Last Blast Before the New School Year - Beach 2010

This summer has been a wild adventure....traveling from the Pacific to the Atlantic Oceans, visiting highest peaks and grand valleys....spending time with great friends and forging new friendships with those from far away...racking up on college/baseball visits (Josh added 6 new tshirts to his collection)....and, of course, completing my master's degree....it's been a blast!

Last week, we were privileged to be invited to go to the beach with some great friends...we celebrated birthdays, had some retail therapy, played golf, rode the waves, and got some sun....all a much enjoyed break before the school year kicks back in!

Along the way, we discovered that the noise of 6 kids under the age of 10 is not so different from the noise we hear daily in the classroom (better if you ask me because of its innocence)....I learned that going with lots of guys and kids who like to ride the waves allows me to NOT be dragged into the water as much (even though the times I did go in were great - except for that wave in the face thing!)....I was reminded of how fun it is to go shopping with the 'girls' & how much damage 6 women can do at an outlet mall!....And we were reminded of how blessed we are to have friends we can call family!

And alas, summer break comes to an end....school starts back tomorrow for teachers, and the students come in a week.....seems like forever since I've been at Lassiter, but I know I'll get back into the swing of it before long....

In all things......Psalms 92:1....."It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High."

Reflections from the Past 18 Days

I made the 'mistake' of opening our vacation/field study pictures this morning, instead of working on my last grad school assignment (oh well).....that many photos take a while, but what a way to reflect on the sights and sounds of an amazing trip.....

For me, nature is God's most prominent voice.....I am amazed at His ability to create and the ability He's given us to explore and understand His world.

Many people ask me how I can be a scientist and claim to be a Christian at the same time...I usually first tell them that I am a Christian because I am a child of God, who's been saved by Grace through the blood of Jesus; and I'm a scientist because I love seeing the things God create and enjoy exploring the intricacies of His creation......The conversation then turns to evolution and all things controversial.....without all the details, basically, I believe that my God is big enough to do whatever He wants, however He wants, and on whatever time scale He decides.....why make it more complicated than that!?! (that usually gets both sides of the debate upset with me! How could I not pick a side and act like I know it all? Oh yeah, I'm not God, so I'm not going to try.....)

On the field studies trip, apparently there was an "is there a God?" conversation that I missed out on, so here's my 2 cents.....from the incredible beauty and majesty of the snow-covered mountains to the powerful carving capabilities of the Colorado River, there is NO DOUBT that God is, was, and will be! There is NO DOUBT of His love and desire for beauty; there is NO DOUBT that He is way out of man's league when it comes to manufacturing things; and there is NO DOUBT that He's given us an amazing gift through His creation.

So, take some time to enjoy His creation this summer and reflect on the amazing love He shows through the brillance of His world.

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters." Psalm 24:1