I'm Going To Take A Journey

After a few e-mails back and forth with a few of you. I have decided that I am going to step out there and visit a state that I don't think I have ever been too. Can you all guess which one???

On my journey I am hoping to meet great bloggers like Cindy, Robin, Kim, Natalie, Deleise and maybe even Roger and Shelley. If you haven't guessed yet I am going to Oklahoma. I am planning on being in OK from August 14 to the 18th. I would love to give it some great name like the First Annual OK Bloggers Conference but that may be premature. I am not sure if I will be able to get out there next year. It may have to be a semi annual event. Or better yet next year they all come to me. :)

So if anybody out there have any suggestions as to things I need to see please don't hesitate to let me know. Kim told me about botanical gardens. I love that and I know that I want to see the memorial. Mainly I am just really excited to see and meet these amazing women and men in person.

Thank you all for making me feel welcome. Especially you, Robin and Dirk....I am really not sure about the firewood though. Can't I buy it already cut. I mean we have people who park on the side of the road here with truckloads of firewood. :)

This Lady Rocks!!

As many of you know I have found tons of awesome blogging people in Edmond, OK. I am even considering a trip to get to know these women better. More on that to come.

I have also found great bloggers from other places in the world and even in my little home state of California. If you have not found Heidi in San Diego yet. Please go to her blog.. Find Me.. Find Life..Real Life . She has a true heart for God. I know that Roger has found her. She Rocks, huh Roger. If I could get her to come with me to Oklahoma I would be stoked!!

So please spread some of your love her way!!

Whiskeytown Lake - Fridays Outing

Last week I showed you Mount Shasta and Lake Shasta. This week I am showing you the lake that we actually play in. Whiskeytown is west of Redding. I think it takes us about 20 minutes to get there. It has alot of history. In 1963, John F. Kennedy dedicated the dam that created the lake.



The story that I have been told is that at the bottom of it is the town of Whiskeytown. They chose to dam it up and create at a resevior. There are several day use areas and campgrounds. There are also miles and miles of hiking trails. Every year they have a Discover Whiskeytown Falls week. As you can see from the picture they are really pretty. There is also the Whiskeytown Environmental School . Both of my kids have been. They attended in the 5th grade. They came home dirty and tired and ready for a real bed. They also came home excited and happy.

Next week I am covering something special for Kim. I am sure you all will enjoy it but this weekend when I go out taking pictures I am going to be thinking of her. Can anybody guess next week's location? Have a blessed weekend!

New Project~~Me

At the beginning of the month I went to see Bon Jovi in concert. Daughtry opened for them. Chris Daughtry came out and sang a song with Bon Jovi. It was a super great show. It was the first Non-Christian concert I have seen in 3 years.

There were seven of us and we stayed in a hotel that was built in the 20’s and was totally art deco. One of the nicest places I have ever stayed. We went to a wonderful Italian restaurant for dinner. Where someone took our picture. It was when I saw this picture that it was all confirmed I am a big fat cow. No really I am. I come from a family of big women on both sides. My fraternal grandmother weighed about 300 lbs when she passed away. Her sisters where just as big. My mother is overweight also. So it is genetic and emotional eating that has gotten me to this point. Here are all us girls at dinner….Yeah I am the fat one.
Look Cindy I am the one that looks pregnant!
Last week I joined Weight Watchers. I have never done anything like this before. So far it has been pretty good. It is strange what foods you miss. I thought it would be hard to not eat french fries but I have found that my craving is for cheese. So hopefully the next time I post a picture of me I will be a little lighter. I actually have had fun this week and my husband has been super supportive. I need prayer to stay smart and strong!

Have you ever?

Have you ever just broken into tears for no reason other then Jesus in you? Have you ever felt such compassion for someone that you actually stop and lend a hand? Have you ever been just cruising along, minding your own busines, when all of a sudden you feel God in you so strong that you have to pull over?

Have you ever........

Help...I've been Tagged

Deleise Tagged Me...Don't worry I will survive.


Here are the rules:
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

What was I doing 10 years ago:
Ten years ago I was living in Reno. I was a promotions manager at a casino and I was working about 70 hours a week. My children spent more waking hours in daycare then at home. I was in the middle of the “It’s all about ME” phase of my life.

Five Snacks I enjoy:
In a perfect, non weight-gaining world:
1. McDonalds French Fries (the XL Size, Please)
2. Deep Fried Mushrooms
3. Cheesecake
4. Cheetos Crunchy or Puffs
5. Shrimp any way I can get them.

