On my Porch the morning after
My front Yard
The catwalk at work
More Catwalk
My deck at 11:30 pm
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Snow Pictures!
On my Porch the morning after My front Yard The catwalk at work More Catwalk My deck at 11:30 pm
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Interesting week...
This week has been interesting, that's for sure. Many things have happened, and I promise to put pictures up soon. I'm at work, so I can't do it tonight. Where to start...
Work is still insane. With Halloween coming up, I'm only expecting it to get even more crazy. I got to work on Thursday and found we had three kids on the run. One of the runners surprised us all. She has never run. She left us a note saying it wasn't against any staff that she was running - that she just needed a night to herself. Crazy girl...haha! One of our kids that ran a few weeks ago keeps calling us saying he is going to turn himself in (he has a warrant) but then never shows. He called again tonight - we'll see if he actually comes...The kids are keeping us all on our toes. It'll be interesting to see how things unfold around here...
In other news, the 1995 Buick Park Avenue. As many of you know, this has been a thorn in my side for weeks (I think it's actually been about four weeks since I last drove my car...). I called Todd (shop guy) to get the status and here's what he said: "We fixed the starter system problem and the alarm system problem. We found where the draw to your battery is. Here's the deal. The draw is coming from the door locks in your car. We're not sure which door. Problem is, the door lock motor is also connected to your trunk latch and horn. So, I can keep the car for a bit longer and take all the doors off and fix the problem so that you'll have power locks. Or, I can disconnect the power locks and you can have the car today." Yay! Take the power locks off! I can handle that! So I went down to pick up my car, and Todd says, "Your car is a pain in the neck!" I went to the car, turned the key, and it turned on!!! I needed to get gas. When I say I needed to get gas, I seriously needed to get gas - the gauge was lower than empty. So I drove to the gas station, pulled in, and pushed the button to open the gas door. It wouldn't open. Great...I'm thinking that the gas door opener motor is the same as the power locks, the trunk, and the horn. I have to drive back to the shop, pray they are still open, pray I have enough gas to get there, and see if he can fix that. I pull up, Todd comes walking out, and he says, "Laurie...what are you doing here?" So I ask if there was any chance that the gas motor was connected to the trunk motor. He popped the hood and put in a chip thing into the electrical system, and the door opened just fine. Then he says, "How much do you love your car? Here's the deal. I can leave the chip in, your gas door will open, you'll have power locks, your trunk will work, and you'll have a dead battery by morning. I take out the chip, you can't open the gas door, but your battery will be charged." Great options, I know. I asked if there was a way to rig the door so that I could manually open it. So, a few less motors and springs, I can manually open my gas door. I went back to the gas station, (I actually made it!), filled up, and drove home. I FINALLY HAVE A CAR AGAIN!!!
Earlier today, at about 4, I looked out the window to see "ash" falling from the sky. Can you tell I'm from Southern California, where there are fires this time of year, so you assume anything white floating down from the sky is ash? Pathetic, I know. I then realized it was snowing! It wasn't sticking at all, but it was really snowing. It's here...
I woke up at 11:15 tonight to go to work, and went out to my car. I just had to open my door, and gasp. My deck had snow on it. Just a little, but snow nonetheless. I walk down the stairs to my car, and it is COVERED in snow. It was seriously about two inches thick. Great. Winter has begun...So I run back up to get my ice scraper/snow brush (thanks Tara!) to brush off the snow on my car. I smile as I'm doing this, as the now is pouring down on me (does snow "pour" or is that just rain? Hmmm...). I finally clear all the windows, and begin my drive to work in the snow without snow tires. That will be an investment very soon...
I'm sitting at work right now looking outside and watching the snow fall. It really is a beautiful sight. The snow is actually about three inches thick now, and it's sticking to the ground. The weather forecaster got it wrong yet again. They said it would be a wet snow and that it wouldn't stick to the ground. Wrong!
All this to say I'm doing okay in the Great White North. I miss home and can't wait to go there in 27 days. It can't come soon enough!
I'm off to watch a movie. Or do paperwork....Movie sounds better....
I love you and miss you!
Blessings!
Work is still insane. With Halloween coming up, I'm only expecting it to get even more crazy. I got to work on Thursday and found we had three kids on the run. One of the runners surprised us all. She has never run. She left us a note saying it wasn't against any staff that she was running - that she just needed a night to herself. Crazy girl...haha! One of our kids that ran a few weeks ago keeps calling us saying he is going to turn himself in (he has a warrant) but then never shows. He called again tonight - we'll see if he actually comes...The kids are keeping us all on our toes. It'll be interesting to see how things unfold around here...
