Labor Day Weekend: in Review

I have said it before, and I'll always say it again...

There is nothing quite like getting behind the wheel for a road trip!

Those that know me, know that I love to drive! (And if you didn't know that, you do now!!) Some of my best thoughts and revelations have come to me behind the wheel of the various cars I have driven over the years. Tears can be shed, songs can be sung, heart to heart talks can be had, prayers can be said, new roads can be explored....Ah! and freedom can be had on the open road.

So, needless to say, I was a bit excited to say the least when my mom and I planned a road trip for the long Labor day weekend with my two beautiful nieces!


Destinations: Chattanooga, TN and Cleveland, GA (to visit the fabulous Babyland General, birthplace of the Cabbage Patch Kids!)


If I made the time, I could scan the picture of me and my first visit to Babyland General. I was eight or nine and had some mondo-thick glasses on my face. But I was the hap-happ-happiest girl alive!!

Am I the only one that LOVES the new cabbage patch doll smell?? And I chuckle as I type this, because without an appropriate caption, the photo above just looks REALLY creepy!


So the drive to Cleveland, Georgia from Chattanooga follows the B-E-A-U-TIFUL Ocoee River. On the drive there, I was doing the best I could on those winding mountain roads to slow down so my nieces could see blessed individuals that had placed their lives in the hands of river guides while they went white water rafting. I'm sure the girls' eyes were just as starry as mine were. I adore being out on the water, well I don't even have to be on the water, being near it brings me just as much joy. I have been white water rafting once in my life, last year while I was in Alaska visiting a dear friend. It was beyond amazing! Moving through the gorgeous scenery with a beautiful blue sky above and the mountains of Denali National Park all around. The rushing frigid glacial waters lapping against me and the peaceful quietness of God's creation!

Yeah, I can't wait to do it again!

So I had another wonderful moment by the river's edge with two sweet girls who bring our family such joy. I think the three of us could have spent all day climbing on the rocks, running the trails and dipping our feet in the refreshingly cool waters of the Ocoee. At one point we sat on the rocks, chatted about life, watched kayakers and rafters go by and picked some pretty wild flowers for Nana who stayed in the car to take a nap while us girls ventured out to play.


That weekend getaway was just the break I needed to unwind, refresh and take in some of God's beautiful creation. And to spend some wonderful quality time with some really great gals!

Summer Fun: Camping

Unfortunately, this camping trip is not a recent one. This dates back to summer 2009. A weekend trip with my brother, sister-in-law, two nieces and of course, a very, very excited Daisy Lou.


It is a favorite thing of mine to pitch a tent, hang the hammock, start a fire and lay or sit beneath the canopy of trees.


And a camping trip with any one from my family proves to be a fun adventure! We always know how to make things interesting. On this particular trip my brother Eric waged a contest to see who could get a fire going first. From the start, he didn't lay out any rules or mention items we couldn't use, therefore, I made my way to my hiking pack and pulled out the following items: My survival knife, fire starter sticks, and a lighter.

If my memory serves me correct, I do believe he gave me a hard time about the lighter and fire starter sticks once he saw them, and I politely reminded him that he never said what we could and couldn't use. His method involved tree sap and striking flint. (which I'll get to the tree sap in a bit.)


So guess who got a fire started first!? Yep. I was never a boy scout (for obvious reasons) but when it comes to the outdoors, I'm always prepared.

My brother had success with the tree sap, and Punkin sure enjoyed burning and charring things just because she could! But before long, with the combined efforts of all our flames and charred kindling, we had a blazing fire just perfect to start dinner with!


Another fantastic thing about camping in this family, is that you're sure to eat well! I can remember dad cooking up fried potatoes, eggs, bacon, and sausage for breakfast and roasts with carrots and potatoes for dinner, or pork chops...it was and is always a culinary delight!

My brother made a delicious Low Country Boil, minus the shrimp this time but chock full of cajun seasoning!

