Stonyford

Stonyford. It's a small, rural town tucked into rolling hills of gold and solitary trees of olive green. It's there that time slows down to the delicate stream of honey dripping off a spoon.. Everyone knows you and you know them. Horses, cows, goats, sheep - they're your neighbors. It speaks of simpler times long ago where country roads are left untouched by "progress." And there's a little white church. It's my brother's. So it's no wonder why we left the city life behind to rest, hug our little niece and nephews, and see the marvelous works of God in the lives of those in that little white church. 

Letts Lake. Candy for the eyes, refreshment for the soul. We camped there for a couple of days and loved every minute.

Down by the lake.

Smile for the camera! *Philip was too busy sucking a yummy thumb to hear me* :)

The little man bedecked in his neon swim gear and dusty Crocs. I think it's a safe thing to say that the kids loved it there.

Flip-flops are a marvelous invention. I'm pretty sure that whoever invented them knew how to have fun. :)

Kevin, fishing like a pro straight out of Bass Pro Shop. :)

Man, that grin! It gets me every time.

Two brothers knocking about in the wild. :D

Grandpa and Addie, picking out the perfect fishing lure.

Little Addie. I'm pretty sure, in her mind, she's 3 going on 30.:)

Happy fisherman. Love my fabulous Dad!!

Sunset slipping over the lake.

I love this face!!! She's taken over a very special place in my heart.

Little girl pigtails and puppy dog tails. I think they go well together

Kev and his kids.

Richard doing a bit of fishing, too.

It makes me feel all warm and happy inside when I see them together. God has blessed me with a beautiful picture of marriage right before my eyes every single day. They are best friends, just as it should be.

I have a thing for huge, old trees set off by themselves. I love how they look, wistful and wisened by years of sun and rain.

Yes, that's me with a gun! My extremely wonderful and generous brothers, who happen to be some of my most favorite people on the earth shocked me with a .20 gauge shotgun for my birthday. It's a simple break open, small enough for me to actually hold up (which is awesome, since I'm not too good at holding up their other behemoth shotgun), and perfect in every way. I was pleased as punch.

There's nothing like christening a new gun with some skeet shooting. 

Getting all set up.

The brothers.

My favorite gauge. :)

Hitting those skeet like pros. That's just what they do. 

Before we left, we spent one last evening at the lake.

Blurry, out of focus, too dark, but oh soooo cute. Love that little pumpkin!!

We made friends with the big guy next door. Keep scrolling - it's a horse, just in case you were worried about what kind of company we were keeping. We also got to go horseback riding - for real! And man, it was so much fun!! Horses pretty much amaze me. They are such powerful and thoughtful creatures. Testaments of God's wondrous handiwork.

One last sunset over the ridge. It was glorious. I think we will go back. :)

"God is our refuge and strength..." Psalm 46:1 

He most certainly is. 

Yukon Ho!

This is a short story of an amazing adventure in Alaska. God opened the doors for me to follow in my brother's footsteps and make the journey. In the end, I saw GOD triumph and move in powerful ways despite my shortcomings and failures. God took me miles (literally) out of my comfort zone, but it was completely worth every minute. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

On my way. Don't those mountains look for all the world like cookies and cream ice cream?

Friends beside me. :) We had so much fun traveling together on the first few flights. And then eating frozen yogurt at midnight in the Anchorage airport. It's not every day that you get to do that. 

And before I knew it, Kako! It's a place that I've seen in so many pictures and heard about in so many stories, but to actually be there...well, it was nothing like I thought it would be and everything at the same time.

 The pond. 
And then a hike down to the creek with the brother and friends.

And this is like 12 o'clock at night, folks. Being light all the time is pretty amazing + it throws you for a loop.

Everyone asks whether you get to see any moose or bears. Well, I saw the moose (second to last day I was there!!). And the bear traded place with a fox before going onstage. :)

The first week, we had heard that there might only be three of us girl counselors. At the very last minute these two girls flew in, Aurora and Icey. They were so very sweet and kind and lifesavers both.

Okay, so I don't have many pictures at all from the first week. :( So I stole a few from Jayme (thank you, Jayme!).This is British bulldog on the last day.

The swings were hardly ever empty. The first girl was one of three campers in my cabin.

This is high school week. Jayme and I got to co-counsel together, and these are two of the girls that were in our cabin: Ann, a darling and total sweetheart and Patsy, intelligent, open, honest, and so much fun to talk to.

Hands to help set the arrow straight. Archery was one of the activities.

This girl was a blast to hang out with. She was on the last flight to leave, so we had a lot of time the last day to play games and talk. She was fun - love her so much.

Patsy.

Ann.

This is kind of a typical picture of AWANA games upstairs, another activity that we did with the campers.

The famed hike up to the Kako cross. 

On both days that we went, it was beautifully clear and sunny. It made me feel like being on top of the world with the wind whipping my hair and the breathtaking view below. I'll never forget the thrill of reaching the top for the first time and turning all around to catch every detail of the the valleys below and the mountains in the distance.

The last stretch before reaching the cross.

The cross with Kako below. It was pretty awesome to actually be there in person.

These three were quite the trio. :)

Sisters. They are such lovely friends to me - I'm so very thankful that we got to spend time together in Alaska!

Jayme and me. Jayme, to say that I was supremely glad that you were there is a massive understatement. We were the "twins" by the end of two weeks. Jayme is a sweetheart of epic proportions. She's cheerful, kind, caring. And the stories we'll tell when we're old! :)

High school week group picture. I'm the one in green on the far right with a crazy big grin on my face. :)

Hiking back down the mountain.

I thought this picture was just adorable!!

Our whole team! These girls were sooo much fun to be with.

Forget-me-not. It's the cabin I was in both weeks, and you can be sure that...I will never forget it. Nothing like a little cheesy humor, right?? :) (Thanks to Jayme for this one, too!!)

All of us girls from the California team + Jayme from Colorado. You girls blessed me beyond words. Love you all! And if you couldn't tell, this was the unofficial Kako "uniform" for girls. Not really, but we all ended up with hoodies and denim skirts, so why not? :) ;)

Flying home.

"Whither shall I go from they spirit? 

or whither shall I fee from thy presence? 

If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 

even there shall thy hand lead and thy right hand hold me." 

Psalm 139:7 & 9-10 

This is absolutely true, tried and proven. God is always there. He will never leave you or forsake you. And His strength WILL be glorified in our weakness. Praise Him!