My blog

Category: Life

  • Dating God’s Way:

    Since I’m a contemporary inspirational (Christian) romance author I wanted to research the five stages of dating from a Christian perspective.

    Dating is an exciting and significant journey, especially when approached with a Christ-centered mindset. Understanding the five stages of dating can help couples navigate their relationships intentionally and honor God through every step.

    The five stages I “googled” did not make sense from a Christian perspective, I finally found ones that made sense.

    1. An initial attraction spurs a glimmer of interest

    The first stage of dating begins with attraction. This might be physical, emotional, or spiritual—a spark that piques your curiosity. As Christians, it’s important to evaluate whether this attraction aligns with biblical principles.

     

    1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV tells us,  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

    It’s important to look at the person’s heart as God looks at our hearts. Ask yourself these questions:  Does this person share my faith and values? Is their character rooted in Christ? Does he or she lovingly interact with their family?

     

    1. Lay a strong foundation by building a friendship

    Friendship is the cornerstone of any lasting relationship. During this stage, spend time getting to know each other in group settings or casual conversations. Look for compatibility, shared interests, and most importantly, shared faith. Building trust and respect starts here. It is key. Pray for wisdom as you discern if this relationship should move forward.

    Proverbs 27:17 tells us “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of of his friend.”   

    Ask yourself these questions:  Does this person share my interests and goals? Is he or she easy to talk to?  Does his or her faith line up with yours?

     

    1. Establishing purpose as you date intentionally

    Once mutual interest and trust are established, couples enter the intentional dating stage. This is where you move from casual interactions to deeper conversations about life goals, values, and your faith journeys. Be open about your intentions—dating with the purpose of glorifying God and potentially moving toward marriage.

    Psalm 37:5 tells us “Commit your way to the Lord; trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.”

    Pray together and ask godly couples from your church community to mentor you.

     

    1. Grow in Unity through the deepening of the relationship:

    Couples deepen their connection through shared experiences, vulnerability, and trust. It’s a time to evaluate whether you complement one another’s spiritual, emotional, and relational needs. Discuss topics like finances, family, and ministry goals to ensure alignment.

    Amos 3:3 tells “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?”

    Be alert if disagreements arise. Handle them with grace and seek discernment and guidance from God. Watch for patterns of unresolved conflict or spiritual misalignment. It’s better to cut the relationship before marriage. Many times, important things are overlooked and that can lead to heartache later on. (Speaking from a voice of experience here.)

     

    1. Engagement, a time for marriage preparation.

    Engagement is a joyful and sacred season of preparation. Use this time to deepen your relationship with God and each other. Premarital counseling can provide valuable insights into your strengths and areas to grow as a couple. Stay committed to purity and honor God in your plans.

    Psalm 127:1a tells us “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;”

    Plan your wedding, but also prepare for your marriage—a lifelong covenant.

    Finally, dating as a Christian is about more than finding “the one.” It’s about honoring God in your relationships and growing closer to Him through the process. At every stage, pray for wisdom, seek godly counsel, and trust God’s perfect timing.

    Which stage of dating do you find most challenging? Share your thoughts below—we’d love to hear from you!

  • From Overwhelmed to Organized

    Like most people (at least the ones I know), I started the year with great intentions. But that’s all they were—until a few years ago when my eldest daughter shared how she plans for the new year starting in December.

    At first, I didn’t think much about her process. I’d always been task-oriented and focused on what needed to get done, both in my work and personal life. I was a planner with endless checklists, and while I accomplished plenty, it was hard to measure what I’d achieved over 365 days, 8,760 hours, or 525,600 minutes. Looking back, I realized I wasn’t tracking my progress in a meaningful way.

    Last year, inspired by my daughter, I planned my entire year—not month by month, but task by task. My list lived on my phone, where it was easy to access and check off items. I organized it into three categories: Personal (household chores, self-care, etc.), Financial (budgeting and organization), and Writing (how many novels I’d write, classes I’d take, and social media goals to connect with readers).

    Did I achieve everything? No, but I got about 75% of my tasks done, and I had a LOT on that list. My husband teases me for trying to fit five pounds into a two-pound bag, but I’ve learned that having a plan—even an ambitious one—gets me further than having no plan at all.

    After publishing my most recent book, Across Oceans Through Time: A Story of Enduring Love, I dedicated December to planning the year ahead. Using the same three categories, I rolled over unfinished tasks from the previous year and added new ones. Unfortunately, life threw a curveball: both my husband and I fell ill during our Christmas road trip to visit family. As a result, I’m still finalizing my plan, but I’ve embraced the mantra: better late than never.