In the real world:
1. I love Concerts.
2. I hate exercise.
3. I love to beat my son at pool.
4. I love to snuggle with my daughter
5. I have a tendency to tell it like it is.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. I would start a college for kids that are awesome academically but can’t afford to go to college. Their tuition would be free as well as their living expenses as long as they kept their GPA up.
2. I would Travel to the rest of the 50 states that I haven’t been to yet.
3. I would sponsor tons of Compassion kids instead of just my 2.

Five jobs that I have had:
1. General Manager of a Car Lot
2. Human Resource Manager
3. Promotions Manager
4. Caregiver to a Down Syndrome Boy
5. Construction Office Administration

Three of my habits:
1. I turn my car stereo off in my neighborhood. It really thumps.
2. I always take my shopping bags to the grocery store. (this one bugs my husband)
3. I am an e-mail checker too. (that was one of Deleise's)

Five place I have lived:
1. Santa Cruz, California
2. Reno, Nevada
3. Pismo Beach, California
4. Redding, California
5. Mena, Arkansas (only for 2 weeks)

What do you want others to get from your blog:
I would like other people to see that they aren’t alone in situations. That was one of the reasons that I love ready blogs. I would like it to also be an outlet for others. I think that we have a great opportunity to meet fellow believers, mothers, women, fathers, men and realize that we are all just trying to do the best that we can. Oh but mainly I want them to learn things like Deleise and Kim like burnt cheese.

Five People I Want to Get to Know Better:
(a nice way of saying TAG!)
But don't feel obligated! Just do it if you want to.
1. Kim
2. Natalie
3. Heidi
4. Roger
5. I don’t want to torment anymore than that. ;)

Mount Shasta/Lake Shasta - Fridays Find

It is time for another journey around Redding.

Redding is an ideal place for anybody that loves outdoor living. Our biggest industry in town is recreation. We are nestled in a Valley surrounded by beautiful things. We have some big mountains, a couple big lakes, a really long river and many more things. One of the great things about Redding is that the city has made sure to require new developments/subdivisions to create walking trails and open space.

This week I am featuring beautiful Mount Shasta and Lake Shasta. I am not getting into the history but I will give you all a link if you are interested in some facts. From my backyard I can see Mount Shasta in the distance. The mountain itself is about an hour north. I have friends that love to ski up there. I am a beach girl so skiing isn’t my thing. Lake Shasta is a summer hot spot. They have tons of house boats that you can rent.

My family doesn’t spend any time on the lake because of Alligators (that is just for Cindy), actually it is because I prefer the pool that is in the backyard. I am a horrible homebody at times.

The pictures from last week and this week are hijacked off of yahoo. I plan on venturing out and taking some pictures with my own little camera. Just for all of you. I am pretty sure they won’t be as great as Deleise’s or Roger’s wife’s but I have some stuff that I want to show you through my eyes.

Isn't this the most beautiful church. This picture is just amazing. I am ashamed to say that I don't personally know the photographer but here is a link to their work.


Next Friday I will show you my favorite lake to go splashing around in. May you all have a blessed weekend.

(Thank you all for your kind words lately. I am blessed to have you all in my life. I may just need to come to OKC and collect me some hugs!)

Child-like at 20 - The End

……They can see that she loves the child she is carrying and there is an instant connection.

At the meeting they talked. They discussed faith in God, how they discipline their daughter, and what kind of extended family they have. Will her child grow up in a big family or small one? Will her child be taught rules, morals and consequences? The more she talked to the couple the more at peace she became with her decision. She asked them what they would expect from her as the birth mother, would contact be maintained throughout the child’s life. How involved did they want to be in the pregnancy?

At the end of the meeting the adoptive parents hugged her and told her that they would wait to hear her decision. They knew it would be a hard one and if she had anymore questions to contact them. Little did they know that she had already made up her mind. She wanted them to be her child’s parents. She knew that they would give her child everything that she couldn’t. She knew that she would be allowed to still love her child from a distance and not have to worry about the child’s upbringing.

So here she is at 20 relying more on her doctor than her family. She tells him her decision to allow the couple to adopt her baby. They together called the couple and told them her decision. They were excited. It was going to be a long journey. She was only 6 weeks pregnant.

The couple took full interest in her. They offered to cover her living expenses but she chose to go on welfare to assist the couple. She wanted them to spend the money on her child not on her. She became friends with the Mother-To-Be (MTB). Her doctor recommended an OB. He didn’t accept Medi-Cal. The MTB went to him and explained the reason why the girl was one Medi-Cal, she offered to pay the difference between what they paid and what he billed. The OB decided to accept just what Medi-Cal paid. The MTB was present for her sonogram. The MTB and the girl were together when they found out that the child was a boy. The couple asked the girl if she had any name preferences. She didn’t want to interfere with the important name decision.

