A Teacher's Dread, A Parent's Excitement

Two more days until I turn my calendars to August. Every teacher's longing is to keep the calendar in July, every parent can't wait for August to arrive. August 1st marks the final countdown of the days left on summer vacation.

Not exactly sure, but I think I have to be back August 18th and the students a few days later.

I am excited for my new job, my new mission field but I do like my summer vacations.

Meet Half Way

Over the MLK 3 day weekend, Anne and Becky traveled up from the Los Angeles area, I drove south on highway 1 and we met half way in Cambria. Cambria is cute little coastal town with tons of charm. Cambria offers many tasty restaurants, wonderful wine tasting, antique shops and various other stores that are filled with charm. During the month of January, the elephant seals beach themselves on their yearly migration trek so the females can give birth to their pups and the males are fighting over their female clan and mating to keep the cycle going. The last weekend in January is the wine festival. For lodging we stayed at the Morgan, a very nice hotel in San Simeon, 2 miles away from Cambria. There was a great walking path next to the ocean on Moonstone Drive.

The protected area went from one end of the beach to the other. There were hundreds of elephant seals on the beach. For every 20 or so females there was 1 male who was King of over these. Each of the females either had a pup, was soon to have a pup or already had a pup that expired.

The docents shared with us about the nursery scene. Here you see 1 female with 6 pups all around her trying to nurse. Only 1 of these pups is hers but the others have lost their mothers, either by not being able to find them on the beach, the mother's being young and not being able to call for them properly, or they deserted their moms. The sad truth is that this one mother will not have enough milk to feed anymore than one pup and the others most likely will expire from starvation. From the platform that was built to keep the people away from the seals, we view at least 4 dead pups.

Just below the front flipper of this male you can see the pup that we witnessed being born just a few minutes prior. This big fellow (the males can get up to 5,000 pounds), just had finished fighting another male and chased him into the water. He stopped almost right on top of the new born pup and gave out a big roar which I translate, "Stay back, these are my gals".

Just love these pictures from the garden area of one of the cute little shops that we visited.

Last Hur-rah!

Where has the summer gone? It has just flown on by and here I am the day before another school year starts all over again pondering where time has gone.



One stream that joins with another at Mill Creek Falls.










My parents are very gracious to allow me to relish "the cabin" when time allows with my friends. The trip this time for me was my last hur-rah for the summer. A time to relax, enjoy God's incredible creation, reflect on goals accomplished during my time off, contemplate goals for the upcoming months, a little recreation and exploration, enjoy some time spent with a good friend, and refreshment for my soul before the craziness starts up again.



Mill Creek Falls. A 3.2 mile round trip hike. What a wonderful time of singing praise, hymn and children song's out in the wilderness (to worship God and to scare away any curious bears).









After finishing the first hike, the destination was Summit Lake to take a cool refreshing swim. On the journey to the lake we came across another trail that I have always wanted to do. We evaluated our energy level, the time of day, our water supply and decided to go for our second hike within a few hours of finishing the first hike. We were blessed for our decision. Beautiful scenic trail alongside a flowing stream, surrounded by granite cliffs and evergreens with a splash of incredible colors of mountain flowers.


Along the 3.1 mile round trip trail down Kings Creek to Kings Creek Falls.













Lupine flowers at the base of Mt. Lassen around Emerald Lake.

Part of the Kings Creek Falls trail.

Along the trail there were several smaller water falls. I was not able to get an accurate picture of Kings Creek Falls. We stood at the top of the falls that tumbled down some 30'-40' but did not have the energy (or the shoes) to climb down the cables to get to the bottom of the falls for a picture.

I would like to assure you that I don't usually take pictures of my feet, regardless that this is the 3rd picture of my feet on the blog this summer. Look past the fact that it is time for my last summer pedicure. When all was said and done of our day hiking in Lassen National Park, we hiked at the very least, 7 miles. By the time we arrived at Summit Lake my "dogs" were dirty and tired. My hiking boots were paining my toes a bit so I wore my running shoes for the day. Sure felt good to put my feet in the lake for a cool down and clean up.

