Happy New Year!

This morning, our biggest decision was whether or not to attend one of the many game nights scheduled to ring in the new year.

Many people are out, ready to start the new year with a bang. Ours certainly has. A bang, a crash, a crunch....

Kent called me as he was sitting in the drive-thru line at the bank this afternoon. He was going to deposit his check then head home. About an hour later he still wasn't home, but I wasn't concerned. I figured he'd stopped at the store. We haven't gone grocery shopping yet since returning from Texas.

When he did finally walk thru the door, the first words out of his mouth were, "You can go, but I don't think I'm going anywhere tonight. I was just hit by a drunk driver." My first response was, "Are you serious?" He was.

The car is pretty banged up. The seat he was in is busted.

Apparently the car in front of him was slowing to a stop, as was Kent. They were only going about 5 mph, if that. Kent got slammed from behind and pushed into the car in front of him. The driver who hit him took off, thus making it a felony hit-n-run. The driver in front, and a couple of people on the street, saw the whole thing and took down the license plate # and called 911.

Fire trucks, paramedics, cops....I guess everybody showed up. Kent was dazed and has a bump on his head, but he's ok. The cops caught the guy and believed him to be "under the influence" of something. The witnesses on the street agreed to ID the guy and so he was arrested.

And me? I'm strangely calm. I could look at this and say, "God, with everything else that's gone on this year, why did you allow this?", etc.

But the way I look at it is, "Wow! God you are really taking care of us." It could have been so much worse than whiplash and a bump. I'm also thankful that Zak was not with him. He usually sits where the brunt of the impact was.

God truly is good.

So this new year, we really do have something to celebrate...God's faithfulness to those who love Him. We can't see what's around the corner, but God knows. And He is faithful.

May your new year be blessed. Ours sure is.

I'm Back!

Did you miss me? Probably not if you were as busy as I was! The musical went great! It was tons of fun. We performed for 5 audiences, struck the set and had the cast party. After that came the arts ministry Christmas party, then the staff/elders Christmas party. The 18th found us packed up and on our way to Texas for Christmas. We had a great time visiting with family. Several of us went to 6 Flags for an evening of "Christmas in the Park". We picked a great day for it. Beautiful weather- no wind, fairly warm, clear skies. The next day was cold, cloudy and windy. God blessed us. A good time was had, but man, is it good to be home! We were all a little stressed by the end of the trip because of the constant activity and noise (we stayed with Kent's parents who have 3 little ones at home). Zak enjoyed the constant playmates, but even he was ready to be home. We walked thru the door (at our place) last night and the first thing Zak did was go to his room and lay down on his bed. You should have seen his smile! Home...my own bed...my own space! The look said it all.

Today we spent just relaxing, opening the presents we hadn't taken with us, playing games.... All in all a very pleasant day. You might even say peaceful. Here's praying that peace envelopes your family as well.

More later.

Opening Night!

We opened "Winterland: The Quest for Christmas" tonight. It went great! There were a couple of slip ups, but nothing the audience could attest to. What fun we had. It will only get better from here.

You've gotta stop by and see us if you're in the area! It will be well worth your while!

A quiet moment...

...in the midst of craziness.

The "boys" are out for the day, leaving me with some much needed quiet and rest. Thought I'd take a moment and check in with y'all.

This is the busiest time of year for our family, but it's also a very fun time. Monday of Thanksgiving week found us in the car on the way to Oregon to spend time (and a yummy dinner!) with my parents and a brother. That morning, I woke up with a sore throat which progressed to a full-blown cold over the week. The trip was still enjoyable, but not as much as I would've liked. It was good to see family.

Of course, now, back in Seattle, I'm struggling to regain my voice. The congestion is mostly gone and the voice is coming back, but it's not there yet. A little disconcerting with the performances just days away. I'm babying it this week and that seems to be working. Everyday it's a little stronger. Those of you who pray, please do. Many people have been sick lately and we really need everyone to be in top form next week.

I hope you can come. The play is going to be fabulous! That is, unless it snows. The forecast has been calling for snow on Sunday. Performances begin Thursday after that and we really don't want to miss any rehearsals. We are having so much fun with this, but it is a lot of work. This year takes our performances to a whole new level, unlike anything we've ever done before. I can't wait to see it all come together! Each practice takes us closer to that final, seamless show. You gotta be there! It wouldn't be the same without you!

This is also the month for Christmas parties. We have at least three in the next couple of weeks. Then on the 18th we're flying out to Texas to visit family there. This will be the first time in our married (and engaged!) lives that we have not been here at home for Christmas. Things will be different, but I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again. It's been awhile.

