Lydia Howe's Blog, page 12

Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks Week Twenty-One: Poland

Y'all, I had fun researching Poland. I think European countries have been my favorite this year while doing the Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks series. There was so much about Poland that I couldn't fit into the story because there's simply not enough room. For instance did you know that in Poland courteous hand-kissing is still a common practice? How cool is that? Or that Poland shares its borders with no less than seven countries: Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, Slovakia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Germany? Pretty neat, right? 
Anyway, enough chatter! I hope y'all enjoy the twenty-first segment of my fictitious continuing story, Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks . I'm already looking forward to finding out where we'll travel next week... 

Around the World in Fifty-Two WeeksWeek Twenty-One: Poland
Most of what I knew about the country came from reading Historical Fiction centering around WW2 and taking place in the Poland. Which, now that I think about it, that’s probably why I was so shocked to find a vibrant and seemingly happy world when I stepped out of the airport. In some tired corner of my brain I’d been imagining soldiers, concentration camps, sadness, and suffering. I was very thankful that wasn’t the case. My family grew up with Jewish neighbors and their daughters were my best friends when I was a little girl. The father was forever singing the praise of the Poles, telling story after story of how they’d saved so many Jews during the Holocaust. Apparently he had relatives who had been hidden by them and never forgot it. When I grew up I researched it some, curious as to what exactly the Poles did to receive such praise.  It turns out the Poles represent the biggest number of people of any nationality to rescue Jews during WW2, saving around 450,000 of them. No wonder my neighbor sang their praises. Poland also holds the record of having the most people to have been awarded the title of “Righteous among the Nations” by the State of Israel, with over 6,130 people having received it.  The noteworthy works of the Poles didn’t come without a price though. I read one place that around 50,000 Poles were killed by the Nazis for saving Jews… Such a soberingly large number. WW2 was such a horrible and sad era of the world, and yet I hope it’s never forgotten. Remembering what happens when people turn a blind eye to evil is very important because what we don’t learn from we’re bound to repeat and I would hate to repeat that. 
There were so many places I wanted to visit in Poland and the first night I was there I spread out a two inch stack of tourist info pamphlets out on the burgundy hotel bedcover. Warsaw was full of churches, palaces, history, and museums. Zakopane appeared to be a great place for outdoorsy types of adventures like skiing and exploring caves. The Balowieza Forest pamphlet promised European bison, parks, forests, and nature reserves. It also had beautiful pictures of lynx and other magnificent animals.  Gdansk looked delightfully calm with a harbor and breathtaking sunsets. A place called Jelenia Gora sported everything from castles and palaces, to churches and mountain biking, as well as things like theater. Seeing a play was something I had yet to do on my journey so far, and it was an inviting thought to stop by there.  Krakow pulled me in with professional photographs of Gothic architecture and lots of Jewish history. Poznan had a zoo, Swinoujscie had beaches, Kudowa-Zdroj had open air museums, and Polesie National Park had wetlands.  It seemed as if every new piece of literature I looked at a new world of possibilities opened up to me. There were so many different things to look at and explore and research. Poland was like a treasure chest just waiting to be discovered and I hardly knew where to start. 
I decided to visit a couple of museums in Warsaw. The first one I went to was the Copernicus Science Centre and it promised that it was kid-friendly and interactive, that sounded like a good way to start the day. Overall I enjoyed the museum but from an article I read made it seem like the founders didn’t believe that science and the Bible go together, so that kinda bugged me. Oh well. My favorite part of the museum was Robothespian, a fully programmable humanoid robot who sang The Sound of Music to me. It’s weird to find a robot sweet, but Robothespian was sweet and I took a selfie with him.
After the Science Center I walked around doing some sightseeing and found a little sidewalk cafe to eat at. I ordered pizza because I’d been craving it for a couple of days. I was surprised when the pizza was served without sauce. Instead the waiter brought ketchup to the table for me to use as the sauce. Surprise, surprise. It was also then that I found out people traditionally ate the biggest meal of the day around 2 pm. I knew I wouldn’t be hungry for another meal in a few hours, but I decided to hold off on lunch during the rest of the week so I could be in sync with the culture.  Along with the pizza I drank some oranzada, which is sweet and carbonated and tastes like orange. I liked it a lot better than the pizza - it was cold and refreshing. According to the label on the bottle (it was served in a glass bottle), oranzada is pretty popular in Poland. It originated in France, then came to Poland in the 18th century. After eating the pizza (which was good, but totally not what I’d expected), I indulged and had a couple of paczki, which are Polish doughnuts and one of the most traditional Polish desserts. They became popular around the time of King Augustus III of Poland who reigned in the early 18th century (I’m not sure which came first: the oranzada or the paczki). According to the waiter, paczki’s are most popular on the last Thursday before Ash Wednesday. He said that over 100 million paczki’s are eaten each year on just that one day. Craziness. It was no wonder though, because the doughnuts were really good. 


