Easter Thoughts

I have just returned from church is Easter Morning. As I sit enjoying my Americano with cream and sugar for the first time in 40 days, my thoughts are of Christianity and Faith and the Church.

Creeds

As I drove home from the Easter service this morning, my radio was tuned to NPR. They were playing an interview with Jaroslav Pelikan about Creeds, the orgin, the need, and the faith behind them. (speakingoffaith.org if you are intersted) I was intrigued. I grew up in evangelical churches and really didn't know or understand what a creed was until college. I attended a Presbyterian college and began to learn some of the more liturgical styles of worship as well as the history behind them. Honestly, the first Creed I thought much about was from Rich Mullins' song Creed that came out in the 90's. From that song I began learning a little more about creeds and catachisms--the history of them and the tradition of them. And I really began to embrace them for myself.

My sophomore year of college I began preparing for a summer in Russia. One thing we had to do with the group going was to attend a service at the Eastern Orthodox church nearby. It was a facinating morning as a former Baptist talked to us about what had happened during the service as well as the traditions of the church. I had a new found knowledge and respect for the Orthodox church. (Thanks Kim!)

Lent

Until a few years ago I had no idea what lent was about. I read a book that inspired me to learn a bit more and observe it that year. This year is only the second time I have observed the Lenton season. I personally gave up coffee (Naomi, I have thought of you often this year!). Not for the caffine or because I had to have it every day, but because it was something that I do just for me and that I would truly miss nearly every day. It was surprisingly harder to deny myself this time. But I tried to remind myself of Jesus' sacrifice each time I was tempted to drink it. I also read scripture as listed from the Book of Common Prayer's Lenton readings. This was a great habit of scripture reading to adopt. And one I am hoping to continue. This is not to brag, but to explain some of my spiritual journey.

One's spiritual journey looks very different from another's and I know that mine is quite unique. I haven't always appreciated other Christian styles of worship or even understood them. But as I have experienced many churches, styles, and traditions it has given me a greater appreciation for their differences and similarities. I want to always focus on the beliefs we all have in common and not the petty difference or service styles. I remember the feeling of holiness and consistancy that comes from a laturgical service and can enjoy and appreciate that. But I also appreciate the excitement and relativity of the modern church I attend currently

So these are my Easter thoughts of my personal spiritual journey. Where has your journey taken you?

Spring

In honor of spring I decided that my blog needed a fresh look. Green is perfect for all the green that is beginning to poke through the ground. My feature photo is one that I took last summer while in South Dakota. At a family gathering I snuck away with my cousin Elaina to take some photos of the prairie. One of the things that I am most looking forward to about photography school is leaning to take pictures of what I see and having them turn out as I see them. I have taken a lot of pictures in South Dakota and not had them turn out. It was hard for me to photograph what I saw and make it a picture that could share that with others. This one happened to turn out as I hoped.

Here are a couple more from that evening.

Visitors

This is Jun. I have been waiting almost two years to meet her.

Kim, her mom, has been a wonderful friend since I met her my freshman year of college nearly 12 years ago. We share many sweet memories of my college days, ministry, international adventures, and the ups and downs of life. Kim was with me on my first missions trip and my first trip to Hawaii. She stood beside me as I learned to live in Japan, translated Japanese tv over the phone for me, and cooked me American food whenever I visited her while we lived there. I was priveliged to go to her wedding and sent her packages of warm socks and books for Christmas.

A week or so after the twins were born I heard from Kim. She and her husband were given a precious baby girl to adopt. And she shares the twin's birthday. I was thrilled for this dream to come true for her.

Last week I met Jun for the first time. And she is truely a blessing. Jun, Kim, Ryu and Kim's parents all came to Boise. We were able to let the kids play together, go swimming, catch up on life, and go shopping. It was such a gift for me to have them come to see us.

The kids were fun. Jun freely gave them all hugs. Katie loved it while Joe wasn't so sure he wanted Jun that close. Lizzy was very concerned that she got enough time to play with Jun. And Jun loved playing with new toys.

Thanks Kim, Ryu and Jun for coming to Idaho!

Busy Weeks

Thanks for all the encouragement! I really am excited for the summer and all that is coming. It seems like it is coming so fast.

