Wildflowers

Dave and I were in desperate need of a hike.  Being up in the mountains is our sustenance. We both feel so refreshed, renewed, and rejuvenated once we've spent time in nature.  We both are able to hear God's voice clearer without the distractions and business of life.  SO....since we've been traveling every other weekend for my classes, it was time to get recharged up in the hills.  We drove on Saturday about an hour into the foothills of Kings Canyon.  We hiked on a trail that we had actually hiked before while dating.  Along this trail is world-class granite caves that are a blast to explore and go spelunking in.  Since it's spring, the caves were full of raging water from run-off snow melt.  We still took a peak down inside just to see the powerful underground river (mom, don't listen to this part. Yes, we climbed down into a cave full of wild, raging, hypothermia waters....but we're OK!). The weather outside was spectacular! We took the dog to test his hiking abilities and he had the time of his life.  He has become our new trail buddy.  He ran through the wildflowers and explored until he tuckered out right about the time that we did. (You can see Dave taking a nap on the blanket, and Oliver sleeping on the dirt next to him). All in all, it was a gorgeous hike as we took in God's nature.

School, School, and more School

School this semester has kept me quite busy.  I am taking a full load and it's kept me on my toes.  Thank goodness the semester is coming to an end. Only two weeks left and I'm home free!! However, I start my coursework for summer classes the week after.  Thank goodness I enjoy what I'm studying, otherwise I'd be killing myself right about now.  If anyone is interested, I've posted one of my papers on my other blog http://transformingordinary2extraordinary.blogspot.com/ on the prodigal son.

Most days you can find me on the sofa, tea in hand and laptop, well, on my lap.  The dog is usually cuddling up as well which can make it a challenge at time to type =)

Skiing, take two!

Let's try skiing again.  This time our tickets are for the correct day of the week.  Yippee!!  We got up early on Thursday morning and Dave was his eager self getting antsy to get up on the mountain.  We arrived just as the resort opened at 9am, and the parking lot was practically empty!  It was an awesome ski day!  Not many people on the hill, and blue skies for the most part.  It has been a while since I skied last, so Dave and I enjoyed runs down the easier hills.  The pictures of me skiing were taken because Dave was skiing BACKWARDS.  Boy am I glad that guy wears a helmet!

We did runs until about 12:30, broke for lunch, and tackled the hills again.  Dave with his super sonic goggles misread the colored dots on the signs and took me down a difficult hill.  I took a lovely fall, and needless to say, I popped up with the warning that my chiropractor was going to kill him!  I survived, but strained my already damaged knee.  After pushing my knee to its limits, I spent the last hour drinking hot cocoa in the lodge while Dave tackled the double black diamonds.  All in all, it was an AWESOME day, oh, and I forgave Dave for almost killing me on the hill =)

Spring has Sprung

Fresno has a short spring. A VERY short spring. I'm talking a few weeks. Fresno has two seasons, gray skies and summer (and summer is the longest).  But since it's spring, we are SOAKING it up.  Cool mornings and cool evenings followed by sunny afternoons make Fresno, well, tolerable.  In celebration of the wonderful weather, we've been eating dinner every night on the back porch.  Our backyard has a wonderful covered patio, and we've set up the tiki torches from our wedding.  We've really been enjoying the cool breeze and wonderful conversation as we enjoy a beer at sunset. Here's some pictures of our backyard adventures.  Notice our high quality patio furniture - a card table (thanks Justine for the wedding gift), and camping chairs.  Got to love being poor newly-weds! Maybe one day we'll get real patio furniture =)

Honey-do List

So, it's spring break and we have been enjoying the relaxation.  Casual breakfasts, running errands together, walks in the park at night.....ahhhh, it's been wonderful.  Spring break has also been a time to catch up on house projects.

Dave, in his wonderful bachelor ways, decided to take the closet doors off of his closet before we were married because it annoyed him that he had to open a door to access his clothes.  The doors were stored in the garage until the bugs got to them.  So, we have been without closet doors, forced to look at our clothes while laying in bed.  We finally we able to get some new doors, I painted them and they were ready to hang.  Dave, still not excited about having closet doors, installed them yesterday!  Yippee, now I don't have to be embarrassed showing off our room anymore, fearing that guests will see our dirty underwear =)

Skiing? No. Snowshoeing? Kind of. Maybe we'll just take silly photos.

On Sunday, Dave and I were pumped and ready to ski. We try and take advantage of the weekends we are home and get up into the mountains. So, we had 2 lift tickets we had won from his school's silent auction. We packed the bags the night before, I rented skis, we set the alarm, and hit the sack. Dave was overly giddy with excitement (not a big surprise). As the alarm went off the next morning, we sprung out of bed, put on our gear, and were just about ready to walk out the door when Dave walked in the room with the BIGGEST look of disapointment on his face. He held up the ticket we had won that read, "Valid Monday through Friday." We were so bummed. Seeing the sadness on his face, I encouraged him to see if we can't work a deal with the ski resort. We called, and they denied our request. We had our snow gear all packed up and lunches made, why not go snow shoeing?

We set out for Kings Canyon. We both really love Kings Canyon over Yosemite simply due to the lack of crowds. The last time when went up to Yosemite we crossed paths with at least 50 people, not to mention the screaming kids and il-prepared teenagers complaining about wet clothes. Needless to say, it didn't feel like we really, "got away." With our luck, Kings Canyon would be quiet and peaceful - and it was.

We started out on our trek when I quickly became aware that my body wasn't happy I was there. My stomach cramped up and nausea overwhelmed me. It ended up being a VERY short snow shoe adventure, but we redeemed the time by taking some silly photos and enjoying each other's company.

Oh Sierra Summit Ski Resort, we'll be back for you next time!

Homelessness and Isaiah 61:1

This issue of homelessness and poverty has struck me in the last few months throughout my quiet times. It doesn't help that every time I go to the grocery store I hear a rap tap tap on my car window from a homeless person begging for money, or on almost every intersection there are beggars with signs asking for help. Fresno actually has the highest homeless rate in California, and the fourth largest in the nation. This issue has always bothered me, and my heart began to wrestle with God over what my responsibility was regarding this issue. Jesus says in the gospels that the poor will always be with you, but he also encourages the rich man to sell everything he owns to give to the poor. I was still caught in the middle of where or how much do I give? In talking with a local homeless shelter employee, I found out that there are various levels of homelessness, and some actually make quite a good living while begging. Others truly are at their wits ends and have hit hard times. Through the conversation, I also found that there are lots of resources in the city that can help and provide proper aid. I myself could be putting Dave and I in danger if I were to invite someone into our home, but a shelter could provide the assistance I could not. After much prayer and wrestling with God, an idea emerged. This idea, I truly believe, came not from me, but through my prayers by hearing God's voice. I would buy a Costco-sized box of granola bars, print out copies of all the homeless resources in Fresno, rubber band them to the granola bars, and give them out every time I encountered a homeless person. This feels right. I am helping to satisfy a physical need (hunger), while assisting with a deeper need (homelessness). Dave thought it was a brilliant idea as well, so here are some pictures of us preparing the granola bars. Praise God that he helps us wrestle through the issues of daily life such as poverty in our own cities. We don't have to travel around the world to make a difference.