2009 in review

" The thing about life is, it's not about things"

Going on a hike and taking in all the beauty that nature has to offer,your oldest child turning 19!, Laughing until you cry, Friends that become relatives, Bike rides, College tours, Jumping off the cliff into the water, Watching sunsets and sunrises, Road trips, New Marraiges, New babies in the family, Private jokes that never get old!, Learning a new recipe, Listening to and feeling raindrops, Learning to adapt to a different kinds of music and enjoy it, Letting go of someone you love, Wildflowers, Taking photos, Family gatherings, Craft day, Being kind, Having faith, Proving to yourself that you can still do whatever you want, Overcoming obstacles, Surviving hardships, Always getting that butterfly feeling, Dancing, Swimming, Watching the stars, Learning something new, Being happy. Acceptance, Living life day to day, Standing near the ocean and listening, Feeling the wind. Late night talks, Old movie nights, Birthday parties, San Francisco bus trips, Christmas carolers at your door, Spending time with friends, Making some one smile, Making some one happy, Cupcakes that melt in your mouth, Hugging, Cuddling, Counting your blessings


May you all have a safe and Happy New 2010

Christmas Bell

someone sent this to me and I thought I would share sorry for how it came out on this post it is suppose to be a bell
Merry Christmas to all my blog friends and family.




Christ’s Bell



THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3 :20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph.. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13 )
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are?

Peace this season

Last weekend we took our annual holiday shopping trip to San Francisco
it is such a wonderful time because
we catch up with family and friends.

we start the bus ride with Mimosa's and I had the chance to get to talk with my niece who has only been in the family for almost three years now. that meant a great deal to me. only because even though we live in surrounding areas life keeps us busy and we don't always get to see each other. but I am hoping that will change in the new year at least that is one of my hopes. My daughter and I had a great deal of fun we shopped and she probably shopped for her self and for sure more than I shopped! we found ourselves in MACY'S where after trying on 20 some dresses she found the perfect one and it was reasonably priced and on sale which made it better!. Down at the Ghiradelli square we had the best cupcake ever at Kara's cupcakes they melt in your mouth then of course dinner at what has now become her favorite place Joe's Crab Shack where we watched the wait staff dance and they played wonderful music. then walked back to the pier 39 where we enjoyed watching a spray paint artist who was talented and to the bread factory for some sourdough bread to bring home, then on the bus back home.

there were many signs posted all over stores and billboards saying "peace" that is what I wish
for everyone in these few days before Christmas " peace"

refelection

It has been quite sometime since I have posted anything on this blog
partly because I have been kind of lazy I am on a computer all day at work and by the time I get home make dinner and clean up i am kind of not in the mood to get on the computer again! and the other part is cause this past year I have had so many different layers in my life. from health issues for both me and my husband to the daily things that happen in ones day to day of life. I am in awe of all the blessings I have each and every day. also preparing for the holidays in following one of my families traditions a few weeks ago myself and two of my sisters made 40 dozen tamales for our family it is a great deal of time consuming work but I love the tradition of this that my mother had given to me and it is something that I intend to keep doing
till I am unable to. it brings joy to me to be able to do this for my family!. then there was Thanksgiving we stayed home and I cooked for the four of us it was fun just sitting and talking with our kids. then last Sunday I turned 47 I don't look at it as I am older of course I am another year older I have started looking at it as I am getting another year wiser and accept my aging with grace. yes I need to work on weight issues and I intend to do so on a day to day basis.

now we are getting ready for the Christmas holiday which in my household is filled with excitement of baking cookies, planning our dinner and of course what the spirit of Christmas means. another special thing that has become a tradition is that my daughter and I go on a shopping trip to San Francisco with some other family members this year in particular is very special because I am not sure if this will be the last one with my daughter for a while since she will be off to college next fall. ( I am hoping she chooses one close by) so of late I have been reflecting on all that has happened in the last 11 months and look forward to embracing the new
year to come. ( but that will be another blog stay tuned!!)

