Vacation Part 1 - Gold country

Yes, I am FINALLY getting to share our vacation with you.
This vacation started because my family was having a reunion in Seattle.
Because we had to drive, we took it slow and made it a fun AND learning experience for the kids.
Merritt had just finished studying CA history so we decided to make a few stops in a couple of the historic gold rush cities on the way. And then some GREAT friends offered us their timeshare for a couple of days right in the middle of the historic area - Angels Camp.
So right after our worship gathering on Sunday, we piled in the car and started driving.

Our first stop (only about 3 1/2 hours away) - Angels Camp (the home of Mark Twain's famous Jumping Frog Jubilee)

The kids were excited to be out of the car and officially on vacation.
And they LOVED the time share we stayed in.
Especially the rec room and pool - and the cable TV, which we don't have at home.

And they LOVED the yogurt shop in town...

We need one of these in Hanford!

Tomorrow I'll share about some of the sites we visited in Gold country.

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A Month?

I just looked at my last post and realized it has almost been a whole month since I posted.
Sorry.

At the beginning of this month we had a lot of computer trouble that took me about 2 weeks to get figured out. We are up and running again with a new external hard drive, which I am still organizing.
I feel like I've been cleaning and organizing my computer all month.
And really, I have.

My plan today was to finally get my vacation pictures up here and play a bit of catch up, but alas, the pictures are on Bruce's computer. (See why I've been organizing? I need everything in one place so I can find it when I need it.)
I will get them off of his computer and onto the new hard drive that is now networked
and then onto this blog tomorrow.
Promise.

I'd do it tonight, but I'm off to worship practice and my prayer meeting.
Hope you have a great evening!!!

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New Friends

A couple of weeks ago we were in Lakewood for the wedding of some friends.
Bruce and I were photographing the wedding and because of unforseen circumstances, Molly ended up going with us. (You can read more about it here)

There were so many great friends there that we hadn't seen in a long time, and that we didn't have near enough time to catch up with. One of those friends had a daughter shortly before Molly was born and they've never met, but guess who was at the wedding?
YES. Molly finally got to meet and play with Emma.
They had a great time playing together. I wish we could have play dates more often.

And speaking of play dates...
After the reception was over, there was another reception at the beach over a bonfire.
The friends we were staying with offered to keep Molly while we went, which of course we jumped all over.
But in the midst of that, Molly made some more great new friends.
She LOVED her play date with Mark.

Thanks again Mark and Holly.
And I'm looking forward to your visit Jenny. (yes, I'm going to hold you to it!)

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Malachi

I know... I need to post some vacation pictures.
In all honesty, I just barely got them all off of my camera and I don't have time to get them ready for my blog yet, because I have a newborn shoot tomorrow before we get ready to leave town for a wedding we are photographing on Friday.

I DID want to share this special guy with you though...

Malachi was born 2 days after we got home from vacation.
We didn't think we were going to make it home in time for his arrival because his mom was having lots of contractions on and off before we left town and we were gone for 2 weeks.
So the joke around here now is that he was waiting for us.
But really, he was actually born on his due date and right on time.

These were taken just a little while after his arrival into this world.
There is so much poking and prodding, weighing and measuring, cleaning and fussing with by the nurses right after birth.

He sure is adored.
I think mom and dad will be in this position a lot in the weeks to come as they just marvel over this new gift to their family.

And somebody's a big sister now...

Congratulations dear friends.
Thank you for letting us be there to capture these moments for you.
We love you!!!

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Cielo

Hi friends.
I know it's been a long time since I've posted here.
For those of you who didn't know, we took a 2 week vacation all the way to Bellingham, WA and back with LOTS of stops in between.
I promise, I'll post lots of pictures soon.
It's been so nice to have a break from everything and just rest.

In case you haven't followed Bruce's blog, the winning name for the doll was Ruby.
Bruce has been posting her adventures here if you want to read them.

We got home from our vacation at 2:30 in the morning on Sunday, my good friend, Emily, had her baby on Tuesday and the boys started school today.
The business has definitely resumed!

While we were in Washington, we got to worship with our friends, the Joneses, at their new church.
They had a guest worship leader (who I was familiar with from Saddleback Worship conferences years back), and one of the songs He led us in has stuck with me. I don't exactly have the words to share why. I have sat here writing and rewriting this sentence trying to express what singing this song last Sunday (and as I've listened to it since then) did for my spirit. It was one of those moments where I could sense the presence of the Holy Spirit so strongly and couldn't stop the tears from streaming.
I had to come home and buy it and I can't wait to lead Epic in worship with it.
In the meantime, I'll share a video of Phil Wickham leading Saddleback Community Church in worship with it.
(I posted the lyrics below the song in case you don't have time for the video.)



