Succumbed

It's really not like me. I still haven't even seen the first Batman movie yet (or second or third or fourth or....whatever), simply because there was too much hype around it and everyone "had" to see it. But I guess even the strongest must fall at times.

I created a Facebook Page.

Have I sold my soul to the devil? Tell me now, while there's still time to get out.

If you approve of this sort of behavior, and, in fact, have a Facebook of your own, then, "Help!" I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing or how to add things or navigate around or anything. What I have seen, though, is that it's a huge labyrinth of people. Basically, I've found that I have virtually six degrees of separation from practically everyone I've ever been introduced to in my life. It's crazy, but sort of fun all at the same time.

Advice from Blogland? Tales of your Facebook experiences? Horror stories? Delightful reunions?

The Great Outdoors

Why hasn't someone ever told me that it's complete and utter heaven to go camping without the kids?

Naps. Books. Quiet. Thinking. Togetherness. Nothingness. Prayer. Dreaming. Laughing. Bonding. Fireside. Talking. Wondering. Loving. Hiking. Sitting.

Then doing that all over again.

His First Gold Medal

Just for giggles.

Satisfaction

God made me unique and special. One of a kind.
God made you unique and special. One of a kind.

My Bible study group just finished our summer study of the book S.H.A.P.E. by Erik Rees.

S.H.A.P.E. is an acronym that stands for:

*Spiritual Gifts
*Heart
*Abilities
*Personality
*Experiences

Reading through the book and discussing it together, we each came away with a better understanding of our individual blueprints. We saw that some of us were compassionate and others were administrative. Some of us were leaders while others of us were service oriented. Some of us were teachers and others were full of hospitality.

What we didn't find, however, was that two of us were perfectly identical. In fact, what's simply amazing is that over the entire history of the human race, no two people are exactly alike.

I am different.
You are different.
We are all just how God made us to be.

I challenge you to read I Corinthians 12 to explore this further.

What am I? My spiritual gifts are primarily administration, leadership and teaching. My heart is to instruct people and connect them to one another. My abilities are music, athletics and construction. My personality is extroverted. My experiences are full of learning how to properly express my spiritual gifts through my unique abilities and personality. Some of those experiences have been very tough lessons, while others have been rewarding mountain top experiences. All have played a part in making me who I am today.

Seeing what makes different people tick is a fascinating thing.

My friend, Julie, affectionately refers to me as her "Man Friend." I take that as a compliment. While she is planning a tea party, I am strapping on my tool belt.

I love tools. I love constructing things. I love the satisfaction of finishing a project. I love resting when a project is done. Both the construction and the resting bring me satisfaction.

I found the perfect project for me:

God made me unique and special. One of a kind.
God made you unique and special. One of a kind.

Now it's our responsibility to give those gifts back to Him in service toward one another. You'll find it is a very satisfying thing.

True Story

Date: 8-20-08
Time: 6:18pm pacific daylight time
Location: The outside eating area of Taco Del Mar



I touched a bat and I liked it,
Its fur like velvet carpet.
I touched a bat just to try it.
Hope I don't end up real sick.
It felt so soft, it felt so weird.
Don't think I want this new pet.
I touched a bat and I liked it.
I liked it.

There. You now have alternative lyrics to remember. You're welcome.

Braced......Again

In the classic tradition of her mother and her older sister, Greta has joined the wonderful world of orthodontia.

Greta and her good friend, Chloe, both fresh off the slip-n-slide to take the edge off of the 103 degree day, jumped in the car to head for the offices of Dr. Amborn, the best orthodontist there is! Too bad Chloe couldn't stay for the appointment, but as you can see in the picture, she has already had an appointment of her very own.



Gabby and I knew exactly what she was in for.......

So far, so good.........

And, voila!! I didn't think it was possible for Greta to get any cuter than she already was, but apparently she can!

And it didn't seem to hinder her piano playing skills!

Let's Stroll, Shall We?

