Strawberry Picking

We managed to squeeze in a trip to College Run Farms across the river in mid-May to berry pick again this year right at the end of Strawberry season.  There were many overripe and rotten berries in the field but we still left with 4 baskets full of good ones.  It was a cool morning and made for a perfect pickin' kind of day. 

 Mom & Dad each decided they would be better off picking on their own. :)

 

Hammock Beach

The work event that I plan in May is an annual meeting for our advisors who are located all over the east coast.  We returned again to Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Florida this year because it was such a big hit last May.  I was fortunate enough to spend 6 days there.  It really is such a beautiful spot (nice enough for an ideal vacation destination) that caters to both the guys who play golf and the women who just want to enjoy the beach or lazy river.  I am not sure how we will convince our advisors to go anywhere else next year!  Being familiar with the resort and the conference services staff made my job a lot easier this go round.  Even though I am usually "on" from the time I get there till the time I leave (with flight delays, ride changes, dealing with room issues, reworking golf pairings to accommodate new adds, editing/creating last minute PowerPoints, etc.), I still find opportunities to squeeze in some beach time and enjoy the sunshine.  It's always hard for me to leave this place at the end of the week!

This rascal below stole the pineapple right off of my drink at the pool and went to town on it right beside me...literally one chair over!

 The infamous gift bags that I put together for all of our attendees.  Because making them ahead of time is not an option when shipping to sunny (and hot) Florida because all of the delicious chocolate melts and makes a huge mess, I always have to crank these out in my room quickly before all of our guests arrive.  A rainy first day there forced me to knock these out first thing (thankfully) rather than staying up late at night to get them done.

We managed to gather most of the group early in the morning before our last day of meetings for a picture. I am usually given lip over promoting a group picture, but the end result is usually appreciated.  This is proof that this is actually a work meeting and that I do not spend the entire time on the beach. :)

Happy 90th to Grandma!

We have been blessed to have so many years with our sweet and loving mother/grandmother and we celebrated another year (a momentous one!) of her life with a big family birthday party.  Although we do usually see most of my Mom's side of the family on big holidays, there are a few extensions of it that live farther away.  Grandma's only request for her 90th birthday party (beside a cake with lots of frosting and all of her favorite foods) was to have the whole family all together.  So...we made it happen to celebrate her big 9-0 back in April!  She has way outlived all of her own family members and friends, which is sad for her, but we are extremely grateful for her long life and all of the experiences she has shared with us (including her being a Great Great Grandmother, which I have probably mentioned before). 

Having the whole family together meant a great opportunity for a group picture, of course!  The weather didn't cooperate so we had quite a task of trying to find a place in the house where everyone would fit and would fit inside the frame of the photo.  Amazingly, we pulled it off.  One of my little cousins got sick unexpectedly during the party so 4 of the family members are missing (bummer!).

Look at that face!  Grandma has always had a major sweet tooth and that full plate of goodies and cake plus coffee makes her very happy.  At that age (despite health reasons not to), we give her whatever she wants to make her happy. :)

Happy 90th Birthday, Grammie!

A little (just a little) behind... :)

So...here goes.  Just before a couple of exciting and BIG events happen in a few weeks (yikes...time is flying!), I am going to try to catch up a bit on some of the recent happenings that are noteworthy (and fun).  My days are filled with balancing work, which always seems to be picking up rather than slowing down, adding a few items to my Kenya "pack pile" or knocking a few to-dos off of my checklist before leaving on the 13th (today's item was getting Typhoid and Hepatitis A shots :)), and helping in whatever ways I can with wedding preparations.  Some days it feels as if I cannot keep pushing myself this hard, but God gives me the strength to press on and there's a lot of wonderful things at the end of this whirlwind.  So as not to miss savoring some of the great times during this season, I really want to keep up with my blog (or at least catch up a little).  I will give this my best try over the next couple of weeks...   

A planting (mattaw) of the Lord...

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting (mattaw) of the LORD for the display of his splendor.  Isaiah 61:1-3

This coming August will mark a significant time in my life as I board my first international flight to travel across the Atlantic. Just two days after my sister gets married on August 11th, I will find myself making my way over to Kitale, Kenya. I have been blessed with the opportunity to join an amazing team of 13 others from the Williamsburg Community Chapel to serve at the Mattaw Children's Village for 14 days. 

Mattaw's ministry is to rescue the orphaned and broken children of Kenya, give them a home, meet their physical and emotional needs, and train them to be a garden, a mattaw, for the display of the Lord's splendor. We will be helping to complete a building project at the village as well as spending time with and loving on the children of Mattaw, a small fraction of the 1.9 million orphans presently in Kenya. Mattaw's vision is to create more villages so these children in Kenya will be orphans no more.

