Not Seeing the View for the Tracks...

I'm back home from a wonderful family vacation in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The most amazing part?  Spending time with family.  That included my brother and his wife, whom we haven't seen in 2 years, and the kids in 4 years!  :(   (No family feud... they've just been living overseas)

On Thursday, we rode the Cog Rail to the top of Pikes Peak.

Elevation 14,115 feet.

This is a view from the top:

This is me holding up my daughter so she could see the above amazing view:

Do you know why I am laughing?  (of course you don't ... I'll tell you.)

When I hoisted her above the wall, her exclamation was, 

"Wow!  Railroad tracks!"

Ummmm,  that wasn't the point, Sweetheart!  :)

Later that night I got to thinking (I don't think during the day...) and I wondered if I do that.

God lifts me up above a wall in my life to show me an awesome view. 

How HE views my life.  Or HIS plan and direction HE wants to take me. 

The big picture.

All I see are the railroad tracks.

They are pretty neat, but SO short sighted.  I see them everyday of my life.

My prayer that night was for God to open my eyes to HIS view for my life.

Oh.....  One more thing.

I GOT TO EAT CHICK-FIL-A........ TWICE!!!!!

Sorry, I know all caps is like shouting.

Couldn't help it :)

Thankful to be alive.....

Today I am thankful to be alive in the 21st century and married to a white-collar job husband.
Nothing against blue-collar jobs.  I'm specifically thankful my husband isn't a coal miner or gold miner.

We are on family vacation this week.  Having a wonderful time together.  Yesterday we went 1,000 feet underground on a guided tour of a gold mine.   I was excited how educational the visit would be for the children.  Learn about the gold rush, early and present day mining methods, see underground rock, etc......

Know what they most picked up on?

If Dad and I had been early 1900 gold miners, we would both be about dead due to lung damage.

Yep.

Nothing like a family vacation to make the parents feel young and thankful to be alive!

Old/New Saul

Okay, really random here.
I was reading the story of David and Goliath to my children yesterday and a thought popped in my head.

King Saul persecuted David.  (Future king David..... great, great, great....grandfather of Jesus)
In the new testament, Saul persecuted Christ's church. (until his miraculous conversion and he became Paul).

I wonder if there is any significance in that?!?

Have a blessed day!

Random Acts of Kindness

Most of you are aware of the movement Random Acts of Kindness.
If not, or you want to learn more, click here.

Did you know words of encouragement are an act of kindness?  I'm not sure if it is technically listed, but yesterday a stranger shared random words of encouragement.... and it was very kind of her.

I and my three children were coming out of PetSmart with 4 month old Hershey in tow.  Hershey wore a new collar (the clasp broke on the old one) and sported a nifty contraption called the halti.  (picture here or video here)  Hershey did not care for the strap across the bridge of his nose and kept pawing at it vigorously all the way to the van.

 Following us out PetSmart was a woman and her teenage daughter.  When we arrived at our van they paused  and she blurted out,  "We have a halti for our lab and it works really well".
I turned to face her and asked,  "Did your dog like it at first?"
"No.  But she got used to it quickly and now we have no problem putting it on her."

She smiled.  I smiled and said how thankful I was she spoke up.

It was reassuring to know Hershey would get used to the halti and it was not going to be torture for me putting it on him, or torture for him to wear the thing.

It took that woman 30 seconds to randomly speak up. Uninvited by me.  She could have kept silent knowing the risk I might rebuff her for intruding.  But she didn't and I'm so glad because for me, her intrusion turned that unsure, new puppy-mommy moment into a positive one.  I had made the right decision for our puppy/family.   Now Hershey won't yank on his neck so hard it leaves red marks - or drag my little children into the street.

Thank you, kind stranger, for choosing to speak up with random words of encouragement!  It brightened my afternoon.

Super Star Mom

If I write about my less than brilliant Mommy moments,
I figure it's only fair I share a more shining moment.

Shining like the stars, actually.

Yesterday this article popped up on my browser. 

So last night this morning around 12:30, I spread an old comforter on the ground, grabbed a blanket, and woke up all 3 children (and the dog).  We laid under the stars in our backyard for a good 45 minutes.

GREAT time.  Worth the lack of sleep.  I highly recommend this activity - even without a  meteor shower.

