Christmas Cheer

"Have a holly, jolly Christmas... It's the best time of the year!!" is being blasted all over the radio and television these days.  Kids sit on Santa's lap and let him know what they wish for deep down in their little hearts, Mom's are going shopping crazy; sale racks being flipped through, carts careening wildly down grocery isles and screaming toddlers strapped into carts are a "Holiday usual".  Dad's are somewhere "busy at work", aka just trying to get away from this madness!! Christmas in America (and I'm sure other parts of the world) has become something else.  An event, more like it, where everything is about "Oh, my gosh! I don't have ANY gifts wrapped!"  or "Gaa! They are out of WHAT?!" instead of what it really should be about.  Christmas is my favorite holiday- I love the spices, the lights, just the romance of it all.  It is almost like Disneyland... it's simply magical!
The other flip-side to this equation is not full of roses and sunshine. 
Recently, my cousin had a terrible four-wheeler accident and was flown to Harborview Medical Center.  Brad and I made the treck up to Seattle to see him and talk with my Aunt and Uncle about how he was doing.  With all of the stress of driving through traffic and finding a place to park (sheesh- I don't know how people can do it!) I was so shocked at what we saw.  Everywhere- and I do mean everywhere- you looked there were tents, sleeping bags, tarps or other shelter contraptions.  I have always known that there were homeless people around, and a greater number in Seattle, but I was so saddened to see that many people out on the street.  I thought of these people today when getting everything "ready" for Christmas.  What will they be doing to "celebrate"? Better yet- would they even have a decent meal? I cannot be sure.  I bet those folks are not worried about "My gifts aren't what I wanted!" or "Yuck! I hate that sweater that Grandma got me!"
Every year around this time more and more people get depressed and stressed out. Financial difficulty,  family hardships, loss of someone close or the fact that they are alone for this holiday plagues so many people around the world. Suicide rates climb higher, and more and more calls that we go on with the Fire Department are because of that.  It gets to the point  that you think you can no longer go on, or bear the burden that you are carrying all on your own. 
I am here to tell you- you are NOT alone! Jesus is there to pull us out of the mire, HE is able to SAVE us from the world and ourselves.  The best thing we can do this Christmas to help the homeless or those that are hurting is to share the Ultimate Gift.  The only way someone can truly have HOPE is to trust in Him!  Jesus will make a difference in you life- just give him the opportunity to do it!  Just imagine- you can have hope again! YOU can be taken care of, loved and provided for.  He knows the very number of hairs on our head, so why would he not love us?  He gave himself for us- dying to save the lost, sinner, homeless, rich, poor, needy, you name it- He shed his precious blood for you and I.  I received Christ when I was 10 years old- I now have that hope.  The pure, wonderful hope, that someday I will go to Heaven and be received as a child of God. 
Don't let the worry of life bring you down this Christmas!  Receive the joy He has to offer!

"Jesus is the reason for the Season!"

..::Williams Family Photo Session::..

I first met Miss Williams at our local cell phone store.   We started talking about things we are interested in and sometime during our conversation (which I'm sure was long-winded, sorry Brad) photography came up.  I have been dabbling in it for some time now and five or six years back I finally broke down and bought myself a "real" camera.  Having said that, I do sometimes miss the occasional "Facebook photo" self- portrait option that smaller cameras can offer, but I wouldn't trade my camera for anything.  Through my lens I see everything differently- more wonder and mystery, more action and adventure.

The date was set for their photo shoot and everyone was excited! I love taking pictures of little kids- something about their zest for life is so invigorating! Washington is known for it's perpetual bad weather; "What was your summer like?" I often get asked.  Rainy.  "Did you get alot of snow this winter?" No, just rain.  So naturally I was nervous to have their shoot during what was supposed to be a terrible, stormy day.

Miraculously, the clouds cleared out, the sun shone, and we had ourselves a PERFECT day for shooting pictures! 

