminds me of past rejections, hurt and pain • Yet God's word says that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, that I have been chosen, accepted and that In Christ I am a child of God.
  • The enemy says because I am a woman… Disqualified. Disqualified. Disqualified. • Wow... has this been a HUGE lying sign in my life, refuted greatly by the Word preached by Pastor Glen last Sunday at Pittsfield Assembly. If you are a woman I'd highly encourage you to go listen to the message and be encouraged. Thank You Pastor Glen!
  • The enemy / a thought / or sign says • But God's Promise Says!
  • The enemy / a thought / or sign says • But God's Promise Says!
  • The enemy / a thought / or sign says • But God's Promise Says!…

Growth Challenge: Consider more carefully every thought that comes into our mind & take it captive to the obedience of God's Word. What are some of the negative thoughts you have about yourself, others, events, circumstances, etc? What about positive thoughts? Take them all captive. If they don't line up in agreement, then know they are a lying thought or sign per say sent straight from the enemy... refuted not by bullets but by the power and truth of God's Word. Which signs will we believe?

My Walk Back Revealed A Nesting Wren Sitting On 4-5 eggs

I've been watching this momma (and I think the daddy taking turns) for a few weeks now as they carefully and meticulously prepared the nest buried deep within a barberry bush just mere feet from our RV door. As I stopped by to check on them I was reminded of yet more of God's promises…

Nesting Wren Sitting on 4-5 eggs, Co-Bear; baby; bird; bird nest; nest; new life; photography; wild life; wren

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:25-34

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Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

My God, My God… Where Are You?

Cindy Colbert; Co Bear; CoBear Photography; Jesus; My God; christian; creek; cry; dispair; hopeless; hurt; illinios; lost; nebo; pain; pray; prayer; spiritual

My God, My God... Where Are You?
Have you ever had one of those days? Maybe lots of those days? I have...

And Yet In Spite Of Bad Stuff... I'm Probably About The Happiest Person I Know. Seriously! :-)
Not because I've never experienced anything bad or because I don't... To name a few:

Raped, Molested, Beat, Hurt, Rejected, Anxious, Depressed, Lost, Angry, Hopeless, Confused, Afraid, Drunk, Drugged, Divorced, Broken, Didn't Want To Live, Experienced Heartache & Pain To The Very Depths Of My Core.....

And Yet… Because He Lives, I Can & Do. So Can You!

Just recently I had another one of those day(s). Several days to be more exact. "My God, My God... Where are you?" My heart cried. Note these recent days of torment weren't nearly as painful as the above to be sure, but still... I was un-done and having a downright inner painful fit.

You see we'd just recently returned to Nebo, IL after spending the winter in Florida and I did NOT want to be here. Don't get me wrong, I Love Nebo people but... I was crying out, "Anywhere but here Lord" because:
  1. It's to close to the deepest pain I've ever known or experienced and that pain was still grieving my heart furiously... and there was absolutely nothing I knew to do that could resolve it. This pain... Only God could resolve... and He wasn't moving.
  2. It felt as if my photography dreams were slipping further and further away. I mean really... It's hard enough to make a living as a photographer... but "Seriously God, in the middle of no where mostly poverty stricken Nebo land... where making any wage let alone a decent photography wage isn't just hard, it's super hard."
  3. 4. 5... I had lots of reasons for not wanting to be here...
But... as many reasons as I had for not wanting to be here, there were even more reasons to be... I Knew it, I just didn't like it and found myself becoming more and more down about it all.

I spent the first week back in Nebo re-making our Co-Bear Photography sign, hung it up... and then in mid April in anger, depression and utter desperation I walked to the creak literally bawling my eyes out... and then... began crying out to God... Now What? Where are you? What do you want from me? What am I supposed to do? I had a full out complete what I refer to as 'Coming Apart'!

And then I sat there... and cried, and sat there longer. The photo above is not real time but rather a slight re-enactment of how hideous I must have appeared in that moment. And then... then the wind began to blow... ever... so... gently.