Zen Thought 11/3/09

" I have nothing to report my friends,
if you want to find the meaning stop
chasing after so many things"
Ryokan

Life ain't Always Beautiful

Life ain't always beautiful
sometimes it's just plain hard
life can knock you down, it can break your heart

Life ain't always beautiful
you think your on your way
and it's just a dead end road at the end of the day

But the struggles make you stronger
and the changes make you wise
and happiness has it's own way of taking it's sweet time

no life ain't always beautiful
tears will fall sometimes
life ain't always beautiful
but it's a beautiful ride

life ain't always beautiful
sometimes I miss your smile
i get tired of walking down these lonely miles

and I wish for just one minute
I could see your pretty face
guess i can dream, but life don't work that way

but the struggles make me stronger
and the changes make me wise
and happiness has it's own way of taking it's sweet time

No life ain't always beautiful
but I know I 'll be fine
Hey life ain't always beautiful
but it's a beautiful ride
What a beautiful ride.

this is a song that was written by Cyndi Goodman and Tommy Lee James and recorded by Gary Allan. it is a song that lately has really resonated with me for many reasons I really can't
explain right now. but the words hit me and I Know that Life is not always beautiful , struggles do make you stronger and changes do make you wise.

and yes LIFE is a Beautiful Ride

Never Forget

" Never forget the powerful resources always available to you- LOVE, PRAYER, FORGIVENESS"

Sometimes when I see things like this wagon my mind wanders through time ( like an episode of Little House on the Prairie I sometimes catch an old rerun of that show) I think about the struggles that they went through. My husband's grandmother ( Granny) as she is called by us has given us wonderful stories of her youth riding in wagon, hunting and fishing with her grandpa and Papa, going to the church that was also her school helping with all the siblings. and her family always hoping the crop would be a good one every year as they also ran the local cemetery. as my mind wanders I think if our grandparents, and even parents have lived through a depression, a few world wars, that in today's world we should be able to as well,( we are and I know that it is economically challenging) they did not have the luxuries or resources that we do today. except for the three I mentioned above those to me are the resources and luxuries that is needed in this world and I certainly try to instill them in my everyday life. Our granny has had Parkinson's for many years she is in her late 80's and it is finally taking it's toll on her but she does not give up. sadly she fell and can no longer live by herself and has dementia she is very stubborn when it comes to her independence! and now lives in an assisted home. and just last week she had lost her only surviving sibling ( she has out lived 3 sisters and 1 brother) I spoke to her and she reminded me of what these three things that are most important in any life time.

LOVE- love the Lord, Love your life, Love your family & friends.
Prayer- Always have faith,
Forgiveness- always have a heart of forgiveness because not forgiving can only hurt you.

Decisions

My daughter is a senior in high school and is now in the midst of having to make some important decisions of what colleges to apply to, as well as some other decisions. she is feeling the nervousness and I feel it too. My baby girl has grown so fast! and though I know it is time to let her spread her wings and fly I can't help but feel a little bit sad. I felt this way with my son but for some reason the feeling with my girl is hitting me a bit harder is it because she is my only daughter? or the last to leave the nest? I don't really know but what ever decision she makes for herself I will support in every way possible. she has always beat to a different drum and this I am sure will be no different. over the summer she and her brother got closer in many ways they have always been each others rock and this summer she really needed him and us. I am hoping that her choice will be somewhere not to far sort of like my son but she has already told me that though we love going to visit her brother in Santa Cruz she has no plans to apply to that college. I respect that! they need there own places to be. but I am hoping that she chooses some place that is in driving distance I guess we will know this spring.
Until then.

I May

I'm not a perfect girl my hair doesn't always stay in place and I spill things alot. I'm pretty clumsy and sometimes I have a broken heart.

and sometimes my friends and I fight
and some days nothing goes right.

but when I think about it and take a step back I remember how amazing life truly is and that maybe just maybe I like being imperfect

I Know

I know that God is LOVE and there's no fear in LOVE so I am FEARLESS

Quote for today

" If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change"

That Time Again

Well the time as come once again for my son to head back to UC Santa Cruz
he was home for the summer and aside from working and taking a trip to the Shakespeare festival with one of my sisters for a week in Oregon and being home. I feel as though the time flew by and I really did not get to spend the quality time I would have liked to with him. This last week we made it a point to hit the local Starbucks and sit with our drinks
him his white choc mocha me my venti black sweetened ice tea and a few scones and talk, this is a ritual we usually do but lately it has been a now and then thing. but it was good we talked. He did so well last year that this year will be even better for him. He found out two weeks ago that he is going to be a Residential Aide for 15 freshman! pretty ironic since he himself was a freshman last year so he can share the wisdom! what is more exciting is he gets is own dorm room!! and his food paid for the year which is really a blessing to us all. and with my hubby's VA paying the tuition he is pretty set for this school year
he is also going to be tutoring. so that will be is spending money!! of course he will be back for visits and we will be up there for plenty of visits and having him take us to the coolest eateries. He and I have our phone conversation nights which last year have become so very special to me. sometimes a mom just needs to hear her son's voice!!

