On the beach in Cancun, Mexico looking for shells and waiting for the sunrise....
God's brilliant splendor fills the heavens, and the earth is filled with his praise. His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise. Rays of light flash from his hands, where his awesome power is hidden.
~Habbakkuk 3:3b-4
Follow this link to Baloney's blog and add your own Perfect Sunday Pairing!
I opened my window
and pushed out the screen.
Had to capture a picture of the
blazing fire outside my bedroom window,
while it's still burning.
Hot!
Leave it to Ellie, our Halloween nerd (more on that soon) to notice a miniature green spotted bug crawling lazily on a lavendar mum at Granny's house on Halloween afternoon. 
Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
On Ellie's 9th birthday, we had a few friends and family come to Camp Loughridge, where we rented a slice of nature for the afternoon. Everyone fished, canoed, hiked and roasted marshmallows over a campfire. It couldn't have been any more perfect for Elle Belle, whose heart is at most at home in the Great Outdoors. 
I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in. ~George Washington Carver
God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars. ~Martin Luther
To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. ~Helen Keller
If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive. ~Eleonora Duse
I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. ~e.e. cummings
Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another. ~Juvenal, Satires
Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are. ~Osho
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. ~John Muir
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein
Our Spring Break was different this year... the last few years we have been out of town at a basketball tournament, so it almost seemed strange to be at home with nothing to do. But do you know what I liked about it?
We were at home with nothing to do.
So, truth be told, we actually did nothing much... lots of days at home with friends or just hanging out with family.
The one outing we went on is what I am highlighting in today's blog post: Redbud Valley. 
Redbud Valley is a nature preserve that lots of Tulsans don't seem to know about. It is near Catoosa, and is a place that I first explored when I was a little girl. If you like a good nature hike, Redbud Valley is absolutely beautiful and a fun walk. The Main Trail is about a mile long and isn't for sissies. It's steep, rocky and what Luke called "a great place for boys." There are other forks to go on, such as the Woodland Trail and the Prarie Trail, and my kids can't wait to get back out there and walk on the rough and challenging Bluff Trail.
It's hard to describe the beauty of the place, the habitats you see on your hike differ so much... so here is an explanation from the website:
The habitat here was created where Bird Creek and its tributaries cut through a thick limestone layer. This has formed valleys edged with tall limestone cliffs. The limestone, in turn, has been dissolved by water to create several small caves and springs. Where the tall cliffs face north, they shade the area from sun and keep it cool and moist. This special combination allows plants like ferns, Columbine and Dutchman's Breeches to grow, and shelters native Oklahoma Sugar Maples. Many of the plants in this habitat are more common in the Ozark Mountains to the east.
On top of the limestone, however, the soil is thin and dries quickly, allowing plants like yucca and two species of cactus to flourish. There are also many plants here common on the prairies to the west. One tree of interest found here is the Smoke Tree, Cotinus obovatus. The combination of the dry and moist habitats, existing side by side, gives Redbud Valley its special character. 
The weather was absolutely perfect the day we (Me, my kids, a friend, and Gran Carolyn- Tom's mom) visited... clear, fresh and comfortable, like a gift from heaven. The terrain wasn't too muddy and there weren't that many bugs around yet. The only regret we had was that the Redbuds didn't seem to be blooming yet.... here at my house, they are in full bloom, but things were still pretty drab in the valley. Below is a peek of the purple blooms to come... and click here to see a previous trip to Redbud when the trees had leaves and the browns were green.
Or better yet, go for a visit yourself! You will discover quite a treasure!
(Check hours of operation and directions on the website)
Maybe it's just because as a college student, I experienced many spiritual mountaintops in Missouri at Kanakuk Camps..... but this area of the world brings me closer to God. Big Cedar Lodge is just a short drive away from Kanakuk and situated on the same pristine Table Rock Lake. And I decided this year that every moment I spend there is just a testament to the magnificence of God. Our week of vacation there reminded me of this passage (though I had to search for it... I thought it was a verse in Psalms and forgot it was part of an actual story in Luke).
