Israel Day 7

For the couple of people who are still interested in hearing about our amazing journey to Israel, I am close to finishing my trip recaps so hang in there.

The previous day we had arrived in the Judean Wilderness, and stayed the night in a Kabbutz (basically a commune of people living together). We awoke on January 5th and headed to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, which is also where the Essene's lived (an ancient Jewish sect).

Below is the cave where the scrolls were found.

Next stop was the Dead Sea. I did not swim in it- but thats because it was a cold day, and we still had lots of other places to go that day and I didnt want to be sticky and salty the whole day. Dillon however couldnt resist a float.

Lunch was in Jericho, the oldest city in the world.

 

 We heard the call to prayer over the city that afternoon for the first time on our trip.

From Jericho we drove south towards the holy city of Jerusalem. The anticipation built as the sun set, and our leader read The Assesnsion into Jerusalem Psalm 122:

I rejoiced with those who said to me,
   “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
² Our feet are standing
   in your gates, Jerusalem.

 ³ Jerusalem is built like a city
   that is closely compacted together.
⁴ That is where the tribes go up—
   the tribes of the LORD—
to praise the name of the LORD
   according to the statute given to Israel.
⁵ There stand the thrones for judgment,
   the thrones of the house of David.

 ⁶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
   “May those who love you be secure.
⁷ May there be peace within your walls
   and security within your citadels.”
⁸ For the sake of my family and friends,
   I will say, “Peace be within you.”
⁹ For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
   I will seek your prosperity. 

It was amazing to arrive in such a rich city... this is where Jesus' earthly ministry ended and so for me, there was certainly a heaviness here as well that I felt.

My absolute favorite part of the trip also culminated here, when we were able to reunite with Katie! We headed to our hotel, where Katie had already arrived earlier in the day. After lots of catch up time, and exchaning gifts, we decided to walk around the old city after dinner. Katie had been to Jerusalem a couple of years ago and remembered it enough to navigate us through the old walls. We went straight to the Western Wall that night and watched as men and women followed after the tradition of their ancestors by touching the ruins of the temple, their only connection to God. We talked about how thankful we are that as believers we know that we are not bound by the law.  Our God is good!

Weekend

I am so thankful for the place that Dillon and I are at, a time in our life when we can open our home and serve others in and through it, small as it may be!

Friday night the Fosters came in to town and Collin stayed at our place. Saturday we had eggs and pancakes for breakfast before the guys headed out to play frisbee golf for a bit.

Saturday afternoon I drove to Keller to my nursing friend Jessica's baby shower. They had the cutest cake and it was great to see old friends.

That night we had dinner with Collin and Cassi at Fadi's (Mediterranean and so good!) They will be lifelong friends of ours and I'm glad we got to see them.

Sunday Dillon helped lead worship, and after church we got to watch my niece Sloan all day. We played alot outside, and had fun just cuddling and chasing her around. She was especially adorable after her afternoon nap. We didn't mind at all when her parents called to see if she could stay the night with us. She was such a good baby!

V-Day 2011

 I came home to a few suprises- a photobook!

 Handsome!

 Lobster!

 AND steak!

 A small mishap in the kitchen (Dillon's finger)

And a delicious dinner with Dillon~

What Happened Last Night

I closed my journal, laid it on my nightstand and switched off my lamp. I reflected on the words I had just written- my entry that day was titled "Things I Love About Dillon." I had written the list because my heart was full and I wanted to take a moment to thank God for all the unique ways Dillon has blessed me. Now, I laid back into my pillow, content, and closed my eyes for the night. The space next to me was empty, as Dillon woulnd't get home until late after his soccer game.

Some time later, I woke up to hear the jingle of keys and the loud crack of the door opening as Dillon arrived home. Hear me when I say that I take full responsibility for my response- but let me at least preface to say that I am a different person in the middle of the night. My thinking is hazy and my "midnight madness" comes out.

Now awake, I laid there for what seemed a looong time (at least 3 minutes) waiting for my husband to join me, which he never did,...so I decided to do what anyone in my situation would do- I picked up my cell phone from my nightstand and called him in the next room.

 

"Um what are you doing."

"Taking off my shin guards and shoes and getting ready for bed"

"Well it's taking forever and I can't sleep can you please hurry." Click

I'm not sure how to explain why I did that and why I was suddenly extremely annoyed with my husband. But I proceeded to huff and roll over in bed as he tried to quietly slip in the room. My beauty sleep had been disturbed and now it would take me forever to fall back into a slumber. And I told him that. Grumbling and cranky. And then I asked if he could turn the dryer on since I had forgotten to. He did without a complaint. And eventually, we both fell asleep.

