Decorate...?

So I bought these paintings in the DR. Got them safely to Dallas and then to my apartment. And on my first trip to IKEA I picked up a few picture frames and got them safely to my apartment. But now, the problem, all of these great ideas to hang paintings and pictures and finally get something on the bare white walls of my apartment.

But there's just one problem...How in the world do you hang paintings on a concrete wall???
First I thought maybe concrete nails. Hmm, not such a good idea. Although I did manage to get one partway in the wall (despite a few sparks, yes sparks! I literally saw sparks fly off the nail as if flew back out of the wall and almost took me out!) So I asked around and finally caved to needing to use the drill. Thanks to a little bit of practice using a drill in the DR I didn't feel quite so overwhelmed, but honestly I was secretly hoping someone would come along and do it for me. :)
But...



I did it!! And it was fun! And a really effective stress reliever. (Although I must admit the first time I tried I resigned because I was sick and just didn't have the strength. It's harder than it looks!)
But in the end it was kinda fun!! I'm looking forward to getting more frames to add more personality to my apartment! :)


The concrete dust that covered the apartment from drilling

The little wooden pegs you need to put in the hole you drill in the concrete so that you can put a screw in that to be able to hang the picture. It's a science. Or maybe an art . . .

One project halfway done


Hanging over my dining room table


This wall is still a little bare. What you can't see is the screw already in the wall to the right. Hopefully soon there will be another three picture frame hanging there with other pictures I've taken.

FINISHED!! Amazing paintings from the DR hung!

Sweet Morning Sun

I heard people say, or have read in books, that the they were awakened early , seemingly by the Holy Spirit to pray or read their Bible etc. And I've also always heard how great it is to wake up early to spend time with God and I completely agree. But I must confess waking up really early, or being awakened with a burden, especially early, doesn't happen to me often. I fight to wake up most mornings. I think it's safe to say I'm not exactly a morning person and throw in the couple years of working night shift and needless to say I find it hard to understand how my grandma, whom after 25 years of not having to get up at 5:30 to milk cows, still often wakes up at 5:30 am.

However, during the time I spent recently in the Dominican Republic (DR) something strange happened to me. I found myself waking up 30 minutes, an hour before I needed to be up, even when the wake up time was 4am! (I know! I don't understand it either.) However, one morning in particular was especially sweet. It was after a long day of helping with a foundation (and getting soaked) and receiving a rather sad and upsetting phone call in the evening. We were going to be woken up at 6 am. But by 5:15 I was wide awake, and truthfully slightly irritated that I couldn't fall back to sleep because I knew I would need the rest. However, I soon gave up trying and instead took my Bible, journal, and camera and went up on the roof of the building. Wow! Praise the Lord for waking me up. It was one of those times I was reminded and humbled by who God is and how incredible it is to live within his plans. Never would I have believed a few years ago that I would ever be able to watch a sunrise in the Dominican Republic (or in Mexico for that matter). If you knew me in high school or college-who would've thought? It's humbling to see how God has worked and to be on the receiving end of blessings I don't deserve. I wish now that I could watch the sunrise in quiet peaceful reflection from the roof of my apartment. But I am glad to have pictures, although they do not do the beauty justice, of the awesome beauty of God's creation and that special time of spending quiet time crying, praying, listening, reading, watching so early in the morning with my Savior. And I know that no matter where I am, He is still the same God, same Savior, and time spent with Him is just as sweet.