The Spirit of God began reminding me of His calling for me, my true purpose, my passion, my inner dreams and hearts desires... And then He reminded me of my testimony and that He'd asked me years ago to begin sharing it and to write a book containing it so that others might be helped through it. With clenched fist I raised it to the sky and said, No. No God, you know I can't do that yet. Sure I could write part of it but my heart hurts to bad... there's a huge wide open gaping wound you've yet to resolve and heal... and God I won't do it... I can't... not until you've done what I am not able to do.

Even more frustrated then before, I pulled myself up out of the creek and walked back to the RV pondering... wondering... hoping... praying... still wrestling with the Spirit of God. Finally, I simply told God, that I didn't know how even He could do it, but that I was choosing to continue to trust Him in Jesus Name that somehow, someway, someday He not only could but that He would do what was only possible for Him, that He'd bring healing to the most broken crushed part of my heart... and that once He'd done His part, I'd do mine. And then I left it in His hands.

I spent the next week doing the only thing I knew to do... 'Praise Him In The Storm'. I went on lots of praise walks (walks where I do nothing but praise Him). Confused and hurting... but choosing to trust and praise Him anyway.

Less than a week later... when I least expected it, in a way I never ever dared to imagine would or could possibly happen... God Moved. The wound of course is still there, the pain still hurts, but God is faithful and in a split instant He not only did what I thought was impossible, He was able to change the direction this particular pendulum had swung for so far and for so long, He stopped the knife thrust that had been cutting me so deep and began pouring His healing salve on my raw torn ripped to shreds heart. True the further a pendulum swings in one direction... the longer it takes to swing back the other way... but swinging back the other way it is... and for that all I can say is: Thank You Jesus! Hallelujah!

And so... With all that said... I'm committed, No... I am compelled... by the Love of God to begin writing that book for Him, for you... now more than ever to follow wherever He leads! LoL... I have no idea how to write a book, but again and again He's proven Himself trustworthy and faithful throughout my life... I trust He'll give me the words to say and to write and guide me to the right people to do whatever it is He wants to do through this vessel in which He Lives. :-)

Will I still be doing photography? Of course :-) My camera is practically a body part, an extension of who I am. But now I know why I'm in Nebo where there's not as much photography work to do... in Nebo I'm photographing, healing, praising & writing. In Nebo I am totally abandoned to Him! :-)



Today, If your struggling with life, If your having one of those days…
  • I pray you'll choose to 'Praise Him In The Storm'…
  • I encourage you to seek His Face…
  • I implore you to become totally abandoned to Him…
  • If you have no idea what I'm talking about & would like to, please do ask. I"m more than happy to share!
  • I leave the following video to help you along your way.
  • Please, Feel free to comment below or email me privately via the contact page if I can be of any help whatsoever for you.


Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
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Friday, May 2, 2014

Shout Out 4: Pittsfield Assembly & Southern Fried Sunday • Pittsfield, IL

Danny & I had been visiting Pittsfield Assembly off and on some soon after we married in 2011, but while spending this past winter in Florida... we found ourselves struggling to find a church we really liked and turned to watching their sermons via internet every chance bandwidth speeds would allow.

Since returning back to Illinois a couple months ago… one of the things we most looked forward to was getting back to church… specifically back to Pittsfield Assembly and I must add that I'm really looking forward to getting to know everyone better there and super excited to see what God's got in store for this amazing group of people. I cannot say enough good things about this church -> Love, Love, Love.

Shelby (our youngest daughter), her fiancee Duane & grand-daughters Annie & Allie have also recently started coming & told me just a couple weeks ago that this might very well become their home church. So… When the church recently held a 'Southern Fried Sunday' complete with an egg hunt for kids, I decided to invite our daughter Ashley from St. Louis, MO. She as well as her boyfriend Dan & grand-daughter Kaydance came.

The following is Pittsfield Assembly's Facebook Page announcement &
my not so good iPhone pic showing Chicken inviting everyone back for Southern Fried Sunday!

