Grief

On the 21st, my father passed away unexpectedly. I don't have all the thoughts that are in my head figured out...sometimes they seem rather incoherent. But right now, I find my comfort in this: “Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long? Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love” (Psalm 6:2-4). “I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. My eye has wasted away with grief” (Psalm 6:6-7 NASB). My husband and I feel like we've been beaten up, but as my mother said, we're not beaten down.

Paul McCartney Concert

Paul McCartney Concert, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

Jay and I saw Sir Paul McCartney in concert on the 19th of July. What an awesome concert! I wasn't expecting such a great show from someone who's in his 70's, but Sir Paul certainly still knows how to rock! This is definitely, one of the best concerts I have ever seen.

Enjoy the pictures!

My Husband!!!!!

IMG_4070, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

*SQUEEEEEEE* It's a picture of my husband! He's a handsome one, isn't he? Can you tell I love him dearly and love spending time with him? This is from one of our first dates after getting married...might even be two days after the wedding.

We decided that since we're not going on a honeymoon right away, that we'd still do something special together, by hitting up the zoo on our day off and having a nice dinner out.

Don't worry though, we're still planning a honeymoon for later. :)

This man was definitely a "keeper" from day one!!

여보~ 너무 사랑해요! 잘생겼어요! ㅎㅎ

Zach

IMG_4043, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

Our newest family member, Zach. He's a 2.5 year old tabby that we adopted from the PAWS shelter in Lynnwood. He's quite the trouble-maker, instigating fights with our older, 6 year-old cat. Poor Winslow...he's had his territory taken over.

They get along well, minus the few times Zach wallops Winslow in the head to start playtime. ^^

-Cheers!

Kalaloch 2013

Kalaloch 2013, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

I spent the weekend at the ocean and I had a blast! I posted some of my pics and I hope you enjoy them!

-Cheers!

Tozer Thought of the Day - 1

But Jesus did not preach to the multitudes as though they were a faceless crowd. He preached to them as individuals, and with a knowledge of the burdens and the needs of each one. Our Savior did not come into the world to deal with statistics!

Tozer, A.W. (2011-04-13). Mornings with Tozer (Kindle Locations 1188-1189). Wingspread Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Shinhwa is stuck in my head and won't get out...

Space Needle

, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

View from below...

Christmas Carol

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, is one of my favorite hymns. It only seemed proper to post it after attending a Christmas Concert all about Advent Season.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Advent Thoughts, Part 1

I am not alone at all, I thought.  I was never alone at all.  And that, of course, is the message of Christmas.  We are never alone.  Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent.  For this is still the time God chooses." - Taylor Caldwell (1900-85)

After attending SPU's Sacred Sounds of Christmas concert this year, I am reminded of God's birth even more, and am giddy with anticipation for what that birth means.  There were even themes in the last two Sunday services I listened to that neatly tied into Advent.

First - God knows us and sees us.  He knows where we've been, where we are and where we are going.  Even when we're at our lowest or worst, He still meets us and intervenes.  This ties into the "The Word Proclaimed" and "The Promise Made."  Hence the quote above.

Second - is a reason to rejoice!  In "The Message" translation in Romans 5: 6-11 we find many interesting points:

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen.  He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready.  He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready.  And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway.  We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice   But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.  Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way.  If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we're at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life!  Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose.  WE SING AND SHOUT OUR PRAISES TO GOD THROUGH JESUS, THE MESSIAH.

This promise made through his birth was fulfilled and therefore the world transformed.  Which means that we should rejoice!  It is a great thing that has happened.

I'm grateful for this season and am grateful for the reminders lately, that tell me that even in my darkest days and when I'm doubting my faith that I'm not alone.  That God has been with me and met me in every high and low situation.  And even in those low periods where I don't think I have what it takes...or when I'm berating myself for stupid decisions and sins, that God still meets me and invites me into His story.  I do rejoice and I am thankful this Advent Season.

BSU Players

BSU Players, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

Taking in a BSU Game, I saw the players run in from on the field. How cool is that? Thanks Courtney for getting me a ticket and the opportunity to stand on the BSU Field during the opening kick-off. One of the many awesome experiences I had while in Boise this last week.

-Cheers!

Swan

Swan, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

My brother and I also aggravated a swan while we were out for a walk on the Boise Greenbelt.

She swam up and started hissing, but never climbed out. Paul was hoping that she'd get out and start chasing us. He was telling me about some of the other more aggressive ones that would chase runners down the trail. Also, that if there were couples and the swan started chasing the girl, that the boys would generally ditch the other half and run for their lives.

-Cheers!

View from Inferno Cone

View from Inferno Cone, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

I went to the Craters of the Moon National Monument this week. This is one of the best views I saw while I was there. My brother and I climbed to the top of Inferno cone.

Nature sure is pretty, isn't it?

-Cheers!

My apologies...

I'm working on re-designing my blog and updating my domain, but it seems that not as is going according to plan.  Sorry my site looks like it sucks right now.

-Karen

Test Post for New Layout

Test Post

Naval Undersea Museum

Naval Undersea Museum, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

USS Henry M. Jackson

USS Henry M. Jackson, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

I learned about Trident Submarines today. The ones in the Pacific Ocean are all based in the area - Bangor Naval Base.

"The 14 Trident II SSBNs together carry approximately fifty percent of the total American active inventory of strategic thermonuclear warheads."

These are cool, and they're all named after states except for this one apparently.

The Naval Undersea Museum on the peninsula is an interesting place to go, it's small, but it's full of some interesting history. It also came to my attention while I was there, that it's the bicentennial of The War of 1812.

Enjoy the new pics!

-Cheers!

Indianapolis 500

IMG_3095, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

Another Car Shot - one that I'm proud of. :)

Warty Pig - Woodland Park Zoo

Warty Pig - Woodland Park Zoo, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

I also made another trip to the zoo to see the newest arrivals. The Warty Pigs are so cute!! There are three and they're next to the Elephant exhibit. You definitely want to stop by!!

-Cheers!

Car Museum in Tacoma

IMG_3083, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

I finally got around to uploading my pictures from my trip to the car museum there. I think it's the LeMay Car Museum. It's right of I-5 South next to the Tacoma Dome, so you really can't miss it.

It was pretty cool to see so many floors of cars dating back to the horseless carriage. I'm not a car fanatic, but I have to say...the progression of vehicles is impressive. To see the Ferrari's lined up in a row or to see all the Indianapolis 500 cars throughout history, is amazing. You'll learn a lot just by walking through the museum. My one wish, was that there would be more plaques containing the history about the individual cars. More explanations about why they're significant to history and what makes the car stand out to us either socially/culturally or technologically.

Anywho...enjoy the new pics!

-Cheers!