In other news, the 1995 Buick Park Avenue. As many of you know, this has been a thorn in my side for weeks (I think it's actually been about four weeks since I last drove my car...). I called Todd (shop guy) to get the status and here's what he said: "We fixed the starter system problem and the alarm system problem. We found where the draw to your battery is. Here's the deal. The draw is coming from the door locks in your car. We're not sure which door. Problem is, the door lock motor is also connected to your trunk latch and horn. So, I can keep the car for a bit longer and take all the doors off and fix the problem so that you'll have power locks. Or, I can disconnect the power locks and you can have the car today." Yay! Take the power locks off! I can handle that! So I went down to pick up my car, and Todd says, "Your car is a pain in the neck!" I went to the car, turned the key, and it turned on!!! I needed to get gas. When I say I needed to get gas, I seriously needed to get gas - the gauge was lower than empty. So I drove to the gas station, pulled in, and pushed the button to open the gas door. It wouldn't open. Great...I'm thinking that the gas door opener motor is the same as the power locks, the trunk, and the horn. I have to drive back to the shop, pray they are still open, pray I have enough gas to get there, and see if he can fix that. I pull up, Todd comes walking out, and he says, "Laurie...what are you doing here?" So I ask if there was any chance that the gas motor was connected to the trunk motor. He popped the hood and put in a chip thing into the electrical system, and the door opened just fine. Then he says, "How much do you love your car? Here's the deal. I can leave the chip in, your gas door will open, you'll have power locks, your trunk will work, and you'll have a dead battery by morning. I take out the chip, you can't open the gas door, but your battery will be charged." Great options, I know. I asked if there was a way to rig the door so that I could manually open it. So, a few less motors and springs, I can manually open my gas door. I went back to the gas station, (I actually made it!), filled up, and drove home. I FINALLY HAVE A CAR AGAIN!!!
Earlier today, at about 4, I looked out the window to see "ash" falling from the sky. Can you tell I'm from Southern California, where there are fires this time of year, so you assume anything white floating down from the sky is ash? Pathetic, I know. I then realized it was snowing! It wasn't sticking at all, but it was really snowing. It's here...
I woke up at 11:15 tonight to go to work, and went out to my car. I just had to open my door, and gasp. My deck had snow on it. Just a little, but snow nonetheless. I walk down the stairs to my car, and it is COVERED in snow. It was seriously about two inches thick. Great. Winter has begun...So I run back up to get my ice scraper/snow brush (thanks Tara!) to brush off the snow on my car. I smile as I'm doing this, as the now is pouring down on me (does snow "pour" or is that just rain? Hmmm...). I finally clear all the windows, and begin my drive to work in the snow without snow tires. That will be an investment very soon...
I'm sitting at work right now looking outside and watching the snow fall. It really is a beautiful sight. The snow is actually about three inches thick now, and it's sticking to the ground. The weather forecaster got it wrong yet again. They said it would be a wet snow and that it wouldn't stick to the ground. Wrong!
All this to say I'm doing okay in the Great White North. I miss home and can't wait to go there in 27 days. It can't come soon enough!
I'm off to watch a movie. Or do paperwork....Movie sounds better....
I love you and miss you!
Blessings!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Music
I'm predicting that this blog will be very scattered. A lot has happened since I last posted, but not much to me. But thoughts are all over the place...I'll try to keep it as organized as possible.
I got out of work on Thursday morning at about 11 am. When you turn out of the parking lot at Cornerstone, you get a pretty cool view of Thunder Mountain. What was so cool about Thursday was this: Early Thursday morning, it was pouring down rain here, and about 35 degrees outside. So at 11 am the next morning, Thunder Mountain was COVERED in snow. I was so mad I didn't have my camera with me - it was so pretty! As I continued on home, I saw Mt. McGuiness and the other mountain next to it that were also covered in snow. The snow line is quite low...They're saying there's the possibility of snow in the next week. It's definitely cold enough! We'll see...I'm still not ready. Although, I did finally get a coat. It's super warm - I love it!
It's amazing to me how much music can influence a mood. Random, I know, but let me explain. Every night when I come into work, I turn on "piano" music. All night long, I listen to beautiful pieces of music. It's quiet and soothing and comforting to me. It's not fun being the only adult in charge of seven kids at night. After all, there are bears outside, and they'll eat you if you're not careful...
Then there's fun music. My new "favorite" country song is called "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. Hear me out. I'm not a fan of Taylor Swift. But this song is stinkin' cute! Youtube it...It's a song that makes me smile and gets stuck in my head at the most random times.