Pastor; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; chicken; iphone; iphone 5; southern fried sunday


What follows is some images I captured of the egg hunt & some amazing fun times the girls had splashing in the parking lot puddles following the hunt. As you can see by the smiles… We all had a phenomenal time!

Calling The Line Up To Start A Fun Filled Egg Hunt At Pittsfield Assembly Of God

Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; southern fried sunday

The curly red headed doll below is our grand-daughter Annie and the long light brown headed doll wearing a blue dress to Annie's left is our grand-daughter Kaydance. :-) Yes, I absolutely adore these sweet beauties!

Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Kaydance Marlene Sneed; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; southern fried sunday
Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Kaydance Marlene Sneed; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; southern fried sunday

Shelby's balancing our grand-daughter Allie & a bag for Annie's eggs,
while Ashley balances on heels helping Kaydance to gather her eggs.

Allison Paige Hawkens; Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; Shelby Utterback; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; southern fried sunday Ashley Johnson; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Kaydance Marlene Sneed; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; southern fried sunday

Both girls were absolutely overjoyed with their treasures...



...But what happened immediately following this brought tears of tremendous pride to my heart. You see another little boy didn't have quite the success as my grand-daughters and began crying. The second they heard him, both girls rushed to his side asking, "What's the matter?" Sobbing, he lifted his bag to reveal it was mostly empty with only 2 eggs. It was as if no words were needed, the girls understood immediately and began digging their own prized eggs out and happily gave the other little boy several eggs for his own… they never even hesitated to consider what they might be giving up… but instead were overjoyed to share and bring a smile to his face. *Sigh*… If only the whole world could be 1/2 as caring and compassionate as these little young ones were that day.


Danny, Dan & Duane might growl at me for sharing this image…
but we gals had a good giggle over the 'Chicken Shack' scene :-)


Who Can Resist A Good Hardy Puddle Jump?
Not These ~> Pretty Girls Just Gotta Have Fun &
Splish Splash My Dress Is Gettin A Bath =
A Great Time Indeed! :-)

Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Kaydance Marlene Sneed; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; puddle; southern fried sunday; splash; water
Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Kaydance Marlene Sneed; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; puddle; southern fried sunday; splash; water

Thank You Jesus 4 Pittsfield Assembly & Fun Filled Days & May God Bless You Each Individually As Well As Corporately With Love & Hugs & Laughter Full To Overflowing!

Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Kaydance Marlene Sneed; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; puddle; southern fried sunday; splash; water

Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
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Thursday, April 10, 2014

Hugs ~N~ Shrugs: An Emotional Co-Bear Travelogue Update ~> Florida 2 Illinois

Many of you are thinking about now... Whoa... What????? I thought the Co-Bear's were planning to be at the beautiful & luxurious "Myakka River Motorcoach Resort" in sunny Florida for a lot longer… Well, yes we were... but...

…One of the beautiful things about of having wheels on our home is that it allows for some really quick plan adjustments & re-locating if the need arises such as it's done just recently. Due to out of our control unforeseen circumstances (that we're not able to discuss via internet) we've recently returned to the Mid-Missouri / Western Illinois area with our base location in Nebo, Illinois.

With the exception of destination travel photography &/or a few quick trips now & then, it looks like we'll be hanging out around here for quite sometime. For how long you ask... all I know right now is 'for quite sometime'. When the good Lord leads us otherwise, that's when Big Bear's wheels will roll on again.

5 star; CoBear; Co-Bear; Colbert; Englewood; Florida; Myakka River; Myakka River Motorcoach Resort; Port Charlotte; RV; bridge; double rainbow; luxury; panorama; rainbow; resort; stitch

We greatly enjoyed our time at the "Myakka River Motorcoach Resort" and will forever treasure the wonderful friends we made while there. What a blessing!!! An early morning rain shower produced this breathe taking double rainbow panorama created and shown above by capturing 21 images and stitching them together in photoshop :-) Big Bear (our RV) is shown far right directly under the second rainbow on site #50 facing the resorts center lake.

