Monday, May 29, 2006

Dirt & Dirt Bikes

Dirt Bike Riding... that's what we did yesterday! Nope, this pic isn't of me (pic not posted here)... I only wish I were that daring on a bike! I'm still, what I would call, in the beginner's category of riding. I love going fast on an open road and will open the bike up into 5th gear on a straight-away, but there's something a bit scary about taking hills and catching air that keeps me in the "safety first" zone -- and I'll be the first to tell ya that "safety first" is not usually my motto!

I don't know why it is but the fear of falling and gashing open my arm or breaking a leg keeps me from going all crazy-wild on the bike. It's the one thing I've done where I can honestly say that the word safe is a constant presence in the forefront of my mind - instead of being the word that is always thrown out the window in the name of all-out-fun!

The only thing I can think of is that God knows if I lost my sense of 'safe' on a dirt bike then I'd be done for -- I'd be the first in our group to have to take a trip to the hospital -- and that's the last place where I want to be. So for now, I will enjoy the speed on the flat road and just suck up the comments from the peanut gallery about how I ride "like a girl". I guess sometimes when you're a girl... it's okay to be a girl!

OOOHHH! I forgot! I did do something a bit out of the girl box.... I finally rode the 2-stroke dirt bike and got to feel what true power is in a bike. Albeit, I wasn't the only one - Bexy and Foxy rode it too! Yeah for girl power! See David... even girls can ride a 2-stroke and get it out of 1st gear!!!!

Friday, May 26, 2006

Fun in the Sun

Yeppers, that is what we had yesterday! A fun-filled, sun-filled day on Lake Mohave. We only went up for the day.... drove up early in the mornin' and came home last night. I have to say we were all pretty wiped out on the drive home from the sunning and funning, but boy, was it worth it!

The weather was gorgeous and the water was perfect. Okay, maybe the water was just a bit chilly when we first jumped in, but after a few seconds of wading around, we didn't want to get out. And since it was the day-before-the-holiday-weekend, there was really no one on the lake - or at least it felt like that.

And the tubing, you ask???? As laughter-filled and wipe-out-filled as I remember from last summer! Teighlor was more daring than last summer... taking more spills and allowing a bit more speed in her rides, and it's only our first trip out for this season. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of my dare-devil spirit come out in her as the summer progresses.

Alec? Well, he rode, but he's still a "safety first" child... he definitely didn't get that from me!!!!!

Coli? She's still the girl who makes me laugh so hard when she rides and probably always will. Her screams of terror (or is that fun?) crack me up, and her faces of terror (or is that fun?) are priceless! Next time we are bringing a camera to capture these moments on film!!! Aside from her eye-bleeding moment (they didn't really bleed, but you'd have to be there to understand)... she provided my laughter for the day. Thanks to Coli and her eye-bleeding moment (there's a silver lining in every cloud) we now have a new "fashion trend" for tubing.... one generated out of necessity for saving the eee-holes... goggles anyone????? Adding the goggles on top of her screams, on top of her faces.... equalled moments of unbridled laughter for me.

Jason? Well, he never rode the tube... some excuse about his rotator cuff, but he did a splendid job in driving the boat for the rest of us. He stayed slow when necessary for those riders who couldn't quite adapt to anything higher than a trolling speed (fishing term) - (does the name Alec come to mind?)... and he stayed on the higher side of medium for those riders who wanted to catch air but still guarantee going home without broken bones (do the names Coli and Teighlor come to mind?)... and then he let it all hang out for those of us who like to throw the word "safe" out the window (oh, that brings this story 'round to ME!).

Me? Thought you'd never ask. I'll start with this... every muscle in my body from my waist up HURTS! Not an I-can't-move type of hurt - just a hurt that reminds me that there are plenty of muscles in my upper body that I have not worked out in too long. But all this day-after-aching is sooooooo worth the fun of yesterday! Each time I get on that tube I think to myself, "Maybe I should slow it down a bit, not take too much risk, not catch as much air as last time... just to be on the safe side." Well, that thought only lasts as long as it takes to get the raft going 'cuz them I'm all about the adrenaline of speed, air, and somersaults across the top of the water... and there was plenty of all three taking place when I was on the tube and Jason was behind the wheel of the boat.

There were moments when I was being whipped along the side boat in a turn where the speed made it almost impossible to hang on (and sometimes I couldn't), and there were moments when the raft would go soaring into the air and leave my stomach below, and then there were moments (after I was thrown from the tube) where I felt like a rock being skipped across the surface of the water. And in all of this I never once took a really bad spill -- Thank You Lord for protecting me during my moments of thrill-seeking adventure!

What a day it was! Fun for everyone! And the icing on the cake was dinner at Harrah's grand buffet - food all around to fill our tummies for the ride home. I have to admit that I ate just a wee-bit too much... but isn't that what buffets are for????