    One of my goals this year is to return to writing short blog posts. I’ve missed blogging and realized how much I enjoy it. So here I am, sharing not just my planning journey but also some practical tips that has helped me tackle one of life’s dreaded chores: managing paper clutter.

    The key question: what do you keep, and what do you pitch? Here’s my system:

    One Month (For Paper Lovers)

    • Receipts for non-deductible items: I prefer electronic receipts but keep a plastic zip envelope for deductible ones.
    • Deposit slips and ATM slips: Rarely needed, but I save them briefly.
    • Reconciled bank statements: These are electronic, so I keep them indefinitely.

    One to Three Years

    • Checkbook ledgers, paycheck stubs, mortgage statements, and insurance records: All electronic now.
    • Charitable contributions and proof of deductible purchases: A mix of paper and electronic files.

    At Least Seven Years

    • Tax returns and supporting documents: These include W-2s, 1099s, medical bills, and mileage records. Most are digital.

    Forever (Stored in a Fireproof Safe)

    • Vital documents: Birth certificates, marriage licenses, auto titles, and investment statements.
    • Major receipts: For home improvements and significant purchases.
    • Estate planning documents: Wills, insurance policies, and retirement plans.

    Last year, I tackled the monumental task of sorting through my late mother’s estate documents and organizing decades of family records. Using expandable plastic folders, I created a system for each family member. It was a huge accomplishment—and one I’m incredibly proud of.

    For shredding, I keep a banker’s box in the garage. Each year, I take it to a community shredding event and start fresh.

    Everyone’s method will differ, but the key is finding a process you’ll stick with. What works for you? I’d love to hear your tips—maybe I’ll learn something new!

     

  • From Overwhelmed to Organized

    Like most people (at least the ones I know), I started the year with great intentions. But that’s all they were—until a few years ago when my eldest daughter shared how she plans for the new year starting in December.

    At first, I didn’t think much about her process. I’d always been task-oriented and focused on what needed to get done, both in my work and personal life. I was a planner with endless checklists, and while I accomplished plenty, it was hard to measure what I’d achieved over 365 days, 8,760 hours, or 525,600 minutes. Looking back, I realized I wasn’t tracking my progress in a meaningful way.

    Last year, inspired by my daughter, I planned my entire year—not month by month, but task by task. My list lived on my phone, where it was easy to access and check off items. I organized it into three categories: Personal (household chores, self-care, etc.), Financial (budgeting and organization), and Writing (how many novels I’d write, classes I’d take, and social media goals to connect with readers).

    Did I achieve everything? No, but I got about 75% of my tasks done, and I had a LOT on that list. My husband teases me for trying to fit five pounds into a two-pound bag, but I’ve learned that having a plan—even an ambitious one—gets me further than having no plan at all.

    After publishing my most recent book, Across Oceans Through Time: A Story of Enduring Love, I dedicated December to planning the year ahead. Using the same three categories, I rolled over unfinished tasks from the previous year and added new ones. Unfortunately, life threw a curveball: both my husband and I fell ill during our Christmas road trip to visit family. As a result, I’m still finalizing my plan, but I’ve embraced the mantra: better late than never.

    One of my goals this year is to return to writing short blog posts. I’ve missed blogging and realized how much I enjoy it. So here I am, sharing not just my planning journey but also some practical tips that has helped me tackle one of life’s dreaded chores: managing paper clutter.

    The key question: what do you keep, and what do you pitch? Here’s my system:

    One Month (For Paper Lovers)

    • Receipts for non-deductible items: I prefer electronic receipts but keep a plastic zip envelope for deductible ones.
    • Deposit slips and ATM slips: Rarely needed, but I save them briefly.
    • Reconciled bank statements: These are electronic, so I keep them indefinitely.

    One to Three Years

    • Checkbook ledgers, paycheck stubs, mortgage statements, and insurance records: All electronic now.
    • Charitable contributions and proof of deductible purchases: A mix of paper and electronic files.

    At Least Seven Years

    • Tax returns and supporting documents: These include W-2s, 1099s, medical bills, and mileage records. Most are digital.

    Forever (Stored in a Fireproof Safe)

    • Vital documents: Birth certificates, marriage licenses, auto titles, and investment statements.
    • Major receipts: For home improvements and significant purchases.
    • Estate planning documents: Wills, insurance policies, and retirement plans.

    Last year, I tackled the monumental task of sorting through my late mother’s estate documents and organizing decades of family records. Using expandable plastic folders, I created a system for each family member. It was a huge accomplishment—and one I’m incredibly proud of.

