Photo Challenge

One of my New Year's Resolutions or Goals was to get to know

 my new camera a little better. 

 I found a 30 Day Photo Challenge on Pinterest

 and decided to give it a try.  

 I'm only about half way through, 

have skipped a few days here and will post more pictures later,

 and there may be some that I simply will not be able to do

 because I don't have the right software or hardware.  

Sooooooo here we go.......

Day One

Self-Portrait 

(For this, the hardest challenge so far, I set up the tri-pod

 and used the timer on my camera. 

 I shot pictures for two hours 

and every time I went back to my camera

 to check the results,

 some old woman 

had jumped in front of me and was on the viewfinder. 

 I finally gave up and let her stay.)

Day Three

Black & White

(This old phone should just be photographed in black and white,

don't you think?)

Day Four

Texture

(This was fun - texture was everywhere and I can't pick just one)

 (Krumkake - pronounced Crum Ca Ca

 - a Norwegian North Dakotan Delicacy)

(Snow - a North Dakotan Normalcy)

(A Frosted Spruce Tree)

Day 5

High Angle

(View from the top of the stairs

-stairs that still need refinishing, I might add)

Day 6

Low Angle

(Can you guess what it is?

It's how my kitchen light looks from the floor!)

Day 7

Silhouette

 (Trees silhouetted in a sunrise

across the street from my house)

Day 8

Sunset

(This day I drove west in the snow and chased the sun 

until I finally got a few good shots

Then while home in Texas

I found another sunset out behind my house where 

yard chairs were waiting for friends to join me)

Day Nine

Bokeh

(Bokeh, as explained in my tutorial, 

is the "aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of a photograph",

-it has something to do with a thing on the camera called aperture.

All I know is that focusing on something green in the kitchen window 

is much better than focusing on endless winter)

Day Ten

Lens Flare

(Oh, this is the most fun!

On this overcast day, I walked around the block trying to get some lens flare

but I wasn't tough enough for however cold it was

and the kind of clothes I was wearing,

so I tried it inside

with awesome results.  See also Day 8 for another lens flare)

Day Eleven

Landscape

(Winter landscapes in North Dakota are sort of monotone

but I found more contrasts 

south of the river in the Roosevelt National Park

where buffalo still roam)

Day Twelve

Portrait

(This is Copper

wondering why I wasn't throwing his ball...

and this is precious Elijah

two weeks before his successful life-saving heart surgery)

Day Fourteen

Light Painting

(typical night scenery in Western North Dakota

 -pump jacks lit by natural gas flares.)

Day Eighteen

Frame within a Frame

 (which also qualifies under day 1

 Self Portrait)

I'm learning a little about my camera and photography in general,

but still can't quite figure out how to 

make aperture, shutter speed, and iso

work together.

And what is that f thing?

But I want 

you to know

that I know

that 

National Geographic

is not going to be knocking on my door -

ever.

But I do appreciate YOU for stopping by!

I hope your life if full of breath taking sunsets, 

 and 

lovely landscapes.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Nana", he asked with watery eyes, a glowing nose and a croaky voice,

"I don't feel good. Will you go buy a box of candy for my girlfriend?" 

 WHAT?!  He's just a baby! 

 Taller than me, shoes the size of his dads, and a tenor voice. 

My first grand baby. 

Where did the years go?

Candy for his girlfriend?
Of course I will. 

 Then I tell him that I still have the box from my first box of valentine candy. 

 And not only do I have the box,

but the box has a lock of that sweetheart's hair in it. 

"Nana, that's just weird.  Don't tell Papa."

I'm pretty sure that long ago sweetheart didn't ask his grandmother to help him with the task. 

 I am also pretty sure that the candy came from the downtown drug store

 and that he had a chocolate malt at the ice cream counter the day he bought it. 

 That same sweetheart has been buying me chocolate and jewelry for 40 something years.

  Sometimes he brings me roses and honeysuckle blooms

from the yard for no occasion at all. 

 And yes, I still have that box and a lock of his hair. 

 Where did the years go? 

I'm also pretty sure that I won't be greeted at the North Dakota airport

with flowers and candy when I fly in tomorrow. 

I'll probably be glad for my warm coat and snow boots,

because I know that another day he'll come in with a little something special

 to let me know he still loves me. 

 

Happy Valentine's Day to my sweetheart!

 

If you have a sweetheart -

 Make every day Valentine's Day!

Breathe

For this I flew 1200 miles to Texas

 then drove another 250 more miles to Dallas. 

 Breathe.

For this I stressed and dreaded being the 

oldest, fattest, flabbiest, most out of shape woman there.  

Breathe.

For this I was going to ask my body to do things it doesn't want to do. 

 BREATHE!

The event was Jesus at the Core.

Up to now, I had done some Holy Yoga a couple of days a week, 

but honestly, 

I liked wearing yoga pants better than 

actually exercising.

