God is the Author of my life's story, and I'm excited to see what He has in store as each new chapter unfolds. I don't yet know the ending, but I trust that it will be better than I ever imagined! I invite you to read along...

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3/24/2007

Happy Spring!

I'm so thankful for a creative God who enjoys lavishing such beautiful gifts on His children!


Daffodils

by William Wordsworth


I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.


Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.


The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;

A poet could not be but gay,

In such a jocund company!

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:


For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.


3/09/2007

Unwelcome tasks...

I came across a great quote today:

“NO unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by putting them off till tomorrow. It is only when they are behind us and done, that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards, and that the remembrance of unwelcome duties unhesitatingly done is welcome and pleasant. Accomplished, they are full of blessing, and there is a smile on their faces as they leave us. Undone, they stand threatening and disturbing our tranquility, and hindering our communion with God. If there be lying before you any bit of work from which you shrink, go straight up to it, and do it at once. The only way to get rid of it is to do it.” -- Alexander MacLaren
Since my to-do list is full of "unwelcome tasks" that never seem to get crossed off, this quote was a good kick in the pants for me today. Maybe I'll go clean out the fridge (and clean the fridge shelves, too) -- why should it disturb my tranquility any longer?

What are some of the unwelcome tasks you could accomplish today?




3/04/2007

Pictures!

I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves...




























































2/06/2007

Modesty


I recently discovered a blog called The Rebelution, written by the twin younger brothers of Joshua Harris, who wrote the well-known book I Kissed Dating Goodbye. These guys recently conducted a modesty survey of Christian guys (geared at helping Christian girls understand how the way they dress affects their brothers in Christ) -- they'll be releasing the results of the survey on Valentine's Day, but in the meantime, they're posting some of the responses they received from Christian guys who took the survey.

This post from a brother in Christ gives a great analogy to help us as women understand how important modesty is. The site seems to be geared to younger, single Christians, but I think that the importance and value of modesty applies to us as women our whole lives long. I love a good analogy, so this post was really encouraging.

I strive to dress modestly, but from time to time I need to stop and evaluate my wardrobe...and my reasons for wearing certain things. I look forward to reading the results of the survey at The Rebelution, and being reminded of my responsibility as a woman to dress in a way that would make it less likely for my brothers in Christ to fall.

1/22/2007

Fake snow

My cat, Gilligan, loved sleeping on the fake snow under our Christmas tree (gotta have fake snow to go with the fake tree) so much that when I took the tree down, I didn't have the heart to take away his new favorite bedding. So I stuck the snow in a box under our bed, and now whenever we can't find Gilligan, we know exactly where to look. "Gilligan's sleeping in his snow box again!"

Cats are cute. You have to humor them.

12/20/2006

Christians and Entertainment

I came across this great article at a blog I stumbled upon today. The author (another Sarah!) expressed my thoughts so well on this subject that I am just going to link to her post. What are your thoughts?
_________________________________________________

WHAT'S HAPPENING TO MY GENERATION?

What’s happening to my generation? (Long pause for thought) Our society has become a wicked society, like the days of old, like those mentioned in the Bible, like Sodom and Gomorrah, and like the wicked nations God wiped off the earth. Many young people constantly poison their minds and their spirits with lust and evil thoughts, evil entertainment. Where anything goes as long as it’s labeled “art” or “a movie.” Do Christians no longer know how to discern between good and evil? ...click here to keep reading

12/18/2006

I love being an Auntie!

It was so great to spend 10 days with my sister Anna and her family following the birth of my nephew Aaron on Dec. 5th -- I love these little guys so much! Ben has such personality, and is so smart! I can't wait until he starts talking. And Aaron is just so sweet and new...I can't wait to see his personality develop over the next few years!

















And of course, I miss Anna already. It was a privilege to get to help her through that first week with two little ones at home. She's a great mommy.
















Hopefully I'll get to see them again in a few months when we go back up for my cousin's wedding. I really wish we lived closer!

12/05/2006

You know you're in California when...

...it's December 5th and you hear the ice-cream truck driving up and down the street with its annoying little jingle.

Seriously, in Portland that would be seasonal work. Here? They work year round.

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In other news, my sister had her second baby this morning! I was supposed to be there for the birth, but he came a day earlier than planned, so... not much you can do about that! I'm flying up tonight...

Here's little Aaron Edward (8 lbs. even, 20 in. long) looking all newborn-y. It's the only picture I have so far!

12/01/2006

What a cutie!

So I got to hang out with my nephew Ben all last week -- it was great! He's developing quite a little personality!

Here we are enjoying some mindless entertainment...



















I think this kid is advanced for his age...he sat here with his mommy for more than half an hour coloring. How many almost-18-month-olds have that kind of attention span?

















Of course, he deals with the normal toddler temptations of forbidden fruit (in this case, the computer room). I'm sure he'll soon figure out the door-opening thing, and that will make life a lot more interesting for his parents!



















I am very excited to fly back up to Oregon this coming week for the birth of Ben's little brother, Aaron!

11/21/2006

Ahhh...the lovely liquid sunshine of Oregon!

I'm currently visiting my sister in the lovely state of Oregon. And I'm trying to figure out what all this wet stuff falling from the sky is...oh yeah, RAIN! I remember rain! :-) All kidding aside, we do get rain in Sacramento (although we've had some lovely, sunny weather there recently). Oregon wouldn't be the beautiful, green state that it is without all the rain, though, so it does serve a purpose!