Meet the Williams family- mother, daughter and granddaughter!

Isn't she the cutest?!

Day 2- What You Wore Today

I'm not normally the "fashonista" that I wish I was, but I still love dressing up nice now and then.  Dragging myself out of bed at 4:30 in the morning to go to work and greeting the dawn makes it really hard to have motivation for fashon.  Usually my mornings consist of throwing on whatever's clean and making a dash for the car and putting on makeup at the coffee stand.  (Insert sheepish grin here)
Nonetheless, I do love beautiful clothing, and have an appreciation for it. If I wanted to break the bank I would indulge in such a wardrobe.  Instead- I shoot straight for the clearance rack and shuffle through the picked-over selecions.  Nothing wrong with that I don't wager. :)
Since the weather has warmed a couple of notes, I decided to wear a dress today... with a sweater of course!

Dress: Rue21
Sweater:  Holister
Necklace and boho bracelet: Can't remember... (hehe)
Shoes:  Flats; Charlotte Russe

Day 1- Self-portrait

The BEGINNING

So this photography challenge has proved itself ten fold.  haha. So far I have missed day one- and technically should be on day two already.  Go figure.  I can never stick to anything for very long, but goodness! I haven't even made one day yet.  :)

I would have to say that I believe a "self-portrait" should have information about "one-self" to go along with it.  So here we go...

I was born and raised in a small town in Western Washington.

Where it rains- all the time.

And when it's not raining... it's cold. Most of the time.

I love animals- ALL animals.  Especially baby ones. (Who doesn't?!)

I LOVE hunting (If you have been following, then I'm sure you found that out)

Family means more than anything to me

God is my #1 Guide, Friend, Councelor, Lord and King!

I accepted the Lord into my heart and recieved Salvation at 10 years old

I joined my local Fire Department three years ago and I am now a certified Firefighter

Art, reading and crafting are just a few of my favorite things to do. 

I am scared of the dark. Yes, I am. And yes, I realize that I'm 23. :)

I had a stuffed-animal monkey that I named "Monkey" and I carried him EVERYWHERE

I usually bite off more than I can handle, and end up paying for it with my sanity in the end :)

Someday I would love to travel- particularly to Europe and Egypt

My Dad's side of the family came from Austria

A couple of years ago I conqured my fear of rollercoasters! YES!

As much as I love to talk and be sociable, most of the time it is because I am nervous.

And when I'm nervous, I laugh.  Alot.

Tomatoes and onions are never on my nice list. 

Beets, coffee cake, stroganoff and Italian ice, is.

With more pictures and information to come, I hope you enjoy this 30 day journey of my photographic adventures!!

30 Day Photography Challenge

I have decided to do a 30 day challenge.  But not just any challenge- no, a PHOTOGRAPHY one! I'm actually sort of excited about it- hopefully it will give you fellow bloggers some more insight into me :)  I love photography and I hope to do more with it someday, but for now I will enjoy the simple things and the world behind my lens.

Photography 30 Day Challenge

1. Self-portrait

2. What you wore today

3. Clouds

4. Something green

5. From a high angle

6. From a low angle

7. Fruit

8. A bad habit

9. Someone you love

10. Childhood memory

11. Something blue

12. Sunset

13. Yourself with 13 things!

14. Eyes

15. Silhouette

16. Long exposure

17. Technology

18. Your shoes

19. Something orange

20. Bokeh

21. Faceless self-portrait

22. Hands

23. Sunflare

24. Animal

25. Something pink

26. Close-up

27. From a distance

28. Flowers

29. Black and white

30. Self-portrait

The Things I'm Thankful For:

My Family!

Brad, the man I love!

My wonderful friends- for sticking with me through thick and thin

Rainy weather...because sometimes it's nice to be cozy inside while it's storming outside

The way my mom cooks- SO GOOD!

