July 6, 2012 · 12:00 am

Treasure Falls

Today’s hot temperatures (and I mean HOT!) reminded me of a few things. First and foremost, I had nothing to complain about since my AC was running and I sat inside for the most part. Last week’s storms hit pretty hard. There are still thousands without electricity. Please pray for those who still have none as tomorrow is said to be record high temperatures.

And today, as I used my day off to write letters, I also sorted through some pictures from our CO trip in June. We took Wolfe Creek Pass to a site-seeing area called Treasure Falls. It was a little hike (and thanks to Dad’s walking stick and his arm) I made it to the top. Another “breath-taking view”…if I can borrow the term for the two meanings. 🙂

All who are thirsty

All who are weak

Come to the fountain

Dip your heart in the stream of life

Let the pain and the sorrow

Be washed away

In the waves of his mercy

As deep cries out to deep (we sing)
Come Lord Jesus come
Holy Spirit come
As deep cries out to deep

-Kutless, “All Who Are Thirsty”

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July 3, 2012 · 11:23 pm

Time for “Now and Then!”

Have you ever seen Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? Your first view of the dwarfs is not at home…but at work. “We work, work, work, work, work, work, work–we work all night and day! In a mine! (echos) In a mine! (echos).” 🙂 Not surprising that their carts are full of all sorts of different gems and so easily found. Classic for sure! But with the Fourth of July right around the corner, I am remembering good days in the old mining town–Creede, Colorado.

Creede is located in the San Luis Valley…go much much farther than the city limits and you are in mining mountain territory. Growing up, the mines were not active but they had the mining museum open so you could see how the miners back in the late 1800’s mined for silver. Currently, a mine called The Last Chance Mine still operates. Back in 1889, Nicolas Creede found silver in the mountains above what is now known as Creede, CO. He yelled to his partner, “Holy Moses! I’ve found it!” and they staked their claim as the Holy Moses mine. The Last Chance was also during this era.

Then. (My sisters and I at the mining museum.)

Growing up, we went up to Creede/surrounding areas a lot during the summer months. Some of the shops close for winter, but Creede still thrived as a town during the winter months too. Thinking of the history of Creede–it is amazing that it is still alive and thriving today! The Silver Panic of 1893 left Creede in a bind. When things reopened most went to Leadville to mine for silver there. In the early 1900’s, the town went through a few fires and floods. Most of the buildings that you see today are not the originals from 1890’s but from after the fires/floods. Some, however, are still there.

Creede is best known for their Fourth of July celebrations. Big town parade, kid events digging for treasures in a saw dust pile (huge pile!!!), souvenir shops, rock-drilling contests, and of course the fireworks from the mountains above.

Creede is also famous for the Western outlaws that came for the silver rush in the 1890’s. “Soapy Smith” and his gang, Bob Ford–the man who shot Jesse James, Ed O’Keffey–the man who shot the man who killed Jesse James (lame, but that is why he shot Bob Ford), and Poker Alice. All in Creede. 🙂 Wow! All interesting characters and part of the good ol’ West!!!

 Creede Theater and Hotel. The theater has amazing play productions! My favorite: Our Town. I remember my older sister saying that we should leave after the second act. Now I know why, I cried the whole third act!

This past June, during our time in CO, my mom and I got to spend a day in Creede while the others hiked (they went to The Last Chance Mine). Mom and I finally went to the Creede Museum! After all those years…so glad we did that, because there is so much history in there! Old photographs, household items, an old saloon bar counter, and also the old Creede Hotel piano. I forget his name, but some famous self-learned piano player played for the guests at the hotel. It said on the piano that he could not read music but played by ear. He “read” a catalogue…he flipped different sections for different moods. They even had the catalogue there and a picture of him at the piano (you can see the book behind him). 🙂 I thought that was great!