The last few weeks have been really busy. Saturday was the Young Life Banquet. It is our biggest fundraiser of the year. For weeks we have been preparing. There were some nervous moments a week before the banquet when our RSVP list was slim. But God is faithful and we had over 320 guests. It turned out to be a great night. The event was much easier for me this year. It was nice to know what to expect and how to do things better. I have also been working a lot more hours in preparation for a summer of study and no income.

But the best thing about this week is that my good friend Kim is coming! She will be here for a few days with her husband and daughter. I am anticipating a lot of fun, shopping and kid time. I am so honored that they are taking part of their vacation to spend it with us. I am going to have to take some photos to commemorate the fun.

Making Plans

I am now officially signed up for Rocky Mountain School of Photography. I have sent in my non-refundable deposits, filled out my student loan papers and started looking for housing.

The school has set up a web site for the summer career program. It has tons of information about Missoula, the program and preparing for the summer. They even have a sidebar count down calender.

My Montana summer is about to begin... which is exciting and a bit scary at the same time. Change is good, right?!

Winter in Central Idaho

A couple of weeks ago I spent an afternoon driving up to Idaho City. It was a bright winter afternoon. Here are a few shots I got from that trip









Last weekend was the Young Life leader retreat in McCall. I took a couple hours on Saturday attempting to photograph some of the amazing snow.

I even took a few photos of my friend, Kadi's house in McCall to show you how deep the snow is this year. If you notice the sidewalk is shoveled... but it is only as wide as the shovel.

Weather

For weeks we have had snow. Snow that reminded me of Alaska a number of times. Then in a few days it would start to disappear. The next morning there was another two inches of snow. Last weekend the cycle was broken! 50 degree weather finally came back last weekend. The snow line has receded up the mountains and there is the hint of spring in the air. Last year I started wearing my flip flops on March first and wore them until October. We'll see if the weather cooperates with that record.

Sorry, friends up in Alaska, I know break up is still a long way off. I remember those days. Hang in there... you do have the best summers ever to look forward to.

Boondoggle Deferred

There was a plan for this week. Too bad our plans don't always happen like we hope. Today is Misty's 30th birthday and for weeks she has been working on a plan to go on a mini-vacation. She even asked Mom and Dad to come down to help with the kids. Then the sniffles started and we hoped that they would be short lived. It was not to be. Mom and Dad came but the kids had full blown double ear infections and the adults weren't doing so well either. So the trip was postponed and we have been wiping snotty noses, dispensing medicine, and praying like crazy that Mom and Dad won't get it. Poor Misty has been a good sport, but she is disappointed. Hopefully we can make it up to her one of these days.

Happy Birthday, Sister!

Hand and Foot

While in college my good friend, Kim, invited me over to her apartment one evening to play games. Her grandmother was in town and a noted card shark. As I remember it the scene played out something like this: Kim, Kim's grandma, me and a single guy-that I beleive Kim was attempting to set me up with- sitting around a table eating M&M's and popcorn while Grandma was solemly explaining the sacred and extensive rules to a game called Hand and Foot that she played religiously with her friends. I know we played a long time that night and this game became one of the regular games played at any get together at Kim's place... whether in Kansas or Japan.

Kim didn't manage to set me up with any guys, but she did play a huge role in getting me to Japan. While we were both living in Japan Kim had several parties at her house. This almost always included great food and extensive games of Hand and Foot. We even figured out how to play with a lot more people or as few as three.

I believe it was the year I learned Hand and Foot that I introduced it to my family over the holidays. During the holidays my family spends together we always inculde a lot of hours playing games. Some times it is cards sometimes it is a board game, but alawys fun. And Hand and Foot became a fast favorite with everyone.

A couple of weeks ago Kim sent me an email asking if the Hand and Foot that is ALL OVER my families' blogs is the same Hand and Foot that her grandma taught me. Although I think it has changed some in some of the finer points and rules in my family, it is essentially the same. I have taught many, many people how to play and I know my parents are still teaching people. My grandmother loves to play with whoever will take the time. My cousins begged my parents to play with them over Christmas. It and Rook definately make an appearance at some point during a family get together. And today Lizzy heard us talking about it and insisted on playing 'Hands and Toes' with us. She was, however, a little disterbed when Peter used his foot. She kept saying over and over, "Dad, I don't have a foot."

Kim's grandmother passed away a few years ago, but her legacy lives on through the family of a shy college student that she played cards with. Thanks for sharing her with me, Kim.

Florida

I have been to Florida, soaked in some of the warm sunshine, and returned to the cold again.