So, Without further a-do',
Shrugs to:
  • Emotional Roller Coaster Rides ~ I don't climb on this ride often and never willingly… but If you'll bear with me a moment… I can't deny it… As a Full-Time RVer I know I shouldn't get attached to places and yet… a huge piece of my heart is still in Florida. Crazy as it sounds but… I fell… in love… and I really truly miss that place… and the people there… and the warmth… and the sweet breeze of salty ocean air… and mostly I think I'm missing the lost dreams and plans I'd made for photography there this summer… *big sigh*. And yet on the other hand… I desperately want to be wherever God leads and know that even though my heart has yet to come into sync… that right now at this set time… that we need to be here. I sincerely love this place and the people here to but… wow… my feelings and emotions have been having an absolute down right come apart fit. Surely I'm not the only one that has those, am I? Well, enough is enough. It's past time to get over it, pull up my big girl panties and shrug off this emotional roller coaster ride. It's time to embrace what is… God help me… I'm trying.
  • Brrrrr Cold Winter Weather ~ Since coming north I've been holding onto hope that someday hopefully very soon it surely would warm up enough to remove our heavy winter coats. Talk about going into shock... My body and blood starting shivering somewhere in Georgia and by the time we hit Missouri… I'd went numb straight to the core.
Hugs to:
  • Treasured Memories Made & New Friends We Look Forward To Meeting Again ~ While we made LOTS of new friends in Florida this year, there's just something really crazy special about Frank, Donna & Smoky :-) Donna recently shared with me something like, "Sometimes Life Throws Us Curve Balls, Somedays Gutter Balls… Keep On Keeping On!" Wise gal she is! :-) Donna if you read this, know I'm often looking around of the mornings hoping to catch you joining us for coffee… bathrobe and all, LoL!
Donna Shank; Florida; Frank Shank; Myakka River Motorcoach Resort; RV; Smoky; contact card; dog; friends; motor home; motorcoach; rv sites; travel; travel card; travel contact card

And then there's Lew, Velma & Cody… What a joy they are :-)

5 star; CoBear; Colbert; Englewood; Florida; Lew Thompson; Myakka River; Myakka River Motorcoach Resort; Port Charlotte; RV; Velma Thompson; campground; casual; luxery; motorcoach; palm tree; resort; river; river front; river view; sitet 5 star; CoBear; Colbert; Englewood; Florida; Lew Thompson; Myakka River; Myakka River Motorcoach Resort; Port Charlotte; RV; Velma Thompson; campground; casual; luxery; motorcoach; palm tree; resort; river; river front; river view; site

  • Power Tools, Paint And A Creative Mind ~ Last week I told Danny, "Well if I'm gonna be in Nebo awhile, I'm at least re-doing my old sign & putting it back up!" For whatever reason he balked in protest but I'd firmly decided. So… off to Missouri we went & retrieved the old sign from my mom's attic to bring back to Illinois. I guess part of me was needing paint stripper & power tools to help un-loose the old & put on the new. I surprised myself by not ruining it completly (un-leashing pent up frustrations)… and I must say it's turning out quite nicely. Much better than I originally thought it might + added bonus… look no coat!!! That's right yesterday though brief, I did shed my heavy winter coat (it's thrown over in the chair ;-)

Big Bear; Cindy Colbert; Co Bear; CoBear; CoBear Photography; Illinois; RV; creative; missouri; nebo; paint; power tools; sign

  • And The Biggest Hugs Of The Day Go To Our Dear Sweet Momma's ~ Momma T on the left & Momma C on the right (photo captured last summer) We Love You Both More Than Words Could Ever Express, Truly! :-)

Momma T and Momma C


Until Next Time,
Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Workamping + A Review Of Myakka River Motorcoach Resort • Port Charlotte, Fl

My oh my, where to begin? This post is jam packed with goodness including:
A Review of the Myakka River Motorcoach Resort,
{Call it a campground if you must, but this place is nothing short of luxurious goodness}
Information About Our 1st Official Workamping Experience,
And… A Workamper… What On Earth's A Workamper!

cindy colbert; class a; cobear; co-bear; danny colbert; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; sparkles; tilly; campground; entrance; palm tree; photographer; photography; resort; workamper; workamping

We first learned about the "Myakka River Motorcoach Resort" via "The Workampers Website" where they had run an ad looking for workampers. So, let's break it down by starting at the beginning with:

What On Earth's A Workamper? Well… We Are!!!