During our day at Creede, we also got in on the latest of the “Hollywood gossip” about Johnny Depp’s upcoming movie, The Lone Ranger, in which he plays Tonto. They are filming part of the movie behind Creede! There was all this buzz about the movie. Some of the locals (and others in the valley) are in the movie as background people in scenes. The man who took the picture of my mom and I by the fudge shop was talking about his role that started filming that night…a night shooting scene, ooohhhh! Cool! Our family does not go to the movies often–I did a lot in college, but I don’t anymore since it is a waste of money with no captions. BUT, we did all decide that May 31, 2013…we will be going to see the new film (just because we want to see the parts filmed in CO). 🙂 This is the closest I will ever get to big time Hollywood-ness:

The road to the mines is closed for filming.

 If I see a windy scene…I will know what caused it. 🙂

I also think the whole Colorado history is amazing–how it all ties together. Nicolas Creede sold the mine in 1890 to David H. Moffat, who owned the Denver & Rio Grande railroad. There are stations all across the state where the railroad used to run from town to town. It was the biggest form of traveling. The museum had the prices for the trip routes. It took over a full day to get from Denver to Creede. Major stops were in Pueblo, Alamosa and Wagon Wheel Gap (in between South Fork and Creede). The last stop was in Creede.

The train station is now the Creede Museum.

Creede is quite the town. I think I like it so much because of the community. It is close-knit; it is genuine. They are proud of their history and welcome all travelers to share the experience. If you are ever in Colorado…the mining towns are a neat experience. Full of history and treasures. You just never know what you might find!!

For more readings and interests:

http://www.lastchancemine.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Ford_(outlaw)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210819/

http://www.creede.com/

http://www.denverandriogranderailroad.com/

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June 29, 2012 · 4:36 pm

Ode to Film Cameras

Ode to Film Cameras

By: Mel

Pictures from old were black and white,

Then color added brought fun and delight.

What more fun for a kid to test,

The making of life’s moments last still as best?

Now if you’ve forgotten the days,

When life was not such a technical craze;

Take out the old box that’s stuffed in your closet,

And cherish the pictures like a deposit.

For the era of film cameras is nearly extinct,

But the joy of memories will return in a blink.

Today, according to the event board at work, is Camera Day!!!!! Have you ever thought of how neat cameras are? It is the only way to create a still image of a memory that lasts! I did some readings on camera history and found there is a lot of genius ideas in the invention. I added a few websites at the bottom if you want more information. Here are a few stand outs in camera history:

  • Aristotle–Made first note of optic laws
  • Alhazen–Made first pinhole Camera Obscura around 1000 AD
  • Joseph Nicephore Niepce–Made first photographic image with Camera Obscura in 1827
  • Louise Daguerre–Made first photographic device in 1839
  • Henry Fox Talbot–Inventor of film negatives
  • Alexander Wolcott–patented his camera in 1840
  • George Eastman–Patents Kodak Roll-film camera in 1888
  • Oskar Barnack–35mm camera is developed, early 1900’s
  • 1963–Polaroid reveals color film
  • 1984–Canon’s idea of first digital camera
  • 1986–Fuiji’s disposable camera
  • 1990–Kodak’s Photo CD for digital storage

Somewhere from 1000 AD to the 1800’s– a lot of thought and experimenting must have taken place. To think of the world of technology has changed to so much from the 1840’s first camera to what it is today…we are taking instant pictures on our phones which we can instantly send to our email or friends, who can instantly order pictures–which in some cases can be instantly printed. I just want to know how long the first family photo sessions took, back in the day. Of course, I am sure from an 1840’s view, it was better than hiring a painter for a family portrait. 🙂

I got my first camera around the 7th grade. I got just a first starter camera. It was so fun to take pictures then go get my film developed. The suspense of waiting in line to pay for your pictures often got overrun with opening it right away and laughing hysterically in line. 🙂 I bought another camera in high school, a Canon. 🙂 And my first digital camera–wait for it–the summer of 2007. I made it one whole year of college with a film camera. 🙂 I have had several digital cameras since then because I fall a lot and sad day–I break the lens. 😦

I finally sorted through my old pictures last summer before the move. I ended up throwing a good amount away due to too far away or just bad focus pictures or just duds…but I still have a large amount of old pictures 🙂 (which are sitting in a box in my closet, LOL). I also got rid of my negatives; I wish I had saved some for my special box. Film is not going to be around much more–it is getting to be a passing fad joining the others like cassette tapes, VHS, and even CD’s.

