Brownie the Goose

Farewell Brownie. We will miss seeing you at the pond!!

Sitting with Strangers

Today we ate lunch with strangers in Santa Fe today, which was more normal and fun than it sounds.  We were at an outdoor seating restaurant with big picnic tables. The seating had run out and since it was just Nathan and me at a six person table (the only size offered) an older lady, her daughter and husband asked to sit with us. We of course said yes and had quite the pleasant conversation about the town, our town, and things to do in the area.  It was really great to have such a easy going conversation with strangers, and I kind of wish it was more the norm in restaurants to share seating! :)

Curry!

We had a Thai red curry, quite delicious, and very similar to the one on Ocracoke. Yum!

Success

I thought this devotional was a great read, and I wanted to make sure to save it for whenever I need encouragement about life and what true success is.

The most overlooked part of the parable of the talents is the second half of verse fifteen: the master gives talents to each servant, “…each according to his ability.” The master understood that the one-talent servant was not capable of producing as much as the five-talent servant. We want to protest this as unfair. Yet we know this is true from our own experience. Diversity is woven into the fabric of creation. However, culture tells us two great lies about success: you can be whatever you want to be, and you can be the best in the world. These lies are based on the premise that we all are created equal. While we are all certainly equal under the law, equal in God’s eyes, and equal in many other areas, we are not created equal where our abilities are concerned. Not everyone can grow up to be president or a brain surgeon. Yet, if you say this in many circles you will be quickly chastised and informed that we all have the same potential if we just try hard enough. But even though we're not created equal in regard to the talents we're given, there is equality found in the parable of the talents. It comes from the fact that it takes just as much work for the five-talent servant to produce five more talents as it does for the two-talent servant to produce two more talents. This is why the reward given by the master is the same. The master measures success by degrees of effort, as should we. Like the servants in the parable of the talents, God has given each of us unique resources and talents to be used in everything we do, especially our vocational callings. The master gave out a different number of talents to each servant “according to the servant’s ability.” The one talent servant was not expected to produce five talents. Biblical success is faithfully using all gifts, talents, and opportunities God has given us for the furtherance of his kingdom here on earth. This work should bring us both joy and peace of mind knowing we have done our best, through the power of Christ working though us, to accomplish what he has called us to do in order to make a difference in our world. As Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10, For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We are given different gifts. We may not be able to do anything, but we can be everything God uniquely created us to be. Consider spending some time in prayer and with trusted friends or family members to consider what unique gifts the Lord is calling you to use for him.

Baby Goats, Horses, and Pretty Lanes

I took another walk to the horse stables (a common occurrence since we live so close) and it was a great day for animal watching! There were a couple of rambunctious baby goats, so many beautiful horses, and quite a few picturesque scenes. :)

Love this lane!!

FF VII

In preparation for FFVII being remade, I thought it was finally time to play the old version before the new one came out. So, I have been playing an inordinate amount of FFVII, but it's been quite fun!

Homemade English Muffins

So...they're square, but hopefully delicious!! :D

Lily

I think this is a Lily, perhaps I'm wrong, but either way, it's pretty!

Fixed Loom

Nathan fixed my loom this weekend, hooray!!  He added a new type of system for the shafts to be drawn up and down on. The system doesn't seem to be sticking or making the shafts rise askew, so I'm hopeful my next next project will go well!  Below is a close up of the new system and the loom as a whole (plus a sleepy cat.)

Ashley Pond

Before the Los Alamos Public School Foundation's Wine Tasting event, I sat at Ashley Pond and read and took a nap.  Nathan was at church practicing for the evening's service, so I didn't have much else to do, but this was perfect!

Santa Fe Date Day

Nathan and I decided a while back that when we reached our goal weights, we would have a special day in Santa Fe.  Now, I have to be honest, I was 0.5 pounds away from my goal, but figured that was close enough. So much of our day was outside, and we didn't have another free day to go until late July, and that would be too hot. I have been wanting to go to the Shake Foundation and a Santa Fe Fuego game, and so we did! We also took a drive up into the Santa Fe Forest which was very pretty!

Hymns

I have been playing some hymns lately.  So pretty!

"Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," "In Christ Alone," and "It is Well with My Soul," my three favorite hymns!

Bag Hanger

Saw this on Pinterest and thought it would be fun!  I think a bar would work better than string, but for now, the string works fine.

Quemazon Nature Trail Cave

Hiked the Quemazon Nature Trail to the cave today.  So cool and fun!

Clean Tub

Hooray, a clean tub! Not very exciting really, but there's nothing like having a clean tub after scrubbing and working hard to make it look nice.

Feeding the Ducks

I bought a bag of duck food from Pet Pangea and went to the pond to feed them.  Unfortunately the duck food sunk and since all the ducks were in the water, this activity didn't go so well.  I did end up feeding a pigeon though, so that's something!

Los Alamos Reservoir Hike

Saturday morning hike with friends. Beautiful!

Cookies for Nathan

I this on Pinterest and thought it would be a great idea for Nathan. He loves Cookie Monster (and cookies too!)  I took it to him after work today. He loved it!

Reading at the Pond

My view while reading at the pond today. So pretty! :)

Regrowth

The mountains are growing again!! :)  The new growth among the burnt trees is really quite beautiful.

Otter Pops, Cards, and Harry Potter

I'm having a quite a fun time eating Otter Pops, making cards, and listening to the audio CD of Harry Potter.  Summer is the best!!

Amalie in Trouble

This is Amalie's "I know I'm in trouble so I put myself in the corner" spot... :)