Update

hi! just checking in for a quick update. Have you missed me? ; )

well, my hair is cut, & i just love it. :) i'm still working on getting a picture of it, though.

My parents came to visit on wednesday. It's always fun to see them. --esp. dad, who seldom comes out here.

Today, we leave to go to San Diego for a little family vacation. We're planning to go to Lego Land one day, which should be fun. We'll return on Tuesday, and then go celebrate the 4th w/Chris' family. Then I'll hang out w/my parents the rest of the week. I'm looking forward to that. :)

The next weekend, i'm going to a big homeschool convention in LA. I'm really looking forward to that. I'm hoping to find some great curriculum for the kids while I'm there.

My photography class is going well. It's SO technical! Very left-brained, which I'm not much good at. It's hard for me to use my right brain to take a creative photograph, when I'm busy using my left brain to figure out shutter speed and aperature and all those other things. Eek!

I've finished next week's assignments early, since i'm going to be out of town. The assignment was "rules and successfully breaking them." I was going to show you some pictures, but the uploader isn't working right now. I'll try again another time.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, & a fun 4th of July! :)

good-bye, long hair

Ever since Zachary was born, three years ago, i've been growing my hair out. I had decided that I would grow it until my 30th birthday. well, that day came and went, but I was enjoying my long hair, so i decided not to cut it after all. But the last month, or so, I've been HATING it. And today, I get to go chop it all off! i can't wait!! these are the best pictures that i could find of my long hair... 'll see if i can take a decent one after it's all cut!

Me

Here's the photo i took for my first assignment. My self-portrait:

Where the heck is Vale, California!?

okay... i just got off the phone w/Amazon. They hunted my book down, & told me that it's in Vale, California, and that I could expect it by Wednesday or Thursday!! WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY!? I made it clear to the LAST guy I spoke with over a week ago, that I needed it BEFORE the 18th! so the guy I spoke to today, said, "let's be positive, and hope that it get's there by wednesday." POSITIVE!? what??? I very nicely informed him that being positive wouldn't help me read four chapters with no book, & let him know that I wouldn't be counting on Amazon for anything of importance anymore... *sigh*

Now i'm off to call Borders in hopes that they'll have my book in stock.

overwhelmed

okay...today is the very first day of my new photography class! YAY! And while i'm so excited to be learning great things, i'm completely overwhelmed!!! because this is a summer course, she's cramming 15 weeks worth of stuff into 6 weeks. EEK! so i'm just a little stressed, esp. because the textbook that i ordered from Amazon.com about 3 weeks ago STILL hasn't arrived --and i have to read about 4 chapters this week. AK!

so... while i'm stressing w/my class, i'm not sure if i'll be able to keep up w/my 1 post/day on the blog. I know you're all addicted, & just LOVE hearing from me every day, but i promise to pick it back up when i'm done w/the class. & who knows, maybe i'll be able to pop in more of than i think, & tell you a little something that i'm learning. But if not, and you find yourself wishing you had something to read, may I recommend The Shack? ; )

okay....gotta run & call Amazon to find out where my book is!

Your Papa is Especially Fond of You

okay... here are some of my favorite quotes from The Shack. Most (if not all) are God speaking. Let me know if any of these touch you, too. :)

• "The real underlying flaw in your life...is that you don't think that I am good. If you knew I was good and that everything -- the means, the ends, and all the processes of individual lives-- is all covered by my goodness, then while you might not always understand what I am doing, you would trust me. But you don't...Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved. Because you do not now that I love you, you cannot trust me."
  
• "When all you can see is your pain, perhaps then you lose sight of me?"



• "Remember this, humans are not defined by their limitations, but by the intentions that I have for them..."



• "That is the wonder and adventure of exploration, a piece of what you call science -- to discern and discover what we have hidden for you to find....The choice to hide so many wonders from you is an act of love that is a gift inside the process of life."



• "But without wisdom, imagination is a cruel task master...do you realize that your imagination of the future, which is almost always dictated by fear of some kind, rarely, if ever, pictures me there with you?...To the degree that those fears have a place in your life, you neither believe I am good nor know deep in your heart that I love you.



• "So many believe that it is love that grows, but it is the knowing that grows and love simply expands to contain it. Love is just the skin of knowing."



• "He chose the way of the cross where mercy triumphs over justice because of love."



• "Guilt'll never help you find freedom in me. The best it can do is make you try harder to conform to some ethic on the outside. I'm about the inside."



• "Faith does not grow in the house of certainty."



• "...religion is about having the right answers, and some of their answers are right. But I am about the process that takes you to the living answer."



• "To the degree that you resort to expectations and responsibilities, to that degree you neither know me nor trust me...to that degree you will live in fear."

Another great book!

the one person who I most respect in life is my mom. She has always been living example of Christ to me. I value the incredible wisdom, insight, and love that come naturally to her, and I admire her passion for God.

My mom is an avid reader, skilled at discovering the incredible treasures of wisdom that are waiting the to be found in the world of literature. The majority the books on my favorites lists have come from her. A couple weeks ago, when she told me about a new book that she was reading, I was intrigued. But when she told me that it was life-changing for her, I knew it was a must-read. My mom is so mature in the Lord, that I am surprised when she tells me about an area in which she's growing. I mean...I just don't think it's possible for her to grow any more! So if this book made her grow, it *must* be good.

