Category Archives: Uncategorized

June 27, 2012 · 11:40 pm

Please pray.

Just wanted to share something that has been on my heart and mind all day: The Colorado wildfires. If you have not heard recently–CO is having a rough time this summer. Extreme dry, no humidity, and gusts of wind (today was 65 mph) leaves conditions not very favorable when fires happen. There are 12 fires in CO right now…the worst being near Colorado Springs called The Waldo Canyon fire. It is spreading fast, burning homes, forcing evacuations of thousands and thousands of people and it is only 5% contained.

The Weather Channel today said that the fire started by a dry thunderstorm. I do not remember learning about those in junior high science class (either that or I forgot), so it was very interesting to learn about. In a regular rain storm, the rain wets the ground so when lightning strikes it hits wet ground. Well, in a dry thunderstorm, the rain evaporates before it hits the ground. Thus, when lightning strikes, it causes the spark. This summer, that is how most of the fires are caused. (At least that is what the Weather Channel says.)

I think last time CO had a fire that was devastating was my freshman year of HS (well, the summer right before). A fire started from a cigaret near South Fork, which was about 30-40 minutes from our house. We saw the smoke rising over the mountain and by the evening it was raining ashes. We could not run cross-country practices for a whole week or so due to the heavy smoke. The firefighters used our high school as their base. Fighters from all over the state came to help. It was massive. Now think of all the firefighters from across the country going to CO to help with the fires. It is the biggest ever seen.

My thoughts today were of people I know either in the area or working as firefighters. Please pray for the people who have to leave their homes or see them burn. Please pray for the evacuating families and other travelers as hotels are getting scarce. Pray for strength and safety for the fireman who are working long shifts. Pray for the volunteers who are working with Red Cross or others like Samaritan’s Purse who are trying to help those in need. Pray for rain (with no lightning).

Thanks for praying alongside me. You can keep up with the news on pretty much any news website or news channel. If you want the best inside coverage, go to Colorado Springs Gazette. Here is the website: http://www.gazette.com/

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

2 Thessalonians 3:16

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May 31, 2012 · 2:32 am

Colorado

My thoughts the past few days have been consumed with memories. Colorado. Mmmm, it has been a long time since I have sat down and been totally overwhelmed with thoughts, especially of my favorite things, people and places. Sort of like a noun…a noun can be people, places, things or an idea. There is also proper nouns. Colorado. It sort of fits in all those categories! That is a pretty good noun!!!! 🙂

Blue skies, no humidity, snow peaks, sunsets, friends, family, and my favorite city in the world: Denver.

I love Denver. I loved the neighborhood I lived in…it put me ten minutes from the mountains and less than ten minutes from Downtown. People would ask where I was from. “Denver,” I replied. It sounded so cool. Denver is home of my favorite sports teams, coffee shops, and parks. I also thought the art museum was amazing, bonus free admission on the first Saturday of the month. Denver on the map makes sense. The streets are numbered horizontally and most streets going vertically go from farthest north to farthest south. Sometimes I would just get in my car and drive around the city. By the time I left, I was a city driver! I could even parallel park Downtown!

There is so much about Denver that I love. Most of my thoughts this week were of Denver. Of my “family” I left behind. Thoughts just came at different moments during the day…the fun memories, the bad memories, the places I visited often or drove past daily. College memories. Post-grad life. My old roommates and the times we had together. Walking across the street to my best friend’s apartment to hang out. My first paintings. Going to work in the morning with the sun rising in my rear view mirror…while I was looking towards the purple mountains and blue sky out of my front windshield. Hanging out with my downtown ministry on Thursdays…there is not a day that goes by where I do not think of those kids.

It is hard to believe that a whole year has come and gone. It was last year during this week that I was saying my goodbyes. The year has been a crazy one! Far more than I ever dreamed of, but still…Denver holds that title…”Home.” I think it will just always have that title.

But there is so much more of Colorado to see past the cities. Although I must say Colorado Springs was another favorite place!! You get past the cities to the small towns in the mountains (or at least surrounded by mountains). The ranches, cattle, crops, rodeos!!! My sister and I shared a room that faced the crops across the road. There was nothing like falling asleep to the sound and smells of fresh-cut barely to the hums of the combines. Then the cows in the pasture out back would take on the encore…not so beautiful. LOL.

Looking back, the town I grew up in was perfect. Growing up I did not think that way…it actually took moving to Denver for me to realize that fact. 🙂

Our hometown was like the song of Cheers…

Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got.

Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.

Wouldn’t you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go,

Where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.

You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same;

You wanna be where everybody knows Your name.