The picture above is proof of how much of a weenie I truly am...I must confess that although I speak highly of the outdoors and praise a Mighty God for His beautiful creation, the one thing that can send me running and screaming like the girl I am is a spider. Go ahead and laugh or chuckle or shake your head in disbelief, but before I can even get one foot in my hammock I spray the perimeter with bug spray. If not, I have these visions of laying quite comfortably in my hammock, swinging ever so slightly and watching the tree tops dance in the wind and it all being brought to a halt by eight legs and two beady eyes. So yes, I am a weenie. But I'm okay with that.

Okay, so now for the educational portion of this post. My brother taught me something, that my other brother taught him. Tree sap makes a great fire starter! Above is a picture of Punkin scraping sap from a pine tree. When lit, sap will burn for quite a while, and in the process will also ignite small kindling and leaves. Below is a shot of some sap burning.





And to continue on with the fun educational portion of this post, I also had to get a little inventive on this trip. I've reached the age where I can no longer sleep on the ground when camping, I (and my joints) prefer an air mattress these days. I had let a friend borrow mine so I searched my house for the next best thing. I have a self-inflating mattress, but it doesn't do the trick for me, but I found a pool float in my laundry room and figured I would give it a try.


I ended up sliding the pool float down into my sleeping bag to keep it contained and from shifting out from under me. I had a quilt with me to cover up with so it all worked out perfectly! I slept so well that night, that the pool float is now and always will be a permanent fixture in my hiking pack. Much lighter than an air mattress and takes less time to inflate too!

All this talk of camping really has me wanting to make haste to the great outdoors, but alas the school and work schedule will not allow it most likely until next summer. Reminiscing is the next best thing : )

Snow? Yes please!

So for anyone who really knows me, knows that I love snow.

It's not like an "Oh Yay! It's snowing" kind of affection, it's like "how can I get my affairs in order so I can move to Alaska and surround myself with feet and feet of snow??" and "Where can I live that I can have access to groomed cross-country ski trails and tubing hills and evergreen forests that I can snowshoe thru?"

Yeah, it's bad.

But the Lord is kind to give me little snippets of time in snow country.


And this time, I got to bring my nieces along which pretty much seals the deal and makes me the coolest Aunt on US soil right now. (Sorry for all other Aunts out there reading this -- apparently I've set the bar kind of high now :-D But they are girls after my own heart -- they love the snow too!

So I've often wondered, and in my quiet time with the Lord dwelled upon snow and why I am so drawn to it, and I always come back to the simple fact of how a fresh blanket of snow makes even the most rugged and unattractive landscape overwhelmingly beautiful. Even the rusty grossness that is the yard of the construction company near my neighborhood, with it's rusted machinery and junk piles, looks amazingly peaceful and beautiful when it is laden with a thick blanket of snow.

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. -- Isaiah 1:18

My mind always returns to this scripture. My sin will be washed white as snow. My sin, as wretched as it is, as wretched as I am, in Christ, by His sacrifice, is white as snow.

I am reminded of this as the harshness of tree bark is softened with snow -- a beautiful sight is a forest of trees with branches laden with snow.

And snow always makes me think of my Creator. What a neat way of watering the earth in the cold months.


I am thankful the Lord has given us a fun way of enjoying His creation in the winter months. Tomorrow I am planning on taking my nieces snowshoeing and cross-country skiing along some groomed trails. I am hoping to take in some beautiful views of snow laden trees and frozen lakes.

The Lord is so kind.

The Glory of His Creation: Alaska Parte Dos

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12

I absolutely adore God's amazing creation! I never, ever grow tired of how He constantly amazes me with His imagination and attention to detail. The variety of grasses and trees and weeds and the colors they shine forth. And the mountains! My goodness, I am made speechless at the sight of towering peaks that split the clouds and attract the snow and seem invincible and yet even the mountains bow to their Creator and sing forth of His Glory.

These past nine days have been so incredibly sweet and rich in so many ways. First of all is the fact that I've been able to reconnect with a childhood friend -- and even more wonderful is that she and her husband are willing to put up with me for two weeks!! : ) The fellowship and conversation and laughs have been such a time of encouragement and renewal in the Lord. And to goof again like we did so many years ago is such fun!