From the Workamper website: "Workampers are adventurous individuals, couples and families who have chosen a wonderful lifestyle that combines ANY kind of part-time or full-time work with RV camping. If you work as an employee, operate a business, OR donate your time as a volunteer, AND you sleep in an RV (or on-site housing), you are a Workamper!"

Why and how we decided to become official 'Workampers'

Actually, because we lived in our RV and operated Co-Bear Photography from it… we were workampers before we even knew the term existed and/or what it was. But, here I go again getting ahead of myself so… back to before we had the RV… Have You Ever Dreamed Of Traveling… Of Living Wherever Your Heart Leads &/or wherever the wheels might roll? But then… you quickly thought to yourself, "No way could I possibly afford to do that and certainly never before retirement age!" Well… That's sort of how our adventures began and guess what… there's good news because when you have a dream, a desire and the will… then there really IS a way!

In short… We lived in Nebo, Illinois and although we loved the people there, for various reasons we knew we needed to move. But where… Ugh, we could not decide. All our kids lived at least an hour away and each wanted us to move nearby. Hmmm… We put our house on the market and began searching… and researching… and looking at houses everywhere… and… nothing. It seemed every direction we turned we hit a brick wall and frankly after awhile, as much as I dearly love each of our children with every fiber of my heart… the truth is I just couldn't bring myself to 'want' to live next door or even real close to any of them. Ha! How's that for frank honesty? Truly, I really do love them all and if need be, in a heartbeat I would literally attempt moving stars, heaven or earth for any single one of them… but… now that their grown up and don't need me quite the same anymore, I've come to like my independence of doing whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want :-)

While searching, I discovered that with the current poor state of the economy we could literally sell our home in Illinois and move to a similar place in beautiful Pensacola, Florida for about the same amount of money. I was shocked, delighted and now more confused than ever because while that sounded truly awesome… even that wasn't quite what we wanted.

Continuing our search, Danny was daily driving past an RV sales lot and after work one day he strolled into our home and casually mentioned half joking to me, "Wouldn't it be nice if we could just buy an RV and travel until someday we decided where we'd like to live?" Oh boy, would it ever! But… we laughingly agreed that was an impossible dream… that maybe someday might possibly come true… maybe.

Day after day and night after night I kept thinking about what Danny had said. I just couldn't get it out of my head. And then… Danny had not one, but two strokes. Thankfully he recovered quickly but immediately we knew it was time… we had to 'Get busy living or… Get busy dying!' In that moment I began seriously praying and searching google for answers. Yep, I have a huge appreciation and love for technology, google and the world wide web.

I quickly discovered an amazing website by the name of Technomadia and a group called Workampers. Immediately the knowledge gleaned from those and sites similar to theirs become power and our seemingly impossible dream… it started to sound more and more like it could become a 'Dream Come True' real life reality!

I could go on and on (and one day I'll add more details) but soon afterwards we bought our first RV now named 'Big Co-Bear', sold our house in Nebo along with practically everything that wouldn't fit inside Big Bear and set out to travel. For over a year we've enjoyed traveling where we wanted, making lots of friends, returning back home for an extended stay, house sitting for the new property owners at our old place back in Nebo and spending lots and lots of money. Because we're not actually retirement age or even remotely financially able or eligible yet… it was time to start putting our workamper plan into action. It's time to work mobile!