At church tonight, we sang "How Great You Are" or something like that. It's the song "How Great Thou Art" but more contemporary. Simply a beautiful song. I can't find it anywhere...sorry, you can't youtube that one. I wish you could hear it. It brings a smile to my face as I remember how truly great my God is. My soul sings! It's a song that has brought me comfort when I am homesick, when lousy things happen, etc. God is still great. I also realized at church tonight that one of my favorite sounds is the sound of people singing praises to God together. I'm sure I look like an idiot with my huge grin every time we all sing. I love it! Even if the person next to me is singing way off key, they are still praising the same God I am, and that is beautiful. I think it's a glimpse of heaven.
This week, I was bombarded with bad news. My car is still not working, although it is going in the shop either tomorrow or Sunday. A close college friend of mine woke up one morning to find her car was stolen (Between the two of us, we have some BAD car troubles!) Then the storm hit:
Our old pastor at my home church passed away a couple weeks ago. He was a dear man and will be missed. It came as quite a shock to me, and it makes me sad that I can't be at home right now. Then, I got news this week that a friend of mine passed away. If you live in Riverside and get the Press, there was an article about Steve W. In high school, I was involved in RYT, a theater group in Riverside. Debbie W was the director of RYT, and her husband Steve ran lights, sound, music, all of that. I was involved for about three years wit RYT, and became good friends with the W's. They went on a cruise in September, and Steve got sick about three days later. It was some sort of bacterial infection that wouldn't let up. Finally, Debbie decided to take Steve off life support, and he died shortly after. Their son is 17 and daughter is 12. It was devastating to me. I know what it's like to loose someone close to you, and it's not fun. I can't imagine loosing my dad at this age, let alone when I was 12 or 17. Be in prayers for the W family and the Anibal family.
Even with these deaths, God is still good. He is still in control. He will take care of these families. It will be hard, it's not going to be fun, but God is God. He's bigger than our sadness, our pain, our feeling of hopelessness and loss! To a grieving family, those can seem like empty words, but it's what helped me through the death of my Grandpa in November.
As I was taking a walk on Tuesday (a whole 'nother story...) the song "I Am" by Mark Schultz came on. (You can youtube that one...it's there...) Here are the lyrics:
"I AM the Maker of the Heavens; I AM the Bright and Morning Star; I AM the Breath of all Creation; Who always was; And is to come.
I AM the One who walked on water; I AM the One who calmed the seas; I AM the Miracles and Wonders; So come and see; And follow Me; You will know
chorus:
I AM the Fount of Living Water; The Risen Son of Man; The Healer of the Broken
And when you cry I AM your Savior and Redeemer; Who bore the sins of man
The Author and Perfecter; Beginning and the End
I AM
I AM the Spirit deep inside you; I AM the Word upon your heart; I AM the One who even knew you; Before your birth; Before you were
chorus
Bridge:
Before the Earth (I AM); The universe (I AM); In every heart (I AM); Oh, where you are (I AM); The Lord of Lords (I AM); The King of Kings (I AM); The Holy Lamb (I AM)
Above all things
chorus:
Yes, I AM Almighty God, your Father; The Risen Son of Man; The Healer of the Broken
And when you cry I AM Your Savior and Redeemer; Who bore the sins of man
The Author and Perfecter; Beginning and the End
I AM"
He is God, and I am not. I have to trust that He knows what he is doing. I may not get it; I may question it; I may even disagree. But He is God, and I am not. He is omniscient, I am not. As my dad would say, "We're like ants looking for food. We find a dead cricket, and think, 'yay! Dinner for a week!' What we fail to see is the cockroach up ahead that would feed us for a month." Gruesome illustration, I know. But do you see the point?
Even with all this bad stuff happening, when I listen to music like I've said above, I know I'm ok. Music is a powerful thing! It has the ability to destroy you and has the ability to bring you up. So turn on some music you enjoy, relax, and KNOW that it's going to be ok!
Blessings!
I got out of work on Thursday morning at about 11 am. When you turn out of the parking lot at Cornerstone, you get a pretty cool view of Thunder Mountain. What was so cool about Thursday was this: Early Thursday morning, it was pouring down rain here, and about 35 degrees outside. So at 11 am the next morning, Thunder Mountain was COVERED in snow. I was so mad I didn't have my camera with me - it was so pretty! As I continued on home, I saw Mt. McGuiness and the other mountain next to it that were also covered in snow. The snow line is quite low...They're saying there's the possibility of snow in the next week. It's definitely cold enough! We'll see...I'm still not ready. Although, I did finally get a coat. It's super warm - I love it!
