a good memory from LT

i LOVE this! Dave, Trina and I are just sitting around tonight and Dave pulled up this great memory from Lithuania. While we lived there pretty much the only TV in english that we had was the Cartoon Network. This was one of the "commercials" that they constantly played!

It was during that year that I also fell in love with a great man...oh, how could i have forgotten to tell you about him....Samurai Jack!! If you've never seen his stealthy ninja moves and stunning physique....well, you just haven't fully lived yet! You need to look online for him, and if you can't find anything I MIGHT let you borrow the first season of his show. :)



Waaaahhh-CHAaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!

some thougths from my head lately...

I've been wondering lately if I'll ever feel like an adult...a "grown up"....not a kid anymore. I don't know if it's because I'll be leaving my 20s forever this year or just because everyone else around me seems more confident in their adult skin...even people ten years younger than me...maybe it's because I don't really have a profession and don't even really know what direction I'm going in life other than following God. I've struggled with having acne for years, which i think is the reason many people who meet me think I'm still 19 or 20...maybe I've started to believe them. Whatever the reason, i just don't feel like I'm a REAL LIVE ADULT YET...and I think I'd like to!

Maybe I have to get married and have kids. Most people seem to act more adultish once they are married.

Is there such a thing as "adult clothes?" I work with kids so I dress casually, which is what I like anyway, but maybe that keeps me feeling like a kid...or maybe the fact that half of my week is spent in the company of children keeps me feeling, and perhaps acting, quite young.

Adults can go to bars, smoke, drink....buy nice clothes and cars....but those things just aren't ME. I don't even LIKE Beer....(picture is of me pretending to enjoy a nice big drink in Lithuania)

On one of the many rainy nights during my freshman year in college, Rachel and I went "puddle jumping" til we were soaked. I remember saying that I never wanted to get too adultish or mature to be able to do something like that. But now...i kind of want to feel like my age...but I'm starting to wonder if doing those kinds of things is what keeps me from feeling grown up...and I still like the idea of jumping in huge rain puddles...kind of like the "riding the shopping cart" thing i mentioned in a previous post.

...hmm....well, i guess that's all for now. Just some ponderings from my pensive mind. Anyone have any thoughts on the subject?

"Dude, I finished it!"

I proclaimed this outloud in utter shock today when i pulled out the last of the floss! have you EVER finished a spool of floss? I don't think i ever have! I either don't floss enough, or i use parts of the many spools that the dentist has given me over the years, or i loose the spools and buy new ones. So I had to share this moment! It's something I never realized I hadn't done until it happened...and I just got a kick out of it!:)

I enjoy moments like that...things that seem common but that I've never done or have never happened to me...like when i drove over a bridge the other day that I didn't realize I'd never been on before until I was on it...and it's one i drive under or near all the time.

am i the only one who has these moments? does anyone else have anything like this???
Here's a random picture from 3 years ago of me and tiana...cuz i miss her..she's in Lithuania along with several other great friends who i'll put pics up of soon.

i've seen several of these lately

Foloof and Strawberry Shortcake!!

My kids at work are always doing and saying things that make me laugh!!! I finally remembered to write a couple things down that were said this morning. Sorry if they end up being the "you had to be there" kind of thing. Maybe I'm just easily amused!

As I helped a boy study for his spelling test and he wrote words like "foloof" instead of "flour", i looked over and asked a couple girls playing with the dolls:

"Why is that girl hanging upside down off the roof?"

She quickly answered with great joy and confidence, assuming her answer was quite logical: "That's because the dad is CRAZY about strawberry shortcake!"

A little later I overheard the dad doll, played by another girl, saying to the daughter, "I'll GIVE you some strawberry shortcake if YOU: stop throwing mom off the roof...DEAL?!" (again, said as if it was quite the ordinary, logical happening)

This was all taking place as one of my 4th grade boys walked around the room with a box on his head bumping into stairs and carts!

After inventing several new words instead of spelling the test words correctly, the boy I was helping exclaimed: "HALF MY BRAIN GOT ATEN BY DOGS!"

