Africa was more than I ever could have dreamed of. The people were wonderful. We had so many opportunities to share the gospel. I loved every single second of it! I have some very exciting news to share. And many of the people were so open. We gave away many Bibles and touched so many lives. My life will never be the same.

After 10 days of clinics (with Sunday off for church and R & R) we have the fabulous opportunity to go to Zambia for 2 days on an African Safari

Words cannot even come close to how amazing that was! Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever thought I would go on a Safari in Africa in my lifetime. I stand in awe of a God who created so many wonderful animals and constantly wonder how amazing heaven will be! We live in a world marred by sin and yet there is so much to delight our eyes with the wonder of our Lord! What will it be like when all things are made new and perfect!!

And, of course, there were birds in Africa, like this beautiful stork.

Although it was over 2 years ago, it still holds a warm spot in my heart. Someday I would love to go back. Apart from my family, it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had in my Christian walk, and certainly in my nursing career.

This is (was) an opportunity of a lifetime and I cannot believe the time came (and went) so quickly. For many years I have thought and/or dreamed of going on a Medical Mission trip, but now, the Lord is allowing it to happen. For more information and to keep posted on our team's progress along the way, please visit our team blog at http://www.malawimedicalteam.blogspot.com/ . I am also one of several people who will help to maintain this blog for our team. Check it out and see our picture of Malawi - not Maui (What?? We aren't going to Hawaii???) We are one of the largest teams going out from our church this summer. My teammate and I are hoping to post some bios of our team members over the next few weeks.

Aloha from Hawaii!!!


Last September Al and I went to the islands of Oahu and Kauai in Hawaii. For me, it was a long awaited trip. I've wanted to go to Hawaii since I was in junior or senior high school. Growing up in Upstate New York, I never thought it would ever happen. I was only a little country girl and Hawaii seemed a million miles away. Last September I finally made it. I took so many pictures, I don't even know where to begin.

I have always admired sunset pictures and had a lot of fun trying to capture a few of my own Hawaiian sunsets. This one was taken September 20th, on our 1st night in Oahu. I still had stars in my eyes with the realization I was actually here!!

I continued to take sunset pictures almost every night, hoping to capture the "perfect" one. These were also taken in Oahu.

These last two were taken from our hotel in Kauai. One was taken on our first night there, about 1/2 way through our 10-day vacation. The other picture is taken from another location at the hotel and was my last Hawaiian sunset as we left for home the next day.

We obviously had a lot of other beautiful scenery and things to take pictures of while we were there. We saw several of these cute little Red-Crested Cardinals on both islands. We saw other interesting birds, but the pictures were not that great. On both islands there were wild chickens everywhere.

And, of course, the views were one spectacular scene

after another....

...and another

... and another

and.......I could go on and on, but there isn't enough room on my blog to capture all the beauty. The flowers in Hawaii were breathtaking, but that will have to be reserved for another post. Once again, I stand in awe of an amazing God who created so much beauty that I can only wonder at what heaven will be like.

Well, I am rising to the challenge and adding some "feathers" to my petals and feathers blog. I have many pictures of birds and will share a few of my favorites. These were all taken at Sepulveda Basin - a bird sanctuary which is practically in our back yard. We love going there. It is free (including the parking) and is only about 6 miles from our house. The earlier in the morning we go, the better the viewing. We were fortunate enough to to find this incredible crane one day. I think he is so stately.

Quite often we see these Great-Tailed Grackles flitting in among the trees and on the ground. They are rather interesting. At first they look black, but they are actually deep purple. Their tails sort of fan at an angle. Try double clicking on the picture for a larger view, which shows his colors much better.

Just a few weeks ago we saw this beutiful little Rufous Hummingbird - it was wonderful to have him stay still long enough for me to zoom in on him and get a really great shot.

That same day we also saw this Spotted Towhee. I was able to get a pretty nice picture of him.

On other days we have seen Canada Geese,

White Pelicans, (Be sure to double click on this one for a better shot)

and ducks...lots and lots of ducks.

It makes for a great Saturday morning hike.

Well...I have a lot of catching up to do since I haven't written in over 2 years. I have been challenged to write and post on my blog. So...I am writing a second one today. I thought I would include a few pictures of my fur-kids.

Cody is our Miniature Schnauzer. We got him when he was 4-1/2 months old through the rescue. He will be 2 in July. He is such a love, but wants to play all the time.

So-o-o...

We got him a Welsh Terrier brother through the WT rescue about 2 months ago. Charlie is 2 months younger than Cody and just about the same size. They really hit is off from the day Charlie arrived.

The two of them play constantly and are the best friends.

That is, except for when there is a bone war. We could have 10 identical bones, but they both want the same one. When one finally wins, neither one of them want the bone anymore!!

On of their favorite games (besides chasing each other all over the place) is to play "hose" when we spray water. As you can see, Charlie really gets into it, jumping up to try to catch the stream. Cody does a pretty good job of keeping up. It cools them down and it sure is an easy way to water the lawn and exercise the dogs!

Okay, so I am not much of a blogger! My semi-retirement was short-lived. I have been working full time again for a while now. Today Al and I went to Lancaster to the California Poppy Reserve and then headed on to Red Rock Canyon. The poppies were in awesome bloom. We have gone there several other times, but I don't think we have ever seen it so pretty. There were carpets of poppy fields interspersed with a multitude of other flowers, giving a kalidescope of color all around. The rains we had this past year made it especially beautiful. Trying to grasp the beauty of God's creation in a picture is sometimes so hard to do. I feel like I barely can do it justice, but this is some of my humble attempt. The more I see of God's world all around me, the more I stand in awe and wonder what heaven will be like. To think that we will have eternity to worship God and wonder at his work is so much to take in.
Red Rock Canyon is another beautiful spot.

We went there once before, many years ago. We thought it would be nice to continue on and enjoy our own California's Painted Desert.

The rocks are so beautiful, and well worth the drive.