Learning to balance

Recently I've been learning a lesson in balance. I don't mean gracefully walking the balance beam. What I mean is being willing to say, "No." Protecting my time. Being intentional about resting or withdrawing from all the rush and fast-paced living.

I was inspired a few months ago by our senior Pastor, who encouraged us to only get involved in the few things we were truly gifted in and leave the other jobs for other people. He had to do it for medical reasons, and had plenty of time to reflect on the healthfulness of choosing balance. He was now encouraging us. So I started with asked to do praise singing at church half as often. Then I missed a few of the evangelistic meetings in a recent series. The I asked for help sending weekly e-mail updates to our young adult group. It was working! Other people were doing a fine job at doing these things, and I had more time and less busyness.

I've recently applied this to work. Taking my full lunch break. Taking my 15 minute breaks. Saying "no" and doing fewer things well. I hope I can find a way to consistently choose a life of balance and reap the benefits that come with it!

Grandma Winifred in youthful beauty

Kids and pets

Came across this picture and couldn't help but post it. Denali, my adorable niece, is calling the sea lions in a show we attended at Sea World, just like she calls dogs over that she wants to pet. "Here, little sea lion," she thinks as she pats her leg. How cute!

Friends and Family Tour 2007: Experience California

Shamu jumps and sprays trainer!

Shamu break dancing

Polar bear swim

Denali watching beluga whales... awwww!

Dolfin hello!

Shamu slammed backside

Shamu slammed frontside

Shamu slamming the crowd.

Labor weekend was an exciting one for us! Why? We did a grand tour of our southern California friends and enjoyed a long weekend with family, all in 6 consecutive days! What an experience! It all started with 2 and 1/2 days with Preston and Heather Seyle and their two girls Sierra and Marlee. We stopped there first to have some mellow hanging-out time, and be close to Dr. Michelle and Darla. Thank the Lord that they have AC because as soon as we arrive and heat wave spread across Riverside bringing temperatures into the 110's. Ouch! We (the girls) stayed inside playing and puttering around and they (the boys) worked out the finishing touches on the Passat we would be borrowing the rest of the weekend. Both of us were satisfied by Saturday morning!





On Thursday afternoon we took a little journey over to Upland to visit with Michelle. It was a blast! We enjoyed a lovely taco salad for late lunch and then took a walking tour of her school, Western School of Ostepathic Medicine. It was so exciting the see the OMM (don't ask!) pracitical classroom, lecture hall, campus features and surrounding scenery. Becoming a doctor is a challenge I can barely comprehend, but she's doing it! We're hoping her clinical rotations will send her up our way sometime soon!





After an evening of visiting, checking out the mall, enjoying a yummy Thai dinner and more talking, I decided to stay the night and Jack drove back to Preston's. He had a few more things to complete on the car and then we would be set for phase two: San Diego with the Duffys.





The next day Michelle and I took our time getting up, headed out for some errands around Clarimont and enjoyed a yummy Mediterranean lunch. It all worked out for Jack and Preston and around lunch time they came rolling in to pick me up at Michelle's. On the way home we simply couldn't pass by In-and-Out Burger (for the TRUE California experience) so we stopped and ordered our veggie burgers (toasted cheese) fries, and a shake.





Finally we arrive home, started packing up and hung out for the evening, which included a nice mexican dinner and games into the evening!





Saturday morning we embarked, for the first time in our lives, on the Sea World experience. It started with an early morning 2-hour drive from Riverside, a short wait in line, and ended 11 hours later after our third round of the dolfin show. It was amazing and certainly too much to take in in one day! That's why we went back on Monday...





To name a few things we were able to enjoy: petting/feeding dolfins, seeing Shamu shows (3 in two days), seeing dolfin shows (3 in one day), seeing the Cirque de la Mer show, petting bat rays, watching penguins in their arctic environment, getting "Shamu slammed" (see the picture), watching beluga whales and a polar bear swim around, walking through the shark tunnel, and watching sea lions and a walrus perform! We thorough enjoyed it and really tried to get our money's worth. It was also great fun seeing it with Ryan & Vicki and little Denali!





To make it a truly Californian experience, we just had to see the beach one day. So Sunday morning we headed to the shore, set up a shade post with chairs and plenty of fluids to drink and lounged, swam, boogie boarded and sweated almost all day. It was awesome and some of the locals even said the waves were the best they had seen in a long time!





After two days of Sea World, a day at the beach and 2 1/2 days with other friends in Riverside, we were ready to come back to the hum-drum of normal life. We said goodbye to friends and family and head back home on our 2nd wedding anniversary, September 4th. It felt good to be home and what a great anniversary trip it was!

A Grand Ol' Time in Alaska

Silly face as the boat crew gathered!

Bill Liversage, the officiant, Tiffany, bridesmaid, and me take a walk along the boardwalk to the boat tour of Resurrection Bay.

Not so ferocious as we though! Awww...

We admired the beautiful snow leapard in the Anchorage Zoo.

Us and Moose!

Our first view from the plane. Awesome!