After lunch I went to the Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. The museum covered over 4,000 square meters and the exhibits had English descriptions which made me happy. There was a huge amount of information regarding the Holocaust which was sobering. I wanted to rush through that part and dwell on the happier aspects instead (because there were plenty of happy displays, too), but I didn’t.  I found the display of photos taken in the Ghetto by members of the Nazi propaganda unit and the contrasting truth in the form of diary experts from an actual inhabitant of the Ghetto to be especially eye-opening. It’s scary how people can twist and turn the truth to make it into whatever they want.  For supper I had bigos, which is one of Poland’s traditional dishes and pretty well-liked by the Poles. It’s a stew made from Polish sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, different types of meat, prunes, dried mushrooms, onions, and spices. It’s cooked for several days and then served with potatoes and bread. I wish I could say I enjoyed it, but in reality it was one of my least favorite things I tried during the year so far and I could barely gag it down. I did though, and that night I celebrated the victory with a couple more paczki.
The next day I was off to explore the Bialowieza Forest, which was a several hour trip by train. The possibility of seeing a European bison was exciting and I could hardly wait.

June 2016 Goals

I'm looking forward to June being a beautiful, memory-making, fantastic, and busy month. If the Lord wills and I live, in June I want to... 

1. Run or Jog at least 10 hours (not at once)
2. Make four meals from other countries
3. Finish memorizing the second chapter of Philippians
4. Write 5 "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words" short stories
5. Read and review 4 nonfiction books
6. Read out loud for 4 hours
7. Get to bed by 10:30 at least 12 times (not in a row)
8. Get up by 6:30 at least 12 times (not in a row)
9. Write up a game plan for the next draft of WLHYL
10. Work at least 80 hours on my non-writing job

May 2016 in Review

What I Focused on in May: 
1. Editing and re-writing When Life Hands You Lymes 
2. Traveling - I was gone for two thirds of the month 
3. Long distance walking 
4. Getting back into the swing of things at home


Birthday Challenge and Dream List Update 
Birthday Challenge:
9. Walk 24 miles in two days (in a row) {Completed twice!}
12. Go to bed at 10:30 or before 24 nights (not in a row) {15 nights - Completed}
13. Write a monthly review on my blog within 5 days of the end of the month whenever internet is available {8 months}
14. Blog my 3 (or more) top goals for each month within 5 days of the beginning of each month whenever internet is available {7 months}
15. Write 24 book reviews {10 - Completed}
24. Read out loud for 24 hours {2}

Dream List: 
None


Reading Update
Fiction: 7Non-Fiction: 4Reviews: 10 Audio Books: 4? (fiction)

Traveling
Nights Gone: 21New Countries or States: None Spent time in: Mexico and Colorado 

May Goals 
1. Go to bed by 10:30 fifteen times {Yes! Actually, I might have been one day off, but I think I accomplished it.}
2. Get up by 6:30 fifteen times {Yes!}
3. Walk or jog 100 miles {Yes! Around 110 miles in all.}
4. Read & Review four non-fiction books {Yes!}
5. Get WLHYL ready to send to beta readers and send it out {Yes!}
6. Stick to my healthy eating for at least 29 days {Haha, No. This was before I found out I was going to Colorado and then I decided to ditch this goal.}