But it doesn't end there!

The past ten years of my life the Lord has blown me away. Completely blown me away with experiences like going off to college on my own, traveling and doing missions in three different countries - learning new languages, forming new friendships, bridging cultural and language barriers solely through the love and compassion enabled in me by Christ alone, and new friendships that have sharpened, humbled and encouraged me.

All this and yet there are times still when I am discontent with my life. Begging for more and viewing the grass on the other side as always greener. I think back upon my early teen years when I would sit with my best girlfriends and we would plan how our lives would be. Married by 20, house full of kids soon to follow, homes right next to each other where we would share meals and play with our kiddos for hours on end in the back yard -- not a care in the world.

And yet, that is not what God had planned. In my young mind that was the biggest I could dream for myself -- and yet, my Father had much grander plans for me!

Feasting upon mountain top views not only in Alaska but in Guatemala and Malaysia; sitting with rural Malay families on straw mats and sharing the salvation of Christ; relocating crocodiles to new enclosures with Malay college students at the Malaka Zoo; teaching orphans in India how to play Jesus Loves Me on little recorders; having Indian villagers flock to us for prayer knowing that we know and serve a Mighty God!

Yes, my Father wins the prize for lofty dreams! And he's done it again!


This road He has me on is winding and full of surprises! Even when I hold certain expectations in my heart for something, He often exceeds them, and again, I am reminded of His amazing love for me and that He holds me in His mighty hands.

"He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul," Psalm 23:2b-3a

Time in fellowship with Him and in His word and enjoying the beauty of His creation brings me joy, peace and renewal unlike any other.

And I wouldn't trade any of it. None of it at all! His plans were to mold me and stretch me far from what I knew as a young girl in that small town. To take me away, draw me closer to Him, grow me and strengthen me, only to bring me right back to where it all started. Not the same, but sanctified even more. And yet with so much farther yet to go. Not that it has been easy as I often have struggled to surrender myself to Him, and when I do, it's always way more than I could ever dream.


I've had a little time to think while here, and not that I've really figured anything out but it has been more of a dwelling upon who He is, and where He has brought me from. Remembering times from the past long forgotten in my own mind and praising Him for the chance to remember. I planned this trip thinking I would finally see a land I longed to see for many years. And I did, but it has turned into so very much more! The people I have met, some I even consider friends now, new experiences I have had like white water rafting and traveling alone for the first time (which, to the core of me, I love to do things I have never done before!)

So there it is.

God the Father, my Father, has blown me a away again...and I am not surprised! He longs to pour Himself into me and see the wonder and awe on my face like a parent with a young child.

Zephaniah 3:17 (English Standard Version)

¹⁷ The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

9 Days!! 9 Days To Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9 Days and Counting until I depart on a new little adventure to visit my dear friend Rebecca in Fairbanks, Alaska!

So I've been doing a lot of internet research, reading of blogs and reading newspapers from different Alaskan cities just to familiarize myself with the culture of which I am about to find myself in!

I cannot wait! I know it will be an especially sweet time between me and the Lord. I always have such sweet fellowship with Him when I experience new things, go to new places, walk in His creation, take in new sites of His wonderful and beautiful creation - every new thing seems to always point me back to Him!

I'm still amazed at how this trip came together! A dream trip - once in a lifetime it seems and yet the Lord, in His goodness has made this possible for me.

So, I'm not sure what I'll see, what I'll experience or who I'll meet (there's talk that Sarah Palin is expected to be at the very same festival I am to attend!!!)

But I know for sure, that the Lord is good, His love is incomprehensible and I cannot wait to see what His very hand created in the wonderful land of the midnight sun!





The images above are from this blog that I came across. Very interesting and it's hard for me to imagine a place that one could drive 244 miles before coming across developed land. **Sigh** I SOOO cannot wait to go!

Oh How Far I Still Have To Go!

Life seems to be so insanely busy right now with the end of the semester and finals looming overhead and deadlines with the newspaper and the business magazine quickly approaching that I've just needed some time to work in the yard and get a few projects accomplished.