August, 10th the girl had her labor induced. Two hours and 35 minutes later with the MTB present in the room, the girl gave birth to a beautiful boy. The nuns at the hospital tried to talk the girl into keeping her son. But the girl told them that her son belonged with his parents, the couple that were going to raise him. The girl got to hold her baby a few times in the hospital. When they were released the girl was wheeled out of the hospital holding her son. She handed her son to his mother. It was both rewarding to her and heartbreaking to see him leave with them. She said a special prayer that he would always be happy and know that he was a loved child of god.

Through the years she has received pictures and family letters. He knows that he is adopted and has been raised to believe that he was given as a gift out of love not tossed away because he wasn’t wanted. This couple that stepped up to raise her son had done an outstanding job.

These posts have been the story of how I spent the 20th year of my life. How I had a beautiful baby boy. How with an extraordinary man’s help and faith I found a beautiful family for my son. My son will be 19 this year. I feel blessed to have been used as a vessel.

Child-like at 20 - Part 2

Is it better to have the abortion and spare this child the poverty that it will live with? The girl’s mother has already said that she wouldn’t help with the child. The girl’s father isn’t around at the moment either.

She makes and appointment with her doctor. She has known him forever and trusts him. He is one of the few mature adult males that she trusts. He starts talking to her about adoption.

She had never thought about adoption. How would anybody ever forgive her for giving away her baby? Would any man want her to be his wife? Would she ever have the life that she wanted? The life of being married to a man that loved only her. The life of giving him children of their own. The situation that she is in has totally renamed the term “Comes with Baggage.

Her doctor pulled out a file that had “Resumes” in it. There were pictures and life stories of people that wanted children and couldn’t have them. She didn’t have any idea that people were so desperate for children that they contacted doctors they didn’t know on the offside chance that they might know a girl that wanted to give up her baby.

She reviewed the file and talked to her doctor more about adoption. He offered to go through the process from beginning to end with her. He offered to help her interview people that wanted to be parents to her child. He had known her most of her life and was so proud of her for not having an abortion. He knew her home life. He knew her mother. He knew how hard this whole thing was for her.

Together they went over the resumes. They picked a few and started to get further into the reviewing process. How do you pick your baby’s parents? How do you rectify the whole thing in your mind? You aren’t in a position to raise a baby but you also don’t want an abortion.

After review of over 75 couples, she picks one. She likes this couple because they have already adopted a child 5 years earlier. Her child would have a sister. She also likes them because neither of them can have children. There will never be any blame about how come they can’t have children of their own. That is a great comfort for her.

She and her doctor contact the couple and arrange for a meeting in his office. She is nervous. What will they think of her? Here she is giving away the one thing they want more than anything and can’t have for themselves. They can see that she loves the child she is carrying and there is an instant connection.

The third and last part to come tomorrow......

Child-like at 20 - Part 1

There was a 20 year old girl that was not living as she should. She was having fun. She was bartending, doing drugs and sleeping with her boyfriend. She thought that life didn’t get any better than that.

She was raised a Christian. She believed in Jesus. She believed in the Sunday school version of Jesus. She had no understanding of the real sacrifice He made for us.

One day she started not feeling well. She was so tired, she started vomiting at weird times of the day. She had to work to survive so she did more drugs to keep her going. She went in to see her Doctor. He had been her doctor her entire life. So she told him how bad she had been feeling. He ran tests.

The next day she learned her fate. She was pregnant. How did this happen to her. She was so careful. She used the pill, she made him use a condom. How? How? How? As she sat in the doctor’s office hearing the results she started praying. Isn’t that what her grandmother had taught her? Tough times get easier with prayer.

She talks to her boyfriend. He is shocked, they have been so careful. He doesn’t believe in abortion. She is relieved because she doesn’t want one. She is scared the he will want to get married. She loves him but doesn’t want to marry him. This is the first time in her life of “maturity”, that she realizes that she doesn’t want to marry the man she has been having sex with. They talk and talk. They take time alone and then come back together and talk. He does the one thing she fears that most. He asks her to marry him. He doesn’t love her like that, she doesn’t love him like that either. They are lovers and friends not life long companions. If they marry they will end up hating each other.

She witnesses an incident in a McDonalds where a mother is buying her child a Happy Meal and not getting herself anything. When the child asks his mom why she didn’t get anything she tells her son that she only has enough money to get him his meal. Since it is his birthday she wants him to enjoy his Happy Meal. She weeps as she witnesses this mother’s love for her child. She wants so much more for the child she is carrying.

