whatever

Road Trip

Just a quick post, going on a road trip tomorrow. Mason and I are packing up and heading to Utah for a visit with my Dad.
I will be doing all the driving, so I hope to stay awake- and enjoy the drive.
I'm looking forward to a good visit with my family.
Post when I get back.
Have a great week.
P.S. Hope Mason packed some good music.

Family Summer Fun

Mason's Fire Training 2006-07

Sam our Celebrity....

Danny brought home a page from "time magazine" the other day; that had an article that Sam has some background with.                                                                                              

 
   

Sam delivered this Airplane to them.  The Man in the picture { Richard Searfoss, a former space shuttle pilot.} Was the guy that Sam taught how to fly the aircraft. Pretty cool to be one one teaching a former space shuttle pilot.

This is what the article say.
"Think of it as NASCAR in the Sky
Remember the pod races in Star Wars? They're no longer fiction. Next year real-life pilots will blast straight up into the sky at speeds of nearly 300 m.p.h.  In the new Rocket Racing League. X Racer planes, each with one pilot, will rocket 1 mile up on invisible racetracks- complete with gates to hit- then glide back to Earth for refueling.  "We've taken the Indy 500 and NASCAR and titted it into the sky right in front of you." "The vehicle will be loud, exciting, spewing a 15 ft- long brilliant flame behind it." Demo runs are planned for this year.    By Cathey Booth Thomas."

 

Sam your the Man-  Our own personal superstar!

Dahlia time

For more pictures check out "The Garden this week."

I often go walking...

which gives me a chance to think...{which Dan says I do too much of, because it can keep me up at night} anyway as I was walking today I couldn't help noticing how quickly things have changed around here from green to brown.
I've always kind of missed the green during the summer, but today a thought came to me; this time of year is  different and in it's own way pretty. Which brought me to another thought. {which stemmed from reading Katie's blog} Why do we feel the need to be like everyone else?  When I was around 10 or 11, I had a face full of freckles, even on my lips. Confidence was not part of my nature. My actions were largely controlled by my feelings of inferiority.  I hated them, I so wanted to look like most of the other girls with perfect un-"spotted" skin. Plus it was the pits when a cute boy, said to me "Do they hurt?" and that it made my face look funny, and through the years I have heard all the jokes, etc. that could ever be said about freckles, my personal favorite is, "If I connect the dots will it tell me where the treasure is?" I've had issues with them every since.{and now they are called age spots.!} Of course my friends and family try to make me feel better about them, by saying their cute, but when I say, "Hey, just for a day let me take a very light brown makeup pencil and make about a hundred spots on your face, none of them take me up on the challenge." 
Just yesterday I was totally having a face melt down...Oh, I'm just too vain.
I so needed to be put in my place, and isn't it funny how Heavenly Father goes about doing that.  Yesterday while preparing my lesson I came across this little story from the friend June 1978- {Why it came up on my search I will never know, I was searching the Second coming}

"A leopard named Bella cried, "Shivering tots!
There's something the matter with me.
My young sister Bessie has fifty-four spots,
But I only have fifty-three!"

Just to make sure, Bella counted some more,
Hoping her sister had less,
But the count of her sister's remained fifty-four-
One extra spot for young Bess.

Bella cried, "Fie! Oh, Fiddledeedee!"
And ran through the jungle to hid.
She climbed to the top of a coconut tree,
Where she helplessly broke down and cried.

She wept a whole bucket of splattery tears
For at least seven-eighths of an hour.
Then along came a monkey who said, "Fan my ears!
I do think it's starting to shower!"

The little brown monkey grumbled and sighed,
And hoisted his purple umbrella.
Then up in the treetop he suddenly spied
The blubbering, bellowing Bella.

"i say there!" he shouted, "Now just cut that out,
You're a bit of a nuisance, my pet.
If you don't stop that crying there isn't a doubt
That somebody's going to get wet!"
"Have pity!" sobbed Bella, "I'm tied up in knots,
And my heart is as sore as a blister.
I discovered I only have fifty-three spots,
And there're fifty-four spots on my sister!"

Then the monkey sat down 'neath the coconut tree,
And laughed with a rollicking rumble.
He held his fat sides as he chuckled with glee,
Then he fell on his back with a tumble.
"Thank goodness!" he laughed, "that there're no two the same
Under the sun and the moon.
Were I like my cousins, 'twould sure be a shame,
For my cousin's an ugly baboon!"

Then Bella climbed down from the lofty treetop
And happily started to purr.
Using her pink leopard tongue for a mop;
She washed the brown spots on her fur.
"Fifty-three- fifty-four- a spot less or more,
What does it matter?" laughed she.
"At least I can always be certain and sure
That there's no one exactly like me!"

Isn't that true?  No two of us are alike and that is a great blessing.  We are all unique and different; however, I sometimes smile when I think what happens when we don't always understand that great truth. {I will do better}.

Today as I passed by these rock walls, I thought how pretty they looked {they are from WWII, the Japanese built them and if you have them on your property you can not remove them, because they are an Historical landmark}  And at times they are a pain, because they are situated in odd places.
Which brings me finally to my point.
I need to think of my "freckles", laugh lines, etc. as Historical landmarks... they've earned the right to be there.  And the next time someone asks me if I'm sick, or tired {when I'm not, just look that way.. thanks to Historical landmarks}
I need to just smile not take  it personally, and remember to  take the time to tell an older women or our youth some simple sincere compliment, just think about it, when was the last time you told someone over 80 that they looked pretty?  Or told a young child wow, you have a great smile.
I know self-image has no age limit.  And we can either be a destroyer of it or a builder of it. {I have been the target of both and believe me the later is so much better}
We are all children of the same Father. He loves even those without spots :}

{Happy Birthday Dan...Love ya}

It's Official....

The tree house will now be called "COYOTE HOUSE"
After many names were submitted this was the final choice. Conner came up with the winning name.

Which is very fitting, seeing that we on occasion have the creatures on our property. Plus, decorating around that theme could be fun.