A blog from two years ago. August of 2011...from my previous blog. HAD to keep it and share here!

Sequoia National Forest Trip

Just recently my parents and younger sisters came to California for their vacation to visit me and my little family here in Hanford. During their vacation time we all wanted to do some sight-seeing, and play the tourist in our new state of residence. One place in particular that we chose to enjoy was the Sequoia National Park.

Our day in the Sequoia National Park began a little rough. We made it through the front gate and to the first visitor’s center just in time to hear that the roads in the mountains were under construction and the crews only opened them for people to pass through on the hour every hour. The ranger told us it would take about thirty minutes to get to the pass where the construction began, and it was 12:25pm. So, we all piled in our cars and took off for the roads under construction.

We drove up the mountain through winding curves and switchback turns that were enough to churn stomachs, which they did. We made it to the construction and had a few minutes to get out and stretch our legs, get some air, and let the carsick children toss their cookies (lol).

Traffic began to move, so we rushed to get the kids back in the cars and resume our place in line so we could get through. The construction seemed to go on forever. My excitement about the big trees was gradually being drowned out by the grumbling and whimpering of three restless children in the backseat of my minivan. Sean, dear Sean, kept me sane as we made each turn, climbing switchback, stop, and slow drive through construction that revealed a very steep edge of the mountain, and rattled my nerves every time I glanced down over it.

The road finally began to level out a bit as the trees became taller and thicker, and soon, after one last turn, we arrived.

Sean and I were carrying on conversation when we rounded the turn, and at that moment time seemed to slow, words failed me as did my breathing! I turned my head and cocked it sideways, looking out the top of my windshield, in an attempt to see the tops of these massive trees, and ended up rolling my window down to accomplish the attempt. As I sat in complete awe of the sight before me, I tried to form words in my mind to describe these majestic and enormous Sequoia trees. None seemed to do them justice.

Finally, the road was not winding, churning our stomachs anymore, and we were driving deep into the shadows of one of the most amazing forests I’ve ever seen in my life. As we drove further, the trees got even bigger, and we passed a sign that read, “You are now entering the Giant Forest.” Really?! Haha!

From that point on our day got only better. We had rock-climbing moments, tree-gawking moments, random photo-shoot moments, and racing moments which left us (at least Sean, Leah and myself) quite winded.

We all hiked, minus Joanna and Micah, up Moro Rock. Moro rock is the bald tip of one of the mountains in the forest, and it was a 350ft/400stair climb from the parking lot to the top of the rock, with metal rails to hold onto and keep people from falling off the smooth edges of the rocky surface. At the beginning of the climb was a sign that read, “To avoid being struck by lightning and killed, leave Moro rock and return to the lower trail immediately if any of the following occur: The sky becomes dark or clouds suddenly appear; you hear thunder in the distance or nearby; you feel static in the air; you get a metallic taste in your mouth.” OK!

We continue the climb up this rock and I decide to break the monotony and try to reason with myself about why we are actually ascending this stony mountaintop! So, I begin to talk…”Mom, I have a question. What Moron a hundred years ago, as he was hiking through the mountains, stumbles across this huge rock protruding from this mountaintop, says to himself, “Hey! I bet there are millions of other people out there who would love to experience what I am experiencing right now! Let’s make some stairs to the top of this rock so they can all come to the middle of nowhere and risk being struck by lightning to climb 400 stone stairs and be where I am right now!” I could hear chuckles and laughter around me and realized I was actually entertaining other tourists with my sarcasm.

When we reached the top I didn’t eat my words, but I did have a hard time finding new ones! The view was nothing short of amazing! We were higher than other nearby mountaintops, and had a crystal clear view of everything below. We saw the roads we traveled on, including the stopped traffic as other waited on the construction sites to open again, and the river at the bottom in the valley looked like a white ribbon flowing through the trees winding and twisting like is was blowing in the wind.

Driving through the Giant Forest, actually touching the magnificent, towering trees, climbing the mountains and taking in the sights of a part of our world untouched by man’s hand, all of these things caused me to stop and think…

“The heavens declare the glory of God…”

How thankful I am that in my life, when I am tired, stressed, upset, sad, lonely, unwell, I can recall the day I came close to my God, witnessed a small portion, a touch, of His majesty in the graceful giants that cover the mountaintop, and His glory in the vast beauty of the view from that mountaintop! The peace there was what many people long to feel down here in the hustle and bustle of life, and yet it is a part of nature there. I am so glad I got to experience another fingerprint of God that day.