There are things of a small town that I love. For one, we knew everyone at school in all grades. Yes, that is possible…and we were not that small of a school but small enough. I still regularly chat with my close girlfriends from those days. Others will send me emails to ask how I am doing. I think that is special. Which brings me to the main point of small towns…everyone knows everything about everyone else. In other words, word travels fast. 🙂

There are so many fun things to do in the surrounding mountains. Every summer we would take a camping trip. Camping…in a tent and most of the time where there were no outhouses. Yeah, nature’s luxury at best. Hiking, canoeing, and my not so favorite of fishing. There is an old mining town about an hour away…that is my favorite mountain town!! In the summer, they set of 4th of July fireworks from the mountains above town. Sitting on a hill on the other side was always cold but had the greatest view. There were a bunch of tourist shops…best coffee and fudge around!

I am sure by now you might be wondering about all this random chat about Colorado. First, I think it is because I realize that God has his own unique way of answering my prayers. I wanted to move closer to family but did not realize at the time how hard adjusting would be after spending my whole life (minus the first 6 years) in Colorado. But looking back over the one year here, I have seen so much family! I love my family. And now part of my family is back in Colorado…talk about vacations!!! Whoo hoo!

Speaking of which, I should be packing. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE TIME HAS COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😀 As of a few hours, I will be IN COLORADO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My thoughts have been so consumed with this all weekend!!! I could not focus last night…so I sat down and read Psalm 139. It really is an amazing Psalm about God knowing us from even before we are born…he knows the plans he has for us (Jeremiah 29:11). I wanted to read this Psalm mostly because I wanted to control my anxious thoughts. Verse 23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”

So there I sat. I just started talking to God about all these things in my head…I was trying to plan out what I could see in my short time there…but my anxious thoughts were becoming overwhelming. It was almost like driving in the mountains but you spend the whole time reading a book (which I will refrain from doing. I am only taking it for the plane rides and for if we go fishing. 🙂 ) But do you see what I mean? I finally realized the best way to go to Colorado is to let go of my past memories and take in new ones. I can stop planning because I don’t have to see everything…there is not enough time anyway. But I can enjoy what I do see and the people I see it with. My anxious thoughts are calm, but I still can say, “I can’t wait!!!” 😀

P.S. I do hope to see one of these. 😀

We liked this song growing up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwARpaKHx_w

References:

http://www.denverartmuseum.org/

http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/cheerslyrics.html

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+139&version=NASB

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May 6, 2012 · 11:23 pm

Finding rest.

Today was a day of rest. And it was wonderful. The busy week and hard work of yesterday (I helped my sister move out of her dorm room that is on the second floor of their unit…wow, exercise!!!) was paid off by sitting for a bit this afternoon with my feet up (well, I also slept through my alarm 😦 ). Rest is healthy. Almost felt like an exercise in itself. 🙂

Do you remember when you were little and you had to take naps. I never wanted to nap, because I thought I would miss out on something cool. Now I wish I could nap everyday! I always love when I do get a nap in! Sometimes they are planned and I sleep for hours. Other times, I sit down to work on something, but instead my body shuts down. Like this:

I hope this week allows you to get some rest as well. Rest can even be like what I did today–I did not nap any, but I purposely sat down and took some time just to rewind and relax. Rest.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

More to come…

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April 29, 2012 · 12:56 am

April’s Pinterest.

The biggest gig these days for creative thoughts and stuff you like is Pinterest. I have been on the site a few times, but find it somewhat a bit of chaos, so I prefer magazines. 🙂 Needless to say, sharing creativity and what you like is splendid. Over the past week, I have been collecting “creative” thoughts. Some are more classified as a “Cool beans!” category. So this is my unofficial “pin” post of my interests. 🙂

  • Storing Chocolates

Yes, there is a way to keep chocolate around a bit longer!! My good friend who runs Street Church sure knew how to make a volunteer’s day during the stressful weeks right before finals. We would gather in the kitchen to go over the plans for the evening–the lesson, games, who is taking prayer requests, etc.–and then before you know it, someone has opened the freezer! We all knew what was coming next. CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a dandy idea! No, it is genius!!! Buy an extra bag of chocolate at the holidays, put it in the freezer and a few months later, pull out a few handfuls of the delicious treat!!!