What I've Been Learning
A lot of the times if I set my mind to something, I'll be able to get it done, even if it's difficult and takes a lot of time. Therefore, I need to make sure I'm deciding to do the most helpful things in life so I'm not wasting my time and energy on things that aren't important. I also need to pace myself well and live life with balance. (And that, folks, is one of the most recurring lessons in my life.) 
The countries I "visited" in the Around the World series were Dominica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montserrat. Although I was focused on WLHYL at the time and so didn't study the countries as much as I normally do, I still learned a lot. I especially enjoyed researching Bosnia because I have friends who lived there for a few years and have heard lots of stories about their life there. 
Several difficult events happened to people I'm close to this month and pondering the fragility of life and praying for my friends helped bring life and purpose into a more clear focus. I was reminded that when it all boils down, what we do for God is what really counts, and we'll be held accountable for the time we waste. 
With the books I read this month, I was reminded of how important it is to love people. Life isn't about impressing or accomplishing or even about changing the course of history. Life is about bringing glory to God and being His hands and feet and sharing His love and truth. That's hard (especially when I'm not feeling like being around people), but keeping that focus in mind and asking God for His help does wonders. 
As far as writing goes, I've been learning to focus on the end result when I'm feeling completely overwhelmed and to not let myself get bogged down with the here and now. It's also been helpful to look back and think about the reasons why I started writing in the first place. Writing isn't always easy. It doesn't always feel glamorous (haha) or special or even needed, but stepping back to get the big picture is important and helps keep me going. 

Other
May! It's one of the most wonderful months of the year and has always been close to my favorite (coming in after September and October). I'm thrilled to have been able to be home part of this month and spent many hours cutting grass, walking along the road, and working in my office with my windows open, enjoying the delightful cadence of May. 
Going to Colorado was kinda a last-minute trip for me, but I'm so very thankful I got to go. Where else would I rather spend four days in May? Visiting the top of Pikes Peak and zip lining were two of the highlights of not only the week, but also the month. 
And of course being home. Ah, home is so utterly delightful. I'm incredibly grateful for the amazingly delightful place where I live and all the people I get to share the every-day adventure of life with. 
One of my biggest accomplishments this month was getting to do a ton of walking during the first half of the month. Not only did I walk twenty-four miles in two days, but then a week later I walked over twenty-six miles without stopping. Now that was rewarding. 
And, last but not least of all, I sent When Life Hands You Lymes out to beta readers. That was something I focused on a lot and worked pretty hard on. I've gotten some good feedback back from the readers and I'm hoping to hear from the rest of them within the next couple of weeks. 
* * * What did y'all do in May? I'd be delighted to hear!

Thank You Writers

There is nothing like reading a good book to inspire me with my writing. That's doubly true if that book happens to be the sixth book that I've dug into from a library hull... Especially if the first four books were deemed unfit to read after the first few pages and the fifth book was incredibly confusing and therefore boring. 
I nearly always have a couple stacks of books sitting around in my office waiting to be read and it's not hard for me to get pulled into a story, even if it's not particularly captivating. The idea that maybe someday people will be pulled in by one of my books is enough to spur me on and keep me going even when edits and re-writes can get tedious. 
It's so very important to have good reading material, and that's what first prompted me, as a frustrated eight or nine year old bookworm, to write my own stories. I was determined back then that one day there would be more good books for kids to read and they wouldn't have to search as hard as I did to find one that was interesting and uplifting. 

Throughout the years I haven't lost that passion, although sometimes I don't stop and remember when the dream was first planted in my heart. It's a good reminder to stop and ponder the fact that I have the ability to use my words to influence others and that I can help inspire, change, encourage, and entertain people.

And when we're on that note, this post is really a thank you post. I wanted to thank all of you writers who over the years have used your time and talents to write books that uplift and inspire. Thank you to the writers who are willing to spend whole chunks of their lives to write worth-while words that can help people when they're going through difficult times. Thank you to all you writers who have written entertaining stories that are void of anything inappropriate.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. What you do may feel unnoticed, by I for one am thankful for you and am pleased to be counted among your number. 