I'm loving hanging out with my nephew, Ben, and getting to know him a little bit. He's much more fun now that he's almost 18 months old (last time I saw him was in June). Here's a recent pic of the little cutie:

















I'm thankful for my family, and for the opportunity to spend time with them this week!

11/14/2006

Fa la la la la, la la la la!

I couldn't help it...I gave in early this year! My favorite Christmas songs have made their way into my daily listening repertoire, and my head is full of visions of sleigh rides, chestnuts roasting on open fires, and of course, a silent, holy night in a little town called Bethlehem.

I used to wait until after Thanksgiving, but now it's more like the beginning of November. So I get two whole months of Christmas music! And I love it!

How about you? Are you listening to Christmas music yet?

11/02/2006

Happy Birthday, Little Brother!!

It's hard for me to believe that my brother Nate is 27 years old today! I'd like to share a poem I wrote about him when I was a senior in high school, oh-so-many years ago:

"Little Brother"

I was three and a half when
they brought you home from the hospital.
The third child.
The first son.
My first and only brother.
Sweet, chubby babyness.
I held you in my three and a half year old arms;
my baby brother.
Up through the reckless toddler years,
the motorcycle, He-Man, and G.I. Joe phases.
Now you are thirteen;
athletic, strong.
No longer my baby brother,
but many memories to cherish.
And more memories to make.

And we have made many great memories together since that poem was written...all-night, spur-of-the-moment drives from Sacramento to Portland, exploring the small towns in the foothills outside Sacramento, traveling to Israel and Egypt, movie watching and board game playing, shopping at Whole Foods Market, discussions about the Bible and Christian living, playing with the best cats in the world (Skipper and Gilligan), and the list could go on.

Nate is one of my best friends, and I count it a great privilege to be his sister. He loves the Lord with his whole heart, and desires to live a pure and godly life. He cares about others and seeks to serve them. God has great things in store for him, and I can't wait to see how God is going to use him in the years to come!

I'm also excited that Nate is moving back in with us at the end of November (he lived with us for a few months when we first moved here in 1999, and again for about seven months a couple years ago). He makes a great housemate (and I like having someone to help me carry in the groceries)!

I love you, little bro. Thanks for being you!




10/25/2006

The Love of God

As a writer, I love this last verse of the hymn "The Love of God" --


Could we with ink the ocean fill,












And were the skies of parchment made,












Were every stalk on earth a quill,












And every man a scribe by trade,


















To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

10/05/2006

Autumn has arrived...

And the weather is finally getting cooler...yay!

(Although this picturesque scene is not something I'd be able to find around here!)

I do rather miss Oregon weather at this time of the year...

9/26/2006

God's Amazing Friendship Glue!

Some of my dearest friends are women I never would have guessed I could have a heart connection with. But God has a wonderful way of bringing friends into my life, and He has done it again recently.

I am from Oregon. Natasha is from Ukraine. I am not yet a mother. She has two beautiful daughters (I was privileged to be with her this past Sunday when she gave birth to her youngest). Our backgrounds and upbringings are totally dissimilar. But God, in His wisdom and plan, applied His friendship glue to our hearts, and she has come to be a very dear friend -- more like a sister.

Natasha commented recently that she never thought she could have such a close friendship with an American, because of the cultural differences (she's only been in the States for three years). I replied that we may have different cultures, but we have the same Spirit. Come to think of it, I guess He is the glue that connects our hearts!

Here's a picture of Natasha and me:















I am so thankful for ALL of my dear friends around the country (and even overseas) that God has chosen, in His infinite wisdom, to "stick my heart to." They are treasures, and I am a rich woman, indeed!

9/20/2006

Nephew Number Three!

Congratulations to Andrew's brother, Serge, and his wife Olga, on the arrival of their son James Ryan, born September 18!

Welcome to the world, baby James!



















Here he is with his Aunt Sarah and Uncle Andrew:

9/13/2006

Onomatopoeia

Main Entry: on·o·mato·poe·ia
Pronunciation: "ä-nuh-"mä-tuh-'pE-uh"
Function: noun
Etymology: Late Latin, from Greek onomatopoiia

1 : the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (as buzz, hiss)

2 : the use of words whose sound suggests the sense
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I love onomatopoeic words -- they add zest to a language! When writing, especially writing for children, you want to use lots of these types of words. I've listed some of my favorites below...leave me a comment with some of yours!

These are words that beg to be said aloud, with feeling -- go ahead, give it a try (you might want to wait until you're alone, otherwise you might get some funny looks)!

CRUNCH

SWOOSH

ZIP

TINGLE

SMASH

BONK

SNAP, CRACKLE, POP :-)

BUZZ

BEEP

HUSH

Thanks for indulging the ramblings of a language lover!

9/10/2006

Optical Illusion

Stare at the yellow circle.

Cool, huh? :-)

8/31/2006

A new nephew!

Ben now has some competition in the cute nephew department, as Andrew's sister Evelina and her husband Serge celebrated the arrival of their first son, Austin Samuel, yesterday. We are all thankful for this precious gift from God, and that mom and baby are both doing so well!



















Welcome to the world, little Austin (and at 6 lbs. 1 oz. and 18 inches long, "little" is the appropriate word)!

Austin with his Aunt Sarah and Uncle Andrew:

8/30/2006

And the award for cutest nephew goes to....

...Ben, sporting shades at the local pool.















And showing off his pearly whites!















Ben was a year old in June. I get to see him again in November! Kinda' sad that my sister and I live so far apart... but thanks to technology, I don't have to miss out on cute moments like these!