What a handsome little tiger!

I have to post these great pictures of my beautiful boy Skipper, taken by my sister-in-law Jessica, a budding young photographer (remember, you can click on them to make them bigger):

Isn't he regal?



















I wonder what he's thinking about?

Do we take it for granted?

"If an earthly king, our emperor, wrote you a letter, would you not read it with joy? Certainly, with great rejoicing and careful attention. You have been sent a letter, not by an earthly emperor, but by the King of Heaven. And yet you almost despise such a gift, so priceless a treasure."

~Tikhon of Zadonsk, writing in 18th century Russia

Lord, forgive me for not always treasuring Your Word, for letting it get too familiar, and for being more excited about reading the newest book I've purchased than reading what You have written for me...may I never, by actions of indifference, despise such a priceless treasure...

The Eyes Have It!

So I had my first eye exam in almost 10 years today...I didn't know you should get your eyes checked more often, even if there weren't any problems, but I guess you are supposed to get them checked every 2 to 4 years.

I've known since I was a little girl that I have really poor distance sight in my right eye and good vision in my left eye. Basically, my left eye compensates for my right eye's inability to clearly see things that are far away, so I've never needed glasses. I thought maybe it would be a good idea to get reading glasses now that I'm getting "older" (yeah, I know, 30 is really old!) so I scheduled the appointment to get a doctor's opinion.

Basically, what he told me is that my eyes make such a good team, with my left eye being my "distance" eye, like for driving, and my right eye seeing just fine close-up for reading, that I pretty much have "built-in bifocals." He says I will be able to read just fine without glasses well into my old age. Most people have to pay big bucks for bifocals to be able to continue to read as they get older, but he said I got mine for free! Only 1 out of 1,000 people have eyes like mine. Wow, I feel pretty special! And glad that I don't need glasses or contacts, and most likely won't for a very long time!

Ahhh, sunshine...

Yesterday afternoon Andrew and I went to a park and sat on a blanket in the grass by a pond to have a picnic lunch. Ducks, geese, and seagulls (yes, seagulls: there seemed to be a seagull convention in our part of town) added the background music. Then, while Andrew worked on his laptop in preparation for the evening service, I took a nap in the sun. I can't even remember the last time I took a nap outside! It was so peaceful. I'm loving this 70-degree weather we're having right now...blue sky and sunshine make me happy!

This is the park we were at; I found this picture online, but it gives you an idea of our afternoon:

God knew California weather was perfect for me, so in His providence He moved us here. I don't miss the Oregon rain (sorry Anna!) and would never be able to live on the East Coast and deal with all the snow and ice (you all who live over there are made from hardier stuff than I am)!

Praising God for beautiful weather today...

Pictures!

(See previous entry for explanation!)

I'm back!

I wrote up a nice, long blog entry last Thursday evening telling you all about my great plans for the weekend, but by the time I went to publish it, Blogger had stopped working. So I will just have to tell you about it now, after the fact!

On Friday morning, I flew to Kansas City, Missouri, where I spent two nights at a hotel with seven other ladies from Hannah's Prayer, the online community I am a part of (see link to left). We spent two days talking, laughing, shopping, eating, and just being women! On Saturday night, we all dressed up in retro-style formal gowns, donned tiaras, and went out to eat at an Italian restaurant! We had such a fun time! Here's a picture of all of us at the restaurant, and one of me in the dress I wore for the occasion:

On Sunday afternoon, when our event ended, I went to stay the night with my college roommate, Becky Johnson, who has been living in the Kansas City area for a month now, working as a nanny. I was privileged to be the first guest in her cute little apartment! We had a great time shopping, visiting, watching chick flicks, and finding good places to eat. On Monday evening, she took me to the airport and I flew home to Sacramento, arriving around 11:00PM.

Andrew picked me up at the airport and we came home. I was very tired (it was going on 2:00AM Kansas City time) and ready to go to sleep. I went to put something in the garage, and when I opened the door I saw a completely gift-wrapped vehicle with a heart-shaped balloon on top that had "I Love You" written on it! My old car had been giving me problems, so Andrew had bought me a new one! (It's not NEW new -- it has 3,000-something miles on it.)

So now I am driving a four-door hatchback 2005 Toyota Prius, a gas-electric hybrid! A guy at church who sells used cars gave Andrew a great deal on it. Some of the highlights:

*Gets great gas mileage (about 50 miles to the gallon) and is better for the environment
*Has a 6-CD changer!
*Voice-activated GPS system

It's also a "smart" car, so when I have the special key in my purse, I don't even need to take it out to get into the car. As soon as I walk up to the door, it unlocks. Then I don't even need the key to start the car. As long as the key is just in my purse on the seat beside me, I press the "Power" button and the car starts -- like turning on a computer! I can't get over the fact that you don't have to turn a key to start the engine! This is a fun car to drive!

So YAY for my sweet, thoughtful husband, and for the many blessings God pours out on us that we don't deserve, but that He so graciously continues to give. :-)

(I apologize for the lack of pictures of the car, but for some reason, Blogger is being a pain and not letting me insert them here. I will try again tomorrow...)