Just a glimpse of me...

My photo
Do you ever feel STUCK? In 2000, I began looking for answers to some tough questions in my life. I'd searched high & low and finally conceded to search the promises found in the Bible. Those promises have sustained & guided me through the loss of a parent, the struggle with anxiety & depression, the loss of a valued relationship and so much more! I've found joy amid the pain. And, I want to share it with you!

29 January 2015

What in the World is CHAUTAUQUA?

For those of you wondering about where we were for the 2014 summer, below is a description grabbed off the website about Chautauqua Institution. And further below that is a very interesting video about Chautauqua. However, the true life stories from within that gated community are far more magical than any video or photo could portray.

The Chautauqua Institution is a not-for-profit, 750-acre educational center beside Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State, where approximately 7,500 persons are in residence on any day

28 January 2015

2015Jan 2 of 3 ONE THOUSAND GIFTS

JANUARY 2015 - 2 of 3
Based upon One Thousand Gifts (by Ann Voskamp)
#1000Gifts #JoyDare


I took the 1,000 Gifts Dare for the year of 2012... continued in 2013... and 2014!
Now, I'm headed into 2015 :) GOD IS FULL OF BLESSINGS!
 
1/11/15 Sun
3299. church - compassion, connection, courage
3300. FORMERLY INCORRECTLY NUMBERED 4000. SINCE THE AUTHOR OF THIS BLOG IS AN AIRHEAD - having our 2 UC-CCM college kiddos here for a few days before their last semester at school started
3301. safe travels back to UC_CCM
 
1/12/15 Mon
3302. only a few dents & no injuries - when our 2 girls slid off the road this morning


He shared one of my pairings & it almost immediately had multiple thousands of views
 

3304. homemade chicken soup on a cold night
(chicken, chicken broth, brown rice, lentils, carrots & herbs - YUMMY!)
 
1/13/15 Tues 
3305. 5:15am wake-up "call"

3306. catching up on blogging - a little :/
Finally posted this December JoyDare List
 
3307. so much LESS drama than a year ago... and two years ago, especially!

1/14/15 Wed
3308. frozen fog on everything
 
3309. coyote & deer prints in the snow in my backyard

3310. exchanging selfies with a little 2-y/o who's at school

1/15/15 Thurs
3311. an undisclosed location
 

3312. sitting with an adorable little guy

 
3313. coping with disappointments


 

1/16/15 Fri
SOMEONE IS TWO YEARS OLD TODAY!
3314. ballerina princess
 
3315. school birthday party
3316. home pizza party
 
1/17/15 Sat
3317. party prep
 
3318. helpers around the house - unusual for most days
4019. birthday party

Frozen theme party

1/18/15 Sun

3320. seeing loving gestures from God


3321. almonds & cranberry juice :)
3322. Downton Abbey "party" w/the LOML

1/19/15 Mon
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
3323. early morning photo session in jammies & a robe



3324. a plethora of MLK,Jr quotes



3325. sharing hope, joy & love via the new page

1/20/15 Tues
3326. beautiful distant mist

3327. open spaces
3328. creating a different kind of art
with my pictures & quotes



Stay tuned for the next & final installment for January 2015
 
I took the 1,000 Gifts Dare for the year of 2012... continued in 2013... and 2014! Now, I'm heading into 2015 :) GOD IS FULL OF BLESSINGS!

For other #JoyDare #1000gifts entries... search the blog for the labels:
#1KGiftsJoyDare or #1000Gifts


 

January 1 of 3
January 3 of 3

26 January 2015

2015Jan 1 of 3 ONE THOUSAND GIFTS

JANUARY 2015 - 1 of 3
based upon One Thousand Gifts (by Ann Voskamp)
#1000Gifts #JoyDare
I took the 1,000 Gifts Dare for the year of 2012... continued in 2013... and 2014! 
Now, I'm headed into 2015 :) GOD IS FULL OF BLESSINGS!

Today I find JOY in...

1/1/15 Thurs
3268. sleeping in after a late night :)
3269. choosing a word for the year... GRATITUDE


23 January 2015

F Words

I'm pretty sure this will be one of my shortest posts ever. Because... I'm writing this just because I cracked myself up a few minutes ago with the thought: 
"I need to make a list of "F" words."
For years, I've been wanting to share life & my story with more people than

13 January 2015

2014 December ONE THOUSAND GIFTS #JoyDare

DECEMBER 2014 
One Thousand Gifts (by Ann Voskamp)
#1000Gifts #JoyDare


Buy book here...      
I took the 1,000 Gifts Dare for the year of 2012... continued in 2013... and am almost done with 2014! 
GOD IS FULL OF BLESSINGS!

Today I find JOY in...

12/1/14 Mon
3175. friends, family & faith - fond memories from the weekend

3176. Christmas decorations at a local church

3177. sitting by a friend who is now sleeping in a hospice bed and who is physically getting closer & closer to God by the moments
My Facebook post for this night: 
I'm so thankful for the beliefs I hold in my heart and for the encouragement, strength & peace that they bring... often times unexplainable... always true!

12 January 2015

A Bottom-Feeder in the Ocean of Life

And, I have to remind myself to:
Fight the feeling!
Earlier as I was digging through the over-crowded & very disorganize refrigerator for left-overs, I thought to myself, "Yep, you're just a bottom-feeder in the Ocean of Life!" The search effort was twofold: get rid of anything which looked like a potential science experiment & find something suitable (more than stale Christmas cookies or left over candy) for lunch. More days than not, I'm looking through the refrigerator trying to determine what's in there that I could and should eat before it becomes a petri dish for cultivation. My mindset isn't, "What looks the yummiest?" But, my mind is focused on, "What's