Is it better to have the abortion and spare this child the poverty that it will live with? The girl’s mother has already said that she wouldn’t help with the child. The girl’s father isn’t around at the moment either. Is she going to end up following in her mother’s footsteps?

To Be Continued……

Books

I am not sure if there is anybody out there that likes Janette Oke books.
I have the complete Love Comes Softly 8 book series.

Love Comes Softly
Love's Enduring Promise
Love's Long Journey
Love's Abiding Joy
Love's Unending Legacy
Love's Unfolding Dream
Love Takes Wing
Love Finds A Home

If anybody is interested in them let me know. I will send them to you.

Send me an email theresa162@yahoo.com

The Sundial Bridge

Happy Friday!

The forcast for the weekend is awesome. I love it when the temps are in the upper 70's and 80's. As you will all hear me talk about later in the summer I am not all that excited about the 100's. Quite a bit of summer is that HOT.

I think that I am going to try and introduce Redding to those of you who have never been here. There are some really beautiful things about this area. Redding is about 3 hours north of Sacramento and 2 hours south of the Oregon Border. Robin has a friend that lives here named Linda. They go on cruises together. (I am hoping to show you things that Linda may not have.)


Here are pictures of the Sundial Bridge. Click on the link to learn about all the facts about it. It is a gorgeous sight. The architect was Santiago Calatrava from Zurich, Switzerland. It spans the Sacramento River. It is the centerpiece of Turtle Bay Exploration Park. We are members of the park. It is a fun place for kids and adults. In May the Butterfly house opens. My daughter loves it.

I live in a very beautiful place and I look forward to sharing it with all of you. I am praying that everyone has an great weekend!!

Great News

It has been awhile since I have updated on my health. Mainly because there hasn't been anything new. I have had good days and bad days. I have been seeing the doctors and I have finally had an MRI on my head. Yesterday I got the results.

I am so excited to say that I don't have MS! Still don't know what I do have but I am not focusing on that. I am so glad that all the speculation was wrong. I believe that the Lord is healing me. I have full faith that it is his will for me to be whole.

My friend Pam introduced me to the Healing Room at Bethel. I have been a few times. It is really an awesome experience, but hard to explain. The last time I went the intercessors that were praying over me had visions that they shared with me. The first one was that she could see me in a family room welcoming people and I had a huge bouquet of flowers in my hand. She interputed this as me being a welcomer. That I have an open heart to welcome people. The second vision was that I was in a huge meadow by myself. The meadow was full of flowers and there was a stream running through it. She said that she saw me sitting by the stream dangling my feet in the water. That I was at peace and not in a hurry to go anywhere. The water washing over my feet was God's love for me washing me clean. I love this image. I have clung to this image and prayed about it.

I truly believe in the Supernatural Gifts of God. I accept them with an open heart and open mind.

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. - 1st Peter 4:10

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. - 1 Cor. 7-11

Thank you all for praying for me. Thank you all for your comforting words. I will gratefully accept your continued prayers. I will also continue to pray for all of you. If you have a special prayer need, Please just let me know.

Ryan - My Son

On February 16, 1993, in the middle of a blizzard, I was blessed with a little boy. We named him Ryan after my grandfather. Ryan means "Little King", and boy does it fit.

Ryan's first act of love towards his father was to immediately pee all over him. At that moment they bonded. Ryan is so much like Craig that I have often wondered if there is any of me in him. Then I will catch a glimpse in his eye and I know there is some of me in there. The funny quirky side of him comes from me. He also gets his analytical side from me. There are things that I have to explain to Craig and Hope that Ryan just gets.

Ryan is now 15, a freshman in high school. He is basically a good kid. I wish he would get his grades up but at least he is working on it. He LOVES Basketball. Our AAU season just started. This year he is on a new team. He was approached by 4 teams and he picked this one. We have participated in two tournaments so far. The first tournament they took 2nd place. The second one they took 4th. The first tournament we played our age group of 15 and under. The second tournament they bumped themselves up to Jr. Varsity. Them boys are a lot bigger.

What is amazing to me is the team was happier with the 4th place finish in the second tournament then the 2nd place finish in the first tournament. The first tournament was a breeze through tournament, it was easy. If the other team hadn't played a little dirty we would have taken 1st place. The second tournament was a we are getting our butts (that isn't a cuss word right, Cindy?) kicked tournament.

After the second tournament the coach called the team together and gave them an option. Do you want to play the easy tournaments and get the wins or do you want to play the harder ones, learn more advanced skills and not win as much.

In other words....Do you want it handed to you or do you want to fight for it and earn it?

