Dad's Special Day

Yesterday was Chuck's birthday...I won't tell you which one. He's kinda sensitive about that stuff. Now, I must confess, I am not good at picking gifts for him. He's like his parents, they don't really want anything, and if they did they wouldn't tell you. They put others first, and themselves last. For example: that man has been driving the same car for almost 20 years. (and it looks like it!) It's not that we haven't had newer vehicles, it's just that he always gives them to me to drive. His family is first, always. Well, the girls and I wanted to make something special for him. So, we devised a plan: surprise. Something else I'm not good at because he can guess every gift, no matter how you package it. He just has a knack. :( SOOOO we chose to take him frisbee-golfing after church on Sunday. Something he enjoys, but we haven't done in years. WHEW! Plan set, money accounted for, timing perfect.
Friday night I asked the typical pre-weekend questions: " honey, do you have any plans for this weekend?" His answer: "I thought we'd go frisbee-golfing tomorrow. It's something we haven't done in a long time, and I thought we could spend time together as a family." He was so proud of himself. I was so...disgusted. I just looked at him. Faith ran and starting whispering in my ear "Mom..can I tell him?!!" Distraction techniques were definitely out at that point. sigh.
So, I fessed up. I told him the plans, he felt bad for spoiling our surprise (again) and we all went our way.
Saturday he asked the question: are we going frisbee-golfing today, or are we waiting until Sunday? Heather (God bless her!) piped up with: Let's go hiking around Mission Dam! Oh, salvation! He hadn't been there, so it was fresh. The weather was cool and lovely, so off we went! Here are some pictures of our lovely day - a 2 hour hike and family bonding!


The first challenge: cross the river without wetting your toes















The path widely travelled












The streams you can drink from..safely









A happy family




We all had a wonderful adventure, and plan to do much more of this. There are some beautiful places hidden back here, just waiting to be discovered by us. And...leg muscles to develop! I must confess to some very sore calves after this hike, and 3 hours of frisbee-golfing. Apparently, fun comes with a price :D

Observations

I took the mutts (yes, they are! Chloe is a Lab/Dachshund mix, and we all know what Micah is!) in for shots yesterday. What a riot! Their personalities are so...marked. Take Chloe for example. Put a leash on her, and she has more energy than a cat set in water. It's controlled energy, but energy still. She sits still to have the lead attached, then heads for the door..and I do mean heads. She leads with her face, and you can't really dissuade her too easily from the course she has chosen. Open the front door, and she's off! She doesn't run away with you...too much training for that. She does head out with conviction though. I got her in the car - suburban, mind you - with a little encouragement to hoist herself up the step. She settles herself down on the floor, and waits. With great anticipation.

Micah is another story. He doesn't know yet the joy of being on a leash. He hasn't experienced traversing sidewalks, exploring parks, and going camping. What he does know is that if Chloe gets to do it, he should, too. So, if she's going out that front door, he isn't going to be left behind. In fact, he's going to lead the parade! Bring a leash out, and all he sees is a new chew-toy. So, it took a minute to disengage his teeth from the clip in order to have a handle on a wayward child. He has a new trick of trying to throw himself from your arms if you are carrying him and he sees something fascinating...so you really need 3 hands to keep him safe. NOW, imagine me, 2 excited dogs, 2 hands, and 2 leashes. It was soo...exasperating to try to get them going in the same direction at the same time. Fortunately, I had the foresight to put Micah's crate in the car first so I could round him up pretty quickly. God is good, that's all I can say!

Now...our arrival at the vet. Let's not sidestep the lovely 5 minute journey with Micah howling in the crate because he doesn't know what's going on, and what delights he might be missing. I am SO thankful for a vet that's only blocks away! Let's also not forget my surprising look into the rear view mirror to see Chloe hanging out the open window behind me, which I thought to be closed since it was a whopping 50*! Try rolling up an automatic window from the driver's seat, while the dog is standing on the control in the back! Mission accomplished, car parked, and puppy drug from a crate he now doesn't wish to exit.