So, since today is Camera Day, I wanted to share with you some of my best and worst pictures of my days with a film camera. 🙂 I sorted through my pictures in the closet and picked out a few in categories. And the winner’s are–(drum roll please)…

Best of Show

 Best of Kodak Moment

Best of Unfocused Focused

Best of Light Contrast

Best of Most Creative Props

Best of Trying to Portray Realistic-ness

Best of Night

HAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The cotton balls get me every time. 🙂 (And sorry for the finger smudge on the pictures. I think my scanner is dirty.) Well, enough candid shots…have a great evening. “Everyone say, ‘CHEESE!!!'”

References

http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/stilphotography.htm

http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/stilphotography_3.htm

http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/Photography.htm

http://photography.lovetoknow.com/First_Camera_Invented

http://www.whoinventedit.net/who-invented-the-very-first-camera.html

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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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June 26, 2012 · 11:12 pm

Freshly Squeezed Lemonade

Today is Lemonade Day! At least it was at work. I am a big fan of lemonade mostly because I don’t like the taste of water. Isn’t that odd? Water (unless it is salt water) does not taste like anything. Of course, Denver water did taste–and it was a nasty taste!! My habbit of drinking Sobe Lifewaters or lemonade is the key to quenching my thirst. Nothing like lemonade on a hot summer day!

Lemonade fits any occasion…small patio parties or barbeques; kid’s lemonade stand with cookies; reading on a lawn chair; at baseball games or any other outside event; or even a tasty treat when I paint. 🙂 How did you like that transition sentence?? 😉 No really, I wanted to share with you the latest of my summer theme paintings:

Tidal wave

8×10

I painted this a few days after watching Soul Surfer with my sister. Believe it or not, it was my first time watching it. Bethany Hamilton’s story of faith and perseverance is inspiring. I was encouraged to hear the questions she faced in going through losing her arm. Even with totally different health issues, I think we asked some of the same questions. Bethany lives out Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” So when I went to paint a few days later, I had her story in mind.

Seeing people surf amazes me. They hold onto the water like a wall. The waves are rolling in and coming down, but they continue on…persevering to get to the end of the wave and come out on the other end. Reminds me of Psalm 42:7-8,

Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your  waves have gone over me. By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,     and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.

 My next paintings were just for fun…

8×10

(I know it looks a lot like the one I did for my Mom. The only painting I have ever tried to copy a 2nd time around. Nothing better than the first one. 🙂 Lesson learned.)

Country Pleasures

11×14

Buckeye Pride

8×10

Notice the way I used a map behind? I used Mod Podge glue. 🙂 Also notice you are staring at the northwest part of the state. Well, I used the other half on Dad’s Christmas present (which was a painting), LOL. If you don’t know what this stands for…it is The Ohio State University logo. A mere try, but the leaf turned out more Maple looking I think.

Sunset

12×12

For this last piece, I found my favorite hymns (I own several hymn books) and used them as the background. I wanted it to be more just an outline of paint so most of the words showed, but it turned out better. The mod podge worked great, but when I went to paint, the papers shifted a little, leaving texture on the mountains. I like the way it turned out!

A few of the hymns I used: The Old Rugged Cross, For the Beauty of the Earth, All Creatures of our God and King, Draw me Nearer, Standing on the Promises, Crown Him with Many Crowns, Heaven Came Down, Surely Goodness and Mercy, To God be the Glory, and a few more. 🙂

18×24

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen.

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June 22, 2012 · 11:25 pm

What I learn in Cash Office

Cash office is my time to think. It is my time to “journal” in my mind. I think of random things, funny things, even songs or movies will come to mind. It is like my own talk show for two hours. Combine that with my ever-present cup of coffee, it looks like an idea situation. 🙂

Today, random thoughts started formulating in my mind. One thing led to another when all of a sudden my mind started simmering with thoughts of yesterday’s work experience, which had caused me to become angry. I realized that I was starting to let my mind boil with angry thoughts, when really all was said and done and was not that big of a deal. I caught myself and thought, “Why is it so hard to let go of things?”

