smith rocks

like i said... i went hiking at Smith Rocks... it was glorious!!! i think i could spend 8 hours just walking around taking pictures there... however on Wednesday i was there to be a "serious" hiker... it's ok to laugh at that statement...so i didn't take as many pictures...

here are my favorite;

Jesse... guy in the picture... and i had a great time hiking misery ridge/monkey face.... if you want a great feeling of accomplishment; do that hike... and don't give up!!! the view from the top is incredible and the feeling of actually pressing on past the 9 million stairs you have to climb is awesome!

be glad in it

Psalm 118:24
"This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it."

In the last 3 days my world has been turned upside down. I have been challenged in my faith, mind-set, goals, hopes and i hiked Smith Rocks, which is a whole different kind of challenge. =)
Over and over in our christian lives we are taught that the Jeremiah 29:11 life is for us... and i totally believe it is. I stand on that promise that God does have a plan for me and a Hope and Future are mine, but sometimes I get so caught up in that hope and future i forget to live today. Maybe it's just me, but i get too caught up in my dreams, visions and goals that i don't live my moments well. The last three days feel like 3 years, and at the same time 3 seconds. Because i am a photographer i capture things in my head as visual images, right now i head is FULL of beautiful-scary moments from the last three days.... On Tuesday of this week i decided to take a risk. On Wednesday i hiked Smith Rocks. On Thursday i decided that instead of being scared of my risks and falling off rocks, i was going to REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!

I know i sang the song a million times in Sunday school and Christian preschool. I also know that i have forgotten and taken for grated that verse and the song. Each day is a gift, each breath is a piece of tape holding that gift together, each giggle is a ribbon, each terrifying moment brings you closer to understanding that gift. Sometimes i forget that. Sometimes i want to rush through the gift and get to the other side. Sometimes i want the puzzle to just be done already! I want to live my gifts well. I want to walk them wisely. I want to get to the dream God has for me, but i also want to enjoy the unwrapping the present. I want to embrace the sunsets, and city lights from the top of Pilot Butte. I want to slow down and rejoice in it. I want to sing the song over and over and over.

I believe that as i walk, not run, but as i walk through each day and as i pray my way through the challenges God's dream and my dream will unfold. I'm sure it will be different than i imagine, it wouldn't be amazing if i had it all figured out. And so, i breath in deeply. I watch the stars, i take some risks because;

This is the day
this is the day,
that the Lord has made
that the Lord has made,
i will rejoice
i will rejoice,
and be glad in it
and be glad in it,
This is the day that the Lord has made i will rejoice and be glad in it.
this is the day
this is the day
that the Lord
has
made.

Bread of Life #3

Psalm 91:4
"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

simply amazing.

Kent, Oregon

As we have previously established, i like to drive and i drive a lot. Last week as i was on one of my long drives... from Couer D Alene Lake Idaho to Bend.... long drive. I often drive through 'cute' towns and wish i had time to stop and take pictures. I finally decided that i was going to stop if i saw something i wanted to capture. I am so glad i did!!! I actually turned around to capture the old gas station and auto shop in Kent Oregon. I am pretty sure less than 100 people live in the sad little town on Highway 97 .... enjoy!

they're gettin' married...

so we took some pictures...

congrats you guys!

Bread of Life #2

Eat it up, like a piece of meat.
Soak in it, like a hot tub.
Revel in it, like a sunset.
Meditate on it, like when you are trying to decide what spend money on.
Think about it, like you think about the one you love.
Marvel at it, like a work of art.
Enjoy it, like a river float.
Don't forget it, like you would that one thing you forgot to buy.
Re-read it, like you've never read it before.
Pass it on, like those silly forwards.
Drink deeply, it's living water.
It is the bread of life.

Ephesians 2:10
"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,
so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

One Year Later!

August 14th 2007 was a big day for me. I was in Hood River/Mosier, i went to Mikes ice cream TWICE, and i also fell off The Pocket. The Pocket is a totally safe and fun way to beat the heat of August... you go, you jump, you enjoy the feeling of cold water all around you... and then you do it again! I never really got to do any of that on that crazy Tuesday last year... because i got really nervous... and instead of jumping confidently and embracing the scariness of the 30ft (approx.) leap... i hesitated and fell... tumbling down, hitting some rocks half way down and landing in the water head first... not so fun. My favorite line of the day was this, "what hurts?" well pretty much everything for the first 30 seconds... and then nothing.... except for my left foot when i bend it a certain way. 24 hours later i discovered i had a broken 3rd Metatarsal. After 6 weeks in a foot brace, a few weeks of crutches, and some great nicknames I was back to my normal self!

