Close to Christmas

December always goes so fast!!

The last few weeks have been crazy at school. It seems that there has been meetings almost every day, or some kind of commitment that I have to keep. They are all good things too, but man, I've been tired. I'm guessing that is why I had to go to the doctor's and get some antibiotics. I am doing better now- for awhile there I could barely talk! Now it's just a bit of a runny nose. But the research essays are almost all graded, and I'm starting to feel like I have a little bit of breathing room.

I am super excited to see Justin in a few days, and also to pick up his parents from the airport. It is going to be nice to all get together for Christmas. We were at their place last year. I already have things cleaned and the munchies set out...

Speaking of munchies, grandma and I were at it again this year. It has become a tradition of sorts to get together and make candy. We dip pretzels, and make buckeyes (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate), toffee and peppermint bark. This year we added orange hard candy too. MMM. Then on Sunday I made Muddy Buddies, cookies, haystacks, and dipped more pretzels. Delicious! It sure it a lot of sweets, but it's the holidays so I'm letting myself splurge a bit.

I'm all done with shopping, though I am sad that one of my orders hasn't come in yet. I need to ship it out when it comes in; I couldn't have it shipped to each person. Oh well, I sure they will understand. I like being on time with these things though! Besides that, I am all done with my shopping.

On a super sad note, I seem to have a bum Christmas tree. The needles are all brittle. It seems to be holding green, so I just has to last a few more days. I've never had that happen before!

Well, I am going to head to bed soon and get some zzz's. Merry Christmas to all. Good luck with the rest of your shopping!

Random Holidays

So I'm discovering that there is pretty much a holiday for everything. Take, for example, Paul Bunyan Day. In the explanation of what he did, it says:  

He trained ants to do logging work. They were, of course, Carpenter Ants.

For some reason, this is just way too funny for me.

Did you know there was a Waffle Iron Day? Splurge Day? Picnic Day? Donald Duck Day? Hug Your Cat Day? Applesauce Cake Day?

I'm waiting for the Wash Your Hair Day or Trim Your Toenails Day. The latter would be helpful for my husband.... JUST KIDDING!!!

Here's the site in case you have time to waste:  http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/index.htm

Updating the contacts...

For a few months, literally, I've had "update address list" on my to-do list. I haven't updated it since the wedding, really. Occasionally I would add a few new addresses, scribbled in at the bottom, but I never updated the file on the computer. Which really, I needed to do! So, as I started sending out Christmas cards this week, I sent a Facebook message to people I needed new addresses from. They have been coming in and I FINALLY opened the file and started editing some things.

I even went so far as to color code with categories for each side of the family, CU friends, family friends, and our old church. I supposed I do need to add current ones from our church too. But still, I got quite a bit done.

I also finished grading 100+ book reviews. Granted, I wasn't very picky, I just wanted to see that the students critiqued the book they read instead of just summarizing it. Most did an OK job- probably the average grade was a B- 21/25 or so. Really, I am just glad that they are reading. If I knew they would read without me giving them an assignment, I would skip the assignment. However,  any slightly seasoned teacher, however high expectations they may hold, knows that a product has to be created in order to guarantee that something is done. :)

All in all, a pretty productive night. One my next big projects before the new year is to make a hybrid Bible reading calendar. I used a chronological one in 2010, but the one I had been using for 5 years before that has a really good pace when it comes to how many chapters your read a night. For example, it gives you 10 chapters in Chronicles to skim through, then slows down to one chapter for Proverbs. So, I hope to combine these somehow to have the best of both worlds. I really did like doing it in chronological order, and I think I can make it work. It is going to take a little bit of time though. :)

I keep meaning to blog about the book Tears of a Tiger, but I'll have to get to it later. I'm so sniffly and snotty, I think I just need to go to bed!

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Recently I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. It is set, of course, in Brooklyn, New York, at the beginning of the 20th century. At first, I thought it was going to be one of those overly-descriptive books. But after I got through a few pages, I realized how important the setting of the city was to the story. Francie, the main character who we watch grow into a young woman, experiences many trials from poverty and from a father who cannot shake his love of drink. While the father loves his family too, he never seems to be able to keep a steady job. Besides this, he is a loving and caring father, and Francie even feels that he understands her more than her mother, Katie, does. Francie's younger brother, Neeley, is the one who holds Katie's affections, though she tries not to show it.