(You know.... If 60 is the new 40, 

then yoga pants are the new double knit!)

I sat on my mat and looked around – and yes,

 it was just as I suspected 

– they were all younger, thinner, and fitter – than  me.

This awesome daughter of mine reached out to steady me

 when I wibbled and wobbled while trying to balance

 on one hand and one foot. 

 Breathe. 

 When I came short reaching for the floor,

 she handed me a foam block to lean on that said,

 “Steady the weak hands

 and make firm the feeble knees” 

(Isaiah 35:3 American Standard Version). 

That's the reason I am doing this, right?

 I tried to focus on those words

 instead of the ice pick in my heel,

 my grinding ankles,

 and angry knee.

  Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.  

BREATHE! 

And I got through the first session without passing out on my lovely pink mat. 

 I DID IT!  

exhale…… whew!

Then we came back the next day … for more…..torture. 

I was ok until they said we’d be doing some cardio

…as in moving a lot

…sweating

…heart attack for sure.

“Just do what you can do,” she said, 

so I got on the back row when the music cranked up. 

 I didn't know the snappy-jazzy songs, but I heard Jesus 

all through them.

And I moved. 

Ok. 

 I did what the instructor said to do.

  Good so far. 

Then I realized that I wasn’t just moving and dancing, 

I was actually smiling, then I was laughing and breathing.

  This was loads of fun and it didn't hurt….today!

During our next break, one of the leaders stopped me and said, to me….

drum roll….are you ready?

“You were ROCKING out there!”  

Me? Rocking?  Flabby old granny???? 

 Yee Haw!

It was so much fun that I bought two dvd’s 

and told my man back in North Dakota to clean me a place in the basement!

It was an excellent week-end.  

Our spirits were ministered to when we worshiped

 with a music team from another church – 

at the beginning of the event and again at the end.

 Our souls  were transformed and encouraged by Bible Study,

and anatomy teaching about aches, pains, and cores.

And with our bodies, 

we worshiped and strengthened our spiritual cores.

 Actually, we worshiped with our whole spirits, souls, and bodies.

"And the very God of

 Peace 

(harmony, security, safety, prosperity)

Sanctify

(separate and purify)

You

Wholly 

(complete, perfect)

And I pray God your

Whole

(entire)

Spirit 

(disposition, influence, breath)

And Soul 

(feelings, desires, affections, not dissolved by death, also breath)

And Body 

(physical body, that which casts a shadow)

Be preserved blameless unto the coming

 of our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Thessalonians 5:23

I have been tending to my soul and my spirit pretty well,

but not my body - I've not been whole.

I've been out of balance.

(and consequently, I can't balance).

So if you are in the same place I am, 

there is hope for us.

We have to keep moving

and get strong!

For more information on Holy Yoga – click here

For more information on Revelation Wellness – click here

If you live in Midland, Texas

 – you can find Stretch Connection (Holy Yoga) classes at Stonegate Fellowship

or Holy Yoga at Art and Soul.

 “Energize the limp hands,

 strengthen the rubbery knees.

  Tell fearful souls, ‘Courage! Take heart! 

 God is here, right here, 

on his way to put things right and redress all wrongs.  

He’s on his way!  He’ll save you.’”

 Isaiah 35:3-6 (The Message)

and ....

Breathe.

Rainbows and Sun Dogs

The winter blues were just a snowflake away when my man called this morning 

and told me to grab my camera and head east. 

 The temperature here in North Pole, North Dakota is -9 

with a RealFeel (what we used to call windchill) of -41. 

 The forecast for tonight is -31 with a RealFeel of -47.  

My Texas brain just can't quite wrap it's forgetful self around those numbers.  

Minus 41?

So I drove east and saw the most incredible rainbow ever.

I stayed safely parked in my four wheel drive truck and snapped away through the windshield.  Isn't it lovely?  After a few hundred pictures I drove a little farther and saw more of my rainbow

along with the sun... so I drove a little more...

until I could see another rainbow on the other side of the sun, 

through my windshield behind the radio antenna under the high lines.

  I'm sure my mouth was wide open. 

 I drove again to get a shot away from the dirty glass and wires.

And it took my breath away!!  

I needed CPR....some oxygen,,.

a paper bag.

But wait - seeing this rainbow was like a whiff of fresh warm air. 

 I thought Jesus might step out of the center of that 

glorious eastern light any second.

Surely this is what His Glory looks like!

"All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. 

This is what the glory of the LORD looked like to me."

(Ezekiel 1:28)

The colors of the rainbow melted together in blazing light

and the sun was amazing.

  It was the hope of a rainbow, only ten thousand times more hopeful. 

When I walked into church this morning,

 Carol Jean came to meet me and ask if I had seen the Sun Dogs

 - Sun Dogs? 

