A Letter to God

Dear God,


You are powerful and amazing.  You are all knowing  I'm so thankful that you have a plan for my life.  If I had to create the plan all by myself I would be a wreck.  I also would have given up if things didn't go as planned.  I would have chosen for certain things to be in the plan and ignore others therefore missing hidden opportunities and blessings. 


But since I didn't create my plan I can't give up on it.  I have to take what lays in my path and learn from the things that occur on my path.  I"m comforted knowing I'm never alone.  I'm relaxed knowing that if my heart is open to you I will be lead in the direction I need to take.  My faith continues to grow in you as I live each day despite the unknown not always understanding what you place before me but having the faith to let go and give it to you.


Thank you,
Always yours Katrina

Finally...

Written Aug 8

Shortly after the kids and I had gotten back from El Paso at the end of July.  Micah had sent me a text while I was registering Karlee for school.  It simply stated that he had booked a spot from Aug 16-22.  I knew it had to do with camping since we had talked some about it but let it drop.  I sent a reply back asking where.  He sends back CA. I soon began to smile from the inside out with a huge beaming smile for all to wonder about.  In fact I began to squeal and jump with excitement in the hall way of the school while Karlee was trying to open her locker.  Soon we were both jumping up and down with excitement.  From that moment on all I could think about was finally getting the chance to see the ocean.  I've wanted to for so long and now the whole idea of it was making me very anxious.  I couldn't wait to see the ocean, smell it, feel the cool crisp of it and then surround my toes with sand and soak up some sun ray.

Written Aug 18th

I'm sitting here watching the waves crash in on the shore.  It is so amazing!  I love watching the wave roll in and then how the sand on the shore shifts in with the water after the wave hits. We have been here in Malibu since Monday afternoon and today is Wed. morning.  The kids are having so much fun.  I'm so happy they have a chance to experience the ocean now in this point in their lives.

 Aug 24, 2010

I don't think she likes how the water taste. 

Kyle dragging out his seaweed monster from the ocean

Wow! Vacation was awesome but you know they say that you are suppose to relax during vacation.  The relaxing comes in after you have returned from vacation.  Our days were full from the moment we rose in the morning until we put our heads down to catch some shut eye.   Each moment was something to cherish and treasure.  Watching the kid's faces as they saw the ocean from a distance to the moment they stepped into the ocean.  Each one of them enjoyed playing and jumping in the waves, running in the warm sand and warming up in the sun after the cold water had chilled them to the bone.  Even the not so good moments....listening to them moan and groan about being hungry after they roller bladed down to Venice Beach to browse around knowing that our lunch was back in the truck at Santa Monica Pier.  Or the few moments that they were cranky to each other since they were so tired.  But it was VACATION!  I'm thankful that it all went so well, our travel was safe and everyone had fun.

I have to go for now and get dinner going so I will have to post some more pictures of our vacation later.

The Girls first time in the ocean

Boy's getting ready to try Boogie Boarding

the boy's love their sister...how sweet

Sara loves the pink and purple house in Malibu

Vacation, Fun, Family & More in July

Pa (my dad), Kyle, Dillon, & Grandpa Larry

Sara, Karlee, Grandma (my mom) & I

Grandpa Larry took Kyle and Dillon shooting.

Karlee giving her Grandma a piggy back ride.

The kids playing with the little frogs they caught after a good rain.

Sara, Karlee, & Kyle with their Dad at the Balmorhea State Park.  They had a great day at the pool.  They enjoyed their visit with their dad and grandparents.

Sara & her best friend Rebekah.  They enjoyed their time together so much it was hard to pull them apart.

My friend Tammy.  She was nice to let me stay with her and her family while I visited Fort Davis.  I enjoyed her company.

I had a great time catching up with my friend Lacy over lunch. 

gGrandpa said it was the day to have a work day.  Kyle is tending to his pile of burning pine needles.

The boys got a creative and made a skate ramp for their boards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not perfect and that is perfect!