Even in their poverty, Katie works relentlessly to pay the bills by cleaning the other flats in the building where they rent. Barely scraping by, the author heartrendingly describes Francie and Neeley hauling junk to the collector for a few extra pennies to spend on candy. However, Francie reads and reads and reads, and it is this love and curiosity for another world that drives her through this coming-of-age story. Katie pounds the importance of education and never taking a handout into their young minds, and it forces them to overcome what setbacks they might face.

It was so refreshing to see a family that stuck together no matter what. Even when Katie had to work more because Johnny, the father, couldn't hold a steady job as a singing waiter, she still loved him no matter what. While the novel never excuses Johnny's behavior, it instead highlights the faithfulness and love of Katie as she chooses to focus on the good qualities- his care for the children, his passion for her, and his carefree spirit that united the family. While the family sees much hardship before the end of the story, they remain close and uncompromising in their love for each other.

It was also very refreshing to see education and reading held in high esteem. Katie's mother tells her that she must read a page of the Bible (as good Catholics should) and a page of a great book (Katie was able to obtain a secondhand copy of Shakespeare's works) each night with the children. She does. Only seldom do they miss. When Francie can start going to the library by herself, she commits to reading a book every day. She starts with "A" and is working her way through the whole alphabet. Consequently, her imagination is ignited to the possibilities that life has to offer. If only our children at the beginning of the 21st century had this much enthusiasm for the printed word!!! (I continually commit to give my children that same exposure to books one day- starting when they are little ones.)

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It is a great read, although it is a bit long. Still, each story folds into the over themes of the book and relates to Francie's growth as a young woman. I certainly came to tears at several points throughout the book. I am amazed how relevant the book was to our culture even today. Go get it. Read it soon!

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving Justin and I traveled back to see my dad's side of the family. It's really the only time of year that we all get together because each of the three sons has their own Christmas routine. Needless to say, I was looking forward to it because I hadn't been back.

In the new wing of the Sacramento Airport, I was greeted by the Spiderman bunny. Or at least, that is what I am calling this artwork. It's kinda crazy, that's for sure. And somehow I kept thinking that it was going to drop on me or something! Justin laughed at me when I took a picture. I actually think that we was a little embarrassed... But anyways,you can see it for yourself in the picture on the left.


Back home, Justin and I visited a few graduate schools to see what he might want to do. We are still deciding, but it helped us with information that we needed. I also got some shopping in. But I was really, really looking forward to seeing Crystal, by best friend. She's been going through a lot and I feel like I haven't been there for her like I should. So we got to hang out and she made me a yummy, healthy salad. The dressing wasn't my favorite but I liked everything else!

At grandma and grandpa's, the whole gang was there. In the picture, one of my cousins hadn't quite arrived, but besides that, everyone is in the picture. Now there are two great-grandchildren, Lauren and Danielle. So cute they are! It was a wonderful and precious time. Scrumptious edibles too!

Lauren (above) and Dani (below) are just too cute!!!

Colossians 1

Last Sunday the Trek boys and Justin recited the first chapter of Colossians in front of church. I was so proud of them, especially the boys. It's a little nerve-wracking for them, I know, but they did a great job.

Somehow they managed to all dress in gray tones too without planning it too!  :)

miscellany

1. I'm sitting here eating spoonfuls out of the hot fudge jar. MMM... taste that sugar sliding down your throat.

2. I had collaboration with a fellow teacher today to create our benchmarks. It was so nice to have the time to work together, and feel like we had control over the curriculum. I collaborated with our ELD teacher, who also teaches English II. Her insights were great and I loved hearing about her teaching experiences.

3. I'm excited for my junior highers at church to present Colossians chapter one to the church in two Sundays. It's so thrilling to see them commit the versed to memory and really embrace the truth. I also had them start their thanksgiving pillows  this week.... I'll have to post a picture of the finished projects next week!

4. I have to sell tickets for the football game tomorrow. Meh. Not so excited about that, but hoping that I will see some of my former students too. It's part of my teacher duties, which aren't always fun, but it helps out the school. It's good for me to get out and support the school as well. It's not so good that I am making caramel twists for breakfast Monday before we go to evangelism, which means that I will probably be up a little late. Not so cool, but worth it. Last week, I actually dreamed that I was making them and they were coming out the the oven all gooey and scrumptious. Isn't that ridiculous?

I'm out!

Hobo Stew

Last week was pretty normal. I kept thinking that I should blog, but nothing interesting happened until the weekend, and then I was busy. So, I will start with Hobo Stew on Saturday.