This trip was with Young Life. The guys in my office were generous enough to take me along to the Young Life All Staff Conference. This conference only happens every 4 years and is a huge celebration of the mission of Young Life. Over 4,000 staff from across the US and 60 countries around the world converged on the Marriott World Center in Orlando. I roomed with the other Admin in my office, Betsy. We were fortunate enough to get 3rd floor rooms that over looked the pool. I enjoyed drinking a cup of tea on the balcony each morning before the long day began.

During the week we had some amazing speakers, Earl Palmer, Dale Bruner, and Donald Miller (writer of Blue Like Jazz). There was also a surprise visit from Jeff Foxworthy. He did a show for us and then the next morning he and his wife spoke to the general session. They are volunteer Young Life leaders and she was involved in Young Life in high school. Jack Hannah, the animal guy from David Letterman, made a surprise visit with some of his animals. He provided some of the best laughs of the week. He also has a personal connection with Young Life as his daughters and son-in-law have been involved in YL. We also had a visit from Ben Stein and his movie producer. He brought his film that comes out in February called Expelled that addresses the issue of intelligent design. We got the opportunity to preview the movie. And I highly recommend that you go see it. His producer was also a YL kid in high school. It is amazing to see how YL reached so many people and they, in turn, make a difference in the world.

Friday we ventured to the Magic Kingdom. It was fun to enjoy the 'Happiest Place on Earth' with my friends. We had to get a picture of the girls in front of the castle. We also got stuck in the Buzz Lightyear ride... this is Matt and Mel hanging out waiting for the ride to continue.


All in all it was a fantastic trip with good friends. It was so good to get away to soak in some sunshine and spritual encouragement.

Blue Cheese

When I was younger I didn't like blue cheese at all. I remember that my mom loved blue cheese dressing and always chose it at restaraunts. I couldn't imagine why. Sometime in my twenties I decided that I really did like blue cheese. About that time I remember having conversations with several friends about whether or not blue cheese was good. We came to the conclusion that it must be a grown up taste that you learn to like as you get older, like coffee. One friend assured me that then she would always be young becasue she would never like it.

Over the holidays I went to a Christmas party and my favorite thing on the pot-luck style snack table was an amazing blue cheese spread on green apples. I tracked down the maker of this divine dish for the recipe. I hope you will try it if you like blue cheese.

One package of cream cheese
1/2-3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
chives (one green onion will work)
salt and pepper to taste

I had it served with green apples which was amazing, but it also works with crackers.

Merry Christmas!

December seemed to fly by so quickly. I do have things to blog about, but without the challenge it was harder to stick to my writing. I was even humbled my the fact that my mom blogged more than I did this month.

I even have a video to link in for you. Last month I talked about Lizzy singing Baby Face and promised to put a clip on if I could. Peter cut the video for me of just Baby Face... enjoy. If you have more time, the whole preschool program is on Pete & Misty's web page.
The holiday vacation around here didn't quite turn out like we had hoped. Joe started the fun on Friday when he started throwing up. This fun has traveled throughout the house and we have all paid homage to the porceline throne. All productivity and activity that was unnecesary stopped. All healthy energy was spent cleaning up after the sick ones. This will explain why all of my out of state friends have not received their gifts, nor are likely to for another week or so. The only benefit to this quick diet is that I will look great for my trip to Florida in two weeks because no holiday pounds are hanging around.

I hope you all had a much healthier holiday vacation. I also pray that you know the hope of Christ's birth and the reason for this holiday season.

RMSP

A week ago I sent in my registrations form for Rocky Mountain School of Photography's career training school. Today I received my first packet of information. It is exciting that I have officially started the process toward this adventure. I now have two weeks to complete an agreement form and send in a rather large deposit. (The only thing I am not looking forward to is the money part of this adventure. But that will work out eventually.) Once I send in the deposit I will receive another packet of information that has more specific information to my summer of intensive study including equipment and housing information. By the way, if anyone has any connections in Missoula, I will need a place to live for 5 months (besides my car).

PS For those of you who haven't noticed, I put a link to RMSP's web page on the right side of my blog if you are interested in looking around.

Things That Make Me Smile

Dark chocolate anything.
Seeing a beautiful sunrise or sunset.
When Joe and Katie crack each other up.
Being in the mountains.
Sleeping in.
Seeing the invisible hand of God at work around me.
Playing cards with all of my family.
When a photo turns out as I envision it.
Singing along with Christmas songs while shopping.
Road trips.
Reminiscing with friends and family.

