Wordless Wednesday: Ahhh......Spring!

But, can you believe it? SNOW is on it's way tomorrow!

MAY 1!!!

What is your weather like?

I Have Been Tagged!!!!

I’ve been tagged, by my friend, Beckie , so here's my list of the 5 bravest things I have done:

(not in any particular order)

1. Going to another country (WOW!!! What an life-changer that was).…….which ties into....

2. Adopting our two kiddos from Guatemala.

It takes bravery to embark on a journey KNOWN to be stressful, long & unpredictable.

3. Rappelling: If you know me at all, you know this is NOT my type of activity.

I prefer both feet on the ground.

All.the.time.

I cannot describe the relief I felt when I backed over the side, & the rope held!

It held!!!

Will I do it again?

Nope. Marked off the box, don’t need to do it again.

4. Skiing for the first time in my life at age 24.

Remember…….I prefer FEET on the ground-not narrow, long (really long) pieces of metal ATTATCHED to my feet (read-FEET are NOT touching the ground).

Add in a slippery slope w/ SNOW on it…….& let’s just say……it was amazing I did it once, & still continue to do it whenever I have the opportunity.

5.This one was really hard for me……I realized I am perhaps not the biggest risk-taker in the world…..but, I digress……

I finally thought……some of the hiking I have done here in Colorado is either BRAVE or REALLY, REALLY STUPID!!!!

The lightening storm I was caught in last summer (w/ family from out of town), when we knew at the beginning, the clouds looked rather threatening…..after almost 10 years in CO, you would think I would know better!!!!

I think I can honestly say I have never been so scared for my life (& really-my children’s lives) as I was that afternoon, huddled a mile or so up the trail from the car. We knew we had to wait out some of the storm there, due to big, open, bare rock we had to scramble around……

Can we say-not the wisest of decisions?!?!?

Can you see how SCARED my poor nephew is!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But, really, w/ my fear of heights,
it’s a wonder every time I take children hiking,
swallow my fear (or just pic a trail w/ no drop-offs-Ha! Ha!!) & just DO IT.

And, oh, it is SO WORTH IT!!!!

(I have yet to try it w/ three children…..but,

stay tuned this summer-it might just happen!!!!)

"All Through the Night"

Sleep, my child, and peace attend thee
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping
I my loving vigil keeping
All through the night

While the moon her watch is keeping
All through the night
While the weary world is sleeping
All through the night
O`er thy spirit gently stealing
Visions of delight revealing
Breathes a pure and holy feeling
All through the night

**********************************************

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FRIENDS!!!!!

These are our friends we met in Guatemala on our visit trip last November.

She & several of her friends were invoved in that horrible accident in Chicago yesterday.

Please run over to her blog, so you can see what her hubby had to say about it &

find out how to pray.....

Maybe we could turn this into kind-of a prayer chain......

If a few of you would post this request on your own blogs today & link back to my blog, I will let her know about all the people we have praying for her & her friends & the families who lost members yesterday.

Thanks!!!!

Happiness/Joy……is Not a Choice, Right?

Or is it????

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Proverbs 23:7a

Commit your works to the LORD,

And your thoughts will be established.

Proverbs 16:3


How we think dictates how we are.

Where our work is dedicated dictates our thoughts.

Sounds to me like it might actually be a choice.

Have you found this to be true??

I have.

The power of suggestion.

The mind is a funny thing, I think.

If I pray over my day, & my dealings w/ people & situations……

I am more likely to be content in my mind…….

& I am more likely to be content in my actions.



If I forget to commit my day to the Lord, & I think “I am so grumpy!”

Guess what happens?!?!?

Big surprise-I am grumpy!!!

Self-fulfilling prophesy…..perhaps

But, if I tell myself, "I choose Joy/Happiness," what do you think will happen?

Thursdays Before the Throne

“I want to be so filled up w/ Christ that when I get bumped,

that is what spills out.”

Amy Carmichael

I have to confess, that is not often the case…….

Something to consider……

Wordless Wednesday

Hey, Aren’t You On The Wrong Side Of The Glass?!?!?

A funny thing happened on the way out of the zoo!

(my tired attempt at humor-so humor me & laugh!-PLUUEESE!!! "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.")

I wasn’t there…….I had taken a sleepy baby outside,

but this was the coolest experience for Ana.

I was waiting next to the hippos,

when Ana bounced down the ramp toward me, a certificate in hand.

I could tell from her shining eyes & the bounce,

that something SUPER (at least in her eyes) had happened.

Even I was surprised, though, how cool it really was!



She was asked to help feed the orangutans!!

The primates were removed,
& Ana was invited into the "inner sanctum" of the zookeepers
access rooms behind the back wall.

(you know, the rooms you are always craning your neck to see into if the door is open!!!!)

Apparently, (according to Grandmother, Granddad, & Daddy),

this was seen as a very serious job by Ana,

& I think you can tell that from the look on her face.

Anyway,…….she came away thoroughly enthralled by the experience,

& I have to say.......even I was excited she had that opportunity.

(By the way, if you're wondering what orangutans eat,

the menu was popcorn on Saturday.

Who knew?!?!?)

She needs as many special things as possible right now, my “grown-up” in a 7-year-old’s body.

How cool, that our zoo encourages that kind of thing!!!

*****************************************************

And, just because.........well, they're too cute!!!.......

Goodnight, all!!!

(oh, & many thanks to Grandad, who took the pics of Ana at work!!)

(Sob…..hiccup)…..“I HATE goodbyes!!!” …..(wail….sob some more)

Ana 30 seconds after her grandparents left.

Or was that 10 seconds?

Well, the wailing started before they even left, truth be told!

She comes by it honestly……

Similar situations break through my memory from my childhood goodbyes…..


(But, really, in all honesty, I STILL hate goodbyes.)

She also stated EMPHATICALLY a few minutes later that,


“First it was Uncle Brian & Aunt Rebekah.

Then it was Grammie.

Now it is Grandmother & Grandad!”

& then:

“Why can’t everyone live here?”

Immediately, the thought of how sad she was to say goodbye to our foster family (pics in this post) in Guatemala, & to her friend Kiki there, flashed across my mind.

She really has had to say a lot of goodbyes in the last few months.

And let me tell you, the sight of her sorrow,

is enough to make ANY grown woman cry.

OK, maybe not any woman, but her mama & her Grandmother’s hearts could hardly take it!

It took a good 1/2 hour of special mommy time for the tears to stop.

Do any of you have kiddos like this?

Have you dealt with this type of behavior before?

She almost makes herself sick!

Anyway, here are pics from the rest of the weekend,

just to prove how much fun we had w/ them.

(Part of the reason Ana didn’t want them to leave-we had SO MUCH FUN!!!! Love you guys!!!)

Thanks for a GREAT weekend!!!