I see this pattern in my life. If I get hurt (or wounded pride) by someone then I get defensive. It has caused some severe damage in relationships in the past. Things I regret saying, but I know that I am forgiven by those I hurt and God. So I must let it go. Once I realized that I was starting to steam today, God brought to mind of things I should be thinking about instead:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-25, ESV

Love

It is easy to say the word love. I say it about everything–“I love this” or “I love that”. But when it comes to relationships, to say “I love you” means that I need to love as God loves. God loves unconditional. Sure, it is easy to love your family. But what about the homeless, the forgotten, the ones in prison, drug addicts or your enemies? Romans 12:9-21 talks about love in action. “Love must be sincere…Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (verse 9a-10). If I choose who I love, then I am a hypocrite. I must also love God with my whole heart. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself'”. Luke 10:27. Pretty simple–Love God, love others, love myself (and in that order). 🙂

Joy

Psalm 30 is a song of joy. “Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (verse 4-5). Isaiah 55:12 also says, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” There are so many other verses or songs that came to mind. There are some days when I think, “What could I possibly be joyful about today?” I think that is just it…it is backwards! Hope is joy! Even in the darkest times, there is hope…and in that we can have joy! It is not easy though. Sorrows come, but they only last for a moment compared to the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. And that brings joy. 🙂

Peace

First thing I thought of was when Jesus calmed the storm. He had been sleeping in the boat and the disciples woke Him in fear of the storm. “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm,” Mark 4:39. The peace that God gives is enough to calm any storm…even when nothing seems possible. The months following the blood clot–everything just seemed so restless and confusing. Then I asked God for peace. It came. It was still the hardest time of my life, but it came. It is in those moments that you understand that God is in control and you just have to trust Him. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10a.

Patience

If you have ever seen Lord of the Rings, you will note that Smeagol and Gollum are the same character but two different personalities. Smeagol is the good and Gollum is the bad. In the Return of the King, Smeagol and Gollum are talking while Frodo and Sam are sleeping. They (Smeagol and Gollum) want the Precious (the Ring). Smeagol does not want to hurt Frodo, but Gollum keeps convincing him that they cannot have the Precious without it. Gollum keeps telling Smeagol to have patience.

Life always seems in a hurry: Always on the go, never wanting to wait, must have now style. Patience can mean waiting five minutes in the line at the grocery store or waiting a few months for a friend who is planning on visiting. I think patience is also where we get anticipation. While we wait, we get anticipation. When we hurry while waiting, we get antsy. For me, this is my worst problem! I am not very patient when it comes to time. I don’t like racing against time. I don’t like being late. I am not a very nice person if we are in a hurry and going to be late. It is where my OCD shines bright. I set my alarm and check it a few more times even though I know it is set.

Many things in life can test my patience, such as waiting for a representative on the phone but instead being on hold for forever. But being patient has great rewards. Imagine if a pregnant lady was not patient during her 9 months of the child in the womb! When the baby does come, there is much joy! Right now, I am learning to have patience and pray about a few needs in my life. And I know God has in mind exactly the answer, but I have to wait until His perfect timing reveals them.

Kindness

There is an old Steve Green song that sings,

Be kind to one another, and build each other up.

Build each other up. Build each other up!

Be kind to one another, and build each other up.

Up, up, up, up, up, up, up!

I think giving sincere compliments to one another is a way to build each other up. Gossip is a way to tear each other down. It always happens to me: I start talking about someone and they come walking behind me. Not a very fun experience. Best way is, “If you can’t say anything nice…don’t say it at all!” Or Ephesians 4:29 says, ” Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

To me, kindness goes along with Goodness. You can be kind in words or deeds. Likewise with goodness. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven,” Matthew 5:14-16.

Faithfulness

I think the best way to say this is–God is faithful! I have seen it time and time again in my life from small details to big events. Most importantly though…I want to be faithful to God, because He is so faithful to me. One of my favorite hymns is “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”

“Great is Thy faithfulness”, O God my Father. There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not. As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy  faithfulness!” Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—”Great is Thy  faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

Gentleness

We used to own rabbits. They were so soft and when you pet them, you did it gently as not to scare them. I often think of God’s gentleness in terms of His peace. Isaiah 66:13a says, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” Believe it or not, but my real full name means “Gentle.” Although sometimes I am far from that, I thought to myself how I could be more gentle (not just my name). I can be more patient, kind to others even when they are rude, less prideful, less selfish, more compassionate, more loving, more encouraging. It is amazing how something such as gentleness can appear so small, yet impact so big.