Last week we did the last minute shopping of essentials you know laundry detergent, toiletries etc. I can honestly say I as I write this I am a bit teary eyed because I am savoring the moments, minutes, hours that we spent doing this.

I am so in awe of my baby yes, he is a young man but as any mother would say no matter what age he is always my first born baby forever. I know he will succeed with all the passion he has
he is a double major and last year got well on his way Anthropology and Legal studies he plans to go to grad school and can see himself teach at a university. and to be honest I can see him doing that.

so, though he left yesterday and his all settled in his new dorm room and we have already talked and I still feel a little blue it was so nice having him home. but I am looking forward to visiting him and having him show me all the great things in his world in Santa Cruz.

A while

it has been quite a while since I have posted anything on this blog of mine,. partly because I have really haven't had anything I really felt like sharing and too I am on a computer all day long at work and sometimes I just don't feel like getting on it. and well the kids have their fair time on it as well
but I have come to realize I have missed this I don't think I will be a daily poster but I will try and get the things that are important to me posted of course I will continue to post quotes that resonate with me. and of course I will get back to following and commenting on my favorite blogs.

The Air that I Breathe

" All I need is the air that I breathe and to love you"

Three Things

By Lao Tzu


" I have just three things to teach
Simplicity, Patience, Compassion
these things are your greatest treasures"

Updates

It has been a while since I blogged about things going on with myself and family so I thought I would update our year so far.

As you know our son attended his first year of college at UC Santa Cruz and it was a good year for him he did really well so well in fact that by January he was taking second year courses and this fall he will have almost completed one major he is majoring in Anthropology and Legal Studies. he and his girlfriend broke up( which happens) and he is doing very well he is home with us for the summer got his job back and will be taking a vacation today with one of his aunts.. then of course back to Santa Cruz in September I enjoy visiting him and getting to know that nice little city. Our Daughter is still beautiful as ever she just finished her junior year so we are headed into our looking at colleges mode once again. She is also working and is still amazing.
My husband and I are doing the same ol thing, working and spending time with each other when we can, sure we see each other every night but our quality time is weekends. we took some hiking trips and little day trips here and there and hopefully will do a little more this summer. as usual we will see a few concerts. I am now on my mini vacation from work I begin again on the 31st so I am hoping to catch up with family members. This week a day trip to beach with my daughter and a movie, some appointments to take care of things apparently I have a little bit of a bleeder in my eye so waiting to see specialist, daughter is getting braces on Sat. finshing up some major cleaning around the house and next week another day trip with kids, lunch with some special people and then it will be back to work to begin another school year. I guess time really does fly by!!!

with you

With you I can be strong , I can be weak
I can be courageous , I can be afraid.
I can be everything I want to be and I can be most vulnerable with you. ..
I can be my self.

Zen Saying

" Be the master of mind, rather than mastered by mind"

Things

" Things of the past are already gone and things to be Distant beyond imagining"
Ch'ing Kung

non essentials

"Besides the noble art of getting things done there is a nobler art of leaving things undone... The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non essentials"

Thinking

" we spend most of our time and energy in a kind of horizontal thinking
we move along the surface of things..
but there are times when we stop. we sit still. We lose ourselves in a pile of leaves or it's memory. we listen, and breezes from other world begin to whisper "
James Carroll

"Inner peace is the key if you have inner peace,the external
problems do not affect your deep sense if peace and tranquility...without this inner peace, no matter how comfortable your life is materially, you may still be worried, disturbed,or unhappy because of circumstances"
Dalai Lama

A Happy Life

"A happy life consists of tranquility of mind"

There Is

" There is a soul force in the universe
which, if we permit it, will flow through us and produce miraculous results"
Ghandi

How Can I Be

" How can I be still By flowing with the stream"
Lao Tzu

"A misty day does not mean it is a cloudy day"

I've Learned

" I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and
it will be better tomorrow"
Maya Angelou

"Through mediation and by giving full attention to one thing at a time, we can learn to direct attention where we choose"
Eknath Easwaran

simple

Another wonderful thought to ponder from Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Nothing is more simple than greatness indeed, to be simple is to be great"

Quote for today

" The true value of a human being can be found in the degree to which he has attained
liberation from thy self"
Albert Einstein

Do Not

" Do not follow where the path may lead Go instead where there is no path
and leave a trail"
Ralph Waldo Emerson

thought

To get something you never had, you have to do something you have never done.


