Staying Young

When I first saw this picture online, I really had to laugh; laugh because it's pretty darn cute. Then I started to think of my time working at a nursing home, and the activities the home offered, and they never offered fencing! What a great idea. I hope I never have to live in a nursing home or assisted living, but if I do, hopefully they'll have great activities.

I really admire the man teaching this class and the folks participating, even if they are using walkers. I'm reminded of my Granny telling me when I was 17 (and clueless) that even though she looked old, she still felt like she was 18 inside.

Now, almost ?? I can really understand. Too often we look at older people and only see what's on the outside - gray hair, wrinkles, slow movements and reactions, difficulty hearing and seeing, etc. But we need to remind ourselves that inside (who they REALLY are - their spirits) they are probably not any different or older than how we feel inside. Maybe just a little more mature - hopefully!

Worth Two In The Bush

When we returned home this morning, Vicki noticed a family of Quail in our back yard. There were six tiny babies all peeping away. I went out there to have a closer look, and they all panicked. One of the babies went the opposite way from it's parents, so I picked it up and set him in the right direction. Vicki was so excited she drew a cute picture of the family. It appears they have a nest underneath our storage shed on the side of the house. We'll have to be watchful over the next couple of weeks so that Buster isn't able to get ahold of the babies; he thinks they're fun to play with.

Five Buck Steal

If you want an incredible bargain, just knock on our door. Carlos put his toys and our two trucks up for sale for ONLY $5! Cheep!
Awhile ago, Carlos found a cassette Walkman by the wash where teens skate. It came with an MTV dance cassette and a radio. Unfortunately for Carlos, the MTV dance music is hardly appropriate for young ears, but even worse is the one and only station that comes in loud and clear. It's a bad attitude rap station. He had it blaring yesterday and Karl heard how foul it was. Karl had to take the Walkman away. Try explaining this to an 8 year old!! We explained how it's important to be careful what we let our eyes see and ears hear. God wants us to have pure hearts, and that starts with what we allow into our minds. Of course, he thought what we were saying was not a good thing to put into HIS ears! He was so mad that he took out a bunch of his toys and wrote up the sign you see above. I asked him why he wanted to sell his things (and OUR trucks!), and what he would do with the money, but all he could think of was that he was mad. So here's the sign translated: FOR SALE by Owner. $5 Cheap. Call (our number) La Canoa. Blue Toyota. Red Toyota. Carlos!!
This morning he put all his toys away. He's not mad anymore. Just sad. We'll have to buy him a CD player, or put better songs on his MP3 player. Hopefully that Five Bucks will go a long way!

The Ultimate Handyman

Boy am I grateful for Karl! No matter what the challenge, Karl is up to the task. His mission for the next few weeks is laminate flooring. We've had stinky carpet for a long time, and I just couldn't take it anymore. Enter "SuperKarl", who saves the day. We're - or shall I say, Karl - is removing all the remaining carpet in our house and replacing it with "wood" flooring. With help from the Handyman's Haven where we bought low cost supplies, and Karl's excellent labor, we're going to have new rooms!! No matter the challenge - plumbing, welding, electrical work, yard work, car work, remodel work; you name it, Karl can do it. He can even focus with distracting kids around!! What a man!

May 26 update: Karl finished the office AND Vicki's room!!

Crazy Weather

I thought Michigan had crazy weather!! Monday and Tuesday were over 100 degrees here in sunny Arizona, and then the wind started. Right now it's raining and 63 degrees. Unfortunately for the kids, they had their last day of school - "water day" today. Vicki was the only one of our three who dared to get soaked by the fire department. You go girl. Tomorrow isn't going to be any better, I hear. To be honest, I'm not complaining. I love windy weather (ok, it's a bit too windy today) and rain; the smell of creosote and moisture on the desert plants so desperate for water. I can almost conjure up the sound of waves pounding in front of me and the spray of water on my face. Maybe I'm the crazy one?! :) Don't get me wrong, I really love the desert and the temperate days, but I REALLY miss waves pounding on the shore and water splashing me as I'm sitting on the pier. Thankfully (thank you, Mom and Dad!!) we're visiting Michigan this summer, and I can experience the real thing!!

Eyeballs In Heaven

Last night Carlos said he was scared and couldn't go to sleep. Many nights he says this before going to bed, and usually he's afraid of spiders or bobcats or something scary from a movie. Last night, it was eyeballs. We had a conversation in the car a couple of weeks ago along with Vicki when we saw a dead dog by the side of the road. Whenever that occurs, we usually end up talking about God and heaven. Well, the kids were trying to figure out what being a "spirit" was like - our spirit inside of us. Carlos wanted to know if we were going to have our eyeballs in heaven because he wants to see. When I again tried explaining "spirit" and that we won't take our eyeballs with us, he started crying that he wants his eyeballs to come with him and he doesn't want heaven to be filled with people without eyeballs. Sounds scary to me! So last night, the eyeballs came up again. Yikes! So, for Carlos, here's a photo just for you...

A New Day

A New Day - Finally I launch a blog. I've had the template set up for months, but haven't found the time to do it. We're thankfully looking forward to summer (WHAT?!!). No sports, no homework, not so much running here and there. Of course the kids are just glad to be out of school!
Why "The Narrow Road"?
Matthew 7:13 13 (Amplified Bible)
13Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.
The "broad way" is easy, and what our human nature prefers! Our desire is the "narrow road" - following God's way in this world that caters to our flesh. That isn't to say we often fail, and rarely is it easy, but it's our journey; making our way to Christlikeness.