When Names and Writing Collide

There's a decided draw in my mind toward names. I find them intrinsically pleasing.  God calls each of the stars by name, Adam was charged with naming the animals, down through the years billions of people have named their children, and now I get to name countless pets, characters, and places. 

Before I started writing I was worried that when I grew up my children would have to have seemingly endless monikers so I could cram in as many delightful names as possible (Elizabeth Joy Emmeline Anne for instance). It was incredibly rewarding to finally have an outlet for all the beautiful names I'd come up with when I began writing. I'd pore over baby name books (I have nearly a shelf of them), look up meanings online, and spend way too much time making sure they fit the character perfectly.

I soon discovered that names are the bane of my writerly existence half of the time and the cause of great joy and happy dances the other half. My way of coming up with names has evolved into a rather quirky experience, especially when it comes to names for the fictional countries I've created.

The way I came up with the name for the first country I ever made up was by looking at the names of some missionaries who's picture I had next to my bed some eight or so years ago. I thought their last name was the perfect title for a country and so incorporated it into the book. Only, I had no clue how to pronounce it and the first time I heard someone say it aloud I was disenchanted. So... I changed a few letters around and omitted a few more until I came up with "Turglar" which I promptly remembered by thinking of a turtle drowning and therefore gurgling as it sunk to a slow death on the bottom of a pond (don't worry about telling me how unscientific that is). "Turglar" ended up being the main country in the Medieval-like series I wrote back in my teens. 



Today I thought I'd share with you some ways I've discovered to name fictional places:

1. Chose a country that is similar to the country you've created and then get on Google Earth and look up streets, cities, and landmarks from that county. Simply tweak a letter here or there and boom, you've got it. 

2. Research your ancestors. If you have multitudes of Sylvia's in your family tree, why not find a way to incorporate it into the book? 

3. You could choose a word that summarizes the people group like "fierce" or "rich" and then look up the word in a different language. For instance in Javanese "fierce" is Galak,  "Rich" is Rikas in Finnish, and Redimir means "redeem" in Catalan. 
4. Take all the letters in your name (or a friends) and unscramble them. For instance my full name has the letters a-d-e-h-i-j-l-o-o-w-y-y, with those letters we could come up with Wiloo, Aidlow, or Loyad. (I've decided I come by the name-intrique honestly. While coming up with a name for their daughter one of my aunts and uncles combined their two names - Angela and Nick, and got Anika. Then they added an "I" to fit with the names of their other children, and ended up with Inika; a beautiful, and very unique, name.) 
5. I find it quite fun to tie my different books together in nearly unnoticeable ways. Flip a character's name around, chose a special word and then change the language, use a last name from one book for the name of a town in another, etc...  
6. Listening to the people around you talking is a great way to come up with a name. Just drop a letter or two off of a fairly common word, and there you are. "Kios" is the name of the country where my Echoes series is located (the book I wrote in November). I came up with the name one day while church I was visiting was being dismissed and the pastor said something about the kiosk in the back. And yay, there the perfect name was. 
7. Chose your favorite meal (or least favorite depending on what you're naming) and mix and match. Like if you like lasagna and green beans and garlic bread you could name the people group "Laseenga." (Okay, yeah, that was weird.) 

It's a two-way street though. Not only has my delight in names helped with my writing, but my delight in writing has also helped with my naming. Over the years I've had dozens upon dozens of pets, and some of them have had rather singular titles. 
Take for instance some of the goats I raised with my brother we had Epilog, Prelude, and Synopsis. I named a sweet litter of kittens Booklyn, Smilie, Metaphor, and Onomatopoeia. My dog's name is Novel, and my rat's name is Autumn Genre. Names are so much fun and I'm thankful to get to work with them. 
What are some of your favorite names? Or some of the names you've come up with? 
* * *Today I had Josh (who's pretty much a brother) help me choose the destination for our Around The World in Fifty-Two Weeks post, and the country is: Poland! 

