Last Baby Bump Pics....

Well, these are the last pics of Kristie's bump. The baby arrived just before 3:00PM Saturday 8/29/09 (pics up soon, of course).

Neil and Kristie came down to Carlsbad last Sunday to drop off Kelsie and Bradley for our annual family camping trip 23rd-30th, sadly, she was in no condition to camp but we were more than happy to have the cousins camp with us for a few days.

The trip was looooooong and fabulous so I will post excerpts throughout the week.

ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH

Our Cubs went to a really cool camp recently where they learned the importance of being a team. In addition, they got to zip-line across a big canyon.

TOTAL HIT! Gavin talked about it for day.







Even the girls that were with us went. This is Anissa and Cristina.





Gav’s buddy Matthew



Jacob coming in like a pro.

HaPpy Birthday Kristie

There is nothing more beautiful than an excited mother to be. I love my sister-in-law more than words can say. I hope your day is as extremely special as you are Kristie.

From one Vargas house to another.

 

“We rest here while we can, but we hear the ocean calling in our dreams”

Sometimes I wonder how many things are passed on genetically other than our physical make up. Both Kevin and I grew up camping at the beach because our parents loved the ocean so much. My parents were never really at home unless they were near the ocean and could hear the waves. Better than any drug man could devise, they were instantly calmed and at peace the moment the water was in view. It’s where my dad wanted to be put to rest after the cancer took him so that we wouldn’t have some sad grave site to visit, we could look at the vast and powerful ocean, very much alive, and know that his soul was too and that we would see him again someday.

Very much in the same way, Kevin and I are drawn to the serenity of the beach, no surprise to those who know us well as we can be found camping there as often as our schedule permits. It is an instant de-stresser for my hard working honey and breathing in the salt air seems to put everything into perspective.

Gavin and I stopped off at Carlsbad State Beach for the night before heading down to Camp Balboa with the scouts to visit some friends of ours from Campus Crusade who were camping there. It is customary for Gavin to find a high place to perch the moment he steps out of the car to take in our home away from home. Between the Danish and the Swedish heritage, Gavin has plenty of “Norseman blood” running through his veins and again I wonder….Perhaps it’s nothing more than the buildup of many good times and fond memories that make the beach special but whatever it is, we all seem to express the same kind of awe and appreciation for God’s creation the moment we arrive. It never lessens. It is humbling to say the least.

I tried to candidly catch him in the act but it’s hard with my 20 pound camera.









Jr. lifeguard training camp.





Small pod of dolphins. I think there were four.


Our friends, the Dobosys.



Teresa's long time friend, Leann and her two boys Chase and Jordan.





Danica Dobosy and her friend Marissa.






Gavin and Chase hamming it up.



Although it was short, Gavin and I had a really great visit with our friends. The next day we were off to Cub Scout Camp at Camp Balboa in San Diego. Posting pics soon.

WHO DOES THIS?

So here’s one reason why I won’t be nominated for “Mother of the Year” anytime soon. Typical menu items for the summer include; Pigs in a blanket (but they’re turkey franks), Sun Chips (multi-grain of course), Rice Krispie treats (sorry, no redeeming factor) and of course, full sugar lemonade. A meal that’s full of love with nary an ounce of nutrition in it.

Bi-annual resolution: Feed the neighborhood kids better, not to mention my own. Check back for progress.

STAND

So I’ve been thinking about the reasons that I have a higher level of respect for some and less for others. I’m not talking about judging others but some people just ooze character and qualities that demand respect. Obviously, morality, work ethic and other things come to mind, but I stumbled across another HUGE factor that influences how I feel.

I was standing in line at the post office recently listening to two women chattering on about politics, religion and their thoughts on the universe.

The line was looooooong.

For at least twenty to thirty minutes I listened as one of the women would throw out a theory for conversation and the other, always, cheerfully, accepted it as the truth. Oddly, the different theories often contradicted those offered just minutes before. The woman offering the different schools of thought made a statement that baffled me. She said she’d come to the conclusion that there couldn’t be just one truth, that many theories were right. I laughed to myself at the contradiction. If you say that there is no absolute truth, then that statement in itself can’t be absolutely true. I hope I don’t offend anyone with this post but my point is this; if you don’t believe in something, then in all actuality you believe in nothing. The truth never contradicts itself.

This doesn’t mean that everyone has to agree. That’s what makes this country great. We all have the right to believe and stand for whatever we choose.

I have friends on both sides of the political spectrum and many with varying views on religion. I don’t always agree with them. In fact, a few of us strongly disagree on certain points regularly but I love and respect them immensely for standing up for something, for feeling passionately about something. I love their zeal. They are some of the dearest people in my life. I have two cousins and a good friend all with different theologies than the one I adhere to as the truth. One is Mormon, one a Jehovah’s Witness and one Jewish. We all have a different idea of who Jesus is but….all three of them are truly, fully living and walking in their faith because they believe whole heartedly (as I do in mine) that this is the undisputed truth. Such respect I have for these three strong, beautiful women.

I also have friends who are as far to the left as I am to the right with our political views and we’ve had some pretty heated discussions on hot issues that might separate and divide other friendships, but I’ll tell you what, we’ve also spent many years investing in these friendships and we truly understand why they have taken their stand and mutually, they understand us. This compassion and understanding has bonded us rather than separated us.

Gandhi once said “To believe in something and not to live it is dishonest”. I would be totally dishonest if I said that I wouldn’t love to sway others to my way of thinking, but that is of course because I deeply believe it. I don't mind disagreeing so much, but what I have a hard time with are those who are so apathetic that there is nothing in the world they feel worthy of standing for, nothing worth fighting for. There’s no passion. They’ve given up their right to choose and become nothing more than drones.

Historically there have been many military battles rapidly lost when the enemy, advancing found no resistance, consuming their foe like fuel to the fire. If this trend continues, surely we will watch our freedom sift through our hands like sand.

So let’s agree to disagree if we must, but STAND…..FIGHT…… Believe in something. Rejoice in our freedom. Live what you believe because there are those in this world who do, and they’re just itching to take our choices away from us.