Well we have been having some fun around our house, taking portraits of some of our favorite people. But what happens when the weekend plans are postponed? You head to Yosemite!
When Mike (my hubby and in-house photographer) went to bed last night, he wasn’t sure if he was going. When morning came (if 2:30 can really be considered morning?) he was off to get that sunrise shot at Glacier Point. (which didn’t happen because of the haze) While he typically flies solo on this type of trip, (really 2:30 in the AM?) this morning he woke me up to enjoy the adventure! I knew I was in trouble when he told me to NOT look at the clock!
Once there was a woman, and she had gotten her feelings hurt. Nothing too bad, but the unkindness hit her especially hard at that time. Maybe she was feeling a little vulnerable. Anyway, the more she tried to analyze the situation, (sound like anyone you know?) she decided that the only thing she could really do was pray for them. She did that, not because she was so smart, but because the hurt was taking over her mind. She knew the person was probably tired, and under some stress. She also knew that the reaction she had received was not normal for them. It was then that she thought, better me than someone else who maybe wouldn’t be able to let go of the hurt. 
Fourth of July…. Independence day. While I am thankful to be an American, I am more
I live in California. Now before you get all excited, I am not blonde, and I do not have a tan. I feel lucky to live here though. The natural beauty in this state is astounding. I love our mountains, forests and beaches. All of those picturesque places that draw people from all around the world, are wonderful, but I have grown to love our flat, hot and dry central valley. 
So every year I wind up writing scenes for VBA, or Vacation Bible Adventure. I take bible stories and I adapt them to these vignettes that we do one a day during the week.
Sunday morning. It is always interesting to see what happens on a Sunday, and as soon as I got to church, it started. One of the songs we sang had something to do with the “power in His name”. I actually don’t even remember what the song was, because I immediately started thinking. I wondered, because that is what I do, if I really believed in that power? I am still trying to wrap my mind around that whole “love your neighbor as yourself” thing again. Just then it hit me. The whole problem wasn’t with the loving, but with trusting.
I have had a love affair with history since I was young. I have gone through different stages, where I have read everything I could about various eras. I hate to say it, but I am fascinated by war. To tell you the truth I am really not sure why?
What happens when in one day, you are going from the mid eighties to the mid ninties, after weeks of the mid seventies? You head to the coast. And when your hubby wants to take sunrise pictures, you get up at dark thirty so that you can make it to the coast before the sun comes up.
At 3:30 this morning, I was really not in the mood to worry about my own camera, so I just decided to use my iphone. I snapped a good amount of pictures, but not too many. It had been a long week. My brain had been on overload and I wanted to spend some time just enjoying the beauty that surrounded me. 
Cheryl Mendoza 