Dear Clara, Happy Birthday

Dear Clara, 
It was 365 days and twelve hours ago when I held you for the first time; you a darling little baby with dark hair and sleepy eyes meeting the world for the first time. I was thrilled to be able hold you and spent the next couple of weeks cuddling you as much as possible. I marveled at you, trying nearly hopelessly to imagine you growing up. How could such a tiny person one day become an adult? 
Even though you didn't understand what I was saying, I'd sometimes whisper happy stories to you in a singsongy voice, helping you fall asleep. I told you about how your mama is my best friend and how many wonderful times we've had together. I dreamed of what it would be like when you were old enough to tag along with us and join in our adventures.  

You weren't very old when you were dubbed the "Miniature Human" because there were so many times when you seemed completely like a grown up stuck in a newborn's body. Your eyes held so much intelligence and my phone was soon full of pictures of you. Each new expression, each new achievement, was documented so very throughly by those around you that some day when you're old enough to understand you'll probably shake your head at all of us. 
It's sounds so cliché, but the last year seriously went so fast and yet it almost feels like you've always been part of our lives. You've filled the world around you with so much joy and happiness that when you enter a room, everyone in it lights up. Smiles break out in your presence and people do seriously silly things to garner a response from you - not that responses are hard to come by, your multitude of facial expressions are freely given. 
The good natured, happy, out-going, excitable, people-loving side of you reminds me of your mama and I'm thrilled that you inherited those traits from her. The cheer that the two of you have spread really does make the world better for those who you're around. I pray that you never lose the spark and the joy and the wonder as you grow up and learn more about life. 

Clara, I've excitedly watched as you've reached so many milestones this last year. Your first taste of food (a pickle of course, because your mama likes pickles as much as I do), the first time you rolled over, when you began crawling, when you learned to sit up, standing on your own... We all cheered when you learned how to clap and were endlessly amused by prompting you to do so and watching your tiny hands go back and forth. 
Now you're walking, learning to feed yourself, giggling with abandon, clearly showing that you have a mind of your own and know what you want. I can hardly compute the toddler you've become with the newborn that used to snuggle in my arms. 
This last year has been filled with treks up to your house where I've spent wondrous hours visiting with you and your mama, hearing about your milestones, hugging you, reading to you. I get excited each time your mama texts me with a new picture or update. And, even though I see you nearly daily, I pull those pictures and videos up and look at them multiple times because sometimes the hours get long and I miss you even though I'll be seeing you again soon. 

Clara dearie, I love your mama and daddy and therefore I'd love you even if you were a grumpy little child, yet with your bright happiness it's no wonder that you tug at the hearts of everyone who comes in contact with you. Thank you for spreading sunshine and making my life so much richer. When you reach your arms out for me or hold on tight instead of going to someone else, it's an incredible feeling.  
Clara, I'm looking forward to continuing to watch you grow up and see what all you'll accomplish in another year. Like I told you when you were born, I sincerely hope that one day you have a best friend who is as kind, thoughtful, loving, creative, and amazing as your mama is. I feel so very blessed to have her, and you, in my life. 

I'm looking forward to many hours of reading to you, dancing around with you in my arms, listening to you begin to talk, and making funny faces at you. I'm looking forward to the days when you can help cook and clean and go on long walks and pick flowers and eat ice cream and go creek walking and sing and twirl around.

Yet do you know what? I am completely enchanted with this stage that you're in right now. You're growing up at just the perfect rate and I don't want to miss a day of it. I love you, Clara, and I'm so glad you're in my life. You and your mama have made my life incredibly richer and I thank God for both of you.

Happy birthday, sweet girl! 

Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks Week Twenty: Montserrat

Welcome to the twentieth post of my fictious continuing story, Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks. I hope y'all enjoy!