I have just returned from a visit with my family in Texas.  Being around my parents this time I've sort of picked out things from each of them that I see in myself.  It doesn't matter to me if the qualities I saw were good, bad, negative, positive, annoying, or happy.  All that matters is that they were not perfect when I was growing up. They are not perfect now, nor will they ever be.  Their imperfections have made me who I am....imperfect.  Imperfection is a blessing.  I accept myself for who I am.  Thank you Mom & Dad for being who you are....yourselves and nothing more.

July 25, 2010

This vacation has been a reflective one in the now

A drift back down memory lane

An expression of things that I can not control

A realization of change

A wonder into the past with a glance backwards

An en-lighted glimpse into the possibilities of the unknown but all in all a continued walk forward into each new day.

A brief re-living of familiar surrounding

A chance for old conversation with friends from afar that left behind laughter and smiles.

A refreshing walk to begin again 

when I return home to the many daily grinds of "normal routine" after vacation.

Who is She?

I sat looking down at a piece of paper that had my name on it.
K-A-T-R-I-N-A T-R-E-V-A-T-H-A-N

I looked at it long and hard for a few minutes and started to wonder whose name that was. I know it was mine but who is the woman behind the name written on that paper? My mind began to search and question. It was sort of an odd feeling. I started to think about the walk that this "Katrina" has been on to get to this point in her life as the name written on the paper.

After all this "Katrina" has had several names throughout her walk. There was the little girl named Katrina Marie Byers. Then the young woman that married back in 1996 and became Katrina Marie Crenshaw. Now there is another name that sits on the paper as Katrina Trevathan. The "Katrina" on the paper is a much different person than the one in the past or even her childhood.

My youngest daughter Sara asked me one day "Mommy why do you love butterflies to much?" I told her it is sort of hard to explain so I told her how I love their beautiful colors and how I enjoy them with they flutter all around and that they represent change. She smiled satisfied with my answer and walked away.

After that I started to think about it more. When I think of a butterfly, I think of transformation and changing. I think of grace and eloquence as it flutters in the air. It is interesting to think that a butterfly embraces the changes that are going on in its environment and with its body. It seems to have unwavering acceptance of this transformation. We could say that is faith. The butterfly is trusting, accepting and having faith during its change.

We are all on a long walk of the soul. Encountering endless turns, shifts and conditions that causes us to change into even-finer beings. We do this with Christ as our Savior. Maybe we should remember the butterfly as we watch it flutter by and keep our faith, trusting as we undergo transitions in our lives.

Do you ever wonder about the woman behind the name that is on the paper in front of you?

Y-O-U-R--N-A-M-E

He restores my soul.  He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Psalm 23:3 NIV

 I trust You to lead me in the right paths.  God is in control and I will  try to accept the change with joy. 

Trusting God when we don't understand will bring peace to our lives.

Trust God that He has a good plan for you.  Embrace the unknown as well as you embrace the know because you can be confident God is in control.  He may take you on a route you would not choose, but He has a reason.

Its's just patio furiture

This past Sunday afternoon Micah & I found a patio set for our balcony on Craigs List. We got real excited about it and thought it would a great addition to our home. So we headed out the door to go look at it. We get there and instantly liked it. Micah offered less than what they were asking for and without hesitation they said okay. We loaded it and off we went.

That night I made fajitas for dinner. We decided that we would eat out on our balcony. Micah put on Hispanic music and it was like eating in a Mexican restaurant. We laughed and talked and looked out at our view. We enjoyed our dinner so much.

Last night was our second night eating out on the balcony. I made Spicy Szechuan Chicken Lettuce Wraps. (tried out a new recipe and enjoyed) Once again we enjoyed each other's company which led into some in depth conversation.

I look forward to more moments out on our balcony. It is becoming a place for us to just "be" with each other, sit and look out, laugh, reflect and talk, enjoy time away from the kids even though everyone is home.

It's more than just a patio furniture..........