Schooling for Zak has changed to the "holiday schedule" which means fewer worksheets, more reading, games and artsy things. It's a more relaxed pace which we enjoy. He is still attending classes two days a week and loves being there with his friends. I'm working in the office while he's in class which gives me a nice paycheck every month. It helps anyway.

You probably won't see me too much this month (just like November), but I'll be around here & there. I hope things are going well with you this month as you endeavor to find Christmas in the midst of all this "Winterland". Look past the shiny red and green, into the dingy barn where you'll find the ocupied feed trough. That is where you'll find Christmas.

Have a merry one!

Trunk or Treat

Trunk or Treat seemed to be a great success again this year. The crowd was smaller, but everyone seemed to have a good time. There were prizes and candy for all, plus hot chocolate, apple cider, hot dogs and a maze. Jellybean, the clown was also there, passing out balloons in all shapes and sizes (who knew white balloons could be twisted into a skeleton shape?) The air was filled with laughter and halloween oldies (think Monster Mash). It was cold, but not as cold as last year. It was dry, too - a rare October 31 occurrence in these parts.

Now it's off to bed with visions of sugar...pumpkins?...dancing in our heads!

Happy November 1st, everyone! Wow! Can you believe it's here again already?

The craziness continues...

While I have a minute (literally) I thought I'd pop in and let you know I'm still among the breathing. This is the time of year where Kent and I kiss at the door and say, "See you after the musical."

Add to the rehearsals homeschooling and planning, AWANA and playdates that are in my own life, as well as meetings and unusual happenings in the congregation's life and my husband's...not to mention all the activities of the holiday season plus upcoming travels...and you have a glimpse into the craziness that is us.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I really enjoy this time of year. The Christmas musical is going to be fabulous (you should come!) and it is so much fun to work on & be a part of.

School is going well, too. I have all kinds of projects I want for us to do in the near future if I can just figure out how to fit it all in!

The church is (if you read "Autumn") in the dead of winter; the leaves have fallen off the tree and you have to wonder what's happening beyond what can be seen. However, there is hope that spring is approaching. The signs of life are readily apparent if you know where to look. God is moving. He is actively preparing us for what is to come. I've always said, "Life with God is an adventure", this is no exception.

Anyway, luv you guys. Thanks for being patient with me. I'll try to check in again soon. Time for AWANA!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my hunny's birthday! May it be a joyous one!

Wednesday, we also celebrate Zak's birthday. Seven years old...talk about time marching on! How did that happen?

Time...

Time is marching ever onward; it waits for no one.

There is no saying, "Hey! Wait for me!" or, "You go on ahead. I'll catch up."

No. Time goes on and drags you with it, kicking and screaming or stoically proceeding. It doesn't matter. You are going. And the question ends up being not where are you going, but how.

How have you spent your time this week? Have you enjoyed the people God has placed in your life, or have they been a nuisance? Did you take delight in the vibrant colors of the season, or grumble at the power outage? Did you savor the flavor of that morning latte, or were you disgruntled because the line was too long?

I know bad stuff goes on all the time, but there's good stuff, too. Time is in limited quantities. It will not go on indefinitely. My piano teacher used to say, "Each minute that passes is a minute we will never see again."

All I'm saying, I think, is that we need to be careful how we choose to spend the time we have. We have an eternal destination, but what about the journey there? If you take a road trip across the country to visit relatives, is that trip really all about the destination? Or is there important stuff that goes on all along the journey? (Of course, the way some of you drive, it is all about the destination!)

Well, I've been accused of being idealistic before. I suppose that's what I'm being now (not to mention the fact that I'm half asleep). I guess when I look at the falling leaves, I like to see the colors and not the death. What can I say?

God, help me with my own attitudes. Help me to remember the journey and not just the destination.

Abundant Life.

Autumn

Autumn…

Falling leaves, bright orange and red and yellow

That cool crisp feel to the air that takes your breath away

Invigorating, a promise of change

But before that newness of life there must come death

Bitter cold; bone-chilling winds; rain

Death of what has been

In good time, beauty will burst forth from the wreckage

Color will once again revitalize as the sun brings warmth

Life rises up in full bloom; an unstoppable force

Cassie Landrum

10/2007

San Diego Architecture

We spent a day or so in San Diego before driving down to Mexico this last July. We spent several hours just walking around. Our walk led us through some fantastic architectural sites! Even our 6 yr old son marveled at what he saw and encouraged me (like I needed any!) to take lots of pictures. I finally found some of them and thought I'd share. The captions on them are by no means set-in-stone titles, but I felt like I ought to call them something just to keep them straight. I'll add a few more photos from the last few months over the next week or two. Let me know what your favorites are!