My job

Being physically able to volunteer at the Fire Station

Having 2 dogs, 2 cats and a horse- I love those guys! :)

Spending time with my brother; making complete fools out of ourselves :) hehe

The roof over my head and clothes on my back

MY CAR! :)

Church in the garage... Riverwood Baptist Church

Early snowfall this year

Pumpkin pie

Apple Cider (or caramel apple cider...yum!)

Burning orange peels in the wood stove

Making crafts with my mom for the Holidays

Cooking homemade cranberry sauce

I'm going to be another year older! lol

My health

My family's health!

Sipping Earl Grey tea

Meeting new people

Making new friends, and they turn out to be the coolest people ever

The things that Brad thinks of to randomly buy me... just because he can

Hunting! (And actually getting a deer and elk this year)

Pizza nights (Junk food nights, oops! I know )

A man that takes care of me- ALWAYS!

And a FAMILY that does the same!!!

Facebook- I totally know now who the "real" friends of my life are and who I really want to be seen with lol

Most importantly- JESUS. Without Him, I would be a nobody, nothing, zip, nada, nilch.  I am so very thankful for all of the wonderful people that He has brought into my life and because of Him my life will never be the same!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.



Pictures of Idaho Elk Hunt *Caution: Blood*

My face is in a perpetual frown as my hunting season is over.  I still can go out with other people during Archery and Late Buck to tag along if I wish, but it just isn't the same.  Although there will be sadness until next time, I did have a great hunting season!  I have alot to be thankful for- and I am VERY thankful!  I shot a buck not that far into rifle season, and my Dad and I went on a trip to Idaho to bring back meat for the Beast Feast and I shot a HUGE elk!  To say the least, I'm stoked! :) 
Note to all deer out there... I'm keeping my trigger finger ready for next hunting season! WOO HOO!

The top picture is of two sets of ivory, one from Maureen's bull, and the other from Samantha's.  Nice job, girls!!!  The second picture is my elk, my brother's is in the background.  :) We had such a fun time and I'm so glad that I was able to be a part of such an awesome adventure!!  BIG THANK YOU to my Dad- hunting with you is always fun!

Samantha's Elk

Maureen's Elk

Dad's elk

Loren's elk is on the left- I'm sitting on mine :) The guides are the other two with us in the picture.

Skinning my elk!

This luggage is ALL ours.  This proves that girls definitely bring way more than they need. hehe

Live, Love, Laugh

LIVE ... LOVE ... LAUGH
Ever wonder why this saying is broadcasted everywhere? Signs, household decor, you name it- it's there.  I personally admire anything "country" or "primitive" in house decor, so when I spot a shingle painted with those three magic words- of course I'm going to whip out $6.99 and buy it.  :)
There have been things in my life recently that remind me of this very saying. LIVE.  Regardless of what Webster's Dictionary says, I think that living is feeling -not just good or mediocre- but GREAT about yourself! Taking the bull by the horns, knowing when to stand up for yourself or someone else,  taking risks, appreciating the smaller things in life, taking your dog for a walk, going to the super market for the second time that day just because you are bored, surrounding yourself with family and friends that uplift and support you, eating an extra cookie because you can, going on a random road trip with friends- heck, even just yourself- working a so-so job just because you love it and no other reason, not being afraid to tell others what you are feeling or experiencing and dancing in the rain- hot pink rubber boots and all. 
I love life- and I'm not afraid to LIVE it! God gives me so many blessings in life and I wouldn't want to change a single thing! We are that unique individual because of the trials and tests we go through in life.

