Day at the Lake

Ah, the joys of a day off.

Monday, in enjoyment of our freedom that was bought with a huge price, we decided to enjoy a day on the lake at Jordan Lake. Originally, the plan was to enjoy Seaforth. However, we soon learned that Memorial Day is the busiest day of the year at Jordan Lake. We learned the hard way when we arrived around 11:15 and there was a plethora of cones and a park ranger yelling at us to move on and that it was full.

Thankfully, I had done my research ahead of time and the other option we had was the Ebenezer Church Recreation Area. We arrived before they closed that area and thus the search for a picnic table with a grill ensued. We searched all around the swim area to no avail and then moved on to Picnic Area B, the closest area to the swimming hole and just a trail away from enjoying the fairly reasonably warm waters of the Lake.

Finding the table wasn't a matter of luck. In fact, through careful observation and a polite inquiry, we were able to take a very nice table and grill near the parking lot and trail. You see, there were a couple of bikers (not motorcyclers) taking a breather at this table. I noticed that they didn't have any picnic equipment, so asked them if they were planning on veging out at that table for the afternoon, to which they responded that they were merely on a break and in fact, "saving the table for us!" LOL.

After enjoying some lovely grilled hotdogs provided by and grilled by my wonderful parents, we decided to hit the "beach." The beach was actually quite crowded and the dynamic population was quite different from ten years ago. However, us young people decided to take a swim.

We mostly goofed around on the floating barrier and played monkey in the middle with a Frisbee. That was quite interesting as many of us are quite competitive. The mere idea of being called a monkey wasn't as appealing either. Gracefully, we managed not to bang up anybody with our "precise" throwing ability, even with a few close calls. A few of us also decided to show off our swimming ability by swimming outside of the barrier to the floating buoy.

After relaxing in the shade for a bit, we enjoyed each other's company and then headed home for the day.

Ah, the beauty of recreation. Just remember to check yourself for ticks (I had none) and wear sunscreen! Oh, and get there early, as you never know when you might be yelled at by a park ranger to go away.

World Turtle Day

May 23 was World Turtle Day, a day established as an effort to protect the number of turtle species that have become critically endangered due to their popularity in the food and traditional medicine trade.

Red Earred Slider

Red Earred Sliders

Mom and Babies

Baby Eygptian Tortoises

Baby Eygptian Tortoise

Flower Box Turtles

Many species of turtles are critically endangered. We need to do our part in our own environments to help preserve the turtle population. It is especially important to remember the aquatic/marine turtles. Most of them are on the endangered list or have been.

Please be aware of what you throw away. Cut up 6 pack rings (holders), don't litter, do not tamper with egg nesting sites, point lights away from beach. Many die from suffocation of plastic bags, or as babies heading in the wrong direction (because they look to the light reflected from the ocean) and get eaten by predators.

Personally, I stop whenever I see a turtle in the road. Only do that if it is safe.

Thank you for your concern about these unique and interesting creatures. I care a lot about them because I have 3 who live with me. You should meet them sometime!

**Pictures from AP

Showers

May showers for June weddings!

I am reliving last year's enjoyment of showers. You see, Jen, one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world, is getting married next month. As her matron of honor and because Beth is not here in the US, I am helping her out as a wing woman. Not that I wouldn't should Beth be here, but I am enjoying the time I get to spend with her.

It is so exciting to see her receiving the items she needs to build a home. She has picked out the most lovely dishes. She also has very lovely china. I, myself, didn't register for china because I wanted to get all my place settings for my dishes, which were $30 a place setting. I ended up getting all of them because of that. Plus, we wouldn't have had storage or constant use for them anyways.

I giggled at a few of the things she and Ben registered for. For example, this fat chef stuff. It is cute and very frenchish, or at least reminds me of France. I feel like breaking into a whole French accent talking about it.

The other cute thing was this little novelty egg pan. I had to get the matching spatula for her.

I have known Jen for a little over 22 years. Yes, that would be her entire life. I have always been the oldest out of our trio which includes Beth. Beth is my age, except that her birthday falls in November, so that put her a year behind me in school because my birthday is in August.

I always felt like we were the sisters we never had. We all have brothers, but no sisters. That is probably why we all got so close.

We have some great memories from over the years. Some include spiders, roomieing, hanging out, and church stuff. I just know that we will all be like that through the end of our lives. I can imagine it now... rocking on a porch, recalling the good ole days.

Showers are fun and tiring. I hosted the one she had on Saturday. We played games and had good food. I also went to the one she had in Greensboro on Sunday. That one was fun, too. We took a lot of pictures and enjoyed a lovely chocolate fountain.

There is only one thing I wish during all of these showers and wedding stuff. I wish that Beth was here. The time is counting down, though, for her coming back from Africa to visit. Yay for June 7th!