A Random Metaphor...

Truth.

Truth is a lighted candle in a darkened room.

When handled properly, it provides illumination, enables clear vision, lights the way. It even offers warmth and comfort.

Try to hide the truth and one of two things will happen. Either the flame will erupt, burning the cover and everything nearby, or the flame will be extinguished entirely, leaving the room in utter darkness.

Truth is a powerful force, not to be toyed with.

Here's a random thought....

This is one of my most recent.

A scripture passage was brought up during the sermon on Sunday (Well done, Jeff!) which is actually one of my favorites. Ephesians chapter one has all kinds of interesting, thought provoking tidbits in it worthy of much "chewing". I went back and chewed a little after the sermon.

The words that usually stand out to me are (depending on translation) "lavished", "mystery", "riches", "kind intention"...you get the idea. Well, this time something else hit me.

Look at verse 4..."just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world..." It's that last phrase that really caught me- "before the foundation of the world".

So...God knew all about what was going to happen with the fall and the flood and Jesus' sacrifice....before He even created the world? He looked at all that would be and still thought we were worth the price He would have to pay in order for us to be in relationship with Him.

That blows me away! Although, with the flood, I kind of get the idea maybe He was having second thoughts, but...

I picture God standing back and looking at the timeline. He's outside of time, right? So He can see the beginning, middle and end-at the same time, I suppose. He knows the results of all that happens before it even happens at our end. I figure that's why He can orchestrate things to get the right book to the right person at just the right time, for example.

Now I know some of you out there in cyberspace are saying, "If He knows all that then why does He let X happen in the first place?" Well, for one thing, God is working with flawed material. You can only do so much with a lump of clay that has impurities mixed into it. God has given mankind freewill and to do so runs great risk of rejection & rebellion.

On the other hand, for just as awful as it is when people choose evil, it is even better when people choose good. It is the choosing of love that God is after, if I may be presumptuous. I think that, at least part of, God's whole purpose in stepping into our timeline, is so that we will desire to choose Him as much as He desires to choose us. There can be no greater relationship than when two choose to love each other in spite of hard times. That relationship which is forged in the fire is purified and made stronger for having gone through it all together.

Thinking about it this way, it makes sense to me why so many times the metaphor of marriage is used in scripture. It's the closest thing we have to this type of relationship. God was using our language to try to explain how He feels about us; how He wants us to feel about Him. The two become one. (Gen 2:24) He has given everything He possibly could for this relationship to work. How much effort have you put forth? I know I haven't done near enough. I'll never be able to match His love for me. But does that mean I shouldn't try? Of course not.

Well, I'll leave this thought for the moment. I have more "chewing" to do. I welcome your responses.

Well, it's now September...

...so I thought I ought to make an appearance. Things are going fairly well. We're just about ready for the new school year to start- good thing since classes begin tomorrow!

I came down with a cold the middle of last week and I'm still recouping from that. I'd love to have another week before everything gets going, but it ain't gonna happen.

Looking over our fall schedule has me feeling a little, "aack, what have I done to myself!" School starts tomorrow, as does AWANA and possibly LIFE group (bible study). Christmas musical rehearsals are about to go full swing. We'll be adding in Kumon to the school schedule and "doing the Puyallup" on Wednesday. Plus, I will be working in the school office this year...if I can ever get my paperwork all finished (fingerprints, videos, background checks, W-4 (or is it W-2? I can never remember). I also have band practice about every other week. And in the midst of all this I'm supposed to do laundry, wash dishes and write. I have a nice colorful daily schedule printed out and posted on my door in hopes that it will help me to establish a routine - for school anyway. If we get that solid then I can figure out how to add in everything else (including this blog).

After reading back over some of my previous posts, I realize I've left a couple of things unfinished. So, those one or two of you who frequent my page, what would you have me finish? Anything? Spain? Mexico? More pic's from CA? Or should I just go on from here? If you have a preference let me know, otherwise I'm not sure what you'll get on this page. Random thoughts from a random person.

Gotta go for now. I'll try to pop back in, in a couple days. Later!

Take A Dive

Take A Dive

Take A Dive
5" X 7"

mixed media on mat board

© 2007



This piece was created by my friend Marty Gordon. You can check out his website by following the Renzntzman link on My Favorite Links.

He knows I like to write and so he challenged me to write my impressions of some specific pieces of his work. "Take A Dive" is this first of these commentaries.

"Take a Dive"

This world, this life, does not make any sense to us. If God is a god of love, peace, order then why does He allow chaos and stupidity to, apparently, reign supreme in our lives?

