Summer Waterfall Adventures

This summer I had the goal of finding more waterways that I'd never been to before. And the thought occurred to me after I found the first one on my list, that I should be bringing my Native American flute on these journeys (so I could make musical videos at each waterfall). So here are those adventures, which include 2 flute videos. Don't worry, I'll find more this fall!

End of Summer Adventures

Despite the smoke and heat we got (again) this August, I was able to see and do a few things - more towards the end of the month and in September, but it still counts. Here are the photos from those hikes, gatherings, and adventures. 

Early Summer Trails and Adventures

I've been able to hike a little more this year thankfully. Here are the pictures from the places I visited late May through July. Hopefully August isn't too hot so I can keep exploring!

Beating the Heat

While the heat prevented some hiking this summer, I was able to do a couple of day trips. The Canterbury Renaissance Faire & the Maryhill Museum up in Washington.

My Trip To The SoCal Renaissance Faire

I decided early spring I should do more solo traveling this year, and this faire that I've wanted to go to, decided not to reopen in summer, but in spring. I got a weekend off work and voila a new adventure. Here is how it went. 

Sauvie Island 4/24/21

Exploring various wildlife refuge/recreation areas on Sauvie Island. 

Mt. Talbert Summit 4/18/21

Photos from hiking Mt. Talbert Summit in Happy Valley today.

New Year, New Hopes

I don't know about you, but I was so grateful when the calendar switched to 2021. Even though the covid pandemic is still here, the vaccines have arrived, we have a new President & VP, and artists are dropping new music. God is good, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Here are the top 5 tunes that are giving me hope right now.

1) Great You Are by Jordan Smith

2) Rescue by Lauren Daigle 

3) Angels We Have Heard (Glory Be) by Jordan Smith

4) Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) by Pentatonix

5) No Longer Slaves by Jonathan David/Melissa Helser

What are you listening to?

Jeanette's & Mine Summer Vacation To Chalet Shalom

Here are the PICTURES from our very fun summer get-a-way to the Edel Family property!

Autumn Jammin'

Here are the Top 5 songs I'm listening to right now!

1) So Will I (100 Billion X) by Hillsong Worship
2) Drops in the Ocean by Hawk Nelson
3) Speak the Name by Koryn Hawthorne, ft. Natalie Grant
4) You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban
5) All of Switchfoot, but mostly songs from their newest album 'Native Tongue'

What are you listening to?

Spring Tunes

Here are the Top 5 songs I'm listening to right now!

1) Ashes by Celine Dion, from the Deadpool Soundtrack (Written by Jordan Smith)
2) Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
3) Won't He Do It by Koryn Hawthorne
4) Who You Say I Am by Hillsong
5) All of Switchfoot :)

What are you listening to?

Christian Fantasy Discoveries

After being introduced to my current favorite allegorical fantasy author Jill Williamson, she introduced me to one of her publishers, Enclave. All they publish is Christian Fantasy & Sci-Fi!  😂  Faith readers who love adventure rejoice! Some of what I'm going to read next....

 
 

Just Some Great Current Classical Harpists Because Why Not?

                                                   

Emmanuel Ceysson

Principal Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

*I'm A Salvi fan, but this red Salzedo by Lyon & Healy is stunning!

Jana Boušková

Principal Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Naoko Yoshino

Lucerne Festival Orchestra

Yolanda Kondosassis

No. 1 Recorded Harpist

Kicking Off 2018!

A new year has started, and I'm determined to write more blog posts this go-around! But today I don't really have a good topic... So here are my current favorite things, two days in...

• Favorite Song - Mary Did You Know by Jordan Smith / Rise by Katy Perry
• Favorite Book - Eagerly awaiting King's War by Jill Williamson, but in the long meantime... What should I read?
• Favorite Food - Christmas Cookies I made yesterday 😋
• Favorite TV Show - Mork & Mindy 
• Favorite Game - Celtic Heroes 

Happy New Year Everyone! What are you current favorite things?

No Reason To Be Sad At Christmas Time

Last week, after a horrendous new tax proposal, the US president started "honoring his promises to lobbyists" in rolling out cutbacks on many of the environmental safeguards Obama had put in place. While some of them, like the Bears Ears Native American National Monument in Utah are being protested in court (thank you Earthjustice!), others like the banning of oil drilling in the arctic and pesticide bans were lessened or annihilated all together, without room for discussion (though technically the vote isn't for another week, but still). Most Americans don't want this - I don't want this! My own backyard, the Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument is being shrunk - so as you can imagine it pissed me off! One tweet I saw online brought me to tears: "Why can’t daddy stop Congress from hurting caribou/polar bears?" asked the son of the CEO of Northwest Wildlife Foundation... I can only imagine how Collin O'Mara, the CEO, was feeling when he heard his son say it... But me, I was upset. I don't have kids yet, and I want them to be able to experience the greenery and natural beauty of this world, yet I fear that hope is getting farther and farther away. Feeling helpless to be able to do anything about it all days later, I cried to my mom, and another friend later in the week. I hadn't written a blog post in a while, and so my friend suggested that I write one about this, just to put my feelings out there in the world.