  • Useful books

There are several things in this category. First, if you have limited bookshelf space or just want a different way to display your books, try putting a stack underneath your lamp. I have a small lamp that is sort of dull, because you can’t use a high watt lightbulb. I would make it shine a bit brighter just by putting it up higher. I am sure you have seen pictures of this…it is not an original idea. 🙂 The books I put underneath are usually ones that I have read, or that have a cool cover. (Never judge a book by its cover, LOL). My mom gets little books from the different places we travel. It is fun to sit down and read a few different ones when you have nothing else to do. You can also display them in a basket or on the coffee table for when company comes over–excellent conversation starter!

Take advantage of your library’s book sale. Be selective…maybe know what areas you are interested in and aim for those kinds of books. I got Homer’s The Iliad for 50 cents at our library’s book sale. “Cool beans!!” 🙂

Every reader needs a bookmark! My sister got me a magnetic one, which I think is a lot better than what I used to do: turn down the corner of the page I just ended. I like to get to a page that has a period at the bottom. It closes the train of thought. I am such a nerd. 🙂 Anyway, the magnetic bookmarks are neat, because if you want to finish just a paragraph then you can mark the line by putting the bookmark on the outer edge of the book, instead of on top like my picture shows below. As Martha Stewart would say, “It’s a good thing.”

  • Tea and Cakes

This is the time of year that I start drinking tea more than coffee. My favorite is Snapple brand. Every cap has a “Real fact” and when you finish the bottle, you can recycle it or make it into a flower vase. 🙂 I also like the idea of putting a tea packet in a card to a friend. A lady in town sends me encouraging cards and adds a tea bag. I think it is special.

3-2-1 cake!!!

Our family friend, Denise, shared this “recipe” with my mom. Even I can make it! 😀 Trust me when I say, “It is so simple!!”

Ingredients:

1 Angel Food cake box

1 box of another cake (our favorites are Carrot cake or Chocolate cake)

water

Directions:

Mix the two boxes of cake in a Ziploc bag or container.

Using a 1 Tb measuring spoon, put 3 scoops of the cake mixture in a microwaveable mug. Add 2 Tb of water to the mixture.

Next, whisk the mixture until it is blended well and looks something like a frappachino.

Put it into the microwave for 1 minute. There you have it! So easy AND delicious!!! It looks like a sponge when it comes out. 🙂

Speaking of sponges: next time you are in FL, you should tour Tarpon Springs! It is a Greek cultured town with cute shops and they give tours of how they dive for sponges. It is like seeing an astronaut dive in the sea. 🙂 Very neat place! I visited a few months before my trip to Greece. So, my first gyros was from the states, but still delicious!

 http://www.spongedocks.net/default.htm

 Another neat place in FL is the historical Ponce de Leon lighthouse (hence the mug). We went there as a family and climbed the 203 stairs to the top. There is also exhibits and a museum in which you can see up close how a lighthouse works. Very interesting!

http://www.ponceinlet.org/index.cfm

  • Randomness Finds and Ideas

I finally bought a flashlight. But it is like a lantern! I tested it in my bathroom. I set it on the counter and could see great all around. Great find from Target for around $10.

I opened the Cheerios box to find an Obi-Wan pen inside. 🙂

Reuse gift bags that have been given to you. When I find things that I am not wanting or using anymore, I set them aside. If it is books, movies or nice articles of clothing, I first think if I know of a friend or relative that would enjoy them. It is a great way to give presents, get well/just because/encouraging gifts, and it is a way for the items to continue to be used instead of sitting on a shelf in the closet. 🙂 Thus, my recycling tip of the day!

  • Fashion trends

I use my flower clips not only for use in my hair, but also attach them to my sweaters like a pendant. It gives a little spunk to your outfits.

And last, best thought of the day!!! I was cleaning the bathroom and decided that I am tired of staring at my bathrobe that hangs on the outside of my door (which faces my room). I went on a fashion show business hour using the clothes in my closet and redecorated the hook with spring attire. It was so fun and now I have something like a “shopping” experience to stare at each morning when I enter the bathroom!! Fun!!!

To close, I will share my favorite “It is the month of April” joke. Ready? April showers bring May flowers, but what do Mayflower’s bring?

Did you guess??? 🙂 It is “Pilgrims.” Get it!?! HAHA. Happy end of April! More to come…

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April 25, 2012 · 12:13 am

Unscripted.

Usually my blog posts have a theme. I think of different things and put them together in a blog, blending nicely into each other through transition verbs and sentence. In itself, that sort of represents my train of thought, which I have mentioned before, and how I go about being productive in a day. Today’s productivity was running errands after work and scheduling upcoming appointments. I go from schedule to schedule…everything in a timely manner and train of thought. Not tonight. I decided tonight I am not going to have any plans. No train of thoughts. No historical evidence or fun facts (well, I shall refrain). Just me. Unscripted.