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For Us Workamping Isn't Just About The Work Per Say…

Specifically for us, it's about locating phenomenal places where photography opportunities abound and that we'd truly LOVE staying at for a time, meeting all kinds of amazing people and experiencing memorable opportunities that we may not have otherwise ever been able to. Ideally were looking for places that are unique, beautiful in their own sort of way, and provide a full hookup site (water, sewer, electric) in exchange for volunteer hours worked. With our now mobile photography business, internet access is absolutely critical… so while having truly reliable wifi is a major deal, cable television is not because for the most part we rarely even turn ours on. Besides if the wifi is truly good who needs cable these days ;-) Work duties we like to exchange vary widely and include anything from teaching photography or tech related class's, serving as campground hosts, customer care, office, reservations, site maintenance, social media and/or activities assistant, etc., etc. We enjoy doing all kinds of things and creative exchanges. Someday we 'think' we'd enjoy serving as 'Lighthouse Hosts & Tour Guides' on the beautiful coast of Oregon… but that's another dream for another day :-)

cindy colbert; class a; cobear; co bear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; campground master; office; photographer; photography; reservation; resort; workamper; workamping

How To Become Official Workampers
  • First, join the Workamper group. Yes, there is a fee but it's nominal and truly worth every penny.
  • Next, write your resume (don't forget photos) and post it on their website (Tip: update it often).
  • Watch their website for workamping jobs or better yet sign up for the 'Daily Hotline' emails so that each time a new job is posted, you'll receive it via email and have immediate access to respond should you like the offer.
  • Next… I'd highly advise you sit back and watch the postings for awhile. Most every week day it seems there are 2-8 new listings and you'll have tons of jobs to sift through. Everything from campgrounds, house sitting, working at theme parks, state parks, security gate jobs… I'm telling ya the list is as endless as it is creative so don't be in a rush to jump at the first post you read.
  • Be sure and check out the workamper website and forums for advise such as what to require in a workamper agreement. Though it may sound silly at first… it truly is VERY important. Our biggest fears were driving thousands of miles only to discover a misleading ad and/or a boss that wanted nothing more than to take advantage of us. Yes, sadly there are those out there who will take advantage of you. Be… aware!
  • This brings us to:

How we found our 1st Official Workamping jobs…

Be A Workamper

We knew we wanted to winter somewhere warm (preferably in Florida) so I'd been watching the hotline postings closely. I first saw the listing from Myakka River Motorcoach Resort back in October of 2013 but… sadly they really wanted someone by November or at least by December… and we had prior commitments in Illinois both to Danny's truck driving job as well as to the new property owners we had sold to. Regardless, I immediately looked them up on google maps to discover they were perfectly located near Port Charlotte right on the on the Myakka River, just south of Sarasota, just north of Sanibel, a mere 12 miles from numerous gulf beaches (far enough Danny needn't worry daily about direct hurricane hits or negative salt water effects… yet close enough I could enjoy the ocean and shelling to my hearts content) ~> Can we just scream PERFECT LOCATION ~> Exactly central to all our favorite Florida spots. I then devoured their website and fell in love with hope.

After talking with Danny and lots and lots of prayer I emailed them the link to our resume and within just a day or so received a call back from Bill Winters (A prior workamper there and their current Director of Business Development). We talked… and it sounded perfect… except for the timeframe. I explained we couldn't arrive until Jan 2014 due to prior commitments and kindly requested they keep us in mind just in case they didn't find someone who fit their needs sooner.

November came and surprizingly they posted yet another ad wanting workampers asap :-/ Again, I responded with the request they keep us in mind should they not find who they were looking for. And then… Mid December came around. Why I was so nervous to call I have no idea but I was. Danny reminded me that regardless of whether or not we secured a workamping position that we were still going to Florida and living a dream come true but… for some reason I'd already fell in love with this place that I'd never even been to and I didn't want to just go there… I 'wanted' to workamp there… Seriously inter webs… It was so bad I practically drooled all over their website with hope. I guess it's a good thing they couldn't see my drool ~ LOL ~ or they may have posted Co-Bear keep away signs!