I love this sentence! I have been concentrating on it for a few days now and when I read it
it is not material things that come to mind it to me is the spiritual things, granted material things
are nice but in time lose some of their value, you usually keep the ones that are sentimental to you tucked away and pull them out when you need to.

yes, of course we need some material things in this day and age to live but lately with the way things are in this world today I sometimes want to go back to the way it was when we did not have all this crazy materialistic things where I noticed lately how kids are falling into the "keeping up with the Jones" value before they even finish school and start to lead their own life.

I was brought up in a family that was not rich by any means and in the heritage I descend from the eldest family siblings help raise and help financially. my eldest siblings certainly lived by that rule! I grew up learning some valuable lessons. as of late with the financial struggles in the world I am going back in my memories and trying to retain those valuable lessons taught. for they were not just about money because we always make do, but mainly about family stability and the art of doing something you have never done. I somehow managed to do that this past month by going on a few hikes. lesson learned I believe that money does not make you rich what makes you rich is the greatest gift of all LOVE.

something to ponder

"Life is a journey not a destination"

Wild Flower HIke part 2

thought I would share a few more photos from our wildflower hike
photo is blury but I thought it gave the photo character! I love the color









above the photo of
a very old Adobe home that
was built in the 1800's this is what remains of it the state park built an awning over it. I especially liked the
fire place





The brown shed is an actual meat packing shed that one of the known
ranchers in Los Banos his name Henry Miller had placed on the property which is now California State Park Property





we have taken a bit of a hiatus from hiking till my husband recuperates from his surgery
we do have more that we will be going on we are truly enthralled in utilizing the beauty the park services have to offer around us.

Wild Flower HIke

It seems as though my husband and I have fallen into the wonderful art of hiking this past weekend we took a 3 mile wildflower hike up at Dinosaur point the photo here is what is known as Miners Lettuce it is called this because the Miners used to eat it
along our hike we saw many different wild flowers and were told that more will be blooming this hike runs weekends through March




Yellow and purple are sure pretty together









I am not sure what the daisy looking flower is called but I thought it in the daisy family

Path of the Padres the Finale

The conclusion of the path of the Padre hike and photos are in a random order
as you can see the pontoon boat taking us back to where we started
we all were ready to enjoy sitting after such a long hike!






I could not pass up the photo opportunity that my
husband gave me while he was resting on the rock
is he not a cutie pie!




my co-worker Rebeca and her husband Keith we all had such fun together!!



If you ever get the chance to take this hike I recommend it the park does this only once a year on weekends
in March.

path of the Padres Part 4

In my continuing sharing my path of the Padre hike I took two weeks ago
here are a few more photos not in any order the top photo is of the group of fun folks that took the hike the youngest was 13. we are on a bridge that the park service built
especially for this hike a few years ago because the park service wanted towns folk and travelers to enjoy the beauty and history of the path of the Padre hike. some beautiful wild poppies the fields were covered I never saw up close how wide a poppy can open up till I took this hike

the next post will be the final chapter in the path of the Padre hike.

Path of the Padres Part 3

As I continue to show the photos of my hike of the path of the padres I
wanted to share more photos

the stream is actually where the Padres would bath the town of Los Banos was really named Arroyo De Los Banos which really means
the canyon of the baths most folks now a days think Los Banos means "The Bathrooms" which in fact it could but that is not the true name. the baths is surrounded by Sycamore grove and according to the rangers is still one of the oldest in Ca state park history.

along the hike there are some soft rock and though this photo is not very clear it is a grinding stone where the Native Americans would crush acorn
and plants.

Of course the land is fenced off and
there is private land and I thought
this cow looked pretty.