    For shredding, I keep a banker’s box in the garage. Each year, I take it to a community shredding event and start fresh.

    Everyone’s method will differ, but the key is finding a process you’ll stick with. What works for you? I’d love to hear your tips—maybe I’ll learn something new!

     

  • Prague – Part 1

    As you can imagine, it was quite eerie to travel to a country that was once behind the iron curtain. The fact that we drove from Germany to the Czech Republic seemed surreal. The trip was over 500 kilometers from our humble apartment in Plieningen, Germany.

    Since the Czech Republic did not use the Euro currency, we were forced to exchange Euros for Czech Crownes. The base did not do that exchange so we were forced, once again, to go to the airport to make the exchange.

    Although the trip was long covering lovely German countryside, I was struck with an even greater awareness of communism and the eeriness of traveling to a country that was once under communist control. Driving through the checkpoint without having to stop and show our passports was weird to me. But I wasn’t about to complain.

    Our hotel was in Old town. As you can imagine, parking is limited in old cities like Prague. The streets are narrow and can barely fit traffic let alone parked cars. Many of the streets are one way making it even more difficult to get to where we needed to go. Our GPS (affectionately known as “Julie”) finally took us to the parking location. Unfortunately, we didn’t know it was on the back side of the hotel, so we went wandering around with luggage in tow.

    By the time we found our hotel and checked in, it was 9 pm. Our room was on the fourth floor. We took the elevator up to the third floor and had to hoof it to the fourth floor because the elevator didn’t go that high.

    We decided to go to dinner and finally found an Argentinian restaurant and ate, then walked back to the hotel at midnight!  Yikes!

    The next morning, we had breakfast in the hotel which was like all the breakfasts we had in Germany and other European cities. But the kicker was that we did not realize that the elevator that we took the night before was not an elevator that you’d take in the U.S. hotels. No… this one was on the exterior of the building and perched on the side of the hotel with thin poles.

    When I saw how it was attached, my heart was in my mouth every time we got on it.

    Was this a hint of what was to come?  Hopefully the trip would get better. Stay tuned to part 2 of our Czech Republic adventure.

  • Independence Day…

    248 years later…

    Many men and women have died to preserve our nation’s freedom, but today the country is in shambles where lawlessness abounds.

    There is a concept of how a society or country will only last 250 years. We are fast approaching that pivotal year, so I thought I’d research and share the timeline.

    For the first fifty years (1776-1826), leaders focus on survival, establishing boundaries and putting infrastructure in place, then they move to expand their boundaries as the people move and settle, they diversify their economy through agriculture, mining and trade.

    For the second fifty years (1826-1876), the nation becomes more commercial with trade routes. More focus is on cultural things like the arts, literature and science. Formal institutions like universities, banks and courts are established. Populations increase and cities expand. (Although in the case of the U.S., the civil war occurred from 1861 to 1865, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in American history with approximately 750,000 deaths from both sides of the conflict.)

    For the third fifty years (1876-1926), there’s a peak of prosperity with emerging luxurious lifestyles. Scholars of philosophy, science, and arts reach new heights, but the government becomes overly ambitious in their military campaigns. When resources are stretched thin, dissent begins to appear. Corruption and bureaucracy creeps in. Moral decay and civil unrest are the order of the day and central authority becomes weak.

    For the fourth fifty years (1926-1976), there’s a complacency in the ruling class and social inequality grows. There’s corruption and nepotism in institutions and trust in them wanes. There’s a moral decay where social norms deteriorate, and materialism dominates. There is civil unrest, and the government struggles to maintain order and central authority weakens. (The great depression hit in the latter part of 1929 and lasted well into the 1930s. Civil unrest was quite evident in the civil rights movement from 1954 all the way to the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968. Many died as a result of the unrest, and I remember the curfews in my hometown.)

    For the fifth fifty years (1976-2026), there’s an economic decline where trade diminishes, and unemployment rises. Borders are breached and there’s a social breakdown where lawlessness spreads. Political instability is at the forefront and there are power struggles to destabilize the nation until finally the central government succumbs to a collapse where it may be invaded, breaks into smaller states or possibly falls under the control of another power.

    While there are parallels to what historical individuals tell us about what happens in a society, and some of it we have experienced and are experiencing today, it does not have to be that way. We are headed toward our 250th year and while there is fear and lawlessness everywhere we look, there is also hope.

    There’s a scripture verse in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” I often pray this scripture over the country I was born to and love.