So I ordered The Shack by William P. Young. I started reading it yesterday, and finished it today. And can I just say that it was life-changing? My prayer lately, has been that God would make Himself real to me, and reveal His love. This book did just that. It was God's answer to my prayer.


The Shack is the story of a man, who lost his daughter to a violent crime. But in the midst of his Great Sadness, God comes and speaks His love and life into this broken man, & makes him whole again. I don't know how to tell you any more about it w/out giving anything away. (let me just say that I hate any book or movie that makes me cry, & avoid them like the plague. This book was a bit of a tear-jerker, but i would [and plan to] read it again and again.) But I highly recommend this book to anyone!

Actually, here's the little "about-the-book" from the back:

Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!

That's true! :)

oops!

oh my gosh! I just looked at my calendar, & realized that i never wished Erik & Dawn a happy anniversary! :(

So... A happy belated anniversary to Erik & Dawn! 17 years, right? I can't believe it!!! Congratulations. :)

Did you do anything special to celebrate?

Alone

Here's a picture I took at the beach the other day. i just loved this little old lady's beautiful hat & bright red shirt, so i snuck a quick snap. This is my first time to do any cool editing with color (how she's in color but the background is black & white). I like how it turned out. --Thanks, Jay, for your help. :)

a little about me

do you ever get those emails from friends, where they answer a bunch of pointless questions, and then you're supposed to do the same and send it back? Well, I get them every so often, but I never do them. But I was a having a slow day when two different friends sent one to me, so i filled one out. Thought i'd post it here. If you would like, I'd love to see *YOUR* answers. You can copy & paste this in the comments section. Then just delete my answers and add yours. :)


WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?no. my parents didn't have a name for me for 10 days. Mom wanted to name me Carrie, & dad wanted Teklah (my brother wanted Cynthi) Finally they decided on Karina, & my mom would call me Kari. Later, Mom wished she had named me joanna after my grandma. that's why, when i got in trouble, she would call me, "Kari Joanna Jauchen Mugele!" --even though my name was Karina Anne Mugele. :)


WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? last weekend at a ladies' retreat. it doesn't take much to make me cry,though. i'll probably cry 3 or 4 more times this week.


DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING sometimes it's beautiful, an other times it's really sloppy. but i have no control.


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? salami, but only in small doses.


DO YOU WANT TO HAVE MORE KIDS? *sigh*.... yes.


IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?yes... i think i like myself. :)


DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? sometimes


DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS yep. don't think i've ever had tonsillitis or strepp.


WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? oh yah!


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Smacks --remember when they were called Sugar Smacks? Then they took off the sugar, & just called them smacks. now they're called Honey Smacks. :)


DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? nope. that's a pain.


DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? strong personality. strong opinions. emotionally fragile at times. weak physically.


WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? their smile


RED OR PINK? who woulda thought that i would ever say.. PINK! red is just... too.... RED.


WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? oh... there are so many things... i'm not a hard worker... i tend to give up easily. Not very persistent. easily disheartened.

DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? YES!


WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? barefoot.. but i'm about to put on my fuzzy blue socks because my feet are freezing! & i'm wearing my favorite brown sweatpants w/the hole in the butt. don't anyone come over right now. ;)


WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?a "letter cookie"


WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? my kids playing. microwave beeping, telling me that my meat is done thawing.


IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? as much as i hate the color, i'd probably be hot pink.


FAVORITE SMELLS? lilies, chocolate baking, spearmint


WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? chris


FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? dancing


HAIR COLOR?redish blackish brownish auburnish w/redish streaks


EYE COLOR?blue --but they look green if i wear a green shirt


DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?no


FAVORITE FOOD? not even a question: chocolate


SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? always a happy ending. it's must --even in a scary movie.


LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Fracture - which I thought was excellent!


WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?dark blue-green


SUMMER OR WINTER?since i live in SB, i choose summer. if i still lived in TX, i don't know....


HUGS OR KISSES?both


FAVORITE DESSERT? flourless chocolate torte w/raspberry sauce


WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? a thousand... the primary one is Victory Over the Darkness

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Van Gogh's Starry Night --although it's pretty ratty. i need a new one.


.WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?nothing. haven't seen my husband since Thrs. night, so we just enjoyed each other's company.


FAVORITE SOUNDS the pitter patter of little feet... i'm sure there are more..just can't think right now, because evy's climbing all over my lap & i'm in a hurry to go get my meat out of the microwave.


ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?Beatles


WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Hawaii


DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?no. maybe photography...surviving as a mother of 4 little children?


WHERE WERE YOU BORN?Oaxaca, Mexico


WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?everyone. this is fun. :)

Photo Challenge: Red

I mentioned awhile ago, that I'm part of a group that does photo challenges a couple time a week. Thursday's challenge was RED. Here are the pictures that I took:

These are the two that I submitted to the contest. Voting starts today, & closes on Thursday, when they give a new challenge.

If you'd like to see the photos that other people submitted, you can go here.

MICAH!

Happy Birthday To Micah!!