western skies

I live right next to the Rocky Mountains, and sometimes we get the coolest skies I've ever seen. Last week we had a storm, and there was a bunch of rain going on. As I was driving home, I saw the most beautiful sky with huge, puffy clouds and light shining through. It really looked like God was painting. I took all these pictures on my cell phone (NOT while driving - I pulled over!):

That last one features Pike's Peak. I've decided to take pictures of Pike's Peak every so often, and here's one I took last Sunday on the way to church - the sun was rising behind me as I took the picture.

Sometimes I'm amazed at the beauty of God's creation. Who are we, that God would create all this beautifulness, just for us?

Here's to getting out and enjoying His creation today.
K

fall break

I LOVE fall break! It comes just at the right time, and I surely needed a break this year. For part of break I went up to the mountains. My mom and dad just finished building a cabin up in the Rockies, and the leaves were beautiful! Here are a couple pictures:

South Fork of the Arkansas river:

And here's the cabin - from the side:

And standing in the driveway:

What a break! Beautiful mountains, gorgeous color, relaxing...ahhhhhhhhhhh!
K

more family news

This is my famous uncle:

He's the one on the left.

OK, he's not really famous, but he was on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson this week. I just think this is pretty cool! Uncle Dennis is a drummer, and has been forever. When he was younger he travelled full-time and played for several different bands or singers. Now, he just plays on the weekends around LA where he lives. But, I still think this is cool that he got the chance to play on a nationally televised TV show.

Way to go, Uncle Den!
K

family

This is a family picture from a few weeks ago. It's my Mom and her family (dad, sister, brother-in-law, and 2 nephews) and Mom's brother and his family (aunt and 5 cousins).

One of the reasons this is such a cool picture is that Mom and Uncle's parents passed away several years ago. Grandpa Glen passed away in 2002, and Grandma Annie passed away in 2004. We were very close to Gram and Gramps when we were growing up - always had Christmas there, went to their house about one weekend a month, always was there for at least a week in the summer. Even when I was in college, I went to Gram and Gramps house over the summer and stayed with them.

We hung out.

Like we were friends. Which we were. I don't know many people that have as close a relationship with their grandparents, outside of those that were raised by them.

For the past 15 years, we haven't had much contact with Uncle and Aunt and their kids. They had, until recently, lived in a part of Northern CA that wasn't close to any of the family, so there were occasional calls and letters, but not much regular contact.

Recently, Uncle and Aunt and cousins moved near where we live - about an hour away. My mom was excited to get together with them, and have a restored relationship. So, a couple weeks ago, we did. It really was a fun time. I'm so grateful that we can see them on a more regular basis.

Here's to family.
K

day of my birth

So, today is my birthday. It's been pretty low key, because the family all celebrated last night. We all went out to dinner, then to a game of Putt Putt golf, with my 6 year old nephew learning for the first time that there is scoring in putt putt, and what those scores mean. Needless to say, he did not win. Mommy and Pop Pop tied for the win. Brother-in-law beat me by 1 point. Then the 6 year-old cried when it was time to go home.

After that was dessert at my sister's house, and the opening of presents. My adopted sister sent a present from TX, where she is living now, along with presents for the nephews.

It was such a cool night.

I have no desire to go out and "party" tonight, even though it is my actual birthday today. I realized that hanging out with family, enjoying each other, and getting to spend time together is all I need. I feel like I've had a fairly complete birthday.

But when that new dishwasher is installed, I will enjoy it very much!

K :)

Mozart

Well, this little video makes me smile. Much like the drawing for the I chord.




Hope you enjoyed!
K

the hearse

Last night, as I was driving home, I looked in my rear-view mirror and a hearse was following me. Not the one above, but I couldn't take a picture last night as I was driving and all.

I had the weirdest feeling, because this hearse stayed right with me, all the way until I turned into my driveway. At that point, he kept on going, and I was so relieved that he was going to get someone else.

I just got to thinking that life is kinda like that. Even if we don't think about it all the time, there is a (metaphorical) hearse in our rear-view window. I don't think that death is imminent, or coming to get us at any moment, but shouldn't we live with the end of our life in mind?

When that hearse comes to pick you up, will you have done everything you wanted to do? What will your friends and family say about you? Will you have any regrets? You never know when that hearse will actually show up, and I want to have been happy with my life up to that point.

I'm just sayin'...
K

broken

This is my toe.