I know there are many many more... but these were on my mind recently.

30 Days of Blogging

When my friend, Kim, asked me to join her in blogging the month of November, I knew it wouldn't be easy. In retrospect it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. There were only a handful of days that I sat in front of my computer with a blank screen and blank mind. Most days I discovered my topic while driving around during my daily routine. I like to use my time in my car for thinking and praying.

Tonight, for example, I had some errands to run and notice all of the Christmas trees for sale in all of the parking lots around town. But all the trees look exactly the same. I know that they are trimmed to look like that. My favorite Christmas trees, however, are the ones that are chosen in the woods. I have a great memory of walking through waist deep snow in Alaska a couple of years ago with my buddy, Anita. We selected a beautiful tree in the woods behind our house and brought it home. It had not been trimmed all its life so it was not a perfect cylinder, but it was the perfect tree. Too bad that they don't sell that kind of tree in tree lots.

I have had lots of comments that you, my readers, have enjoyed having something new to read every day. And a couple of you have even said that you are not looking forward to December 1st because you know I won't blog everyday. I am sorry to say that you are right. I don't see myself keeping up this habit. However, I will attempt to blog more often. Thanks for reading.

The Travel Bug

No matter where I am or how my life is going, I get the travel bug itch at least once during the year. I just want to drive to the nearest airport, hop on a plane and go somewhere new, experience a new culture, and go exploring. I just wish that I could go every time the bug bit. I have a long list of places that I would love to go. This list just continues to grow as I keep up my subscription of National Geographic Traveler and Budget Traveler magazines.

Right now I am simultaneously trying to figure out how I can afford to go to Arizona, London, Alaska, Japan, and Australia. Aside from becoming independently wealthy, I just don't see it happening anytime soon. Too bad that I am also a realist.

A Classic

I discovered some great tv this month. They now have the British tv series All Creatures Great and Small on dvd. I read all of these books by James Herriot as a kid and really enjoyed them. In the 80's they made a British tv series based on the books. After a little research, discovered that all of the 8 seasons are now on dvd and available at the Boise Public Library. I have watched two complete seasons now and am looking forward to seeing them all this winter. If you get a chance, I recommend them, especially if you have read the books. You will remember a lot of the stories.

And the Winner Is...

This was the favorite photo from yesterday's blog. Misty wanted more contrast. So I touched it up for her. Thanks for your comments.

Vote for Your Favorite

A photo for today. I have been learning Adobe Photoshop Bridge and enjoying the digital darkroom this week. The first one is the most original to the photo. Then I started playing. Which one do you like best?

Thank You

At church today the service was a bit different for Thanksgiving. There was a lot of music but also a time of communion and thanksgiving. Normally I don't like the idea of passing the mic around with uncomfortable silences and unpracticed speeches. There is something a bit uncomfortable about it for me. I think it is just something personal that I need to get over.

This morning the mic was passed around for people to share something they were thankful for. When it was nearly time to be done a young man raised his hand for the mic. He said that he was thankful that he and his buddies had returned safely from tour in Iraq. Being part of a military family I could relate to his words and smiled to myself. Then the pastor asked him his name. Then the pastor said, "Thank you, Daniel, for your service." And the room exploded in applause as people rose to their feet for him. Tears welled up in my eyes and I was thankful for this group of people that made it so clear to this young man that he was loved and supported. This reminded me of something I heard recently about a woman who researched what military families needed. The number one thing that they wanted was not sympathy but just a simple 'Thank you for your service and sacrifice' from people.

Thank you to all the military people who sacrifice for and serve our country.

Cameras in My Life

I started thinking earlier this month about how my photography passion as developed over the years. My very first camera was a 110mm camera that was given to me around 5th grade. I loved snapping pictures of whatever struck my fancy at the time. They were alway dark, a little blurry, and never interesting.

At some point during the years between elementary school and high school, mom got a Pentax K1000. I loved messing around with it. Then as a sophomore in high school I took the black and white photography class offered at my school. Mom generously allowed me to use her camera for this class. This is where I really started to understand composition and art of photography. And I loved working in the dark room. It was magical.

I was all set my junior year of high school to take the color photography class and be a year book photographer. And then we moved. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

At my new school my senior year of high school I joined the yearbook staff and was able to use my photography and dark room skills once again. I enjoyed it so much that I remember trading assignments with other students in the class... they wrote my copy and I took their pictures.

