When and what makes you feel afraid???

This very interesting question or questions you might say has been brought up to me several times this month. It has really made me think and feel very fortunate that I don't feel afraid that often. Especially in the state that the world is in today. I do have one HUGE fear. That is the fear of losing a part of me and forgetting where I come from. Moving to California from Idaho was a big change for me. I grew up in a town of ~600 people where there wasn't even a stop light. Everyone knew you and looked out for you...that or they waited for you to screw up so they could be the ones to tell your parents. The cool thing about all of it was everyone was really down to earth. They say there is safety in numbers and when I look at it from that perspective even though 600 people is small for the size of a town it is HUGE when it comes down to the number of people that have your back. Yeah not everyone would have my back but a big majority of the people would and to me that is saying something!! So even though I drive 10 minutes to the doctor’s office instead of and 1 hour and a half and I could have McDonald's for every meal now. I wouldn't want to lose that small down girl from Idaho who really cares about people more then the things she has, the job she does or money she spends. So to all my homies if you see that girl drifting away feel free to give me a swift kick in the head!!! And to my mom… I might be "cityfied", but I am an Idaho girl at heart and always will be :-)

God Bless America!!!

This week my brother reenlisted in the Army and while I support his decision I realize I have mixed emotions about it. I thought that it wouldn't really bother me in the way that is has, but I guess it has brought to the surface everything that went on in the four years he served prior to this. I didn't realize the relief I felt when someone would tell me that their son, daughter, husband, etc. was going to the Middle East knowing that I had been there and done that and Kyle lived to tell me about it. I also know that not every solider is a fortunate as my brother is to have returned home. I am very PROUD of this young man that stands by his country and has a desire to serve to keep me and our family safe. I also know he has been through so much that I can't even imagine and am thankful I don't have to. I hope he knows that I will always be here for the 3am text messages or the calls that might not bring good news. I pray that we don't have to fly him home again from the Middle East for a family emergency, but I know that if any of that happens that we will get through it together. As a family like we always have. I love my baby brother so very much and am the proud sister of a very special American Solider!!!

OLD FRIENDS!!!

I wrote in my last post how Facebook was reconnecting me with old friends and among the pleasant surprises one hit home more then most. When I was in college I spent my summers working at the local plywood mill to earn money to go to college....it was hard work!!! The money was awesome and several of my friends from High School also worked at the mill. So we worked hard then we played hard. A lot of times I really hated working at the mill, but now I look back on those times with fond memories. Which brings me back to my story....I was searching friends and found Lydgia Anderson (now Jarvis). We used to play basketball against each other in high school and worked together at JayPe (pictured above...or at least the log yard is). When I was looking at her Facebook profile I saw she lived in Redwood City...how crazy is that? Idaho girls relocate within 10 minutes of each other. It was really cool to sit down with her and her daughter at lunch today. I really enjoyed catching up and talking about old times. The last time I had seen her she was my Sophomore year in college. She has been in the area for 7 years and I have been here for a little over 5 years and we never crossed paths. She even stops by my church everyday to drop a friend's daughter off at the church after school program....what a small world we live in!!!

Facebook= Crazy Memories and Blasts from the Past!

This week I was invited to a group on Facebook called "I survived Timberline High School Weippe, Idaho". Boy has that been a trip down memory lane. I have been in contact with people hadn't talked to in more then 10 years. Not only has it been fun to connect with old friends, but it has given me an opportunity to step back and just look at my life. The things I have done, the people I have met and the person I have become through all of it. Some of it has had bitter sweet memories, but all in all I am happy with the person I have become. Not only that the journey to get here actually makes me smile....which is better then it making me cry. So here is to all the memories made and all the memories yet to come! It has been quite a ride this far and I don't expect any less in the future.

Wicked in SF

I have been waiting a long time to see this Musical and last night finally got to experience the Land of Oz from a different perspective. IT WAS AWESOME! I have yet to see a Musical that I haven't enjoyed but this one right up at the top of the list. I liked the music in Jersey Boys better, but you can't beat the story line of Wicked. It reminds me that things aren't always the way they seem, so don't be so quick to judge. If you have the opportunity to see this show I wouldn't miss it! I would even like to go see it again...it was really that good!

Dogs at the Beach

This weekend was a lot of fun and restful at the same time. I had a lot of time to relax. I had plans to take the dog to the beach and meet up with my friend Viv. In an interesting turn of events Zeke stayed with me so he joined Sly and I on our beach trip. It was nice to catch up with Viv, we used to meet up every weekend to walk Milo and Sly. Hopefully we can get back into this routine because it was beautiful out and I really enjoyed being at the ocean. The best part was I forgot how nice it is to have my dog so beat after spending two hours on the beach. I can say I was pretty spent myself and it was a wake up call to just how out of shape I really am.