One Year Later I am in awe of all the things God has done in my life. That crazy Tuesday seems like lifetimes away, but at the same time the details will forever be etched in my memory. In order to commemorate such a fine milstone, i made a trip back to Hood River/Mosier and had a BLAST with my "family" (Dunagans and CCHR). To them;

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT THIS LAST YEAR!!! YOU ALL MEAN SO MUCH TO ME! I'M SO GLAD I WAS WITH YOU WHEN THIS SCARY DAY HAPPENED AND I'M SO BLESSED BY ALL THE LOVE AND ENCOURAGEMENT YOU SO FREELY GAVE ME ALONG THE WAY!!! I LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE VISITS TO MIKE'S AND AWESOME ''POCKET'' MEMORIES!

and now for the pictures....

I went to Mike's Ice Cream... twice =)

I went back to The Pocket.....

This is looking over the cliff from where i fell.
These are my feet hanging over the edge...
The cliff towering over me...
Happy One Year Later!

Check out my blog post from last september to see the diagram and pictures of the bruised foot!

Bread of Life #1

I love the word of God. The B-I-B-L-E yes! that's the book for me!!!! so i've decided that periodically in the next little i will have "the bread of life" moments on here... All it is, is the Word. Nothing long and super spiritual. Just the Word. Because there is POWER in it. Sometimes the world(and the church) don't need our ramblings about how we feel about a certain verse or chapter, we just need the verse or chapter. Let's take a break and just enjoy the Word, just like we would a really good meal. One of those meals that makes you sit back and slouch a little while you enjoy the after taste and full feeling.

~
Proverbs 13:12
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life."

thoughts from the road.

I like to drive. It just one of those random facts about who i am. I also happen to drive a lot. I bought my lovely Honda Passport on February 14th 2007(happy valentines day to me!) and it had approx. 89,000 miles on it. Today it has over 117,500... that's over 28,000 miles in about a year and a half! most of those mile spent by myself!!! I love long road trips, i love short-ish road trips, i like to drive. I like to think, laugh, listen, pray, dance, and sing while i drive. Yes, i did say dance. Ask Heidi... i can bust some rad moves while driving. I also like seeing things that make me laugh out loud, even though no one is around to hear it. for example but not limited to:

1. road names such as: Tweed Rd. Sagebrush Way. Bodacious Drive. and of course all the Market roads in Bend.

2. a cow. one, not two, not three. One random cow on the mountain pass.

3. motorcyclist with a helmet, but no face shield... I imagine small insects flying at your face at 55mph would not feel so good.

4. better yet, motorcyclist wearing a helmet, but a tank top and ripped jeans. Yes, his head will be saved, however the rest of his body will be shredded to pieces, if he happened into a wreck.

5. girl in bikini on the side of the road... standing on a snow bank attempting pictures under a waterfall. Can anyone say Hypothermia?

and last but not least

#6. woman standing on the side of the road wearing a sparkling(think tap dancing) hat, black t-shirt with an open back, holding a cardboard sign that says this, "$179,000 Waller Road." Did i mention that the lettering was glitter-paint? I'm not sure if she was trying to sell the road or house on the road..... hmmm not sure.

I also have become a fan of photography-while driving. It's a new art. The key is to keep watching where you are driving and just point the camera in the direction of the object you desire to capture and see what happens for example:

the small print says, "not a swear word."

ok so it's to small to read, but we've all seen the signs, "DEER"
and in small print "NEXT 3 MILES"
Will someone please explain to me how the deer instinctively know not to go further than 3 miles down this stretch of highway for fear of losing their life? Because for some reason, i don't see Bambi and his mom having this conversation;

Bambi, "Hey mom, can me and thumper go play chicken with those roaring, colorful, rather fast moving animals?"
Mama Dow, "Ok Babmi, you can go explore the wild and exciting road, where the automobiles play, but only within these 3 miles, because this is where they know and have been informed that we are. So beyond the 3 mile mark, they won't be thinking or looking out for us there. Please be careful. But have fun!"

Road Trip anyone?

Pancakes Anyone?

This is the coolest pancake i have ever seen in my entire life. Yes, it is a Frog Prince. Yes it is all one piece, and yes i did eat it. It was also very Yummy. Thank you Mr. Gilstrap!!!! My life is now closer to being complete, because i have experienced the world famous Gilstrap Frog Prince Pancake!!!!!

seriously people. Show me a cooler pancake, i dare you...