Tina The Storyteller

My sweet little girl has been at camp all week. I'm thankful for so many people asking how she's doing and that I have absolutely no news to report! We haven't heard a word from her or the camp so I'm assuming everything is going wonderfully. I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for my awesome husband. He took a day of this week and we just hung out and had a great time, went to lunch, saw a movie, made dinner together. It was wonderful to just be together. I'm thankful for all the little bits of work that I've been able to do. The main one was cleaning Hannah's room, but it was a big chore and it needed to be done. I even got to her closets. Which is pretty amazing if you've seen he closet recently. I'm thankful for our weekly campfires at church. It's wonderful to just go sit out in a field with the campfire going and talk and sing while being bathed in smoke. It's lovely. What are you thankful for?

I used to be a huge fan of football. I never got into the logistics of it all, just really enjoyed watching the game. And I was a Bill's fan, back when they were loosing Superbowls. Chris Spielman was playing in the NFL during that era. I don't actually remember him, but part of me wonders how I missed his story in the midst of it, because the story is amazing. That's Why I'm Here is a recounting of Chris's struggle while discovering his wife has breast cancer and the journey they began with cancer. Ultimately, Chris's wife, Stephanie, lost her life to cancer, but the life that she lived was defined by so much more than her sickness. Chris does an excellent job of showing how his family coped with the hardships and pointing out the strength and courage that his wife had during the midst of her battle. That's Why I'm Here is a combination of an insider's look at not only a cancer journey, but of a journey to the NFL. Chris brings a real perspec...

I'm thankful that Hannah and I are done with lessons for about a week and a half. And that she is going off to camp next week. It will be a great adventure! I'm thankful that God still talks and moves about this world, directing and encouraging. I'm thankful for an awesome husband who makes me walk, even when I would prefer to run. I'm thankful for new shoes. I'm thankful for a silly cat that is becoming more affectionate as she gets older. I'm thankful for friends. I'm thankful for work that needs to be done and the ability to do it. What are you thankful for?

HI! It feels like I have been away for such a long time. But here I am, ready with a whole bunch of things to share with you! First, I'm thankful for my husband! God has blessed me with such an amazing man. It has been an honor and a privilege to be his bride. I can't believe that we will be celebrating our 11th anniversary this weekend. We've come a long way since 2001. Never in my dreams would I have imagined a life as wonderful as the one that he has helped provide me. I'm thankful for challenges. Our family verse this year is from Romans 12:11 Never be lazy. Serve the Lord with enthusiasm. (NLT) We have been putting ourselves through some physical challenges thanks to our verse and to my reading of Gary Thomas's Every Body Matters. I want to be able to say yes to what ever the Lord requires of me. Our latest challenge has been to run for 20 minutes. Took us six weeks to work up to it, but we did it. My next challenge is to do 2 miles in those 20 minutes....

Bees in the Butterfly Garden  is probably one of my most anticipated books this year. I couldn't wait to get it! And then I had to pace myself while reading it. It's one of those books where I just wanted to lay in bed all day and read. It was so lovely to be transported back into time and have an adventure. The story is about a young woman, Meg, who discovers that her father has died. She was raised in a boarding school, so she never knew much about her father. She takes this moment to discover what she's been missing and what she discovers is that her father was a thief. Meg decides that she will prove to herself and to her dead father that she could have been a thief as well and that she should have been allowed to be part of his life. Meg promises her father's protege, Ian, that she will discover where the famous Pemberton gold is located so that he can steal it. In order to do this, she has to spend the summer with the young Pemberon's in New York. One ...

One of Joel's favorite things when he was growing up was when his dad would make a tri-tip roast. And as many recipes as we've received and made our own from his family, this one remains the same, maybe because it's so tasty and so easy. Tri-Tip roast (ask your grocery's butcher if you don't see it) Dijon  mustard kosher salt Rub the roast with mustard and salt, don't be stingy with either of them. Cook on your bbq grill until medium. There will be some nice bits on the end that are well done, the whole thing has good parts too it. It's even tasty served cold the next day. What tasty treats have you had lately?