Finally… I worked up the nerve to call Bill again and sure enough, even though they'd already started with one couple, they still needed another. Somehow I remained calm through out the remainder of the conversation and he advised me that Amber Wright (Director of Sales) would probably be calling that afternoon to interview us… we hung up & I literally screamed Ya-Hoo's! To cut it short… We talked details with Amber including agreement modifications, reviewed and prayed over the agreement she emailed, then signed and returned it within just a couple short days. Our agreed plans were to arrive no later than January 7th, 2014. We knew we'd likely arrive sooner but allowed a weeks cushion just in case the weather or some other crazy life event interfered. :-) Hope's and Dream's Coming True!

Reviewing The "Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"!
~ Where We Arrived January 1st, 2014 ~
It Is A Brand New Premier Luxury Class A MotorCoach Waterfront Resort
Officially Opened Just This Year!

First… Check out their website at "www.Myakka-River.com" and then return here for for our first hand personal review. They've worded everything perfectly and tell what their resort is about so much better than I could. With the exception of the mini putting green (currently being replaced in favor of other client amenity requests), and on site massage and manicures not yet being available (coming soon I understand), I've yet to find any inaccurate information (and that's only because time hasn't allowed them to update recently). One thing they don't emphasize enough is how genuinely friendly everyone is… the Staff and Guests alike are all remarkably down right a wonderful group of people.

Truly, This place is SO NEW that google maps still shows it during the construction phase and most GPS units including our Garmin and/or Apple Maps don't realize the brand new road 'Myakka Avenue' even exists yet. But… once we figured that out and which road to take… piece of cake! If you have trouble locating the resorts address of 14100 Myakka Ave., Port Charlotte, FL 33953 just search for Kerrigan Circle, Port Charlotte, Florida. If your heading west on 776 you'll turn right onto Kerrigan Circle and Myakka Avenue is the third street off the circle on the right. Most GPS units will advise you to take Sturkie Road which is just past Kerrigan Circle… while you can drive a motorcoach down Sturkie it's a narrow road so your much better off turning onto Kerrigan Circle regardless of which direction your coming from.


Once you've found and made your way to the end of Myakka Avenue, your first view is of the entrance is pictured below. Ladies and Gentleman… this photo does not do it justice ~ It's WOW!!! You'll notice the resort is fenced and includes a coded security gate serving as it's single access road! We LOVE that added bit of security. If passing through to visit you'll need to come during office hours OR pre-arrange an appointment so someone can meet you at the gate. I made that mistake once when someone called to say they'd be coming by on a Sunday to view the resort… being a small town girl I'd forgotten they couldn't just drive on in and afterwards I felt just horrible :-/ Hopefully I'll not be making that mistake again.

class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; entrance; palm tree; photographer; photography; resort

I'll change the following 2 photos out for better images eventually but for now…
A couple quick iPhone shots shows us parked on site #50

After quickly checking in at the office where everyone warmly welcomed us with friendly smiles, Bill guided us to our site #50 so we could spend a few days just relaxing and becoming familiar with the area. As you can see from the photos, all the sites are plenty spacious, brick paved, beautifully landscaped and maintained with the utmost of care and excellence.

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The view from our site is phenomenal and at sunset
it treats us to new daily sights such as these:

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class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; rv; campground; photographer; photography; resort; sunset
class a; cobear; co bear; el jobean; florida; myakka river; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; rv; campground; photographer; photography; resort; sunset

Adjoining the clubhouse is the grand staircase which leads up to the sunset deck providing a jaw dropping view of the Myakka River and a heated swimming pool that everyone can enjoy with both a casual swim area and 75 feet swimming lanes.

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class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; resort
class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; pool; resort; swim

Next to the pool is the whirlpool spa hot tub… one of our favorite spots to relax!

