The Nephews

           Not gonna lie, Skieger and Camrin are a huge part of who I am. They brought the family together with their births. They've added joy and love to our lives. They are also full of laughs and ways to make us laugh.

          Now they are so big and getting older by the day. I loved being able to see them while I was in college and being a part of their younger years. After that I drifted away, starting a new life and being away has made it hard on following family.

        It's been tough living so far from my dad's family (they all live around Tulsa, OK) and not being able to grow-up with them and getting to know them better. I've struggled with the urge (it seems like a burden some days) to connect with family outside the shadow of my parents. Trying to build relationships with almost complete strangers that I'm related to. It has to be a focus and priority to build up relationships, a big part of it is forgiveness and shedding our own selfish wants and desires to better a relationship. I am floating around now, not really knowing my family. I'm haunted with the thought that any one at any time can pass away and the earthly relationship is over.

        Now I have a new niece and I'm set on making her a bigger priority in my life. My nephews have given me a chance to see that little ones are always watching what I do, Lord help me to be a Godly example for the little ones in my life!

Since I'm Already Talking About Cousins...

Nicole and the Chipmunk

   This is one of my all time favorite pictures! I love the way Nicole's shirt matches the background of the Colorado scenery. Getting my first love for adventure on trips with the family to see the family. I'm glad the rest of my family didn't live in Kansas when I was little, then we wouldn't have gotten to go anywhere since mostly the vacations we took were to see family.

   After working in the parks I have learned that feeding animals, touching animals, and just being around animals is dangerous and harmful for all those involved. I am a changed person since this picture was taken, I no that a fed chipmunk is a dead chipmunk and that they can bite your hand off in a matter of seconds (thank you Zion National Park for that image!) But I feel a sense of responsibility now that I have that knowledge and can't go back to the care-free treatment of animals. I shudder when I see people try and pet a fox and I have to tell someone to stop feeding the birds their breadcrumbs. However when I get back home to Kansas I feed the animals. I take old bread to the zoo, I throw out my banana peel when driving, and I give the cats the meat I don't want to eat.

    So is there a difference between the two places? Is it ok to feed the animals in Kansas when it's frowned upon in National Parks? There are a million more people visiting National Parks then there are visiting my Kansas house, should that make a difference? Well this little chipmunk got fed and we had a beautiful day! I'm grateful for the beautiful experiences that have built up in my mind to feed my adventurous side, thanks family!

Cuz

            

            Today my focus is on cousins. Cousins - The people in your family you can marry in Arkansas, the ones that I played with in ways that made grandma nervous, and a person who lightens up a party just like Cousin Eddie. Today I ponder the great memories I made with my cousins. Even though I may not know them as well as I would like, they still are a part of who I am. Remember your cousins today and send them a little note saying your thinking of them.

My favorite memories with my cousins:

         * Wienie roasts and summer nights. On one of those nights Nicole, Robert, and I were walking on the wooden "bridge" above the Catholic ditch. Someone was bouncing on the board and we all tumbled into the cow pea water, right after a shower.

         * One day Tyler and Robert come into the house smelling like something fierce. They decided to jump into piles of cow dung for fun.

         * Christmas was always better with Nicole and Robert. Sleeping in the living room altogether, I still don't know how Santa made it through without waking someone up.

         * Hunting Easter eggs with the cousins from Oklahoma in Grandma Dunbar's back yard. 

The Beginning

Grandpa Harvey and I eating watermelon.

Great Grandpa Hanks holding me a couple days old.

Random pictures I've scanned

To start this new year I need to start at the beginning, family. I would be nowhere without them, especially the ones I have never met or didn't get to know. I start this little project with memories of past experiences where family have shown support and love, through that I have become the woman I am today. I begin with prayers, blessings, and thoughts for my family, may this year bring strengthened relationships and more love. 

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup and surely I’ll buy mine!

     As I was thinking about the New Year and reflecting on my upcoming birthday, the song “Auld Lange Syne” came to mind.

           Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?

     I realized that I take my relationships and memories for granted. I’ve grown through every interaction and would not be the woman I am today without them.

     Sure, memories are a mixed blessing. They can bring up joy and remind us of the love God has for us. Memories can also bring up past hurts and make us relive anger and bitterness.

     While in the education program in college, a huge part of the learning was reflection. Reflect on how your instruction is going, reflect on how your students are learning, reflect on what works and what doesn’t. I have stopped reflecting on my life and on my spiritual journey. I have become complacent in where I am and I don’t look for new ways to grow and for new ways to strengthen and encourage the relationships God has given me.

