Wide Open Air

Order

2012-01-23T09:15:00.001-06:00

I’ve been saying this about myself for years, but never so poetically…I like how this describes one of my leading issues.

Nostalgia

2011-12-19T06:59:00.001-06:00

It's been two years since we were here...I miss this kind of Christmas...

Happy Holidays Ethiopia!

might have to make some of this...

Last Chance Fall Hike at Devil's Head

2011-10-25T15:23:00.002-05:00

My favorite fall hike in Colorado (thanks to Amanda).

Five fabulous bovine

2011-10-22T17:02:00.001-05:00

***I stand corrected: Since mule deer have antlers, not horns, they are considered cervine, not bovine like their antelope cousins.**** (admit it, some of you really wanted to know that)

No doubt that the bucks in these pictures won't be as friendly in the coming month, but they have been running around our neighborhood together for the last six months and are always a sight to behold... I love my life!

What's Thanksgiving?

2011-10-20T15:01:00.002-05:00

Listening to my kids' conversation regarding Thanksgiving...I wish I'd grabbed the video:

Will - "What's Thanksgiving?

Lilly - "Thanksgiving is a special day when people get together and you eat really yummy food like they make pie and cook chicken and rolls, like bread rolls, and some people bring potatoes and you put gravy on them, gravy makes them taste really good, and they might bring cookies or whatever they want like maybe sweet potatoes with marshmallows and there are special drinks and they might invite other friends who have a baby and then they all come too...and it's usually at our house."

...yeah, something like that :-)

Lilly - "Will, do you know what my favorite special day is? My most favorite is Christmas, and then Thanksgiving, and Easter, and Valentines, and Halloween, and well, I guess I like them all, but my most favorite special day of all has to be Valentine's."

Thomas' First Soccer Practice

2011-09-08T00:18:00.000-05:00

2011-08-12T11:16:00.001-05:00

Via: Medical Billing And Coding

Seasons

2011-07-01T01:49:00.000-05:00

For Good

I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason

Bringing something we must learn and we are led to those Who help us most to grow if we let them And we help them in return Now I don't know if I believe that's true But I know I'm who I am today because I knew you... Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes the sun Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood Who can say if I've been changed for the better But because I knew you, I have been changed for good

It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime
So let me say before we part So much of me is what I have learned from you You'll be with me, like a handprint on my heart Now whatever way our stories may end I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend... Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea Like a seed dropped by a skybird in a distant wood Who can say if I've been changed for the better But because I knew you, I have been changed for good

-Wicked, For Good lyrics

Grace for the Gray

2011-06-02T23:56:00.000-05:00

alternately titled Making the Food Behave

It must have been a decade ago….seems like last week…that my friend and I were sitting in her apartment discussing the idea of gluttony, particularly in regard to food. I can’t say if we read it somewhere or if we were just geniuses in our own right…I do recall we were reading about a program called Weigh Down, but regardless…we were aiding each other in owning the truth that you can’t “Make the Food Behave.”

Westerners, it seems, have this idea that as long as we remove the calories, eat non-food chemicals, and strip the fats from foods replacing them with sugar, or worse yet, artificial sweeteners and fillers (whatever those are ???), that somehow our bodies will shed pounds and snap into shape all while we indulge as much as we’d like…and it’s not the truth. Plain and simple, you cannot make the food behave…that’s our job, so to speak…it’s called moderation.

Still open to learning, I’ve come to believe if you give your body exactly what it needs and nourish it (and I don't always), a moderate amount of most things will not cause harm. The injury comes when we have a set of external ‘rules’ we try to apply in order to combat an internal problem. Do you follow?

So it occurs to me today, while making my bed of all things, that the most recent years of my life have been overshadowed by people who, for one reason or another, have challenged my beliefs, my paradigms, my existence…and it hits me…the very thing I KNOW I am supposed to be learning and applying is that you can’t "make the people behave.” The complexity and diversity of mankind and the historical dealings of the Creator with his creation demand that there be grace for the gray areas; that there are and will always be people, circumstances, lives and stories that I do not, will not and cannot control, orchestrate, moderate or subdue. I simply don’t have the understanding….what I understand, in very small part, is me … and that’s about it.

