Malibu

And then there was rest

Phil: I dont think we are going to make it to Hawaii for Christmas but I think we need a vacation soon. What do you think, should we do San Diego?
Janice: Let's try some place different, how about San Francisco? I haven't been since I was in High School.
Phil: Sounds great! I got an idea, let's fly into LA and drive up highway 1 and enjoy the view.
Janice: Love it. How about we rent a convertable?
Phil: Sounds good. What should we do while we are there?
Janice: We always have more fun when we only plan a couple of things and let the rest just happen. We can do Alcatraz.
Phil: I heard they have an evening tour.
Janice: OK, done. Darn the Giants arent in town.
Phil: What about the A's?
Janice: Yep, done.
Janice: My sister Joyce suggested a few "must do's". (She is the family San Fran pro).
Phil: Sounds like a plan.

And this is how we plan our vacations...together, 22 years of experience in working on a plan. We spend time together, we pray together, we walk together, we talk together, we praise God for our love.

Heading Out

Phil and I are heading out on vacation tomorrow. We really look forward to these brief pauses in our daily routine. We have finally learned that to make a vacation relaxing, is to only plan a couple of things and let the rest of it be guided by where we are at the moment. This sure seems to slow down the pace some, since we are not running from one thing to another. We are ready.

We also look forward to sharing every breakfast together, sharing the Word, praying together as a way to start the day. Normally with Phil leaving for work at 4:00am every day, this is a special treat. We also spend a lot of time discussing our relationship and our goals as a couple as well as individually.

We are flying to LA first thing in the morning and spending the day. On Monday we will start driving up Highway 1 (the scenic drive) slowly, stopping in Cambria then continue North, arriving in San Francisco on Tuesday. We wanted to be sure to leave time to hop off the freeway and explore whenever we feel like it. Please say a prayer for safety and for much needed relaxation.

Rosie and Shelby

I left at the crack of dawn (that's 5:00am for me) so I could get to Jenn's house to watch Shelby. I thought it would be nice to give her a break and to let Shelby sleep in. One thing I learned is that there are no lights out at 120th Ave and Happy Valley Road, IT WAS DARK!

Shelby had a great time playing with their new puppy Rosie all day. They wore Nana out.

Labor Day-Play Ball!

Labor Day at our house usually means that we labor around the house doing chores and such. This year Phil was lucky to receive some free tickets to the afternoon Diamondbacks game. We invited Jim and Kelli to relax with us. At first we weren't real sure about the game since the St Louis Cardinals were ahead early on. D-backs pulled it off with some really great hitting; Stephen Drew hit a full cycle, the first D-back to do it at Chase Field but the third D-back to have that honor.

Later on, we went home and grilled some burgers. It was nice to have a totally relaxing day for a change.

The Aftermath of the storm

The storm brought a little more than a light show. It brought uprooted trees and major power outages. I should have recorded the storm an hour later than I did in the clip below. We had hail pelt the house and at one point Daniel was very concerned about his car. Fortunately the oleanders seemed to protect his car from the brunt of the whirling debris and hail.

The next day we could see the damage. 40th street, which is two blocks away, had all of the power poles broken and shattered in the street. The damage was incredible. I stopped by Mimi's house to see if she was OK, since she lives on 40th. She had no power but Donald Sr. dropped by to start up the generator. Shelby and I left her and her dogs with an invitation to join us anytime. 40th Street was closed for one week while APS relaced all the poles with metal one. They did such a great job and so quickly too.

Later on Saturday, Phil and I drove around and took some more pictures. We were lucky we didnt lose a tree this time and that we didnt receive any damage to the house.

Gabriel is welding tonight

I cannot remember the last time a thunderstorm had so much flashing and drama!
We watched it from a distance when there was no sound or rain...then suddenly it was over and all around us. The pattering of rain now falling, and increasing, and sudden clashes of cymbals, such magnificence! It seemed as though the angel Gabriel himself was welding and sparks were all around. I wonder what incredible sculpture Gabriel could make. I am so grateful of this glimpse of God's power and majesty. This was our ringside seat from our back patio, enjoy!

A busy weekend

Saturday was spent getting canvases ready for Sunday. There is more detail about that painting event on my art blog. What you won't see there though, was the yellow paint disaster in my trunk! Yep, a gallon of yellow paint spilled in the trunk of the car as I was on my way home. The smell was horrible! I got home while Phil was fixing dinner (Steak, okra and potatoes-Yummy) so he said "Boys, go help your mom". Fortunately both Shane and Daniel cheerfully helped get all of the other cans out and managed to get the carpet thrown away. Thanks guys. The best part of the day was sitting down and having dinner with our handsome young men.

