Screen Disease

The other day, my husband and I were grabbing a coffee, sitting in the sun, and having a conversation. At the table next to us were two parents, with three children under the age of 9. Mom and dad were both staring at their phones, never speaking a word. No words, just staring at screens. The two older kids tried to talk to mom and dad about going for a bike ride or playing at the park, but they would not return their conversation. The youngest girl, probably 2, was deeply sucked in to a tablet, neck bent way over, not even knowing their was a real life around her. Not only is that sad that this little one is already addicted to the tablet, but it's a horrible thing for her body, her neck. My chiropractor told me he is seeing extremely high amounts of bulging discs in kids, all because of too much screen time. Those discs will affect them for the rest of their life. 

I see this scenario played out all the time. It's sad. It's an addiction, just like drugs, porn, alcohol. People are addicted to their phones and are making their kids the same way. Yes, I have a phone and tablet, and yes, I spend time on them, but I also intentionally put them away, and spend time with REAL people, face to face. 

Are you willing to reclaim your life, to really live life? THIS LIFE ISN'T A DRESS REHEARSAL! This is it. Once a day, a moment is gone, it's gone. Those moments you missed with your loved ones because you were staring at a screen can never be recaptured. At the end of your life, do you think you will look back and be happy how much time you spent staring at Facebook, Pinterest, Pokemon, Instagram, gaming, instead of sharing life and conversations with people, your loved ones, your friends, your family? 

Take time this weekend to disconnect. Fly a kite, go for a bike ride, build a fort, go fishing, watch a sunset, take a nap, have a water fight, laugh, go on a picnic, actually have a real face to face conversation with someone, go camping, shut the devices off and recapture your life! Your life will be much less stressed because you intentionally disconnect. I guarantee, nothing earth shattering will happen on FB that you will miss! However, if you don't look up, shut down, you are missing the beauty in creation around you, you are missing talking and laughing with your friends and family. This life is all there is on this side of eternity, don't waste it! 

Christmas Challenge

Christmas weekend is upon us.  I would like to issue a challenge for all of us from now through Christmas night: disengage from social media, engage in real relationships.  Disengage from staring at a screen, engage in staring at loved ones faces, because you don't know when this will be the last Christmas you are together.  A friend of mine buried both of her parents in the past six months.  I know she doesn't wish she had a few more moments this past year that she could have spent on Facebook or Pinterest.  No, she wishes for a few more precious moments with her parents, to hug them, and tell them she loves them.  She did plenty of it while they were alive, but as she said "can we ever really tell those we treasure in our lives that we love them enough?  Can we ever really spend too much time with those who are precious to us?" REAL relationships matter.  

Disengage from playing online, virtual games and engage in real relationships by playing a card or board game. Laugh together, have meaningful conversations, give hugs, go for a walk, enjoy life.  Be thankful. See the beauty that surrounds you in creation, in people.  

REAL people, REAL relationships are what matter.  Take the next few days to deeply invest in real relationships, face to face.  

Merry Christmas!

Giving Thanks or Being Greedy

Greed seems to be at a whole new, out of control level this year among the retail industry.  Instead of seeing who can open first on Black Friday, retailers are now having a race to see who can open first on Thanksgiving.  Think of the poor people working who are missing time with their loved ones because of greed.  It makes my heart sad.  

What happened to a day to spend with family and friends and give thanks?  Thanksgiving isn't about grabbing the biggest deals, standing in lines to buy things.  Thanksgiving is about, hmmm, giving thanks.  Being grateful.  Spending time with loved ones.  Instead of going out to the stores, spend time playing games, talking, laughing, watching a movie, even start decorating for Christmas.  Make a statement, and stay out of the stores.  Spend some wonderful time with your loved ones and enjoy giving thanks!

30 Days of Thanks, Day 14

Today I am thankful for my parents. They taught me to live a life of integrity, to laugh, to love others deeply, that family is important, to be true to my word, and most importantly, that having my life anchored in a real relationship with Jesus are what are important in life. Thanks mom and dad for the living example. I love you!

30 Days of Thanks, Day 8

Today I am thankful for my very talented, beautiful sister.  We have had our ups and downs, as most siblings do, but we love each other, support each other, and love each other.  She is a blessing in my life.  

30 Days of Thanks, Day 7

Today I am thankful for my youngest niece.  Today is her birthday, she turns 7.  She can always bring a smile to my face and make me laugh.  I am so blessed to have her in my life, and be close enough to share the big moments of life with her.  

Happy birthday!  We love you!

30 Days of Thanks, Day 3

Today I am thankful for my family.  We are far from perfect, but we share a lot of love, tears, hope, laughter, and precious moments together, building memories that we will treasure in our hearts for a lifetime.  

Family Gathering

It's probably been 25-30 years since those of us that were around at that time have all been together in one place. On Saturday, we all got a little more reacquainted with each other as we spent six to eight hours together. We had a family get together with my parents and our family, my uncle and his family, my aunt and her family. The ages ranged from three to seventy-five. Part of the get together was to celebrate my aunt Donna's 75th birthday. Part of it was just to get reacquainted with one another. The younger generation didn't even know who part of the relatives were, which is scary since some are at dating age! We certainly don't need any of the family tree to miss a branch along the way, that is for sure, so glad we got the cousin introductions out of the way with them!! haha Our summertime family gatherings used to always ensure that a nasty water fight would break out sometime during the day. On Saturday, however, despite 96 degree temps, the water fights never really broke out until it was almost time to go, and very little retaliation was had by those who had water dumped on them. It could have been that it was so hot, no one cared, or that we've all aged so much that no one felt like chasing each other around the yard. One of my cousins sat on the deck in the shade for an hour saying he really wanted to dump water on different ones, or toss them in my sister's pond, but aside from him pouring a little water on my dad, his sister, and probably a couple others who got in the way, it didn't go much past the talking point.


