A Short Break

I will be taking a break from blogging this week and plan to be back this coming weekend.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Summer of 28

Are you on ancestry.com? Chuck and I have a couple of trees that we dabble with sometimes.

Back in 2015 I got an email from a woman who was curious about the picture of her grandma on my page. Come to find out J and I are related to 'grandma's' sons.

I'm a part of Bob's line and she is from his brother Bud's.

She emailed me the other day saying she was going to submit 2 books to historical societies back east and could she use some of my pictures.

Absolutely.

Then she writes, 'This might interest you. I recently learned your grandpa took a road trip with his cousin, Aunt, and Uncle when he was only 20. They drove cross country in 1928, some of the earliest travelers to do so. I have some of the letters his cousin wrote to her mom while on that trip and I've dedicated some of the pages in the book to the Summer of 1928 and will include the letters.'

Then I wrote:

"I have pictures of that road trip! I've always wondered who they were and what they were doing!"

She was stunned! "You leave me astounded that you have the actual photos of the 1928 trip!"

I've spent most of today scanning them all and have sent them to her. It's just amazing to me that we connected, all because of that photo of my grandma! Actually, J's grandma, my great-grandma! 

Thought I'd share some of the photos with you. They drove from Massachusetts to California. And in fact, the last photo says they are in Tijuana, Mexico!

Snippets

I'm still here. I get home from work and reserve all my energy for work the next day. It's been non-stop.

We've rearranged the stage in the gym. Replaced the orange carpet on the third floor. And we're getting a brand new phone system next week. We've had this one for 20 years! Did I tell you my boss was let go a couple months ago? We were all in shock for a few days. But those of us who worked under him knew he just wasn't doing his job. Doesn't make it any easier though.

 

Beth is learning how to use the new washer. She's doing really well! We've been grocery shopping. Got my car washed.

 

Ally and E came over the other night. They picked some blackberries and made... not sure what! in the backyard. 😂

And speaking of our backyard, I have wanted to buy a tetherball since covid started but I haven't been able to find one that comes with a base. Any suggestions?

And finally, the other night the temps dropped down into the 50s so we decided to light up the fireplace! It felt so peaceful and cozy!

Antiques, Backyard Desserts, Strange Noises

For about 10 years our church has had a men's home for those coming out of addiction. And we just recently purchased a second home for single women. Our staff had a picnic out there last week to tour the home and just hang out together. It's a stunning property, with I think about 4 acres of woods and a creek... the home is very old with so many antique features.

The doorbell ~

This is a little gazebo type structure that looks like it was created for fairies! That pink thing is a mirror...

There's a lot of remodeling to be done but I'm glad they're going to try and save as much of it as they can. This place is going to bless so many women and the families who love them.

 

I went out to our backyard last week and picked 4 cups of blackberries! They've been growing wild back there for a couple years and this year we've got a great crop! I harvested... and Chuck made the cobbler. It was so good!

 

The new washing machine is working great! I was a little nervous at first because it shows it will only use about 3 inches of water in this massive machine, how is it even going to get everything wet? There are so many new settings but once we figured out what we wanted, we tested it with a load of towels and everything came out clean, and wet! We're still getting used to the unusual sounds coming from this thing...

Spushhh!...

Spushhh!...

Gush... then silence for 20 seconds.

Clump...

Clump...

I kind of wish we'd have gotten the one with the clear lid so we could see what it's doing! "Look ma! No agitator!"

It's the one on the right. You can see just how many options there are. It's very different but so far we love it!

Do you have antiques in your home?

Do you like to do major projects around the house?

Has your family been affected by addiction?

Wait, How Long?

As I was leaving work on Thursday I asked my co-worker if she had any plans for the weekend.

"No, not really. You?"

"Our new washing machine is being delivered tomorrow but other than that, no." 

Then as I was pulling into our driveway I remembered:

Saturday's our Anniversary!!

A couple weeks ago I asked Chuck if he had any plans for "a week from Saturday." 

"No, why? What's a week from Saturday?"

That's life lately. So busy things just run together!

But... August 14. This is our 39th Anniversary. I've told a couple people it's 29 because I just can't believe it's been that long! Then I correct myself and wonder where the time has gone. 

We've had so many fun adventures, I feel stronger when he's with me, more confident, and he still makes me laugh harder than anyone else! It isn't always sunshine and roses but I'm so glad I said yes all those years ago!

Spur of The Moment

Chuck and I actually went and saw a movie the other day! It's probably been more than 2 years since we've been to the theater.

But we couldn't decide which one to see. Have you done this? Can't decide so you decide to see... both? We've only done that one other time! Chuck, Beth and I went to the moves a few years ago and when it was over we looked at each other, "Should we see another one?!"

I love it when we have a Saturday with no plans and we can just do things spur of the moment! That doesn't happen very often!

He wanted to see Stillwater and I wanted to see Jungle Cruise.

The theater was empty when we got there and by the time the movie started there was maybe 15 of us. Plenty of room for social distancing!

Honestly, I thought the movies were just okay. Neither of them had that "Wow!" factor for me. Chuck really liked them though. 

Stillwater ended up being based on a true story about a girl who lives here in Seattle so we immediately recognized the story line. I read later that she never gave them permission to tell her story.

And Jungle Cruise had a lot of action! I'm glad I decided to take some Dramamine before we went. And it had some really funny parts.

But it was SO fun just to be at the theater again. We splurged and got some popcorn, shared an iced tea... it was really nice. I guess next time I should get a picture of the two of us! 😁

The Piece de Resistance

I've spent the last couple of days rearranging our den. Bought a new rug and new curtains. I'm going to put the old curtains in our room because they're really not all that old and they'll go great in there!

I have so many antiques and collectables but no place to put them. I imagine built-ins, big bookcases in our living room where I can display my moms old typewriter that she used in the 40s; my dads old reel to reel projector (that still works!) And my grandparents old slide projector, to name just a few of the things I have.

Something like this:

Or this. This one almost brings me to tears! Just think of the possibilities!

 

Anyway, back to our den. I had already emptied one of the bookcases when I remembered to take a picture. 😊 This is the before / during ~

And after:

And the piece de resistance... a chair for Ally ~

She's getting older and I've decided it's probably time to get rid of the toy box and start buying her things that are a little more her age. She and Sharaya came over today and she loved it! She was all curled up in a ball when I went in to ask if I could take her picture!

 Do you have a favorite place to curl up or stretch out?