The stories of the people that cross my path are not my story…and to try to make them so is a form of gluttony. As C.S. Lewis penned through the voice of Aslan in The Horse and His Boy, (my favorite of the Narnia tales), “That is not your story. Gathering all the unique lives that cross my path to fit them onto my plate of relevance and understanding doesn’t work any better than shoveling non-food items onto my plate in order to feel better about my indulgence. It doesn’t satisfy…at the end, there’s a bloated, nutrient-stripped soul wondering what went wrong.

I am not called to change anyone….or even to understand or explain them. God asks me to love him and love others as myself…that’s pretty much the sum of it. I don’t get to ‘fill-up’ on people that make me feel better about my own way of life. I get to rub up against people who feel a lot like eating beets to me (if you know me, that’s a sacrifice). Hearing them, seeing them, loving them is a lot like a trip to the salad bar some days….maybe not my first choice, but I’m better for it. Living life among other messy lives…because mine is certainly messy…is UNCOMFORTABLE…but necessary to effect change in me. I am healthier, more dynamic, vibrant and relevant when I choose to love rather than to fix.

It’s tough…most days, I’d rather grab the nearest clone and hunker down…but at the end, I’m left malnourished and weak. Whether I’m trying to understand the lives of the impoverished, the wealthy, the addicted, the abused, it’s all a lot like choosing nutrient-dense foods over my sugar-free frenzy…it’s more effort, more preparation, more forethought…it’s also more satisfying. In a gluttonous season, I can collect a whole pantry of friends and acquaintances who are stroking the ego of all the idols I’ve erected and making me feel that the “people are behaving” and “look how good life is”…but it isn’t real. What I need are authentic lives sharpening my life and making me think and feel and grow. I need grace for the gray. The people, like the food, won’t behave…that’s my job…

“Treat others just as you want to be treated.” --Luke 6:31

Its about the body

2011-03-03T17:07:00.001-06:00

"Christianity is essentially a social religion and that to turn it into a solitary religion is indeed to destroy it." John Wesley

…and Wendi turned…

2011-02-20T15:42:00.001-06:00

ha! we’re not all about the numbers now are we?

well, thanks to my fabulous four kids, my remarkable man and some sweet neighbor-friends, I had a fantastic surprise celebration that was scrumptious to boot.

first, I woke up to this: the kids had taken their valentine balloons and flowers, decorated the table, made breakfast and assembled a gift (something of mine that they swiped) and made a card.

yes, those are carrots (with some cinnamon love sprinkled on top) and the terrifically burnt cheese eggs that I choked down with a smile

after a little schooling, we went for a hike on Barr trail, which was far too windy to feel safe, so we opted for an early lunch of GF pizza at Hell’s Kitchen in Manitou Springs mmmmmmm……

Sam surprised me with a sitter and dinner out…and friends showing up to say ‘hey!’…to use one of my favorite coined terms, the meal was yumiferous! and we made it into family style (of course…is there any other way??)

we also decided when the server brought out the leftovers that his handwriting was a font!

Sam ordered this scrumptious custom gluten-free coconut cake by Tasha from our church

…although everyone was fighting over this tiny nugget sweetness instead…

in the end, we all settled for some birthday cake…

and a smidge of this yummy complimentary kahlua ice cream.

finis!

All of Grace

2011-02-17T23:26:00.001-06:00

I’ve been trying to listen to Spurgeon’s All of Grace in my spare moments. Though the recording is a bit dry, I caught this nugget of truth:

“He comes not because we are just but to make us so.”

-Charles Spurgeon, All of Grace

What Do You Love?

2011-02-14T13:50:00.001-06:00

From my friends at the Adventure Project

“What do you love about being a handpump mechanic?” I asked.

We were sitting cross-legged on the floor of a bare office, each knee gently kissing our neighbor’s. A few of the men started the conversation, with each taking turns before passing to the person on their right.

“I have learned new job skills.”

“I’m earning more money.”

“Here, we have the proper tools to get the job done.”

“I like helping people,” said another.