College photography was a series of borrowed cameras for trips and events. I remained cameraless until I moved to Japan after college. When I arrived the gal I was replacing asked if I had a camera. I told here that I didn't and she graciously left her point and shoot camera for me. I don't even remember what kind it was. But it took great memory snapshots for me.

Fast forward three years and I was living in Alaska. Living in such breathtaking scenery drove me to make my first camera purchase for myself. A Canon Rebel G. This simple slr camera took such great pictures, I couldn't stop taking pictures. I was a regular at my favorite camera shop. And I was spending quite a lot of money on film and developing. But it was worth it to me to do something I loved.

I started hearing about digital slr's and I was intrigued. Especially when I heard that canon had a dslr that could used film lenses. Having purchased a zoom lens (that still remains my favorite lens) the idea of going digital and yet use my lenses was very motivating. So in 2004 I purchased the Canon Digital Rebel 300D. I liked the digital convience and cheaper developing costs, but it has never wowed me like my film camera. But I have continued to take pictures and build up my accessories knowing that one day I will get a better DSLR as they develop newer technology.

As I make plans to go to photography school I have been researching and dreaming of my new camera. Canon just released their newest DSLR in September... the 40D. I believe that this will be the next camera for me.

Black Friday

Black Friday- the day after Thanksgiving when stores lure shoppers out at the wee hours of the morning to spend money. I believe the extreme hours are because most of the shoppers are not quite awake enough to realize that they really aren't saving that much money.

Misty likes this crazy shopping tradition (ironic because she doesn't like shopping). We were standing in line outside a store at 6am last year and gave up the hunt by 10 without buying a thing. This year we looked at the ads and weren't impressed so we slept in. Really, there are very few items in the world that I want badly enough to loose sleep over. We hit the stores at 7:30 and actually found some bargin Christmas gifts. And there was only one store that we spent 40 mintues in line to pay. The rest were relatively quick purchases. All in all, painless and quite productive. Well, unless you ask Pete who stayed home with the kids. On second thought, don't ask Pete.

Family Cooking

This morning Misty and I were cooking the desserts for todays Thanksgiving dinner and this started me thinking about how so many favorite recipes we have are part of our famliy heritage. I love the idea that the food we love is from the same people that influenced our eye color and height. It is a good thing we have our mom to teach us how to cook those type of recipes. There is a lot of 'to taste' and 'about a cup' or 'a little' in theses recipes.

Today's menu included grandma's apple crisp, mom's bisquits, and a great aunt's gingerbread.

Sunsets

Why do sunsets make us hold our breath and want to stop everything we are doing? Tonight I was driving home to a beautiful sunset. This started me thinking about some of the best places I have seen sunsets. Kansas has awesome sunsets. In college I used to walk out behind my dorm to pray, think and soak in the breath taking scene. Hawaii also has fantastic sunsets. Some of my favorite sunset shots I have taken were on a beach in Maui. Alaska sunsets are not to common, but definitely unique to seasons and location. I love South Dakota sunsets on the ranch, too.

I believe one of the reasons that I love photography so much is that attitude of worship that you can't avoid when you stop to really look at the beauty of creation. That breathlessness that comes when you stop to drink in a scene that touches your soul. So much of God is in that moment. I wonder if it is in a small way how we will feel when we are at the feet of the throne one day. A glimpse of inexplicable beauty that takes our breath away. Something so much more than we can ever imagine.

Here are some of my sunset shots over the last few years.








South Dakota











South Dakota












Hawaii












Wyoming







Alaska






Alaska

Snow

This morning we were greeted with fluffy snow flakes trying to cover everything. It didn't last long, but it did remind me that it is winter and the holidays are coming. Crazy to think that it is Thanksgiving this week. I feel like it was just summer.

Here is a photo I took last spring. A little something to look at because I don't have much to say today.

You've Got the Cutest Little Baby Face

Imagine this being sung by a little blonde three year old at the top of her lungs with actions.

Baby Face, you've got the cutest little baby face
There's not another one could take your place, Baby face
My poor heart is jumpin you sure have started somethin
Baby face, I'm up in heaven when I'm in your fond embrace
I didn't need a shove cause I just fell in love
With your pretty baby face.

