32 Days left

Today is day 8
Friday- Date Night

Today we woke up all set to get back on track. I am still sick, but definitely on the mend. (God willing...) Michael has been making sure I get enough sleep to get better.

We went to have our morning coffee, only to discover that our coffee maker had OFFICIALLY died. He got him when we moved in, so a year ago. I estimate he made approximately 745 cups of coffee. Oh well. I hope we can get a new one soon. Being on our diet I am not going to my Happy Place (AKA Starbucks) right now and so being able to drink good coffee at home is IMPERATIVE!  Michael likes his coffee cold so I had made his last night and popped it in the fridge so he at least had a proper cup, but I had to use some cheap instant I had bought (months ago for a home tanning experiment that didn't work hahaha!) At least I had something...

We went into the office to do some devotional time. We were at this point two days "behind" in our Hobbit Devotional and I was eager to get back to it. They are only a few pages, very easy reading and not TOO deep but still very worth reading. Today hit us both in just the right spot so were very happy with this little book!

Chapter 6 was about overcoming your fears to be able to be used for your mission. Bilbo was so afraid of dragons he faints in chapter one. But he is ultimately the only one on the quest who is actually able to speak to the Dragon in his lair. If he hadn't overcome his fear he would not have been able to accomplish his mission and the quest wouldn't have succeeded. The message is, let the Lord help you overcome your fears and you will be able to succeed where others fail on a great mission.

As soon as we finished reading it Michael said, well I guess we know now why its taken us two days to read that. It was so good!

I wanted to read day 7, so we started in on the second. It was about how the Dwarfs viewed a small Hobbit, like Bilbo, as more of a joke and hinderance than an asset, even if Gandalf chose him. The message was; don't judge people by your perceptions of them. They might just be more capable and helpful than even they themselves know they are capable of being.

THEN we were so close to being back on schedule, we decided to read day 8 to be caught up. This one was the most meaningful to me of the three.

This whole 40 Days to Rivendell is about finding what God wants us to do next, and improve some problem areas while we are waiting on Him. Day 8 in the book was called "Heart Set on Pilgrimage."
It tells how Bilbo started his adventure and found that he missed his home and creature comforts. He was constantly thinking to himself about how much he wanted to be home by the fire with a cup of tea. He was in every situation BUT that on his adventure. Danger,  hardship, near death experiences, even speaking with fire breathing-people eating-treasure stealing Dragons! Through all his adventures he longs for his home, but he doesn't turn back. He stays his course. He continues to plod ever forward. He could have gone back several times but he chose to do the hard thing and finish the quest that Gandalf called him to go on.  In the process he finds that he is stronger than he could ever have imagined. Living a soft and very comfortable and planned life in the Shire never afforded him the chance to know what he was truly capable of! He had to leave his home and all his friends and family and get out on his own and suffer trials and tribulations to become the Hobbit he was meant to be. Then he was able to return and enjoy his wonderfully lush home and proper teatime again. He even appreciated it all the more having truly been without such things for so long.

The reason this hit me so hard is that I miss my home. I wouldn't say I'm terribly homesick, but I miss my home. Im a 4th generation born Californian. I was born and raised where my dad was born and raised, where my grandfather was ect... I am very proud of that. California isn't really like that. Most people are transplants, from the rest of the 49 states AND almost every possible country. There are so MANY wonderful things about California. The weather is UN BEATABLE. You have snow and beaches at the same time only hours apart. The landscapes, they have everything, deserts, mountains, beaches, forests, farmland, dunes, valleys, cliffs, plains. Its all there! San Francisco is in my opinion, one of the most beautiful cities in the world! Carmel, Monterey, Big Sur, Big Basin St. Park, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, LA, San Diego. Disneyland. Come on! California is amazing. My family is almost all there. It is safe to say that YES, I miss California. BUT, Like Bilbo, I am on an adventure. A grand adventure, and at this moment we really do not know what is ahead for us. We don't know where we are going, and I do miss a cup of tea curled up with my mom, but its ok. Like Bilbo, I know that, if I ever survive this quest to the end I will enjoy it all again and even more so for having been away. My daily tasks and schedule will be different than what Im used to, but thats ok too. Change means growth. Im happy that I was the Hobbit the Lord chose to accompany Michael on his quest to come into his own. I am proud to discover strength I didn't know I had and prove to all, and myself that I am as amazing as God has always said we could be.


Michael and I went out to dinner tonight for our date. Red Robbin can be pretty healthy if you order correctly. Did you know you can get bottomless salad or steamed broccoli instead of fries? Or your burger bunless in a lettuce wrap? Their ice tea is good too. SO it was nice to have a night off from cooking this week!