All in all, Jen getting married excites me and scares me. It excites me because she is going to be so happy, Ben is an awesome man, and they are in love. It scares me because we are getting old. At least old enough to be married women!

Class of 2006

Congratulations Class of 2006! I am so proud of you! I would like to make a special mention of a few people who have suceeded at crossing yet another excellent mark in their lives (cue Pop and Circumstance):

Thomas- my brother, whom I love. Finally! Only 5 years! I am very proud of you.
Jennifer- one of my best friends. I can't believe it... this day has finally come (we're getting old!)!
Manny- a good friend. I will miss you deeply as you move to Illinois. Thanks for sharing your Ghanan heritage with us.
Brian- another good friend. I will miss you as you move to Iowa. Congrats and thanks for always sharing your excellent points of view.
Chris- yet another good friend. I will miss you as you go to Japan for a couple of years. I am so excited for you!

To the Booneites:
So, Boone's novelty lasted for awhile and then the cold winds, snow, and low temperatures got on our nerves. Alas, we say we don't/won't miss Boone, but the relationships and all of us being together, we will miss. The beautiful mountains and the parkway never got old. Boone will always be there for our enjoyment when we should visit.

To the Raleighites:
It won't be the same around here without ya. The dynamics of our church will never be as diverse or exciting. Come back to us and visit. There will always be a place for you.

Casting Crowns

I was raising my hands and praising the Lord to this song today on the way to work....

Artist: Casting Crowns
Song: Praise You In This Storm
Album: Lifesong

i was sure by now
that you would have reached down
and wiped our tears away
stepped in and saved the day
but once again, i say "amen", and it's still raining

as the thunder rolls
i barely hear your whisper through the rain
"i'm with you"
and as you mercy falls
i raise my hands and praise the god who gives
and takes away

i'll praise you in this storm
and i will life my hands
for you are who you are
no matter where i am
every tear i've cried
you hold in your hand
you never left my side
and though my heart is torn
i will praise you in this storm

i remember when
i stumbled in the wind
you heard my cry
you raised me up again
my strength is almost gone
how can i carry on
if i can't find you

as the thunder rolls
i barely hear you whisper through the rain
"i'm with you"
and as your mercy falls
i raise my hands and praise the god who gives
and takes away

i lift my eyes unto the hills
where does my help come from?
my help comes from the lord
the maker of heaven and earth

Love and Acceptance

This is basically what I am using for my prayer group on Friday night at the Women's Retreat (I'm the leader).

Love and Acceptance
What does this mean?

To me, this means agape love, or love unconditional. To accept one another for their differences while continuing to love them as Christ loves us. Carrying out what God intends in love and acceptance. Sometimes this includes reconciliation between people.

This reminds me of the love I have for my family. No matter how much I may get upset at something they do, they will still be my family. God has blessed me with them, and no matter how hard I try to “disown” or hate them, they are still family!

We should treat our brothers and sisters in Christ the same way. We are all apart of a family, always will be! They are still going to be in Heaven with us anyways. We will have differences in beliefs, but God commands us to accept them (of course, with in the realm of His will, not blatant against the will of God). Be careful not to judge a person’s belief based on personal interpretation. As Christians, we all believe in the same God, right?

Always give someone the benefit of the doubt. This is a very important part of love and acceptance. Assume that they weren’t purposely trying to hurt you. Act in terms of the Golden Rule.

You also must accept yourself, for who you are. Who you are is God’s gift to you, who you become is your gift to God. It starts with accepting yourself. You have unique gifts and abilities that God has blessed you with. Don’t compare yourself with others. God blesses us all in different ways; we must seek out the gifts he has blessed us with and act upon them.

You also must love yourself. This is different from accepting yourself. You can accept yourself but not love yourself. Now, obviously, I don’t mean be vain about loving yourself. If you don’t love yourself, it is going to be hard to love others. If you don’t love yourself, you won’t take care of your needs including physical, spiritual, mental, or emotional. You may end up abusing yourself in one or more of those areas. For example, if you don’t love your outward appearance you may starve yourself or over-eat. You may hate yourself for the sins you have done, and feel that you don’t deserve God’s forgiveness. Most of this stems off of a lack of self love. It is okay to love yourself for who God created you to be.

Few verses:

Why should we accept ourselves?
Psalm 139:13-16
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

What will loving and accepting ourselves prepare us for?
Isaiah 6:8
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Why should we love each other?
Ephesians 5:1-2
1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Romans 12:9-10
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Why should we accept one another?
Romans 15:5-7
5May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Part of accepting one another is:
Matthew 7:1-2
1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Overall of this:
John 3:16
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.