Wild Azalea Canyons

Wild Azalea Canyons

March 13, 2011

 

March is when the azaleas bloom in Texas and so we discovered a trail close to Newton county that was supposed to have wild azaleas. We didn't pay a lot of attention to the fact that the name of the trail said “canyons”, I mean really this is East Texas right, there is no big hills in East Texas. It took a little bit to find the trail because they are putting in pipeline in the area and the signs were moved and confused us a little bit. Once we got there, we realized that we may have bit off more than we wanted to for fat folks.

 

After seeing the “canyon” behind the sign, Adam grabbed to nearby “walking sticks”, I am not sure if he was going to walk with them or ski.

 

 

I think Anna was a little cocky with her strut, I think she didn’t realize we had to come back up that stairway.

 

 

We had to walk down a couple steep stairways.

 

 

I was surprised how far it was down. I figured once we got to the canyon floor we could walk without much trouble.

 

 

Stewart wasn’t real sure about this.

 

 

What I didn’t realize was that “wild azaleas” is the same as honeysuckles. This one little flower was the first flower we spotted once we reached the bottom.

 

 

There was a little ridge that we was to walk on with more “canyons” to each side. Adam started his usual monkeying around and I told him, “Son, you fall off that you may roll a good ways before you stop!”

 

 

Anna spotted this little violet poking out from the leaves. The trail was not well maintained, the slippery leaves made inclines very difficult and the trail was not marked well.

 

 

Adam was trying to beat us up the the “mountain side” and decided he would pass out half way up.

 

 

I called to him, “Hey, no dying on the hiking trail.”  This was his response.

 

 

We got to the top of the main ridge and sat down to rest. Anna decided she should rest too.

 

 

Adam decided we were lost and a shelter should be made.

 

 

Adam looked down in the valley and was shocked we walked this far up.

 

 

We were almost to the end of the trail before we actually came to the flowers. Stewart read the sign, looked a the sparse display of flowers and joked, “I think that someone else must have already took them all.”

 

 

There was not many flowers bloomed.

 

 

A few up in the bushes but not many. Maybe we came to early and they were not in full bloom.

 

 

We finally got back to the trail head and there was a little rest stop. We were so tired, the trek back up those stairs was rough for a fat girl and apparently for a skinny girl too. I told Stewart if we did this every day we would get skinny quick.

 

I was disappointed that there was not many flowers but I felt so good after the workout. I always just tell myself that if the views and such was not all that I had hoped for, at least it was good for me.

Purim

Purim

March 19, 2011

Purim is the celebration that is spoken of in the Book of Esther in the Bible. Although it is not a “GOD commanded” feast, it was established by Mordecai to observe this victory.

 

Est 9:20  And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,
Est 9:21  To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,
Est 9:22  As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day:

that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

 

Many will tell you that it is a “Jewish celebration”, I beg to differ.

 

Est 9:26  Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,
Est 9:27  The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;
Est 9:28  And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.

 

The scripture says “all such as joined themselves unto them”. We joined ourselves unto them when we accepted JESUS as our Lord and Savior.

 

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

 

We became “joined” to them when we were grafted in among them.

 

Rom 11:17  And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

 

Now,  you can say, “But GOD didn’t say we had to!” You are completely right, you do not HAVE to… but why wouldn’t you want to??? I want to celebrate things that are pleasing to GOD, so in a month that doesn't give us a holiday except St. Patrick's Day with all it’s silly leprechaun traditions and such, why not set aside a day to talk about the story of Esther and show how GOD worked “hidden” behind the scenes, much like HE does every day in our lives!

 

A tradition of Purim is to have a costume party representing the “hidden things” in the Book of Esther. There was several things “hidden” so be sure and take a look at the link above.

 

I didn’t want it to be just any costume because that could lead to all sorts of ungodliness, instead I told my family I wanted them to dress as a Bible character and have some scriptures ready to read or act out so the other people can guess who they are.

 

My family showed up and I was so happy that my daddy came also, and dressed up too! For anyone who doesn’t know my daddy, he has never had much respect for “religion,” mainly do to the fact that preachers in the past had never been able to answer his questions about the Bible with answers that made since. So for him to come to my “religious” party is a huge thing. I was so very happy.

 

We all sat down and started guessing who everyone was.

 

 

Can anyone guess who Adam was right off hand?

 

 

Yep, he was “David, the Shepherd boy” and yes folks, Stewart was “Goliath”!  

 

 

Adam yells, “You come to me with a spear and a sword, I come to you in the name of the LORD!”

 

 

Stewart took one of Adam’s Styrofoam “stones” and put putty on it so it would stick to his head once he was “hit”.

 

 

The dramatic death of “Goliath”!

 

 

Adam follows through with “cutting off” his head!

 

 

“Rebekah” (my niece “L”)

Gen 24:19  And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
Gen 24:20  And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

She made a beautiful Rebekah, here she is acting out giving water to the camels"

 

 

“Moses” (my nephew Brandon)

He lifted up his tablets and began:

“Number one, Thou shall have no other gods before me”

I Loved that he cut out his “tablets” in the tablet shape and his cotton beard, so cool!

 

 

“Pharaoh’s daughter” (Anna)

“This is a Hebrew child”

I loved Anna in dreadlocks, I was surprised they looked so good on her, she was such an awesome princess.

 

 

“Ruth” (Brenda)

Rth 1:16  And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Brenda acting out gleaning of the fields in her beautiful peasant dress.

 

 

 

“David” (my brother-in-law David)

1Sa 21:5  And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
1Sa 21:6  So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

On their way to my house, they said a DPS officer hit his break lights when he passed David driving in this get-up, I guess they thought they done spotted Osama Bin Laden in shades!