That beautiful sight is called SUN DOGS?

 Oh, yes, we see them all the time here. 

 A few other good folks talked to me about them.  

Then I excitedly asked the sleepy Sunday School kids if they had seen them. 

Huh?  Oh, we see them all the time....

So for my Southern friends,

if the nerd in you needs a little more info on Sun Dogs,

click here

Stay warm and dry

and keep looking to the Son.

Friday Nite Bites

What do you do on a cold snow blowing 3 degree

 -30 wind chill blizzard

 North Dakota Friday Night?

At this house, 

we warm the garage

Ted makes french fries with his new

super duper potato shuper.

Mark makes a BIG pot of bean soup

Ted spices up the french fries

and our noses 

Pat fries up his special speckled trout from

the Gulf of Mexico

via Louisiana

via Delta Airlines

via carry-on luggage

His fried boudin balls were gone before the camera could flash

And there were  french fries.....

...and then there were none.

This is what happens in our garage most every Friday night,

not always the same food,

but always very good food,

not always the same crew,

but a welcome diversion

for every crew.

Come on over next Friday.

We'll have the garage warmed for you!

P.S. Don't forget your cell phone!

Christmas Expectations

Oh,
 Christmas.....

Happy Healthy
 Family Togetherness

Beautifully Decorated Tree

 Perfectly Chosen and Wrapped Gifts
  Norman Rockwell Turkey on the Dining Table

Contemplative Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

Sparkling Red and Green Family Portrait Around the Tree
Perfect
Expect
-ations

 

My first clue should have been with the fabric sweet thing

granddaughter picked out at the quilt store -

she even drew a picture of the finished project for me.

Five bolts of cotton that were anything but pink or dainty.

 

 

While I sewed, and prayed, and ripped, and sewed, and prayed,

I laughed about this girl and I named her quilt

"Wonky".

"She had better remember picking it out" I thought.

When we were finally packed and on the plane headed south,

I was the person no one wants to sit by:

you know, the one who is coughing, sneezing, shivering,

 and blowing her nose.

Sure enough, the person sitting next to me

took his 24 hour turn in the bed after I crawled out.

 

The plans for the perfect trip home were wadded up in a box of tissue.
The deer hunt was cut short, there were no visits with neighbors,
no last minute gift shopping,
no beautiful Christmas sweater or decorations.

 

I've talked to so many people whose Christmas Disappointments

were huge - HUGE

death, divorce, broken relationships,

different expectations within the family

and loneliness.

 

What about those children whose names we pulled from the

Salvation Army Christmas Giving Tree?

We had their wish lists in hand -

but what were their deepest wants and needs?

 

Our Wonky Christmas turned out peaceful and quiet
 at daughter and son-in-law's new house.

 

One thing I am learning in my long life is contentment.
Sometimes I get it.

Paul said it best,
"...for I have learned to be content
 whatever the circumstances."
(Philippians 4:11)
He said it from jail...

Participate instead of Anticipate 

and life works much better.

 

The Christmas Eve Service at the Mega Church

where we needed a ticket to get a seat,

was itself a bit Wonky -

instead of candlelight and organ music like my church in
North Dakota was enjoying at the same time,

we worshipped with a light show, guitars, and drums.

It was wonderful!

We did a little crazy fun cooking

 

 

 

and this girl's Wonky Christmas cake just may be her tradition.

 

 

We ate when we felt like it - which was pretty much all the time

without the fanfare of a sit down meal at the table!

 

Disappointments happened in the form of math homework -

all the holiday long.

 

 

But the not so math nerdy boy

made the best of his disappointments

 

 

even with the warning from the dad:

" you know that's gonna be on the blog"

 

And that Wonky quilt?

 

"It's the blanket I wanted!",
I was relieved to hear.

 

 

That family Christmas picture I thought I needed
where the twinkle of the Christmas lights

form the perfect backdrop to the family

all decked out in their Christmas finery...

was not to be

because the old tree was too small for the new house,
and no one owns a red shirt, and nobody like pictures,
and the grandmother was having a really bad hair day
and didn't put on lipstick.

 

But aren't they the most beautiful family ever?
 

While the children rode new bikes in the freezing twenties,
 Papa and I recuperated from the

North Dakota Crud (cold? flu?whatever),

  ate chocolate and party mix and cake

and watched the sands of time slip by,

 



 

And the angels, shepherds, wisemen, cattle, sheep, and townspeople

crowded around to see their Creator

who came to them disguised as a tiny baby-
 



 

to bring Shalom 
( peace and love and joy and healing and contentment)
to us living in a crazy disappointing world.

I hope you can turn away from your disappointments

and just look to Jesus for your hope,

Because He never disappoints.

 

Merry Late Wonky Christmas

from our

Wonky Little Family!

 

 

 and Happy New Year Too!