Each year my church has a Hobo Stew gathering. Now it might sound crazy, but it's good: Each person brings one can of something to dump in the soup. Mostly it's potatoes, corn, beans, the usual veggies. But then a few people will bring noodles, or Vienna sausage, or pineapple, or something different like that. Somehow, it always turns out good. I should note that grandma always starts it off with beef and onion base, but it always turns into a tomato-veggie soup. This year it had a pretty mild flavor, last year it was a bit more spicy. Either way, it's super fun for everyone to get together. Games and horse rides for the kids, and time to talk for the adults. We have cornbread, cider, and desserts too. Did I mention that my church likes to eat?

All in all, my uncle Tim's church joined us too, and we have about 160 people. That's the biggest ever, I think. And while it's stressful for grandma and grandpa to get ready (especially this year with harvest two days before), I still know that they like it. So does everyone else!

Justin and I helped bring chairs and tables over on Saturday morning, and load them again on Sunday afternoon. (Side note: my arms were a little bit sore) We were glad to help out though, and plus we got leftover stew on Sunday!

Here's  a few pics:

Carmel Twists

I made carmel twists all by myself yesterday. Of course, I cook by myself all the time, but the big deal was that mom always made them. I helped roll the dough in the final stages, but I don't think I had ever mixed it up by myself. Mom gave me some pointers, and it came out great. I might even say as good as hers.... I will be making them for Christmas this year and wanted to get some practice in. Don't tell, but I ate four for breakfast yesterday. They are better right out of the oven, so I didn't want to let them sit too long.....

Here's the scrumptiousness:

I sure do love having this fall break!

To Sir, With Love

On Monday I went shopping with grandma H., and we went to Hobby Lobby, MGM shoes, and the thrift store. I always pick up a few books when I'm at the thrift store because they are so cheap. The book To Sir, With Love by E.R. Braithwaite  looked familiar. Had I heard about it in my college classes? It looked pretty interesting, since I am a teacher and it is about a teacher in London. The unique twist is that it deals with the racial prejudices against blacks in London at that time. The main character, who becomes a teacher, could not find any other jobs in London because of his skin color. He was highly educated, but no one would touch him. After almost two years of looking for work, and going to interviews only to be told they couldn't hire when they saw his color, he stoops to take a teaching position. (By the way, I love how he thinks that it would be easy!)

This teaching position is at a difficult school in town, where kids are poor and parents aren't the best support. Very much a working-class community. He definitely has a lot to accomplish. But, of course, after a rough start, he begins the task of teaching them knowledge about school and life, with respect for each other along the way. It really is quite inspiring.

There was just a bit of suggestive descriptions in the book, but nothing graphic. Far less than many teenage novels that are out right now, anyways. I would recommend it to high schoolers, but not junior highers, unless they were already mature readers. Certainly anyone in the teaching profession would enjoy perusing its pages. It doesn't end with all conflict gone, but it does end on an uplifting that this teacher has indeed instilled something of value into his students.

Apparently this was also  made into a movie. I was reading it between selling tickets to the volleyball game, and a few people commented on this fact. I might have to go find the movie somewhere, just to see how it compares to the book. All in all, I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in either race relations in other countries or the teaching profession in general.

Herman Cain

Even though the presidential election is still a year away, the debates are already raging. And I like it. This is what democracy is all about- finding the candidate who would best represent us. I'm really liking Herman Cain. I like that he doesn't have a lot of political experience, if any, on the national level. I like that he has run a business. I like that he didn't come from a wealthy family. I like that he doesn't make race an issue. I like that he is fresh.

While I'm not sure if I like the 9-9-9 plan for a permanent thing, it would get us started in the right direction. Then hopefully we could proceed to a fair tax. That just seems sensible. At least he has a plan and wants to overhaul the current system.

He is good in the debates too. I hope that he at least gets the VP nomination, if not the presidential one. We need something new for the Republican party.The thing is that I feel a connected with Cain's "everyman" image, as one writer called it (sorry I don't remember where it was from though). But I don't really feel a connection with Perry, who is weak on the border, with Gingrich, who just seems too old (I know that's plain stupid of me), with Romney, who holds different religious views that me (though that doesn't mean he wouldn't run the country well), or with Bachmann, even though she is a woman. I'm not going to even address the other candidates because I don't know that much about them and they don't have large numbers in the polls.