Driving home from my friend's office that day, a Christmas song came on the radio that shifted my perspective a tad. I don't remember which song it was, but basically the message was 'because Christ intervened, we have hope.' For some reason the image of the angel chorus that appeared to the shepherds came into my head. And the word that stuck was JOY.

Because of Jesus Christ, all of our sins and fears and burdens are washed away when we accept him as our Lord and Savior. Because of Jesus Christ, we will "not perish, but have everlasting life." We know this. But imagine you and everyone you know haven't heard from God in centuries, and you don't know what he's going to do or when. Put yourself in the shoes of the faithful Jews, shepherds or the wise man. Their hope was in an unanswered question. Will they see God fulfill his promise in their life? Their kids' or grand-kids' lives? What happens if not? And then boom! A star appears, and the answer is there! So close you can literally walk up an touch Him! How would you feel?

All of us are in no way perfect just because Christ is already in our lives. We often wallow in our earthly woes and miseries, forgetting that He can solve not just the big problems, but the itty bitty ones too. Sometimes we even take Jesus for granted because we know he's always there. Or like me this last week, we get mad when change is just beyond our fingertips, and yet we cannot grasp it, and the consequences are ugly. But what if Jesus hadn't come at all yet, or ever?

Christmas is the time of year in which we celebrate Jesus' physical entry into our world. The angels rejoiced, the shepherds were amazed, the wise men were in awe! John the baptist even 'lept for joy' in his mothers womb. Jesus has already intervened, already fulfilled God's promise, and paradise is tangibly within our future! If you really think about it, what reason do we have not to be joyful? The above still makes me sad, and people destroying God's creation always will, but it's Christmas time. The fact that we get to celebrate Jesus' birthday at all is a miracle. Truly keep 'Christ' in your holiday celebrations, and there will be no reason to be sad at Christmas time.

The Canterbury Renaissance Faire

Coming to you from the Canterbury Renaissance Faire in Silverton, Oregon! They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so enjoy this photographic journey! It was super, super fun!! Blogger doesn't upload albums, so click on the link to the google photos album I made.

Mary Did You Know?

"Mary, did you know, That your baby boy will one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know, That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?

Did you know That your baby boy has come to make you new?

This child that you've delivered Will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know, That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?

Mary, did you know, That your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?

Did you know That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?

And when you kiss your little baby You've kissed the face of God

The blind will see, The deaf will hear, And the dead will live again!

The lame will leap, The dumb will speak, The praises of the Lamb!

Mary, did you know, That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know, That your baby boy will one day rule the nations?

Did you know That your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?

This sleeping child you're holding...

Is the Great I Am!

Oh Mary did you know?"

**Keep Christ In Christmas**

Your Brain On Musical Instruments

Music is one of the few activities that utilizes the entire human brain. But have you ever wondered what that looks like? Videographer Anita Collins has created a simple, creative video to explain just that! :D

Autumn Thoughts

"Daisy, give yourself away, Lookup at the rain, The beautiful display, Of power and surrender, Giving us today, And she gives herself away.

Rain, another rainy day, Comes up from the ocean, Give herself away, She comes down easy, On rich and debt the same, And she gives herself away.

Let it go, Daisy, Let it go, Open up your fist, This fallen world, Doesn't hold your interest, It doesn't hold your soul, Daisy, let it go.

Pain, give yourself a name, Call yourself contrition, Avarice of blame, Giving isn't easy, Neither is the rain, When she gives herself away.

Daisy, why another day?, Why another sunrise, Who will take the blame, For all redemptive motion, And every rainy day, When he gives himself away.

Let it go, Daisy, let it go, Open up your fist, This fallen world, It doesn't hold your interest, It doesn't hold your soul, Daisy, let it go.

Let it go."

~From the song 'Daisy' by Switchfoot

My Current Favorite Tunes

1) Rise by Katy Perry

2) The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) by Cher

3) Twilight & Shadow from LOTR: Return of the King Soundtrack, Featuring Renee Fleming

4) The River by Jordan Feliz

5) Rise Up by Audra Day

What are you currently jamming to?