Now for me, "working" in the yard doesn't really seem like work. It's more play. I love being outside, feeling the sun on my face (or back) and getting my hands dirty transplanting flowers or just moving things around. And since I can only do a few things at a time, major progress rarely happens! But Oh! the sense of accomplishment when it does occur!

So Thursday, I was really needing to take a break. So I went outside to start raking out the flower beds and to clear my mind.

Now, it is common knowledge to those who know me and my yardwork mentality that I loathe and despise the helicopters (or whirlygigs, as they are called in some regions) that fall this time of year from Maple trees. They're everywhere!! And in everything!! And I can get the ponds cleaned out and ready to go for the season only to have to scoop and skim hundreds of those pesky, dreaded spring-time invaders again!

I had just cleaned off the porch only for a strong gust of wind to come along and deposit more of those wretched seed bombs right on my clean porch. It's almost as if they get their target in sight, wait for the signal from their commander and FIRE just as the wind is right. If you can't tell, I was at the point of nearly cursing the things. (Horrible...I know!)

BUT! God had a lesson planned for 'ole Amber.



I was taking a load of leaves and sticks to the back through the field, and it was just as the sun was beginning to set. The light sifting through the maple tree was amazing, beautiful, golden light! A photographer's dream! But another thing caught my eye and stopped me right where I was. Thousands of those little helicopters, the very things I was on the verge of cursing, lit up like tiny little gold beacons in the tall green grass! And I was suddenly struck by God's amazing design! As I scanned the field and all those future maple trees, the Lord gave me a realization! I noticed that almost every one of those things had landed seed down. Heavy side down. And as I continued walking to the back of the field, I realized that they HAD to land that way to take root! The light, feather-like top helped the seed drift in the wind and the pointed heavy end helped to plant the seed within the grass where it could eventually take root and grow!

How amazing is God's design! How intricate - even with something that would seem so simple as a seed! Now this realization goes right along with everything God is showing me about His amazing design during my Anatomy & Physiology class.

Everything points back to a masterful and purposeful Creator!

And there, in that golden sunlight, on the grass next to those very things I was so angry at only moments before, suddenly held such beauty as I was reminded on my Creator! My Father who meticulously designed those seeds so that trees would grow to give the birds of the air a place to nest, oxygen for us to breathe and a place to put my hammock beneath.

Oh how wonderful it is when the Lord transforms my perspective and yet shows me even more of my sin and how much farther my heart still has yet to go.

I hope you are able to get out and enjoy our Lord's wonderful creation this weekend!

Laminin - God's Amazing Creation.

I was working a Chrysalis weekend not long ago and this video was shown during one of the talks. I found it amazing -- and timely as I'm studying cells and molecular make-up of the body in my Anatomy & Physiology class. I have been in awe of God's wonderful design and in awe of how he fashioned even the tiniest organisms to work together and come together to create and sustain life.



I don't know much about Louie Giglio or his ministries, but I like this video and thought I would share it.

Finished Art project and Birthdays

I finished another print in my four-series art print. I don't have an image yet for my fourth one, but I want something green to balance out all the blues and yellows. And since Spring is just around the corner, this gives me the perfect excuse to plan a photo day for myself where I hop in my car and photograph whatever catches my eye. It has been so long since I've done that!

Before I pack it in for the night and head to bed to read for a bit, I wanted to share a verse that I read today that speaks worthy words of praise to a Mighty and Wonderful God!! Oh! That those who do not know Him would be called by Him this very night! And experience the saving grace of Christ.

Psalm 40:5

Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

I hope to post the pictures from Madison's birthday party at Nana's tomorrow. I'm too tired to look through more pictures and post them tonight. Something to look forward to!

I Can't believe Madison is now 11. It seems just like yesterday we were sitting in the waiting room anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first child, first grandchild (both sides) and first niece/nephew (we didn't know it was a girl until she was born.) What a blessing that beautiful little girl has been!