It's amazing to me how much music can influence a mood. Random, I know, but let me explain. Every night when I come into work, I turn on "piano" music. All night long, I listen to beautiful pieces of music. It's quiet and soothing and comforting to me. It's not fun being the only adult in charge of seven kids at night. After all, there are bears outside, and they'll eat you if you're not careful...
Then there's fun music. My new "favorite" country song is called "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. Hear me out. I'm not a fan of Taylor Swift. But this song is stinkin' cute! Youtube it...It's a song that makes me smile and gets stuck in my head at the most random times.
At church tonight, we sang "How Great You Are" or something like that. It's the song "How Great Thou Art" but more contemporary. Simply a beautiful song. I can't find it anywhere...sorry, you can't youtube that one. I wish you could hear it. It brings a smile to my face as I remember how truly great my God is. My soul sings! It's a song that has brought me comfort when I am homesick, when lousy things happen, etc. God is still great. I also realized at church tonight that one of my favorite sounds is the sound of people singing praises to God together. I'm sure I look like an idiot with my huge grin every time we all sing. I love it! Even if the person next to me is singing way off key, they are still praising the same God I am, and that is beautiful. I think it's a glimpse of heaven.
This week, I was bombarded with bad news. My car is still not working, although it is going in the shop either tomorrow or Sunday. A close college friend of mine woke up one morning to find her car was stolen (Between the two of us, we have some BAD car troubles!) Then the storm hit:
Our old pastor at my home church passed away a couple weeks ago. He was a dear man and will be missed. It came as quite a shock to me, and it makes me sad that I can't be at home right now. Then, I got news this week that a friend of mine passed away. If you live in Riverside and get the Press, there was an article about Steve W. In high school, I was involved in RYT, a theater group in Riverside. Debbie W was the director of RYT, and her husband Steve ran lights, sound, music, all of that. I was involved for about three years wit RYT, and became good friends with the W's. They went on a cruise in September, and Steve got sick about three days later. It was some sort of bacterial infection that wouldn't let up. Finally, Debbie decided to take Steve off life support, and he died shortly after. Their son is 17 and daughter is 12. It was devastating to me. I know what it's like to loose someone close to you, and it's not fun. I can't imagine loosing my dad at this age, let alone when I was 12 or 17. Be in prayers for the W family and the Anibal family.
Even with these deaths, God is still good. He is still in control. He will take care of these families. It will be hard, it's not going to be fun, but God is God. He's bigger than our sadness, our pain, our feeling of hopelessness and loss! To a grieving family, those can seem like empty words, but it's what helped me through the death of my Grandpa in November.
As I was taking a walk on Tuesday (a whole 'nother story...) the song "I Am" by Mark Schultz came on. (You can youtube that one...it's there...) Here are the lyrics:
"I AM the Maker of the Heavens; I AM the Bright and Morning Star; I AM the Breath of all Creation; Who always was; And is to come.
I AM the One who walked on water; I AM the One who calmed the seas; I AM the Miracles and Wonders; So come and see; And follow Me; You will know
chorus:
I AM the Fount of Living Water; The Risen Son of Man; The Healer of the Broken
And when you cry I AM your Savior and Redeemer; Who bore the sins of man
The Author and Perfecter; Beginning and the End
I AM
I AM the Spirit deep inside you; I AM the Word upon your heart; I AM the One who even knew you; Before your birth; Before you were
chorus
Bridge:
Before the Earth (I AM); The universe (I AM); In every heart (I AM); Oh, where you are (I AM); The Lord of Lords (I AM); The King of Kings (I AM); The Holy Lamb (I AM)
Above all things
chorus:
Yes, I AM Almighty God, your Father; The Risen Son of Man; The Healer of the Broken
And when you cry I AM Your Savior and Redeemer; Who bore the sins of man
The Author and Perfecter; Beginning and the End
I AM"
He is God, and I am not. I have to trust that He knows what he is doing. I may not get it; I may question it; I may even disagree. But He is God, and I am not. He is omniscient, I am not. As my dad would say, "We're like ants looking for food. We find a dead cricket, and think, 'yay! Dinner for a week!' What we fail to see is the cockroach up ahead that would feed us for a month." Gruesome illustration, I know. But do you see the point?
Even with all this bad stuff happening, when I listen to music like I've said above, I know I'm ok. Music is a powerful thing! It has the ability to destroy you and has the ability to bring you up. So turn on some music you enjoy, relax, and KNOW that it's going to be ok!
Blessings!
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