A little of this ... and a lot of {THAT}t.

I'm not going to lie.

Having week 2 of summer already marked off the calendar is unbelievable.

We arrived home from Oak Harbor, celebrated a new marriage with Clint and Darcy, worked pairs of cows/calves the next day, went to the UCCA Father's Day Picnic, packed Clint and Darcy's things, and then just spent a week at home.

Home without much going on.

Home without Internet.

Home without a phone ringing very often.

Home.

.............................

I've read several good books - The Vineyard - being one I couldn't put down.

I've made cookies - Monster Cookies - being the one disappearing the quickest.

I've purchased bamboo shades for our HUGE windows.

I've taken Mack to the dentist.

I've played BUNCO with some GREAT friends.

I've got a new favorite summer drink thanks to Jai-Dee.

I've visited with friends I don't see very often.

I've printed pictures.

I've rearranged furniture.

I've taken a nap or two.

I've mowed the yard.

I've truly enjoyed the solitude and the choices I've made by saying {no} to things I've thought I'd always say {yes} to.

But I'm not going lie.

It hasn't been easy.

It has given me a feeling of {disconnect}.

It's proven that this season is one for a little of the past and a lot of the future.

New priorities.

New relationships.

New answers.

New ways of looking at the same things I've always looked at.

...............................

So, as I spend the next month living this life on which I've placed my trust.

I'm going to do just that.

Trust.

Trust that although I'm {disconnected} from the www. it won't hinder the relationships I've built because of the www.

Trust that the time I spend reading and watching and playing will be remembered by my boys forever.

Trust that God has this life of mine in His hands ... totally, completely ... 100%.

And that this feeling of {disconnect} that tugs on my heart every once in awhile is just God saying:

{I'm right here ... I'm all you need}.

Because really ... life is a whole lot of {a little of this and a little of that} ... but not often you hear that life is a whole lot of {THAT}.

And {THAT} is just what I need.

.........................

Warning:  Random pictures to follow ...

Praying your June ends with a lot of {THAT} goodness, faithfulness, peace, patience, kindness, love,joy and self-control that only He can give.

Whidbey Island.

The boys and I left last Monday with my parents ... and made the trek north to Whidbey Island to visit my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and my cousin Brooke and her family.

A wonderful experience for the boys ... and loads of pictures to prove it.

  

 

 

4 days of fun, sun and love.

My grandpa got really sick on our second day there ... God has answered our prayers ... and thankfully my grandpa is on the mend!

It was a wonderful visit, and we hope to return soon!!

A little {less}

but a whole lot {more}!

Summer vacation has begun ... and I'm headed out the door of my classroom in minutes.

 I'm going to do my best to update this journal of mine weekly, but I can't make any promises.

Having no internet at home during the summer will be different ...  not bad ... just different.

........................................

It will be a summer filled with goodness, mercy and a whole lot of love .... and adventures around every corner.

So thank you faithful family and friends ... Bales and Tales will be a little {less} right now ... but a whole lot {more} later.

May your summer be filled with abundant blessings and those {winks} from God that make life interesting.

Peace.

June 8th ... and the multitudes.

When you find yourself in that place, that space, that moment when no matter what is going on ... all you feel is love ... that's when you find yourself the owner of everything that can't be bought!

......................................................

322.  seafood fettuccine.

323.  report cards done {earlier} than usual. amazing.

324.  a quiet morning at home.

325.  a path, a plan and a mother-in-law to help.

326.  birthdays.

327.  rose bushes in full bloom.

328.  cattle trucks.

329.  Clint & Darcy.  Missing them already and they're not even gone.

330.  worship & a powerful message.

331.  friendship {and so much more} with the people I am blessed to work with.

332.  a hanging basket. 

333.  a card filled with abundant amounts of love. 

334.  surprise gifts ... hand delivered! 

335.  Facebook on my birthday.  Enough said.

336.  Sunshine.

337.  College friends that are better friends than ever as adults.

338.  Mail in my {mailbox} at school!

339.  Memory books.

340.  Gift cards.

341.  my camera.  {again and again}

342.  opportunities to shine.

343.  dinner with friends.

344.  love. so much love.

...........................................

June 8th ... another trip around the sun just beginning ... and a lifetime of blessings ahead.

Welcome {34} ... I'm glad you're here!

digging deeper.

{surface} is easy.

{surface} doesn't require much work.

{surface} is {what you see is what you get}.

.......................................................

but life isn't about {surface}.

at least mine isn't.

when I dig deeper ... that's when I see who I really am.

...................................

It's easy to be a {surface} kind of person.

But being {deep} ... well, that's a whole different ball game ... and it requires a whole lot of {digging}.

....................................

The moral of this little post : 

{dig} up the goodness that has planted itself around you ... 

you'll be surprised what you might find ... and what you might learn about yourself too.

....................

{multitudes of much} to come tomorrow :)

Thoughts on {Measure}.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

~ Martin Luther King Jr.

.........................................

Sometimes ...

when you think you measure up to the best

 ... you're measuring yourself against the wrong thing.

...........................................

Matthew 7:13-14

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

............................................

Great message today Pastor Dave.

We're making our way ...

through the beginnings of June.

Cows & calves moved to higher ground.

Fences built and repaired.

Report cards.

End of the school year parties.

Birthdays.

An empty classroom.

... and so much more.

.................................

And if last Saturday was any indication of what our summer is going to be like ...

We're ready!

Are you?!