Path of the Padres Part 2

when you take this hike you cross a property line and go out of the State Park property
I thought the sign was interesting as it hung on a barb wire fence




















The photo of our guide Richard he reminded my husband of his late grandfather. he has been with the park service since 1965!
The pontoon boat ride to where we will begin the hike this boat ride goes for about 3 mi my coworker sitting next to me with the visor on the other folks next to me were a nice couple

I will continue with a few more photos
in the week to come

Peace

" There can never be peace between nations until there is first known that true peace which is within the souls of men"
Black Elk


my daughter created this peace sign with some of the photos she has taken of her and her friends and when I saw it on her wall I just had to take a photo of it! her zest for life and her bohemian
spirit astounds me. I learn something from both my children everyday.

another saying that comes to mind when I saw this art was this:

No God, No Peace
Know God , Know Peace

Know

" At the center of your being you have the answer
you know who you are and you know what you want"

Lao Tzu

Path of the Padres part 1

Yesterday I embarked on a bit of a time traveling journey
I have always wanted to take the hike known in my part of the woods
as "Path of the Padres"

it is called this because it was the path through the Diablo Range taken by the Padres
as they came from mission San Juan Bautista 35 miles along the Los Banos Creek and into the Central Valley in the early 1800's. My journey began with a pontoon boat ride for about 3 miles
to shore there we stopped and looked at the Tule that the Native Americans used to make skirts, boats, then we went to shore and began our 5 mile hike, along the path we saw beautiful wild flowers, eatable plants, came to a spot where the Native American tribe would crush acorns into a sandrock and continued our journey. Our lunch stop was located were the historic "baths" deep pools in the creek carved in bedrock which gave Los Banos it's town name. In 1805 the mission Padres and accompanying soldiers washed and rested here in Los Banos del Padre Arroyo simply known now as Los Banos Creek.

The canyon floor was is covered with 576 acres of old growth sycamore forest described by the Fish and Game biologists as the largest and most intact natural community left of it's kind in California.

I will continue more of this blog with photos later this week

calm

" Calm is the morn without a sound
Calm as to suit a calmer grief and only through the faded leaf the chestnut pattering to the ground"

Alfred Lord Tennyson

sublime

" The sublime vision comes to the pure and simple
soul in a clean and chaste body"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

We

" We experience ourselves, our thoughts and
feelings as something separate from the rest
A kind of optical delusion of consciousness.
This delusion is a kind of prison for us.
restricting us to our personal desires and to
affection for a few persons nearest to me"

Albert Einstein

Another Zen Quote

" Zen does not confuse spirituality
with thinking about God while one is
peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is
just to peel the potatoes"
Alan Watts

Now

" Now Today, moment by moment realize
that each person and event that happens is life for you
Life for you is not somewhere else, See how fully you can accept
the life that presents itself to you now"




Brenda Shoshanna

dwelling

" In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple, In conflict,be fair
and generous. In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy, In family life, be completely present"

Tao Ti Ching

300 Reasons

I believe in being creative on valentines day when I give my Husband, Son, Daughter their valentines.( homemade vs store bought)( photo only of two of them cause son has his at school with him)

I have made them CD's, handmade cards, but this year I decided to do something a bit different I found these cute containers and then I bought foam and colored paper and for each of them I wrote out 100 reasons why I love them. 100 for my daughter, 100 for my son, 100 for my husband. This took me a great deal of time I thought this was going to be something super easy and to be honest the first few were totally easy however it then became a bit harder with out repeating myself. I hope they like it. the idea is that they will open the jar everyday and read one reason a day. hopefully as they do this it will express to them the unconditional love that I give them on a daily basis.which I am sure they know but sometimes it is just nice to read or hear. perhaps I should have called these little love notes.

when they opened their gift and found these, they were truly memorized and could not believe what love I felt and where did I find the time to put these together without their knowledge.

my daughter liked it so much she had made one for her boyfriend. ( though they have only dated six months!!)
I know there really are to many reasons to even possibly list. The point was that is came from my heart to theirs. so far they really love opening one up every morning my daughter says it
is such a inspiration to start the day off with.

