Sunday, June 15, 2008

One Busy Week

Since returning from Yosemite early this week, my feet have still been running. Wednesday night I taught Ladies' Bible Study in the wonderful book of Esther. Then, Thursday was the first of three track meets for our city. I ran the mile in exactly the same time I ran it last year. This was a disappointment as I wanted to improve my time by at least 5 seconds! Perhaps next week or the following... Then Friday I was finishing details for the baby shower I gave to my friend Melissa Culver on Saturday. That shower was such a beautiful event and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Today is Sunday, Father's Day, and we're heading off to Vallejo for the Cornerstone Seminary graduation service this evening. It's been one busy week and I'm praising God for the privilege of life and service. May He be glorified in the midst of the duties.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

I Tackled Half Dome!

It's true! Last Thursday morning (6/6/08) a group of us happy campers set out at 6:00am to begin our hike to the top of Half Dome. Being afraid of heights, I set it as my goal to get to the bottom of the rock where the cables begin. Four of us moms gave each other encouragement as we trekked the 8.2 mile hike taking us over 8,000 feet in elevation. Five hours later, we reached the summit! What a rush! What a view! What an accomplishment! My leg had begun to cramp up about three fourths up the cable. So when we made it to the top, I was thrilled to see snow patches up there where I put some ice on my tired muscle. In fact, a few guys were making snow angels in the snow! We took pictures, we reveled in God's creative beauty, then we ate lunch on the "Visor," which is the piece of rock which juts out from the rest of the dome. I couldn't eat much because I was so worried about how in the world I would make it down! Needless to say, about an hour later, we knew it was time to leave. The best part about being up there, however insignificant, was finding a crevice in which to use the "restroom." Us girls had so many laughs about marking our territory while up on the huge rock's "visor." We covered for each other as we all took turns! Well, with that said, heading down the cables was much faster and less daunting than I had imagined. Praise God! We arrived safely back about 3 1/2 hours later. We ran down between the switchbacks and Nevada Falls, and then again after Vernal Falls' Mist Trail. It actually felt better to run. That was a definite highlight of the trip as well as of my life. What a picture of the sojourning pilgrim in one of my favorite books, Pilgrim's Progress. Honestly, I think I could do it again.

Back Home with Loads of Laundry

We returned today from Yosemite. What a vacation - full, relaxing, and encouraging! Our family went with six other families for the annual Yosemite trip that some couples have been on for nine years. This was our second time going. It was full because there were twenty children and camping always demands constant cleaning and organization anyway. It was relaxing because the families are well-balanced in their quest for fun mixed with down time. Rick and I were also able to steal away for periods of time to connect. It was encouraging because all the families are striving to raise godly children who love Christ first and who practice loving their neighbor as themselves. The fellowship we had was sincere, Christ-centered, and crazy fun. Now we're back home and it's time for taking showers, putting everything away and counting the loads of laundry. Yahoo for Yosemite!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Preparing for Yosemite

No, I don't have time to be writing now; but for the record, I wanted to say how busy it is to pack. We're camping in Yosemite for a full week with about six other families. What a great time I know we're going to have! But until we get there, the heat is on to get everything packed into the truck. We've got the housing supplies (i.e. tent and tool stuff), the food and meal plans, the bikes, the clothes and toiletries, games/toys, and the housecleaning chores. If I missed anything, sorry! We're officially kicking off our Summer 2008! Thank you, Lord!

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Growing Older

Thank you to Charis, my one and only precious daughter, for setting up a blogsite for me as a birthday present. It's hard to believe that she is now 14 years old. Last Tuesday night was her graduation ceremony from 8th grade. It was beautiful. She gave an eloquent speech on "The Lasting Impact of Making Good Decisions." In addition, she played a violin piece that I was able to accompany on the piano. Now she is entering high school and my prayer for her is that she would love Christ more and more. I hope that she'll meet friends on whom she will have a positive impact. I pray for her to remain pure and grow in her internal beauty. I trust Rick and I will be a safe retreat for her to come to whenever she wants. Most of all, I hope that she'll run to the Lord for her every issue and find hope in the Bible. What a great privilege and opportunity! It's awful fun having a daughter to love.