Sharks Are Born Swimming

Yesterday was a beautiful, relaxing, restful Sunday.

Chris and I attended church at our old church near Vail and heard a great sermon.  Then, we had lunch and walked around a park with Lloyd.  It was warm and beautiful and it felt like May or June.

Sunday afternoon, we relaxed with a few movies, one of which had a line that made me laugh.  A lawyer had just passed the BAR exam, and someone commented on her inexperience.  Her comeback is, "Sharks are born swimming."

Most animals are born doing what they need for life.
If they are not born with the skill, they learn it innately.

Sharks, fish, dolphins are born swimming.
Birds instinctively learn to fly.
Cats pounce and run without lessons.
Dogs are born as pack animals and they remain pack animals their entire life.

The sermon we heard yesterday was very similar to this concept.  Children naturally believe the Word.  Children naturally accept the Truth.

When a child is taught faith in God from birth, the child naturally accepts the Truth of God and begins to love God as he or she grows.  Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

Have you ever talked to a four-year-old who has been raised a Christian about Jesus?  Its been awhile since I've had the privilege, but that four-year-old is certain of everything.  They have as much faith in God as they have belief in Santa Claus -- an unwavering, unshakable faith.

Just like fish are born swimming, birds instinctively fly... I truly believe children instinctively love their Creator.  Children instinctively accept Faith.  Children have souls and I think they are so much better at recognizing Truth than many adults.

Children don't see the world as clearly and they don't understand the world as well -- and maybe that is why they accept the Goodness of God and Believe in His Love and Power.  Lord, teach me to live in the World, but not be of the world.  Make new a child-like Faith in my heart.

Home Sweet Vail Home

Yesterday, the animals and I loaded up the minivan (yup, I'm really the mom) and headed to Vail.  My hubby was in Denver all day, so the animals and I were on our own and we did great!

I will probably try to write later in the week how much spending time in Vail means to me and how many memories I recall when I'm here... but right now, I am so joyfully content, and tired, and peaceful, and overcome with my blessings that I do not have the energy to describe it.

Vail is home.  My parents home in Michigan is home... but Vail is as much home as is Michigan.

Yesterday, it felt so amazing to come into this home, and unpack and settle in, and to know exactly here everything goes -- and even the animals feel at home.  They know the routine and have their favorite spots... Yesterday was just one of those moments when everything in my world was beyond perfect and I feel completely humbled and overcome with how blessed I am.

After we settled in to our home sweet Vail home, Lloyd and I went for a LONG walk.  We walked to the local supermarket (2 miles away) and I rented some Redbox movies, and then we walked home.  It feels great to be outside and exercising with my puppy, and I have such a feeling of satisfaction when we get home and he lies down and falls asleep.  When I see him so content and exhausted, I know I am doing well as his mom.  He is exercised, loved, healthy, happy, and tired.

I have never seen Vail with so little snow in March, but the village was alive with people on bikes, skateboards, walking their dogs, wearing shorts and tee-shirts.  I had to wear sunscreen and even found myself pondering if I should look into sunglasses for Lloyd.

Here are some pictures I snapped on my phone when Lloyd got a drink in the creek on our way back.

I saw this duck on a rock as we walked passed, and I felt so much like the duck.  I feel so blessed, and so peaceful right now.  I'm resting (even when walking the 4 miles with Lloyd, this is a restful week), basking in God's glorious creation, and completely content.

As my eyes fill with tears, and I count my blessings in complete humility, I am saying a prayer for all who read this, that the Lord will give you a day as completely perfect, blessed, beautiful and overwhelmed by God's love as mine was yesterday.

So Relaxed!

Yesterday, I worked really hard, then I worked out really hard... then I RELAXED really well!

My bathtub didn't look likes this, but it felt like it.  The bath was exactly what my muscles and mind needed to kick off Spring Break!

Source: Uploaded by user via Steph on Pinterest

Source: thechristmasfairyfb.com via Cindy on Pinterest

I am so excited for this week of Spring Break Vacation!

The Anticipation

This week I am basking in anticipation...
the anticipation of a week's vacation!!!

This week I have been on a treadmill everyday... a work treadmill, a life treadmill, a spending time outside treadmill... I've been going nonstop with business and pleasure... I'm tired.

