Protected: My 2 Best Remedies
The book debate
I’ve noticed lately, that many people feel the need to ardently declare their love for books. You know, the paper and binding kind of books. The fact that I had to clarify that tells you why this is becoming more of a conversation topic.
Now that eBooks, Kindle and Google Books are making oak paneled home libraries a thing of the past, I wonder if we need a Dummies Guide to Reading a Book.
The book has been around for centuries, but if you think about it, there was a time when even the book as we know it was replacing the classic scroll. Adapting to change may have even required some extra instruction from a helpdesk.
Although I love and utilize a lot of technology, nothing can replace the enjoyment of cracking open a newly purchased spine to read.
Thankfully Tim Challies was kind enough to give us his treatise 5 Reasons Books Are Better Than E-Books. If you happen to fall on the other side of the debate, he also wrote 5 Reasons E-Books Are Better Than Books (but he had to really force himself to do so.)
I suppose in the end, it doesn’t matter how you read as much as if you read. Around here, we’re reading the old fashioned way and loving it. Seeing my daughter make the floor of Borders her own personal family room for 30 minutes was proof enough for this bibliophile.
Protected: Summer Smiles
September
Tomorrow is September! This is the month I get another year older for better or worse. Like most years, I will probably have to make my own cake; but as long as I get to eat most of it, I’m really okay with that.
It seems unbelievable to me that September is already here. I feel like summer was just a flash of a moment this year but filled with so many great memories… many I have yet to even record in this digital journal.
For me, the new year begins on September 1st. The new school year and transition from vacation back to “real life” marks a time of new beginnings in my mind. I like to look ahead to the year and make plans and envision what might be accomplished. We have a whole school year ahead of us. I know there will be days of failure and days of success. I only hope the latter outnumbers the former.
Today we took the day off of school. I spent most of the day sitting under a tree with one of my best friends while our children played in a sandy park. It was bliss. I have been looking for every excuse to get outside recently and this was by far the best one of all.
But when it was time to say goodbye, the reality struck that this will be the last summer I get to spend in Colorado. Today may have even been the last long lazy day of summer. Because I know that all too soon there will be snow to shovel. (If you recall, our first snowfall was on Sept 21 last year!) And I also know that when the snow melts, June 1st will be knocking on my front door letting me know the movers are waiting to turn my world upside down yet again.
But that is still 9 months away.
So for now, I’m going to find a birthday treat to bake for myself and look forward to every moment I get to spend with my friends here, especially when we get to spend them together outside on a perfect day.
Protected: Clotheslined
Meant to Be
It’s coming! The new Veggie Tales video “It’s a Meaningful Life” will be released this fall, but right now you can get a preview and hear the new Steven Curtis Chapman song Meant to Be.
If you get choked up watching adoption videos, then look out! Grab the tissues because this video is FULL of them! There is even a clip of my friends the Cuozzos holding their sweet Lydia for the first time! I’m going to take a wild guess that these are all Show Hope families. Yeah!
Protected: project 365 : week 34
Protected: First Impressions of 1st Grade
Wordless Wednesday
Yosemite {Vernal Falls}
The waterfalls of Yosemite make the park one of the most beautiful in the nation. The steep valley walls and spring runoff bring delight to park visitors in June but this year many were still full the second week of July!
Vernal Falls is one of our favorites. The first time my husband took me to Yosemite, it was February and we could only hike up half of the trail and catch a glimpse. This time we all made it to the top.
LeighAnna climbed to the top with Daddy during Lydia’s nap time which meant I missed out on seeing her climb this railing at the top of the falls. Probably best since hearing about it was enough to cause me to panic.
She flew up the trail which becomes a slick granite stairmaster. After hearing her describe the hike, including the “cave” and the rattlesnake, I wanted to hike Vernal Falls too but without the snake of course.
So on our last day… which also happened to be LeighAnna’s birthday…my husband and I rose before dawn and set off into the wilderness. Both our kids were sound asleep in the tent and left in the care of grandparents.
It was wonderful to get to hike with my husband… just the two of us. We spent so many of our first 10 years of marriage hiking.
The trail was empty since we were up so early. The sun was only touching the very tops of the valley walls when we began. The mist on the rocks made the trail look like something out of Middle Earth.
After climbing what felt like the stairway to heaven, we reached the Kodak spot halfway up. I’m not sure if the Creator or the Army Core of Engineers made this spot along the trail, but it was breathtaking. I told my husband it felt like Last of the Mohicans… except we weren’t being chased by any soldiers.
We celebrated reaching the top with our granola bars and water. We eat quite basically when in the outdoors. But we couldn’t stay long since we needed to get back to break camp and drive to Utah by nightfall.
On the way down, the sun finally came over the top of the falls into this little valley. It made the mist and the lush foliage around the waterfalls almost fairy like. There was even a rainbow. Just one of the benefits of going at sunrise.
(Left: looking up the valley; Right: Looking down the valley)
If you go to Yosemite, hike this trail as early as you can. It gets VERY busy later in the day and the hordes of people on the stairs kind of ruin the magic of the scenery. Also prepare to get wet… quite wet… on the upper half of the trail. Don’t worry, you will be sweating so much on the stairs you will be thankful for the mist.
Protected: project 365 : week 33
Protected: Yosemite {Junior Ranger}
One handed
I have so much I want to type about this week, unfortunately I had a little accident last night and am down to one hand. I was making a delicious recipe (that we sampled this summer while visiting the Dings). As I was chopping up the last of the green onions, I sliced my finger. I’ll spare you the gory details, but say it was a good slice. The kind that made me totally and completely freak out, scream for help and cause my children to panic. There’s a reason I don’t work in the medical field, specifically the ER.
So typing isn’t much fun now with one hand. Neither is dishes or showering or anything else because frankly this really hurts. Thankfully my trackpad requires only one hand! So later today I’ll begin my digest of Yosemite photos and then I’ll go buy some ice cream. That always makes me feel better.
Bubbles on the Beach
Have you seen this?!