Sunday morning was spent at church, painting in all three services. Jenn, Donald and Shelby joined us for lunch and they brought a guest, their new puppy Rosie. What a cutie-pie. Jenn baked cookies for me while I rested a bit and played with Shelby. After lunch Jenn begged, yes indeed begged to have her hair cut. She wanted it much shorter. Phil was trying to take a nap but Shelby was sprawled in his lap and she was snorting while Donald and Rosie were crashed and Donald was snoring. All in all it was quite loud as I cut about a 1 1/2 feet of hair off of Jenn. Later after she woke up I gave Shelby her first trim. We did just the bangs. Both girls are a bit lighter.

Later Phil and I went to Tammy's house to join others from our Vocal Arts Ministry for a time of food and fellowship. The kids went swimming (I am counting Jim, Ted and Larry in that category) while the rest of us talked. Tammy fixed turkey which she bravely asked David to cut.

We had a great time, thanks Tammy. I was exausted so we went home and watched a little of the closing ceremony for the Olympics, then finally some shut eye.

A Weekend alone

Daniel went to Florida to spend the weekend with a friend. We had the house to ourselves!
Saturday we made waffles together and Phil had a surprise set up for us in the afternoon - massages! What a nice treat!

On Sunday morning we decided we would go to church later in the afternoon and Phil suggested that we go to an early movie. We saw The Mummy, which was fun, but not quite the same without Rachel Weiz as Evie.

Phil did his usual workout while I finally started my painting of Matthew Fleming. I had no idea how hard it would be to work on a portrait of someone who is no longer with us. Prayers were lifted and memories flood every stroke. If you want to see the progress of the painting it will be on my art blog.

While I was praying for Michelle and Mark and their family for their loss, otheres were brought to mind as well to lift up to our great and Awesome God. Al-Health, Barb-Health, Tanya-Job, Gerry-Health, Lena-Loss of her brother, Maryann-Health, Amy-Finances, Cheryl-Home, Nancy-Family, Eric-Recovery, Greg-Health, Phil-Work, Janice-Work. As the great hymn of old says, "What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer".

A Full Moon

A Visit to Jenn's House

Friday was my normal "Day with Shelby" but Jenn had the day off and invited me to their house. The drive wasn't that bad and we had a good time cleaning and organizing a few things in their new home. Lists were started, Shelby napped and Jenn and I had a good Mother-Daughter time together. Later when Shelby woke up we went to lunch at Chile's. Jenn enjoyed dessert and Shelby enjoyed having a, kick back with her feet up meal, while lounging on Nana.

Later we went to Target to get a few items; table cloth, decorative center, candles.

My dear friend Sharon Stoops and our "Class Distraction" Bill Turner. I have about a dozen photo's with different people on Bill's lap, but I will save that for the class website. Sharon's family and my other dear friend Karla and her mom "shared" me after my parents moved to Phoenix in the middle of my Senior year. That was the only way for me to graduate with friends.

Mrs "Williams" (at the time) was my music teacher and a great inspiration to me. She had a bit of a soft spot for our class since her daughter Staci Johnson was in it. We had fun swapping stories during the evening. She was thrilled that I taught children's choir for so many years.

Dave Packbush and his lovely wife Shirley. We were buddies along with a group of guys I hung out with my Junior year. .

Peri Miller and I became friends when we both discovered it was our first day at a new school-in the first class. She looks the same as she did back then.

Greg Hughes and his wife Barbara. Greg was my High School Sweetheart. He's a grandparent to two little girls too. What fun it was to see him after all these years.

Re-union the big 3-0

Hard for me to believe but it has been 30 years since I graduated from Flagstaff High School (Go Eagles!). Phil and I have attended each reunion, the 10, 20 and now the 30. During both the Friday and Saturday event I was struck by not only our physical changes, but our changes in how we interact with each other. Hugs were given and received for no other reason than to say how glad we were together; it didn't even matter that 30 years ago we didn't have a class or spent time together.

Comparing the reunions was fun. At the 10 year reunion most of us had married, found a career path and had young children. Stories at that reunion still had some of the social standings interlaced, and there was still competitiveness somewhat in where you lived or what you were doing.

As the 20 rolled around, perspective in the stories seemed to change; they were less edgy and less judgemental focusing more on the goofy things that we did. By this time we had lost some class members to death, incarceration or just didn't know where they went. This was our class reminder that our journey is indeed finite.

30 years and it went by so quickly. We don't look the same as we were young, our experience shows through the lines on our faces, the extra pounds that we carry and a few carry the same vices they had in High School. There were some people that you could tell by just looking at them that life for them had grown in a good way, they were content, they were happy. Others showed that perhaps they wished they had taken a different turn at some point and held on to some regrets. Photos were shared by passing around camera phones and consisted of grown children and in some cases grandchildren.

Since my family moved so often and I was able to spend two full years with them, I look upon them as the family of my childhood, my last connecting thread to that time in my life. The memories are fond and I am so grateful I was embraced by this small community. Memories shared this time were more of a salute to the past as a way of saying thanks for being a part of the fabric of who we have become. There were more losses, and more vows to "keep in touch" and a commitment to get together in 5, not 10 more years, as well as making every effort to find those that didn't join us.