All 10 boys choose the harder option. They want the competition. Ryan says it is no fun to blow the opponent away. I am so stinking proud of my little man that is 6 feet tall.

Which way would you choose?
The easy way or the hard way?

Daddy Can You.........

My daughter Hope went to Disneyland with her school band. On the way home one of the charter buses got a flat tire. They were in Lodi. (Not sure if any of you will remember the song “Oh Lord stuck in Lodi again” I know I am dating myself. That song was the first thing that popped into my head when I heard their predicament. It created the giggles in me.) Apparently at 7pm on a Sunday there is no one that can change a bus tire.

Hope was really upset because the band teacher had informed the entire bus of Junior Highers that they were going to have to sleep in the bus on the side of the road. Hope was not happy about that so what does my peanut do…….

She calls her Daddy. And in her 12 year old cuteness and the belief that her Daddy can fix anything…….She asks if he will come and fix the flat tire on the bus.

There were a few logistical issues with her request. The biggest one being that Lodi is about 200 miles away. So even driving 70 mph it would take almost 3 hours to get to her. Craig puffed up all proud that his little girl called him for help.

Hope ended up getting home okay. The bus pulled into her school at 10:36 pm, Sunday night. Exhausted, Excited and Talkative my Peanut is home. Boy did I miss her.

This situation got me thinking.

How many times have I asked my Heavenly Father for something that has “logistical problems”?

How often have I sought comfort in asking for something, knowing that He can do it? He can fix anything!

But most of all…..
When I ask for something with “logistical problems” does He look at me as Craig saw Hope when she called? Does He feel 10 feet tall and excited when I ask Him to help me?

Does He feel happy that I come to him childlike?

Does He feel proud that my faith in Him even covers the parts of my life with “logistical problems”?

HMMM...What to do?

I find myself in a position that I am rarely in. I have 5 hours of total alone time. Five whole hours to do nothing. Five whole hours of not having to answer Mommy/Wife questions. The last time this happened was over a year ago. So I'm not really sure what to do with myself.

My daughter left for Disneyland on Thursday. She comes home tomorrow night. She went with the school band. They are marching in a parade down Main Street. She is so excited and has text messaged me endlessly about this ride and that ride. She has also purchased a hat that has Zac Ephron on it. That is "Just SOOOO WAY COOOOL".

My son plays AAU basketball. So Craig took him to Chico for a tournament. I normally go to the tournaments. I absolutely love them. But I have traveled way to much this week and decided that I wouldn't go today. They took second place last week in Sacramento which is about 3 hours south of us. Then on Wednesday I left for San Jose, about 4 1/2 hours south, for the Bon Jovi Concert. Which by the way was absolutely wonderful. So I am a little tuckered out.

SO that leaves me with 5 hours of no responsibility. What to do What to do. Do you find that when you have those rare times alone that you almost feel obligated to do something. It is almost like you are wasting an opportunity to grocery shop alone or get a pedicure, etc. I love the solitude of loneliness. Being raised as an only child I am very comfortable with my own company.

I have decided that I really want french toast. So I am going to go to breakfast, take the top off my car and go for a drive, listen to loud music and worship my Savior with all of my heart.

What would you do with 5 hours of alone time?


UPDATE......I ate a great breakfast, went to the meat market and then decided to get my nails done. I actually get them done regularly but due to Bon Jovi I had missed my appointment. I did finish my alone time off with a drive and alot of singing. The guys are home and my alone time is over. The only thing that would make it better is if my peanut was back from Disneyland. I sure do miss them all when they are gone!

Flashbacks

I am getting ready to embark on a flashback to the 80's. In July of 1988, yes I said 1988, I attended a concert of a new band called BON JOVI.
This is them then.I had the best time.

Well tomorrow I get to relive that experience. A group of 7 middle aged women (this includes me) are going to revert to a pack of teenagers. We are going to hoot and holler and act like we are 17 again.
This is them now.


It is very odd to me that the first time I saw them was 20 years ago. It really doesn't feel that long ago. This is one of those momments that make you step back and realize you aren't a spring chicken anymore.

The very first time that I heard something and thought "Boy I feel old." was when the 20th anniversary of Star Wars was announced. I remember that day vividly. My mom is an avid Sci-Fi fan. This meant that we went and stood in line for 3 hours to see Star Wars on opening day. Crazy but true.

Have you ever had that feeling about something? Where you sit back and say Man that makes me feel old?
On a side note.....

All of my OK blogging friends, Please let me know that you have survived all the nasty weather. I saw this morning another tornado touched down but they didn't say which town. I am not very familiar with where the towns are. I pray for all the families that are affected but a special worry prayer goes out to my new friends!!