Sorry, but it's More Yosemite- No, not sorry...

So I wanted to take a moment and post some pictures from our Yosemite trip. We really love the high meadows, honestly I am not even sure if I have posted some of these before but I don't care, I love them. Below is a picture of me by the Tuolumne River. It's just so peaceful, quiet and free. 

 Above is a picture of the backside of Half Dome with Cloud's Rest to it's left. From the first time I saw Half Dome in person I wanted to hike it. Conquer it. After this past trip I decided Half Dome was only part of what i wanted to hike, Cloud's Rest is now on that list. Around the time I turn 40, Lord willing, I want to venture out from Tuolumne Meadows, to Cloud's Rest, stay the night to watch the sunrise and then hike Half Dome before descending back into the valley. if I could then stay the night at the Ahwahnee that's be great, but in reality Housekeeping Camp would do.

Speaking of Housekeeping Camp, above is the picture of the "tents" at Housekeeping. Three cement walls and a cement floor with a canvas wall and door. A small picnic table completes the "room".

This trip we hiked Taft Point and then Sentinel Dome.

Back in 2007 or 2008 Steve and I made our way to the  top of Mt Washington in New Hampshire and took our first Geological Survey picture, ever since we've been hooked.

This one is for Sentinel Dome:

OK so my pictures are in a mismatched order, before Sentinel Dome this was Taft Point, gotta say I was nervous with the 1,000 to 4,000 foot drops. 

This is me by the Ansel Adams tree that has now died, I love this picture because I have a little friend standing on the tree with me

Speaking of Sentinel Dome, it was quite the hike. Easy but not. If you look hard enough I have created a heart around the dome in this picture below. Don't let it fool you though, it look somewhat minor from the ground...

 But here it is from the approach.

Back in the Valley we strolled through the Yosemite Cemetery, yes I would like to be buried there.

 And of course what would a visit to the Valley be without a stop at and a stroll around the Ahwahnee Hotel, and they sell decent chocolate there in the sweet shop!

Well that's that. My favorite place.

Quiet.

Mountains.

Hiking.

Steve.

Granite.

River.

Trees, trees and more trees.

I just love it.

This east coast girl fell hard in love with the west coast earth of Yosemite National Park.

So who's in on my 40th hiking trip?

You can hike with me or stay and meet me in the Valley.

You have 2 years to decide.

Love to you all,

peace out and remember that person you wanna punch square in the face-

don't

instead

extend them love and grace.

Loads of Pictures

 OK so I wanted to upload some cruise pictures before it got to be time to go on the next one.

Katie and my yummy dessert

Steve and I at the Captain's Dinner, I had no make-up- hey it's vacation

Rock climbing, no pic of me on the wall, just video of that- so much fun! My first time

Outside the Nassau library which is inside the old jail

Look ma, no hands. On the Queen's Staircase

No caption needed

Love that Swatch is making a comeback, I still have mine from the 80's

Wake up to the morning light

We hiked to the far end of the island

Then napped here

I thought the rocks looked like melting snow drifts in the spring

We were some of the last people off the island

Room service baby, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

So that's our cruise in short, in pictures.

We slept a lot but I'd love to go again, perhaps for a few more days.

Happy weekend to you all.

"Mostly My Dad's About Work, Work, Work"

titled taken from an LA Symphony song called "The Pop's Song"- very good I suggest you check it out.

I'm gonna be honest with you on this one.
Sometimes I just want to check out of my life.
Mostly because I parent a strong-willed child and have a husband who works a lot.
I love both these people to death but sometimes I swear they will be the death of me.
Anyone with a strong-willed child knows that sticking to your guns is hard.
Homework- ugh, forget about it; but wait we can't forget about it we have to press on, remind him, encourage him, speak firmly to him, love him.
I've recently done an in-depth study on the book of 1 Thessalonians and the wonder of truth in that book is amazing! I actually still have some work to do on that study but as part of it I dug a little deeper into 2 themes in that book.
Love
and
work.

Funny huh?
Not really God is always relevent, why this surprises me I'll never know-- darn humans.
Anywhosal, love, no work.

What I learned about work.

First a background, and please this is my life, my path, my journey. Some of you have husband and lives with different work schedules and that's fine, your cross to bear is different than mine so bear with me on this one.

My husband works 6 days a week.
Always has.
My dad worked 6 days,
my grandfather worked 6 days
and most likely his father and so on and so on.
Call it self-employment or just the nature of the beast but my husband has always worked 6 days.
My husband has also just about always worked 10-12 hour days.
If there is daylight there is a job to be done.
He has pumped gasoline, delivered pizzas, stacked lumber, fixed aircraft, mentored students, taught ESOL, painted, roofed, built, delivered newspapers, worked retail... you get it, he has done lots of things.
Then at night after he has put effort into our children and myself he lays down and sleeps- soundly, deeply, sweetly.

Often I get frustrated because of this.