Feeling a pull towards Africa over the last few years made me open to serving in this way (and actively seeking opportunities to do so), but it was not until recently that God paved the way to turn the desire to go into a reality. One of the amazing parts of God's timing is that the bible study I completed over the last year focused on Isaiah 61:1-3, the centerpiece passage that encompasses the vision for Mattaw Children's Village. 

More than anything, I covet and value your prayers for my time in Africa, our team, and those lives that will be touched by God through us. I believe that God is faithful to answer prayers, and I am asking that you pray for safety, good health (being able to take necessary medicine), smooth travel(!), and open hearts to how God would have us serve the missionaries and children of Mattaw. Knowing that I have the prayers and support of my family and close friends back home will give me peace as I take this step of faith.

Beyond your prayers, if you are led to join me in this ministry by financially supporting this trip, please make checks payable to Williamsburg Community Chapel. Envelopes can be sent to me or directly to the Chapel (Attn: Faith Olson - Director of Missions, 3899 John Tyler Highway, Williamsburg, VA 23185).  Please include a note designating (or mark on memo line) Kimberly Newton - Kenya Missions Trip.  Any support should be received by the Chapel no later than, July 25, 2012.

My heart has been drawn to Africa for years. I am truly humbled and overwhelmed by the opportunity before me and am unbelievably grateful for your prayers and support. Thank you, dear friends, for reading...

Please click on video below to view more information on Mattaw...

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California...Take Two

I've been back for over a month but didn't want to go without documenting my second (7 day) trip out to California at the beginning of March. This go round was for the actual work meeting that I had been planning for the two months prior. After all of the time that goes into preparing for these meetings, I am always excited when the event is upon us. It's a nervous excitement...anxious to see the fruits of my labor but concerned that all the pieces might not come together as I imagined. Thankfully, everything went smoothly for the most part and our group really enjoyed all aspects of the time in San Diego.

 A last minute decision to change my flight out there gave me two extra days in La Jolla on the front-end before having to head to the resort to prepare for everyone's arrivals. San Diego/La Jolla offers so many fun sights to see and beautiful places to explore that I barely even scratched the surface in January. I thought going out early would allow me to see a few places I missed on the first trip or that I could just enjoy some down time on the beach if the weather cooperated. Well...it didn't. It poured rain the entire day that I arrived and the temps were really cool. (The family I stayed with said that it hadn't rained this much since they moved there 8 months prior.) Oh well. I suppose I couldn't expect it to be perfect there again (like the 80 degree temps in January). So...the zoo and beach didn't happen. Guess I'll just have to go back. :)

I did venture to Balboa Park with a friend on the second day (despite the chilly air) just so all of my extra time in Cali wasn't spent inside. The architecture was impressive and the flowers made the cool walk worthwhile... 

View from street level of the house I stayed at in La Jolla...

The weather did improve slightly with each passing day so by the time the meeting was set to begin, our guests from the east coast were thrilled with a forecast of sunshine and highs in the 70s.  The mornings and evenings were still cool, but midday was ideal - warm, sunny, and free of humidity!

On the main day of arrivals, a small group of our advisors got up extra early to play golf about 30 minutes away from the resort at Torrey Pines, a spectacular course in La Jolla overlooking the Pacific (it is actually close to the area pictured above where you see the cliffs on the right).  The 7 guys allowed me to tag along to experience the course and take photos of the action.  It actually ended up feeling like I was their cruise director. :)  Because we were on the course by 7:00am, there was a nip in the air.  I sure was glad to have overpacked and thrown in an extra fleece and puffy vest!

If you look closely, you'll see two pairs of jets above. We were all completely mesmerized when the jets flew overhead throughout the day. Miramar wasn't too far away so there was plenty of air traffic.

 

As I relaxed by the pool at Rancho Bernardo (yes, I did get some down time while all of the guys were playing golf (again) one afternoon), I gazed at some exotic flowers.  I had heard about birds of paradise but never seen in person.  I loved them!

 Orfila Vineyards & Winery...the location of our offsite dinner.  We timed it perfectly and were able to see the sun setting just as we arrived.  The light reflecting off of the mountains was beautiful and a perfect backdrop for photos as well as a wine tasting and hors d'oeuvres...

Dinner at the winery was in "The Barrel Room"...surrounded by barrels and candles. 

 And I finally got my beach day on my last day in California.  It was a mostly free day and I contemplated touring around, but the 80 degree temps drew me to the beach, of course.  What a great way to wind down from the meeting and enjoy my final hours on the west coast before catching the red eye.