The past few months, I have been struggling with finding my passion again. In Denver, I was so involved. I was dedicated to work and surrounded by college friends and roommates, volunteered every week to a street church downtown with kids–which was pretty much my joy of living life each week–and when I was in need of some adventure or time alone, I would go to the mountains just ten minutes down the road. You get to the top of the first hill and see out like a 360 view of the city. I spent a lot of time doing that, especially the last full summer I was there. In the moments of chaos during those months…just seeing the view from on top a mountain made me forget the valleys and shadows of life beneath. Not that here is not beautiful, but there are no mountain tops to see around. Maybe that is sort of significant to my passion. I left it on the mountain top as I started into the valleys. See my problem does not lie with the health related issues being the “valleys and shadows”. They are my mountain tops. How frustrating it is for me to know this! It is so backwards, but in the backwards of the thought…it makes sense. When I have health related things come up…the biggies like chemo, surgery or the blood clot…I have nothing to depend upon but God’s timing, provisions and strength. When I become stable, I find that my focus shifts…I find my own strength to depend on, “I can do it”, like proving I can on my own; getting back to work, I find my own provisions; and I take over my schedule of “things to get done”. It is a habit. It is a bad habit. Why should my life be at the mountain top only in my physical sufferings? Why can’t I remain at the mountain top…or at least the upward climb towards that place even on the normal days? I believe that is why God has convicted my heart to get more in the Word and prayer as of late, because I am entering my valleys again. I should be praising God even on my boring, normal days just like I do when I am in pain. Such different advice apart from the other endless bestsellers on these subjects saying it the other way around. But that is me. Unscripted.

Summit Venture

You know what was great about today though? Blue sky! It is most often a rare sight to see here. Blue skies, green grass. My favorite part is walking or driving through the “tunnels” of trees. They clump together and shade over so it feels like a green tunnel. I think it is so beautiful! Reminds me of a song by Rich Mullins called “The Color Green.” I just have to give you this link of his music video. I watch it when I feel like I am living in black and white. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88Lx1D0gbTo.

Color is: Laughter, being creative, reading in a coffee shop while slowly sipping my cup of tea or chatting with a friend, walking with my mom in the evenings, playing Quicksand with my older sister and brother-in-law or chess with my little sister. Family nights watching “Shaun the Sheep”. Blending paints on a white canvas and coming up with a masterpiece in the end. Petting Muffy when he sits in my lap, brushing my teeth, writing my grandparents, creating new outfits out of old ones, suprise dinners with Dad, looking at old pictures, or seeing new places. Better yet, finding old postcards of places we have been to over the years. 🙂 Today I smiled when I waved to an old man crossing the road, seeing a friend at work, watching the ladies in front of me at the line in Michael’s chat with each other, mailing letters, getting a text from my sister about Lord of the Rings and eating marshmallows for dessert. Today I found myself being thankful for butterfly wings. They are so pretty. I saw a bunch of butterflies yesterday when my mom, sister and I were at a conservatory for plants and butterflies, birds and a mouse. Yes, a cute little mouse. 🙂

And that is me at the moment. Unscripted–in the beauty of stillness, a blend of colorful thoughts, and surrounded with love. Like this new butterfly…ready to spread my wings and fly.

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is  the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31

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April 21, 2012 · 2:46 am

The color red.

Think of the color red. What comes to mind? I see a bright red, almost like a Delicious apple. I see lipstick. I see STOP signs. These are the first things I think of when I say the word, “red.” Isn’t it interesting to think that we all see different shades of colors? My shade of red is not the same of your shade of red. Not sure where I heard that, but I did once…maybe in a science class. Just another example of how unique each person is. 🙂 (Don’t believe me? Look it up. I just did and found many sites to confirm.) 🙂

Red. Seems to be the infamous color of most major sports teams here in this side of the country. I see red every day at work…I even wear a red shirt. (Of course some have seen their better days. I have a red shirt with pink polka dots on the bottom. I was helping a lady get things out of her cart and did not realize that her Clorox was leaking…or had been leaking her whole shopping trip. The grand finale was all over my red shirt and hands. I was very clean, but the smell gave me a headache. To reduce the white spots, we colored it in with a red magic marker. Genius, but it is now fading with every wash.)

There are different tones of red. Have you ever stopped to see around you the different tones of colors? Red. It can have several different meanings.

