Pumpkin Carving

We decided it would be fun to shoot pumpkins..... And it was! We had a .40 glock, 2 .22's, 7mm, 12guage, M1, 20guage, and a few others, I just don't really know what I'm talking about :) I just shoot them! One of the .22's though was an old pump action. Adam traded with a friend and we now own it. It's really fun to shoot.

Going in......

Going out! Ouch!!!
Our version of carving pumpkins

Not bad :)

Apple Hill

The weekend I was in Sacrament for Women of faith, Adam made a last minute decision to meet me there saturday after the convention and drive to Apple Hill for the night. Apple Hill is an area in Northern California that is known for it's farms, produce and winery's. The town most notably connected to it is Placerville. This is where we stayed that night. Placerville is only about an hour drive from Sacramento. When we first got there, Adam suprised me by arriving to a bed and breakfast that we would be staying in that night. Iv'e always said I wanted to stay in a bed and breakfast! We pulled up and there was a little girl running around with only a diaper on and the man who owned the bed and breakfast was chasing her, he greeted us at the door- it was awesome!

Placerville from the hill by our B&B. The hill is scattered with old victorian homes

The front of our B&B

It had such funky fun decorations. I guess the owners were theatre majors

This is our cute little room

In the morning we were made apple struessel french toast and ate in the dining room. I could totally spend a week or so at a B&B. The concept is so fun!

We walked the short distance to "downtown" literally a street full of shops maybe 2 football feilds long. We soon discovered they had just started a wine and art festival- so we joined! We had a good time and afterwards ate dinner at a fancy cafe.

The next day was all Apple Hill

A quant little winery we visited

At another winery overlooking a valley

This was at one of the produce farms.

Along with a million kinds of apples and other fruits there was lots of fun craft stations. Adam bought and designed me 3 rings made from old buttons!

Women of Faith

I went to Women of Faith this weekend in Sacramento at the Power Balance Pavaillion (formly Arco Arena). There were 10,000 women who attended! I guess a lot of people are familiar with this conference but because I was not, I will breifly explain: It is a nationwide 2 day nondenominational christain conference for women only. They have lots of speakers and musical performers. This year the musical perfomers were Mandisa and Selah! Some of the notable speakers were Andy Andrews, Patsy Clairmont, Lisa Whelchel.......Some of the topics included friendships, "change can be good", stories of overcoming severe illnesses, not letting your emotions control your actions/words, strength in being yourself, raising polite children, motivational speaking, the power of prayer, .... It was a very freeing, validating and strength providing conference. I was laughing out loud many times and not just a cheesy dorky funny but really very halarious things were frequently said. I thought it might be a bit "heard that before" and dramatic fluffy stories attempting to pry deep emotion out of you, but it wasnt that at all. And all the ladies (and one guy) that spoke were odd, and I enjoyed that. They all had unique experiences that made them relatable and honest. One use to be homeless, one was agoraphobic, many severly obese, a couple well known for public rejection, a few widows, etc

This is Ravecca and I. The arena was packed! I grouped with a bunch of women from my church and other community churches in Reno. A bunch of us "tailgated" for dinner on friday night, which consisted of BBQing and fellowshipping in the parking lot :)

Some Good Take-Homes

-"I'm not weird, I'm a limited edition"
-"Feelings dont have brains. Dont let them dictate your actions" This was a light bulb moment for me! haha (Proverbs 29:11)
-"Fear is a feeling, and God has designed us with a will that is greater and stronger than our emotions."
-"People go from almost to almost all the time. People force answers and send their life into an almost all the time because of impatience with God"
-"Dont talk too long"
-"Seek wisdom. Choose what goes in your mind."
-"Fear is a misuse of your creative imagination" -"If you find yourself in a calling at church that you have no passion for, heres my reccommendation........move! Get out! Make room for somebody else God wants to use. And quit saying yes to everyone! Learn the power of No!"
-"Discipline is about what result you want, not what you dont want, but what life you want to create"
-"No one cares how you feel- they care how you act"
-"Every great thing thats happened to you didnt happen because you felt some way"
-"Forgiveness is a decision not an emotion. Breech each day with a forgiving spirit"

Books I bought: The Travelers Gift and The Final Summit by Andy Andrews. He was awesome! I am excited to read his books!