And I respect Cain- in one of the debates the candidates were asked who they would pick for a VP. At least half of the ten wouldn't give an answer. But Cain did- he said Romney or Gingrich. Because of that, I think he is a straightforward guy, and I like that. Will he get my vote? Time will tell.

http://www.hermancain.com/h 

Homecoming Week

It's homecoming week at school, and with that comes spirit days. Back in high school, as a cheerleader, I LOVED every spirit day. Dressing up is just too fun- clash day, cowboy day, Hawaiian day, retro day, etc... the creativity is never ending.One of the days this week is class theme day, and since I'm the sophomore class advisor, I got to wear Sponge-bob themed outfit. I took this quite seriously.

We only had one box at home that I could really fit into to wear. I wasn't happy with the shape of the box, but I went to Wal-mart and Dollar Tree and neither had any boxes for me. So I went with one we had that was a little too square. I cut holes first for my head (and man, my head is bigger than I thought) and for my arms. Then I had to paint a few coats of yellow and orange to add depth. After that, I sprayed white for the shirt and eyes, and then brownish-gray for the pants. I definitely used a picture to refer to when I drew the face on. To finish it off, I added black lines with puffy paint. Score! A sweet costume!

At lunch time, I walked around and got some stares, though most people just thought that it was neat that I would actually go all out. (Today, I actually heard that a kid saw me and wanted to get a picture with me but he was too scared to ask- that's pretty hilarious!)

I kinda feel like a kid again in grandma's craft room when I make a costume like this. :)

Still bouquets

Among many things I don't like about California, I do appreciate the weather and the fact that I still have fresh flowers in October. I've had a few zinnia plants that I grew from see over the last month, and they are finally producing super cute button-size flowers. As I have several plants, a variety of colors livens up my dinner table. Light pink, hot pink, normal pink, fuchsia, yellow-gold and orange all make an appearance. I love them!

Here's a few pictures:

In school news, I finally finished grading essays, and I am completely caught up with grades... wow. That like NEVER happens. The end of the quarter is next week, and then we go on a week break between quarters. While I am looking forward to the break, I don't stressed at all, which is a huge change from last year. I have to say, it's quite nice to feel like I have my life back. :)

A First for Spike

When we came home from church tonight, a surprise was waiting for us. A small mouse on the porch. Poor thing, it was just laying there limp... apparently Spike had gotten to it earlier and left it on the porch.

Spike appeared again, and began playing with the poor little mouse. Seriously, he just throws it up and down and pounces on it, and then slaps it around with his paws. While I feel bad for the mouse, I am uber abundantly excited that Spike is learning to feed himself. That first six weeks or so of canned cat food is just more than I wanted to invest. We just switched to dry food this week, which is much more reasonable in price. But really, I wanted a cat partially to keep the varmints away from the house. Being in the country, we seem to have quite a few.

Next step, gophers!

I'm just hoping I don't have a mouse skeleton on the porch in the morning...

Hanes My Way

Hanes has to be the best brand of socks. Ever.

I've been buying them for years. Or, better said, my mom bought them for years, and then I took up the tradition when I had to start buying necessities for myself. (Darn adulthood) They've always been faithful. I trudge around the house, through the kitchen, and maybe even out on the sidewalk every once in a while. They fade from their bright white, but they sure are sturdy!!

Unfortunately, sooner or later the heel wears out. So I went to Walmart to get some more. Except this time it looked like the Danskins brand was a better value- more socks, lower price. And I bought them. Big mistake. After one wear it looked like the undersides of the sock was unraveling or something. Plus, they don't hold up in my tennis shoes sometimes since they are low cut. It's super annoying to feel like you need to keep adjusting your sock when you're on a run, I'll tell you that! I'm just not very pleased at all!

As a result, on my next trip to Wally World, I'm investing in another pack of my trusty Hanes.

Gaylor Lakes Hike, Yosemite

This past Saturday I went on another hike. I keep thinking that its my last hike, but then I go on another one. Maybe we will have one more this year....

We went to Gaylor Lakes, off Highway 120 and deep into northern Yosemite. It's actually right before the far gate that leads to Highway 395. It was about a three hour drive, but I think it was worth it.  The first mile or so is pretty steep uphill to get over the saddle of a mountain and then into the valley. As you go over the saddle, you descend to Gaylor Lakes. Check out these pictures below! WOWSERS! The clouds were perfect and it was early in the morning, so the wind hadn't picked up. It is a near perfect reflection in the water. God sure did make so amazing landscapes for us to enjoy!

