not sharing

this past weekend Michael and i skipped away to Carmel and Monterey, just the two of us.
(we are skipping in these pix)
i didn't realize how much i missed him till we were away. i miss him being all mine. all of his humor, chuckles, words, silence, smiles, embraces, glances, dreams, french fries... they were all mine.
i needed that.
sometimes it is good not to share. i share him with the kids, work, more work, church, yard, people, projects... sometimes i want him all to myself.

Meet Simply Sara

i'd like to introduce you to Simply Sara. Sara is a delightful (blogging ) wife and mommy who desires to be "molded into the woman God has created her to be." She is sharing her birth story over at her blog. Join me in reading it, celebrating the day of her birth, and her life in Christ!

good fruit

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23

It is the fruit I labor (with God) to produce in my kids that is most DELICIOUS.

Look Up!

In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that- and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison- you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.

from Mere Christianity
C.S. Lewis

Pinch Me

for a St. Patrick's Day treat i brought back this Peppermint Cracker Candy (i replaced the chocolate with vanilla white chocolate. i replaced the candy canes with crushed spearmint candy).
it's DELICIOUS!It is BEAUTIFUL here in our neck of the hills. the hillsides are green, alive with wild flowers and lupin. i love spring, and watching my world come to life.

God Spilled His Bucket

yesterday was Michael's 35th birthday. we celebrated his favorite way, soaking up God's beautiful creation.
we took the long way to Yosemite, and drove along Hwy 140. Michael, who works as a Fine Art Digital Print Maker/Photographer, was told that it had been 20 years since the flowers had been this plentiful along Hwy 140.
these pictures (taken with our "little camera," Canon Powershot SD 880 IS) show just how brilliant the colors are!
look at this hill side! Michael commented that "God had spilled his paint bucket" on this hillside.
we continued on to beautiful Yosemite valley. there we rode bikes around the valley floor. as we rode i was reminded of riding bikes there with Michael 15 years ago, eying the families riding together, wondering if that would be our future. i was reminded of Mother's Day 2001, pulling Noah and Emilie around the same trails in the Radio Flyer wagon, wondering when little feet would be able to make the trek themselves. Now the little feet are big enough to ride with us!
it goes too fast.

after a picnic lunch and a bit more riding, we stopped to play in some caves. i don't know who enjoyed it more, the kids or Michael.
unfortunately, there was a sign that cautioned us we were entering a mountain lion habitat. it also gave instructions on what to do if you encounter a "m.l." so, i couldn't enjoy exploring the caves. i had to stand guard. i took two sticks and banged them together, creating a lot of noise, and scaring off the "m.l.'s" ( you might recall that this worked in the movie Parent Trap).

look at this cool heart tree. Yosemite has everything!
finally, for those of you who do not live in Ca. and have not had the opportunity to visit beautiful Yosemite National Park (or for those of you who live here,and have not visited), here is a short video sharing just a bit of the beauty.

birth story

i was scheduled nearly a year ago to speak for a MOPS group this week.
i'm not a public speaker. i think people can be confused by the fact that i love to sing and lead worship. i think they get confused because i am a public talker, uh huh, i tend to have lots of thoughts and opinions. just because i sing publicly and talk publicly doesn't mean speaking publicly comes naturally for me. it doesn't.

i figured with almost a year to prepare i'd have something inspiring and God-moving to say to these mommies. but as the week drew near i had nothing. at least i thought i had nothing.

the same friend who asked me a year ago to speak, encouraged me to share my testimony. i didn't want to. i wondered if my story of how i came to Christ was becoming a tired, worn out, over-told, old story.
there use to be a time i couldn't keep from sharing how God had rescued me, become the Father i longed for, and how i was now living in the embrace of His deep love.
but at some point i decided people were tired of hearing me.
in the past few years i have grown more and more reluctant to speak.
because of that i have held back on sharing my birth story.

my friend said to me that our stories, when we came into a relationship with Christ, are our birth stories. she commented on how we mommies love to get together and recount all the details of the birth's of our children. she said that God loves to tell the story of how we were born, again and again, but the only way He can do this is through us. isn't that a sweet thought.

so i shared, hoping the story of my birth would be used again for God's glory.

and it was.

join me in praying for a mommy who so needs the tenderness of God's fatherly love to penetrate her heart, and speak truth to her many questions.

He is a very good God.

What is your birth story?
i'd love to hear it!