I am tired, but I'm excited because a vacation is coming.

Have you ever noticed that the anticipation of a rest almost rivals the rest itself when you're really tired?  When you really need a vacation, anticipating the vacation rivals the actual vacation?  When I spend my days working but thinking about the wonderful things I will be doing on my rapidly approaching vacation days... that is so much fun!

Have you ever noticed that an anticipated vacation is never exactly like an actual vacation?  Sometimes, I even finding myself imagining several things happening on the same vacation all of which are mutually exclusive... those things could never happen on the same vacation.

• I imagine skiing all day
• I imagine booking great meals and enjoying doing so
• I imagine long walks and runs with the puppy
• I imagine time spent in the gym
• I imagine being rested
• I imagine relaxing after a day of exercising with a fire and a movie
• I imagine restful afternoons at the spa in a hot tub and hot shower
• I imagine evenings of blogging and reading
• I imagine not doing work all week
• I imagine our animals getting along in the close quarters where we're staying
• I imagine doing my workout video every day and still having stamina and strength to spend a hard and awesome day on the mountain and some time at the gym and run with the dog and relax and cook dinner (that combination will never happen!)
• I imagine my dog acting calm around people instead of acting like a 9 month old, crazed, hyper puppy
• I imagine spending time playing on Pinterest and then looking at the clock and realizing I have been online a much shorter time than I thought (yeah, that has not only never happened, but I'm pretty sure its impossible)

Oh, the anticipation...

My Sweet Lexie Girl

I love my new camera!!!
 I still have so much to learn about how it works, and all it can do, and how to take beautiful pictures, but I love experimenting with it.

There are a few online classes I plan to take about photography... one is what pictures to take, and one is how to edit pictures.

I haven't taken either class yet, but the fact they are separate classes tells me they are two different concepts -- recognizing and setting up a good pictures... and then making a good pictures better through editing.

I still have EVERYTHING to learn about editing and lighting and focusing, but I LOVED catching these pictures of my sweet little Lexie girl.  I adore this little sweetheart, and it felt so good to actually catch her in a place where she looks like the adorable precious that she is.  This kitty was my world for two years before Chris and Lloyd entered our home and I love trying to capture my love for her through the lens of a camera... I have a really long way to go, but I hope you enjoy my Lexie Pictures:

I Love You, Lexie!

An Evening in Greece

Last night our food club met and we spent an evening in Greece...
well at least an evening with Greek food.  :-D

I made a Greek Salad for the dinner

I was lucky to find a bowl big enough for all the goodies...
Hothouse cucumber, yellow peppers, red peppers, red onion, feta cheese, kalamata olives and homemade vinaigrette

Spanikopita
Spinach and Feta in Filo Dough

Pastitsio
Lamb with Cinnamon and Nutmeg, Cheese and noodles

My plate of delicious food

 

Little individual Baklava tartlettes for dessert

(I did have one bite)

We even brought Lloyd to play with the hosts' dog, Bear

What a face Bear is making toward Lloyd

Both dogs slept well last night

Lloyd looking through the glass door, "What's for dinner?"

Treasuring the Present: Middle School Frisbee

On Monday nights, when I think about what I am Treasuring In the Present and write my Treasuring the Present Tuesdays, I always forget weekly things that happen on Tuesdays.

Today, I am treasuring the weekly middle school after-school Frisbee classes I teach -- although "teach" is a very generous term.

Chris' school sponsors some after-school activities for students, and I ran an Ultimate Frisbee course in the Fall and a Frisbee and Other Games course this Spring.

Some people are meant to be middle school teachers -- my husband is one of those people.  His patience and humor and love and expectations crate a perfect classroom for middle school crazies.

I, on the other hand, am not naturally drawn to middle schoolers.

This after-school class has been a great chance for me to get to know some of Chris' students better, to challenge myself in relating to middle schoolers, and to challenge the middle schoolers on concepts like teamwork and kindness.

The time with the kids has been a great experience and I need to treasure this time.  This is such a fleeting time in these students lives... soon they will be in high school and involved in their own groups and activities -- who knows if they will ever play together in this same way again.  I need to enjoy the time I have them and I need to consider it a blessing every time one of them stretches my patience... I need to know what lies ahead in middle school years with my own children.

Sometimes my patience needs to be stretched.