Memory Lane

A few weekends ago I took a trip down to Los Angeles to visit with some dear friends. June 30th was the 10 year anniversary of being back in Northern California from moving from Southern California. Time has gone by so quickly. For some reason this trip down to LA was filled with memories of my time in LA. I will try to remember now some of what I remembered 2 weeks ago. There are so many other memories of sweet times with beloved sisters and brothers in Christ, church life, ministry, work, and so much more.



The drive down I-5 has many stories of it's own. There was the time that a cantaloupe truck lost it's load and melons were rolling all over the highway. As I slowly drove by I scooped up two and I tell you they were the best melons I have ever eaten. Then there was the time that one of my college volleyball buddies flew down to see me and drove home (back to Northern California) with me. One this time home there was a tornado warning in the central valley. All the traffic was stopped and a highway sign told us to tune into a certain am station. The station said something like, "there have been some tornadoes spotted in the central valley. If you are in your car and you see a funnel tube, get out of your car immediately and go lay in the irrigation ditch. Leave your car behind". Or the time my dad and I drove back earthquake relief supplies to Northridge and we were escorted by the highway patrol over the Grapevine. There was not one other car on the highway. Kinda eerie.



Jerre (one of my roommates from the Wilbur House) and I went down to the CSUN campus. I needed to go to the bookstore to get a wall banner and a sweatshirt. We parked right outside of the Kinesiology building and I wanted to go in and check out the Center of Achievement. The CoA and the Kinesiology was such a huge part of my time down in LA. God mightily used my first semester in the Kinesiology department to bring me to Himself to be saved. In walking in the building I could not find the entrance to the CoA. The place has gotten so big and expanded, not only the CoA but the whole Kinesiology building. Some of this was due to the earthquake in '94, some to have basketball and volleyball teams go to the NCAA championships, and so much for the donations to make the CoA a better place. I finally was able to find the entrance to the CoA, it was where it used to be but just everything was built up around it. I knocked on the door and a kind grad assistant answered the door. I introduced myself and told him of all my years working at the CoA and asked if I could take a tour. Wow, the place was huge. There now was 3 separate pools for specific disabilities and rehab, classrooms, offices, stretching room, weight room, cardio room, lobby and so much more. I was so blown away. We dreamed of some of the changes when I was there but we did not have the funds, it was just a dream or a wish. I asked about one of my dear co-workers and I found out she still worked there. I was able to leave her a note and she contacted me one day as I was leaving LA. I could tell you story after story of my time in there but it really would not have any significance to you.



The best part of my trip was connecting up with some dear friends that I keep in touch with but we just don't get to see each other very often. Each of these folks have been so instrumental in my walk with Christ, many of them were from my CSUN days and the Grace on Campus Bible Study. There were so many that I would loved to have seen while I was there but there is just not enough time or energy to fit everyone in. It was so good to see everyone. On each meeting we caught up, shared stories from the past and encouraged each other in faith and where each of us are at now. I thank God for rich times like these with dear brothers and sisters in the Lord.



My next post I will share a few photos that were taken on my journey.

Just A Few Blocks Away

Hello blogging friends!

I am so thankful that I am on break from work for the Christmas Holiday. So nice to sleep in until my body is ready to get up (this morning it was just before 8 am) and not at 5am. One of my kitties tilted one of my wooden blinds and the sun was streaking on in. Through the slots in the blinds I could see that the sky was beautiful. A perfect mix of clouds and blue, my favorite type of day! The glistening frost on the neighbor's roof was almost melted away.

A Perfect morning for a walk in the park that is just 2 blocks away from my house. "Heart Park" is what I fondly call this park. God has used this park (more specifically the splendor of His incredible beautiful creation) significantly in my heart. When I am among the majestic California Oaks, the reflective 7 small ponds, the changing of the colors of the seasons, the green carpet of the ground celebrating a recent rain and the fresh crisp air, I am ushered into a time of prayer with my God, my Savior. This morning was no exception. My heart was pondering and thanking God for His perfect timely gift of the incarnation. God in human flesh, Christ the Savior, was born to a virgin, born to ultimately die to pay the penalty, to take the full wrath of God for sin, for my sin, for my guilt. Pretty amazing.

I am reminded of Luke 1:26- 35

"Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he sadi to her, 'Hail favored one! The Lord is with you.' But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jaco forever; and His kingdom will have no end.' And Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin:' And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God."