LOVE is a powerful word.  Only four letters long, but it packs quite a punch.  Those three wonderful words uttered by a mother to her newborn treasure, a husband to a wife, between best friends- "I love you" can bring tears of joy, love or sorrow.  I have never had issues with telling someone I love them- if I do- I let them know!  Life is shorter than we imagine, so why not? I am not afraid of getting my heart broken or torn to shreds- because I trust that God has brought me to my perfect match in life- someone that I can say that to and not regret it.  I love my family as well!  Through thick and thin- they are here for me!  I can't imagine a life without them! They are accepting and loving- enough said.  ;)

Those of you that know me are aware that I love to LAUGH!  No matter how hard I try, it doesn't ever escape quietly- quite on the contrary. hehe  I think we all know that person that no matter how hard they try, their laughter is always heard decibels above everyone else.  I'm pretty sure I AM that person.  I am one hundred percent, without a doubt, not ashamed of it- not one little bit.  I would much rather keep myself in check every once in a while then be the lump in a corner.  Needles to say, I get funny looks from loved ones time to time to remind me to come back to planet Earth when my laughing gets out of control, but that is what family and friends are for... to keep you in check. ;) No matter how hard you try- if there is someone next to you laughing your ears automatically perk up to hear the joke or sentiment.  Your brain switches over to humor mode and all of a sudden- bam!- Everything is funny and you are dishing out your best jokes like Muhammad Ali striking a punch.  Humor is contagious.  It is the funny equivalent of yawning copy-cats.  Come on, does everyone really need to yawn at the same time?  Most likely not, yet something in your noggin' is triggered and it just comes out!

I'll take my silly, child-like attitude any day.  I'll live like there is no tomorrow, and I'll love with my WHOLE heart.  It is what makes up the intricate blue print for my life- and I wouldn't trade it for the world!
Peace Out!

Bull Bustin' Babes! (And Boy)

Our journey begins without flat tires or cracked windshields THANK GOODNESS... instead... we ended up running out of gas at "Exit 21"- wherever that is.  :)  With card games and laughter going on in the back of the truck I decided to hike up the hill to photograph some horses.  We finally were bailed out with five gallons of gas priced at a steep 125 buckaroos.  On the road again we come to our destination.  Rexburg, Idaho!  WE ARE HERE! Finally- pretty much everyone sighs- after a gruelling two days of travel.

I decided to include the girls and my brother in describing our adventures for this trip.. hope you enjoy our story as much as we enjoyed the whole shebang.  :)

Our first shooter was Samantha.  She shot once- right behind the ear and the bull went down without a fight.  "It had weird feet." Maureen states.... with lots of laughter and a crinkle of a nose.  It was different- in fact the ranch manager stated that he has only seen a couple of bulls with super long hooves.

"This was one of the best days of my life..." Samantha says with a big smile.
Maureen shot next- "I got to shoot an old, big, fuzzy-horned elk.  The first time I shot, it went off before I thought it would... so I shot it again, even though I made a good shot the first time, surprisingly." With a grin she also adds, "It's the coolest elk of them all- because I said so- and it's antlers are furry."

I was up for the next shot and I brought my bull down with one shot right under the cheek bone.  (It was sort of looking in my direction)  With all of the big game animals that I have shot- I haven't tried shooting one like I did today, so I was pretty excited about the challenge.  The shot broke the bulls neck and it went down instantly.

My brother was next and he also made a great shot!  Dad followed; one shot to the neck and it dropped like a lead weight.  Five for five! :)

Maureen and Samantha were the brave souls to skin and gut their elk by themselves.  (With the help of the male counter parts) "No one told me that I was going to be attacked by a bunch of green stuff... but my cat-like reflexes spared me and my jeans!" There was lots of laughter and giggling with every step of the way during the skinning/gutting process... and there was never a dull moment!  Maureen did an awesome job at getting in and getting dirty- fearless and more than willing to learn how to gut and skin.  When it was time to cut the head off- out came the Sawzall and off came the head!

"Stomach fluids don't taste very good." Is interjected by Samantha- who was second to gut her elk.  She jumped right in like a cave woman and was covered in blood and gut juice by the time it was all over.  The other elk were skinned and gutted- then hung up like the others- all ready to be quartered and packed into the trailer for the trip home.

Samantha's Nice Bull

Maureen's Bull still had velvet!

Loren and I... :)

Dad's bull!!