I enjoyed this reunion as a reminder of my past but also to see how far I have come. I am now a grateful child of God, wife, mother and grandmother, sister, daughter and friend. I look forward to the day when another reunion will come; when I see my Savior face to face, when I see loved ones and more friend from my past. That will be the greatest reunion ever. In the meantime, I will cherish old friends and will work harder at keeping in touch.

A great loss

My brother Mark and his wife Michelle are grieving the loss of her brother Matthew. Please pray for them and all of Michelle's family during this difficult time. Thank you.

Matthew Wayne Fleming, 34, of Mesa, passed away unexpectedly on July 18, 2008. He was the most beloved son, brother, uncle and friend and will be profoundly missed. He is survived by his mother, Cyndi (Roy) Smith, father Kenneth (Martha) Fleming, sisters Michelle (Mark) MacFarlane, Laurie (Tyrone) Allen, brothers Michael (Sherry) Fleming, Max (Amanda) Fleming, Kevin (Charitie) Hartsig, Michael Smith, Grant Smith, nephews Tyler, Davis and Karsten, and nieces Avery, Peri, Jayne, Paige, Charlotte and Ella, as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins. Services will be held on July 29, at 4 pm, at East Valley Bible Church, 1820 W Elliott Rd, in Gilbert AZ. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Salvation Army or Teen Challenge are appreciated.

Shelby at 9 months

What great fun we are having on our "Fridays with Nana". Shelby is also turning into quite the ham. Every time I took out my camera she came crawling up as fast as she could to get up close to the camera. Goofy kid!

Shelby is now eating rice cereal, love peas and blueberries and pears, not a fan of bananas though in any combination. The challenge to feeding her though is that she wants to play with the spoon. After getting some of the food into her, I "let" her win.

Experiential Home Fellowship

Home Fellowship was at our house tonight. I baked some cookies to share not just because we usually share a dessert at Home Fellowship but there was a tie into tonights lesson.

We are in the process of deciding on a new study to work through as a group so we were all supposed to bring some recommendations.

We did the first chapter in Bob Roglein's book Experiential Worshipper. I brought this book back from the Saddleback worship conference. Bob did such a great job of setting up a word picture of a great banquet at his mother's house for Thanksgiving. We could almost picture the bounty of food on the table and imagine the smells of the great feast. I thought the smell of fresh baked cookies would help in that part of the lesson :)
Bob goes on to say that there is an even greater feast in Heaven.

The journey of his book is to recognize that all of our senses should be used in worship. Isn't that what God gave them to us for anyway? When was the last time you worshiped God through not just sight but hearing, touching, tasting and even smelling. We decided tonight that we will go ahead an continue with this book and start looking for another study to begin in January.

I will be sure to share the journey as we go through it.

Dragonfly

With my new camera in hand, I set out to explore our garden once more. It is amazing to me what comes to you in the stillness. If only we pause and be still for a few moments, life comes to us. I was standing next to the tomato cages just looking around when a dragonfly flew by. I watched for a few minutes as it came close, then away, all on its own journey. Finally, it came back and stopped on the tomato cage I was standing next to. Almost as if a pose, it lingered while I took a couple of pictures.

Excited I couldn't wait to download the pictures. Isn't it beautiful? God's creativity available for all of us to see if we are just still for a moment to notice it. I love the colors and the intricacy of the wings.

There were a few other encounters this morning; a hummingbird, a wasp, some beetle bugs, ants and a woodpecker. I wonder how many of these encounters have I missed because I didn't stop and be still to notice them. But more important still, how many encounters with God have I missed because I didn't take the time to be still and hear His voice.

May you find the time to hear God's voice today.

Shane's Birthday Too

We love July because it is full of celebrations. Our Independence Day as a nation and Birthdays for two of our kids.

Shane turned 28! He doesn't like the number but I am grateful for each and every year of those 28. He has grown to be such a fine young man and we are so incredibly proud of him.

His dinner of choice was steak with a baked potato and corn on the cob (actually two).

After dinner the boys looked at a "red-neck" email sent by Jim Taggart. Laughter was all around.

Happy Birthday Jenn

It is so hard to believe that our little girl is 24! And to think there were times we weren't sure she would make it to 20 (just kidding sweetie).

We had a nice lunch together with Jenn and Shelby since Donald was helping out a friend who crashed on his quad. (Way to go Brandon-be sure to stop by so I can give you my canned lecture about wearing a helmet and being safe). Jenn requested homemade lasagne and garlic bread.

Shelby is officially crawling! Not at breakneck speeds mind you but enough that I will have to keep a close eye on her next Friday.

It is so fun watching Jennifer bloom as a mother while watching Shelby grow too. Blessings from Heaven.

Art has moved

I didn't want to take up any more of the family blog with my art so I started a blog just for that. If you are interested you can find it at the link to the right or at creative4him.blogspot.com