in the garden

Oh, how I love butterflies and ripening raspberries and little leafy carrot plants. And I love white roses.

Have a favorite?

forever

 

Forever is a long, long, long time. Isn’t it funny how we can’t imagine eternity—endlessness—and yet neither can we imagine ending and being nonexistent? Or, at least, I can’t. I can’t imagine being completely senseless to the universe, but I can’t imagine living forever and ever either.

I’m sure glad God can. And I’m so glad God loves me enough to want to share His eternity with me! Does it ever hit you how utterly unfathomable that love is? His Son died on the cross for my sin. That’s like… me giving my life for the ants in an anthill just because I love them that much.

Wow.

Excuse me while I work through this massive brain-glitch shutdown.

All I can say is … how great is our God!

la mariposa

 

I've watched you now a full half-hour;
Self-poised upon that yellow flower
And, little Butterfly!  Indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless! - not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!
~William Wordsworth, “To a Butterfly”

My British Literature class went over some of Wordsworth’s poetry this spring. We didn’t get to read this poem, but like the ones we did read, it’s meditative and beautiful. If you like melancholy poetry (or melancholy anything), you should read Wordsworth’s “We are Seven.”

Anyway, enough about school. Summer vacation began at noon yesterday!

For the record, I’m not usually a big fan of photos left completely out of focus, but I experimented with the butterfly and I think it adds an ethereal air to this picture. Feedback would be appreciated. :)

“Long live the butterflies.”
  (<< from In the Time of the Butterflies, which we watched as a cultural study of the Dominican Republic in my Spanish class. Very, very sad movie, and even sadder for being true. But how did I get back on the topic of school?!)

resolutions

I don't make serious New Year's Resolutions. I don't really know why. Most years I just don't think about it, and if I do, I accidentally-on-purpose forget about it within the first week or two of January.

I do have one serious "resolution" this particular year, however, which will hopefully become more of a "lifetime resolution" than a "new year's resolution": to grow toward Christ more strongly than ever. As the year comes to an end and I look back on my 2010 while those around me do the same, I see that there are a lot of blessings I could have appreciated so much more at the time if I was less focused on being stressed out! Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." If writing terrifying English essays and studying for ceaseless tests counts as labor and heavy-ladenness, I claim that promise!!

Now, for the somewhat-less-serious resolutions. . . .

1.     I'll start with the so-overused, completely-cliche one about improving my health via diet and exercise. The "diet" part will not begin on January First because I have leftover Christmas candy and my upcoming birthday to look forward to, so I probably won't start this one till the end of January. But come to think of it, by then I'll be looking toward my best friend's birthday, Valentine's day, Easter. . . . Oh, it is such a good thing I don't take these resolutions seriously!!

2.    Hmm. Although this is only number two, I think it may end up being the last, because I fail at making good, original lists, as you've probably noticed. Anyway. Since I have been growled at by so many friends, family, and acquaintances lately for my consistent references to failing, I have resolved to remark on my certainty of failure audibly only once per day. The rest must be imprisoned in my mind so I don't annoy anyone else. (I would resolve to stop predicting my failures altogether, but I would completely fail at accomplishing that, whereas this way I might have a 1% chance of success.)

So there you have it. One serious resolution and two "it-would-be-nice-but-I-can-and-probably-will-do-without" resolutions.

My goodness, I don't sound very optimistic for the new year, do I? I am, in fact, an optimist.

Really.

And if I truly stick with my serious resolution, I will undoubtedly succeed with the other two, because "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). That's another good promise to hang onto this year!

"And this is your final resolve?"

[envision an angry, confident glare from Lizzy]


"Very well, I shall know how to act!"

(quotes from Lady Catherine de Bourgh when she is yelling at Lizzy for being engaged to Mr. Darcy when, in fact, Lizzy is not engaged to Mr. Darcy. Pride and Prejudice, 1995 version.)

Do you think that when half of your communication is made up of movie lines, it signifies a lack of original thinking such as that which abbreviated my list of resolutions? Hmm.

Have a blessed 2011, everyone!

postage stamps

"Consider the postage stamp:  its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there."
~Josh Billings

The fair is over, and I have to admit I was disappointed with my photos. I got a pretty high proportion of red and white ribbons, but no comments from the judge to explain what I could have done better, which was discouraging. From what I understand the photos are judged individually according to the Danish system, but no scorecards were given out. So I guess I'm not going to learn much from my photo experience this year. :(


I was happy to receive two special awards in the 4-H division, though:

"Outstanding Entry" Award

"Top of Show" Award

And I'm way too addicted to photography to be discouraged for long. :) Like the postage stamps--I just have to stick with it till I get there. I'm already looking through the 900+ photos I took in the last week for next year's candidates! Here are a few . . .

Oscar, our kingly kitty, turned eight a couple weeks ago and seems to be taking over Lenny's position very seriously, as you can see by his half-watchful, half-napping position. :)

I took a lot of pictures during the rodeo events at the fair. It's amazing how young some of these kids start rodeoing. They grow up to be amazing cowboys and cowgirls!

Last but not least . . . Old Glory from its best angle: horseback!

Another fair come and gone . . . that doesn't seem possible. We showed our lambs and sold them for $4.50/pound each at the Market Stock Sale.

Just think . . . only 360 days till our next county fair!

(My parents hate that line.)