Yes, it was quite the entertaining morning!


Since i can't post pictures of the kids, here's one of PART of a boy helping to do an experiment. This is what happens when you put a few Mentos into a bottle of Coke!

Psalm 103...like the eagles

I'm DONE!! i think! :) i'm such a perfectionist that it makes it hard for me to finally just put the paint brushes down and let the painting be as it is...and as always, after staring at it for hours, i've found it hard to know if what i've done looks good/realistic or not. i had moments with this painting of freaking out and thinking that for sure these eagles looked more like Big Bird or Red Robin than the real eagles i was trying to paint. but thanks to dave, trina and kendra, who are either really good liars or who actually think what i do is good, i didn't end up throwing this out and now i'm glad i didn't!



















I painted this from a photograph that one of kendra's friend's husband took up in Alaska. It's his favorite picture out of several that he's taken, so his wife wanted to get it painted for a surprise one year anniversary gift. i hope he likes it.

Of course the way it shows up on the computer is a bit different than real life. The colors show up a bit different but at least there's the general idea.

I want to keep painting. Not every day or every week but more than once every 7 years. It was a huge blessing to get paid this time since it made it possible for me to buy some supplies that will last for future paintings!

Since i think i'll keep painting i decided that i should choose a signature to stick with. I'm using just "CR" for "Cheryl Renea"...cuz you just never know if i'll get married someday :)...this way i can just keep my signature the same. I also like the looks of an "R" instead of a "B" anyway! So now you know that I'm not claiming someone else's painting if you see "CR" instead of "CB"..and hey, it just makes me feel more artsy anyway...you gotta have SOMETHING unique, right!

I'll also be putting a verse with every painting. Psalm 103 is the chapter that i put onto this one. It's a great pslam full of truth...including an eagle analogy.



Psalm 103:1-5
Of David

"Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

seeking sleep wisdom...

Does anyone know which is better....to get more sleep or to wake up at the best time in the sleep cycle? i always try to get at least 7 hours of sleep but it seems like whenever i wake up at 6 or 6.5 hours i'm in a better mood...but i'm SO set on getting enough sleep that i can't convince myself that less might be better. any scientific wisdom out there???

A Great Time with Mom & Dad in Bend

i didn't realize how much i just needed to rest....but God did and He blessed me more than i asked for during the four days at my parents' in Bend, Oregon!!! Just look!! and of course pictures can't fully capture everything...the sounds of birds, the warmth of the sun on your face, the intensity of color in a sunset....the vastness of the creativity of God is just far beyond replicating!! i'm truly rested and encouraged! Thank you Abba!

Chayla, waiting anxiously for a walk.
The sunset in the backyard
These are juniper berries, not to be confused with blue berries!

some pretty cool clouds

An attempt at a self portrait!



































taken in warm springs while driving home...pretty good picture for taking it while driving eh?!

Now I'm home and feeling pretty rested!!!

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

(sorry if pictures or captions don't show up right...i can't figure out this picture layout)

I'm Going to PAINT!!!

i've never seen myself as a "real" painter. the only training i've ever had is art class in highschool....but i DO like to paint...i bet most people don't even know that since i hardly ever actually do it...and the paintings I've done are around the state (and one across the world), so no one has even seen them.

i really do love painting tho...and i've finally been inspired to take time to do it again...someone ASKED me to do a painting for them, they gave me a picture to paint, they are paying me to do it(does THAT qualify meas a "real" artist?), and it's for a surprise anniversary gift! Sounds fun to me...now i just hope it actually turns out. i'll be sure to post a picture IF it does.

So if you haven't seen anything I've painted, here's a picture of a copy of my favorite painting. I did it for a Creative Classroom Communication class durig college. I have it up in my room as a reminder of what God has for those who walk with and entrust things to Him- even through the storms He promises PEACE that surpasses understanding! I often find myself stessed or worrying about things...when i see this picture it reminds me to fix my eyes back on Jesus...and when i do, He turns my anxiety to joy and peace! it doesn't mean all is then easy, but the deep-soul peace is very real and changes how i walk through life.

"Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, rejoice. Let your gentle spirit be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7

My 40 Kids

i'm still bummed that i can't post pictures of at least a FEW of the fabulous kids that i spend time with every morning and afternoon! so once again, a picture (with fun photo effects added) of the RESULTS of their creative minds at work will have to do...this time on my own face and hands("no, you may NOT paint a huge Cat in the Hat hat all over my face, even if it IS Dr. Suess' birthday...maybe sometime when i'm NOT going somewhere after work).

for those wondering what i do...i direct a before-and-after school child care program with kids in kindergarten thru fifth grade. it really is a great job...i get to play outside, teach art, sports, do messy science experiments...but the best thing about it is getting to encourage and love the kids...who in turn, encourage and bless me just by being the kids that they are. it's a challenging job, mainly facing the various results of broken and hurting families...but the hard parts of the kids' lives are why i stay. what an amazing thing to think that God might choose to reveal His love to them through my life. that's my hope and prayer. so BRING ON THE FACE PAINT!!!:)

thanks for praying

sorry for the slow update...the cat where i live broke the space bar on my computer (if anyone knows how to fix it, PLEASE tell me. i'd rather not have to buy a new computer because of a space bar that won't work. it takes about 30 minutes to write one sentence).

thank you for those who took time to pray about the talk i gave on saturday. i always forget how much i enjoy speaking about the ways God has worked in my life! So how did it go?....it's hard to judge since i really don't know the ultimate impact of what i said in the lives of people there. Since I trust that God was in it, though, i'd conclude that it went well. from what i COULD see, people seemed to listen and interact with it, others have given positive feedback, and it's already opened up conversations with people about deeper things of life. God is working....and I'm thankful for how He chooses to work through me, even in my weak skills in speaking!

"I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." ~Paul

Please pray...even after the fact..thnx

Simply put, i will be speaking to a group of people this weekend...will you please pray that God will lead me in what to say ...that it will be exactly what HE wants to speak to them through me and my life, and that God will bring people into deeper, more fulfilling relationships with Him as a result.

read on if you want more info...
Will you please be praying for me in the next couple days? Every Saturday night i go to Sarah's house (more about her another time) with several of the youth that lived or are now living on the streets (the house FILLS with people). We eat and hang out for an hour....then, after worshiping together someone teaches from the Bible or talks about something relevant to life and how God is working. They are awesome, real, challenging, encouraging times.

.....i'll be talking about how God has filled the need for love and companionship in my life as i've been single for several years....also, the effect on my life in the times that i've quit walking closely with Him and started striving after someone else to fill what only HE can.

Some of these people have faced relational things in life that i can't even begin to imagine, which brings many of them to the place where they are today- going from one guy or girl to another, seeking love...maybe finding it but, more likely, finding something that isn't the best that God has for them. i feel inadequate to meet them where they are, and yet i am confident that GOD CAN. Please pray that He WILL through whatever He leads me to share. thank you so much. i know God hears when we come to Him and answers even when we don't always see.

sunday night

I got to meet 2 BEAUTIFUL kids sunday night....who have 2 amazing and wonderful parents- Jake and Carol! Josiah is a month old and SO cute....i told him so SEVERAL times, which he responded by winking at me and holding my hand..really..it's true!!

And THIS is Josiane...a SHINING Rawandan girl who is soaking in the affection of her new family. she's learning english....but of course her african accent quickly reminded me of my love for the african orphans...it made me want to pack up and leave today to go adopt all the kids who don't have anyone to call mom. well, maybe someday...for now i'll pray...and love THIS one when i can!

And look at THIS....it's not coffee...it's not hot chocolate...it's something i first experienced in Lithuania...and honestly, i don't know the proper name for it...but i think it should simply be called "heavenly"! it's drinkable chocolate...and it's what i came home to sunday night! my wonderfully amazing roomie, trina, is gifted at such things as making food and drinks that you simply have to taste to appreciate! mmmm....and all was well in cheryl's life..... :)