As the procession of answers finally landed on Shelia, she uttered an unexpected and amazing response: “Because I am a mechanic, I fell in love.”

“WHAT?!” Screamed twenty mechanics (and two Americans) simultaneously.

“Because I am a mechanic, I fell in love,” Shelia repeated with a smile. “Years ago I learned how to fix a handpump, so I traveled to the next village to fix theirs. A man in that village saw me working and thought, ‘Look at that woman!’ He had never seen a woman fix a handpump before. He was impressed. So I did not have an arranged marriage. I had a love marriage.”

I watched Shelia’s face glow and cheeks blush as she recalled the memory.

Sadly, Shelia is now widowed, but it was her job that saved her. She was able to raise their son as a single mother and could afford to send him to school. He now has a good job and a family of his own.

..........

The Adventure Project is excited to keep hearts pounding and water pumping this Valentine’s Day. Shelia and her team have fixed 304 wells in only two years. We want to help her fix the 4,000 that are broken in her district. Share this story and make a donation. Every $20 will help to expand the mechanic training program – bringing clean water to three more people in need.

To learn more go to: www.theadventureproject.org

Love,

The Adventure Project

Our mailing address is:
The Adventure Project
320 7th Ave #194
Brooklyn, NY 11215

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Copyright (C) 2011 The Adventure Project All rights reserved.

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Coming out of Hibernation

2011-02-13T12:41:00.001-06:00

It's 60 degrees again, so we're taking a temporary reprieve from hibernation to do some of this:

and Lilly turned 6

2011-02-04T14:18:00.000-06:00

...in January ...

Will turned 4

2011-02-03T21:46:00.001-06:00

…in October…yes, I’m behind

and no making fun of one of the ugliest cakes ever…it was yummy

the gifts were from grandparents…Will gave up his friend gifts and instead asked for money for Haiti’s Medika Mamba program – a peanut butter based malnutrition solution through Meds and Foods for Kids, which is grown, produced, packaged and distributed all within Haiti. He raised $65 to send.

masks

2011-02-02T23:20:00.001-06:00

Love this little quote I found lurking on a greeting card.

Madeline

2011-02-02T14:20:00.000-06:00

I have a child that is naturally gifted in memorizing everything from shopping lists to novels, and so when Mr. Andy asked her to recite a poem for Christmas Eve service this year, she was so eager. I literally handed her a copy of the poem and she memorized it by herself. Sam and I helped her with enunciation and inflection but she did the rest all by herself.

Ironically, the night of the performance, she was NOT ready, at least nerve-wise, but ready or not she pulled through for two services and melted hearts, including Mr. Andy’s who had quite an offer for her.

Poem

2011-02-01T15:13:00.001-06:00

…not an original by me, but someone named Cassie Powell from here in CO. I read her poem in the doctor’s office and rather liked it:

She Started Going Crazy in Alphabetical Order

She started going crazy in alphabetical order.
First went the apples.
She couldn’t see them as they were.
Misinterpreting fruit became a pastime.
She thought up scientific names to relate.
For art and the strangeness that gradually
became the commonplace. Magnetism.
By the time she got to g, gravity had ceased to be.
And when she got to m, medicine and mallets, metal
and math, mints and molars, mind games and
merry-go-rounds and rounds and round and round,
And oh! The magnolias…they all melted away.
And as she got to s, the self slipped into something else.
And it seemed to send her sideways most days,
and sometimes the whoosh of the wind
would carry her to w.
Where she would wallow over wind chimes, winter
white and Walt Whitman.
And if then she’d find herself at xyz,
she'd find herself to be
without xylophones or yellow zinnias.
And most of all, without you.
When you ceased to be, she was quickly brought back to reality.
For what’s the good in going crazy, if I can’t take you with me?

Cassia Powell writes to be heard.