People wander aimlessly, disconnected, haphazard, and without purpose. This affects all life- not just humankind.

What is the reason behind it all? Would it do me any good, God, "to appeal to your sense of reason?"

The fallacy here is in our own thinking. Of course this world is turned upside down. God left us in charge and we have royally wrecked things.

But it is in fact, only in releasing control and giving God back the reigns that any progress can be made in sorting out which end is up. Only God can choreograph our chaos. Only God can bring reason to our lives, but that wisdom is as foolishness to man.

So, is "Take a Dive" a look at the world without God in it? Or is it a look at followers of Christ through the eyes of the watching world? If so, we've not done a very good job of presenting the wisdom of God to the world – if all they see is bickering, unreasonableness, unpleasantness, and seclusion. What a shame!

Well, I was gonna post some more photos, but...

I was just blessed with a "new" computer (yay!!) which is of a different ilk than the previous, and my photos (and everything else) are still on the other computer. So I guess that'll have to wait.

Tonight was fun. We (being about 25 members of NW Church) got together for a read-thru of what will be this year's Christmas program. It was fabulous! (Kudos, Jeff!) Very fun music - lots of toe-tappers. The story is one that many will relate to. For me, it says something about how the True Christmas really gets lost in all the trappings and glitz and glimmer, the shallow and hollow promises that commercialism offers. Christmas is found when all of that is gone and you realize He has been there, quietly, all along, you just failed to recognize (or remember) Him.

Anyway, the story speaks of a boy's search for Christmas after it has come up missing. It is a charming story and I hope you will all be there (at the performance) to find out what happens. It's a very interesting and worthwhile journey.

Well, that's all for now. I gots to get to bed.

Later!

What do you treasure?

I started reading a book just before leaving for Mexico, titled, "Revolution in World Missions" by KP Yohannan. I haven't finished it yet, but it's been an interesting and thought-provoking read. In it he quotes "Economist Robert Heilbroner [who] describes the luxuries a typical American family would have to surrender if they lived among the 1 billion hungry people in the Two-Thirds World".

As you read this I challenge you to see yourself in this position and consider what it is you truly value; what do you treasure?

"We begin by invading the house of our imaginary American family to strip it of its furniture. Everything goes: beds, chairs, tables, television sets, lamps. We will leave the family with a few old blankets, a kitchen table, a wooden chair. Along with the bureaus go the clothes. Each member of the family may keep in his wardrobe his oldest suit or dress, a shirt or blouse. We will permit a pair of shoes for the head of the family, but none for the wife or children.
We move to the kitchen. The appliances have already been taken out, so we turn to the cupboards....The box of matches may stay, a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt. A few moldy potatoes, already in the garbage can, must be rescued, for they will provide much of tonight's meal. We will leave a handful of onions and a dish of dried beans. All the rest we take away: the meat, the fresh vegetables, the canned goods, the crackers, the candy.
Now we have stripped the house: the bathroom has been dismantled, the running water shut off, the electric wires taken out. Next we take away the house. The family can move to the tool shed....Communications must go next. No more newspapers, magazines, books-not that they are missed, since we must take away our family's literacy as well. Instead, in our shantytown we will allow one radio....
Now government services must go next. No more postmen, no more firemen. There is a school, but it is three miles away and consists of two classrooms....There are, of course, no hospitals or doctors nearby. The nearest clinic is ten miles away and is tended by a midwife. It can be reached by bicycle, provided the family has a bicycle, which is unlikely....
Finally, money. We will allow our family a cash hoard of five dollars. This will prevent our breadwinner from experiencing the tragedy of an Iranian peasant who went blind because he could not raise the $3.94 which he mistakenly thought he needed to receive admission to a hospital where he could have been cured."

The spin I'm putting on this is somewhat different than the author's intention, but I couldn't help think about it as I read this quote. After all this is gone: the stuff, the trappings, the things (or people) we all feel are "needs"- after it's all gone, what do you have left? Anything?

Something to think about, isn't it?

I'll look up the daily schedule later.

I'm tired. I did put up a couple more pic's tho. I've started using an editing program and have had fun playing around with some of the pictures. Still trying to get the pic's of the San Diego architecture I told you about. I can't get to all of them from my blog (the ones I most want to show you, of course)! When I figure it out I'll post them for ya!

Till then - good night!

Well, it's finally "tomorrow"...

So where did I leave off? Oh yes, the shopping.