The Centurian's Wife...another awesome read!

The Centurion's Wife

Leah has lost everything. Her family was disgraced, loved ones lost, and her own freedom was stripped from her in more ways than one. Pilot is her cousin, and takes her into his household in hopes that marriage to the right man will save her from her family’s disgrace. Her mistress, Pilot’s wife, is plagued by nightmares of this Jewish prophet her husband had crucified and sends Leah on a quest to find the answers to the great mystery surrounding this dead man and the sudden rumors rising that the impossible has happened. Leah finds and befriends the followers of Jesus, and in the search for her mistress’ answers begins to find some of her own…

Alban has known battle and loss in life as well as the battlefields. He aspires to rise above his situation and sees marriage to Leah, the cousin of Pilot, as an asset to his ambition. In response to his request, his prelate requires something of Alban before such union is granted. Pilot fears rebellion among the Jews, and sends Alban to reveal any such threat, and to uncover the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the body of Jesus. The truth is what he seeks, but is it something he can handle?

Bound together by betrothal, drawn together by love, and completed together in Christ Alban and Leah discover the truths they were to sent to find, Truth that changed their world, revelations that changed their lives, and could possibly bring their eventual demise.

I have always loved the books written by Janette Oke and Davis Bunn. This series, Acts of Faith, is the most recent and very moving! I highly recommend this to you all. Set in Jerusalem during Passover, their descriptions of the city, and life there are vivid and bring to life the days of Jesus, and the Roman dominance in Judea during those years. Great book! Can’t say it enough!

The Silent Governess...worth re-reading!

The Silent Governess Book Review

Olivia Keene and Lord Bradley have nothing in common, save one thing: they both hold a secret that could change everything as they know it, if this secret is revealed. In fear of losing all he has ever known, Lord Bradley kept Olivia close at hand at Brightwell Court, where she served his young niece and nephew as governess, and a recent injury rendering her temporarily mute served useful to his purpose. It would seem though that theirs is not the only knowledge of the secret, and as deception, lies, and life-threatening events unfold, Olivia and Lord Bradley find themselves in a world much smaller than they imagined, and the danger closer to home than they feared.

In the midst of the drama, Lord Bradley finds himself taken with the charming Olivia Keene, and his emotions conflict greatly between affection and suspicion. Will Lord Bradley believe his heart, or will he let suspicion dominate and risk breaking hearts and losing love? Will the truth be revealed before it is too late?

Trying to predict the ending of this book is futile, as there are many surprises at every turn from beginning to end. A story well written, The Silent Governess took me into the world of Lords and Ladies, with characters that came to life from the pages. I can’t wait to read the next one!

This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishing for the purpose of review and can be found at most bookstores.

Songs of Deliverance...a good book!

Songs of Deliverance Review

Everyone has a past. Not everyone can see beyond someone’s past and accept them for who they are in the present. And, not many can break through their own past and have the courage to step out and believe in themselves, and others, again for a long, long time. Such is the obstacle that stands in the way of Zeely’s victory, deliverance, and peace. Not only Zeely, but her friend Grace, and others that have come together to support the teacher they all had in their youth that saw beyond their faults into their futures, and believed in them when no one else did. At the knowledge of Joyce’s illness, her students, now grown, have returned home to her, and found themselves opening the doors to their pasts that have been long since shut and locked. Will Zeely, Grace, and the others be able to overcome their pasts, stabilize their present, and redefine their futures? Can they find the strength to trust and love again? Will the wounds that have been opened and reopened ever heal? For so long the song of despair and pain has played loudly in their ears, but the faint sound of a Song of Deliverance has begun to grow in volume. Will it be tuned out and rejected, or will it be the new song of delivered hearts?

Marilynn Griffith astounded me with her book! This one touched me deeply though, because I can personally relate to some of the issues mentioned in the book. The situations are real ones that people deal with in this day and time. The characters seemed so real to me, like my own friends! Good book, great read, and recommended by me! *smiles*

This book was provided by Revell Publishing for the purpose of review, and is available at your local Christian bookstore now.

The "More Than You Can Handle" Buffet

In a phone conversation with my mother this past week, we discussed the recent developments in my life. Some of them are good. Some are not. Most of them are stressful in one way or another. One of them, although stressful, has brought some measure of relief to one area of my family’s life as well. So far, every change has been something ADDED to my already busy world, instead of something taken away. In my conversation with my mother I said, “Yeah! Let’s just add one more item to the plate, right? Shoot! Plate?! I don’t have a plate, I have a whole buffet!...*sigh*…I need room for cobbler!”