On that note I have been having a hard time getting motivated to do anything about being in shape. Work has been busy and stressful and I sometimes feel like I never get a break from life. I have good intentions, but following through on them has never been one my strong points. I always need some sort of motivation. Well I got it yesterday and it came from my brother Todd. We have been playing phone tag for some time, but he finally caught up to me as I was in the grocery store yesterday. I had picked up some beer to watch the Superbowl today and when I told him that he told me he wasn't going to drink in the month of Feb. I thought what a great idea might even jumpstart my workout status while I am doing it. I am going to admit today was probably the toughest not only was it the first day, but it was Superbowl too. I am writing this so I am accountable. Todd will do that but by writing this I am sure my Aunt, cousins, and dear old Mom will remind me of the pledge I took with Todd!

Power of Prayer

Well I as I sit down to right this many of you that know me will be like Duh this girl believes in the power of pray she was raised with it in her everyday life. Raised in it and seen it work so much that even when I wasn't following Christ the first thing I did when I found out my mother's life was in danger was to pick up the phone and called my Aunt and Uncle saying "We need Prayer." Those were the first words out of my mouth and later talking to Aunt Rhonda her first thoughts went to my brother who was at the time in the Middle East. Prayer has and will always be part of my life. But seeing it work in others life no matter how close to you they are and experiencing it first hand can be two different experiences. I don't want to say that either one less important then the other because they have both had profound effects on my life, but I just wanted to write about my recent experience. In October I surgery on my Achilles Tendon which left me in crutches for 6 weeks followed by 4 weeks of physical therapy. The first of January the Young adult community at my church had a retreat in Twain Harte, Ca. My friend is pregnant so instead of riding in the vans that go up we decided that we would take our car and ride up together. So as silly as it sounds driving can be quite the workout for a foot that hasn't had much action in months. Since the foot that was operated on was my right foot I was using it to push on the brakes or the gas and while this didn't seem to be a big deal prior to starting out the trip after 3 hours of doing this my foot was a bit aggravated to say the least. Well my friend Jenny gave me some Naproxen and I still found it difficult to sleep that night. The next morning was a fun filled day of hiking, sledding, and skiing/snowboarding. As you can well imagine none of these activities were overly appealing to me, but not wanting to be the party pooper as my Aunt Terri would call me I sucked it up and decided to go take pictures of the gang Sledding. I am so glad I did because what an experience of riding in the van with Katy who assured us that she "Does this everyday" to the watching the Californians way of snow sledding was purely entertaining (see post below). To credit Katy though she does know how to drive a van I will give her that!!! So after a pretty busy day of walking up and down the hill you can imagine how my foot was feeling. For my mother who may be reading this I want you to know that I had spoken to the doctor the week before and he told me that the pain was normal and I would probably have a lot of it for up to about 6 months or more. He had also told me if it didn't go away we could try a cortisone shot. This is something I was trying to avoid at all cost. That night we sat down to watch a video Tony had brought called the "Finger of God." I got to tell you though coming from a Pentecostal background I always find humor in how these types of movies are introduced. I experienced the same thing when attending a prayer meeting for the first time and I thought who this is so mello compared to how I was raised. I know it is out of the norm for the majority of people maybe that is why I find it so comical because it is pretty much normal in the family I was raised in so I guess I am so not part of the norm. I am very PROUD of that now. So during this movie I was in Pain I was trying to put my foot up to elevated it to take away some of the swelling and if Jenny had been in the same room I would have asked her for another Naproxen, but she wasn't she was watching the second part of the movie in another room. As the movie ended my friend Tony asked us to pray and not just pray but be bold and pray with one another. As we were all praying my friend Candice stood up and began to pray and as she prayed she prayed to take away the pain in my foot. She didn't lay hands on me she prayed from across the room. Like I said I am a firm believer in prayer but what happened next surprised even me....THE PAIN WAS GONE FOLKS!!! I didn't believe at first but as I sat there for about five minutes moving it up and down I coudn't sit by and not say anything. This doesn't sound like that big of thing, but before this I couldn't go up to my tip toes it was just too painful for me to do so. As I stood up to share the good news I stood on my tip toes without pain, I fell asleep that night without pain, I drove home then entire 3 hours without pain, today more then 2 weeks later I am WITHOUT PAIN. Praise God! I know what prayer can do I have seen it work in my family and I have had it work in me. I thank my Grandma all the time for her prays as I walked away from God there was one thing I always knew my Grandma Helen was praying that I was coming back to him. My Mom and Dad never let us leave the house for school growing up (even on the mornings we were running late) without taking our hands and praying for us! I am Grateful for that and hope to instill the same qualities in my Children one day.