Spring Break

We had an amazing spring break. It was divine :)
We started off spending the first half at Washington Family Ranch pulling up sod (see Sweat and Earth post) then took the incredible and incredibly long road to Boise... via the Oregon Scenic By-way. It was sooo beautiful. We have some of the best talks in the car and it was such a great place with the amazing scenery to share together. We made it to Boise and had the time fly away so fast as we got to see some friends, golf with my pops and then we headed for the mountains to shred the powder! It was great new snow and I am continually impressed by my mom and Jeff and their active lives at the cabin. They are awesome. I was so fulfilled spending that time with family and enjoying the closeness with Joel. We all got a good laugh when he tumbled through the jump rather than flying over it- wish I had pictures to share of that!!
God blessed us so much to have that time together and with family and friends and the whole week we got to enjoy His glorious creation in many ways. It definitely made the top 5 best spring breaks ever!!!!

Sweat and Earth

The last 48 hours I have smelled like sweat and earth... earth is a mix of grass and dirt. I am at Washington Family Rance- the Young Life camp near Antelope, Oregon. It has been a great week to be able to spend time with people I don't get to see very often and with Joel. (We have 5 months to go as of today, by the way.)
We are on college work week at the Ranch and we get to choose from various jobs to be done in groups for the first part of the week. It includes everything from housekeeping to cutting up chunks of grass and peeling the up with shovels and hauling them to a gator to be dumped at the greens pile- that's what we have had the joy to do this week. I am SO sore. It has been so great this week though.
It is easy during this time to see myself living a sacrifice- I want to be more like that in my everyday. Day in and day out- living life sacrificing, doing things that cost me. I am in a season of sacrifice right now in my life I feel like. It is hard... I'm learning... and I have a strange and unfamiliar joy right now as I reflect on it. God is so good.

Misty

At first I was annoyed with her and the yellow spots she seemed to leave all over the house or the pens of mine she has chewed up and ruined. Sometimes it was the papers she pulled out of the trash to chew up. Other times it was the really soft poos she would leave on our walks that were really hard to pick up from some friendly person's lawn. Gross.
Missy is a little white Bichon pup that I have had the pleasure to get to know. She belongs to GG. She is her constant companion, ever-listening ears, and a reason to get out and walk. Missy has grown on me sooo much. We have gone on bike rides together (I will load pictures soon)and I have taken her over to Joel's house to play and around town. She is so so nice to have in the house when GG has had to be gone sometimes. It makes the house so much more vibrant. She loves attention. She is a little reminder of God's good gifts to us of life and joy. She just loves getting attention, to get her back and belly rubbed, and enjoys playfulness. She does "the dolphin" to get you to pet her and sometimes is so ridiculous. Her excitement used to annoy me, to be frank, but lately, I have needed it and feasted on it.
GG recalls the story, "When the kids called from Salem, they said they had something for me. I said, 'Oh gosh... I don't need anything else in this house.' Then they told me it had 4 legs. ... And now, I don't know what I'd do without her. She's my good girl. Oh yes you are my good girl!"