Supercalifragilisticexpialidoscious

the alarm was set to wake me at 5:00 a.m. the kids and i had a school field trip planned for Monday. we needed to arrive at the Monterey Bay Aquarium by 9:30 a.m.. we were allowing 3.15 hrs to make our way there (3 hrs drive time, and 15 min.= the time it takes to get a fully caffeinated caramel latte from Starbucks, and to make a pit stop at Casa de pee pee).

the kids were tucked into bed early, lunches were made, clothes were set out. everything was ready to go.

i hit the sack at 10:00 p.m. Sunday eve. ready to consume 7 hrs of shut eye.
then it happened, my mind came alive! aghhhhh! toss, turn, toss, turn, toss, toss, toss!!!
i pleaded with my mind to just fall asleep already!
eventually though i gave in and began planning next fall's vacation, Christmas presents, my next 3 blog posts, how to inspire world peace, and strategies for overcoming the economic downfall in the U.S.
after i was done doing all that i was sure i'd conk out! i didn't.
i decided a lullaby would take me to Sleepville. i sang (to myself of course). my kids always fall to sleep with a lullaby. i had no such luck!
i contemplated counting sheep, but had the word "Supercalifragilisticexpialidoscious" on my late night mind. i decided to spell it. i think i spelled it 100x. and i was still awake, aghhh!
meanwhile, as i lay wide eyed, Michael was snoring beside me, tormenting me with his sleeping skills. agghhh!
by midnight i was up and watching an infomercial on t.v. (i think i will get Michael a Jawhorse for Christmas).
around 1:00ish i decided it was time for drugs, the "sleep aid" Tylenol P.M.... Dear Tylenol P.M., i want my money back!
after the Tylenol P.M. didn't work i resorted to beating up my pillow (sorry pillow), and a few self-pity tears.
i finally dozed off somewhere between 2:30 and 3:00 a.m.
needless to say when the alarm blared at 5:00 a.m. i was exhausted.

i stumbled out of bed determined to put on a happy face, survive with graciousness (and a good dose of caffeine) field trip day, and 6.5 hrs round trip of driving.

and then the most wonderful thing happened. Michael.

Michael woke up, but instead of waking the kids to help get them out the door, he began to get ready to go.

"what are you doing?" i asked.
"i'm going with you."
"what? you don't have to come. what about work?"
Michael replied, " i'm not going to work, you didn't sleep, i have to go with you."

i love my husband.

It was a breezy, sun-filled day on the central California pacific coast, a pleasant day to be in Monterey. The aquarium was filled with wonder; sea anemones, octopus, otters, sting rays, penguins, and my favorite the jellyfish. As we headed for home, driving along the coastline, looking over the great Pacific Ocean, i considered how my eyes see only miles of roaring ocean waves. They do not see the magnificent creation and life that lies beneath those waves. God is an awesome God. I love His mysteries. Driving home with Michael, my eyes should have been heavy with sleep, but my heart was too full to sleep. just as i miss the great beauty and mystery of the ocean, i so often dismiss and do not marvel, as i should, my husband whom God has so wonderfully written into my life.

I am blessed to be married to a man who loves me and gives himself up for me every day. May God help me to see the magnificent creation that he is.

once again i am behind on posting. it seems to be a trend with me these past few weeks.

i know that you are super interested in the exciting happenings of my (our) lives. so i will indulge you and share.

first, last weekend michael, and our long time friend, sheffie, went snow camping. why anyone would want to camp in the snow is beyond me. personally, i prefer the comforts of a cozy bed with down duvet, over a thermarest pad with sleeping bag. i like the convenience of the toilet, instead of squatting behind a tree somewhere. i'd rather consume a 3course meal (followed by this) than a dehydrated package of scrambled eggs. most importantly, i like a shower, my hair dryer, straightener, eyelash curler, and (like it says in my about me at the right) my lipstick.
while michael and sheffie were living like survivorman somewhere in beautiful yosemite, the kids and i stayed with sheffie's wife julie. why? because i am a wimp. i just can't do it, i can't stay home alone.

now this has got to be the all time worse video still shot of anybody ever!

after michael returned from his snowy adventures, he ventured off with the kids for a ski day. it stormed as they skied. look at josie all bundled up, and covered in snow.all this snow talk reminds me that i forgot to share with you that i went skiing last month. it was only my second time ever (the first time was 15 years ago). i survived it. i learned the hard way that you will gain momentum if you lean backwards on your skis. you will also lose control. i became quiet intimate with a bush as a result.
finally, in completely different news (that has nothing to do with snow), i chopped my hair off.
maybe i'll post a picture in the next few days of my new do. first, i have to learn how to style it.
nobody has seen it yet. they will tomorrow.
have you ever noticed that when people like your new do they comment, "i like your hair cut." however, when people do not like your new do they make this statement, "oh, you got your hair cut." i fear i will get the later tomorrow.
oh well nothing can look worse than that still shot of me in the video above.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Girl Scout Cookie time!
What are your favorite Girl Scout cookies?