Fishing Woes...

...don't get me wrong...I love to fish, but I confess that I was a little frustrated after the second time out on the rivers with no steelhead to show for it. The kicker was driving 2 hrs to Pennsylvania, paying $26 for a day license, listening to the guy at the store tell us "it doesn't matter where you go on the river. There are fish everywhere...we have never had soooooooo many fish in the river before...ever..." Well he was right, there are fish in the river and here is my proof.

On another note...my brother claims to have caught 2 steelhead...he 'caught' them both when no one else was around. At least I have a picture of mine... :)






Just for reference...this is what a steelhead looks like... and that is not my brothers hand.

On a positive, not sarcastic note... I loved being back in the cold weather of the U.S. The air was so clean... I don't think I "saw" any the whole time I was there. There were still some leaves on the trees and I actually got to see some snow. It was a blessing to be out in the woods in the fall again... miss that.

The reason I went back to OH was for a good friends wedding... been praying for a lady for him and she seems great. Speaking of cold woods... they live in Minneapolis and when I flew over on the way out it looked pretty cold.

it must be cold where you are....

i woke up to what felt like a chill in the air, thought i was delusional, then looked at my weather underground thingy & saw it was in fact 63 degrees... in Thailand! sure, it will probably be 90 before 4pm, but i'll enjoy it while it lasts.

The local temperature is updated every half-hour or so, in case you ever want to know just HOW warm it is here... it's always on our blog.... at the top of the column on the right.

to pass the time..

just in case anyone is concerned with how we're spending our time apart...

last weekend, caryn hiked 3km uphill with all her stuff (no sherpas here, debbie) to chaperone a high school retreat. she led a devotion encouraging the kids to look at Psalm 139, while asking God to reveal truth about themselves & Himself. Then she promptly fell asleep for the rest of the afternoon, leaving them to the care of the Lord and other capable chaperones. (yes i am out of shape & twice the age of the other campers, but can you find me in this picture?)


meanwhile, mike was taking seriously God's command to subdue the earth and rule over its creatures (and taking advantage of the start of deer season), hoping to have a repeat of the above scene (from several seasons ago... boy was she yummy!)... sorry to any squeamish bloggers.

while mike is away....

last night i had 10 girls in the house giggling, eating chocolate, and watching Roman Holiday... does it get any better? mike called in the middle of it all &, after assessing the situation, insisted the house undergo a "cleansing" upon his return... i know he was secretly happy for me... after all he left for 3 weeks.

ANN: I hate this nightgown. I hate all my nightgowns, and I hate all my underwear too.
COUNTESS: My dear, you have lovely things.
ANN: But I'm not two hundred years old. Why can't I sleep in pajamas?
COUNTESS: Pajamas!?
ANN: Just the top part. Did you know that there are people who sleep with absolutely nothing on at all?
COUNTESS: I rejoice to say that I did not.

click here to listen to or watch scenes from the movie:
http://www.audrey1.com/roman.html

island retreat

at the end of our last recording, we had a couple of days to relax... the local people we worked with recommended a little island not far from where we were working... not much to do but roam around, collect shells, and snorkel a bit...the sunsets got better & better... just what we were hoping for.

(click picture to see it bigger)

the meadowlark

Around the time Mike & I were dating, I must have read this excerpt from the book journey of desire (see below)… I was so moved by it that I printed out a picture of a meadowlark & hung it up in my cubicle….

Later, when I went through all of my stuff as I was getting ready to move to Thailand, I found the printout of the meadowlark in a stack of papers… but by that time, I tried & tried but could not remember why the bird was special.... so I threw it away.

I was so encouraged when this came... it solved the mystery and was a timely reminder of the message of the meadowlark to me today….


The Meadowlark
10/29/2006
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The meadowlark has long been my favorite songbird. I love its song because it evokes so many summer days out in the fields and streams of the West. Its song means summer, hay meadows, long lazy days, fly-fishing. More than anything else, it has become for me a symbol of hope. The meadowlark returns to Colorado in the early spring, and as I’ve mentioned, that typically means it arrives about the same time our major snowstorms hit. What courage; if it were me, I’d wait until June when the weather warms up. But they come in spite of the snow, and take their place on fence posts and the tops of small trees, and begin singing. Hearing a midsummer song almost seems out of place when the flurries are whipping about your face. But that is exactly when we need it.

I heard two meadowlarks again this spring, calling and responding to each other on a cold and windy day. God began to speak through them. I heard him urging me to keep my own summer song, even though life’s winter tries to throw into my spring cold wind and snow. Do not throw away your confidence, he said. Do not budge from your perch, but sing your song, summer confident, sure of my great goodness toward you. You did not bring this spring, dear child; you do not have to arrange for the summer to follow. They come from thy Father’s will, and they will come.

Brent was buried on a Thursday afternoon. As we gathered by the graveside, Craig read these words: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25–26). He closed his Bible and we all stood in silence, not really knowing what to say or do; no one wanted to leave; no one really wanted to stay. It seemed so final. At that moment, a meadowlark sang.

This is my song in return.

(The Journey of Desire , 210–12)
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From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 302
Ransomed Heart Ministries www.ransomedheart.com


to hear the song of the meadowlark, go to:
http://www.naturesongs.com/weme1.wav