Yes, it was the cutest thing you could imagine. This actually happened at lunch today. Lizzy came home from preschool after practicing for her program. If I can get this on video, I will definately put it on my blog.

November 18th

Happy Birthday, Laila! I love that you have been a dedicated aunt my whole life. I have always loved that you remember my birthday. But one of my favorite things is that I get to look like you! I was going to put a picture of us here, but I don't seem to have it on this computer.

Fall camp went well. The rain didn't stop until I was almost back to Boise. But it was a good weekend. There were about 100 high school students that made the trip to Quaker Hill. Crazy games, fun songs, lots of laughter, and a message of hope filled our weekend. I personally spent a lot of time in the dining hall setting tables, busing tables and cleaning. But I love to serve and be in the background of what is happening. It was a good weekend.

McCall Rain

Here I am in McCall. A little sleepy and damp, but here. We were expecting snow this weekend but it has been dumping rain like I have never seen in Idaho. I have actually used an umbrella for possibly the second time since leaving Japan nearly 9 years ago. Fortunately I had one stashed in my car.

Here is a fun picture of the only other time I can remember using an umbrella since Japan. This is at my buddy Joani's outdoor Alaskan wedding the summer of 2005. If you are wondering about my facial expression, I am eating and having a conversation with someone to my left. My favorite comment about this picture is from Joani's cousin Teagen who said I looked like a Hummell doll. (I need to find a reason to wear that dress again... it is cute) What a fun day we had.

Anyway, back to today... I slipped away from camp for a little while during free time (instead of taking a nap) to make sure that I keep up with NaBloPoMo. I am sitting in a coffee shop about 10 minutes from camp drinking my Americano with cream. It tastes very good and I may need to get another one before I head back.

Fall Camp

One of the very first things I did when hired by Young Life, was attend Fall Camp. I went as work crew. This was a new concept for me. Usually the camps I had attended as student or leader were completely staffed. But a Young Life tradition is to bring along volunteers that help in the kitchen and dining hall. These people serve family style to the dining tables and help with set up and clean up. It is hard work, but good work.

Tonight I head up for my second Fall Camp, as work crew once again. It will be a good weekend, with lots of fun but lots of late nights and work. I fully anticipate being exhausted when I get home on Sunday.

Young Life

Today is officially my one year anniversary working for Young Life Soutwest Idaho. I have learned a lot about Young Life. When I started I didn't know much Young Life, its vision or ministry. The extent of my knowledege was the three sea kayaking trips I took with my youth group kids through Beyond Malibu in British Columbia. I was always impressed with the quality of the trips and the amazing guides. This year has given me a very high respect for YL as a whole. The vision of reaching the kids farthest away from God and doing it in a relational way is awesome. If you don't know much about Young Life, I challenge you to look it up in your area and look at how you might be involved. Young Life is all around the world and in every state so if you don't think it is in your area, you might be surprised.

It has been a good year. Thanks guys.

Anita, This One's for You

This blog is for my good friend, Anita. She called me today to catch up. I could only chat for a little while because of work. I have been thinking of her all day so I thought I would share one of my favorite pictures with her. This was in Switzerland on our adventure we took to Europe a few years ago.

Anita stepped out on on adventure of her own this year. She quit her job and moved from Alaska to South Carolina to pursue her dream of seminary. I can't wait to see where God takes you, friend!

Fast Food Cravings

Tonight I was driving home at 9pm and had a sudden craving for Sonic. I really wanted some hot tater tots. That craving brought back fond memories of college. I had never been to Sonic until college. My roomates took me to the tasty drive in with in the first few days of arriving my freshman year. Whenever school got too stressful we would hop in a car and drive to Sonic for tater tots and cherry Dr Peppers. Those were the days.

I know fast food isn't good for me, but I do have some fond memories associated with some fast food chains. Wendy's, for example, makes me think of Japan. There was a Wendy's in Japan that I could get a nice ice tea and french fries. I also think of Alaska with Wendy's because it was the closest fast food to the office and had a pretty speedy drive through most of the time. After a month in Russia eating some crazy foods, we were able to go to the first McDonalds in Moscow. The burger and fries I got there were heaven. Burger King always makes me think of military bases because nearly all bases in the world have a Burger King and dad is military, after all.

So this is my tribute to the fast food craving that I indulge in every once in awhile.

Tutoring

I started tutoring last winter. This is the first time I have actually used my college degree and teacher certification. Well, technically my teaching certification expired in 98 and was only for secondary education. But I was trained to teach.

