Tis The Season......for lights

Day 2

DAY 1

Been a long time...

It has been a long time since I have posted any pictures....simply because I haven't been taking many. I got up early this Saturday with hopes of getting a nice sunrise like the kind I got all week long while driving to work. No such luck. I did however get this nice shot of the river.

Skizzles

Yeah - this is my niece.....great gal and even better tennis player. Click on the pic to see some great action shots of her tournament from this past weekend. She is known to be pretty good at cards too.

Grace-ful times...

Here are some pictures from our wonderful vacation at Bella Beach on the Oregon Coast. Our day at Pacific City was the only clear day we got and a great day to take some pics with my niece. Nice weather or not it was great to have a week with family and to rest. This past weekend I went through the ordination process and passed....whew! It was stressful but, as always, God's grace proved once again to be more than sufficient. It was great to share the experience with close friends and family. Another piece of the puzzle is in place and we look forward to where God is leading us next. My residency ends on the 21st of August but I am allowed to stay until around the third week of September. By then I hope to have a job. Next things to check off the list are endorsement by my denomination to go along with ordination; applying for provisional certification through the Association of Professional Chaplains; and GET HIRED! Enjoy the pictures.

Lack of Time

Taking pictures is therapeutic for me. I haven't been posting any pictures for the simple reason that I haven't been taking very many. Completing this chaplain residency program, looking for jobs, and preparing for ordination has been all consuming. Thankfully, we were on a chaplain retreat yesterday that was conveniently located by some wonderful hiking trails that Sarah, the kids, and I visited last summer. It was good to hike and take pictures. I was reminded not to miss the beauty all around by getting caught up in the "busy-ness" of life. My ordination process takes place the first week of August, the program ends in late August, and I still have no idea where we will end up next. What a fun, scary, exciting, and deeply satisfying ride this continues to be....

Zapnwind

We rolled into Richland on late Thursday night ushered in by high winds and electrical activity. Keeping the shutter open 20 seconds captured this strike off in the distance. After about 30 or so tries I was tired of getting sand blasted so I decided to call it quits. As I was reviewing the pictures wouldn't you know it.....a series of beautiful strikes right in front of us. Photography requires patience. And sometimes a shower afterward.

Tulips II

A chaplain that I work with shared this little poem with us the other day...I think it is appropriate:

There are tulips in the garden
And tulips in the park
But the tulips I like best
Are the two lips in the dark.

Tulips a Plenty

It has been awhile since I last posted....hmmmm....I just haven't had time to take pictures. This past weekend was an exception however. My parents were in town, the weather was beautiful, I rented a great lens (too expensive to buy so why not rent?), and the tulips were in bloom - the perfect time for some great pics. Here are a few of my favorites.

Anticipate Life

I have heard it said that the thing that separates other world views and Christianity is that the founders of other world views try to make bad people good but Jesus came to make dead people live. As I celebrate Easter this year I am reminded of the magnitude of this claim that Jesus rose from the dead. I hear people try to explain it away; rationalize their own meaning; pontificate on the metaphorical significance; and others just deny it. I am confronted with my own apathy toward it - I've grown up with the story and the shiny finish has dulled with time. As someone who sees death on a weekly basis it is easy to anticipate and expect death - seeing the heartache and grief firsthand of those torn from the ones they love. But just as those going to the tomb expected death - they found life. They found presence. They found hope. Not completely understood but reality nonetheless. Anticipate life.

Happy Birthday Natalie

It is hard to believe that 9 years ago on 3.26.00 Natalie Lou was born. Over these nine years she has grown into a young lady with a quick mind that is fun to teach, a playful spirit with an infectious laugh, a giver of kisses and cuddles, and a blessing to our family each and every day. I love you SugarPlum - may God bless you in your tenth year of life.

Surprise

There are moments in time that you are surprised. Like the one day when we were playing outside at our apartment in Princeton and two hot-air balloons drifted overhead. I really like things like that.....an email from a friend out of the blue; a sunrise that takes your breath away; a daughter waiting at the foot of the stairs to hug you when you pull into the driveway; a verse of scripture that speaks directly to what you are experiencing; or a hot-air balloon overhead. I wonder how many "surprises" I miss on a daily basis because I am distracted or otherwise too busy to notice.

Old Treasure

One good thing about one computer dying is searching through the old files trying to find "important" documents and running across pictures that were for some reason put in a place and forgotten about. This is one of my favorites from that find.

Car Show Part II

One of my favorites.

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Portland Auto Show

Cade and I went to the Portland Auto Show Friday. This is one of the cars located in the "exotic" section. Something seems a little askew when we have a shaky economy and are selling cars for $250,000.

Rock Pattern

A Sunday afternoon hike found this neat little pattern.

Nat @ Silver Falls Hike

Amish Sunset

Cape Cod