About GoldintheClouds

Welcome to Gold in the Clouds.  I started this blog about 2006 and I've found  writing to be a good outlet for sharing my faith in God,  my family life, friendships, and the things I have a passion for.  The title of the blog comes from the song with the same title, by Annie Herring of the Jesus Movement  music group 2nd Chapter of Acts (my fave group as a teen).  Even in the storms of life, walking through days that are sometimes mundane, we CAN experience joy, blessings and "gold" in the clouds.......

I'm married to my best friend, Dave and we have 2 daughters.  After teaching Special Education Prek children (1987-1995; 2007-2023) or working at a crisis center ( from 1999 -2004), or staying home with my little girls, now all grown up, I retired in June of 2023 and I LOVE it. I've worked hard since age 18 and although I wanted to keep teaching these precious preschoolers my body needed me to retire. It is so difficult to get up and down off the floor with 12 special needs 3-5 yr olds when one has spine issues/disc issues.  I'm keeping busy though!

I'm currently a volunteer with HomeBound, a group that supports people who are "shut in" either at a hospital, nursing home/assisted living facility, memory care facility or their rehab or private home. I volunteer once a week and also send cards. 

I have started and lead a group  called SoulSteps.  This ministry is divided into 3 groups: a once a month SoulSteps Walking and Meditation Friday group; a once a month SoulSteps Walking and Meditation Saturday group; and a SoulSteps Hiking group that hikes 3-4 times a month. I have 20 women in the walking group and 50 men and women (and some children) in the hiking group. 

I lead a small group for women over age 45.  We meet weekly in my home and this year we are discussing a Joyce Meyer book(Sept through Dec) followed by a Priscilla Shirer book (Feb-April).  I have a total of 8 women in this group and it's an honor to come alongside them with these studies. 

When I'm not busy with one of the ministries or with HomeBound, you can find me talking power walks in my neighborhood or a local park, playing piano, drinking good coffee, reading books or hanging out with my husband. We also travel a few times a year.  Our fave places are New England/Boston or the mountains and sometimes the ocean. Sometimes I hike with my SoulSteps group and sometimes with family. 

My husband is a full time software engineer and volunteers on our church's production team after many years of working as a mentor/volunteer for the church middle school youth group. He also has a passion for writing good short stories (science fiction and fantasy) and recently had his first short story published in an online magazine! He's always willing to hike and kayak with me and we enjoy trying new restaurants. He's into video gaming and has several he enjoys in our gaming area of the basement. We love to go on spontaneous dates and we are super competitive on game nights and mini golf dates. 

 Our oldest, Courtney (age 31 is a 2015 Gordon College graduate.  She holds a BA in Fine Arts/Graphic Design and a BA in Math.  She is currently working full  time as the Office Administrator for a large corporation  here in the Capital Region of NYS. She lives in the same town as we do about 3 miles away. Courtney is busy with various ministries at church including a women's study, a young professional's group, and the church choir. She paints, is a member of my SoulSteps Sat Walking group as well as the hiking group and helps me with all things tech. Besides being an avid reader and gamer, she loves shopping and exploring art museums.

 Our youngest, Claire (age 26) is a 2021 honors and Phi Beta Kappa  graduate  from the University of New Hampshire/College of Liberal Arts. She has her BA in Sociology and minored in Russian, Ballet, and Psychology.  She was a member of the UNH Ballet Company as well as Alpha Phi Omega. She recently was invited to join the International Honor Society of Sociologists known as Alpha Kappa Delta.  She also volunteered weekly for The Freedom Cafe coffee shop whose proceeds go to help rescue people from human trafficking trade and she volunteered with Waysmeet, the on campus Food Pantry for needy people in the community.  She works as an apprentice optician and is studying to get her NYS optician's license.    She lives in a town about 20 min from us. She recently rescued a cat from a local shelter and named him Karma. She keeps busy with work, friends, and drinking good coffee. She also helps me with vegan recipes. 

I love hiking, biking, power-walking, and kayaking. These activities fit me well due to my spiritual temperament of "Naturalist".  My other passions include advocating for abused children, reading, creative writing, cooking and collecting recipes, and spending time in the Adirondack mountains. I also love visiting National Parks and Historic Sites  and we've been to several to camp, hike, tour and take photos in the last 24 years.

We all love God and strive to shine the Light in this diverse and often dark world.  We all love meeting new people and learning about new cultures...and our fave city is Boston!! We think of life as an adventure.

My hope is that by visiting here, you will be encouraged to draw close to God on your life walk and shine the Light so others can see the "gold in the clouds".