After we passed the first lake, it's about a half mile to another lake, which you can see in the background of the picture with Justin and I. Then it's up a hill to some old mine ruins. Make sure you stay back, because a few of the pits go pretty deep. The old houses were made of thin rock. We were debating if it would be good insulation or if the wind would just go straight through.

We headed down again toward the first Gaylor Lake, but made our hike a little longer by going around the meadow to a basin that held Granite Lakes. Then we went south a bit more to lower Granite Lake. This one was nice, but at this point the sun was hidden behind the clouds and we were getting  really chilly. I had a long-sleeved shirt, but it was one of those thin polyester shirts that dries out really fast. Needless to say, it wasn't much good. I ended up wearing Kelly's poncho to keep warm, and it was a good thing too because it actually hailed on us for a short time! (I think my clothing issue was because I have been hiking in the Emigrant Wilderness, and it's been rather warm the days I hiked there.)

All in all, it was a great hike of about 6 miles. Kelly just had a knack for picking a good ones, I think! Here's our picture, with lower Gaylor Lake back behind us in the valley.

Adenosine Injection

Adenosine Injection. Yea, it sounds bad, doesn't it?

Today I was off work so that I could go with Justin to a doctor's appointment in Santa Clara, near San Jose. In the past, a doctor thought that he might have WPW syndrome, a heart disorder, but it was never officially diagnosed. This test today enabled the doctor here to determine if he really does have WPW, which is basically an accessory pathway into the heart. In other words, it is an extra pacemaker in the heart that can sometimes beat opposite of the main pacemaker and cause fainting. Originally, we though this might be causing his syncope (fainting) that he has had a few times since college.

The test basically injects a medicine that makes the heart stop for about 5 seconds. The half-life of the drug is short though, and the heart catches back up and functions normally right after. It was a bit scary to watch Justin go through it though, because I could see that it really wasn't comfortable. He said that he felt his chest tighten a bit, but that it wasn't too bad. He was expecting something worse since the nurses and doctor described it as "terrible." The only outward affects was that he flushed red and was hot, but the EKG didn't show any abnormalities in the beat or recovery of the heart. If he had the accessory pathway, he wouldn't have had any reaction to the drug.

We are definitely glad to know for sure that Justin doesn't have WPW, and now he feels like he is clear to fill out some more military scholarship applications. Hopefully that could help us move back to O-H-I-O soon!

Since he couldn't eat beforehand, we stopped at McDonald's on the way back. Their sausage egg biscuits are sure tasty. We both splurged and got two hashbrowns each and chocolate milk too... talk about extravagance! (Though that food might give us heart failure.)

Another interesting point of this trip was that we passed Solyndra, the company the Fed's loaned half billion dollars to and is now bankrupt. Talk about close to home. What is Obama doing these days anyways? I can stand a few more taxes perhaps, but these crazy loans? I just can't back that! I hope we have a quality nominee to go against him for president next year. Otherwise, I'm real worried.

9/11... ten years later

Boy without a father

Of all the stories I have read about 9/11 as the anniversary drew near last week, the link above to Peter Negron was one of the most touching. He lost his father when he was just 11, and ten years later he was back to remember his father on the anniversary. It's so heartbreaking.

I love America. I am so proud to be a part of this country. I am glad that we went after the bad guys, and hopefully brought some justice to the families who lost loved ones. Even my father-in-law was deployed for a time in support of the mission. I appreciate it immensely.

The memorial  at Ground Zero is just beautiful from the pictures, and I am hoping that I can return to New York on a visit sometime and see it. I am sure that I will be in tears. Two waterfalls with names of the victims written around them are in the footprint of the original towers.

Nothing else I can say would add to what has already been said. But for the victims' families in New York, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon, my prayers go out to you. I was in tenth grade on September 11, 2001, and I will always remember.

Kitty Shots

Shots... as in snapshots! Although I am a little bit disappointed because Spike doesn't seem to like the camera that much. He likes the string hanging from the camera, so I can never get him to be still for the picture! Sigh... well, here's what I got so far:

Ecclesiastes

Over the last month or so, I have been reading Ecclesiastes and the commentary from The Guide series. While I liked the Colossians & Philemon guide better, this one was good too. The author was definitely strong in giving lots of illustrations to relate the major points to modern life. However, it didn't make you "dig in" to the Bible as much for answers to questions like the Colossians and Philemon guide did. (By the way, I'm really excited to teach Colossians to the junior high group and church on Wednesdays this year!) To wrap up my study, I thought I would post some of the quotes I highlighted throughout the study that I found insightful. 

