The Tupperware Cupboard

Perhaps I should start this post out with an apology to my Mom for all the years of unloading the dishwasher and just cramming the Tupperware into its cupboard.

I'm sorry Mom, truly I am.

You see, I am now living out circumstances with my own children that my Mom once lived out with my brother and me.

And right now, it's the Tupperware cupboard.

It's Hannah's job to unload the dishwasher, and like most households I'm sure, we have Tupperware, Rubbermaid, Gladware, whatever, but it all goes into the same cupboard.

And the state it's in at the current moment, reminds me of my childhood.

Excuse me while I go straighten the Tupperware cupboard. LOL.

School Pick Up: It's a Nightmare

Last Spring, it was suggested that our school go from a four track year round school to a modified one track school. A parent meeting was held and one of the major concerns expressed by parents in attendance of that meeting was the parking arrangements and traffic control for dropping off and picking up our students.

We were told they were working on a few different options.There were already traffic issues and lack of enough parking. Concerns of speeding cars barreling down the street, cars not stopping at the crosswalk, etc. And now they were wanting to add 180 students to the already 500+ students students on track.

School started last Wednesday. And we're now a one track school. Yep, all 700+ students all going at the same time.

There was no additional parking. There was no solution for cutting down the congestion at the front of the school. Unless you count the security guards helping direct the traffic. But they were only temporary. They are gone now. And really, they didn't help all that much.

I gave it three days of dropping off and picking up at the front. Just like I've done for the past three school years. But getting there the exact same time I've done for years was only getting me a parking spot farther away, dealing with congestion just to get out of a dirt lot.

But today, we tried something new.

I dropped Hannah off at the back of the school. Where there is a crossing guard and a nice sidewalk onto the school grounds. No cars in the way, unloading kids. No cross traffic to deal with. No buses to deal with. It worked.

This afternoon, I tried picking Hannah up back there as well. It was awesome! I got there the same time I usually get to the front of the school. Parking in a place whereas I didn't have to get out of my car in the 105 degree heat. Nor did I have to unstrap Rachel from her car seat. Her and I stayed in our cool car, waiting for Hannah to come out. It was such bliss!

When the bell rang, we watched for Hannah. She looked for me and saw the car and waited patiently for the crossing guard and then crossed the street and got into the car, a nice cool car.

Today we tried something new...and we shall do it again tomorrow!!!

Beside Still Waters - Mom's Blog

For those of you having trouble accessing my Mom's blog, Beside Still Waters, we are having technical difficulites that might have resulted in her blog being deleted.

We are waiting for blogger/google to contact her in hopes of attaining ber old blog back. If she can't get her old blog back, she'll start a new one.

Blogger Friends, don't worry, nothing bad happened. It was just a case of 'user error'.

Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery - Destroyed

When we were on our way home from our Mammoth camping trip in June, we stopped at the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery. It was a beautiful fish hatchery with a huge pond out front, and a beautiful old building that housed the fish eggs and baby fish. Recently when we were visiting my Uncle, he told us that he had learned that the fish hatchery had been destroyed July 13th, when a destructive wall of mud came barreling down the nearby mountains, due to major thunderstorms and it's effects of a fire damaged hills.

The outside fish raceways became filled with mud, leaving the 3000 Rainbow Trout all dead. And while the building still stands, the hatchery grounds have been destroyed. The 395 was closed for hours as a result of the mudslide.

It's hard to comprehend the damage of what a mud slide can do. And it's hard to think about that beautiful hatchery, now in ruins. I'm so thankful we made the time to stop and enjoy it!

Home

Home.

It's been where I've been ALL day, with the exception of an early morning trip to the grocery store.

But once home, I didn't leave the house for the remainder of the day.

It was SO nice.

Our weekends have been pretty busy for weeks, with something on the calendar for Friday night or Saturday, or Sunday or all of the above. And so far this weekend has only consisted of that run to the store this morning. Home last night. Home all day, lounging about on the couch, has been nice and much needed.

Hope everyone else is having a weekend to their liking!

What is the Question?

A Tragedy Used to Bring Glory

Today was the memorial service for Christopher Laurie.

It was broadcasted via the web on the Harvest website. Like tons of other people, we watched it.

It was glorious. Simply glorious.

It was a beautiful time of worship. A beautifully put together montage of pictures and videos in remembrance of Christopher and his life. A blessed message by Pastor Skip Hetzig (one of my long time favs). Words of remembrance from a friend. Special music from Marty Goetz. Words concerning death by Pastor Chuck Smith. A wonderfully appropriate song by Crystal Lewis, one of her signature songs, "Our Redeemer Lives".

And to close out the service, Pastor Greg said a few words, ending the service with giving people the opportunity to give their lives to Jesus, giving them the opportunity to go to Heaven like Christopher did when their time comes.

While it was a service memorializing Christopher, it was a time of giving God the glory, despite the tragedy.


To watch the archived Memorial service, or donate to the Christopher Laurie Memorial Fund, visit Harvest.org.