    Just last night, our pastor encouraged us to pray for our nation (which my husband and I do regularly) and then he followed up with an email to us this morning. In it was the same encouragement, but there was something extra. I didn’t know there were four verses to our national anthem, Star Spangled Banner. Here is that fourth verse:

    O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand

    Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!

    Blessed with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land

    Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation

    Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just.

    And this be our motto “In God is our trust.”

    And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

    O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

    Many people often forget this great nation was built on Judeo-Christian principles. May God bless America, today and in the days to come. Pray for her… she needs it.

     

     

  • Spa Day…

    Since we got up late that Sunday morning, so we had our church services in our Plieningen apartment. We listened to worship music and three messages: two by our old pastor at Calvary Chapel and one by a pastor from a church in Vacaville, California. Afterward, we prayed for our country, friends, and family.

    After church, we had lunch and then went to a spa in Beuren, which was about thirty kilometers away from where we lived.

    It was a unique and interesting experience. We found the place with no trouble thanks to Julie (our English GPS) but we had difficulty finding a parking place. Once again, I forgot to bring my camera, so I have scanned and uploaded some photos from their brochure (I want to apologize up front for them). Since the spa was open until 10pm we had a lot of time, even though we never arrived there until about 2pm.

    It was definitely a LOT larger than I expected.

    We paid for our tickets 10 Euro (about $15) for four hours for both of us. That would be more than enough time for us. It was very inexpensive compared to the spas in Northern California. The clerk asked us if we wanted to go into the clothed area or the nude area. What? It was a nude spa? I laughed and said, “No way! Thank you anyway.”

    After going through a turnstile using our tickets as a key to get in, we were escorted to a locker by a young man who spoke English. The locker room was co-ed but there were male and female showers. The locker had a key that was plastic and attached to a plastic wrist band. We were told to store our things in the locker and take the key with us. In order to get the key out, we had to use our ticket to release it.

    After finding two changing rooms (one for me and one for my husband), we moved toward the bathrooms to shower before going into the spa. I want to describe that changing room because it was so unusual. They were in long rows and there were two doors going into a singular, tiny cubicle. There was a bar that extended the length of the changing room and it was the mechanism by which both doors would lock. It was difficult to get that bar to lock both doors, but I wasn’t taking any chances that someone might walk in while I was changing into my bathing suit!

    We separated to go to our respective shower rooms, then we emerged into a huge area where there were cubes in the walls for towels, sunglasses and tanning lotions. There were flip-flops everywhere! There were three pools inside and three pools outside. It was an overcast day, and it wasn’t hot, but we would explore the outdoor pools later.

    After looking around and stowing our towels in one of the many cubes on the wall, we realized every interior pool was a different size and had different temperatures. The first one we went into was too cold. So we went to another one that was warmer. We didn’t realize it, but it was a highly monitored spa and there were tons of people. We stayed there for a bit but decided we wanted to explore more of the spa. I will elaborate on this pool later in the blog. We decided to find the sauna.

    What struck me the most was the number of people and the different kinds of people. There were children splashing around in the pools, next to young lovers cuddling. There were the elderly along with middle-aged, and those with infirmities (metal crutches were propped next to the pools). What was even more interesting was that there were women who clearly should not have been wearing bikinis, but they were. No one thought this was out of the ordinary and no one laughed or made fun of them. That was refreshing to see.

    After walking outside and into another building, we were now in a grotto-like cave. There were stalactites on the ceiling and there was an area where people were sitting on rock like benches. In another area of the grotto, there were showers.

    Since we could not read any of the signs (they were in German, of course), we decided to try the different rooms. The first room was what I would call the “salt” room. We walked in and it was cloudy and warm and smelled and tasted very salty. We sat on the bottom row of the three-tiered, ceramic-tiled seating area. There was a clock on the wall, and we stayed in there for some fifteen minutes or so. My entire body felt salty.

    We went onto the next room which was the “real” sauna. It was 60 degrees centigrade which roughly translates into 140 degrees. It was hot in there. Again, we sat on the first tier of the three-tiered, ceramic-tiled seating areas. It was difficult to breathe but we stayed (and sweat) in there for about fifteen minutes.

    Then we decided we needed to shower off the salt and the heat and went into the shower area, which also was in a grotto-like environment. The shower stalls were positioned in a semi-circular manner with one large one in the middle with a half wall surrounding it. That one was the one to look out for. It spilled huge amounts of ice-cold water onto the person who was under it. And while we searched for a warm water shower, we were splashed with that ice cold water on several occasions.