All in all it was a pretty awesome day! One my body will be recovering from for the next few days... but what's fun without a tiny bodily reminder the next day?????

THANK YOU JASON AND COLI FOR HELPING US ADD TO OUR SCRAP BOOK OF FUN-FILLED FAMILY MEMORIES!!!!!!!

Thursday, May 18, 2006

From "Help Me" to "I'll Choose"

"Hallelujah... Hallelujah. Whatever's in front of me, help me to sing Hallelujah.
Hallelujah... Hallelujah. Whatever's in front of me, I'll choose to sing Hallelujah"

From the very first time I heard the chorus of this song, I was moved by the simple, yet poignant, transition in the verb usage from the first line to the second. Bethany Dillon very accurately pens in her lyrics the necessary step in moving from asking for the Lord's help in praising Him for whatever lies ahead, to the Believer making a conscious choice to praise the Lord for all that lies ahead in life.

As Christians we have access to our awesome God 24/7... and He's always faithfully to listen to our prayers and help us. But as we grow in our spiritual maturity and our faith grows deeper, we begin to understand that we have so many choices in life that God can't make for us....

The choice to life joyfully or sorrowfully
The choice to forgive or hold a grudge
The choice to move ahead or fall behind
The choice to live in freedom or stay in bondage
The choice to laugh or cry
The choice to smile or frown
And we also have the choice to Praise the Lord (sing Hallelujah) for whatever God allows and purposes in our lives, or we can blame God and let life defeat us.

What's your choice???????

Saturday, May 6, 2006

Mother's Day

My Mom -- The main reason I celebrate Mother's Day!

Teighlor Elissa -- my beautiful daughter, my 1st gift from God, and my 2nd reason for celebrating Mother's Day!

Alec Michael -- my little boy, my reason for being a baseball mom, and my 3rd reason for celebrating!

In Proverbs 31, God has given us a picture of the type of mother Christian women can become—loving, supportive, generous, and wise in word and deed. Surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit is the key to being transformed as God desires.

Becoming a godly mother begins with the marital relationship. The Lord calls women to demonstrate "noble character," lovingly and generously meeting their husband's needs. The Spirit of God will help believers mature past self-centeredness to the point where a spouse's best interests can have top priority. (Philippians 2:3) For those who parent alone, God will teach this principle in other ways.

The second step involves learning to be consistent in offering forgiveness, acceptance, and agape love. The Lord wants us to parent as He does. He will reveal how to adapt actions and attitudes—as well as schedules—to the maturing ages of the children. He also guides parents in how to lead them toward Christ.

Third, He will provide the skills needed for managing the home. He knows that a positive, godly environment helps families to flourish. As mothers submit to Him, He will train them to be trustworthy, diligent, and disciplined.

Finally, our heavenly Father will provide the compassionate hearts that look beyond one's family to recognize the needs of others and offer help as He directs.

God sees in His own daughters the makings of "majestic" mothers who influence their children for Christ. Place yourself under the Spirit's control so that your family will be blessed with godly leadership. (In Touch Ministries)

Tuesday, May 2, 2006

Writing Psalms

Last Wednesday my BFF got the opportunity to lead the high school youth group. What she did was something that I thought was going to be a difficult assignment for the group (when I originally heard the idea). She handed out a different Psalm for each person to read. Each Psalm was a different type of Psalm, i.e. one of blessing, confession, praise, rescue, protection, etc. The challenge was then to write your own Psalm as the Holy Spirit lead. The Psalm had to be the same type as the one that you read.

I got to choose my own Psalm to read to the group. I chose Psalm 32 because it spoke of purity of heart, which meant that I was to then write a Psalm based on purity. I thought the challenge was going to prove tough for everyone but it ended up being an awesome experience. At the end of the exercise we each took turns reading our Psalm out loud and then the person next to us was given the responsibility of praying for us, for whatever had been revealed in our writing. The idea from Coli ended up being an incredible experience.

I am not choosing to include my personal Psalm so that others can read it and write a glowing comment. I am including it because I want to remember how the Holy Spirit lead me through this process - and what God chose to reveal "to me" and "about me" in this exercise. If you have never tried something like this I would encourage you to take time alone with God and let Him walk you through it. It's not about writing poetry -- it's about the Holy Spirit writing through you.

Oh God, my soul thirsts to know purity.
A purity of heart in every thought and action, as lived out by your son, Jesus Christ.
What human mind can truly understand righteous cleanliness?
Will ever my dependence on you grow so deep that my reach for purity will not seem so far away?
My God, you've stretched out your hand and removed my sin, time and time again.
I long for the day when I will see my life changed in such a way that I no longer feel like I'm starting over again.
My LORD, you've taught me how to live; your Holy Spirit is there to guide each step I take.
Let your ways be burned on my heart that my walk with you will grow stronger each day; and my passion for purity becomes a struggle of my past and a strength of my future.