Self-control

This is another. It is like a bad habit. I think for any individual there are different areas that need to have more self-control. A few months ago, I deleted my Facebook. Why? That is everyone’s question. Mine too. But I know that for a few years since I started it, my self-control of time spent on FB has been in quite a battle. I tried a lot of things: staying off every other week, only getting on a few times a week, even just once a day. But I kept coming back to the same thing: FB was my obsession. One night as I logged off, I just knew it was time. Ignoring the thought, I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. And then it came: You should delete your obsession.

Getting rid of an obsession is not always that easy–and believe me…it stinks! But for right now, while I learn more about self-control in the little things in life, that is what I need to be doing. All these Fruits of the Spirit are a never-ending cycle of lessons learned and to be learned. It is life, because we are Being.

Today in cash office–what could have been an anger session in my mind turned into a lesson. God showed me areas that I can improve on in life. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you all. More to come…

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June 22, 2012 · 12:16 am

Start of Summer

I am sure you all have heard of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18. It starts with, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” I have a hard time understanding Shakespeare, but besides that point…here is my (unquote) Shall I tell thee of Mel’s summer days?! (unquote). 🙂

Wednesday was the first day of summer. Although the day was full of fatigue, a bloody ear and headache, work and a nap…it ended with sunshine, helping my mom pick greens from her garden and then watching Lord of the Rings: A Fellowship of the Ring (disk one). Pretty pleasant day indeed. 🙂

Yesterday started out early. I did not have to rush drinking my coffee, actually had time to put on all my makeup and leave on time for work. My mom surprised me by saying “hello” at work during the busiest hour. And when I got off work, we went to Pier 1 and found a cute little patio table that is decorated on the top with tiles of mosaic colors/patterns. Topped it off with grilled chicken and green peppers for dinner (delicious!!!). Not a bad summer day! But the best part of the day was seeing the new baby blue birds in the bird house. I stood on a chair and used a flashlight to peek inside. My mom thinks there are three baby birds, but I think I just saw the tiny head of one in the back. Talk about bed head!! 😉 The blue birds here are beautiful! The males are a vibrant color! I also enjoy seeing the Golden Finches too…but they are yellow. 😉

Speaking of trees, it is now time for our answer to the “What am I?” game I posted about a week ago. I know your eager minds must be anticipating the results (LOL)…so let’s give it up for Cynthia and Marilyn who answered correctly! [Applause] I asked, “What am I?” to this picture:

Answer: Aspen trees!!!

I love Aspen trees! They are tall, thin trees with bark like chalk. It gets your hands and clothes white if you lean up against it. But they are beautiful trees! Each has their own personality. We saw some funny ones in Creede. Thanks to my mom for the pictures. Mine did not turn out as detailed.

Four eyes (literally)

Sad cyclops.

 

A jolly fellow winking.

 Nature’s mascara

See what I mean? No two trees are alike. In the fall, Aspen trees turn a bright yellow. The mountains just light up! I feel this will be especially true of this year, because most of the pines are being destroyed by the beetles. We drove over Wolfe Creek Pass and most pine trees are dead. Sad. Here is a picture I took on a horse back ride my senior year of high school. Not bad for a film camera. 🙂

 See the yellow trees? Such a pretty sight!!! What is your favorite tree?

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June 17, 2012 · 10:38 pm

Father’s Day!

At lunch today, Mom asked if I would say the blessing for the food. I start out saying thank you for Dad and all he has done for the family…”please help him to relax today and resist the temptation to mow the grass….” (I see my parents start to laugh.) Half way through lunch, it starts to rain. Dad took a nap this afternoon. 🙂

Dad is a hardworking man. I can talk to him about any subject and he knows something about it. I ask him my hard questions. He also appreciates my dry humor and understands my disease better than I do. When we are at doctors appointments, he is the one to ask the questions.