Around the World in Fifty-Two WeeksWeek Twenty: Montserrat
My arms were a bright red. I looked at them in dismay then gently poked at them with my fingernail. The touch made me wince and I nearly laughed at my stupidity. After so many weeks spent on islands during the last five months I would have thought that I had either built up a tan or at least learned my lesson, but no, I was once again hosting a terrific sunburn. I pulled the brim of my hat down, thankful that it had shaded my head and kept my face from suffering a similar fate as my arms and lower legs.  I had arrived on Montserrat two days before and had found it to be delightful. I was getting tired of being a tourist though, and had come to the island determined to do something different for a change. Upon my arrival I had looked it up on the internet to see if I could find any local charity or cause to devote my week to. I hadn’t found anything that caught my attention, although there was some information about the “critically endangered Giant Ditch Frog.” That wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind, but I looked into it anyway, curious.  Humorously, the nick name for the Giant Ditch Frog is “Mountain Chicken” and so there’s a whole project called “Saving the Mountain Chicken.” It was hard to take it seriously, but the government has even gotten involved and everyone seems to find it a worthwhile (and hardly laughable) venture. 
Even though I didn’t find a charity to help out with, I found myself sliding into the Montserrat lifestyle and soon relaxed and settled in. Although Montserrat is a British colony, it’s been considering independence from Great Britain for some time now. Montserrat is a successful blend of African and Anglo-Irish cultures and so therefore is unique. It’s official language is English, which I found to be a relief.  Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1493 and claimed it for Spain. I couldn’t find a lot of information about the early history of Montserrat. There were a lot of Irish who were important in the early years after it was settled in 1632, and so the island is often referred to as “The Emerald Isle of the West.” A beautiful title in my mind. (One of the countries I’ve been most hoping to visit during this year is Ireland. I can’t believe that my year of adventure is almost half way over already. There are still so many places to see and things to experience.) Sadly, most of the Irish didn’t come on happy terms; they were either indentured servants or slaves. By 1648 there were around a thousand Irish families on the island.  Even today the Irish culture is very present in the country. There are a lot of Irish names, the national emblem is a carved Irish shamrock adorning the Government House, and even the Island’s flag and crest show a woman with a cross and harp. The island itself seems to look quite a bit like Ireland with abounding vegetation (including lots of ferns), emerald-colored hills, and beautiful ravines. 
The people who live in Montserrat were kind, warm, and welcoming. I felt safe the whole time I was there, which was something I couldn’t say about a lot of the countries I’d visited and traveled through during the year. One day I even forgot my purse at the outdoor diner I had eaten lunch at, and when I hurried back thirty minutes later one of the waitresses greeted me with a big grin and held out my bag “Looking for this, miss?” she had asked, as if she’d just been waiting for me to come retrieve it.  When I expressed my thanks, she’d merely shrugged as if it happened all the time. “If you hadn’t come back for it I was going to see if I could find identification and then I would have called around to the hotels looking for you.” Again she had shrugged and smiled. That alone was enough to bolster my faith in the fact that not every country was rife with strife.  Much of Montserrat was destroyed by a large volcano long so very long ago and there were still huge portions of the island that were off limits to tourists. The rest of the island was thriving though and vibrant. There were lots of hiking trails and gorgeous beaches. My week was relaxing as I strolled through museums, met lovely people, hiked up steep yet beautiful trails, and even went snorkeling again. I’d fast discovered that snorkeling was one of my favorite things to do while visiting the beach because there was so much to see beyond the surface of the water. It was a good reminder to me that people are a lot like the ocean… Although they may seem one way from the outside, after you get to know them there’s a whole new side to who they are. It’s like exploring a treasure chest and finding all sorts of breathtaking riches and amazing discoveries. 
On my last day in Montserrat I found a Christian church to go to, thrilled that for once the sermon would be in English. Although I’d attended many churches during my travels, rarely could I understand what was being preached. I had made up for that by listening to sermons on-line, but there was something extra-special about this Sunday. The sermon was about how everything we do  will make a difference either for the good or the bad, and we need to make sure we are living our lives the way God wanted us to. It was a good reminder and I journaled about it that night, determined to spend the rest of my travels looking for opportunities to make a difference for the good and hopefully touch lives in a positive way. I wanted my life to be successful in the light of eternity, not just on earth. 

Zip Lining in Colorado

 Yesterday I had the amazing experience of being able to go zip lining here in Colorado. I actually kinda received the gift by default because someone else signed up then wasn't able to go so I took their place. When they told me "You're going to go zip lining instead of me" I hadn't thought much of it other then gratitude and mild excitement at getting to do such an adventure.

