Trekking with Me

Am I really on the other side?  The air is fresher, my legs ache less, my arms freer, and my mind more clear.  The gravel crunches under me as I trod along, my feet moving in their unique, steady stride, even the ground is less resistant.  My hands grip the straps which come over my shoulders holding my now lighter pack.   My backdrop is painted with ominous clouds dancing in the sky.  Far-off drums the storm, the shouts therein fading.  Tossing a gaze behind, I gasp: the colors of deep purples, maroons, grays, oranges and pinks plum, mysterious with beauty and treasure.   Filled with wonder, I turn my gaze.  I'm thankful to see the bright sky ahead.  Remaining drops of rain wiggle and fall away with each new step.  In my pocket a few small stones roll about, smooth and rough; my thumb and fore-fingers feel for them. Each from my not-so favorite places, albeit significant.  Have I really come through, to this new place? ...

I snapped this this past week as I was sitting in traffic downtown.  I think it may have been on Thursday, the first day of Spring.  I had my sunroof open, soaking in the wonderful warm weather, blue skies and new season.  I did not mind the 5:00 traffic jam as it let me appreciate the earliest of blossoms on these trees.  I shot this through my sunroof.... straight up into the sky.  

It's about time for a Golden List.  If you do a "golden list" search on my site, you will see it is a often repeated theme.  Since today is the 14th, I will share 14 things I am thankful for: 1.  Progress, even though small, in the daily challenge of teaching. 2.  Vitamin D: a simple solution to a long time fatigue problem. 3.  Mashed potatoes: my mouth has been sore, my tummy hungry - soft, yummy potatoes hit the spot. 4.  Sight! Having a foggy, fuzzy right eye for over three weeks makes me exceptionally grateful for clear vision.... it's 95% clear now. 5.  A spontaneous concert: Stephen Curtis Chapman, Laura Story and Jason Gray! 6.  My students 7.  Jim Brickman Pandora Station: so soothing... 8.  My parents surprise visit: they blessed me by cleaning my yard, house... and cooking. 9.  Beauty I catch in photos... 10.  New Friends: I work with some neat people whom have made me feel very welcome. 1...

Good Morning! June flew by like a tornado in my neck of the woods, and it seems July is doing about the same.  Though here in South Carolina, it's more like a flood with all the rain dumping on us!  I am glad I don't have to worry with building an ark! With the exhilaration of a new job, the summer weeks have opened up for me to do a few little projects around my house.  So far, with the sweet helping hands of a few friends, two rooms have been painted and my kitchen is finally getting some attention!  Here are a few pictures: This is my "little Miss Sunshine" room.  As the yellow paint dried, it's glow grew brighter and brighter.  I may have to provide a sleep mask for any future guest and/or housemate! ;-) The other room is not ready for posting yet... though it is a nice soft (very soft) blue! The Kitchen:  As you can see, I have begun stripping the cabinet's!  I have been wanting to do this since moving in five years ago.  I s...

Hello To those who read my blog!  It's been a few weeks since I returned from Costa Rica.  A new season has begun and I am getting my footing.  No longer a student, I am back to work (substituting) Monday through Friday, embracing what God has for me each day. My new normal is very nice so far.  I like the freedom, flexibility, and variety I have in my schedule.   I have a new appreciation for everything, odd, and random, such as: The order we have in our society.  If you have traveled overseas, you will understand this appreciation. Groupons!  I just returned from a two-hour kayak excursion from a groupon I purchased earlier in the summer.  It was great fun which I enjoyed with my friend, Shayna.  She works with the Navigators and I like her very much. This is her chowing down on her juicy peach for lunch on the water :-) We had a very deep conversation about our favorite fruits, and I most decidedly came to the conclusion that peac...

Woke to a beautiful Spring morning, curled under a refreshing coolness blanketing a soft wet dewy dawn; I relished in the moment, rejoicing in the treat of having my windows open and it being cool enough to need my heavy comforter to keep me warm.  Ah, Spring in South Carolina! It's simply delicious with beauty for all the senses! As I stirred, not wanting to miss the wonder of the morning hours, it dawned on me it was Good Friday. Sad, sober day: I put myself in the shoes of Jesus' disciples... what a night they had had.  And Now Jesus was in the hands of the authorities, on His way to the Cross.  I am sure they were a mess of panic, of disbelief, maybe a tinge of hope that something awesome would happen and He would show the same power that had quieted the demon-possessed, raised Lazarus from the dead... maybe He would call down a host of Angels and bring in the Kingdom... maybe? But it did not go down like that in the Garden, in fact they had witnessed Jesus in an od...

