A Much Needed Day at Lake Tahoe

So, this is a "trial run" at updating my BLOG with just a daily activity kind of post.  I'm attempting to leave Facebook and will be trying to keep people updated on our exciting events in the Wild West writing about our Hefty Adventures here.  This way I can focus on writing more in-depth rather than "just the facts".  I've found that Facebook is no longer the place I want to spend my time, and it has a way of drawing us in and AWAY from the REAL WORLD around us.  We need SKIN!  We need EXPERIENCES...the virtual world messes up my mind and I forget how many things I have to be thankful for.

Like my happy place...Lake Tahoe.  Today we left town at 9:30 AM and were sitting down to lunch at The Gunbarrel in South Lake Tahoe at 11:00.  We certainly beat the rush.  It was like a little sleepy town.  There was outdoor music and fire pits, but we elected to eat indoors.  (We weren't really dressed for outdoor dining at this point in the season.)

After lunch we drove around the south shore of the Lake Tahoe toward our favorite, Emerald Bay.  We had yet to see the damage from the big fire they had there last fall, and boy did it clear a view of Lake Tahoe like we had never seen before.   The vista point at Emerald Bay was un-shoveled, but that didn't stop us from climbing up on a good 4-5 foot tall snowbank to walk toward the overlook.  It was beautiful, chilly and free of BEES!!!

Our drive along the southwest shore to the north took us through the winding roads where snow piles were, at times as tall as the street light poles!  We saw the trees that had died after they came crashing down the mountainside after the heavy, intense snowfalls of this past winter.  It was amazing, and awe-inspiring to consider the power of the snow and water and how they can fell a tree or dislodge a boulder which has stood strong for decades.

This photo is courtesy of my mom!  Great shot!

Evie was a peach during our drive.  She wanted reassurance that I wasn't about to sneak in a shopping-stop on her...she HATES SHOPPING!  No, I assured her, this was just to take in the beauty of the Lake.

And that is just what we did.  We arrived in Tahoe City and mom got out to take pictures of the dam by the museum where the lake feeds the river.  Just a year ago, that bed lay dry, but not today.  It was gurgling and churning and as blue as blue can be.  Turquoise, even.

Also my mom's handiwork.
The photo...she didn't build the dam.

As always, Lake Tahoe was a good get away for me today.  After the stress of dealing with an ailing elder kitty (our little Nori), I needed a day to take in God's beauty and to remember His constant presence in our lives, and just how much He loves us.  After years of drought, He has once again brought rebirth and renewal to Lake Tahoe...would He not do the same for us?

Why it's HUMANLY Impossible to be the Parent of a Child with Special Needs ~ Guest Blogging Day

"See now that I myself am he!

There is no god besides me. 

I put to death and I bring to life, 

I have wounded and I will heal,

and no one can deliver out of my hand."

Deuteronomy 32:39, NIV

I can't do this.

I wish I could run away.

I am FAILING at this.

I give up.

I have thought these thoughts before, and perhaps I may again, and it's only through the grace of God that I can get up each morning and muster the energy to make the coffee, shower, smile and go bravely into a brand new day.

I do this for my daughter, my husband and my God.

I do this because I KNOW for a FACT that I AM A WINNER...and I'm ONLY a winner because Jesus Christ died for me and conquered the grave.

BUT WAIT! Let's take a step back.

Why is my life so hard that I may have thought the thoughts that I listed above?

Continue reading on Comfort in the Midst of Chaos...

My Top 7 Bible Passages to Remember When it's IEP Time ~ Guest Blogging Day

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens...

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV

It's time for our daughter to transition to middle school.  More so than moving from Wisconsin to Nevada, this transition is taxing on my mental state.  I mean, I'm a substitute teacher, and I SEE the difference between elementary and middle school every day!!!  So, the fact that God has me simmering on some very comforting verses at THIS particular time has been quite helpful and has kept me CLINGING TO his promises.

Here, in no particular order, are my favorite pieces of scripture to remind me of God's love and faithfulness during IEP season and times of transition...

Continue Reading on Comfort in the Midst of Chaos...

Thankful for the Mystery of God ~ Guest Blogging Day

Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
Job 11:7 NASB

We moved to Nevada nearly a year and a half ago now, and quickly I adopted Lake Tahoe as my favorite place in the whole wide world. At first I loved the North shore for the ease of access to the water and the picturesque view across to the opposite side. I quickly discovered the beauty of the South shore too. The vast number of restaurants kept us well-fed, and the shallow beaches made it seem like a perfect haven for my daughter to safely swim. I also fell in love with Emerald Bay and it's mysteriously brilliant green waters. We would often have to drive right on through because it was hard to find parking in such a beautiful area, but when we could stop and snap a photo, we always would.

Then, this past weekend, a year and a half later, we finally made our way to Sand Harbor. Oh my goodness. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity. For a year I'd been seeing post cards and photos of Lake Tahoe and many of the images were taken from a shore which had these flat, grayish-tan PERFECT rocks. The blue lake water would compliment the neutral and graceful appearance of the rocky shore. I wondered, "From where is this taken? How have I never found this place?"

Continue reading on Comfort in the Midst of Chaos...

