Above is a picture from the Fourth of July with my extended family members. I love them all deeply. Below are pictures of me working on an excavation project called the Temple Mount Antiquities Salvage Operation. Sifting through debris taken from the Temple Mount exhilarates me. It’s the only Temple Mount dig since the days of Charles Warren. This experience was beyond amazing. The other picture is David and me posing on the ramparts of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Walking the ramparts of Jerusalem, a dream I thought I would never realize, once again proves God can do anything!

Late bloomers run in the family. My mother positively blossomed at the age of sixty-eight. After a quiet life at home, suddenly she was traveling, going to card clubs, socializing with her friends and having a ball. So I think of my mother and consider myself a late bloomer as well. My husband, David, came into my life when I was in my late 40’s. He turned my world of survival into a world of adventure. The night he proposed he said, “Will you marry me so we can glorify God together?” Glorify God. Did I even know what it meant? I loved the Lord, for sure, but He had been my Strong Tower, my Provider, and my Protector up until then. Glorify Him? I wanted to, very much, but how? My relationship with God and David was about to explode into an incredible odyssey.

Since I already had two grown sons, having a wonderful husband beside me made my life feel complete. Soon after we married, my oldest son, Scott, married his high school sweetheart, Gina. Their union fulfilled one of my deepest desires because I knew they were meant to be together. Ten years later Scott and Gina brought our first grandchild into the world. Trevor was born on their tenth anniversary which just happened to be Thanksgiving Day. Once again God’s perfect timing created an unforgettable blessing. They gave him the middle named of Mathew, meaning ‘gift.’

In 2008 Craig, my youngest, and Renee married. Craig’s bachelorhood stretched over the years. Many times I told the Lord to get on with it, “Craig needs a wife!” My heart overflows with thanksgiving that Craig waited until he found the perfect mate God reserved for him, Renee. Instead of me glorifying God, He was blessing me over and over. I now have two precious granddaughters.

In 1998 Craig invited me join him taking a Denver Seminary class called "Geographical and Historical Settings of the Bible".  Denver Seminary worked with Jerusalem University College to provide onsite instruction in the Jerusalem and the surrounding archaeological sites. My last college class transpired some twenty years earlier, but who could pass up a chance to go to Israel for the first time? The up front work consisted of extensive Bible map study. To add to the confusion North was not at the top of the maps, which took some getting used to.  I would leave David home to fend for himself for three weeks. David is pretty good at fending for himself. It took us a long time to find each other. He was a forty-two year old bachelor before we got married and through a series of miracles we ended up together. Still, when he is not at work we are rarely apart. Adventures in Loving David, remains a future manuscript. For now I will focus on the series of miracles which first got me to the Holy Land.

God is so good! In spite of my fears I decided to trust God for the fortitude I would need and signed up for the class. It turned out to be one of the greatest experiences in my life. At fifty-three years of age, the journey took its toll. In my book I talk about the physical pain and exertion of being on the actual site of so many Biblical settings. My gratitude for being there far outweighed any discomforts. On the final day we received our grades and a questionnaire asked where Jerusalem University College should send our credits. A four-credit course and I didn’t have any place to use them! I’m not one to be wasteful so I wrote Belleview Bible College on the blank line. I had attended Belleview over 20 years previously, but now I considered revisiting them.

Upon my return I visited the college and found I had barely enough credit to cover the first year. Dr. Donald Wolfram, president of the college, pointed out that with my new four credits I could begin as a second year student and work towards an Associates’ Degree. Boy was I disappointed! I thought I was already near the Associates’ Degree. That and the fact that I was nearing my mid-50’s made the task seem insurmountable. School at my age contradicted every conception I had of college students. Then I remembered my conversation with the college Dean, Rev. Suzanne Wolfram a week earlier. “Am I too old?” I had asked. Her answer, “You’re never too old,” is what got me to schedule the meeting with Dr. Wolfram. His encouragement, along with the support of David, gave me the impetus to enroll. Well, again through a series of God’s miracles I ended up with a doctorate of Practical Theology in Biblical Counseling. Rich Mullins is right "Our God Is An Awesome God.

We love to travel. Below are a few pictures from recent trips that you might enjoy.