P.S. - Thanks, Papa, for doing this with me when I was a little girl.  What a gift you gave me.  An appreciation for the heavens, and a great activity to pass on to my children.

Genesis 1:16-18:  God made two great lights - the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.  He also made the stars.  God set them in the expanse of the sky t o give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness.  And God saw that it was good.

Psalms 19:1 - The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Rock On

My husband and I are getting ready to play some Rock Band 2.

Dan plays lead guitar and I rock a mean bass.  I'm currently at "hard" setting and I'm sure I could advance to "expert" if we played more frequently.  Alas, it's been awhile....  I better hurry up and get this posted so I can warm up the strings check my guitar's batteries.

You know why I love playing Rock Band?  (besides time spent with my husband)

I feel like a rock star.  Like a bass-playing goddess.
I would post a picture of me playing that my Mom took ...... but it reveals I am anything BUT a rock star / goddess.  (Personally, I blame the strap and not my overeating for looking like I am 3 months prego......)

Anyway, back to Rock Band. 
As I'm anticipating playing tonight, the thought occured to me:

"Wish there was a gadget that made the Christian life seem easy....
like Rock Band does for guitar-playing."

And then it hit me.... there is.
The gadget is called "church".
Church is great and wonderful.  We are called by Christ to not forsake the gathering together.
But it sure is a lot easier to do the "church" thing, rather than the "Christian" thing.

I rock a mean Awana secretary grey polo shirt and I rock out toddler Sunday school tunes like no other.....
but do I rock my everyday Christian life?

Recently I have some relatives going through a difficult time.  Their step-family is being mean spirited and putting money above family.  To my shame, I shall post my internal responses.... in order they occured to me...upon learning of my relatives' situation:

1) "Those step-people are so mean and nasty.  How could they?  Are they Satan Spawn Heartless Freaks?"

2) I wanted to "defend" my relatives.  I racked my brain for any way to come to their rescue - 
    financially or if I knew a good lawyer, etc......

3) I tried to remember I needed to let it rest in God's hands and PRAY for my
    relatives.......   afterall, vengence is mine, sayeth the Lord....

Several Days later, in an email from a very wise person, I was reminded......
4) Pray for the enemy.  Pray for those who persecute you.  I was reminded their souls are more important than the material goods they are cheating my relatives out of.

So while I Rock Band the whole Church thing, too often real life situations cause me to examine how far short I fall of relying on the ROCK in real life.

Rock On.....

Friday Fun Video

I enjoy cooking.  I enjoy music.
Anyone want to start a band with me????

http://thebubble.msn.com/#/video/?id=0d08a3f3-2ca6-49af-b592-804ecedc0e59

Have a great weekend.

Wanted: Stay-at-Home-Homeschooling-MOM

Wanted:
Woman in mid 30's to raise, nurture, and teach 3 young children.
Experience Needed:  None. On-the-job training provided (by yourself)
Pay:  $ 0

*Applicant will be able to cook (passably) healthy meals, clean the home (at least when company is coming), coordinate everyone's schedules, chauffeur children to multiple activities, and be involved in said activities.
*Applicant must be able to Band-Aid a cut too small to see, ice-pack a non-existent bump on the forehead, kiss a scraped knee, and enforce "no blood, no problem" policy.
*Applicant must be impervious to whining, begging, and shouts of  "you're just not being fair to me!", or "You never let me have any fun!"
*Applicant must be very patient during spontaneous games of 20 million questions - and be able to come up with clever answers.
*Applicant must be proficient in elementary math and reading.  (Grammar rules are conveniently explained in workbooks).
*Applicant must convincingly fake enthusiasm for elementary science bug projects.
*Applicant must not then become daunted by year-end shouts of, "I don't LIKE school!"
*Applicant must have desire for children to know of God's love, and to teach children to show God's love to others through actions and words.  This includes treatment of siblings.
*Applicant must be emotionally available at all times.  Even when emotionally unstable herself, or at inopportune times.... such as the middle of the night.... multiple times per night.

** This is also an investment opportunity!
Initial investment:  Everything you have
ROI:  Immeasurable.  Will see ROI in 20-25 years.

If interested, please contact Britt.  She is considering taking a 1 year LOA on a non-disclosed tropical island.

(Of course I do NOT wish to give up being mother to my 3 wonderful children.
And this is in no way a slam against work-outside-the-home moms, or those who do not homeschool)