     For this first month of this New Year I have decided to relive the “old times” with some pictures I have found, developed ones not digital, and just reflect on what I’ve learned and how I grew with each memory and old acquaintance, this year they won’t be forgotten.

Another Rainy Day

As I sit on this mountain, waiting for 3 o'clock to roll around so that I can go to work, I ponder. This summer has been unusually unique and I would like to list for you what I have seen, heard, experienced, etc...

*there is snow everywhere (where I live in Paradise) and it is July 21st. I do believe the snow will last until the first snowfall of winter comes in August!

*Lee and I have done a couple pretty epic snow hike and that’s about it. No big plans for a backpacking trip or anything because of the weather (foggy, rainy, cool) and snow.

*Mt Rainier is a national park that takes your gaze and reminds you that nature is supposed to be respected. You can’t go out for a nice leisurely hike without thoughts of getting lost, being safe, or protecting yourself from the weather. This mountain commends the strong willed and avid adventurer and will eat up the weak and foolish!

*I have seen death this summer, it was shocking and it is another reminder of how life is so fleeting.

*One of our co-workers went on a hike all alone and didn’t return. Lee and I helped with the search efforts by telling the rangers of his whereabouts because we were one of the last people to see him. They found him two days later in a tree well with a broken ankle, broken rib, and hypothermia. Snow is a beast not to be messed with. Nature has endless power that will suck you up like a piece of dirt into a vacuum.

*The ministry team that I work with this year is amazing and they have really taught me to be a better leader, grow a humble spirit, laugh in the face trouble, and to keep Jesus always in the front of my mind.

*As a ministry team we have monthly smores nights that have been so successful in pulling people away from the drudgery of work and focusing back on the freedom and fun living in a park can bring.

*In the café where I spend time, I have had my soul sucked out because of everything that the company I work for lacks in appreciation, organization, and leadership. As I was reading about Mother Teresa, how she saw the depravity of humanity firsthand in the streets of Calcutta, there was a story about how she cared for a woman being eaten by rats in the street, even though she felt a twinge of disgust Mother Teresa worked with a fully joyful heart out of love, I regained my soul and adjusted my attitude about my job.

*Lee and I were arguing one night about being at Mt Rainier because in all reality we don’t like it here. We were trying to figure out who picked this location to find fault and blame that person. We decided the only reason we are here is because God lead us here through His power. We don’t blame anyone now; we have changed our attitude on our location.

*Lee and I would like to leave. Yesterday a supervisor from the Jackson Visitor Center came into the café and said “Kayla, it’s so nice to see you here and in uniform.” That was a compliment to me because I’m one of the few that haven’t left yet. A couple main people left this past week from the café and that means more work for the people left behind. I won’t leave, I’ve seen what happens when people back out of their contract and it’s a disaster for the ones left behind. So I’ve declared myself a lead and I’m giving God a chance to fix my heart because I feel this is a time for me to raise moral and be a leader since our supervisor really isn’t.

*I’ve seen Mt. Rainier in all its glory! It has a long brown slide on its side because of an avalanche/rock slide. They say it’s the biggest in recorded history on the mountain. Lee heard a rock slide one day while hiking to Camp Muir.

*The rooming situation is nice here for the women in Guidehouse. It’s pretty spacious and clean.

*The drive around the park makes me kind of sick. The roads are windy and narrow in spots and it’s always so long because you are going up or down the mountain.

*I’m excited for September. I get visitors!

*One day, as I was working, during a foggy and cold week where I was just feeling super down I look in the doorway and there stand Blake and Kate Morgan! They came to the Northwest for their honeymoon. It was a HUGE surprise to see collegemates outside of Winfield let alone Kansas! They totally helped ease the gloominess of the weather and my mood.

*I have received cookies in the mail. Chandra, you are super amazing and terrific!

*I received a beautiful postcard of one of the warm beaches of the Philippines, it brightens my day when I look at the picture and when I think of one of the best things that have happened to my life, God gave me a continual blessing when I met Abbie Earwood! (hahaha…earwood…that’s funny to say still)

*I have been reading a lot more and I feel like I have typed some big words in this post so I think I’m gaining knowledge outside of college!

