Waterfront, The Best of Trail Mix, and Thanksgiving Already?!

Good evening,

 

I'm writing this at 7:30 on Saturday. Today there's been so many games on TV - first the Seattle Mariners, then the Seattle Sounders, and now the Seahawks. I've been in and out of the living room, watching some with Chuck. I spent some time in the den making greeting cards, and then remembered I hadn't posted on here. I was looking through my phone trying to remember what we've been up to the last few days.

 

Beth and I went down to the waterfront. It's about a five minute drive from our house. We were only there for a few minutes but it was good to get out and smell that ocean! (She has her head phones around her neck.)

 

 

I don't know how it is where you are but around here the leaves are changing color, we've had a lot of rain, and the temps have dropped to  the 50's and 60's. Chuck even turned on the fireplace this morning! We're supposed to get some sunshine and temps back in the 70's next week but it sure seems like summer is over.

 

We've video-chatted with Diana and Adelaide this weekend. She's just over a year and a half but she acts so much older. Here's she's looking through the trail mix for her favorite things!

 

 Ally and I went to the mall yesterday to get some stuff for school. Unfortunately I didn't get a single picture. But I cannot believe she's starting high school! For all intents and purposes, she's an adult: she's my height, she's mature, she's kind, it's been such a blessing getting to watch her grow up. Time is just going so fast.

 

Not too much else going on. I'm going to a Thanksgiving meeting tomorrow after church. We always meet the last Sunday of August to begin prepping for our Thanksgiving Outreach. This is our 30th year. The associate pastor and his wife who lead this are now in their 70's and she was telling me this just might be their last year. Course she's been saying that for a few years now, but they are moving slower and slower as time goes on. We'll see what happens after this year.

 

Well, time for me to get ready for tomorrow. Have a good day - 

 

Girls Day Out

 Beth had a doctor's appointment last Friday. Just a follow up to go over the results of her lab work. Everything's normal. She's not in perimenopause but I'm thankful her cycle is regulated now. We don't know how it happened, we're not doing anything different, medication is the same, but my guess is... answered prayer. 

 

 She does retain water in her legs so the doctor suggested we get her an automann or something so she can raise her legs when she's sitting. So when we left the doctor we headed to a furniture store. She liked almost every chair she sat in. Here she's taking pictures of some of her favorites.

 

 Trying to find the controls...

 

 We haven't bought anything yet. She needs to save up a little more money first, plus we want to check a few other stores.

 

From there we headed to the mall. We were a little early for the movie so we stopped at the food court for a snack. Pizza bites at our favorite place!

 

While we were eating she held her hands up by her shoulders, then pointed down toward her lap and said, "This good for me. Getting out." We talked about how important it is to get good exercise every day. Even though she goes out four days a week, plus does chores around the house she spends too much time watching TV. It's become that way for all three of us. When Chuck and I sit down at the end of the day, we pull out our phones and spend a few hours just scrolling or playing games. It's so hard to stop!

 

Well, after we ate we walked across a small section of the parking lot to the theater.

 

 She's been wanting to see this since it came out ~

 

It was good. Our take-away was that it's okay to feel a little anxiety sometimes, or to be scared or sad. But we need to talk to someone about it, share with our family or friends and not let the emotions consume us. Galatians 6:2 - Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

 

I like that it opens the door for conversations about what we all seem to be going through lately. I was recently listening to Priscilla Shirer and she mentioned how we didn't just go through a medical pandemic. We're also going through a political pandemic. And a social pandemic. I agree.

 

I don't know where I'd be without the Lord. Knowing that He is in complete control brings me peace of mind. 

 

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day! 

 

  

A Miracle at Disneyland

 The first morning of our trip we left the hotel and waited at the street for the shuttle to take us to Disneyland. We thought it stopped in front of our condo, but it never came. We walked a little farther but never saw one. I checked in a different hotel office and was told it stopped right out front. When that bus pulled up the driver told us it wasn't the bus we wanted... needless to say we ended up walking a mile to Disneyland.

 

 It was the first week of July, and it was already warm. Once we were in the park we were drinking a lot of water and searching for shade.

 

Around 5:00 the kids found a spot to watch the parade and we all hung out for a while. We were in the sun, but had a front row view of the parade. Chuck found a small ledge to rest on, with a rod iron fence behind him to lean against. Beth and I got out our portable fans and I looked back to see if Chuck would want to use mine for a while. 

 

That's when I noticed he had passed out. Arms limp, head back... he was about 15 feet away from us and as I walked over to him I was thinking, 'Could he really have fallen asleep?' I shook his shoulder and called his name. No response. He had sunglasses on but it looked like his eyes had rolled back. I called his name louder. Still no response.

 

I panicked. My brain just can't process what I'm supposed to do. I turned around to get the family's attention and Sharaya was already on her way over, she had heard me calling his name. Peter was right behind her. A lady who was on the other side of the fence had seen what was happening and grabbed her cooling rag and handed it to Peter. He put it around Chuck's neck and he gently took off his sunglasses. I saw him put both hands on his shoulders. "Chuck." He shook him slightly, "Chuck." 

 

He sat straight up, I think Peter was holding him steady, his eyes were wide and he looked terrified. Peter just kept gently talking to him, asking him his name and if he knew where he was.

 

The lady behind the fence told us she had called security. We gave Chuck some water and he began to feel better. He balanced himself on that ledge while Peter stood in front of him. Two people from security came and got him into a wheelchair. I went with them while the rest of the family stayed, and I think they ended up watching the parade.

