R & R

For me as a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian the Sabbath is my day of rest. That doesn't imply that I should sleep all day (though I do quite enjoy sleeping in on Saturdays). Rather it means more that I take a break from the things that bring stress to my typical work week and focus on the goodness of our loving God. To me this means taking time to fellowship with my family and friends in a wholesome and uplifting way, to spend time in nature, and to dwell with the Lord the best I know how through thought and worship.

This past Saturday announced the close of Christmas day. It was actually really neat having a day of rest after that day of joyous holiday ruckus. I was immensely blessed in church through the loving attention of a very sweet and energetic little boy who wanted to play with me the whole time. I must confess I might not have been the most attentive to the sermon that was being preached, but somehow the joy of a child is it's own precious message from God that always leaves me feeling blessed.

That afternoon we filled our bellies with tasty goodness and then took a short jaunt over to Elmshaven, the former home of Adventist author Ellen White. Being just a few houses away, it only took about five minutes to meander over and take a quick look. We didn't bother taking the tour because we also wanted to take Jared and Jodi up to see Pacific Union College.

We made it up to PUC in plenty of time to drive around campus and see what the place
was made of. And since we still had a bit of daylight left after that we pulled off the road on our way out of the quiet town of Angwin to hike to a gorgeous place called Linda Falls. I am so proud of my parents for being such adventurous people. It was really fun having them along!

We hiked along a gentle path and then dropped down a steep, slippery trail that lead us down, down, down to the rocky banks of the cascading river. Once to the water, we spent time playing, exploring, and enjoying our surroundings to the fullest!



Saturday night was spent in happy commotion as Michael's family joined mine at his Grandparent's house for game night. Though we only squeezed in a couple games, most of the time was spent talking. Isn't that the way it should be? I loved it! We all shared a variety of stories and memories as the hours flew by. Before we knew it the late, late night was upon us. We were reluctant to say goodnight, but finally succumbed to the need for sleep before the rush of another busy day.