I often attend evening events by myself, I cook dinner not knowing when he'll walk in to eat and I spend a decent amount of time wondering if he's sleeping so sound because I'm boring; but my emotions are conflicted.
The sweat and hardship of his work shows in his cloths I wash, dirt, sawdust, grease, paint, sweat and as I do his laundry I am thankful for this man, this man who has been willing to work 6, 12 hour days so I could stay home with our children, so he can provide.

AsI looked at what God's Word says about work and the Believer I was and I am comforted.
Here is what I found:
Amount of work:
-6 days - Exodus 20:8-10
-we should work day and night if need be - 2 Thessalonians 3

How we should work (doesn't mean work will always be this way):
-quiet -
-by the sweat of our brow - Genesis 3:17-19
-with our hands -Acts 20:33-35; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Thess 4:11-12
-minding our own business - 1 Thess. 4:11-12
-disciplined - 2 Thess. 3:7-15
-painful - Genesis 3:17-19

Why we should work:
-sleep good - Ecc. 5:12
-supply our needs and the needs of those with us - Acts 20:33-35
- to help others - Acts 20:33-35; Eph. 4:28
- not be need ourselves - 1 Thess. 4:11-12; 2 Thess 3:7-15
- to pay for our food - 2 Thess. 3:7-15

OK so for some of you that means nothing and you could care less, but for me it was conforting and encouraging.

Comforting to know that it's OK for my man to work 6 long days; believe it or not I have heard a little negativity about his work hours and that disturbed me. Which I guess was good cause it made this study time all the more sweet.

Encouraging to know that it's OK and for me to know this is an area my man has been obedient in. He has an amazing work ethic, and no I often wonder it but do not believe he is a work-a-holic, and he is an amazing giver. Some days I have to look at these passages to remind me it's OK that he sometimes gives away all our extra income to someone in need.

So I won't check out of my life. I will be reminded by God that I got a good man and through the love of God I will continue to encourage, speak kindly and love on him and my strong-willed teenager- he deserves another blog post all his own.

Have a happy Wednesday!

Grandkids are Better

So you always hear having grandkids is better than having kids.
I've been thinking about why that is true. I like having kids, I liked having little kids; don't get me wrong late nights, little sleep, attitudes, hormones, all of those things tear a parents sanity to shreds but I like being a parent.
So why are grandkids better?
Here are some reasons I'm discovering:
I am not her primary caregiver,
I'm not up in the middle of the night,
I only change diapers when I want to
and I have the joy of holding and loving a baby but not the responsibility attached to it.
I'll keep you posted on the why of this, until then.... pictures!
That's the other grandparent responsibility- pictures!

With her Uncle Scott, not my brother but Vaughan's best friend since elementary school.
And with her Papou.
What an amazing man I married, I mean don't get me wrong he drives me nuts many days but I can not think of anyone else I'd rather do this thing called life with.
He is a wonderful, husband, father and now grandfather.
Love my Hottie.

So now that I'm back to blogging I am also back to catching up on everyone's blogs. Slowly working on getting all the links up and if you blog and I don't know it- please let me know, one of the best things about blogging is watching my friends, near and far, past and present, live their lives in this bloggity good world!

Love in the new year,

Phileo vs Agape

I've really wanted to post more than I have lately, I just haven't had the quiet to actually sit down and type; and when it does get quiet I find myself just enjoying it.

These last weeks and months have been challenging for Steve and I, our relationship has been under a tremendous amount of stress and strain.
The change in dynamics at our house,
a child struggling in their first weeks in public school,
work,
ministry,
and all the while trying to prioritize us.

Some days I think I just need a vacation, if I could only get away with Steve for a few days it'd fix any stress and strain. We could put aside the daily grind and enjoy us.
But I know that's not the answer.
The answer lies in God's Word, in the daily effort put forth in making a marriage work.

Recently I looked at the words in Titus 2:3-5 about wives loving their husbands, the word love used in that passage is the word "phileo". The verse says
"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

It hit me: I am to be teaching the younger women to phileo love their husbands. This is not agape love- women were built with agape love in them, unconditional love seems to be part of our DNA; but phileo love, that's another story.

The Greek-Lexicon defines phileo love as
1. to love
a. to approve of
b. to like
c. sanction
d. to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend
2. to show signs of love
a. to kiss
3. to be fond of doing
a. be wont, use to do

It's the brotherly love.
So as I struggle in my relationship with Steve I have to ask myself am I phileo loving him?
Do I approve of him?
Do I like him?
Do I treat him affectionately?
kindly?
do I welcome him?
am I a good friend to him?

Sadly enough a year like we've had can make all of those things hard to do, frankly life can make all of these hard to do. I am feeling frustrated, hurt, confused and abandoned. I've easily turned the focus on my kids and myself leaving Steve to get the worst of me and take the brunt of my frustrations.

So last week sometime as I read about this word phileo love and realized I have a younger women in my house who I am instructed to teach, I realized I have been a poor example.
I have been a poor wife.
Oh but by the grace of God I can move on.
My past does not define me, it does not define my marriage.
I can with the strength of the Holy Spirit living in me be kind, be welcoming, be Steve's friend. With that hope, with that peace I press on.