    After showering, we decided to check out the outdoor pools. It appeared the first one was not heated. That was not for me, at least not on that day. We went to the second one and gingerly stepped down on the stainless steel steps. As soon as we hit the bottom of the steps, we were immediately swept into a current running around the closest end of the pool. There was a circular area people were hanging on to…after going around the circular area we ended up towards the middle of the pool, but it was difficult not being drawn into that current again. We used the stainless steel handrails to guide us along the edge so we could get to the steps to get out. Even this pool was not hot enough, not to mention having to fight that current.

    The next pool was about 42 degrees Celsius which is about 107 degrees Fahrenheit. Now that was more like it. It was spa, of course, but no jets. It was a stainless steel, round pool and could hold about twenty-five people There were seats along the perimeter. We sat there and did some people watching. There were people from all nations: USA, France, Turkey, Italy and of course, Germany.

    It was time for us to get out and I wanted to go back to the first pool we were in. That pool had jets that we did not get to experience. We realized when we got out the first time, we were in there that it was a very controlled pool in that the jets which were for different parts of the body were along the perimeter of the pool. People lined up to the stairs and waited in line. There was a large timer on the wall above the waterfall at the end of the pool that could be seen from anywhere in the pool.

    How it worked was that the timer was set for 30 seconds. Every time the timer hit zero, the people moved to the next set of jets. Leave it to the Germans to be orderly even when they are in the spa. It worked though, and everyone gets a chance to use the various jets. From jets for your feet to jets for your shoulders and back. It was wonderful. I was totally looking forward to being under the waterfall but for some reason, when I got there, it wouldn’t work. I was bummed about that. Oh well. Perhaps next time.

    We walked around the spa for a bit and realized they have a cafe, tanning beds, a work- out area and you could get a massage. It was a terrific place, and according to Brigit (the woman who was doing physical therapy on my husband), it’s the best place around.

    My husband was not all that impressed because the spas were not hot enough (except the one outside) for him. And what he really didn’t like was the number of people who were there. He thought it was going to be a natural spa, not man made. I suppose if one goes on a Sunday, it is expected there will be tons of people. I had to wonder how many people went during the week?

    We retraced our steps, showered, and got dressed.

    Ted lost his ticket, and he didn’t realize he needed it to leave the locker room. That must be the way they monitor how long one is in the spa. Anyway, I went to the counter and begged the clerk to allow him to leave.

    The ride home was uneventful. At that point we were very hungry and decided to have pizza at Mama Maria’s across the street from where we lived.

    After eating, we realized it was time to do the weekly chore of laundry. It was getting increasingly difficult to find the motivation to gather up the clothes and take them to get washed on base. Add to that, laundry is my very least favorite chore to do, and it’s even more of a struggle when we have to lug the laundry to and fro. We had to get a washer and dryer fairly soon.

    Have you ever been to a spa such as this? I will never forget it, that’s for sure.

     

     

     

     

  • Spa Day…

    Since we got up late that Sunday morning, so we had our church services in our Plieningen apartment. We listened to worship music and three messages: two by our old pastor at Calvary Chapel and one by a pastor from a church in Vacaville, California. Afterward, we prayed for our country, friends, and family.

    After church, we had lunch and then went to a spa in Beuren, which was about thirty kilometers away from where we lived.

    It was a unique and interesting experience. We found the place with no trouble thanks to Julie (our English GPS) but we had difficulty finding a parking place. Once again, I forgot to bring my camera, so I have scanned and uploaded some photos from their brochure (I want to apologize up front for them). Since the spa was open until 10pm we had a lot of time, even though we never arrived there until about 2pm.

    It was definitely a LOT larger than I expected.

    We paid for our tickets 10 Euro (about $15) for four hours for both of us. That would be more than enough time for us. It was very inexpensive compared to the spas in Northern California. The clerk asked us if we wanted to go into the clothed area or the nude area. What? It was a nude spa? I laughed and said, “No way! Thank you anyway.”

    After going through a turnstile using our tickets as a key to get in, we were escorted to a locker by a young man who spoke English. The locker room was co-ed but there were male and female showers. The locker had a key that was plastic and attached to a plastic wrist band. We were told to store our things in the locker and take the key with us. In order to get the key out, we had to use our ticket to release it.

    After finding two changing rooms (one for me and one for my husband), we moved toward the bathrooms to shower before going into the spa. I want to describe that changing room because it was so unusual. They were in long rows and there were two doors going into a singular, tiny cubicle. There was a bar that extended the length of the changing room and it was the mechanism by which both doors would lock. It was difficult to get that bar to lock both doors, but I wasn’t taking any chances that someone might walk in while I was changing into my bathing suit!