And Luke 2: 9-14

"And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.'"

My heart was full of praise and adoration this morning. This praise and adoration lead to praying for some other concerns of my heart. What a joy to be a child of the Most High. Here are a few pictures of my time this morning. If you have followed my blog, I have posted pictures in here before from "Heart Park".

Have a wonderful day!

So, I can't get the pictures to move where I want them and they are out of order so let me explain them.
Picture 1 is just of some cat tails.
Picture 2 was just a burst of the last bit of red color before they fall off. All the other trees have dropped their leaves.
Picture 3 & 4 are almost the same photo but slightly different. I am trying to decide which one I like better to maybe get it printed out and hang it up. Please feel free to give your input.
Picture 5 was when I first started into the park this morning.
Picture 6 is one of those often not seen things in weather called a "Sun Dog".
The last picture, picture 7, I took because I loved the green carpet, the younger oak trees and the little path winding between the trees.

Sorry in advance if this post does not appear correctly when I am finished.

Spring Break

For a teacher, Spring Break or what I prefer- Easter Break, is one of the most anticipated breaks from school. Usually, the well needed break is just barely enough time away from work to energize a teacher before the long haul before Summer vacation. The only day that I have off between now and the end of the school year is Memorial Day. The kids have started to lose focus, the weather is warming slightly, the blossoms give off beautiful color but bring on the allergies and teen "love" (if I can call it that, more like hormones not in check) is in the air. All of these things make for a challenge at the later end of the school year to finish strong and problem free.

On most breaks I have big project plans for around the house. This year is no different, my plans were to landscape the front yard. This project has waited since I bought the house when I "land cleared" the front yard. Sometime I will have to dig out those old pictures of what the front yard used to look like, the maintained "dead" state that it is in now and then show what the finished product will be. Sadly, but in God's perfect timing and His sovereign will, the front yard project is on hold. All of the plants are bought and waiting in the side yard to be transplanted into their final home. I know exactly the type of sod and retaining wall blocks that I want and how much it will cost. My mom's gardener, Javier and his amigos, are planning on helping me with the project but Javier is in the middle of a remodel at his house. God has a reason for me to wait on my project and it is kinda nice to get a few other smaller projects done around here and God knew that I would not be feeling my best for the first few days of my vacation.

Friday I awoke with a slight fever and not feeling well. Funny, my sister woke with the same type of symptoms but hers progressed much worse over the last 2 days. Praise God, she is better today. There would have been no way that I could have helped with the work outside. Today, I am planning on doing some painting of the trim around my new garage door and straighting out the garage. This will be an all day project. At some point, I plan to completely clean out my master closets and maybe put some organizing shelving in there. Next weekend, my dear Daddy is coming over to help me with a broken double gate. On Wednesday and Thursday I am going to visit my sweet niece, my sister and brother in law.

Lord willing, by Monday I will be ready for the long 2 1/2 months before the end of the school year.

Sunrise or Sunset, Which Do You Prefer?

This past weekend, I was was up at Lake Tahoe with some friends. K & D have a cabin right on the lake on the south side. Incredible views of the lake, surrounding mountains, marina, beach and the evergreens. A couple of the mornings my dear friend Dawn and I raced outside before 6am to catch the rising of the sun. O the beauty of God bursting forth another day. Each passing moment had a wonderful and unique display of beauty, from the various shades of grey along the mountain ridges to the first reflections of the suns rays on the glassy lake to the sky lite up with brilliant colors of blue, purple, red, orange and yellow. Reminds me of Psalm 65:8 "And they who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Thy signs; Thou dost make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy".

One day it was pretty incredible, we sat and watched the sun rise and later watched the sun set. Pretty cool to have the time to sit and watch both in one day. There is something therapeutic to the soul in watching the sun rise and/or the sun set. When I take the time to enjoy the dawn or dusk, I am reminded of God's amazing faithfulness, His goodness, His grace and His Holiness. Personally, I am more of a sunrise girl. What do you enjoy more, a sunrise or a sunset?

Trip to Lassen

A couple weekends ago, Dawn, Marilyn and I were able to take a trip to Mt. Lassen. What a great time we had. Nice to get away from the city and up to God's incredible creation. Lassen is by far one of my most favorite places to soak up clean fresh air, to gaze at the evergreen canopy with the deep blue sky for a backdrop, to experience wild life, to try a new adventure, and to simply relax.








