The Golden State

Those of you who don't live in California may think that California got its nickname "the golden state" from the Gold Rush. Others say that it is because of the Golden Gate Bridge. One lesser known reason is shown below.

Yes, this time of year as summer rolls around and the temperatures begin to climb into the 100s, the grass on the hills turn golden. Don't you dare call them brown. Golden. :) California is not made up of just a bunch of surfers. In fact, much of California looks like these pictures.

What would you take a picture of that represents your state?

Quote Tag - 3

Alas, we have come to the end of this tag. Thank you all for joining me! Two of today's three quotes come from C.S. Lewis. (He has some amazing ones, you guys!)

In my case, it's a cup of coffee large enough. ;)

Once more, thank you Emily, Rebekah, and Jonathan. I had a super fun time doing these!

Quote Tag - 2

Here are my next three quotes! Once again, thank you Emily, Rebekah, and Jonathan!

Tomorrow I will finish up this challenge with three more quotes. See you then!

Quote Tag - 1

Good afternoon! I hope that you all have had a good month so far. Now, since I first saw this quote tag, I've not been tagged once. Not twice. Three times!!! Shows how terrible I've been keeping up with all the things I've been tagged for. So, thank you to everyone who has tagged me for any sort of tag, and rest assured that I still hope to do all the tags combined in one post. (Wow! That will be long!)

I'm going to start catching up on tags with this awesome quote tag. I am supposed to post one of my favorite quotes for three days in a row. Rather than post for nine days in a row, I'm simply going to do three quotes a day for three days. Sound fair? I'm also going to refrain from tagging anyone, because everyone I know has already been tagged. ;)

A thanks to Emily, Rebekah, and Jonathan! (In the order I was tagged.) I enjoyed reading your quotes!

Here are my first three quotes:

I stole this one from Rebekah's post.

Come back tomorrow for three more quotes! Thanks for tagging along! (Get it?)

National Day of Prayer

Today is America's National Day of Prayer. Many Christians set aside this day to intercede for their country, but shouldn't every day be a day of prayer? As Christians, we have the duty to come before the throne of Christ daily. Not only is it our duty to our country, it is our duty before God. It is the only way to save our country from utter destruction. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is our only hope for our nation to be forgiven, “If my people who are called by my name 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.” While this was spoken to the Israelites, to me, this is a perfect description of the world today—proud and wicked. I am not saying that everyone in the world is this way, but I know that for the Christians living in this world but who are not part of it, it is up to them to come humbly before God and repent for the sins of their country. America has chosen to set aside the first Thursday of May every year to pray and intercede for the leaders of this country. Lost though it may be, it is not a lost cause. Can we spend this day in prayer? Will we humble ourselves and repent for the sins of our country? Furthermore, will we make the choice to make every day a day of prayer? Please take the time to plead with God to forgive our country for its ungodly practices and for turning away from Him. In Him there is always hope. Thank you. :)

May the 4th Be With You!

Happy National Star Wars Day! I still have an April highlights post coming and several others that I have wanted to do, but we had a family emergency and I've been super busy. However, I couldn't miss the opportunity of this wonderful day to ask you a few questions that you can answer in the comments if you'd like:

Do you like Star Wars?
Do you prefer Star Wars or Star Trek?
Which Star Wars movies have you watched?
Have you read any of the Star Wars books?
Which is your favorite movie?
If you have watched The Force Awakens, did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
If you have watched The Force Awakens, what were your thoughts on Kylo Wren?
Who are your top favorite characters out of the movies?
Who are your least favorite characters out of the movies?
What are your thoughts on Jar-Jar Binks?

Here are my answers to the questions:
Do you like Star Wars?
I'll let you take a wild guess of my answer here . . . .
Do you prefer Star Wars or Star Trek?
Star Wars!!! I've seen only one Star Trek.
Which Star Wars movies have you watched?
All seven. :D
Have you read any of the Star Wars books?
No, but I have one on my TBR shelf.
Which is your favorite movie?
I enjoyed them all except numbers three and seven. (chronologically) If I had to pick a favorite it would probably be four, five, or six.
If you have watched The Force Awakens, did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
I went to see it on my birthday, as some of you may remember. I did not like it near as much as the others because the plot was just messed up and there were a ton of holes. (Spoiler Alert: Han Solo should NOT have died.)
If you have watched The Force Awakens, what were your thoughts on Kylo Wren?
He was the wimpiest villain I've ever seen. End of story. Sorry to all you who love him.
Who are your top favorite characters out of the movies?
All the traditional ones, Anikin Skywalker (when he was little), Padme, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobe, the droids ;), etc.
Who are your least favorite characters out of the movies?
Kylo Wren at the top. And of course, I don't like many of the villains: Emperor Palpatine, Jabba the Hut, General Grevious, etc.
What are your thoughts on Jar-Jar Binks?
Despite popular opinion, I kinda like him. Yes, a bit annoying, but funny.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Star Wars movies! Have a good day and I would value your prayers for my mom; I don't feel comfortable sharing details at this time. Thank you!

Also, the baby birds I mentioned previously are gone from the nest and we assume that they flew away!

Rachel Starr Thomson is hosting a giveaway on her blog with several Jaye L. Knight books, and many other Kindle books. I highly encourage you to enter! Some of the books she is giving away include a few of her own. I have read two of her books and loved them! I also really like Jaye L. Knight's writing.

Thanks for reading! Happy National Star Wars Day!