What's a Ropes Course?!

Well...the Bay Area Fellowship JANES (Women's Ministry) had an
awesome event today out at the Outdoor Education & Leadership School.

(The Lord provided us with a beautiful day in the midst of all the storms we've been having!)





This involved several challenges that required team participation
to accomplish the tasks. If one member of the team did not
complete a task, all members of the team had to start over.
We did low ropes (mostly ground or close-to-the-ground stuff),
& high ropes (exactly what it sounds like) while harnessed.
It was exhilirating! I can't say it was easy...but it definitely does
what it claims...promotes bonding, confidence, team-building,
cooperation, etc.
I highly recommend it! It was HOT, but worth it!

If you're interested in any BAF JANES information or events,
you can contact DeeDee at bafjanes@yahoo.com






On another note...here's another spiffy contest I came across...Woohoo!

Giveaways galore!

This week has been chock-a-block full of fun giveaways, thanks to Rocks In My Dryer's amazing vision. I hope you all had a chance to participate, & perhaps even won something great! ...I don't think I have... :(

And although, technically, the giveaways are done for this session, it has spun off into a phenomenon. Giveaways are going on all over the net!

Here's a great one compliments of 5 Minutes for Mom & Best Buy: an Insignia 37" Flat-Panel LCD HDTV.

Don't stop there...post a giveaway yourself! Pay it forward...

PhotoHunt again...

This is a photo of "The Hut" that my brother & his friends built up in the wilderness of a certain ski hill. They trekked in super deep snow & built this with the tools they could carry up there with them. They disguised it as best they could among the trees so Ski Patrol wouldn't find it & tear it down as they have so many other times. The guys are able to ski right into The Hut, relax, then ski out again when they're done.

Word is that Ski Patrol finally came across it & rather than tear it down, left their stamp of approval! The Hut still lives!

My first ever PhotoHunt!

This week's photohunt challenge is "tiny."
I didn't want to use the typical picture I might have (baby hands, baby feet, baby pics in general) from my family album, so I went looking through & came across Newton!
Newton was an anole that lived in my sunroom for a month or so. He seemed to really love the bay window & I found myself looking forward to seeing him everyday as I came & went, letting my dogs in & out, etc. I nicknamed him Newton after he'd stuck around a few days.
Eventually, after a couple of weeks, he began to migrate around to where the door was. Fearing for his safety, I kept scooting him back toward the window instead.
One day, I realized I hadn't seen Newton in a while. I looked & looked for him (he'd sometimes go into the cracks in the wood & be camouflaged a little). I couldn't find him. The next time I let the dogs out, I noticed something squished in the door. My heart sunk! I thought it looked WAY too small to have been Newton. I took the little carcass outside & kept hoping to see my friend turn up. He never did.
I still look for Newton to this day, especially on the real sunny ones...he was only with me a month or two, but I really enjoyed his visit.
So began my new love of reptiles!

It's a giveaway...

Hey guys!

In doing my daily blogging, as always I come across interesting sites. One directed me to BooMama's, a cute blog I've been before. But this time, she was raving about these guys: Monk & Neagle and their giveaway for their upcoming album. I can't resist a freebie at best...but when I went to their site to check them out, I LOVED their music. So, here... Check them out! Enjoy... (Oh! And let me know what you think!)

a cute story you may have heard before...

A lesson to be learned from typing the wrong email address:

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years before. Because of their hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minneapolis and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day. The husband checked into the hotel, and unlike years ago, there was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without noticing his error, sent the email. Meanwhile...somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory after suffering a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email, expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and then glanced up and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife
Date: Thursday, October 13, 2004

Subject: I have arrived!

Dearest Love: I know you are surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now, and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I have just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow, and look forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure is freaking hot down here!

a sister's sorrow

"...I will turn their grief into gladness. I will give them comfort and joy in place of their sorrow." Jeremiah 31:13

I got the news late last night. A friend had emailed me of devastating news to her & her family. A son lost, forever. A truck collision, she said. Oh, no! How awful! The tears came...it's not right, Lord. A mother losing her son. There's something so wrong about a parent outliving their children. I remember my Gram telling me that when my Uncle Ken passed on.

I felt bereft of how to respond to my friend's grief. How could I possibly understand? How could anyone unless they've gone through the same? And in my inbox, coincidentally, another email from a friend with encouragement:

"...there will be times that one of your [friends] is carrying a heavy load and the opportunity to comfort and encourage her may present itself. Let me just say that these are the moments we can not shy away from. This is why we exist. Counseling is an intimidating word, but this is the way we define it: To carry one another's burdens. Don't worry if you don't feel "adequate". None of us do. But miraculously God equips us at just the right moment if we will be willing to yield to His leading. You don't have to have all the answers. All that is required is that you allow your [friend] to lean on you in her season of difficulty. Don't be afraid to be transparent. As you share openly and honestly wtih your sister, God will use your testimony to reveal truths that she can draw encouragement from.

Note of caution: We "carry" one another's burdens straight to the cross. As your sister shares with you, pray for her and then trust her situation to the Lord . Do not carry it home with you. Do not drag it around at work. We "carry" it to the cross and leave it there.

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." -Galatians 6:2

Book/bag giveaway

A fun book bag giveaway...who can resist??? (well, the more of you that do, the better my chances...)
Thanks Jill for the opportunity!

Well...I take it back!

Okay, here's the deal. My real blog is on my mac account.
BUT...I will continue this blog from time to time when I want to post from somewhere other than home (can't do that right now on the other site). SO...You can leave subscribe to both blogs, but mainly I'll be writing in the mac blog.
Capiche? (I'm sure that's NOT how it's spelt.)
PS...Obviously you'll need the address & sign-on for the other site b/c it's strictly invite only! Just ask!

Blogging...

I haven't been blogging for a while, or so it seems!
I actually started up a different site using my .mac account, so I don't really post here anymore...