I feel so blessed to be a part of this hunting adventure! I believe that I can speak for everyone when I say that we all had the time of our lives!! God new is, the trip isn't over yet!  We are leaving tomorrow for Jackson Hole, Wyoming!  We are going to be having even more fun in this great town. :) 

Elk Season!

"The true trophy hunter is a self-disciplined perfectionist seeking a single animal, the ancient patriarch well past his prime that is often an outcast from his own kind... If successful, he will enshrine the trophy in a place of honor. This is a more noble and fitting end than dying on some lost and lonely ledge where the scavengers will pick his bones, and his magnificent horns will weather away and be lost forever."

Elgin Gates, Trophy Hunter in Asia

  

Hunter orange, water-proofed hunting boots, worn-in camo, lucky camo hats, shells that catch the sunlight right before jamming them into the rifle for the shot.  The scouting out of leaves that have been kicked up by an animal to show where they have last traveled... the musty scent of a bull that gets left behind on ferns and branches.  THESE are the special memories that, no matter who they are shared with, never get lost in your heart.  These are the times that are so much fun; so rewarding when an animal is packed out of the woods. :)
My orange, camouflage, boots and other gear are waiting and ready for this Saturday! Opening day of elk season is here!  It's time to hunt North America's largest big game animal- THE ELK.
Our "secret spot" is all figured out.. and we have been seeing elk there, too!  That is obviously important :) My binoculars are cleaned up and ready for glassing and my gun is polished up and bullets are gathered.  I can't wait- hopefully I will get one on Opening Morning!

PS.  Hunters! Don't forget to make sure that your rifle is sighted in! It's a mistake that you won't want to make... and especially after deer season rattling around in a pickup truck isn't the medicine the doc ordered for it! :)

Trick or Treat?

So it's here again, Halloween.  Every year I want to get all jazzed about it and dress up as something funny, but every year for the last couple of years I end up bagging out.  I'm really not that into it, so it would seem.  I'm sure I will step on a few toes with this subject, and I'm sorry, but after all- my blog is simply a place that I express myself- regardless of what others think. 
This morning at the coffee stand customer after customer came through craning their necks to see what I was wearing.  One fellow stated that I was a little "over dressed". Plainly hinting at the fact that I had all of my clothes on.  So here I am, probably one of the few that has CLOTHES on- practically a turtle-neck sweater. hehe just kidding about that, but still.  What is the constant need for the ladies (if you care to use that term) of America to be scantily clad??  It baffles me to the core- dress like they do, then complain when a creeper tries something sneaky or comments are made. 
TRICK:  The trick is society making Halloween costumes as raunchy as they can and IT'S OK.  I really don't have that big of a beef with the fact that people like to dress up... it's FUN!!  Just the fact that it is EXPECTED to be "bad" lol.  The way that inappropriate costumes are expected. What if I want to dress as Little Bo Peep? I don't think I would get the "best costume" award.  I don't know about you, but I want to be known for good morals, standards and clean fun. 
TREAT:  The treat is the fact that we have the joy of having "naughty nurses" and "bad cops" surrounding us everywhere.  And yes, I'm being sarcastic.  hehe American society is training our young men that it is OK to look where eyes shouldn't.  It's raising up our young women that it's OK to draw attention to long legs and low bust lines. 
So there you have it- my thoughts on Halloween.  I love carving pumpkins, lighting candles and a fire, reading murder mysteries and even the occasional horror film- but you won't see me with a band-aid and stethoscope in my nurse outfit to doctor you up.  Just sayin'. :)

..::Beast Feast - Coming Feb. 2012::..

Well, it's that time of year again- Beast Feast Time!! In TWO WEEKS four girls get to lower the boom on some elk in Idaho!  Rexburg, to be exact.  Every year for the men's Beast Feast (a local outreach for men in the community) girls are chosen to shoot buffalo to supply the main meat of choice for the evening event.  For past events we have had 20+ different kinds of meats ranging from succulent alligator to (not so wonderful) whale.  This year we get the privilege to shoot elk! I've shot elk before- but every time is an exciting time, that's for sure!  Their majestic antlers cresting the top of a ridge and as your heart practically beats out of your chest- YOU MAKE THE SHOT.  Definitely exciting.