We arrive with 2 dogs furiously wagging their tails and running together. Open the door. Walk inside, purse in one hand with the handle now breaking, and 2 dogs in the other. Here.. the fun begins. Chloe lopes in, takes one sniff, tucks her tail, turns around, and promptly RUNS for the closing front door. Micah wiggles in, sees something new, plants his feet, and barks to beat the band, then he decides it's time to investigate, and hang the consequences. Poor Chloe lost out, the door closed just a hair in front of her nose. No escape. Nowhere to hide. No understanding from that woman with the dangling, spilling purse or that rat fink puppy who just won't be quiet. In fact, the pup just wants to run about the room and yap! How unsettling! I can see her mind going: Perhaps I can use my bulk and drag us from the room???? MOM! Get me outa here!!!

The rest of the visit was...less eventful. Chloe tried to hide behind me, under me, or perhaps even under the flooring. After a bit, she settled down with her head as close to my lap as she could get it with mournful eyes of reproach. Micah decided to check out the room, one object at at time. He never did quite understand that red lead around him...just an inconvenience at times. He did love to perch confidently in my lap, like a king surveying his kingdom from time to time. He spent the most time with the Vet. It seems he has "puppy mange" and needed a skin biopsy to have it confirmed. Chloe had to be taken back, well, truth-be-told, carried back, for a very short time. It seems she needs to lose a few pounds, the winter was VERY kind to her.

The ride home was quieter. Chloe was most grateful to enter the car again. Micah only howled 1/2 way home. The were both rewarded with a short stroll around the block, then a lovely nap. The nap, truthfully, was more for me than them. I was exhausted!

Personalities are amazing things. Some of us are bold, some timid, some love change, some dread it with a passion. Some are adventurous, some quiet and unassuming. Some confident, some cowardly. God makes us all individually, not from a set mold. We are unique. So are our animals. I love how Micah brings out the fun side of Chloe, and I really appreciate the patience and forbearance she has with him. I love his boldness, inquisitivity, and connivery. He's quite the manipulator. They are both good for us. I see myself in some of these qualities (I won't confess which ones) and I see the ones that need refining. Praise God, He is the one conforming me into the image of Christ. I would hate to have my dear friends have to put their hands around my muzzle and say, firmly "don't bite!"

Valentine Update

Well...we took our little "man" to the Vet on Friday. He needed a new-puppy checkup. So, we asked the burning questions: WHAT is he? and... How big will he get?

We got some interesting answers. The Vet had her educated guess, then she took him around to the rest of the crew to poll for answers. The most common answer: oh, no, not the "C" word....here it comes... Chihuaha mixed with terrier (Jack Russell???) and perhaps some beagle. No Schipperke? NO. None that she could see. Hmmmm.... He could weigh anything from a whopping 10 pounds, up to a mighty 20 or 30. This was NOT the answer I was hoping for. A little Labrador mixed in would have given me much to smile about...but not what I was really anticipating. What can I say? He's a pound-puppy!

Sigh. He's still a keeper, and gets cuter by the day. He and Chloe are now playing regularly (and loudly..she's a talker) and we have discovered what a little conniver he is. The antics keep us all smiling.

Now...if he would just get that potty-training down!

our Valentine

This is our new beastie boy. Sorry...puppy. He arrived at our house Sunday night, the 10th, full of himself and very decidedly full of puppiness. His name is Micah. He is a Schipperke (skipper-key) mixed with...we don't know what. They say that Labs are friendly..with everyone. Perhaps he has some in him, the handler guessed so. Time will tell. I can tell you that he weighs just over 4 pounds right now...so he's got some growing to do if he's ever going to make the 30--40 pound goal they set for him. I can tell you that he has the mouth of a very large, high-pitched whiner. Amazing. He didn't make a sound at the shelter! I doubt he would be sitting in my lap right now if he did.

I must tell you that there are certain things I thought I would never have in a dog. I can't stand little yappers. I can't stand lap dogs. There is an attitude, a neediness that makes me cringe. The owners, not the dogs. I didn't want a label on me that says : "Look! I bet she buys designer clothes for her dog and takes it to the grocery store!"

Then I met Micah. There is something endearing about someone who just wants to be near you. Something about utter dependence. And joy. I got to contemplating (at 2 am during the potty-hour) that this is what God wants for me. Dependence, and joy. He wants me to utterly desire to be cuddled up in His lap, waiting on Him, with an expression of adoration and obedience. So...perhaps that is why this particular puppy is in our home. A great reminder of love.

His name is Micah. It means "Who is like God." What could be better?

Becoming

I heard the other day that change is good. My first reaction was: NO! It's NOT!

