2020

I was very much looking forward to our trip to Wyoming. Between my junior and senior years in college I spent the summer at Yellowstone National Park in the northwest corner of the state. It was by far the most foundational summer of my life. My parents probably thought I'd "gone prodigal" (to steal a phrase from Greg Laurie) because I wasn't much interested in hearing from home. But it was the first time I'd ever been immersed in a culture so different from the one I had grown up in. And I couldn't get enough of it. When you are surrounded by people who have always been where you have been and have grown up the way you have grown up, no one thinks to ask who you are. They assume they know. They assume you are just like them. And you can start to assume you are too. But these people I spent the summer with were people from every state and multiple countries and a variety of backgrounds and they all wanted to know: who are you? what do you like? ...

Our last stop in Oregon was to see the Hell's Canyon overlook. We anticipated stunning views of the Snake River. However, the most exciting part of this detour was getting stuck in a cattle drive. We couldn't see anything from the overlook -- not a drop of water in sight. But since we'd had a recent attitude change, we didn't want to give up on Hell's Canyon. So we crossed the border into Idaho and decided to check out the Snake River from the other side. And we were not disappointed! We drove for miles along the water's edge to the dam, admiring the river and the canyon walls. We'd heard that one of the U.S. President's thought this canyon more beautiful than the Grand Canyon. Perhaps we would have agreed if we'd taken the time to hike or whitewater raft in the area. I certainly think that exploring a place deeper than from your car window helps in your appreciation of it. But we'll have to save that for another trip! The last time Ran...

I took another day off of blogging/donating yesterday. Why this time? I decided to change my Sabbath. Normally Sundays (or Saturdays, depending on your church) are considered the Sabbath, the day of rest, the day you go to church, and the "cheat day" for Lent. But Wednesday is my ONE day off of work each week. It's the one day I don't have to come in to the office (which is just a few steps across the hall from our apartment, but still...). It's the one day I don't have to find crayons or pencils or folders or shoes or snacks for 20 little voices crying "I need, I need, I need..." It's the one day I don't eat beans and corn tortillas. It's my one day to not "have to" do anything. And so it just seems logical that Wednesday would be my one day a week to not "have to" participate in Lent. Christians (I speak for myself here) can get really legalistic about unimportant things. Like the "right way" to ...

I didn't participate in Lent yesterday. I was too sad. Randy and I are preparing to leave Baja. One of the catalysts for that decision was to spend more time with my grandmother. But we never got that chance. She died yesterday. And I was completely devastated by the news. I didn't have the energy to donate or write about a cause yesterday. I didn't want to hear all the Christian platitudes ("Be glad she was a Christian and is with Jesus now."). I just wanted to be sad. To cry and walk the beach and take a nap and cry some more. I woke up this morning hoping it had all been a terrible dream. You would think that you would always click with all of your family members. You share DNA. You share an upbringing. You have both nature and nurture going for you. But at times you can feel like an outsider within your own home. But I never felt that way with my grandmother. We were kindred spirits. She was an artist and a world traveler, a card player and an a...

2017. My word of the year was "compartir." To share. All year I've pretty much felt like I was failing at this. No better at sharing than my 3-year-olds. (Someone seriously needs to put the kibosh on the phrase "terrible twos." Twos are like peaches and cream compared to threes!) Sure, I had bursts of inspiration. And I have gotten better at sharing some things. But I'm still not great. At least not in the way I have been defining "to share." When I look back at the year, the one thing I see the most is how much time I've spent on my knees in prayer. Prayer for family. For my marriage. My kids. Prayer for God's will in my life. Which makes me wonder... What if, in directing me to share this year, God wasn't talking about candy or toys, bags of beans or cute t-shirts, money with those in need or even prayer requests with my friends? What if God wanted me to share... with HIM? In which case spending so ...

"Mama, no quiero ir. No quiero ir, mama. Mama, no!"  ( Mama, I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go, Mama. Mama, no!) Luis looked up at me with his big, brown eyes, pleading to stay home from kindergarten. After several failed attempts, I finally scooped him up and said, "Yo puedo ir con usted."  (I’ll go with you.) He sat calmly on my lap for the entire drive, six other kindergarteners in the back. But as soon as we pulled up to the school he cried again, "Mama, no quiero ir!" "Voy a regresar en dos horas," I said to Luis. And to the others, "Quien quiere ayudar Luis?" ( I’ll be back for you in two hours... Who wants to help Luis?) All six kids surrounded Luis, taking his hands. He continued to cry as he walked to class, looking back at me over his shoulder, mouthing "Mama, no! No quiero ir!" My mama’s heart went out to him, though I knew he had nothing to be afraid of, and I knew he would...