Amber....plugged in

Well, last night, after babysitting, spending three hours in Gatti-town, having way more fun than should be allowed for a gal my age and then visiting with my brother and his girlfriend who are in for the weekend, I finally ventured home. Only, I decided to make a pit-stop that would alter the course of my night - unbeknownst to me. I stopped at McDonald's for a large-good-'ole-filled-to-the-brim-styrofoam-insulated cup of sweet tea.

Now one major thing should have happened. Red flags should have raised, bells should have gone off, sirens should have blared and a red light, somewhere in time should have flashed warning me NOT to partake of such yummy thirst-quenching goodness at 12:15 in the morning. If I haven't revealed it on here yet, allow me to divulge that if an ounce of caffeine gets near me, much less in me, I'm wired. Not just wired, but if given the proper conditions and the right brain cells align, I could solve some of the worlds most challenging math equations or paint huge murals of the process of mitosis or plan the next flight path for the space shuttle upon re-entry. I am plugged in.

And that's exactly what happened in the wee hours of this Saturday morning. I got home, got settled and yet my mind was racing a million miles a minute. I took advantage of the extra umph of energy and cleaned a bit but then put my mind and computer to some design projects I've wanted to do for a while. I wanted a series of four prints to hang in my bedroom that featured a line from some of my favorite hymns. It seems my best creative moments are found in the darkness of the wee morning. Perhaps I should consume more sweet tea in the late hours to get more of the projects on my list accomplished!

Anyway, here are two of the four I have finished so far.




I have a few ideas for the remaining two, but I think some new photography is in order. I haven't been shooting as much since I've been back in school and I really miss it. I worked for the newspaper this morning and covered what I consider to be a fun assignment. It was the dress rehearsal for an elementary school performance of Annie Jr. (Jr. because it's a condensed version). The kids were so cute and so incredibly talented to stay in character and not just say their lines but act along with them. They were part of the drama club from an elem. school and they were so good! Anyway, I plan to post some of the pictures from that shoot because I haven't had many news pictures to post lately.

So when I finish the last two in my four-part series, I will be sure to post them. I pray you are having a fantastic day and thanks for reading my posts : )

Grace, Peace and Sweet Tea!

Oh those views!!!!

Being a lover of all things Space related and Christmas related, I decided to share a really cool website I found today!

What a better way to count down the days to Christmas than with images from the Hubble Telescope of God's amazing creation!!

Enjoy : )

Mightier than the sea!

Psalm 93:4 (English Standard Version)

4Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea,
the LORD on high is mighty!

In my quiet time this morning I read this psalm and verse 4 wrapped around me and made me think of a picture I saw recently. The picture above was taken by NASA from the International Space Station and it is actually a picture of hurricane Ike. I saw this image while looking through news image galleries and just had to save it to my computer. It is now the background image on my screen. I shared with a friend recently that I would LOVE to travel to outerspace. I can't imagine beholding a view like this! What a wonder!! To take in a wide-angle view of God's creation! This image will be the closest I ever get - but still, every time I see this image, I just have to praise the Lord for his creation!! AND for His love - because on that ginormous terrestrial ball - is little tiny 'ole me and the Lord has lavished His love and His grace on my life and brought me to repentance and salvation through Christ - me. A teeny tiny speck on the timeline of eternity. Amazing!

So that's not really what I wanted to write about - but still it amazes me. So, I read Psalm 93:4, thought of this image and was reminded that through all the destruction that Hurricane Ike brought - wiping out towns completely along the coast, redefining the shoreline....God is STILL mightier than that! This verse brings me comfort because the last two days have been one crashing wave after another - honestly this whole month has been one crashing wave after another and yet He is mightier!! The Lord is on high! His hand determines the waves and drives the winds and allows them to fall where He ordains. It has been an incredible reminder to me that even in times where I feel I am going crazy because I am so overwhelmed - I am still hidden in the shadow of His wings, I can rest in the Almighty and know, I am His and I am in His sovereign will and His perfect plan.

I love that the Lord reminds me of these things when I need him most. I guess that's why he's mighty and in control : )

...and the waves continue...my mom is coughing up blood this morning, she is having such a hard time recovering from the surgery. Please, if you will, keep her tucked in your prayers.

The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. Exodus 15:2