Beauty: Male birds such as Cardinals–very bold red! There are also Robins…their chest is a shade of red/orange. The only other red bird that I can pick out in the crowd is named…are you ready for this? It’s named “Purple Finch.” What on earth?!? It is red! I don’t understand that one! But hey, we all see different shades of colors. 😉 I found a website where it names all the birds (primarily the North American birds) that have shades of red. Very interesting. http://www.whatbird.com/browse/objs/all/birds_na_147/110/color/2066/red

Old barns. (Why do farmers paint them red anyway? Is it for a specific purpose or just the classic farm look? Either way, I think they are beautiful to see among the farm-house and equipment.) There are also a lot of red fruits (which happen to be my favorite!) Strawberries, cherries, tomatoes, watermelons, raspberries, cranberries, grapes and apples–each designed in a different shade of red and also flavor.

There is beauty in red when I think of love. There are red hearts and red roses. Just thinking of love made me think of passion. Passion reminded me of lust. Did you know that “lust” is an actual shade of red? I just learned this! Of course in context and definition, love and lust have different connotations. Love, so much more than just Valentine’s Day. C.S. Lewis said,

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket-safe, dark, motionless, airless–it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

There is a beauty in symbolism, such as the USA flag. As Secretary of the Continental Congress, Charles Thompson said, “Red, [signifies] hardiness and valour,” (Duane Streufert. 2005.) There is a red ring within the Olympics five rings (representing the five continents). And of course Christmas. Red and green. There are obvious ones that I am not sure of the meaning. Why is Rudolf’s nose red? Or why does Santa wear a red suit? There are red berries on mistletoe, red strips on candy canes and the wise men gave three gifts to Jesus: Gold, frankincense and myrrh. I thought maybe myrrh was red based, but was not certain until I looked it up. It is. 🙂 I found this site so interesting! http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/botany/question2831.htm. And last, when I think of myrrh, I also think of red rocks. I lived near Denver’s Red Rocks amphitheater. Beautiful! There is also the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs and my personal favorite that I hope to see someday: Petra (Mount Hor, Jordan). Truly beautiful!

From: http://www.oddee.com/item_89087.aspx (If you love history and architecture, then read this site. It is about the 10 lost cities.)

Practical uses: STOP signs, which were not always red. In fact there were no such things as stop signs at the beginning of the 20th century. You think seeing a person run a stop sign or run through a red light today is maddening, listen to this:

At a time when there were no driver’s licenses, speed limits or clear lane demarcations, the notion of a stop sign was revolutionary. In fact, aside from the occasional road markers letting riders on horseback know how far they were from the next city, there was no road or street signage at all. (Greenbaum and Rubinstein, December 2011.)

Sounds pretty chaotic! Even when they were put into place they were “a 2-by-2-feet sheet of metal with black lettering on a white background” (Greenbaum and Rubinstein). It wasn’t until 1954 that they turned red. There are other warning signs. I took this picture at an old mill. I thought it was hilarious considering my history of falling and weak ankles:

Fire extinguishers, EXIT signs in buildings, rear lights on automobiles, and flashing lights of police, fire and ambulance vehicles all contain red. People who take pictures like to take out red: reduce red-eye functions. Growing up, we graded papers at school with a red pen. Red helped you see your mistakes. Have you ever read the classic book, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne? The scarlet letter is an uppercase A attached to Hester’s dress, representing the shame and punishment of adultry. Although I was not a big fan of the book in high school, I would like to read it again realizing that there is so much imagery and symbolism that I might not have understood before. My Bible uses red print in the four Gospels and Acts to show when Jesus speaks. When I paint, I have to be careful; red takes over the other colors. Sometimes the blendings make a deep blend of purple, which helped on my mountain portrait…but other times if I use too much red then it ruins the painting. Likewise in opposite cases, I add red to bring out some flavor of an otherwise dull piece of art. Red is so practical.

What do you see in red? I started out with a short hand written list. The more I thought of the color, the more came to my mind. Take time this weekend to enjoy your favorite colors, whether it is red or another. Red is not necessarily my favorite color, but it was a great place to start (it is the first color of the rainbow you know–at least from top to bottom. I learned it as ROY G BIV. Others learned it the opposite way with violet starting, VIB G YOR. Makes more sense to me the first way.) 😀 More to come…

References:

C.S. Lewis. http://thinkexist.com/quotes/c.s._lewis/

Duane Streufert. 2005, February 10. What Do the Colors of the Flag Mean? The Flag of the United States of Amercia. Retrieved April 20, 2012 from http://www.usflag.org/colors.html

Hilary Greenbaum and Dana Rubinstein. 2011, December 9. The Stop Sign Wasn’t Always Red. The New York Times. Retrieved April 20, 2012 from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/magazine/stop-sign.html

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