I really enjoy tutoring because it is working with kids in one on one situations and dealing with their specific struggles. I have worked with little kindergartners on letter sounds, a second grader who wanted a bigger vocabulary so his head would be bigger, 5th graders learning fractions (defiantly a review for me) Middle schoolers struggling with grades, and high schoolers who preparing for their ACT and SAT scores.

Tonight, for example, I helped a 3rd grader practice subtraction and reading, a 4th grader with improper fractions, and a high school senior struggling to overcome years of remedial classes to improve her ACT scores.

I am defiantly working on skills that I may use in the future. There will always be kids that struggle with learning and you never know when you need a little supplemental income.

Christmas Already?!

The day after Halloween I began to see Christmas items in stores. Today I saw Christmas window paintings. There was a fully decorated Christmas tree in the local department store this week. A freind told me that she wrapped Christmas presents last week. Somehow the Christmas season keeps getting longer and longer. It isn't even Thanksgiving yet.

I think that I would rather just have the Christmas season for the month of December. November and December just seems a little on the excessive side. This also means that I need to start perparing for my own Christmas gifts. Not a bad thing, just a big project.

It seems like yesterday was summer. Where did the time go?

House Sitting

Over the last 8 years I have had lots of house sitting jobs. Some that were great and others that I couldn't wait until they were over. House sitting can be a funny thing. Living in someone else's house for an extended amount of time. Neighbors give you funny looks. You are never quite sure if you should eat the food in the house or not. What if it is their favorite and they are looking forward to it when they get home? Figuring out all the different washers and dryers. Hoping no plant or animals die on your watch.

I have stayed in houses that required me to stuff pills down the throat of a cat. But first I had to catch the cat that didn't like people. I wouldn't like people either if they grabbed me once a day and stuck something that tasted bad down my throat. That house also had a 'friendly' rottweiler dog. It never threatened me, but its size was sure intimidating.

I stayed in a house that that two dogs (one female that was in heat, one blind that followed all the walls around in the house) two rabbits, and fish. This house was at the top of a hill and in December my car didn't always want to get to the top of that hill. So I had to park at the bottom of the hill most days (for 2 weeks) and climb up to the house.

I stayed at a house with a hot tub for two weeks. The second day I was there I went out to check the tub and the temperature was way too low (also in the Alaskan wintertime). I ended up figuring out that a breaker had flipped. Whew! That would have been a mess if it had frozen.

I have stayed in some nice houses that didn't have crazy animals, too. But those stories aren't as much fun.

Since coming to Idaho I had a 6 month house sitting job with two house plants. That was a great job. And I am currently in a nice house with one outside dog and 30ish house plants. This job is about over, but has been on the good side. Between jobs I live in the camper in my sister's back yard. A nice place for my gypsy self until the next move.

A Photo for the Day

I remember thinking about something to blog about earlier today. But now that I sit in front of my computer, I can't remember what it was. I am sure it was great, whitty, and somthing you would totally enjoy. Must be my old age setting in.

So instead I will share a photo I took this fall. Enjoy.

Blogging

The winter of 2005 I was introduced to blogging by a couple of college friends that had been blogging for a while. I became addicted to checking their blogs. Then it occurred to me that I too could blog. Blogging would be a great way to stay connected with all of my friends around the world. So I jumped into the blogging world just after Christmas that year with the announcement that the twins were coming(check their ultrasound pict.) Here is a picture of them today.

The last two years of blogs chronicle the events of my life: work, ministry, arrival of 5 more nieces and nephews, Dad's cancer, favorite photos, a trip to Japan, Dad's heart bypass, quiting my job, moving to Boise, 5 months of employment hiatus, a 30 day road trip, a new job, and future plans.

Today I was catching up with my favorite blogs and notice 3 new blogs of friends from home. I started thinking about all my friends and family that now blog. I started writing because of two friends. Today I read about 20 blogs of friends and family that blog as a result of my blog. It is kind of fun to be a catalyst of change. Do you blog because of my blog? I would love to hear from you if you do.

I hope you will stay with me as I continue sharing these snapshots of my journey.

Happy Birthday!

Today is a good day for a birthday. My big brother, Shane, turned 35 today. I looked around on my computer, but couldn't find any photos that were too embarrassing. Here is one from this summer. Shane is the brother on the left with his little girl, Kelli (Wade is the brother on the right with his little girl Kyrstin). Happy Birthday, Shane, I am proud of you!