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cindy colbert; class a; cobear; danny colbert; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; hot tub; iphone; jacuzzi; photographer; photography; pool; resort; spa; swim; whirlpool spa

Inside the clubhouse you'll find the welcome center and front office, a huge entertainment area, kitchen area, a game room where Danny has been beating me at shooting pool (note the has been… I will win), a large screen television where everyone just enjoyed the Super Bowl game and party, an amazing fitness room complete with more exercise equipment than I'll ever use (not pictured), showers, restrooms and of course the must have laundry facilities (again not pictured). Although there are currently only 2 sets of washer and dryers, they plan to expand this in the future. In the meantime you can find an excellent laundromat just a few miles from here… if your like Danny who does all our laundry and prefers doing every load at once (Yes, I Know I'm Blessed).

class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; resort
class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; resort
class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; pool; resort; swim
class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; resort
class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; pool; resort

Other Onsite Outdoor Amenities Include:

Fishing, walking or relaxing along the waterfront boardwalks and private fishing pier, Tennis and Pickleball Courts, bike riding, enjoying the local wildlife (such as the alligators, turtles and birds who share the lakes), watching amazing sunsets, taking your pets to the friendly dog park and of course Kayaking the Myakka River (A kayak launch area is currently being constructed).

The Dog Park Is Now Formally Sparkles & Tilly Approved!

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class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; alligator; photographer; photography; resort
class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; photographer; photography; resort
class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; lake; photographer; photography; resort; turtle

So… Getting down to where the rubber meets the road:

We checked "Good Sams Rating" and found they give them a 9.5 | 9.5 | 10 • I doubt it gets better than that!
We checked "RVParkReviews" and found they give them a 10 out of 10 based on 2
We checked "RVParky.com" and found they give them a 5 out of 5

And that folks… is all the reviews we could find so far.
You just can't seem to find anything bad about this place :-)
Personally I haven't developed a rating system yet… I either like it or I don't.
And This Place --> I Love!!! --> So How About 9.9999999…

I guess if I absolutely had to suggest improvement anywhere (besides the laundry which is already planned to expand), it would be where the Wi-Fi is concerned. For the average RVer the Wi-Fi service provided via "Tengo Internet" will be excellent and all you'll ever need. Yes, you do have to create an account and password and log in… which can be a hassle… but in exchange you receive complimentary free 'Secure' wifi. Repeat: Secure! That my inter web friends we all know is important ;-) For people like me who consider good internet critical… make sure you bring along another internet source for the times you need true high speed and or for when you've exceeded the data and speed limitations. Had I personally known before coming about all the Tengo Internet reviews, I seriously might have hesitated in coming… But… that being said I'm truly glad I didn't know and instead came without hesitation. For the times when Tengo isn't quite up to par, I simply turn on my cell phones hot spot via ATT and resume blazing speed (though very carefully because cell phone data fee's grow enormously if your not super ubber careful).

Lastly, I want to thank Amber and Ralf!

These two amazing people are who've made and continue to make this place so phenomenal! A special Thank You to both of them for taking a chance on bringing us here so serve as workampers! Amber, Thank You for your ever smiling face and the astounding people / communication skills you display endlessly. I'm in awe and hope to leave this place having learned a great deal just by watching you work. Ralf, Thank You for having the vision and dreams and guts and steadfast determination it took (and takes) to turn this place into a reality! Please don't be offended because I mean the following with absolute respect but I cannot help but add that when I first observed you working, you sort of reminded me of a happy hamster running on a wheel… or maybe more like 10 wheels at once, running furiously fast and hard and practically non-stop… but always with a smile. I wondered how on earth you ever got anything done going in so many directions at once. I've since learned my initial assessment was totally false because hamsters on wheels get no where and you sir are continuously making progress and getting more done in a very short amount of time than most ever dare or imagine accomplishing in several lifetimes! It's my hope to learn that how-to from you! :-) I just realized I've yet to capture a picture of the two of you together… we must fix that asap! ;-)

PS: Don't miss the upcoming photography class's and specials available exclusively to guests of Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Only! If your not here… You should be!

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PSS: Please leave any questions about 'Workamping' or the 'Myakka River Motorcoach Resort' in the comment fields and I'll answer back both in the comments and via email if you leave a valid address for me to respond to.


Until Next Time My Friends,
Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
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