Here we took a short walk after dinner one night. We went to a little natural spring up the road from the cabin and we saw what we think was a marmot. We each took turns cooking dinner and had wonderful dinners. Good job ladies. One the first night I taught the game Skip Bo, and they were hooked for the rest of the trip. I did not win too many games, the newbies did.










The first full day of our trip we took a drive up to Lassen National Park. Beautiful day and incredible weather. My plan was to hike to Mill Creek falls but God had other plans. Upon entering the park we found out that the trail head was closed to the falls but we could go through the park and hike to the falls from Kings Canyon. New adventure, have never done a trail through Kings Canyon. Kings Canyon is on the North side of the park and to get there we were going to drive through some of the most beautiful country that I have ever see. I was so excited for Dawn and Marilyn to see the beauty of God's awesome creation. They were not disappointed. There is so much to see. Here are a few pictures of the beauty that we encountered.








When we got to Kings Canyon we saw a sign that talked about the mileage to Mill Creek Falls. It was 3.8 miles one way, which was what we were told was the round trip mileage. I knew that distance on our first hike would be too much, especially at 7,500 and possibly hiking up another 1,000. So, we decided to go to a lake that was about half that distance. I knew that was manageable. It was funny, my friends were trying to equate the mileage to a trial near home or to a 5k. They were thinking that they "normally" can do a 3 mile hike in an hour. I had to tell them that it just does not work that way with the altitude.











Off we went to find this lake (not pictured). About 3/4 of a mile into the nice hike we saw a beautiful meadow with flowers. Each of us eagerly moved on to get to this meadow. Marilyn asked, "Are there bears in this country?" I replied, "Oh yeah, they are up here on these trails. I have seen a few on other hikes I have been on." About a minute after this question, there not 10 feet away from us was a California Black Bear. I think we startled her and she definitely startled us. She shuffled over a down tree and looked at us. Marilyn had already taken off back down the trial we had come on. I was still






gazing at the bear, thinking in my head, "Let's take a picture. No let's not take a picture. She does not look too disturbed, let's keep walking to the lake." Turning to see what my friends wanted to do, they were back down the trail 30 feet. I turned back to look at the bear and she was standing up looking at us. I say she because she was not huge but not small, she had long blond shaggy hair around her face and head and she was calm. Since my buddies were back down the trial I needed to catch up with them. I remembered at that point that you need to look larger than life to scare off a bear. I told this to my friends as I caught up with them. I heard Dawn say out loud to herself (or to God), "Oh dear God, help us. Oh dear God, keep us safe." The told me they had quiet the adrenalin rush, I was doing fine. I think the first time I saw a bear on a trial I got the rush but not this time. Now our plans completely were changed. There was no way that I was going to get them to go back on the trail







where the bear was hanging out. There was another trail back about 1/4 of a mile to Bumpas Hell. I really did not want to go to Bumpas Hell. I'd been there before and it was nothing special and it stinks seriously like rotten eggs. I had hiked to Bumpas Hell from another trail at the top of the mountain. There were a bunch of kids from a summer camp coming down the trail. I asked a grown up what the trail was like. He said it will be all up hill until we got there. The trail marker said 1.9 miles from this point. I rationalized the details in my mind and decided that we could do the hike. The hike was all uphill and I think we climbed close to a 1,000 feet but we saw some of the most incredible scenery. By the time we made it to Bumpas Hell we were ready to eat our lunch that we had in our packs. We all thanked God that the bear did not tear us to shreds to get to our lunches that I am sure she could smell. Up the trail took 1 hour 40 minutes and back down 40 minutes.

After the hike we drove down to Summit Lake. Dawn and I swam across the lake. It was the first time Dawn had ever been in a mountain lake. The next day we planned to hike the peak of Lassen but we were all a little worn out from the previous day. We went into town where there was a arts festival and we went to another big lake and hung out and swam.

At the cabin we had quite the show from the wildlife. There were deer, chipmunks, squirrels, birds and the mystery critter.







Great trip, with good friends, in God's beautiful creation. Nice memories.

Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us use the cabin.