Every year, most of the coordinators fly down to San Diego a day early. We meet up for lunch at Olive Garden and then divide and conquer. A couple of people hit Home Depot while the rest of us invade the local Costco. It always amuses me to see the check-out people's eyes bug out when we line up our 8 or so carts and flatbeds (piled high!). By now we have the shopping & check-out procedure down to a fine art so it usually goes fairly smoothly. We haul it out to the parking lot and divide it pretty evenly amongst the one cargo van and 3-4 minivans. Then we head to the border.

We don't usually have a problem getting in. We're honest about what we haul. Our little caravan stops at the border while George, aka "Tango", goes in and talks to the guards to tell them what we're all about. He's down there a lot so he's become quite a familiar face at the Tecate crossing.

The "Tango" is a military reference. Each of the Club Rust vehicles is labeled for easy identification (Alpha, Charlie, Delta, Juliet, Tango, XRay - the buses have become simply "Bus 1", "Bus 2", etc rather than "Bravo"). One year, the rental company messed up our order and we ended up with more 7 passenger vans than we were supposed to (they were supposed to be 15 passengers) We went all the way up to "Lima" that year. That was a sight coming down the road!

After we get everything settled in at the ranch (Rancho la Paloma), we head in to Tecate for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Pollo Feliz. The best chicken you have ever had! If you're ever near the border, I highly recommend stopping in for a bite! Yum!

While eating we dole out the chores for the next day. Most of the group go back to San Diego to pick up & register the "campers". A few of us stay back to make sure everything's ready at the ranch and to boil eggs. Lots of eggs. LOTS of eggs. BIG pots. Very Hot. (Thank you, Maureen!) Zak, of course, spends the day in the pool. His favorite place. Now if only he could swim....(BTW, in case you are concerned, he is not left unattended in the pool).

The group usually arrives at the ranch around 7pm, depending on how the border crossing went. They come in very excited and raring to go. It's hard for everyone to get to sleep - the first night. After that, sleep comes pretty easily. I'll give you a general run-down of the schedule tomorrow.

Now, I'm off to sleep too!

A little about our trip...

We flew out Saturday, June 30. Our flight was supposed to leave around 7:30pm, however, update after update and we finally boarded about 10:20pm (We did get free mileage and $6 food vouchers - each- which we used to buy bagels for breakfast the next day. We also got some hurkin' big fruit smoothies to while away the time at the airport. That reminds me, a mom and her adult son sat across from us at the gate. Very nice people- we made pleasant conversation (she was eying my CBD catalog). He did several slight-of-hand tricks for Zak. Pretty fun).

Anyway, after finally boarding, we still ended up sitting on the tarmac for another 30 minutes or so because they had to drain water out of something on the plane. One of the pumps wasn't working right or they put the water in the wrong compartment or something. Thankfully, we had already called the hotel to tell them we were running late so they wouldn't give our room away.

We arrived at the Omni, San Diego at around 2:30 am. They were waiting for us. The Omni is a cool place to stay. It's one of the nicer hotels and is located "spittin' distance" from the Gaslamp Quarter. When we arrived, they had a really nice gift bag for Zak. They really cater to families. The gift bag itself was a high-quality sturdy paper complete with velcro closure and straps so it could be worn as a backpack. Inside the bag was a nice hard plastic cup with lid and reusable straw (and a certificate for unlimited free refills at the hotel restaurant), a slinky, a rubber bracelet, a superball with rubber jacks, and I forget what else. There was also a certificate for free milk and cookie. Good cookie, too! Mmmmm! And big!

Outside the hotel is a fountain of sorts. It's really just a square area with water jets underneath that shoot up water at varying intervals & patterns. Zak had great fun running around in there! We had fun watching. It was positively hysterical at times!

We spent nearly all day, Sunday, walking around the Gaslamp Quarter. Just walking. It was very relaxing- no phones, no time tables, no agendas.... peaceful. I did take my camera and took way more pictures than I had intended. Every few steps or so, Zak, who apparently has an eye for interesting architecture, would beg me to take a picture of this or that lamp or fence or building. There actually is some very interesting architecture in this area. I'll post a couple of the pic's for you. There were some especially interesting features at a mall we went too.

The next day, Monday, we checked out and joined more of the Club Rust coordinators for lunch and shopping for the Club Rust group which would be arriving Tuesday.

More on that tomorrow...

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Okay. I did it. I made it to another decade...and I'm still coming to grips with that fact!

How do these years fly by so fast? I've said it for years and I'll say it again - I'm convinced that God is gradually speeding up time (and the clocks, etc). Everyone I talk to seems to feel that the older you get the faster time goes. Well, maybe it really is going faster. :)

Or maybe we've just got so much we're trying to cram into what time we have, that we feel time is faster because we just don't get it all done. Maybe if we slowed down time would too?

Just a thought....