Happy Birthday, Les!

Today is my sweetheart's birthday. 22 years ago yesterday we met on the last night of Camp Meeting. We were sitting in Lyon's in Santa Maria when the clock struck midnight and our group sang "Happy Birthday" to Les. I've been singing it to him every year since! He received these balloons on the first day of Senior Camp 1989...


Here we are, some time during that week...


Showcasing his musical talent...


Still smiling, 22 years later...


Sweetheart, I'll love you forever!

P.S. This year, instead of cake, I'm making cannoli for Les' birthday! I've never made them before, but I'm excited to give my recipe a try. I'll let you know how it goes...

Oh! I also have a very neat gift that I've been hiding in my closet for more than a month ~ can't wait for Les to open it so I can tell you all about it!

The Santa Barbara Mission

I spent a couple of days in Santa Barbara this week. I really love that town! There is still so much to explore. I decided my mission was to visit the Santa Barbara Mission this time. But first, look what came to town:


This was a Borders book store that closed a few months ago. Marshall's opened on August 4th. It's brand new and really nice! Three levels of beautifully arranged merchandise just waiting to be purchased.


The Santa Barbara Mission was the tenth of the California Missions to be founded by the Spanish Franciscans. It was established on the Feast of St. Barbara, December 4, 1786.


Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the land from Malibu to San Luis Obispo was inhabited by the Chumash Indians. They were hunters and gatherers oriented to the sea. The Franciscans taught the Indians agriculture.

(Ox cart)

A tour of the mission starts in a beautiful garden.


It then goes through a cemetery....


A family vault...


Tombstone for a 29 day old boy...


This tree is huge...


It came from Australia over 100 years ago!


The Skull and Crossbones on the church indicate a cemetery.


Inside the mission church...



Inside the museum...



The kitchen...



Can any of you musicians out there read this music?


I can't, but I thought it looked really cool...


Someone needs to dust the piano!


There is also another beautiful church in town. It reminds me of European architecture.



Just another beautiful day!

Are We There Yet?

Les and I were discussing his Sunday school lesson for this past week. The topic was patience. Job is the one we always look to as an example of patience, but we spent some time talking about someone else...

Caleb was one of the 12 spies sent out by Moses. He and Joshua were the only ones who came back with a good report. Caleb "stilled the people" trying to convince them to go forth at once. (Numbers 13:30)

Caleb then received a promise from God. Yes, he would have to spend 40 years in the wilderness, but he would get to go into the promise land.

Fast forward 40 years. The next generation is going in to the promise land. We don't hear a word from Caleb for another FIVE years. Every bit of the land is conquered when Caleb says to Joshua "Give me this mountain." (Joshua 14:12)

Caleb was 85 years old when he received his inheritance. He watched all of his peers die. He watched others settle into the land. When Caleb gets his land, then "the land had rest from war." (Joshua 14:15) As far as I can tell, Caleb was the last one!

What an example to follow! How many times have we watched someone else receive a blessing or a healing or an answered prayer while we are still waiting? The definition of patience is "cheerful or hopeful endurance." It's waiting with a smile, even when others receive their promise.

Don't despair when your answer doesn't come as quickly as you'd like. Hebrews 10:36 says "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." Do the will of God and trust Him to send the promise... even when it take 45 years!

The Law of the Garbage Truck

"The Law of the Garbage Truck" has been around for a while. Twice this weekend I shared it with people who had never heard it before, so I thought I'd post it this morning. If you don't know this great principle give it a try, it's a great way to live.

The Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.

Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so..... 'Love the people who treat you right.. Pray for the ones who don't.'

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it.

~ Author unknown

Mileage Update

I had a great week of running and riding. My rides have all been a bit later, usually after a short run. Las Llajas is a busy place after about 7:00 a.m. I can also tell we're heading into Fire Season ~ equipment has been on the trail ~ grading, filling, and clearing.

On Thursday, Les and I rode together. About 2 miles up the trail, right where I crashed a little under a year ago, Les said, "I just saw bear tracks." "Really?? Where?" "I'll show you on the way down."

So we made our way to the Y, passed the equipment, and up a little more before heading back. We stopped to observe this:


There were several of these prints. I rode on Tuesday morning - the trail had been graded sometime between my ride on Tuesday and our ride on Thursday. These tracks were new, over recent bike tracks.

Would you like a closer look?


We went home and Googled "bear tracks." This is what they look like:



I'm a believer! Tracks are as close as I want to get to that bear! It's a good thing there aren't any picnic tables along the way...


Totals for Week ending August 13:
Running: 28.98
Cycling: 26.02
Total: 55.00

Year-to-Date:
Running: 804.55
Cycling: 800.86
Total: 1605.41

Friday Foodie

Les called me one night this week while he was in Des Moines. (Edit: Les called me every night that he was in Des Moines. This post is about one of those nights.) He told me about a wonderful sandwich he had for lunch that day. "We've got to have this at home," he said. So we did! Are you tired of the same old turkey sandwich? Well here's a new twist for you:


Turkey-Apple-Apple Butter Sandwich

Bread of your choice
Sliced Turkey breast
Thinly sliced apple
Apple butter
Cheese (optional)

1. Spread apple butter on bread.
2. Add turkey, apple slices and cheese.
3. Put together and enjoy!


This is SO good! As you can see, we had ours on croissants today, but any bread will do. I used Cracker Pepper Turkey so it had a little extra flavor, but the apples and apple butter make an old standby taste new. Les had cheese on his, I did not ~ I just enjoyed the apples and apple butter!