During the last several days one of the common questions the people in the group we're with here in Colorado would ask each other is "What activities are you going to do?" When I answered that I was going zip lining, I received a lot of the same responses: "Aren't you scared?" or "Oh, I'd be too scared to do that!" And I began wondering what I had gotten myself into.


I wasn't scared, but knew I had the ability to get nervous if I thought about it too much. I really did want to go because I knew it would be a fabulous way to see some breathtaking scenery, and of course it would be a cool experience.

By the time we were in the van driving to the location I was plain happy and not scared at all; the ride was gorgeous and I just kept gasping at all the mountains, valleys, rocks, trees, and drop offs. I took more pictures then I'll probably use and throughly enjoyed every moment of it.


It didn't take long to get harnessed up and learn how to sit properly and apply the brake (which, is a gloved hand on the rope, by the way). The hooked a little bag to my back so I could carry my phone with me and then they happily took pictures of me while I was up on the platform waiting to go across. It was hard to get a good picture that included the view because the platforms weren't very big and both me and the guide were hooked to the pole in the middle. I was glad to have a picture that showed at least part of the view, though. 
Before I went on the first line the guide asked me if I was nervous and my first response was in the negative, then I amended that to say I might have little twinges of nervousness, but nothing bad. I think my nervousness had more to do with making sure I remembered the instructions correctly and that I could really focus on enjoying the ride than anything else. 

There were five lines in all, and we went across one at a time, so there was a fair amount of waiting but no one minded because it was just so crazily beautiful. I was just feeling like I was getting the hang of it by the time I reached the final (and longest) line. 
Looking at the line in front of me knowing that it was nearly 150 feet above the ground and was 1,500 feet long and I'd reach close to 45 mph made me suck in a deep breath and pray for safety. In reality though, it all felt quite safe and I was totally able to lean back and enjoy the view. By the time I was halfway across the long line, I wished it would just go on and on because it was so enjoyable and lovely. I hadn't thought I was nervous at all, but I did notice my hands were shaking slightly when I got off the last platform and tried to take a picture of the landscape. 

After we were done zip lining we got to hike some which was quite wonderful indeed. The air was perfumed by flowers, pines, and smelled so very delightfully natural. I wished I could throw on a backpack and take off into the hills for a few days. Maybe one day... 
At the end of our hike we came to waterfalls that had several different layers and went down, down, down. There were stairs that we took to get to the bottom of the falls. The steps were kinda steep and there were 224 of them in all. It was a glorious trek and I enjoyed going down them slowly so I could enjoy the view. 

The rock walls were so tall and the waterfall so long and the mist from the cascading water so refreshing. It was a sublime end to a fantastic adventure and I am so very thankful I was able to go on it. 
Colorado continues to astound me with it's wonders and I'm thrilled to get to enjoy them in person from time to time. God's creation is so exceedingly dazzling today, in it's sin-encased state, that I can't help but ponder what the world looked like before the fall. Seeing beauty like I experienced today makes me all the more excited about one day reaching Heaven and seeing what true perfection is.    

What about y'all? Have you ever been zip lining? Did you enjoy it? 

Pike's Peak

I'm one of those kids who grew up reading an excessive amount of stories about going West and spent countless hours pretending I was part of a wagon train and working through all of the hardships we'd endure. (Who am I kidding? My little brother and I still pretend that we're going out West sometimes.) 

For the last decade I've been trying to figure out a way to take a road trip across the USA, and although that hasn't happened yet, I have had the privilege of flying to California a couple of times, driving (well, being a passenger) to Nebraska once, and now I'm in Colorado for the third time. Colorado is beautiful gorgeous, one of my favorite places I've ever been as far as the landscape goes.


Somehow though, in recent years I didn't quite compute the fact that Pike's Peak, that iconic landscape that filled so much of my childhood imagination, was in Colorado. I seriously have no clue how I had forgotten that, but I had. 