He is my inspiration for balancing my checkbook every month and did not condemn me when I came home my sophomore year of college extremely in the hole. Instead, he sat me down in the kitchen and helped me go through my piles of receipts and bank statements and somehow managed to guide me back to figuring out my current (dollar and cents amount)…notice the (-). LOL. Right before we started he said, “Now, when you get in situations like this the first thing you do is…” but I cut him off figuring he would say something about writing every transaction in my check register book. He looked at me and said, “No. You eat ice cream!!!” And then proceeded to scoop the ice cream and added chocolate syrup and sprinkles on top. 🙂

My dad has also chosen to serve the Lord. You recall how Joshua (in the Bible) was commanded to walk around the city of Jericho? God calls us to do things that might not make sense or at the time seem relevant, but it is the act of obedience that God rewards. I have seen God work in my dad’s life. Somethings were hard and did not make sense at the time, but God has remained faithful. Joshua 24:14-15 reads,

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.  Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Although I never knew Daddy Cory, God has blessed me with my dad. I am so proud to be his girl! I also thank God for the blessings of my three Grandpa’s. Happy Father’s Day to you, Grandpa P., Grandpa F., and Grandpa M. And Happy Father’s Day to my dad!!! I love you so much!

Most recent picture…hiking to Treasure Falls in Colorado.

❤

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June 16, 2012 · 11:59 pm

A day in Pompeii.

Have you ever seen the early ’90’s classic TV show called, Saved by the Bell? I find the show reruns to be very humorous. Anyway, on the show…Zach Morris is the main character. He is the one who comes up with the schemes and plans that usually get him into trouble. When things start going haywire, Zach says, “Time out!” using a “T” motion with his hands and the screenplay freezes while Zach talks about a new direction that the conversation or series of events should go about.

So, if you read my last post about the start of my Colorado trip added with the excitement of showing you more pictures and the “What am I?” game–in keeping with the football theme–I would like to call a time out. 🙂

Yesterday, my mom and I set out for Cincinnati for an appointment. Although this time it was not at Children’s Hospital but the Good Samaritan Hospital a few minutes down the road. There ended up being more one way streets than we anticipated so a few times around the block passing a huge high school (think High School Musical look) and the University of Cincinnati, we finally found our destination. The appointment went well and fast (just an occupational therapy test, so no worries of much going on). Since we were on a different section of town, we decided to check out the Cincinnati Museums Center.

Here it is: home to several museums, Cincinnati Amtrak and a research library. Also home of the Pompeii exhibit until August 12, 2012!!  I liked the structure of the building. On the front by the doors it has in the stone an inscription of 1931 along with information of the time capsule there.

You view Cincinnati from the parking lot…

…but it is the inside that captures your attention!

We each ate a slice of pizza and made our way down to the Pompeii exhibit by 1:30. Phenomenal! It reminded me of touring a museum in Greece. Seeing the artifacts up close…most of the styles were mimics of Greek art anyway. Pompeii was a Roman city during Emperor Vespasian. The city was filled with temples to the gods, mostly to Baccus–the god of wine and vegetation–because the area was very fertile there with grapes, olives, grains. Also, Neptune–the god of the sea and Apollo–god of the sun were very popular, but you saw mamy different statues. During the exhibit, there were also a lot of fauns.

The displays were set up like you were walking through a section or street of town. They showed how they did laundry (definitely not how we do it today…be thankful someone invented bleach!); their markets, how they cooked, their private rooms, how they bathed (extremely clean people…the women even wore makeup!); the amphitheatre with gladiators and their armor; the house structures and gardens. They even had a system of pipes to bring clean water into the house while another section of the pipe went out to their gardens. Their foyer areas when you walked in the house set the tone of the house. One had a tile art of a dog and the inscription said, “Beware of the dog.” Interesting, huh!? I think the house structures were my favorite to learn about. They even had a pool in that front foyer area that would collect rain water. They had artifacts of all things: pots, pans, wine vessel, water buckets, dentist and doctor tools, jewelry, mirrors, garden statues and pillars, and statues of the gods. To think all this and the people were frozen in time all these years.