In 2003 I left my job in Yosemite National Park (Wawona, California) to live with my grandmother in Bella Vista, Arkansas, and become a full-time writer. But instead of heading east, straight to her place, I started out going west. I put my feet in the Pacific Ocean and got sunburned on the beach. I listened to Paul Theroux talk about his latest book, Dark Star Safari , at the Capitola Book Cafe. I bought local honey and oranges at the Santa Cruz farmer's market. I spent an afternoon in Shakespeare's Garden at Golden Gate Park . I saw protests and arrests in Berkeley -- President Bush having just declared war on Iraq. I slept at a fire station in Napa and ate Olallieberry Pie in Pescadero . I didn't have a cell phone at the time, so I called my grandmother from a pay phone along the way. I told her about my latest adventures. "Are you lost?" she asked, thinking I should be halfway to Arkansas by now. Some had the same reaction when Randy and I moved out ...

One of the most important things to be intentional about is relationships. Randy and I are especially feeling this right now as our moving day gets closer and closer. Who do we need to see before we cross the border, not knowing when we'll be back? Who do we want to see? How do we manage to see everyone in such a short window of time? First on our list was Matthew, Jennifer, and Riley, my brother and sister-in-law and niece in Texas. We were able to spend a week with them, and thanks to our frequent flyer miles only had to spend $25 to get there. The week was perfect! From the beach to the brewery, the mall to the merry-go-round, football games and delicious food, we made the most of our time together. Riley, at age 4, opened our eyes to the fun we have in store for us in Mexico. Just look at these beautiful centerpieces she created for our dinners each night! One of the most special times for me was the afternoon Jennifer and I spent together. It reminded me how much...

One of the challenges of being intentional is recognizing that there will be times that you have to intentionally be unintentional about the things you were being intentional about. My initial intentional goals this year were to read more books, take more hikes, write more blogs, do more for others, grow in my faith, and date my husband. As the weeks and months went by, I added to my intentional list: stretch, celebrate, and take care of my health (ie. make & go to doctor's appointments). And now that we are a mere two months away from moving to Mexico indefinitely, there are seemingly a million more things to be intentional about: paying off debts, selling half our stuff, downsizing from two vehicles to one, spending time with family, raising money and awareness for our ministry , working from a distance on projects in Mexico, continuing our regular work of writing and catering, celebrating our move and closing down Randy's business. Not to mention the unexpected ...

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” –John 14:18 My husband Randy first mentioned moving to Mexico to volunteer full-time at a children’s home a little over two years ago. I had long since wanted to volunteer at an orphanage, but the idea of actually doing so seemed impractical, even for someone who loves doing the impractical as much as me. And because we weren’t in a position to make such a move, I didn’t devote much thought to it at the time. But early in 2016 we suddenly came into a position where we could make such a move. And now the question changed from “could we”, to “would we”? During a conversation with Eden Grace, Global Ministries director at Friends United Meeting, she stressed the importance of a “site visit” for individuals considering serving in the field – actually traveling to and seeing the place where you would be serving before making any commitments. While the children’s home in Mexico is not an FUM project, I valued Eden’s wisdom a...

Yesterday I attended the Joyce Meyer Conference at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. It was a 3-day conference, but Randy and I are getting ready to go to Mexico for a week, so, between packing and getting ahead on work, I felt like one day at the conference was all I could squeeze in. Over the course of 4 teaching sessions, Joyce addressed the topics of spirit, body, mind and emotions. "Body" was the subject for Friday morning's session and I connected with it so deeply. Joyce reminded us that our bodies are " temples of the Holy Spirit "; they are where God dwells. If you think about your body as the house of God, doesn't it follow that you should take good care of it? One of my favorite aspects of Joyce's preaching style is that she uses examples from her own life. So she told us that earlier this year she talked to God about how tired she was all the time. She travels all over the world preaching and she needs energy to do it! While some ...

Can you believe we are already halfway thru 2016? Halfway through my year of living intentionally ! I think it is really important to reflect back on how far we've come, how God has been working, and continue to make goals for the remainder of the year. So far this year, I have... * written 31 blogs (this is #32!) * read 23 books (and 5 magazines!) * taken 21 hikes (and half-a-dozen walks on the beach!) * attended church almost every week (plus a 6-week Bible study!) * traveled to Reno, NV; San Felipe, Mexico (including an overnight in San Diego, CA); Ohio and Indiana; and most recently, Lake Tahoe, CA/NV * AND gone on a date with my husband at least once a week, ranging from breakfast to double dates, a scavenger hunt to an art class, picnics to dinner cruises, movies to pedicures, and Dancing with the Stars LIVE tour.  I've grown in my faith, my calf muscles, and in my marriage. I've celebrated more and worried less. I've filled my time with things I l...