The day included some badminton, a lot of talking and laughing, too much food, a ball on the roof, and a few canoe rides around the pond by some of the younger generation trying to find bull frogs because my uncle was offering $1 a frog so he could take them home to put in his pond. My cousin's son sat beside me and kept asking 'now who is that? How are they related?' I had to take everything back to his grandma, my aunt, and take the family tree out from there. I don't know that he ever figured it all out, but I think he was amused at all the new found relatives he has. The three youngest in the bunch had a great time playing all day, and for part of the day, they were the smart ones because they went inside the log house where it was cool to play.

One of my cousin's, who is a faithful reader of my blog, is scared to read what I may write on here today. I was tempted to put on a really funny picture of her on here, but no one tempted me with a dollar bribe so I will leave it off. (Inside joke!)


The day was full of many wonderful memories that will be cherished throughout the years. I hope we have the opportunity to all meet again like that soon, and share more laughter and build more memories.



Ball Retrieval



Okay, I got the ball, now how do I get down?




Two aunts (sister-in-law's) sharing a laugh



Family




I don't even want to know what was being said with this bunch!




Water fight number 1




Hey, times are tough. A dollar a frog is a tough way to make a living, but they are young and need all the financial help they can get!!!






The youngest of the bunch

"Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future. We make discoveries about ourselves." Gail Lumet Buckley

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. ~Jane Howard

Summer Fun

The nieces came for a visit over the weekend. Saturday was packed with activity, after we arrived at our house in the early afternoon. First, it was time to play ball with our dog while running through the sprinkler







After the sprinkler and lunch, we watched 101 Dalmatians and played while we waited for my hubby to get home. He was at a men's event for church until mid-day, but as soon as he got home and washed the mud off himself from playing tug of war, we headed to Spokane. Spokane wasn't in the plans, but they insisted that they get to go to the carousel with their uncle since he missed the last trip. We had fun, but there was an annoying carousel attendant who walked around the shorter than last time rides, at an amazing pace. Not sure why he decided to do laps through those of us trying to enjoy a carousel ride but he sure did them fast and every time, he would bump into us as we sat there,
attempting to enjoy the ride!



After the five short rides on the carousel, we decided to head back to Idaho and grab some dinner at GW Hunters, and then we went to play mini golf. Hubby and I have never played mini golf so fast! The girls went through the course at lightning speed!! I think their favorite hole was the one when they hit it in the hole, it traveled underground to another green and popped out. They were fascinated at how the ball started out on one green and ended up on another! They were so fascinated, they played that hole about ten times each. We finished up mini golf just before sunset.



We came home and ate some 'ice cream' we made in our Vita Mix. We just add a touch of soy milk and lots of frozen fruit. Yummy and no sugar or preservatives!! This particular batch had organic blueberries and organic strawberries. We had two very blue faces in the house as they enjoyed the treat. The evening ended with watching a funny movie about dogs, and a slumber party in the living room with all of us landing on the couch, and our big air mattress. Today, we did some shopping and bought a few books, then took them home. We had a great time with the girls and built a lot of memories and had a lot of laughs. I don't know about the girls, but I know that a certain aunt and uncle are completely worn out!

Happy Birthday, Mom

Happy birthday, Mom!!

We are wishing you day filled with love and happiness. I am thankful that God blessed me with a wonderful mom, and friend, like you. I appreciate how you have been there for me, helped me through life, encouraged me, and listened when I needed to talk. I am so thankful that I was blessed by a loving home to grow up in and living examples of how I should live my life. I am so thankful that you shared your love and gift of photography with me, so that I can enjoy the beauty around me, through the eyes of a photographer. Thanks for being there, for your hugs, and for your love. We love you!! Have a wonderful birthday!!

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. Philippians 1:3 (The Message)

Fun in the Sun

We spent most of the weekend in Sandpoint. It was nice to get away, I just should have left the cell phone at home if I wanted an entirely quiet weekend, because work did catch up with me mid-day yesterday. Mom and dad have very, very slow dial up, so I wasn't on the computer at all. It was kind of nice to take a break from technology and just enjoy life. The colors on the drive to Sandpoint, and around the area are amazing right now! Plus, the sun shining on all the beautiful hues of fall made everything that much more vibrant.

My sister and I, and her two girls, spent most of Saturday together.
We went to the park and played and laughed.


The static electricity from the slide made our hair stand straight up, so that provided
a good laugh in itself.



After playing, we decided that we needed an ice cream break. Some enjoyed the ice cream more than others.


We cleaned up a bit and then went to the dollar store and I told the girls I would buy them one thing each. While one rode in the cart, one walked the aisles and both mastered the puppy dog eyes to get their auntie to buy them more stuff. Yes, I am a sucker!!! I don't get to spend a lot of time with them, so I have to spoil them while I can. Plus, it's the dollar store!! At least I got out of there for under $20!!

Sunday, we celebrated my mom's birthday a couple days early. Dad made delicious shrimp/chicken/veggie shish kabobs!! We had a great weekend, and I am thankful for the time with my family.