When the Clouds Descend ~ Guest Blogging Day

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
    to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
    quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young    to stick it out through the hard times. 

 Lamentations 3:25-27 MSG

This is our first winter in Nevada.  I love it.  Not only is it much milder than Wisconsin, but the mountains keep me in awe every day.

Just last weekend, we had the first "big" snowfall since we moved.  I think we had about 4 inches on the ground around our house...not the 18-24 inches we were used to seeing in a big storm in Wisconsin.  I could.not.WAIT to get outside the next day and look around at the snow-covered mountains.

Continue reading on Comfort in the Midst of Chaos...

Unwelcome

Deplorable,

Abhorable,

Jealous and Over-zealous is the Fear that knocks on my door.

It's creeping in;

It's seeping in,

As Unwelcome as the Black Widow that skitters across my floor.

Anxious,

All hope is stymied.

Distressed,

All peace unravels.

Unglued,

I pray for mending...

Breathe in, and out;

Breathe in, and out.

Sovereign,

Omnipotent,

Merciful and Just is the Almighty God who watches over us.  

Written in response to Sunday Scribblings 2 writing prompt:  an unwelcome guest

All Power Has Been Removed From You~Guest Blogging Day

"Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?"  Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar:  Your royal authority has been taken from you."  Daniel 4:30-31 NIV

"You are an amazing mom."

Those words DO encourage me; they lift me up on weeks like this one, when my daughter's had her Atrial Septal Defect repaired and we got to spend the night in the hospital. Reading the virtual cheers and supportive comments on Facebook gave me energy, and helped me get the boost I needed to power through the long night.  Read More On Comfort in the Midst of Chaos...

Sovereign and Mighty and Unstoppable

As usual, I'm studying JUST the right book at JUST the right time.  The book of Daniel is a remarkable example of God's sovereignty and power.  It has helped me stay level and calm in the midst of moving across the country, buying and selling a house, and preparing for Evie to have her heart surgery.  

Why am I so calm?  

The study that I'm doing on the book of Daniel has been taking me through, not just Daniel, but other parts of the Bible that speak of God's power and might over the entire realm of humankind.  This morning it took me to Isaiah 14:24, 27:

The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen...For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?  His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" 

I have nothing to fear, for God, the Almighty, is in control. 

It is NOT up to me to find our house; God already has our house chosen.  So, if we don't get the house we want, that's because God has not willed it, and who am I to question his plan?

It is NOT up to me to sell our house; God has already chosen the person who will buy it.  So, if we don't sell it right away, or to the person who I think would be the best, that's because God has not willed it, and who am I to question his plan?

It is NOT up to me, or any other person, to ensure that all goes smoothly with Evie's surgery; God has already written her story~the story of her life; the story of MY life.  So, if there are complications with health, or billing, or anything in between, that's because God has willed it, and who am I to question his plan?

NO ONE and NO THING can stop God's will~his design is perfect.  

PERIOD.

God's Masterpiece

I'm participating in a Bible story on the first 6 Chapters of Genesis. I'm learning all about the Creation, and how my belief in the Creation can either support or dismiss all other things that I have learned. It's been humbling and awe-inspiring-of course, when confronted with the God who made the Heavens and the Earth--who wouldn't want to fall to her knees?

This in-depth study has taken me deeper into the question--WHY WAGR SYNDROME? WHY MY DAUGHTER? God, what were you thinking when you made her, and why did you think I could handle this?

Here is His Response...

God's Masterpiece

God was knitting, knitting, knitting...
Knit, one, pearl, two...
Without sitting--just knitting, knitting...
Spinning strands of stars and light out to the Heavens through out the night.

God was knitting, knitting, knitting...
Angels saw Him drop the stitch...
"Wait!" they shouted, as it was fitting,
To show Him that He'd lost His sight; strands of DNA spun out through the night.

God was turning, turning, turning...
Folding over strand on strand...
"Don't you see this?" He asked the angels...
"This is art within My hands; a masterpiece before us stands..."

"The World is watching, waiting, waiting...
Waiting for My Son's return...
What they are missing while they're waiting,
Is all the beauty that We've made, while they are waiting to be saved."

"But, Father won't this dropped stitch hurt them?
Won't they miss the World they knew?
Cancer, blindness, pain that burns them,
Father, spare these Children, please,we ask you on our bended knees!"

God continued, nodding, nodding...
As He laced the woven threads...
Tracing Masterpiece and nodding...
"It is finished," He said with triumph, as the angels stood in defiance.

"Finished now, yet incomplete?"
Cried angels once at Father's feet...

"We stand here now; pleading, pleading...
Don't you see our hearts are bleeding...
For this child and all her World...
Can't you fix her before the pain ravages the World again?"

God now spoke while wading, wading...
Through a pool of silver and gold...
Sovereign and steadfast, Shepherd wading...
"What pains the World, Celestial Friends, is separation from Me, from God to Man. No perfection will they ever see, until they live at Home with Me.
And so this Masterpiece will tell My Story, a tale through pain that brings Me Glory.
So dry your eyes, go swiftly hence, she's down on Earth, you must commence
to usher her through her Earthly reign until she's home with me again."