I don't like change. Well, to be honest, I don't mind change. When it is me making the choice, then I'm all for it. I give it all the enthusiasm it deserves. But change thrust upon me unannounced and unprepared for is a no-no. I like to be in charge, you see. I've discovered a great joy in organizing events and people. It's not that I need fanfare or applause, or even to be recognised all that much. I just like to put things into motion and be able to have input in how it's all going to go. I like control. I used to believe that I belonged up on stage, stirring people to action or a change in how they view things, yet circumstances and opportunities have left me in the background, and I am quite delighted and challenged to do just that. It doesn't come naturally to me. oh no. Yet here I am.

I've been thinking about change a lot lately. There have been many of them since December. Heather coming home is a biggie. Faith turning 9 has been huge. Change in me because of the things God is leading me through and conforming me out of/into. I have found myself embracing some of them, and really groaning over the others.

I have been told that the process of change may be difficult, but the change itself is good. I guess I can agree with that one. God didn't leave me as He found me, and He isn't going to leave me the way I am now. He is going to change me. He is going to make me like Jesus. And that is good.

Decaf or Regular

Sometimes I claim to be decaf but in reality I am regular or vise versa. Sometimes what I give to people is not who I am. God has been unraveling this truth about myself. Do your insides match your outsides? Sometimes we think we have it all together but in reality we have nothing together. I guess what I am trying to say is that I have lived in false places and thought it was alright to live there 'cause no one really knew the truth about me, and as long as they believed differently, then it was alright. The beauty of God is that He sees right through us and that He loves us enough to call our bluff. But not only calling our bluff, but also helping us walk out of it to truly be what we claim to be. ~Shawn MacDonald

These words ring in truth deep inside me. I understand the heart of this, and lately I have been convicted of living it. I wonder what people would think if they saw the "real" me. Would they be shocked? People call me so spiritual. They see me as a leader. A counselor. Someone who knows so much of the Truth. Well, maybe I do, and maybe I am. But God sees the inside. He sees the questions I have unanswered, and unasked. The ones He is patiently waiting to reveal in me so He can answer them. For example, lately, He has spoken to me on the topic of "grace." I used to think I understood grace. The fact that I don't have to earn God's love. That I am saved by faith in Christ Jesus alone. I thought I lived in it, and lived an example of it. WELL. I started to study the book of Galatians and was told that "I HAVE been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." Well then! Ponder that one a while, and consider the sin we live in each day. Come to find out, I don't really have to pray. I don't really have to do anything. I get to. How amazing is that???? How freeing??? I don't have to feel guilty because I fall asleep saying my prayers. Don't get me wrong, I behave out of love for my Savior. I respond out of love. I GET to pray. I GET to have fellowship with God. But, there is no guilt attached, just forgiveness and grace. Abundant grace. Ponder that one a while!

So, you see, I am decaf and regular, all at the same time. I am a sinner. I am also forgiven. I live in this body of death, but live in grace and forgiveness. The hard part, for me, is to recognize when I am taking advantage of grace and not abiding in Christ. I want people to see what grace has done for me, not a covering of knowledge without the heart to go with it.

New Year Festivities

As a return to old traditions, we spent our New Year's weekend at a cabin in the woods with extended family. This is the little "Golson Cabin" that we stayed in. A funny little place, but it seemed to suit us. We did move in a day late, as I was quite a bit under the weather and unable to drive up to Idyllwild.

We got all settled in. Faith brought her friend Angelyna, and they

really settled in! We had games, toys, clothing, cold-weather gear, and hair supplies everywhere! They were truly content!

Next, it was time for some fresh air and excersize. There really wasn't much in the way of snow, but with a little imagination, and a strong kick, you can make snowballs and attempt to bury the other side!

After all that fun in the sun, it was time for games with the older cousins. "Clue" kept them all busy, with some good snacks to go with it.

Mind you, the kitchen was a bit of a challenge, but I love a good challenge when it comes to serving people good munchies!

Evenings held all the warmth of friendship, a cozy fire in the fireplace, a good movie and sweet conversation. It's good to catch up with family, and renew old relationships. (note the faces in the window!)

We also had a rousing game of "Apples to Apples" with the whole

family - all 16 of us! From grandparents to youngest cousin, it was a great way to spend New Year's evening.

Happy New year...may it be filled with all the warmth of family, friends and love of God in Jesus!