 So…with this little snippet of our conversation topic, a theme came to mind, along with this blog post that I certainly hope you all will find….worth reading?

“Come one, come all! Come to the ‘More Than You Can Handle Buffet!’ Where it’s no big deal if your eyes are bigger than your stomach! We don’t care! Pile it all on your plate! One plate?! Heck, No! We have more than enough to spare! Over one this side we have all your worries and concerns in life. On this bar we have financial issues…some self-inflicted and others that come by surprise! There’s a wide variety of drama situations on the buffet bar to this side, including family drama, friends, school, work, even church! Medical issues? Why yes! Right over here! We have personal health, family health, health of other loved ones, and the inability to support them due to your already full plate.

Please, take a seat, and feel free to come back again and again to add more heaping piles of more than you can bear from our abundance that has been placed here Just. For. You!”

As the throngs of people flock to this amazing establishment, drawn to the charismatic invitation, they just cannot help themselves as they go through the lines, taking in the sight of the bountiful buffet bars before them. Seemingly unable to turn away, even as their first plates became heavy with burden and care, they found their table, and after placing said plates down, went back to pick up more. Heavy laden with what began as “a little here and a little there” it became difficult for the patrons to lift themselves under the pressure and strain of… more than they could handle.

Off to the side from the glamorous display of buffet bars sat a small table. Simple. Plain. And it wasn’t even advertised by the establishment. Above the table was a single word: Dessert. Why was this table so small? Thought one patron to himself, as he wiped the sweat from his brow with one of the many towels that the staff of the buffet handed out to their customers. He inquired. “Well, sir, with every plate comes a burden, and most patrons find themselves, too full of all these things, unable to partake of the dessert table, so it has been placed near the back and quite forgotten.” The lone dessert at the table looked curious indeed to the man, and he decided he would fight through the worry and care that he had heaped upon himself in such a short time, and take a closer look.

Placing the towel beside his tower of plates, the man turned in his chair and proceeded to rise. Slowly, with shaky knees, he was unsure of himself as he realized this was the first time he had attempted getting up so soon after encumbering himself with such a load. Curiosity won over shaky knees, and step by heavy step the man inched his way to the dark corner where stood the simple table. As he neared the small table he noticed a little sign in front of the platter where there sat twelve simple loaves. It read: “Cobbler. Flavors include peach, apple, blackberry, cherry, and whatever your favorite may be. Simply choose a loaf and enjoy.” The man was skeptical. Cobbler?! These were loaves of what looked like almost fresh, white bread. There was no way this was right. Again, curiosity won. He picked up a loaf.

Upon raising the small loaf to his nose to inhale what he assumed would be yeast and flour with a little sugar and steam, the man found it was light indeed. Lighter than when he lifted his hands with nothing in them. How could this be? Taking a breath to contemplate this curious situation he caught it. The smell of fresh peaches, picked from the orchards in the valley by the waterside. Suddenly the weight that held his head down wasn’t so heavy anymore. In its place was comfort, and other joyous feelings he couldn’t explain. He lifted his head and looked around. There were so many people! Surely there would not be enough of this wonderful smelling dessert to go around! But as he glanced down again he saw that where he had chosen his loaf was another in its place. Astonished at this phenomenon, the man turned back to his table to show his family what he had found. Each step he took, as he ate his small cobbler, was lighter and lighter. He felt free!

When the man reached the family table, there were merely a few, small bites left of the loaf. His family looked quizzically at him and the simple loaf in his hand. The man began to tell of the burdensome walk to the table, back in that far side of the buffet, alone and forgotten, and what he found there to be not only amazing but a relief beyond anything he had ever felt before! Skeptical, the family beheld the little loaf in his hands. He offered it to them to try, to smell, to taste, but nobody could tell the difference that he had. This confused the man and he inquired yet again of the staff. “It is simply this, sir. Those who would experience that which you have experienced must go themselves to do so. You can tell them and show them your dessert, but they have to taste their own loaf and see.”

Now, I have left it hanging somewhat, and for good reason. There are two things to consider here.