Cielo
I'm walking through the bright white gates
Breathing in and out Your grace
All around me melodies rise
That echo with the joy inside
So I start to sing

But I can't sing loud enough
I can't sing loud enough
When I'm singing for You my God
I can't sing loud enough
I can't sing loud enough
When I'm singing for You my God

With a thunder roll and a brilliant light
Your glory boasts and the heavens shine
Saints and angels stand in awe
Captured by the beauty of it all
So I fall to my knees

But I can't bow low enough
I can't bow low enough
At the vision of You my God
I can't bow low enough
I can't bow low enough
At the vision of You my God

I can't hold it all inside
I'm reaching for the one
Who brought me out of death and into life

And I can't lift my hands high enough
Lift my hands high enough
When I'm reaching for You my God
I can't lift my hands high enough
Lift my hands high enough
When I'm reaching for You my God

Phil Wickham
© 2009 Seems Like Music | Phil Wickham Music (Admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc.) | (Admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc.)

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More of You God and less of me

The other day I had a friend tell me that she was struggling with sensing God and was struggling with how to get out of the slump.

Don't we all go through seasons like that?
I know I do, but I am starting to realize how my pattern works.
Something happens either physically, emotionally or spiritually that causes me to seek God and lean on Him. I spend QUALITY time with Him MORE than once a day. Eventually, I am at a place where I am sensing His presence everywhere I turn around. I start to get comfortable and start spending less QUALITY time with Him in my day and before I know it, I haven't picked up my Bible just to meet Him in over a week.

And sometimes that week turns into a month.

And then I struggle to find God again because I'm so caught up in ME.

I read this devotion from Charles Spurgeon the other day and wanted to share it with you. I urge you to read it more than once or maybe even read it out loud to yourself.

“The ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven wellfavoured and fat kine” Genesis 41:4

Pharaoh’s dream has too often been my waking experience. My days of sloth have ruinously destroyed all that I had achieved in times of zealous industry; my seasons of coldness have frozen all the genial glow of my periods of fervency and enthusiasm; and my fits of worldliness have thrown me back from my advances in the divine life. I had need to beware of lean prayers, lean praises, lean duties and lean experiences, for these will eat up the fat of my comfort and peace. If I neglect prayer for never so short a time, I lose all the spirituality to which I had attained; if I draw no fresh supplies from heaven, the old corn in my granary is soon consumed by the famine which rages in my soul. When the caterpillars of indifference, the cankerworms of worldliness, and the palmerworms of self-indulgence, lay my heart completely desolate, and make my soul to languish, all my former fruitfulness and growth in grace avails me nothing whatever. How anxious should I be to have no lean-fleshed days, no ill-favoured hours! If every day I journeyed towards the goal of my desires I should soon reach it, but backsliding leaves me still far off from the prize of my high calling, and robs me of the advances which I had so laboriously made. The only way in which all my days can be as the “fat kine” is to feed them in the right meadow, to spend them with the Lord in His service, in His company, in His fear, and in His way. Why should not every year be richer than the past, in love, and usefulness, and joy? I am nearer the celestial hills, I have had more experience of my Lord, and should be more like Him. O Lord, keep far from me the curse of leanness of soul; let me not have to cry, “My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!”, but may I be well-fed and nourished in thy house, that I may praise thy name.

More of You God and less of me.

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Name Our Doll Contest

Update: Bruce's blog is being stubborn and many are having trouble leaving comments there, so you can post your entry here too. So much for trying to keep everything organized in one place.

Name our Doll Contest

In two weeks from today, our family will embark upon our summer adventure as we drive to Seattle for a family reunion. Whenever we take long driving trips, we try to make it fun for the kids. This time will be no different. We have lots of fun planned, making several stops to see the sites and visit some friends. We thought it would be fun to take this pretty little doll along for the trip and see what pictures she might pose for as we travel and as she meets new friends. You can read more about her and her future on Bruce's blog.
Before we leave though, we need a name for our doll. And we want you to help us choose. Simply post a comment on Bruce's blog with your suggestion. We will have our life group vote on the names on Tuesday, July 20 - the last time we all get together before we leave. The name with the most votes will win. It will be the name she carries with her throughout our family trip, on our blogs, and will remain with her as she is sold for our missions fund-raising.

There is a prize involved for the person who first suggests the winning name... a $10 iTunes gift card.
(If more than one person suggests the same winning name, the first person who suggested that name will be the winner.) And your name suggestion must be posted on Bruce's blog to be counted.

All right, go here to make your suggestion and be entered to win the $10 iTunes gift card.

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