Tuesday, September 16

Pimp Papa's Ride


On my twin sister's blog, she is working on raising money to repaint our Papa's mini-van. Please take a look. THis is really special to her heart, and mine as well, because Papa has terminal cancer and this is something he has been wanting for a long long time. Here is drawing he made of his vision. If you want to join in the cause- please, please let Jenn know.
Loves-Jess

Morning Prayer

Good morning Father. It’s another day at work and I’m just feeling blah blah blah. Some good things have been happening. Matt and I are sticking to our budget, I went camping, I feel like I got enough sleep despite the aching shoulder, I’m pretty sure I have Friday off- but something somewhere inside is just yuk. Help me rely on you today. Even though I am rested physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually I am weary. Help me understand what I need in my human state, help me know what is ok for me to request and give me a spirit of gentleness in the process.

Monday, September 15

Steph and I in Anacortes

This weekend, with my friend Stephanie, I went camping at Washington Park in Anacortes, Washington. For anyone seeking a beautiful day picnic over the waters of the Puget Sound this is a great spot. An 8 mile road winds around cliffs and opens up into places to stop and have a nap, shoot some pictures or eat lunch. There are also a few places that you may climb down the cliff to the shore below. The weather was beautiful and the water was calm. Truly a picture perfect setting.

The camping was nice too- really nice. It was the first time, in a long time, that my friend Stephanie and I could just be together. We were able to catch up on a lot of things. Some of our interaction was silly- like taking a bunch of pictures of ourselves and pretending our hotdogs were attacking us. Then there was the serious, God, future goals, family, our significant others, the Bible. And there were the other things, like both of us forgetting our pillows (Thanks Mom for bringing us pillows on your way to B-ham). The best thing about the trip though, was that we just were. We didn’t have any schedule and spent most of our time relaxing and being together.

One more thing:

Stephanie is beautiful, fun, funny and loving. She is also a great story teller (which I absolutely adore). Of course she’s not perfect (who is?)- but one thing I have learned from her after watching her and knowing her for the last 6 + years is that she never settles. This may have lead to discontentment from time to time, but the best thing about this is that she is always, always trying to learn more, understand more, and become wiser. She reads books, she tries new things, she travels, she meets new people, she asks questions, she is willing to examine the bad inside of herself and change herself to be a better person. She is willing to take risks and is not afraid to say no. She believes that God is good, and believes in other people too, believes in their ability to be everything they can or are meant to be and because of that I’m honored- truly honored to be her friend.

Stephanie, you are a blessing in my life - thanks for caring and thanks for always looking ahead- for me this is refreshing, encouraging, challenging and marvelous. I’m so glad we were able to get away this weekend.

Monday, September 8

Quote for Today

This is similar to a quote listed on my friend Rob's blog (see his link on the left). For me this personal struggle is primarily sumed up in the questions, "What do I want?" "What do I need?" and "Who do I love?"

Anyway, this particular one is about jobs and hits deep because I've been struggling in that arena for, well a hell of a long time (so it seems to me).

"...Many people are unable to ever find true work identity. They stumble from job to job, never really finding anything that is 'them.' More often than not, this is a boundary problem. They have not been able to own their own gifts, talents, wants, desires, and dreams because they are unable to set boundaries on others' definitions and expectations of them." - Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend.

Doctors- I am convicted and diligently working on the boundary building- thanks for the wisdom.

Friday, September 5

Thought Provoking Words

I read these words the other day that were quoted from Picasso...

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."

What do you think about this statement?

Wednesday, September 3

JJ Heller

Here is a link to the new CD for an artist my husband coincidentally saw when visiting his old church. He brought home her other CDs and I thought I'd share by promoting her new one.

Her music is definitely worth sharing. Plus, from her blog, she loves decorating and sewing. You go girl!




Enjoy