The ranch that supplies the buffalo is down in Oregon; Schreiner Farms.  The owner is a friend of my dad and we have a blast down there petting his giraffes, camels... pretty much you name it- he has it! 

The same gentleman owns property in Idaho where we will be hunting for elk- below are some pictures of the critters he has at his Oregon ranch.

Sika deer at Schreiner Farms

Many unusual creatures reside in Northern Oregon at the Schreiner Farm :)

A new adventure, a new creature to harvest for meat.  The Beast Feast is a huge blessing- to those in attendance, but also for the many men and women that prepare and help before and during the event.  This year it will be February 5th- I can't wait! Rifles, meat, hunting trips, etc. will be given away! Don't miss your opportunity to join in on one of the funnest sportsman's events!

One of the buffalo from the Schreiner Farms!

"I'm watching you!!"



Big Pig Bucks! :)

Helping my dad pack out his buck :)

On Saturday Brad and I went way out on logging roads... so beautiful!

The leaves are just about fully changed over to their brilliant colors- along with foggy mornings and freezing nights! At least I have been shivering my socks off! :)  Yesterday after church I went hunting with Brad and Loren.  We went to a "secret spot", which in fact, probably is a handful of other people's "secret spots". lol I had on my favorite Carhartt vest, dirty jeans from the last deer I skinned (What is the point in putting on clean, nice jeans when you will most likely fall down or get blood and guts on them??) and my polkadot rubber boots. :)  I love my boots, despite what everyone else says.  Oh, don't forget the hunter orange!
As we walked in to some clear cuts, leaves were water logged to the point where they no longer crunch and sound like egg shells, so we thought that was good.  The only problem was the gravel road- more like boulder road. Sheesh... loggers!  How are we supposed to hunt with such loud, big rocks?! We walked and walked- finally reaching our destination.  Glassing the cuts, we were waiting patiently for that monster pig buck to come out and be stupid enough for us to crack a shot.  No such luck.  On to the next cut we go. 
After a crew is done logging they take out the culverts to leave big, gaping trenches in the earth so the streams can run freely. (Something to the effect of the salmon being able to come upstream- but fat chance of that anyway.. it's only a few inches deep) After climbing down the embankments, then up again- three different times, we come to the farthest landing.  This logging seemed like a good one.  Loren went to the right to circle up and around while Brad and I took the long way around the bottom.  Where the skidders and other machinery went there were HUGE muddy ruts and quite a mess of the landscape.  I felt like I was in A Bug's Life movie or something. :) From all the dried and stagnet mud there was a WALL of bugs we ran smack dab into the middle of.  One flew up my nose and I did what came to mind first- a farmer's blow.  Brad looked back at me with that "Shhhh! We're hunting!" face.  Or maybe it was "Oh my gosh, did my girlfriend JUST do that?!" hehe What can I say? We are in the middle of the woods- no beauty judges out here! :)
Coming around the side of a hill (more like mountain, if you ask me) Brad spotted deer first.  One, two then three jumped and high-tailed it out of there!  He thought the back one was a buck and I whipped out my binoculars on it... aw.  No buck that I could see.  
Since we scared them off, there wasn't any use in sitting around in bug land, so we made our way back up the hill.  Meeting up with Loren, we made our way back to the first clear cut we came in at.  (We saw a buck there, but it ran off too stinkin fast)
We decided to sit it out and wait to see if the buck would come back since we were running out of daylight and there wouldn't be enough time to go and hunt anywhere else.  No luck with that either.  Bummer.  But at least we know where a decent buck is at!  Next time we will get him! Well, at least I hope.  :)

The sunset was SO pretty that night up in the woods!

