It’s a stupid movie about stupid people who make stupid decisions, and set in a land ruled by stupid ideas.

Actually, it’s a well done (long) movie
about people who suffer as much from their
foolish choices as they do from the
political turmoil in Russia during the multiple revolutions of the time.
The immorality depicted as love ruined the romance for me,
and the ridiculous philosophies of the Red, White, and Bolshevik parties
had me throwing up my hands and saying, “No wonder all the Russians have been starving.”
Can you imagine having your house and property taken, by which ever
party happened to be in charge at the moment, “for the people.”
As Zhivago’s father said, “Well, I’m one of the people!!”

Patriotism is very strong in my heart this 4th of July.
I suppose in the end, it was worth finishing the movie just for the feeling of gratefulness that now
fills me.

July is magic to me

this mix of colors looked like stars in a night sky when I put it up

I may wonder where my brain went later

Life is very full right now

I don’t need a grand life, just a useful one…

If I were a painter

I would paint my reverie

If that’s the only way for you to be with me



We’d be there together

Just like we used to be

Underneath the swirling skies for all to see



And I’m dreaming of a place

Where I could see your face

And I think my brush would take me there

But only …



If I were a painter

And could paint a memory

I’d climb inside the swirling skies to be with you

I’d climb inside the skies to be with you


~Norah Jones

on the safari,
hats were wonderful for keeping my face from burning,
which it tends to do rather badly.
it was lovely not to have sunscreen on my face,
making my sunglasses slide down my nose.
but i only wore my cowboy hat the first day
and switched to a baseball cap for the other three.
obviously the straw cowboy hat covers more.
but i didn’t think of that, oh no, i only thought
of my poor straw hat getting wet if i accidentally went swimming during hand-offs.
i thought nothing of the changes i needed to make to my routine
getting out of the car preparations.
the result: my ears are peeling.
now how attractive is that??

wonderful
crazy
scary
exhilarating
exhausting

i survived my first texas water safari…
(and i didn’t even have to paddle)

came home late Tuesday night and promptly slept for 12 hours.
another twelve last night.
and i’m still wiped.

but i’d do it all over again in a year.
steph and max came in 23rd out of 70+ finishers,
and i didn’t have any major goofs as a first time team captain.
(at least, not any that couldn’t be fixed.)

more than anything, our entire team saw God’s hand on us over and over.
the two paddlers, those of us on the land crew…
so many opportunities to witness His awesome care.
it was incredible.

and Steph’s head should be fine.
if you didn’t hear, she tried to play limbo with a bridge, as Max so eloquent put it.

more details and stories later.

safari preparations have taken over my brain.

but i did get my room really cleaned up
so i feel like i can breathe again.
and packing will be a lot easier.

http://www.texaswatersafari.org

 
  “You’re so conceited if you fell in love
   with anybody else it’d be a triangle!”

                   from Annie Get Your Gun

disgruntled.

such a perfect word for me right now.
the trouble is i don’t know the reasons why.
i can be perfectly cheerful one moment
and perfectly horrid the next.
it seems to take very little to set me off.

am i coming down with something?
it would explain the “not feeling good” feeling i’ve had all day.
am i just way overtired?
logical considering my mad schedule and foolish lack of going to bed on time.
or do i just have a plain ol’ bad attitude?

i should go to bed before i burst into tears one more time.
maybe my focus should be on Someone else.
order up some God-time.

           where am i today? i wish that i knew.
           ’cause lookin’ around there’s no sign of You.
           i don’t remeber one jump or one leap.
           just quiet steps away from Your lead.
                      ~Nickel Creek

   remember?

Every time I think of something to post, I can’t get to the computer.
And then something new happens and makes the first thoughts old, thought not irrelevant,
for everything that happens is part of what shapes me and works out my life’s path.
Something changed and suddenly life has started moving too quickly for me to document it,
even in my journal.  And that makes me sad.

A few great memories from the weekend:


~Max’s amazing “quiet CD” mix that was perfect for the driving at four o’clock in the morning

~Texas plains that let you see the sunrise, and the orange ball of fire we call a sun

~the countryside and the uniqueness of Texas trees


~hanging out with Pete

~burgers grilled poolside with generous friends who also loaned us their hotel room shower and lava soap

~Steph and Max to keep me awake with their funny stories on the long night drive up to the start

~ice cold chocolate milk from the igloo in my dry, tired mouth…the best thing I’ve ever tasted

~sleeping at the beautiful home of more generous friends, and best of all sleeping with the windows open

~I love their house, it’s like a retreat…uncluttered, spacious, earthy, and open–it’s like a retreat

~cows mooing outside my window as I tried to go to sleep at midnight

~I still don’t know where they were exactly, I thought we were next to the campgrounds and the river

~buying junk food at the grocery store with Bill

~feeling like a part of the community of paddlers

~Max falling out of a tree when I thought they were paddling (you’ll have to ask them, it’s a great story)

~losing some stuff out of the not-quite-shut car-top carrier on I-10, watching it fly out in my rearview mirror

~Max hightailing it up the hill to get a life jacket out of the middle of the freeway.

~thanking God that the traffic was spaced out and that we didn’t lose more stuff

~learning to give thanks for small blessings, and big ones…learning to recognize both

The play tonight was good…I was so proud of several people I had
managed to work with yesterday.  Thoroughly entertaining. 
And of course I was proud of my numerous siblings.
Steph is back from another training run…I really missed her.
Or maybe I just felt left out this time.
I’m dead tired and I’m hoping this post makes sense when I read it tomorrow.
And my baby sister turns four tomorrow…or today…or sometime in November.  (It’s a quote.)
I get to spend the whole day with her if I want.
Now that is a real blessing.