Luke 19~
35They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"[b]
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
I promise you, the stones, the trees, the flowers, the wildlife, everything screamed of God to me. Every time someone would say, "Wow... those flowers are amazing..." Yup... God did that. And the hills, and the fish, and the waterfalls and the leaves and the caves and the rock formations and the smells and the sounds... yup, it's all of His Hand. I know it sounds obvious, I mean... God's creation is a basic scriptural truth of childhood. But, I just felt there should be signs that read.... "crafted by God," and "fashioned by the Hand of the Creator." I thought that even those people who may not believe in God, but are intrigued by nature....something within them is still testifying to the uniqueness and power of God.
Our little fishergirl. She would fish 24/7 if possible. 
Also, quite a horse lover. See the serious look on her face? She was soaking it in. 
Part of "the crew" of the 10 kids we had there. Yes, they outnumbered the adults.
Testament.
Still working on my photography skills. I can definitely sense when the light is right... that tiny window of time before the sun sets. Not bad with framing the picture , but aperture and that stuff is like a foreign language. I'm an old dog, remember? And I really have tried. 
It is not such a great moment when you realize that your big butts are completely obscuring flowers you were trying to capture. 
The kiddos working on their architecture skills using the enormous and genius Lincoln Log table at Registration. 
This kid is tough. Ram Tough. And talk about testaments. Kyler is a talking and walking one. 
Wheee! Kelly had a great time!
Chameleon eyes. When he wears a brown shirt, his eyes are brown. Gray shirt, Gray eyes. Green shirt... well, you get it the idea. I love those eyes. 
Nana's are the best. Especially when their cabins are a few steps away and they pay $ to the first child who gets still and falls asleep at night. (It seems that everyone usually falls asleep at exactly the same time.) 
Another testament. Isn't she stunning? I can say it because she's not directly mine. 
Nana's idea of a simple birthday cake that I didn't have to bake, just build. Loved it. Also love the picture that I totally didn't mean to take. I mean I meant to take the picture, but I love the exposure on it... which was a random occurrence and had nothing to do with the photographer. 
And a Final Testament.
There's nothing like the POWER of nature. What can fell a 40 foot pine tree? It would take 3 men, $1000 and 2 days to chop it down. But a POWERful ice storm did it much quicker and easier than that. And the ice didn't only get one tree, but thousands. That's the kind of POWER that is humbling. POWER. We got ours back on Thursday. One hour without it will make you grouchy. Four days without POWER.... well, that's just torture! Actually, we had it easy compared to a lot of friends. We didn't have to endure sleeping in a cold house or being without technology. The worst of the ice storm for us is the neighbor's towering pine tree that fell over our fence and into our yard. This is just a minute inconvenience in comparison to lots of other people in the city. After driving through midtown, I was shocked at the damage. It's hard to describe how bad it is down that way. Plus, lots of people (including Grandma I) are still POWERless. We are praying everyone will stay safe and warm during this time. POWER. Ephesians 1:18-20- I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great POWER for us who believe. That POWER is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. POWER.
Nearly everyone I know has lost their power. (The news reports that there are nearly 700,000 homes and businesses without electricity in Oklahoma-the most ever.) Several of our friends are sleeping under loads of blankets with a fire burning in the fire place. Kim and Scott were lucky enough to get a hotel room and Tom and I had a major stroke of luck... Tom's mom lives in a small pocket of homes (about 5 square blocks) that still has power! We have been staying here and will be here until the power comes back on. The estimate is that the power will be fully restored in 7-10 days. What's amazing is that here at the southern edge of our city, we didn't even get the worst of it. Here are some pictures of the farm that Dad took. The ice accumulation looks to me like it was twice as thick out north. These pictures show trees that were planted when I was born, and the second one is a tree that was planted by dad and his brothers in the 50's. Mom and Dad are sleeping in a room with a stove, and using candles and flashlights to get around the freezing house. There is no hot water, no TV, no phones (except cell phones) no computer... quite a change from the life we have all been living. It's been a chance to step back and look at the way things used to be... and say......... thank God I live in the 21st century!!!! The good news is that we are all ok. Getting the trees removed will be a pretty big expense for a lot of people. A couple of friends actually had trees crash through roofs or into windows. But we are all safe with family, and as they say, that's what's most important. For some pretty pictures of the ice, check Kelly's blog. 