I am glad that they have a bit of inspiration that comes from my heart! maybe one day they will
do this for me! (actually I take it in hugs, talks and just being together)

I am working on something like this but a bit different for some other relatives
and those who are the recipient of this gift I hope they find the same kind of joy that my immediate family did.

our life

" Our life is shaped by our mind, we
become what we think, joy follows a pure
thought like a shadow that never leaves"
Buddha

I do not

" I do not cut my life up into days
but my days into lives; Each day,
each hour, an entire life"

Juan Ramon Jimenez

zen thought for the day

" For a deed to be totally pure, it must be done
without any thought of reward
whether worldly or divine"

Thich Thien-An

The Love Dare

Last November a Christian based film came out called " Fireproof" I felt it was a good movie the acting was not that good but the story really hit home with me. The main actor in this film is Kirk Cameron ( aka as Mike Sever from Growing Pains) this movie was about how to build your marriage from the bibles perspective, it really stopped and made me think every marriage ( even the best of them has work to do on a daily basis) not only did I see the movie I decided to buy the book and give it a try (not that I felt my marriage needed it I just felt the need to put this Love Dare to the test for the 40 days. my husband did not even know I was following the exercises ( dares) to be honest he still does not know, what I gained from this book has helped me personally to be a better partner first with God and Second with my husband. I plan on repeating this 40 day process once again but this time with my husband's knowledge. as I was reading this I could not help but wonder how quick today young couples that get married so young feel the easiest way out is to call it quits. any relationship in life takes work
your personal, your business, whatever it may be it all takes some kind of work to achieve what you hope it to be. my wish is for all the people I know to find their bliss in whatever relationship they have or are entering into.

because the greatest gift of all is LOVE

Nature

" Nature does not hurry,
yet everything is accomplished"

Lao Tzu

Peace

"Seek Peace and Pursue it"
psalms 34:14


It has been a while since I have blogged with photos, I had a computer crash and lost all the images I had saved so now I am starting over and lately things are so hectic at work and home that by the time I am finished with everything I had to do I am to tired and I simply don't feel like logging on and blogging! Today however I have the day off and am enjoying the peacefulness of being at home alone. I came across this quote in the bible and found it to resonate with my feelings today. is it not a wonder how God knows what you feel and need?

plans

just a quote I liked today when I read it and thought I would share

Plans fail for lack counsel, but with many advisers they succeed
proverbs 15:22

Render

Render service with a good attitude ,as to the Lord and not to men
Ephesians 6:7

A day a the Beach

Last Monday (Martin Luther King ) day I spent the day with my kids
I had to take my son back to school in Santa Cruz and so my daughter decided to tag along. we took his stuff up to his dorm and then went to Santa Cruz beach and boardwalk ( we did not go on any rides) we just went to " hang out" on the beach. we had fun we took a bunch of silly photos and then my son and I watched my daughter write in the sand for a gift idea she is working on I took photos with my camera I am still in the process of learning to use!

the photo is of my kids before we left the beach to go into town and eat at one of my sons favorite places
which was an interesting Mexican joint, and after lunch we went shopping of course as my daughter was on a mission to find Purple Vans
for her boyfriend a task her brother
had already found for her in a few minutes! while we walked down town on one side of the block there were protesters for Gaza and on the other side they were playing a dvd of Martin Luther King's famous speech
only in Santa Cruz ( as my son said) and I sure am learning to adapt to the on goings in Santa Cruz each time we go we seem to have a bunch of fun.
we made a plan to go back and stay longer all three of us really love the beach for many reasons
I know we will have many more of these days and as the kids get older each day seems to be going by fast but we will always have this day!

Everyday

"God is your everyday supply. of EVERYTHING you need"

Satisfy

The Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire
Isaiah 58:11

Humble

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,
bearing with one another in love---
Ephesians 4:2 NIV

just a thought

How blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
and the man who gains understanding

Proverbs 3:13

Back in the saddle again

Do you remember the old country song "back in the saddle again"? well that is where I am
ok so I am not in the saddle of a horse ( that would be nice) but commuting 45 min to and from work everyday it sometimes seems like that especially after being on my winter break for the last two weeks!

so my daughter and I headed back into our saddle ( routine) again, today being the first day for us seemed to go great no accidents on the road and especially no FOG! however since the weather is unpredictable I am sure we will have fog later this week.

My hubby had to take our son back to college today he found out late Sat that his dorm would not be open until today so luckily my husband was able to take some personal time from work to get the boy back to school he starts his new quarter tomorrow!

though we had a quite and nice visit it is good that we are all back in our saddle again!