Ecc 1:3-11

"Jesus pointedly asks us, 'For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?' (Mark 8:36) Modern secular man replies, 'What use is my soul, if I can't have a piece of this world?' " 

"Sin...is at first novelty, then drudgery, and finally slavery." 

Ecc. 1:12-18 "...the more we learn, the more we see how little we know." 

Ecc. 2:1-26 "But the meaning of life is not found in just being alive in this life itself (the gift), but is rather in God who gave it (the Giver)." 

Ecc. 3: 1-8 

"Merely to state that 'to everything there is a season' is to imply purpose and direction; to assert the controlling power of an intelligent providence; to declare that God is on the throne." 

"Our inability to comprehend the often apparently incomprehensible things happening in our world only proves we are not all-knowing- that is, we are not God!"

Ecc. 3:9-22  "Complaining that God's sovereign control over everything renders our efforts meaningless is actually a veiled rationalization of practical atheism."

That's all for tonight. More to come!

Waterhouse Lake Hike II

Justin and I headed back to the Emigrant Wilderness for what might be our last hike this year. (I hope not, but school is getting busy and the season will be over in another month!) I blogged about a month ago about a hike to Waterhouse Lake that didn't quite make it, so I was determined to find this remote lake and master the wilderness.

I think I did both, but not without some battle scars to prove it.

To start off, the first mile of the hike is even or downhill, and scattered with all kinds of lovely flowers. (I should note that the road was better graded and I was actually able to drive to the trail head in my Honda Fit without worrying it might bottom out from the low clearance). Truly, I loved this first mile as there are so many different flowers. Even though I had hiked here a few weeks before, the colors had developed more and the greenery is a great contrast to yellows, purples, and whites from the flowers. Gorgeous! Pictures are worth a thousand words, yet they still can't capture it all.

Then, you see the ominous Wilderness Boundary sign and here comes the granite valley and downhill climb to the lake. Last time, I veered to far to the right and didn't make it to the lake. So I was quite determined to make sure I kept to the left and found the lake. After all it was only .7 miles down....

Trekking down the granite, I started off without following the rock cairns closely. After a few hundred feet, it was a little steep but we kept going. We saw a cairn a bit below us, and carefully started descending to it. As I was easing my way down, with one hand on each side of me against the rocks, I suddenly lost my footing. The rock that I had put weight on slid out from below me and before I knew it, I was on my back with my head first, grabbing on to a branch of manzanita to stop my fall. While the manzanita bushes softened my fall, they also left me with several bloody gashes on my lower left leg, back of my left thigh, calf of my right leg, and scrapes on my elbow. All in all, I only slid about 10 feet or so, but it was enough to leave me breathless and a bit light-headed. Justin came down to me and we paused for a second before getting to the path we saw below. But as I was walking, I realized my shoelace had snapped somehow. Luckily they were pretty long so I was still able to tie it and keep going. After some water and cleaning off the cut, we kept heading down. (We might have went back up, but couldn't!) At this point, we caught sight of more cairns and were able to follow them safely down. Justin helped me so much during all this!

Waterhouse Lake sneaks up on you... once the granite starts leveling out, the stream leads you to it, but you don't see it until you are right up on it. It had several granite slabs that were smooth enough for resting on after out short but strenuous hike. There was a lone duck splashing around in the water that kept us entertained while we rested and ate lunch. We hung out for an hour and a half, but left around 1:30 pm because I might have been a little worried about getting my leg cleaned, and the family who was trying to fish had a few boys with them and we could hear them across the lake. It was a Saturday, so I shouldn't complain of course, but I still like my peace and quiet.

We trekked back to the top in about 45 minutes, and it was much easier than going down because of our rough start. Then back to the trail head through alpine terrain and summer meadows again! It was a good day though- love being out in God's creation with my husband.

Busy, Busy... Sorta

Things are getting busier, but nothing like last year with classes!

This weekend my church had its 10th anniversary. To celebrate, we had a community breakfast on Saturday morning- pancakes, sausage, and eggs, juice or coffee, and live music to boot! There was also horse rides outside for the kids. Then on Sunday, we had a special service that was really encouraging. It was great to reflect on all God has done for the church, and how He has used the church in the lives of Christians.