*This summer so far has really been jammed with experiences and people and I see God’s hand at work EVERYDAY!!! It’s nice to see that because sometimes I go somewhere thinking that’s where God wants me and hoping I’m correct but this summer is just a true encouragement KNOWING and SEEING that God is at work here through us!

Beauty

Do you ever have those days where you look in the mirror and just think to yourself "Man, I look good today!"? Well today was one of those days. It's not because I had just been to the spa, it's not even because I showered. I thought through my actions the past couple of days to figure out what has made this occur. I have come up with three things that I’ve been doing that influence the way I look (and feel) today.

The first thing is taking time to speak with God. Lately I've been riding my bike and running more than usual so that gives me extra time to think and pray over God's truth. I have nothing else to do during this time so I use it as a chance to go on a run/ride with my Creator. A time for Him to show me the beauty of the place He has put me in. This is a time to be filled with strength and endurance to follow Him (and finish my exercise). In Exodus 34:29 the author writes about how Moses goes atop the mountain, speaks with God, and then comes down the mountain, glowing with beauty after speaking to his Lord. There's no easier way to look beautiful than to spend time with the One who created your beauty and thinks you are the prettiest in the world.

Next is drinking tons of water. I gave blood this week and I always try and drink enough fluids to make the giving process the easiest and fastest it can be. Then I decided to start drinking a liter of water as soon as I wake up in the morning to detox the insides. Drinking water is like a game to me, to see how much water I can suck through the straw of my water bottle or water blatter. Using my Camelbak water bottle I can easily stock up on the liquids I need. Not only water but also eating healthy and exercising is important as well. When I was younger, growing up in a church, I was filled with the thoughts of "your face doesn't make you beautiful", "your outward appearance doesn't matter", and "it's about your heart, not your make-up or jewelry". I never connected the two worlds of faith and exercise. I felt that is I would exercise it means I care more about my body then my faith. After reading this article…

(http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/faith-fat-religious-youths-obese-mid-life/story?id=13204624)

I finally connected my "beliefs" and "thoughts" discovering that it was really great to learn about inner beauty in youth group, as a growing girl I needed to learn modesty and not how to get ahead by using my looks, but it would have been nice to have the chance to learn about being healthy and how it affects your faith. (I mean the game of La'Roach is awesome, don’t get me wrong. I did learn some games in youth group.)

As Christians we have to be prepared for anything and that means beating our bodies into submission! Using what I learned during exercise can be equated to my spiritual walk. In Ephesians 6 it tells us to put on the armor of God. Armor isn’t light and it takes someone in shape to be able to move with it on. I've never learned discipline better than the season I ran cross country in college. I learned the beauty of practicing and working everyday to feel prepared for racing. I can relate that to spending time in God’s word and working toward a goal in faith everyday makes me feel ready to conquer the attacks on my heart. I can’t go without running for a week and expect to be fast at a race and I can’t go without being captivated by my God and expect to not fall into self-pity.

Camaraderie, or being apart of a team, is needed in this life to survive and thrive! As a team all the runners knew what I was going through and were super encouraging because of that. On the flip side I finally understood the craziness people have to be able to do something like cross country. It's the same as Christians walking in faith. We know that someone in our big human family knows what we are going through with persecution, daily struggles, and trying to stay fully committed to our walk. To be beautiful, you need to feel beautiful; water and exercise really do the trick in making your body think it's beautiful with all the benefits and stress relieving they contain. Don't forget that what you put in is what you get out! If you eat chocolate cake you’re not going to be pooping out carrots!

The last thing that makes anyone feel beautiful is the power of encouraging, complimentary words. Proverbs 16:24 says “kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body”. When you are having a rough day at work there’s nothing better than the words of a co-worker or boss saying “good job on that project. You really nailed it.” or when you are feeling ubber ugly and someone compliments your hair or your outfit choice it brightens our thoughts. Words are our attitude builders or destroyers throughout our day. Even the tone of our speech can affect someone’s day. If someone yells at you or talks with no interest in their voice, the words resonate as a bad thing. James 3:1-12 talks about how important our tongue and our speech really are. Our words are the reflection of our hearts, we have to reflect on what we say so we can tell where our hearts are focused. Is the heart focused on love or on selfish desires? Have you spoken building/encouraging words or hurtful/spiteful words? A beautiful women’s beauty is also shown through her mouth! Using Twain’s quote we can replace “a fool” with “beautiful” and it means the same thing! “It's better to stay silent and look a fool, rather than speak and remove all doubt.” - Mark Twain.