As you went through towards the end, the mood started to shift. It became more quiet. Then they had this video that played continuous about the last 24 hours of Pompeii. It was set up like you were viewing the city looking at Mt. Vesuvius. The morning around 8am looks normal, then by 1pm it is raining balls of ashes that was burning the city. By the end, you hardly see anything. It is said that what killed most people of Pompeii was the pyroclastic cloud which basically just suffocated them almost immediately. Pompeii was lost under almost 13 feet of ashes. It was not rediscovered until the mid 1700’s! When they started finding the bodies, they made a plastic cast of the original and that is what we saw. The detail. The expressions.

This one might have been a slave. See the shackles on his feet? Those are real.

This one is a dog. The sign talked about how the owner probably had chained the dog to guard the house and then it tried to escape. The metal rings on its collar are real.

Pompeii and Herculaneum were completely destroyed yet preserved when the volcano erupted in 79 AD.

The exhibit quoted much of Pliny the Younger’s letters to Tacticus (who was a historian). I read that Pliny the Elder (uncle of Pliny the Younger) was killed in Pompeii. Pliny the Younger wrote two letters…they would be a great place to start reading if you are interested for more information. He gives eye-witness accounts. I own Tacticus’ The Annals of Imperial Rome, but hope to get to read Pliny’s letters soon. The amount of things to read never ends. That is why I find history so compelling!

I got a little silly when we left–

Here I am imitating a way that a person of authority would pose in a manner when they were about to make an address to the peoples. You see it on statues all the time:

When I got home, I announced to the family that the next time we are eating dinner and I want to say my two cents worth in the conversation, I will raise my hands like this…just wait until I do it at a restaurant. HAHA.

Ceasar demonstrates speaking to the crowd at the ampitheatre.

More to come…

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June 13, 2012 · 10:18 pm

Kick off.

Sorry if you were expecting a post about football. Although being in Broncos territory for 11 days was fantastic! In fact, I just put a Broncos bumper sticker on my car next to my “Colorado” bumper sticker. 🙂

During my time in Colorado, I had many thoughts. It was a time of reflection. My conversations with friends were as if I had never left. And, I realized that while all my years of looking at the mountains for my sense of direction was brilliant, I took them for granted. They never seemed so big to me as when I stared at them during the trip. I kept thinking of the verse in Psalm 97 where it reads:

The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.

(verse 5-6)

My time in Denver was amazing! I got to see so many more friends and places than I was anticipating. It was during those days that I asked God, “Remind me again why I moved from this place and all these people that I love?” I don’t think God really answered my question, because I already knew the answer. So, I just enjoyed every minute of each day. Here are some highlights of Denver: my best friend from my home town renewed her vows on their 2nd year anniversary. It was a beautiful mountain wedding ceremony. In church on Sunday, I surprised the people in the Deaf section whom I had known. They had no idea I was in town and were so surprised when I walked in. 🙂 I got to meet Baby M for the first time!!! He is SO CUTE!! I got to see my old professor and a few old roommates. And I got to see my dear friends from Westside during a dinner at Senior Burritos!!!

On the way out of Denver, we stopped at “Grandma G’s” to say hello! Then we took 285 south to my hometown area in the San Luis Valley. I snapped a bunch of pictures of the scenery! The sky was so blue. I spent the next three days seeing my sister and brother-in-law. We all stayed at a cabin in South Fork. We went to Creede, hiked to Treasure Falls, did some fishing (well, I sat and talked to my sister during that time) and enjoyed a bit of mountain air (I could not get enough of it…literally, I was wheezing!) We also visited our home church during their VBS and I got to see my friends at my old work place.

Friday morning, my parents drove me up to Pueblo for another wedding. It was my roommate of 5 1/2 years during college days. Another beautiful wedding! We had a fun time hanging out in the city of Pueblo. I enjoyed getting to know their families, because I had only known the bride and groom. It was a great way to end the vacation.

I am so thankful for the renewing time in Colorado. I am excited to get to share with you more stories and pictures in the days to come. 🙂 But first, our kick off will be a picture game. It is the game of “What am I?” See if you can guess what the picture is. Ready?

Can you guess what I am? 🙂 Hint: One of Mel’s favorite things in Colorado! (Besides the mountains! LOL).

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