It is also my buddy from Japan, Keiko's Birthday today. Happy Birthday Keiko-chan! I miss you and can't wait to see again.

A Visit From Mom and Dad

Surprise! Mom called last Thursday to tell us that they were coming on Sunday. Dad had doctor appointments in Washington DC last week. He had developed a rash that the medical team was concerned about and they wanted to see him back in a week. Instead of going all the way home to Alaska they flew to Seattle for a few days with Shane's family. Sunday night they flew to Boise to see us for a few days. It has been a lot of fun to have them here. The kids and grandparents have been eating it up. Here are a few photos of the fun thanks to Misty.

Photography Plans

About a year and a half ago I decided to quit my job and move to Boise. Part of that choice was that I wanted to be a part of my sister's life as she was having twins. When I left Alaska I was asked many times if I was going to go back to school or look for a different type job. My response... "I don't know what I want to be when I grow up." Nearly two years later I think I know what I want to be when I grow up. Well, at least for this next stage of my life. I want to go into photography. I am not sure what type or what that will look like, but I am making plans.

In doing some research last winter I came across Rocky Mountain School of Photography. I was intrigued and discovered that they had weekend workshops throughout the spring. So I talked Misty into going to a weekend workshop in Oregon in January. Then RMSP came to Boise in April for a digital focused weekend workshop. The weekend in April provided an opportunity to talk to other photographers who attended RMSP's Summer Intensive career training program. I heard great things about the program. At that point I decided that unless something major came up, I would try to attend the Summer Intensive 2008 program. This program begins in June and will finish in October. When I am finished I should be a professional photographer with skills and knowledge enough to start my own business.

I fully expect that the summer will be very intense, with classes 6 days a week. But I am so excited about all the experiences and knowledge that the school will offer. I will keep you posted as my plans progress.

Thoughts for Today

It was fun to read everyone's comments about my haircut. But I was looking through some old photos last night and had the realization that I think I have had this haircut before. I wore it curly today and sure enough I could go back 5 years or so and that was the same hair. Not really what I had hoped for, but I suppose that the older you get the more times that you tend to repeat.

Mom and Dad are coming to visit. They arrive tonight and Misty and I were laughing about how much concentrated cleaning can get done when your parents are coming to visit. I am happy to report that their bed has clean sheets and the camper is ready and waiting.

The big news is that I have ordered a new lens for my camera. I am quite excited about the Canon 50mm prime lens. All the research I have done has pointed to prime lenses. This will be my first. I will let you how it goes.

A Haircut

I had a great friend that used to cut my hair in Alaska. When I went to have my hair cut it was partly for the great cut and partly for catching up with a friend. Then I moved away. It is hard to work up the nerve to trust someone new with your hair and the awkward silences that come with someone new in your personal space. So when I moved here I avoided getting my hair cut at all for about 9 months-- with the exception of chopping my own bangs. The first thing I did when I went back to Alaska for a visit was to go see my friend for a haircut. It has now been another 6 months and my hair has been driving me crazy. So this afternoon I went into a salon nearby and hoped for the best. I wanted a new style and much shorter. Here were the results. Not too bad, I think. It will take a little getting used to because I have had much longer hair for the last few years. And I typically wear it curly, but they wanted to straighten it for the cut. It looks pretty good straight. I just don't think I will take the time on most days.

Family Photo

Two weeks ago Misty and I got the opportunity to take Casey and Rhonda's family photos. This is one of my favorite snapshots. Probably not the one that will be on everyone's Christmas cards, but one of my favorites.

The Challenge

Two weeks ago my good friend, Kim, issued me a challenge: to blog with her every day for the month of November. I thought it quite a stiff challenge, but one that I couldn't pass up. So you should have something new on my blog every day this month. And don't forget to check out Kim's blog for something new every day.

Kim lives in Japan and thus had to start this challenge a few hours (15) head of me. So in reading her first blog I discovered that this isn't just us. There is a NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) and there are thousands of people out there stepping up to this same challenge. They even have a web site that I am now an official member. Who knew these people were out there?!

Enjoy the posts and snapshots of my journey for November 2007.

This picture was taken a year and a half ago when my friend Lorrie and I visited Kim in Japan. Some very sweet Japanese ladies fed us some delicious traditional food. Kim is at the head of the table.