 One: Don’t take on so much that you are too burdened to enjoy the real valuable things in life. The desserts, if you will. And the dessert is a great representation of the most important thing in life ever. It is easily mistaken to be the main meal…but it is not. The main meal is what we carry every day, all day. Cast off the cares of this world and enjoy the dessert offered freely, and too often left behind. But the joy in life cannot be the “same” for everyone, and I cannot enjoy yours just as you cannot enjoy mine. If you want to enjoy the sweetness of this amazing thing, stand up and shove those plates of “more than you can bear” off that table! Walk to that dessert table, pick your flavor, and enjoy yourself some cobbler!

Blogging from my phone..

Alright everyone, here it is! It seems there are going to be times when I can only find a few minutes to speak my mind/heart from my phone, so I finally broke and downloaded the blogger mobile app for my phone. We shall see how this goes. I'm honestly kinda excited about it. Dunno why. Probably because it doesn't take much to entertain or excite me these days, and I didn't realize blogger had a mobile app until tonight. Woot Woot!

While I'm using my phone to blog I look over at the book that I am currently reading: A Passion Most Pure. I'm closing in on the end of the book, and when I finish it I may post my review...from my phone! Eeeeeeeeeeek! Hahaha! Of course, the book happens to be written by one of my all time favorite authors, and a sweet and wonderful friend...and I can't wait to brag about much I love anything and everything written by Julie Lessman!!

Until the next post!

Peace and Strength...not just for me...

I am not gonna lie. I have high stress levels. My blood pressure numbers would likely scare people. I don’t sleep. My eating habits are totally wacked out. Between my four kids, three dogs, husband in the Military, house work, school work, and appointments to keep for everyone in the family, I would guess it is safe to say I am pulled slightly thin in places. An average day for me would wear out almost anyone I know that I describe it to, with the exception of one of my cousins, bless her heart! (wink)

Just hang on. I’m getting somewhere with this:

Do I ever have “me” time? Not often. Do me and my husband get “us” time? Rarely. Do we have any routines? None we stick to more than a few weeks at a time. (sigh). Where is my peace? Where is my solace? How do I find strength to go on? In those moments that only a mother (biological, step, adoptive, godmother) gets to experience.

What are those moments, you ask? Well let me share a few with you…

Those times when Titus comes up to me and just wraps his arms around me, holding tight and saying how much he loves me and is glad I am his mommy. Those moments when Levi snuggles up to me just to put his head against my chest so he can hear my “drum beat heart.” The moments when Micah comes running with open arms to me, wrapping them around my legs, and just saying “Mommy! My Mommy!” over and over again. And then, for all of those who know me and my situation, the final moment is one that is extra special to me… That moment when Angel comes up to me with a picture in hand, one that she had been laboring over for quite a while at the table, in her notebook, carefully tearing it out of the notebook, folding it perfectly, then presenting it to me saying “Becca, I drew this picture just for you, because I want you to have this from me.” And upon unfolding the picture I see a house, a beautiful sky, flowers, and two people walking together, both with names above their heads. Becca and Angel. And the back side has hearts of every type and size all over it, and at the bottom it says: To Becca From Angel, forever. Words? No, I have none. But peace? Solace? Strength to carry on another day in the drama that my life gives me? Especially involving this sweet girl who only wants herself to be happy, everyone around her to be happy, and her greatest dream to fit in a whole family. Yeah. I have those moments, and they are enough.

I can go without sleep. I know I’ll catch up one day. I can take measures to do different things with my eating habits. That’s not too hard. Housework, schoolwork, laundry, dishes, those things are there all the time. My children? They will not be this young forever.

These recent days I have had to ask myself, where is my heart? Where is my greatest desire? Are my actions meeting up with my dreams? Am I doing what I say I want or need to do? These moments with my children are often, yes, but they could vanish…I could chase my children away, wasting my time and energy on being stressed and frustrated If I am doing school work when Levi wants to sit on my lap, or if I am vacuuming or doing dishes when Titus wants to give me that hug. What about when Micah (the king of “don’t touch me”) comes running and squeezing mommy to pieces? Am I too busy? How long does it take to happily accept a picture from a child who just spent the last hour coloring and drawing with much effort and concentration? Bending down from whatever I am doing, giving a hug in return, a gentle rub on the head, “I love you too…sooooo much” and five minutes to read someone’s favorite book are the things that seem so small to us, but mean the entire world to these children!

So, in these moments that they give me such peace, solace, strength, and JOY...they may also need the same thing from me. Who am I not to give? Sometimes I have to think about it because the timing is not what I would consider the best...but in all consideration, it most likely is.

Am I learning some of this the hard way? Yes. But the key tonight is: I am learning.