    We separated to go to our respective shower rooms, then we emerged into a huge area where there were cubes in the walls for towels, sunglasses and tanning lotions. There were flip-flops everywhere! There were three pools inside and three pools outside. It was an overcast day, and it wasn’t hot, but we would explore the outdoor pools later.

    After looking around and stowing our towels in one of the many cubes on the wall, we realized every interior pool was a different size and had different temperatures. The first one we went into was too cold. So we went to another one that was warmer. We didn’t realize it, but it was a highly monitored spa and there were tons of people. We stayed there for a bit but decided we wanted to explore more of the spa. I will elaborate on this pool later in the blog. We decided to find the sauna.

    What struck me the most was the number of people and the different kinds of people. There were children splashing around in the pools, next to young lovers cuddling. There were the elderly along with middle-aged, and those with infirmities (metal crutches were propped next to the pools). What was even more interesting was that there were women who clearly should not have been wearing bikinis, but they were. No one thought this was out of the ordinary and no one laughed or made fun of them. That was refreshing to see.

    After walking outside and into another building, we were now in a grotto-like cave. There were stalactites on the ceiling and there was an area where people were sitting on rock like benches. In another area of the grotto, there were showers.

    Since we could not read any of the signs (they were in German, of course), we decided to try the different rooms. The first room was what I would call the “salt” room. We walked in and it was cloudy and warm and smelled and tasted very salty. We sat on the bottom row of the three-tiered, ceramic-tiled seating area. There was a clock on the wall, and we stayed in there for some fifteen minutes or so. My entire body felt salty.

    We went onto the next room which was the “real” sauna. It was 60 degrees centigrade which roughly translates into 140 degrees. It was hot in there. Again, we sat on the first tier of the three-tiered, ceramic-tiled seating areas. It was difficult to breathe but we stayed (and sweat) in there for about fifteen minutes.

    Then we decided we needed to shower off the salt and the heat and went into the shower area, which also was in a grotto-like environment. The shower stalls were positioned in a semi-circular manner with one large one in the middle with a half wall surrounding it. That one was the one to look out for. It spilled huge amounts of ice-cold water onto the person who was under it. And while we searched for a warm water shower, we were splashed with that ice cold water on several occasions.

    After showering, we decided to check out the outdoor pools. It appeared the first one was not heated. That was not for me, at least not on that day. We went to the second one and gingerly stepped down on the stainless steel steps. As soon as we hit the bottom of the steps, we were immediately swept into a current running around the closest end of the pool. There was a circular area people were hanging on to…after going around the circular area we ended up towards the middle of the pool, but it was difficult not being drawn into that current again. We used the stainless steel handrails to guide us along the edge so we could get to the steps to get out. Even this pool was not hot enough, not to mention having to fight that current.

    The next pool was about 42 degrees Celsius which is about 107 degrees Fahrenheit. Now that was more like it. It was spa, of course, but no jets. It was a stainless steel, round pool and could hold about twenty-five people There were seats along the perimeter. We sat there and did some people watching. There were people from all nations: USA, France, Turkey, Italy and of course, Germany.

    It was time for us to get out and I wanted to go back to the first pool we were in. That pool had jets that we did not get to experience. We realized when we got out the first time, we were in there that it was a very controlled pool in that the jets which were for different parts of the body were along the perimeter of the pool. People lined up to the stairs and waited in line. There was a large timer on the wall above the waterfall at the end of the pool that could be seen from anywhere in the pool.

    How it worked was that the timer was set for 30 seconds. Every time the timer hit zero, the people moved to the next set of jets. Leave it to the Germans to be orderly even when they are in the spa. It worked though, and everyone gets a chance to use the various jets. From jets for your feet to jets for your shoulders and back. It was wonderful. I was totally looking forward to being under the waterfall but for some reason, when I got there, it wouldn’t work. I was bummed about that. Oh well. Perhaps next time.

    We walked around the spa for a bit and realized they have a cafe, tanning beds, a work- out area and you could get a massage. It was a terrific place, and according to Brigit (the woman who was doing physical therapy on my husband), it’s the best place around.

    My husband was not all that impressed because the spas were not hot enough (except the one outside) for him. And what he really didn’t like was the number of people who were there. He thought it was going to be a natural spa, not man made. I suppose if one goes on a Sunday, it is expected there will be tons of people. I had to wonder how many people went during the week?

    We retraced our steps, showered, and got dressed.

    Ted lost his ticket, and he didn’t realize he needed it to leave the locker room. That must be the way they monitor how long one is in the spa. Anyway, I went to the counter and begged the clerk to allow him to leave.