All Dressed Up

2011-01-31T16:43:00.000-06:00

The kids got new dress outfits this winter for a combination use of Uncle Chris' wedding and Christmas Eve service at church. They even paused for a brief moment so I could capture them still clean.

paradox

2011-01-31T16:14:00.001-06:00

"So I am praying while not knowing how to pray. I am resting while feeling restless, at peace while tempted, safe while still anxious, surrounded by a cloud of light while still in darkness, in love while still doubting." (Henri Nouwen, from The Road to Daybreak)

teetering

2011-01-31T00:07:00.003-06:00

from Dr. Robert Coles, via Philip Yancey

"I have known human beings who, in the face of unbearable daily stress, respond with resilience, even nobility. And I have known others who live in a comfortable, even luxurious environment and yet seem utterly lost. We have both sides in all of us,...both hope and doom, the possibility and the betrayal...sometimes the favorite becomes fatally tempted and sometimes the lowly and obscure one becomes an agent of hope if not salvation. I believe those stories are a part of each one of us. We walk a tightrope, teetering between gloom, or the loss of faith on the one hand, and a temptation toward self-importance and self-congratulation on the other. Both extremes..."

The AdVenture Project: Give Coal for Christmas

2010-11-23T21:38:00.001-06:00

ABOUT THE ADVENTURE PROJECT:

1. The Adventure Project is a new non-profit on a journey to eliminate poverty through supporting the world's greatest social ventures.
2. Every quarter, we will feature a new life-saving social enterprise. Each project serves two purposes: it saves lives, and creates jobs.
3. It is driven by a committed, grassroots group of poverty-fighters from around the world, The Tribe. (others can join on the website)
4. We are redefining the way people give. From what "feels good" to what "does good." Allowing and empowering the poor the ability to lift themselves out of poverty.

THE COAL PROJECT
Our first project this quarter supports the charcoal-efficient stove program in Haiti.
Everyday 3 billion people worldwide are exposed to toxic smoke while preparing meals. Cooking on traditional stoves and open fires causes 1.9 million deaths every year. Especially children...who often lay tied to their mother's backs for hours each day as she cooks. In fact, acute respiratory infection is the number one killer of childrenunder 5 in developing nations.
Traditional stoves and open fire cooking also increase deforestation and contribute to economic burden. Each year a family in the developing world uses 15 trees worth of firewood and charcoal. And in Haiti right now, families spend up 40% of their income on charcoal for cooking.
The solution is a locally made charcoal-efficient stove. The stove cuts the amount of charcoal needed in half, drastically reducing smoke emissions. It cooks food faster and at a higher temperature. Saving time and 20% of a families income and six tress per year.
Our short term goal is to help our local partner in Haiti be able to distribute an additional 2,000 stoves which will help 10,000 people this holiday. To do so, we need to put 2,000 lumps of coal in peoples stockings.
Our long term goal is to help our partner set up a stove production factory in Haiti so the stoves can be produced locally. Part of the money raised will go toward helping to set up the factory and train the workers. The design, production, testing, distribution and sale of the stoves will all be done locally...providing jobs and spurring economic growth.
And that is why we are so excited about The Coal Project. It is a venture that saves lives...but it also creates jobs.

Venturing Off

2010-11-22T22:12:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is the big day….I may never return. Wanna come along? Stay tuned for a great adventure!

Time for a Repeat

2010-11-21T21:09:00.001-06:00

posted this awhile back…needed to read it again today:

Here it is from The Quest for Character by Charles Swindoll

A Psalm of Singlemindedness by Joe Bayly
Lord of reality
make me real
not plastic
synthetic
pretend phony
an actor playing out his part
hypocrite.
I don't want
to keep a prayer list
but to pray
nor agonize to find Your will
but to obey
what I already know
to argue
theories of inspiration
but submit to Your Word.
I don't want
to explain the difference
between eros and philos
and agape
but to love.
I don't want
to sing as if I mean it
I want to mean it.
I don't want
to tell it like it is
but to be it
like you want it.
I don't want
to think another needs me
but I need him
else I'm not complete.
I don't want
to tell others how to do it
but to do it
to have to be always right
but to admit it when I'm wrong.
I don't want to be a census taker
but an obstetrician
nor an involved person, a professional
but a friend
I don't want to be insensitive
but to hurt where other people hurt
nor to say I know how you feel
but to say God knows
and I'll try
if you'll be patient with me
and meanwhile I'll be quiet.
I don't want to scorn the cliches of others
but to mean everything I say
including this.