I had a little time with the kitten, who we have decided to call Spike. (It's a boy) It's quite playful. We're not letting it in the house too much, but it seems pretty content to stay on the porch. I'm starting to leave the screen door open a bit so it can wander in the yard. It doesn't seem to go far even when we are working outside, so it should be pretty safe. I do worry a little about it wandering, but for now it knows where the food is so I think that it is going to stay close.

What is wrong with me?

Good gracious, I have a kitten!

It all started Tuesday night, Justin and I went running, and this little orange kitty from the neighbor's yard kept following us. We tried to take it back and then sprint off, but it kept coming after us down the road. It was just so I-wanna-hug-it-right-now adorable I kept thinking about it. And not just thinking about it, thinking about keeping it. Apparently it had wandered into their yard randomly. They already have six or more cats running around.

So, we finally got home, yet I still through about this precious kitten. It's true that part of my motivation for running tonight was in hopes of seeing it again. Sure enough, it was there and the neighbors came out and affirmed it still needed a home. Home I took it, and put some scraps of fabric in a basket and set out a dish of milk. It seems pretty happy about it. The poor thing hurt its leg a little bit and is limping some, but it doesn't seem to serious. If the wound doesn't heal up soon I might have to see what can be done. I think it will though.

So here it is... its eye needs cleaned a bit, but it's still really cute.

I really must have a deluge of time without having to go to master's classes each night!!

Strawberry Muffins

Tonight is breakfast-themed for our Wednesday night summer carry-in. I was looking through the fridge to see what I could make... I didn't want to use up all my eggs to make a big casserole, plus I didn't have bread. I supposed I could have done a ham-and-potato dish, but I just thought of that now as I am typing. What I did have that I needed to use was strawberries.

As always, I went to my trusty allrecipes.com and did an advanced search using "breakfast" and strawberries. After browsing a bit, I stumbled upon this recipe for Strawberry Muffins. It was perfect since I just wanted something quick. Though they did come out a little dry, I think it's just because I left them in a bit too long. (I kept sticking them with a toothpick and they didn't come out clean!) Either way, I tested one and it is just fine. I sprinkled sugar on top for a little added touch. MMMM!

(PS. Thanks Crystal for telling me how to use the macro function on the camera)

Zinnias and school

 

I love that a few of my zinnias are coming up and blooming. They are just the perfect cut flower- colorful, long-lasting, and sturdy. Just wonderful.  

In other news, I started teaching again last Wednesday. I am really enjoying my 10th graders- the maturity jump from 8th grade is definitely noticeable. And I don't have a class yet that is on my "bad class" list. They really all are doing well. Now that we're getting into the second week, I'm sure I see a few students who start squirreling around. 

I am definitely missing summer though... sleeping in....time to cook... hiking... sigh. But ya gotta live, right? So ya gotta work. 

In other news, our church is having their big 10 year anniversary celebration. This weekend we went down our street and invited everyone to the big community breakfast that we are putting one. It should be pretty great, with lots of fabulous food. I'm looking forward to it. 

That's about all my updates for now. I will really try to be better this year since I don't have classes in the evenings!

Inspiration Point

On our way home from backpacking, we stopped at Inspiration Point. The trail head is out of Lake Alpine and is just a two mile trip to breathtaking views. It was really great. Here's the pics!

Backpacking trip to Lower Kinney Lake

Our first backpacking trip together was fun... though ridden with mosquitoes!! It was a pretty easy hike- about 2.5 miles in and 2.5 miles out. There's some uphill right at the beginning, but pretty level after that point. While we camped at Lower Kinney Lake, Upper Kinney Lake also has some good campsites.... it's just the mosquitoes were out in full force! We would have been okay if we hadn't run out of bug spray... sigh... at least they stayed out of the tent! For dinner we cooked some tuna helper and finished the whole pot. Justin had a bit of fun getting our cookstove to start since the wind picked up a little bit. Since we hiked in later in the day, we ate and then went to bed early. I like camping, but you never sleep as well as you can. Justin and I both made mental notes to bring an inflatable camping pillow for next time! In the morning, we rose with the sun and hiked back out to the trailhead. A great trip overall for us less-experienced backpackers!

 Upper Kinney Lake

 Self-time picture, oh yea...

 Our little tent

 Raymond's Peak (with the Stars and Stripes on top!)