In other news... I am totally loving my iphone.
I rarely get on the home PC because my iphone does it all- except blogging, I've yet to figure that one out.
I play Words With Friend with my friend Rhonda close by and Natalie in Atlanta.
I emojicon all my other iphone friends and can tweet to my hearts content.
Hear me again I can tweet and check tweets and tweet and check tweets- how I love twitter.

We've also rearranged the whole living room, we're finishing up the shed and hopefully will have Justin moved into his new bedroom in a weeks time! Then Sarah can begin to nest in Illana's room. Splashes of pink already brighten the living room and a growing belly excites us all!!

Hope you all have a happy weekend and I plan to stop by this blog a little more often so keep coming back!

Love to you all-

Another Day W/My Man

My man works really hard.
He has worn many different hats in our 17 years of marriage, he's worn many a shoe, boot and flip flop as well. Again this weekend I had the chance to go to work with him for a few hours. I love the view from the deck I got to hang out on.

I even love to watch my man work.

But sometimes I just watch his feet. Each step done in love for us, each step working toward providing and caring for us, his family.
I love that man!

Self-Employment @ the Beach

One of the neat things about being self-employed is the fact that I get to ride along with Steve some days. One of his duties is to clean the jacuzzis in the houses he works on. Since many of the homes are rentals I go along with him to help or just to keep him company.
Here's one of the views I got to enjoy last week.
Actually I like this view better cause my Hottie is in it!!

Remembering to enjoy the little things in life or better said, working on enjoying the daily things in life!

Have a great day- enjoy every aspect of it!

More Accident & Recovery Details

When I arrived on the scene of Steve's accident I must have already been in adrenaline mode cause it wasn't until yesterday afternoon that I recalled what he looked like and my heart sank.
There he was dressed in his rain gear, when it rains your paper boy, or girl, gets wet so for Steve it was a nice set of rain gear!

As I drove closer to him I saw it.
Blood.
Running down the side of his face.
Like in the movies.
Only real.
Only real on my "Hottie".

It was 2 hours later before we finally had a chance to sit down. No we didn't go to the ER, we didn't call a doctor, it's just not how we function. We took care of business, picked glass out of his head, treated open wounds and applied heat to his back/neck.

Then came the time when Steve wanted to sleep.
Ugh.
We had ruled out a concussion, believe it or not he had no headache, no slurred speech, according to the internet- I know scary- according to the world wide web he did not have any signs of a concussion.

After he had slept for and hour I called our BFF from high school, Justin, a nurse and yes our youngest son's namesake.
Justin was an ER nurse for 3 or 4 or so years!

"Tell me what you'd do if he had come into your ER?"

I did everything he said (except the xrays and ct scan, and yes he said take him to the hospital), I even had plans that day and worked around them to make sure Steve was being woken and tended to.

Saturday afternoon- he was still sleeping; if you call me waking him every hour and a half sleeping.
Saturday night, Sunday morning, Sunday night: in bed.
Sore.
Still pretty sure it was muscle only injury.

Then on Monday morning we made the short trek to the Veterans Hospital. What a wonderful experience that was. In and out in 4.5 hours. Here's all we did:
-intake lady
-triage nurse
- Doctor
-1 hour lunch break
-x-ray tech
-ct tech
-pharmacy

It really was a miracle that we made it in and out so quick.
The intake lady said, " God is on your side, I've never seen this" as she booked us a triage nurse appointment immediately.
Then the triage nurse said, "Someone is on your side, I've never seen this" as she sent us to the appointment with the doctor: immediately.

Two things helped me through this time.
Both from Psalm 118
"His love endures forever"
and
"in the name of the Lord I cut them off"

I struggle with feeling loved/accepted/favored/rejected, blah, blah, blah so you can imagine what my self talk sounded like.

God brought this Psalm to my attention on Friday BEFORE the accident and I stood firm on the fact that God's love for me endures forever.

I read the chapter over Steve as he lay in bed and as we were sitting in Waiting Room C I looked at Steve and said, "'His love endures forever'- it's gotta be personal and it is for me and for you, right now we are in that forever!"

I also claimed, as the Psalmist did, that when the enemy, in our case Steve's injuries and our "oh no, what's next, doomsday" mindset, would be, in the name of the Lord cut off.
Over and over in my head I went over these two truths and it was a peaceful day.
I love how God's Word does that.
It does what it says.
Every time.

So here we are.
Alive and well.
I did stay on my adrenaline high until Tuesday when i slept real good and on Wednesday when I think I finally crashed.
Any adrenaline junkie knows that coming down off that kind of high takes it toll.
Good sleep comes after not-so-good times.

So that's it for today on the accident.
and one more thing:
wear your seatbelt- all the time!
Please.


accident pics here.

Accident Pictures

Here are the pics to go with my last post. You can read about the accident here.

One part of the whole thing that hurt the most was that Vaughan now does not have his own set of wheels, here he was driving off to work for the first and last time in the van. Guess my taxi days are not as short lived as I thought.

Oh and always wear a seatbelt.