Pleas excuse the morbid close-up. I took this with my camera phone, while balancing on one foot. Trying desperately, I might add, to not fall and hit my broken toe.

This week at school, the broken toe has been a huge asset. I usually am standing all day, or singing with my kids while dancing around, but never resting. But, enter the toe.
Because on Monday it was hugely swollen and totally black and blue, our school nurse made me sit and put ice on aforementioned toe. This has been great because I've spent most of the week sitting in front of my class, with my foot elevated on a bar stool.

Besides, my kids think it's cool. They ask every day if it's still purple, and if it still hurts me.

Still a little purple, but doesn't hurt unless I bump it.

...

Really, the broken toe got me thinking yesterday. I am a klutz, and have had several broken bones in my life. Several casts, splints, braces, and taped up toes. My friend Cathy said last weekend that she has never had a broken bone. I really was stunned at that, just because I have had so many.

But the main gist of my recent thinking is that we are all broken. Eventually my toe will heal, and I won't even feel it anymore. One of my students is in a boot; she will heal up, be out of the boot, and be all fine at some point. But regardless of your broken-bone history, everybody is broken. We all have baggage. We all have hurts in our lives that affect us every day.
Even Cathy of the "never-broken-a-bone" fame.

Our brokenness affects everyday life, jobs, relationships, the way you treat the person ringing up your groceries.

Even though we are all made up of basically the same stuff, our baggage and our brokenness has a great deal to do with how we live our lives.

I am SO grateful that Jesus was broken so I have a way out of brokenness.

I am SO grateful that because He loves me, I can be whole. Regardless of the toe.

K

scars

Since it is summer (no school), I've been reading a lot. I think the total since we got out at the end of May is 27 books. I have two going right now, so does that make a weird non-whole number? Like 28.3298714?

Anyway, I was reading a book the other day, and part of the plot involved the main character talking about a scar they had.

This got me to thinking about scars.

Also got me thinking about my scars. And where they came from.

I have a scar on my left pointer-finger, where I was playing "Yan Can Cook" with a meat cleaver cutting carrots. Ended with a scar, but I kept my finger.

I have a strange scar on the inside of my right foot where I was pushed into a sprinkler head. It ripped open my foot and when it "healed", the nerves were still rearranged so I couldn't swim all that summer. The water flowing over that place gave me the willies and I had to get OUT OF THE POOL. NOW!

Those are the major ones, but there are minor ones too, like the last knuckle on the right pointer finger. It is shaped funny because once when I was catching in a softball game, Dana Baldwin was pitching and I had to do a throw-down to second. I was a little nervous about getting that throw-down in time to get the runner out so I ended up with my right hand in the glove a split-second before the ball. It totally crushed my right index finger. It took me a year to grow a "normal" fingernail on that finger, and you can still tell today that my 2 fingernails and last knuckles look different.

I also have a couple tattoos, which I consider scars too. They are part of my life, and I guess if you look at them in the medical sense, they are scars with ink in them.

Here's the deal with my scars:

I would not give up one of them, no matter how small or how major they are. Every scar on my body comes from my life, and I love my life. Every scar or experience has taught me something, and every scar has made me the person I am today.

I don't want to be flawless or without scars, because that would mean I didn't live MY life. Every scar is a memory. Every scar is a reminder of the life I've lived and the experiences I've had.

Here's to claiming all of your scars.
K

my fortune

I got Chinese food for dinner last night.

Nothing weird about that - there's an Asian restaurant near my house that makes Chinese and Vietnamese food, and I wanted to try it. It was good, even though I got the same thing I always get. Dialogue in my head, while standing at the counter, looking at the menu:

"I really should try something different."

"Ooooh, that looks good."

"THAT looks really good."

"Maybe I should try the Pho - I've heard that's tasty."

"Well, I can't decide, so I guess I'll get the same thing as always."

...

It's sad. Really sad.



Anyway, I'm a little off topic.
Last night, after finishing dinner, I opened the fortune cookie. My fortune said..."Practice an attitude of gratitude."

Now I think this is a really weird fortune, but I think it is fabulous advice.

I'm going to take it to heart. I'm not sure how well I will practice an attitude of gratitude next week when I have to go back to school, but I am going to try. I'm going to put this little fortune on my desk as a reminder that I should be grateful for all the wonderful things in my life.

This is one fortune that will have an impact on my life.
K