Tina The Storyteller

Hannah has been studying volcanoes for quite some time now.  She was particularly interested in Mt. St. Helens, because it is near where Joel grew up and I think because he remembers seeing the eruption all the way in Seattle. We've read books, watched documentaries, created our own volcano, and now, we have officially visited! We went earlier this week.  It's the last week that they are open this year.  When we got there, the rangers told us how they couldn't see ten feet in front of them the day before and that they were expecting snow the next day.  You can imagine our delight when our view was this... It was stunning and beautiful and not so cold that you couldn't stand outside and take pictures and take it all in. It was quite breathtaking when we went to an educational video and after the show, a curtain rose up giving a great view of the volcano.  Cool stuff.   We went with some extended family.  Here's a picture of our little fa...

I know that there are a lot of people out there that talk about over-committing and how they just have too much to do and that we should all learn how to say "NO!" but I try not to say it.  It's true.  I try not to say no, especially when someone asks me to do something.  I figure that if someone is actually taking the time to ask me specifically then they really want me to do it.  Now, if it's something I completely don't want to do, I will go pray about it and get back to them, sometimes with a no, just depends on what God says. The other thing I try not to do is volunteer for things, especially leadership roles.  I'm a part of an active committee at church and I talk with a lot of people about a lot of different things, so I have the opportunity to volunteer for a lot of stuff.  But I don't, I feel like the restraint of saying yes in open volunteer settings leaves me time to do the things that people really want me to do and I'm not ...

Raising a Daughter After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George My rating: 3 of 5 stars Often times when we first become mothers, we look for the instruction manual. I wish that I had found this particular title much sooner in my journey as a mom. Elizabeth George does an excellent job of encouraging and spurring me on as a mother. This book is specifically about daughters and therefore includes insight into the beautiful relationship between a mother and her daughter. There are several different examples of the way that we can view our lives, insuring that there will be at least one that will resonant with you. George does a great job of showing how important it is to pray for our daughters as well as how easy it is to fit that time into our schedules. I enjoyed the fact that she never makes it sound easy, but reminds over and over again the worth involved in the work that is done as a mother. This book is a great encouragement to me as a mother, prayer warrior, preach...

One of our old Halloween traditions is to watch B movies and laugh out loud at the special effects.  I enjoy the old monster movies, which probably predispositioned me to enjoy Night of the Living Dead Christian by Matt Mikalatos.  Night of the Living Dead Christian is an allegory of the Christian life in suburbia.  There are so many things that we hide from one another in our daily lives that we feel identify us as monsters.  Things are going on around us all the time and we rarely take the time to acknowledge or explore them.  In this book, Mikalatos does an excellent job diving into the secret lives of Christians and looking at those things that keep us from being fully alive in Christ.  The main monsters in this book include a werewolf, mad scientist, android, vampire, zombies, and mild mannered Mikalatos.  I was drawn in to the interludes provided by the werewolf and struck by the honesty in regards to the human condition.  In so...

Hannah and I have been doing quite a bit of exploring lately.  The majority of it has been in our little downtown.  We've been exploring what it means to spend time with friends, wandering down streets and into stores.  It's been a lot of fun. We recently discovered a great toy store, a gallery that had the most amazing colored pencil artwork, a pepperoni mozzarella roll the size of Hannah's head that she would gladly eat twice a day, a pumpkin latte made with real pumpkin, the most beautiful bottle that was designed for water.  I'm thinking that our next adventures will lead us to a local apple orchard and maybe into some more shops for trinkets and nick nacks as well as many things that we will be able to share with friends. What have you discovered lately?

Do you have a favorite vacation spot? I have one, it’s quaint place where I love to go and spend long leisurely days in a comfy spot catching up with friends.  If you’ve never been there, I would suggest that you drop by Deep Haven to check it out.  Susan May Warren has created a wonderful place to rest and relax in the series.  She recently released an e-novella set in Deep Haven titled Hook, Line, and Sinker .  This short trip into the woods is well done and a great quick trip to a quiet retreat that I have come to love.  This story is set at a camp with visiting college students.  Within the group there are two very different leaders that are working through their shared past to discover what their futures may hold.  All the while the group is participating in the yearly fishing contest of Deep Haven.  Once the competition is over, there is a wonderful scene with an older pastor speaking to the group.  He reminds us that “Jesus d...