Yesterday I was thrilled to get to venture to the top of Pike's Peak via the Cog Railway. It was an hour and a half trip of up, up, up, with beautiful scenery crowding every moment. It was amazing at how many different types of landscape the mountain climb offered. 

We started out with lots of pine trees, a rocky, rushing stream, and tangled brush. Further along there were hugely gigantic boulders everywhere, then eventually slopes with what seemed like nearly gravel-size rocks. After that, there were big chunks of rocks with odd angles that looked like a giant had stepped on the big boulders, crushing them. Eventually we hit a high mountain meadow and soon after that, fields of snow.  

It got pretty cold the further up we went, and eventually people in the back asked us to close our window and so we did. I would have happily braved the chilliness in order to have the fresh air and glass-free pictures, but it was nice to be warm again. 

We didn't stay very long at the top of Pike's Peak, only about a half an hour. That was fine with most people because we were at over 14,000 feet and so some people were dizzy and feeling faint, plus it was only about 20 degrees, 13 or so with the wind chill. I wished we could have stayed longer though. I wanted to make a snow angel, but didn't have enough time to do that because of everything else I was doing. 

Being at the top of Pike's Peak was not only gloriously delightful, it was also a dream come true and something I'll be able to store in my memory bank forever. 

There is no place for the cog train to turn around at the top of Pike's Peak, so they simply have a place for the conductor at both ends and he switches places. I really wanted to sit on the other side of the train on the way back down the mountain, and was very thankful when a couple of the other passengers agreed to trade seats with me and my dad. Their seats were actually a lot nicer with more leg room, so that was extra-kind of them. 

The view was spectacular. We were told that on a clear day people could see over 390 miles to Kansas; there were a bunch of clouds in that direction though, so it's doubtful we actually saw into Kansas. We could see really far in other directions though.


Goin up Pike's Peak was a nearly forgotten dream come to life and I'm so very thankful I got the chance to do it. The beauty that was all around us was breathtaking (or maybe that was the altitude?) and I took so many pictures it was hard to choose which ones to share with y'all. 

Apparently there's also a hiking trail up the mountain which of course excited me. So now I have a new dream, some day I would be totally delighted if I could come back to Colorado and hike up to the top of Pike's Peak. How much fun would that be? 

What about you? Have you ever been (or dreamed of going) to Pike's Peak? 

Sometimes it's the Little Things

Sometimes it's the little things. 
It's amazing to me how big of a difference a minuscule word, thought, decision, prayer, moment, or object can make. In the end, everything counts in making up the sum total of our existence and lifetime. That's a somewhat overwhelming, somewhat condemning, and somewhat glorious thought. Who we become is not by chance, it's a conglomeration of millions of little choices that we make, many of them without even realizing it. 
On a much lighter note, it's also sometimes the little things that bring a crazy amount of happiness. I have so much fun savoring the small moments in life, enjoying the special little gifts, creating memories out of every-day events. When then sunshines at just the right angle I like to slip out of my flip-flops and feel the warm stone beneath my feet. When I'm at the store looking at postcards to buy, I enjoy turning the rack around and around, smiling at the scenes and taking my time deciding. 
And then there comes the moments when I get to eat a special treat. Coffee shops and pastries have always delighted me, although I very rarely ever (never?) buy anything. Instead I find it delightful to gaze at the alluring displays and suck in the delicious smells. The prices are exorbitant, but looking doesn't cost anything and is nearly as gratifying to me.

Where I'm staying at here in Colorado they have several breathtaking displays of pastries for sale in the coffee shops, and the best part is that we were given vouchers to spend on food. Which means that at long last I can actually chose to buy some mouthwatering pastries if I chose to forgo a normal meal.

The pastry I chose was a large blubbery muffin, complete with granules of sugar on top. It was so beautiful that I literally spent about twenty minutes enjoying looking at it and doing other things while waiting to eat it.

Enjoying small things is one of the trademarks of my life, it's a conscious effort on my part and helps me to stay focused and grounded. Yet at the same time, it's so easy for me to forget that the little things that I do to/for others can also make a huge impact. I want my life to count, from the big and glamorous to the little and humble.

Sometimes it's the little things, and I want the little things in my life to count.