Down Memory Lane!
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The Directions:
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1. Leave a comment on my blog. (Even if you never have before!!!!--I know you're out there!!) In the comment, recall one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! Please be nice to me! :-)
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2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.
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My friend Angela just did this on her blog and I thought it was a fun one!

Camp Cherith Was SOOO Griffo!

What an awesome week! So much fun and so many highlights!
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Last year, camp was a growing experience in my life, and it even made me question if I did, indeed, want to return this summer. But as I read back my blog entry upon returning last year, I am again reminded that every year brings about its own experiences, lessons, and purposes.
This year, God knew exactly what I needed: a group of spectacular high school girls, an incredibly awesome co-counselor, amazing Bible studies, and an all-around super FUN week!
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Here are some highlights:
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Sparrow and Ossie: The best team of high school counselors ever!

An awesome Laser Tag extravaganza in the forest!

Teaching Greta how to be a most excellent archer.

80's Night!! It was totally tubular!

Greta's cabin had a lot of fun, too!

So, yes, camp was totally griffo this year!

What? You don't know what "griffo" means? You are so totally out of it!

Actually, at the beginning of the week, our cabin decided to make up a word that we would use as "cool" and see if we could get the middle school girls to start saying it by the end of the week. Needless to say, it was easier than we could have imagined! By Tuesday, the middle school girls were not only saying it as if they'd been saying it all their lives, they were actually explaining to me what it meant! By Friday, the whole camp had made it part of their regular vocabulary.

Where'd we come up with "griffo?" Well, Grifo is the name of Sparrow's new puppy, which came from some sort of car make or model that Mr. Ranch is particularly fond of.

Girls. They're so griffo.

Almost a Month?

Oh my.

Time has, in a way, flown, and it has, in another way, gloriously meandered through a gorgeous summer so far.

The internet has not been calling my name in the slightest, so I am, unfortunately not up to speed on all the Blogland goings-on. That is not to say that I haven't thought about you, my dear Blogland friends. I have, in fact, wondered how the farm is, or if the new garden is coming in nicely, or if Reno is feeling like home, or how the house is coming together, or how the pregnancy is coming along, or how the baby is growing, or how the girls are growing, or what's new at the Ranch, or if your husband's caught any bass lately, or what you've knitted, or.......well, you get the point.

I have spent the last few weeks going through our house to prepare it for an addition: a "For Sale by Owner" sign. It made its debut last week and we have received exactly zero calls in reference to it. But that is perfectly ok. We are just testing the waters to see if there's any nibblers out there, but if it doesn't work out, we are completely content and happy to stay in our nice, comfortable home. We really do love it here, but it would be wonderful to have a little more outdoor breathing room. We'll see. It's in God's hands, which is the perfect place for it to be.

Julie and I took our girls to Wild Waves this past Sunday and Monday. We had an absolute blast! Good friends and sunshine are such a wonderful combination.

In approximately ten hours from now, I will be making my annual pilgrimage to Camp Cherith, where I will be able to be the counselor to the high school girls, along with the totally awesome Mrs. Ranch. We are really looking forward to our week and know that God has some super things in store for us and the girls. Greta will be coming to camp, as well, while Gabby will be helping Ben here around the house....I may give her a commission if she sells it while we're away, we'll see.

I miss you all, and I promise I'll catch up on Blogland after a return in a week. But until then, leave me a little comment with how you are doing and what the best thing so far this summer has been.

Thanks for being faithful friends!

Good-Bye Nails!

For the first time in my life, I am actually proud that my fingernails look like this:


Why?

Because I am finally working toward a goal that I have had for quite some time.

I'm learning to play the guitar! I've said that I've wanted to learn for years now, but have never put the time and effort into doing it. But now, two weeks into lessons, I now have visible calluses on my fingers and have learned some basic chords that have enabled me to play a few worship songs that my daughters have actually been able to sing along to, albeit, they have to be patient while I switch from D to G and right back to D again. Hard!!

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks, eh?







Maybe someday I can play publicly.....but until then, Poco is quite a sufficient audience for me!

What is something you've always wanted to learn?