Float plane we toured the Anchorage wilderness in.

Spectacular view of glacier from float plane (with the snow melted you can see the gnarly ice).

Bikers, take your mark...

Multitasking: steering a bike and operating a camera... oh yeah, and smiling!

Jack takes in the view along the bike trail in Anchorage.

For the first time in our lives, we adventured in Alaska this summer. A wedding was the reason for our trip, however, we maximized the vacation by making it a little post-college friends reunion (for Jack), and sight-seeing endeavor. We also enjoyed a scenic drive to Seward, AK as well as a boat cruise of Resurrection bay, visit and tour of the Alaskan Seal Life Center and sea kayaking trip, to the compliments of the newely-weds! They wanted to make this weekend one to remember, and they did it! It was a blast gathering the crew (which took several middle of the “night” airport runs to accumulate), eating family style meals, adventuring on bicycles along the Anchorage coastline, visiting the zoo and treating ourselves to a plane tour of the Alaskan wilderness area.

Our drive down from Anchorage to Seward was absolutely spectacular and well worth the time! We arrived in Seward to more group bonding, eating and wedding preparations. Sabbath was a special time because we sang together, did some group sharing and studied a beautiful passage in John. Though our time was short we saw the gospel and were truly touched. Now it was party time!

The evening wedding was held in a small country church and was quite beautiful. The guests were then piled onto a historic trolley and led to the sea life center for the reception. The underwater viewing area was the site for appetizers, drinks and pleasant music along with a picture slide show of Steve and Maria. We greeted the wedding party and new couple and then moved upstairs for a fun-filled reception. Dinner, dancing, surprise entertainment (Swedish singing and wedding bell presentation and Sound of Music trio performance of “How do you solve a problem like Maria?”). More dancing, more eating, dessert and finally a behind the scenes tour. We were exhausted by the end… but there was more.

The next morning we rolled out of bed and realized we could join the kayaking trip at the last minute! We jumped into our clothes and raced to the meeting place just in time to join the crew. Off to the sea we went, though a morning drizzled accompanied us the whole way. The trip was so much fun! We saw bald eagles, sea otters and stopped half-way for hot cocoa, snacks and visiting with the guests. What a great way to see Alaska and bond with friends!

We are Family!

The time had finally come for Jack and I to travel north for a family gathering in Anglemont, British Columbia. The reason for our gathering was two-fold: gather with siblings, children, and grandchildren of the late Winifred Duffy and do the big sort through her belongings in the house she lived in for the past 40 years. It was a happy time: reunions with relatives we hadn't seen for a long time or even met, hours looking through Winifred's vast collection of photo albums, sunny days swimming on Shuswap Lake and discoveries of her hidden and known treasures. The sad moment was the time when we took Winifred's ashes to her burial site. The family circled around and Uncle Derek share a few encouraging thoughts from scripture and had prayer. People were moved to tears as they were reflecting on what a good mother, grandmother and friend she had been. Reflection time was soon over and we were back to the task of sorting, packing and laughing. With a car loaded with goods and another furniture run planned the next day, we started our trip southward. Smooth sailing through the border three times over was an answer to our prayers. This weekend was one that filled us with good memories, grew family bonds stronger, and left us with boxes and piles of keepsakes that remind us of Winifred and all the love she gave the family!

The Duffy Family gathers for a group photo at Winifred and Gramps' grave.

Shuswap Lake at sunset.

Gentle lapping waves on a beautiful shore of perfect skipping rocks. Many summer days of playing in the lake were spent here with Grandma.

Shirley places Winifred's favorite flowers, hydrangeas, grown in her garden, at the gravesite.

The family gathers around in remembrance of a wonderful woman!

Winifred's ashes were buried on top of her fathers casket, as she said, "in his arms."



Shirley, Ralph, Bertie, Jack and Pauline share laughs and fond memories as they look through Winifred's vast photo album collection (at LEAST 50).

Spiritual Renewal

This weekend was Gladstone Campmeeting and with Jack gone camping with his friends at Diamond Lake, I knew I needed the fellowship and spiritual boost it had to offer. So I went, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday night to bask in God's love through the hearing of the Word and heart-felt worship. And what I went for I received!

The worship experience was truly amazing. Night after night my heart was warmed, humbled and then lifted in praise to an awesome God who loves me. The songs moved me (figuratively and literally) as I sang, clapped, raised my hands and stood still. This is true worship, I thought. For the first time in a long time I truly felt free to express my praise to the Lord.

What did it for me? I believe it is the improved relationship I've been having with God lately and the presence of other worshippers who are letting loose! I went straight to the front row every night because I knew it would help me focus on the worship experience and worship leaders. Something changed in me. I worshipped without reservation. I closed my eyes to keep my ears and mouth and heart in tune. I was a beautiful feeling to be free in my expression to God.

And because of this moving worship experience, my heart was ready to receive the Word and to share and pray with other believers. The messages about God's greatness in His grace, His servanthood, His creatorship, His wonder-working power and His self-definition were so refreshing and presented with such passion and simplicity. God was truly there and I was there with Him.