With an estimated 44,000 people registered for the Cooper River Bridge 10K Run, Charleston was packed with people.  I guess I did not realize it was such a big deal,  I was amazed at the numbers of people!  You could feel the swell of excitement!  Races are so fun!  We left our boat at 5:25AM to get into the shuttle lines by 6AM.  After some sort of stall with the start of the race -- it should have started at 8, they did not blow the whistle until 8:30.  My Group (wave) and I crossed the START LINE at 9:36AM!   This Bridge is GI-Normous! Those cables are like the size of a good thick tree trunk.  Almost at the TOP of the bridge!! I ran most of the race, which was good for me.  I am not the runner I once was a few years ago, so I was proud of my time (1:21:46), I ran about 75%... it was GREAT! After the race, it was time to sail!  My first time on "the big waters" - we stayed mostly in the harbor area as we did not have ...

At this very moment, I am reclining on my bed, in the middle of the day, the sun is shining in my open window, a breeze is flowing through the house, as Pepper is all sprawled out and snoring under the natural light.  I hear birds singing in the trees... a delicious quiet stillness envelopes my house, my room... Sometimes, we just need to listen to the cry of our hearts... the little child inside of us... and allow them to tell us what to do. Reading homework on the swing in the back yard... Getting a soft-serve ice cream cone at McDonalds, eat it as slow as you possibly can with the sunroof open... letting the wind be your orchestra. Drinking a chai... savoring it's warm spicy calming complexities, as you walk through Lowes shopping with your favorite person. Enjoying a warm affectionate hug with your sweetie... in the middle of the pasta section at Publix... just because. Play... laugh, sing and dance. Matthew 18:3  Jesus said, "What I'm about to tell you...

These are starting to pop out all over now... I have a tree in my backyard,  I think it is a late bloomer as the ones surrounding my house are all opened up, but my tree is kind of on the shy side.  Do you like the bug action on that one petal? These are some of my absolute favorites.  Wisteria: it is growing wild in the woods close to my road.   It not only is beautiful but it smells wonderful!! I picked some and put them on my kitchen window sill. Are they not just lovely??? The look too perfect... What an amazing God we have, who created such things!!!

I am practicing with my camera and my photo skills... thanks to  The Pioneer Woman's Photography tips , my confidence is growing.  My camera and I are still more or less new friends but I like what I was able to do this morning!! This one REALLY surprised me! I could not see my camera screen very well so i clicked a few shots of this at differing angles... and this ONE came out magnificent!!  Waaa-laaa! The yellow in this truly captures the LIGHT of the sun.  This is pretty fun!! This is one of the many azalea plants in my yard: they are about to BURST :-) I have several differing colors to - from magenta, to light pink to white...  I love Spring in Columbia!! I tried capturing some wisteria - which is one of my favorites but they are not quite out yet, a few early blossoms are trying to get a head start but I will wait a few days to capture some of those beauties.  can't wait to share! Happy Spring!!

O ne of the many blessings of living here, and even one of the blessings of winter (winter means the snakes are hiding deep, and I can SEE clearly through the woods) is that I live on the edge of a "100 acre wood" area.  I don't really know if it is exactly  100 acres, but it is a beautiful untouched wooded area that makes me feel like I am stepping over into a deep dark forest, miles away from civilization... and let Sasha romp and run crazy.  There really isn't anything as pleasing to my heart than to escape into God's gloriously beautiful creation for a walk, hike, trek... you know what I mean.  So, though I quite literally live in a "hood".... in about 20 steps I can step over into a magical 100 acre wood!   These are a few snapshots I took with my camera phone this morning... I think it is pretty cool how my camera caught the sunbeams... Sasha loves loves loves our 100 acre wood... I found a new road this morning... I  love these ...