June 12, 2011
June 11, 2011
Thunderstorms are not my friends
I'm not a huge fan of thunderstorms. There is one raging outside right now with some pretty intense, loud lightening. There were a few strikes that happened very close to here. I have no pictures of the storm or any damage. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Tomorrow morning, if it isn't raining, the sunrise will probably be pretty spectacular.
Tomorrow morning, if it isn't raining, the sunrise will probably be pretty spectacular.
June 8, 2011
June 5, 2011
Jumping for joy
So Kristen really has this thing about doing "jumping pictures" every time we go to the beach. And since Kristen is at the beach for the week and we miss her so much, Charise and I decided that we would get the rest of the family to join us in a jumping picture. Also, in honor of Charise leaving for St. Louis and Washington University tomorrow, we all were wearing our WashU t-shirts.
The trick with these pics is the angle of the camera. If you have the camera low to the ground it makes it appear that you are jumping really high when you're really only jumping 6".
Charise and I had to test it out before getting everyone else to join in:
"He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God." Acts 3: 8
The trick with these pics is the angle of the camera. If you have the camera low to the ground it makes it appear that you are jumping really high when you're really only jumping 6".
Charise and I had to test it out before getting everyone else to join in:
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| timing is everything |
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| First try with the 3 of us |
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| Almost, first try with all of us |
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| At least we jump symmetrically |
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| Cingular/AT&T: Raising the bar |
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| Our 4th try, but we were off center |
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| Too slow |
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| Didn't even know we were supposed to jump |
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| And we were all up, but a blurry picture, it still kind of looks cool though |
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| And finally on the 20th try we all got up in the air at the same time!! |
"He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God." Acts 3: 8
June 4, 2011
Grad
It's graduation season. Just this morning Josiah and I were at a graduation. Kristen, Josiah's youngest sister, is now, very proudly, an alumna (that is the correct term for a singular female grad, I looked it up) of her high school.
Graduating is very exciting, but it also stirs up a lot of questions. I know around the time of my grad, it seemed like every relative that I had would always ask me the same question over and over again: "What are you going to do now? What are your plans for the future?"
When you're an 18 year-old freshly out of high school it can be difficult to answer those questions. And so much of your life is spent making plans and figuring out what you are going to do, that suddenly, before you know it, what you do becomes your identity. What job you have, what games/sports you play, what hobbies/crafts you do, how clean your house is, all the things that we physically do become what other people see us as.
God created each person with a unique set of talents and a unique personality. And we need to look to Him for our true worth. He is the one guiding us into the future because He already knows what will happen and He cares about us.
Kristen's grad class' quote was, "We don't know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future."
We need to keep our lives in perspective. We may have a lot of decisions to make, but God will always be there to guide us through those. Even if we make a "mistake," God can still use that time to help us learn something valuable about ourselves and about Him.
I wanted to leave you with an excerpt from Dr. Seuss' book, Oh The Places You'll Go, keeping in mind Phillipians 4:13, "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength."
"But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
"You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
"And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
"Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!"
Graduating is very exciting, but it also stirs up a lot of questions. I know around the time of my grad, it seemed like every relative that I had would always ask me the same question over and over again: "What are you going to do now? What are your plans for the future?"
When you're an 18 year-old freshly out of high school it can be difficult to answer those questions. And so much of your life is spent making plans and figuring out what you are going to do, that suddenly, before you know it, what you do becomes your identity. What job you have, what games/sports you play, what hobbies/crafts you do, how clean your house is, all the things that we physically do become what other people see us as.
Someone gave me some very encouraging words that I will never forget after my university graduation, when I was trying to figure out if the degree that I had was really what I wanted do be doing with my life. He said,
"No piece of paper, whether it is a paycheck or a diploma, can ever define your true worth."
God created each person with a unique set of talents and a unique personality. And we need to look to Him for our true worth. He is the one guiding us into the future because He already knows what will happen and He cares about us.
Kristen's grad class' quote was, "We don't know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future."
We need to keep our lives in perspective. We may have a lot of decisions to make, but God will always be there to guide us through those. Even if we make a "mistake," God can still use that time to help us learn something valuable about ourselves and about Him.
I wanted to leave you with an excerpt from Dr. Seuss' book, Oh The Places You'll Go, keeping in mind Phillipians 4:13, "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength."
"But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
"You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
"And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
"Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!"
June 2, 2011
Weeds
This morning was a very good morning to be outside. It felt a lot cooler than the past few days and there was a nice breeze to keep it feeling cool.
It was a good morning to be out weeding the garden.
Before:
Grandpa was wondering who was doing such a good job planting all the weeds. There seems to always be an overabundance of those.
After:
"Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.” Mark 4: 26-29
It was a good morning to be out weeding the garden.
Before:
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| There are cucumber plants somewhere in there |
Grandpa was wondering who was doing such a good job planting all the weeds. There seems to always be an overabundance of those.
After:
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| I found the cucumbers! |
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| I'm a gardener now, my hands wouldn't get clean even after soap and water |
"Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.” Mark 4: 26-29
June 1, 2011
Burnt to a Crisp
I went to the beach on Monday with Josiah's mom and his sisters. It was very hot, and the sun was just beating down on us. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures at the beach, I think it was just too hot and I was feeling just too lazy. The water was really cold, but it felt really good after laying out in the sun for a few minutes.
I was using 15spf sunscreen the whole day. I should have known better. The sun was very intense and this was my first time at the beach for the year so I was still pretty pale, and so I got cooked pretty well. My ankles are the worst. I was putting sunscreen on my feet but somehow I just missed my ankles.
So I hope I've learned my lesson.
I was using 15spf sunscreen the whole day. I should have known better. The sun was very intense and this was my first time at the beach for the year so I was still pretty pale, and so I got cooked pretty well. My ankles are the worst. I was putting sunscreen on my feet but somehow I just missed my ankles.
So I hope I've learned my lesson.
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| Another day at the beach |
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