Armour Bearer

This last weekend we were blessed with a guest in our home... a Navajo Indian Missionary, Terrance Calvin.  What a joy it was to have him visiting with us and fellowshipping! He preached a fiery message on Sunday and (no surprise here) it was amazing!  JUST what I needed to hear!  Probably what lots of people needed to hear.. God had a funny way of doing that- you think He is just talking to you, when the finger is being pointed to a dozen other people as well ;)
Mr. Calvin's message was on being an armour bearer.  There are countless stories in the Bible about men and women doing God's work, but behind just about everyone of them there was a helper.  A "bearer" of tasks, there to be a help-meet.  In the Old Testament there is a story about Moses and the battle of the Israelites and the Amalekites.  He had a staff in his hands, and they were stretched upward towards the sky.  When he kept his arms raised, the Israelites won the battle.  When he tired and they fell, the opposing army won.  So two men came and each supported an arm- they knew that it was God's plan for Moses to be the bearer, but they could help him out.  (Exodus 17:11)
Another story tells us about Jonathan and his armour bearer.  Jonathan would go out into battle and after taking a man down, his helper would be right there behind him making sure they were finished off, or handed him a different weapon; he made sure that everything was perfect.  Because of this loyalty, Jonathan trusted his armour-bearer with his life.  (1 Samuel 14)
It goes the same for a husband and wife.  It is a team effort, and when one of the players is out of sync, Satan wins.  Marriages are torn apart, lives are dashed upon the rocks.  WOMEN.... we are to be our HUSBANDS armour-bearer! We are to lift them up and treat them as a king.  We were created to be his help-meet.  Marriage was not meant to be a battle- to tear down one another with word or actions. It is a union of hearts, mind and body- working TOGETHER for the common goal. This DOES NOT mean that we are to be treated as a door mat, quite on the contrary!  The Bible tells men that they should love their wives as themselves! We need to be their "armour-bearer" for their tasks at hand.  I have seen countless women give up a life that is familiar to them to follow their husbands into the missionary field, plant
a new church, follow a new job direction- or any other kind of "wild goose chase" that may occur.  These women are following- fuss free- to be a help-meet to their husbands!
We are to be an armour bearer for our pastors as well! These men of God go through so much in life and where would they be without encouragement?  Their spirits fall just like any of us, so why don't people support their pastors? It is a day to day battle and someone has to fight it.. so just like Moses holding up the staff... we need to support their arms in the spiritual war.  It is God's calling for them, but we can be the beams that hold the roof up :)  We can be the ones to volunteer to clean, or teach Sunday School every now and then.  Anything to help with the ministry.  Nothing is ever to little or small of a task. 
Mr. Calvin's message was touching.  On so many levels.  Children helping their parents, wives helping their husbands- either way you look at it, there are so many ways that we can be armour bearers in our lives!

Put Some Kick In Your Cooking!

So the other day I got a wild hair and decided to make homemade tamales and tortillas.  Everything turned out way better than I ever could have hoped! It was simply a miracle, I assume. ;)

You first mix up the "dough" for the tamales.

The corn husks prior to soaking...

Soak the corn husks in warm water until they are workable (roughly 10 minutes)

While your husks are soaking, cook up your choice of meat and seasonings.

Get your steaming pot good and ready!

Rinse off the corn husks.

Spread a good amount of the Masa on the corn husk.  Then put in a couple spoon-fulls of meat.

Fold it like so...

And stack upright in the steamer.  Steam for 1 hour, or until the Masa leaves the sides of the corn husk.

While the tamales are cooking, start making your tortillas!! I found a super easy recipe on the internet... basically it's flour, salt and butter.

The dough is ready for rolling, patting and makin (not a B hehe) tortillas!

The rolled out tortilla (taco sized) ready to get cooked!

FINISHED! And soooo good.

Everything was a huge hit, the family was well fed and it was a blast to make everything homemade! ;)