The Florida situation...

So, I'm almost home and Noel shows up on the weather channel...a pesky little hurricane threatening my tomorrow flight!

He’s making his way up from the Bahamas and is supposed to hit tonight.

There is definitely at least an “N” here this afternoon. We were all blowing around in the parking lot while trying to do some “hurricane shopping”.

Pray it blows over soon, or doesn’t hit at all!

LY!

And once you truly understand...

Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are: work, health, family, friends and integrity. You're trying to keep all of them in the air, but one thing you must come to understand is that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will always bounce back. The other four--health, family, friends, integrity--are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, perhaps even shattered. (Suzanne's Diary for Nicolas--James Patterson)

I miss you!

He’s not my boy, but when his hand
Is held in mine, I understand
The problems that he has to face
I glimpse his goal in life’s long race
And then a thrill akin to joy
Sweeps over me—he is my boy

on a lighter note...

I feel bad posting these happy pictures while California’s burning to the ground, but I might as well post some pictures while we're "sitting ducks" : )

Nate and Gina and I are all packed up now, playing some odd Napoleon Dinamite Pictionary game, and listening to the radio. There’s a dim and dusty look in the air, but I think we’re pretty much safe.

At FCF, just before evacuation:

Sunday BBQ:

enough hats for everyone to look ridiculous without taking turns:

Out with Nate:

San Diego

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/22/wildfire.ca/index.html#cnnSTCOther1

GN #1218

Don't just drift through each day, analyze your experiences‚ get something out of them, ask questions, look for answers; persevere in learning something new every day.

I can use you no matter how little education you have, but I can use you in a greater way if you have learned to apply yourself.

So, yes, I do use "unlearned and ignorant men," but I also use learned and intelligent men and women, and I am sometimes able to use them in a very specialized way, because they are able to reach all classes of people.

Studying is an exercise which is strengthening and preparing you for intelligence in other realms of life. Apply yourself if for no other reason than to develop your mind
Instill in your kids‚ through your example and teaching and prayers, the desire to be all that they can be.

The more you learn, the more you are capable of learning.

yey for me!

I finished testing today, and I don’t know how I did because they don’t release the results for another 6-8 weeks. I thought that was terribly cruel of them. It’s just not right to keep people in suspenseful agony that long!

The class usually celebrates when the test results come in, but since I won’t be in the country when that happens, I got to have an early graduation : )

So, I’d better have passed, because I even got (in advance) a terrible quality red-faced picture in a dorky robe...like so:

Isn't his face just so lovable?

"Cure yourself of the affliction of caring how you appear to others. Concern yourself only with how you appear before God." -Miguel De Unamuno

Worldly Christians look to God primarily for personal fulfillment. They're saved, but self-centered. They want to use God for their purposes instead of being used for His purposes.

World-class Christians know they were saved to serve and were made for a mission.

They're eager to receive a personal assignment and excited about the privilege of being used by God.

They wake up each morning expecting God to work through them in fresh ways.

Jesus: “It's your turn to give your lives now—not by losing them, but by setting aside everything but your desire to be professionals, to win this battle.” (GN #1215)

Tennis player's prayer

Oh Lord, please let me hit the ball
So well that even I
When telling of it afterwards
Will never need to lie
And make my groundstroke straight and true
My backhand swift and firm
And help me with a serve that makes
My opposition squirm
Protect me from the double fault
Assist me at the net
Endow me with an overhead
That travels like a jet
Above all, Lord, this pleasure
Is a thing I’d like to share
So when you grant my wish, be sure
That all my friends are there

Feeling enthusiastic

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm,” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Enthusiasm first appeared in English in 1603 with the meaning “possession by God.” The source of the word is the Greek enthousiasmos, which ultimately comes from the adjective entheos, “having God within,” formed from en, “in, within,” and theos, “god.” Over time the meaning of enthusiasm became extended to “rapturous inspiration” (like that caused by a god), and eventually to the familiar sense “craze, excitement, strong liking for something.”

More pictures

Extremely windy Sunday at the beach. I love Eric's crazy looking hair.

All for the sake of experience...

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.—F. P. Jones

I decided to try to get home by bus yesterday, because I didn’t want to bother Silvia, and I wanted to know what it was like to ride the bus in Miami. I was the only white person on the whole bus (I kid you not!), with the exception of one scowling, wrinkled senior citizen who climbed on toward the end. I ended up getting off at the wrong stop, because my landmark was the Wallgreens, and there’s one of those on every other block, so I started walking from the Wallgreens towards where I thought I was supposed to go, and I walked for almost an hour before I realized that I was in the very wrong place. I was definitely the only one stupid enough to be on foot at noon. I was burnt to a crisp, and there was not a fellow human-being in sight. I finally asked a lady at a Mc Donalds if she knew of a bus that I could catch back to Hiatus Rd., and she said she was going there, so she offered to give me a ride. She dropped me off on the wrong Hiatus road. Apparently there are two of them. I ended up trekking through the bushes, across the canal, and the whole deal, to get to the other side of Sunset. I finally made it home by 6:00pm. That's the last time I'm taking the bus.

Here are some pictures of last night. We all went out dancing and Dad stayed home with the kids. It was fun!

The end.

Interesting

"Our vanity is the constant enemy of our dignity."- Anne Sophie Swetchine

Vanity (from Latin vānus—empty): 1. concerned with the concealment of inadequacy, imperfection, or weakness; 2. formulating lack of usefulness, worth, or effect; 3. a regarding of oneself with undue favor; 4. excessive desire for the praise of others, regardless of whether it is deserved; the desire for distinction and importance; desire to be the object of attention and approbation

"There are no grades of vanity; there are only grades of ability in concealing it." -Mark Twain

After all of his attempts to learn everything about the world, Solomon's final words were: All is vanity and vexation of spirit. The world appeals to the weaknesses of pride and vanity in man. But you can resist these seductions of vanity which tempt you to promote yourself. Live to promote Me. (XN004)

Memories in the making

Florida is windier than ever! I love it, but it is hurricane season, so please pray with me against that frightful possibility. All of that tropical furry can definitely hold out until after I’m gone : )

I went boating this morning with Dad and one of his work buddies. It was so beautiful! Nothing out there but us, and miles and miles of everglades…well, and the alligators, but they’re quiet, and it was so peaceful. I felt like a real-live, genuine Rose, (I’m flying Jack…flying!) facing into the wind, hair streaking back and all. And I got to drive the boat, and wear a big ol’ hillbilly hat. It was so much fun! I whipped my hair into a million tangles, but it was worth it.

Here are some pictures of lunch this afternoon with Eman and Silvia.