 

 

“Jonathan” (my nephew Jonathan)

“ I was a son of a king and a best friend of a king”

I was surprise that my nephew was excited about having a costume party, he is usually reserved about stuff like this. But I suppose since he came as “himself” he was ok with it. He makes a very good Jonathan.

 

 

 

“Lot’s Wife as a pillar of salt” (My mom Diane)

Gen 19:17  And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

I think mom’s was one of the most creative outfits. We all was thinking she was an angel, so when she started reading about Lot, I was lost. To dress in all white to “be” the pillar of salt was genius!

 

 

“Job” (My sister Barbie)

Job 27:2  As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
Job 27:3  All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
Job 27:4  My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
Job 27:5  God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
Job 27:6  My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

Barbie put tiny band aids all over her face to be Job’s sores, which I thought was very creative! She said she liked him because he never turned his back on GOD.

 

“Job” (Austin)

Job 2:7  So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
Job 2:8  And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

Poor Austin was feeling Job-ish too, a few days ago he broke out with poison ivy all over his arms and face. He was going to be Moses at first then after the poison ivy he said, “Mom, I am going to be Job” He told Barbie his costume was better because his was real!

 

 

“John 3:16’s whosoever ” (My daddy William)

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

When I asked my daddy to come to my party I told him he can dress however he liked I just wanted him to come, I told him that I had the perfect person he could be, he could be the “whosoever” in John 3:16. I am not sure what everyone else thought about this being the scripture for him, but GOD laid it on my heart to tell him, he could use that scripture. I feel it is because GOD wanted my daddy to know: GOD loves him too.

I was so happy he came and actually joined in by wearing the headdress. I love my daddy so much.

 

 

Deborah (Me)

the only woman judge in the Bible

 

Jdg 4:4  And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
Jdg 4:5  And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment

Jdg 4:8  And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.
Jdg 4:9  And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

 

I liked Deborah above the other ladies of the Bible because she stepped up when the men would not.

 

As soon as we could, we took off the costumes.They were very hot and uncomfortable.

We had fixed brisket (thank you very much Brenda) and peas, potatoes, rolls, salad (that we forgot to serve), deviled eggs, my layered pudding  dessert and Hamantaschen. 

 

Hamantaschen, a filled cookie pouch, is a tradition for Purim. We filled ours with Hershey’s kisses or pear pecan filling.

 

While the food was being served I told the quick version of the Story of Esther.

I had planned to watch the movie “One Night with the King” with everyone but we ended up chatting the rest of the evening. My daddy and I had a nice little discussion about scripture which meant more to me than the movie.

 

After the guests went home my family of five sat down to watch the movie so the kids would get a general idea of what went on during Purim, of course I try to catch all the flaws that are not scriptural so the kids will know the difference.

 

We had a wonderful party will my family I am so happy it went well and very thankful GOD blessed it.

 

 

I still can’t get over how Anna looks in dread locks, although the make up is a bit much for me.

 

My normally strait haired little girl had some major curls after we took out the dreads. She is just too beautiful for ten years old.

 

 

Be sure and click on the links included throughout the blog to understand more!

Monterey Park

Monterey Park

March 7,2011

Monterey Park was one of the earliest memories of camping I have. It has changed so much in thirty years. Now it is pretty much just a boat ramp but back when I was little it had camping loops.

We decided to go for a walk to see what I could remember about it.

 

This road was closed long ago so people would not camp down this loop anymore. I remember riding my bicycle down it with my sisters.

 

 

We walked down the road until a dog barking made us decide we didn’t want to deal with a dog chasing us so we turned back.

 

We spotted a buoy of some sort at the south end of the park, maybe it was to keep the boats out since the lake is so low.

 

 

Austin spotted this tiny turtle shell as we was walking back to the boat ramp, it was a little larger than a quarter. Poor little thing was so young.

 

 

It makes me sad to think of all the places I knew as a kid is no longer available for my children to enjoy.

 

 

The water level on the lake is pretty low because there was no rain to speak of this winter. I fear a drought is coming.

 

 

A single loon swims a little ways out from the boat ramp.

 

 

We walk down one last loop that I remembered to have camped on long ago.

 

Memories of being a little girl camping with my daddy all came back. I remember that I was never afraid because I knew my daddy would protect me from danger. I knew no one would mess with us at night and no animals would come in camp without him knowing it. He always had a gun and I knew he would use it if he had to.

I miss being a child under the safety of my daddy’s protection but now as a woman I have the understanding of the protection of another Father in my life, my heavenly Father. HE needs no gun or weapon, HE watches over me day and night. HE knows what I need before I ask and HE knows what danger lies before me better than I know. It has been hard for me to trust in HIM but trusting in HIM is all I can do because there are so many things in this world I have no control over that scare me terribly, but I have learned to cling to GOD and HE will see me through.

 

Isa 41:10  Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Anna’s Garden

Anna’s Garden

March 7, 2011

I suppose it is true that the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and with women it is with flowers. With the guys planting all the veggies, Anna wanted to plant flowers.

She was shocked at how small some of the seeds were.

Once they grew big enough to transplant, Anna and Stewart got busy planting in the rock flower bed he had made for her.

It was a special time for just her and daddy to do something together.

She used the little shovel trying not to get her hands to dirty.

 

Carefully putting the flower in the soil.

 

Daddy helping to do it just right. Apparently the best angle for her to plant is in the flower bed.

 

Still a long ways to go.

A happy little daddy’s girl.

 

I am glad they spent time together, just them. It is very important that a daddy spends time with his daughter, it creates a bond of love and trust between a girl and her daddy. I want her to look at her daddy as a measuring stick for a future husband. I pray she too gets a hard working man that has good solid morals and values with a deep desire to please GOD.

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her."