    The ride home was uneventful. At that point we were very hungry and decided to have pizza at Mama Maria’s across the street from where we lived.

    After eating, we realized it was time to do the weekly chore of laundry. It was getting increasingly difficult to find the motivation to gather up the clothes and take them to get washed on base. Add to that, laundry is my very least favorite chore to do, and it’s even more of a struggle when we have to lug the laundry to and fro. We had to get a washer and dryer fairly soon.

    Have you ever been to a spa such as this? I will never forget it, that’s for sure.

     

     

     

     

  • The Ark Encounter

    For the past couple of years, my husband has wanted to travel to Kentucky to see the life-size Ark. While I thought it would be fun to do, I hadn’t been able to commit to any time because of my mother’s illness several states away.

    When the time finally came, I wasn’t looking forward to the eight plus hour drive after making two eight hour trips every month for the past year to handle my mother’s personal affairs after she passed.

    When my husband said it was time and he wanted to go, I recommended we go in the fall so there wouldn’t be as many people. (My husband doesn’t like crowds because of his issue with trying to navigate through them with his bad leg and foot.)

    He agreed and made all the arrangements for us to go right after labor day.

    I dragged my feet getting ready for the trip on a Monday morning. At one point, we almost canceled the trip because we both were feeling a little under the weather.

    Because it would be only a four-day trip, I decided to pack light including the snacks I normally bring with us. I don’t, however, skimp on always having sufficient water with us. It’s heavy and a pain to cart around, but it’s worth it in order to be hydrated. We usually buy a case of Smart water and load it into the trunk, but making sure we put a few bottles in the fridge before we leave.

    The Ark was out in the middle of nowhere. As a result, our hotel was about an hour away so that meant another hour of driving to get to the location.

    Like many theme parks, the parking area is far from the actual Ark and you take a bus to get to it. You can see the Ark in the distance, but it doesn’t look very big… until you get up close and personal.

    I’ve read the Bible story a ton of times and could never visualize how truly mammoth the structure was. No wonder it took Noah all those years to build it!

    The inside is spectacular. (But there are no live animals, only representations of some of them.) When I pondered the amount of food and water that was needed to keep those animals (and the eight humans) alive for all those months Noah and his family were on the ship, it’s truly astounding.

    Consider when a cage or urn may have been broken and they had to repair it. Did they have the facilities to handle those issues?

    There were many exhibits on how they lived on the ark and what their living quarters may have looked like. We don’t know for sure, but God is able to do all things so I believe He may have put the animals into a state of hibernation while they were one the ship. But who knows? It’s a question for God Himself, when we get to heaven. (And I have a LOT of questions for Him, too!)

    I won’t go into detail on all we saw because it would spoil it for you if you decide to make the trip. I’m just whetting your appetite to think about whether you want to see it or not.

    If you live in the eastern half of the United States, it’s well worth the trip.

    All in all the trip was fantastic… until the last day.

    On the last day before we came home, we both tested positive for COVID so we are still getting over the virus. We are doing much better than the first week when we returned.

     

  • Good Friday…

    Good Friday is the holiest day of the year in the Christian calendar. It is a day of remembrance and… a day of sorrow. But it’s also a day that we, as humans, are reconciled to our Lord and Savior.

    From the beginning of the Bible in Genesis through to Revelation, the entire story, His story, is revealed.

    God the Father knew man would sin before He created the universe. So, it wasn’t a surprise to Him when man fell in the garden in Genesis 3. Throughout the Bible, we see God’s plan of salvation in the form of Jesus Christ.

    Although there may be those who do not believe in the Bible, but for those of us who do, Good Friday is a day of remembrance to reflect on the impact Jesus had on society in His day through the centuries to today.

    I marvel at His capacity to love us so much that He willingly went to the cross and died for our sins so we could live with Him in eternity. It’s what we, as Christians, believe.

    About ten years ago, my husband and I had the distinct privilege of visiting Israel with our church. The ten-day trip took us to the Sea of Galilee where we boarded a boat and had a Bible Study in the very area where Jesus walked on water.

    We visited many places while there: Nazareth, Capernaum (where the Apostle Peter lived), Masada, Tel Dan, the Valley of Megiddo (where the battle of Armageddon will be held), Ein Gedi (where David hid from Saul), the Jordan river (where John the Baptist baptized Jesus), the Dead Sea, Gideon’s Spring (where God culled Gideon’s army to three hundred men), and finally Jerusalem.