The Glamorous Life of an Executive

I don't know if I've ever given Les' job title on my blog. In his current position he is Vice President of Product and Technology for Berkeley Aviation. Quite a mouthful! Now before you get too envious, it's not all private jets and limos. Let me tell you about his most recent week of work:

It all began last Thursday. A project they had been working on was brought to an abrupt halt. This necessitated a trip to the home office in Des Moines, Iowa. Plans were confirmed Friday afternoon with meetings scheduled for Monday morning. This meant a Sunday afternoon flight. That's when it got really fun...

Les taught our adult Sunday school class, then we left church a little early so I could get him to the airport for his 1:00 flight. His 1:00 flight that left at 1:30. Not too bad considering air travel these days.

For some reason, there are no direct flights from Los Angeles to Des Moines. You just can't get there from here. You have to go somewhere else first. It's either Phoenix or Denver or Saint Paul or Dallas. Lovely places, but not where he needed to be. Sunday's flight took him to Dallas.

His flight from Dallas to Des Moines was about an hour late boarding. Of course, then they sat on the tarmac for a while. With the temperature reading 90. They were finally in line for takeoff when their plane pulled out of line. A women who was drunk started vomiting all over herself. They returned to their gate where she was promptly handcuffed. Everyone was taken off the plane while they waited for it to be cleaned. About an hour later they finally took off.

After some bumpy weather getting to Des Moines, Les was finally at his destination ~ about 2 1/2 hours later than planned. I got this email from him at 11:03 p.m. California time:

"Saga continues. Budget was closed. Hertz was only one open but out of cars. Now in a taxi going to Moose Lodge."

That's right - he arrived in Des Moines at about 1:00 in the morning, only to find no rental car available! He asked the Hertz employees why they were the only ones working when they didn't have any cars. Guess they were getting paid whether they rented any cars out or not. He said the final straw would have been if his room had been given away! Fortunately it wasn't and he was finally able to go to bed.

The following morning he took a taxi to the office. During his lunch break a co-worker took him back to the airport so he could pick up his rental car. Of course the car he had reserved was gone, but he was able to get something.

After three days of meetings he headed back home. His flights yesterday were gloriously on time! This time he flew through Phoenix. We exchanged a few emails while he was in Phoenix. I asked if he was going to be hungry when he got here. He replied, "Yes, I'll be hungry. Lunch was a Nutrigrain bar and chocolate milk." So I picked him up at the airport and we grabbed a quick bite to eat before making it to Bible study a few minutes late last night.

And now you've seen just a little bit of the Glamorous Life of an Executive!

Hazardous Driving

We hear it all the time - the dangers of texting while driving. Or talking on the phone. I've seen women applying makeup... men shaving... people reading, eating, correcting their children, holding their dog...


I really thought I had seen it all. I regularly travel Los Angeles freeways. But what Les and I saw on Sunday morning was a new one! We were on our way to Sunday school, it was about 9:45. A car was traveling well below the speed limit, causing cars to slow down, then change lanes. It took me a minute to realize what was actually going on. As we got even when the car, I saw the driver...


... are you ready for this?

He was eating corn on the cob!!!


Can you imagine the mess? What is the craziest thing you've ever seen someone do while they were driving? Or what's the craziest thing you've ever done while driving?

Pure Beauty

Lance sent us this picture of Claire. It was taken at Youth Camp sometime during the summer.

There is so much beauty in this. Claire, at age 13, is growing into a beautiful young lady. But it's more than that. I see grace and mercy on her. Claire has grown up in a home that believes the truth. She is unscarred like so many girls her age. She hasn't known alcohol or drugs or abuse. Her life has been covered by the blood through many generations.

Pure.Beauty.

Mileage Update

I tried to be a triathlete this week. Run. Bike. Swim. I'm not sure that what I do in the pool qualifies as swimming though! The early mornings have had the feel of Fall - low to mid 50s. So refreshing. But it's still heating up by 9:00.

No further bear sightings, although the signs are still up on the trail. I was happy to see a couple dozen people on the trail this morning. For now, I'll enjoy a little more company.

Totals for Week ending August 6:
Running: 29.36
Cycling: 21.02
Total: 50.38

Year-to-Date:
Running: 775.57
Cycling: 774.84
Total: 1550.41

Can You Do It?

Can you do nothing for 2 minutes? Click here to find out. It's not as easy as you think!

Wordless Wednesday - Where You Can Find Me

My Favorite Things

I'm in a bit of a summer slump. Maybe you're feeling it too. I thought about just posting some of my favorite pictures, then decided to add this song to go with it!

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things


Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things


Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things


When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad!

Of course my favorite things aren't things at all ~ they're my loved ones! And I feel better already!

Whoa, Nelly!!

Can you believe it is August 1st? There are now only 5 months left in 2011. Kids will be going back to school soon, which means Christmas decorations will be in stores before we know it!

18 days until Les' birthday...

38 days until Youth Alive...

93 days until West Coast Conference...

115 days until Thanksgiving...

146 days until Christmas!!

No need to start stressing yet...