When I woke up this morning, it didn't take me long to remember what had happened, and of course, I was embarrassed and feeling bad about how I had acted. Not to mention- Hypocrite! I had just written a lovely account in my journal about how much I care about him... just words. Without action. The worse part of it, was I already knew that Dillon would not be mad about it, he would accept my apology and move on.

For some of you reading this, you may not think any of this is a big deal. Others of you are thinking how rude I am (true). Either way- to me, it is a big deal because I had already told Dillon I wanted him to play in the soccer game, knowing he would get home near midnight. And I did. He loves to play, is truly talented, and gets a good workout- I want to support him in these things, even if it means I have to sacrifice a teeny bit. But the damage had been done.

I did what I could this morning. I made him a yummy lunch to take to school. I apologized. I complimented his sweater. We kissed each other goodbye, and as I walked to my car, the guilt became replaced with something... I felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. I know that we will be mean to each other, and then we will forgive each other. But I hate that we do it. The little things really do matter and take root in our memories.

I think there are several things I can learn from this situation.

I need to be on my guard. Drama/rudeness can emerge in any situation and for me, now I know that midnight is not my prime. The best thing I can learn to do is hold my tongue so I don't do or say something I will regret.

I need to practice what I preach. If I am truly thankful for this man, I need to act like it. If I say I want him to play soccer at midnight, I can't take that back.

I need to be gracious in being forgiving of Dillon and others because I am in need of it so much myself! Thank the Lord that mercies are new each morning~

Day 6- En Gedi/Masada

This day was my favorite of the entire trip (and Dillon's too)... it was just incredible and additionally, is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. I know thats a funny thing to say about the desert- but there is so much history that you can feel when you are there, and that is part of its beauty. It's so barren but then out of nowhere you can find an oasis, be it a waterfall or stream or salty sea.

We left our hotel on Day 6, leaving Galilee and heading southward, eventually entering into the Judean Wilderness. It was fairly accurate to how I had imagined it. Dry sandy mountains rising up from the dusty desert floor... the Dead Sea to our left and beyond that, the Jordan mountain range. 

We began by hiking the En Gedi nature reserve. We weaved up a trail and eventually came to a beautiful waterfall amidst the caves. We saw the caves where David hid from Saul and cut off a piece of his robe.

"After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” ² So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.

 ³ He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. ⁴ The men said, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said^[b] to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe." 

 We headed out, then drove a few miles to Masada (the Hebrew word for Fortress), which is an ancient palace that was fortified by Herod the Great. It served as a refuge for Jews during the Jewish-Roman War (in 66 C.E). Here is the shortened version of the amazing history...

Jews from all over Israel fled to Masada during the Roman invasion. It was the last Jewish stronghold. For several months, the Romans camped at the base of Masada, unable to conquer it. They finally constructed a massive ramp and when they entered the fortress, discovered no one alive...

The Jewish leaders had all agreed to kill the members of their households, and then one by one the leaders murdered each other, until the last man fell on his own sword, in an attempt to die free.

Riding a gandala  to the top was a little scary

At the top, looking out East at the Dead Sea

 
The layout of King Herods quarters

Atop Masada, the ruins of what once was

Below are the lots found with names on them. Possibly the names of the men who were casting to see who the last to die would be.

Below you can see the huge ramp the Romans built to invade Masada.

We explored Masada all afternoon. We stayed the night at a Kabutz commune in the West Bank (occupied by Palestinians). Before we arrived at our hotel we saw this:

The Israel we saw this day was the Israel that I think everyone imagines. I felt like we were on an adventure. Instead of just looking at things, we had a part in experiencing it. The land is breathtaking, ancient, captivating, foreign and rugged. Certainly a day I will cherish forever!

Randomness

We are in snow day #3 today- who would have thought??

The past 2 days I admit I haven't been the most productive... unless you count sleeping in, eating, and watching movies. I have read some, which counts as productivity in my book (pun intended hehe).

Here are some random pictures of Ferguson happenings today...

                                 Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (from scratch)

 

Cuddly puppies

Painting of the toe's

Organizing closets

As you can see, today has been a little more productive. And lastly- here is a picture of my favorite new Calcium vitamins. They taste like candy and I always want more than the recommended two!

(yes I even took 2 out and arranged them for the picture so you could see them for yourself)

Snow Day 2011

The projected weather forcast for this week made national news since DFW is host of the Superbowl this Sunday. This morning at about 5 I got a call saying school had been cancelled- and I was delighted!

Polly and Penny are known for being just a little prissy when it comes to cold/wet conditions so I was proud when they both frolicked around a bit before racing back inside.

It's been a low-key day (obviously). I just started reading this:

And last night Netflix delivered this movie, which we watched today while eating cookies:

And because I have to be impartial, here is a picture of Polly:

Thats all for now~