    We traveled underground and walked the length of one wall of the temple mount. The wall’s stones, which were at least twenty to thirty feet long and four to five feet high, had no mortar between them. It was simply astounding. I stood in wonder at the feat of building such a wall in ancient times. But what happened at the end of the quarter mile trek to the corner of the temple wall would be something that would stay with me for the rest of my life. Our guide told us the stones we were standing on were the same stones that were in the streets of Jerusalem in ancient times. I imagined Jesus walking through Jerusalem on the very stones I was standing on.

    But there was more…

    Struck by the stark beauty of the thousand-year-old Olive trees in the garden of Gethsemane located at the foot of the Mount of Olives, we stood in awe of them. While there are paths and the garden seemed small to me, I imagine it wasn’t small in ancient times. Most likely, there were no paths or walls surrounding it.

    We stood on a platform and stared at Golgotha, also known as the place of the skull, where the crucifixion of Jesus took place. Sadly, it is now a parking lot for a bus station. But on the stony hill above the blacktop, the eyes and the nose of the skull are still visible. But photos from the 1800s show the entire face of the skull.

     

    On the last day of our trip, we visited the tomb. It is empty. Empty because Jesus arose on the third day is in heaven preparing a place for His bride, the church

    Having been a believer for many years, the Bible came alive for me while in Israel and I could see Jesus every place we visited where he walked.

    Visiting Israel right before Easter left us with an indelible impression, a reverence for the Almighty. And I will never be the same.

  • Disabilities…

    Disabilities.

    It’s a word that means different things to different people. Some disabilities are seen, and some are unseen. Some are mental and some are physical. Even terrible scars can be a disability.

    I first noticed disabilities when I read a romance many years ago and the male character had something wrong with his hand. I don’t really remember the female character, the setting or even the story line, but I vividly remember the male character. The author wrote the character in such a way that left an indelible impression. I read that book at least three times. I never read a romance twice back then because I remembered every little detail of every story. Today, not so much.

    That long-ago, well-written character wasn’t the reason I sometimes have characters with disabilities in my books.

    My husband was and still is my inspiration for writing these types of characters.

    We met in a chat room in the late nineties and talked online for months before we spoke on the phone. His disability came as a surprise when I first met him. In all that time, he’d never mentioned it.

    I thought perhaps he’d had a stroke at some point because he couldn’t use his left hand all that well. The characteristics were there, and it looked like he might have had something wrong with his left foot as well.

    But here’s the thing… His heart and brain were (and still are) so much bigger than his disability. It was his heart I fell in love with. I didn’t see what he had as a disability, but as a condition he’d learned to live with, just like I have an issue with my neck. People don’t comment on it, but I’m conscious of it and my husband said he noticed it, but it hadn’t bothered him, so why should it bother me.

    To this day (and we’ve been married going on twenty-one years), he will not capitalize on his disability. In fact, he does things himself even if it takes extra time and all his concentration. (We all probably take for granted the everyday things we do when we have two capable hands.) He’s an IT professional and types with one hand. He even served in the military. His disability didn’t stop him from living his life to the fullest, but it defined his out-of-the-box thinking in any life situation including his job.

    My husband was a blue baby. From his baby pictures, you could see the telltale sign that his left hand had problems. At age seven, he was told he had a brain aneurysm and that it could lead to death. When he specifically asked his doctor how long he had, the doctor said he could die at age eight or he could die at eighty. His response was “I choose eighty.”

    That conversation led him to do terrifying and crazy stunts that most rational people wouldn’t do. Even he says he’s surprised he lived through them.

    About ten yers ago, medical advances showed that what the doctors at that time thought was an aneurysm was actually brain damage from birth.

    He now wears a brace on his left leg (much like the ones on the left) and his hand is virtually useless, but he perseveres and will not use a wheelchair. He is determined and will fight for the right to be self-sufficient.

    When we were first married, I overcompensated and tried to help him all the time. He’d get angry with me. I still offer to help, but not as often as back then. When he wants help, he asks for it, but it’s rare.

    When we go to his favorite fast-food place, he tells me to get a table and he’ll bring the food. I cringe when I look around because I know there are folks who are probably thinking, why isn’t she helping him? What they don’t realize is that my husband wants to do things for himself and be a useful member of society. He doesn’t want to be in a wheelchair, nor does he want to be pitied. Most people with disabilities feel the same way he does.

    He’s my greatest cheerleader and while none of my characters have his specific disability, they have other disabilities like intense fear, terrible facial scars, PTSD, and hearing loss.

    I will continue to write romances with a variety of characteristics and hope people will be blessed by the stories I tell.