Five Great Summer Vacation Memories

1. Camping with my family
2. Going to my grandparents cabins on Lake Michigan
3. Finding a baby bunny in my front yard while playing Barbies with Julie
4. Riding my bike to the "White Hen" store to buy penny candy
5. Playing "Ghost in the Graveyard" after dark with the neighborhood kids

July 23rd

For our 13th wedding anniversary, Christopher and I

went to a restaurant in Seattle called Palisade. It was
a meal to remember...


While the place was huge inside and every table packed, it somehow kept a personal touch. It was still intimate though teeming with diners. We sat right at the window and had a gorgeous view as the sun went down.


Thanks sweetheart, for such a lovely lovely evening. You sure know how to spoil a girl ;o)
I love you!

fresh.

I had this one and only simple picture and I was deciding what to call the post. "Why I love the Northwest"? "A bountiful harvest"? They just didn't sound right!

Basically our family has been reinvigorated since moving back here. Yes, I know it's sunny here right now. I know it will get a lot colder. Yet we are realizing that we looked a gift horse in the mouth and had forgotten just what the Pacific Northwest has to offer us.

Delicious water and fresh produce for many months of the year are just a couple of the things we are really appreciating now!

Did I mention we have a tree swing?

VBS

I just finished a week long session of vacation bible school, teaching the kids songs and hand motions. Every day for 5 days. 4 groups a day with 3o kids in each group. That's 120 kids per day.
I think I lost 5 pounds from all that jumping, twirling, and waving!

All in all it proved to be a fantastic experience for me, and I think for all the kids. When I saw them a few days later at church they were doing the hand motions with each other. That's when I knew that what I had put so much energy into made an impact on others. I love that feeling!

gimmefive

(I decided to resurrect these postings...)


Five things I do to keep my house clean and clutter free:

1. Use lots and lots of clear bins. If the kids can see what's inside, they are less likely to open it.

2. Make sure the kids ALL do their share of cleaning. Not just cleaning up their messes, but cleaning that affects the whole family: bathrooms, sweeping, trash, etc.

3. Keep a plastic grocery sack in your car, which can be hung from the glove compartment (Y'know open it then stick a corner in then close it). Amazing how much trash accumulates in the car.

4. Clean on a regular basis. If it gets too dirty or piles up too high, it gets overwhelming and I will avoid it at all costs.

5. Don't dump stuff in the garage that you'll "deal with later". You never will! Put it away or give it away is my theory.

"Oh Lucy, I'm hoooomme!"

Our expansive backyard! We can play frisbee or catch without actually getting in the neighbors yard. The kids both have their own separate forts (Claire's is a "club") back behind the trees to the left where it lines the fence. Might not get a lot of sun in the winter due to the tall trees, but at least it blocks us from the neighbors all year round.


The view from the kitchen nook. Just lovely.

It is like we never left. Really. I'm driving around this past week almost letting the car guide me to where we need to go. Auto-pilot, you could say. There are a few things that have gotten built in the past 5 months but other than that Everett seems to have waited for us.
Our parents/the grandparents have welcomed us back with love.
Our church has embraced our family in such a warm, sincere way.
Our neighbors are nice and actually say hello before they go into their house.
I feel so blessed at how easy this transition back was. I would venture to say that God has gone before us on this one and prepared it for us.

Snippets

I found a cache of video snippets that Christopher had taken with his cell phone quite a long time ago... The quality is SO bad, I know. Amazing what great videos his little phone takes nowadays! Here's a couple of cute ones:

Audrey

Julian and Claire splashing in Washington mud puddles

Can You Just Feel the Love?

Don't worry, be happy

I still love that (relatively) old Bobby Ferrin song, "Don't Worry, Be Happy". It brings to mind lazy, summer days...the happy face pins on the 80 yr old greeter at Wal-Mart...the simplicity of watching a little baby play...waking up and the sun is shining to meet you...stuff like that. The song coos for us to relax, stay in the beauty of the moment, and enjoy our blessings.
Pretty hard to do in today's world, no?
Bills
Spills
Offspring
That potluck--oh what should I bring?
Work
A guy who drives like a jerk
Chores
Stores
Hey mom tonight can we have s'mores?
Back to the store
Gotta buy more
Sports
Can't fit into my shorts
Mall
Traffic stall
Cleaning
Kids screaming
Cook
Return the library book
and.......

I'm sure someone else could continue on for me. Yet the simple song says to "Be of good cheer" just like the Bible does (Matt 9:2). I think I can do that. Life gets better. Circumstances change. The weather clears up.
I would ask myself, do I want to be the bird in this picture or the cat? I can choose and so can you.

Fun in the Sun!