 

We moved to the other side of the street where they took his vitals and everything was normal. I took a picture of the nurse working on Chuck and sent it to Beth. I told her that they were checking his oxygen with that little thing on his finger like the nurse does for her sometimes. And they checked his blood pressure with the cuff around his arm. I didn't know what she had seen before and I wanted her to know he was going to be okay. 

 

After the nurse was done we headed for the first aide station. One guy pushing the wheelchair and two security people in front, making a clear path. They were moving, it was all I could do to keep up with them!

 

Suddenly, we head over to the side of the street and they opened a wall. We went behind the facade and made our way behind the scenes and away from the crowds. And we were still moving fast! There wasn't any Disney magic back there, but there were a lot of amazing men and women who make the magic happen out front. 

 

At the first aide station Chuck laid down and they gave him lots of water. His color came back and soon he was okay again. The nurse said he was dehydrated. After a while Sharaya came in to tell us they were outside waiting for us. We opted for security to push Chuck out the gates and all the way to the street. He's not a small man and if he were to pass out again... I just didn't want to risk it. Then we got an Uber to take us back to the condo. Chuck was fine the rest of the night.

 

 

L-R -- Ally, Me (pony tail, blue ball cap) Diana, Security, Peter. 

Sharaya took these while we were making our way to the exit

The next day we went to California Adventure. We planned this day very differently than we did the day before. Brought lots of water. Sat in the shade a lot. Stopped and took the time to actually eat a meal.

 

Near the end of the day we're sitting on a bench in the shade and someone noticed an ice cream shop nearby. One of the girls suggested we take turns so that we'd save our place in the shade and asked if we wanted to go first. So Chuck, Beth and I go inside and order our ice cream. While we're waiting for the order, a lady in front of me turns around and asks, "How is your husband? I've been thinking about you all since yesterday and I've wondered how he was doing?"

 

IT WAS THE LADY WHO WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE!!

Are you kidding me?!? I started crying and she started crying. I turned to get Chuck (he was grabbing napkins) and when I told him, he started crying. We asked her some questions, she had seen him pass out and said he was only out for a few seconds when I turned and saw him. That's why she had the cooling rag ready. We got to hug her and then went out and told the family. "Guess who we just saw?!"

 

Talk about a miracle.

A different day.

A different park.

At the exact same ice cream shop.

At the exact same moment.

 

The Lord is so good to watch out for us. Not only is Chuck okay, but He provided closure for Christine and gave us the opportunity to thank her!

 

Beth's New 'Do

 A few days after we got home from Anaheim, Beth and I got our hair cut. Mine was the same style, just a few inches cut off. 

 

Beth's wanted shoulder-length hair for a while but they always seem to leave it longer. This time they cut it short.

 

 Beth has Alopecia so I usually put her hair in a ponytail to help cover the bald spot but now we're able to part it on the side. It's such a different look for her.

 

My Photo Delayed Our Flight

 We always board the plane early. Beth moves slowly, she can be unsteady on her feet, and she always stops at the end of the ramp and hesitates to step off the ramp and onto the plane... we've found it's easier for her if we just get on early. I get the window seat, Beth prefers to be between us and Chuck likes the aisle.

 

On our flight to Anaheim we got settled in our seats here in Seattle and I looked out the window. I usually take a few pictures of the airport, just as a starting point to our trip. Plus it helps me find the pictures faster when I'm scrolling through my phone later on. But this time something caught my eye.

 

You know how you have that debate in your head? That's what I did:

"That's not right, maybe I should take a picture." 

"No, no. I'm sure they know about it."

"I don't know, I think I should show it to someone."

 

I wouldn't say I'm a frequent flyer but I've flown enough to know that's not how the wing is supposed to look. So I took a picture. Now the flight attendants are helping people with their luggage, answering questions, so I waited until one was just walking through and asked her, "Is this normal?" I don't know why I asked it that way. I knew it wasn't normal, but we were getting close to departure and I think I was just starting to get nervous.

 

 

She looked very surprised and headed to the front of the plane. She came back a few minutes later and asked if she could take a picture of my picture. Then headed back to the front.

By now everyone is on board and we're just waiting. Then the pilot comes back to our seats and asks if he could take a look himself. We get up and he looks out the window. He looked right at me and thanked me for telling them about it.

 

We settle back in our seats and I see the pilot outside looking at the wing. Different people are coming to look at it and by now other passengers have started taking pictures of whats going on.

 

 

A few minutes later he comes back to our seats and says everything's okay. "Can you see how clean the cut is? The maintenance team did that. It happened a few weeks ago so it wasn't on the current maintenance record that I reviewed today, so I was a little shocked to see your picture. But they know about it and the plane's been flying with it that way. They're planning to replace the flap soon when the plane goes into the hanger for a complete overhaul. But thank you for bringing it to my attention!"

 

He headed back to the cockpit, and made a short announcement about it over the intercom. Even though we took off a little late, we had a very nice flight to LAX. 
 

Splashing, Backpacks, Pretending

 My sister and I just got back from a family reunion in Iowa, but I'll write more about that later. There's still a little more I want to tell you about our trip to Anaheim.

 

Our last full day there we spent in the pool at the condo. We just hung out and relaxed, it was so nice.

 

 

 After that we all went inside to get ready to have some family photos taken. My nephew agreed to take them and suggested a park nearby. There's only eight of us but it was fun trying to get everyone to look at the camera and smile at the same time! Adelaide thinks it's hilarious when she sneezes so my sister and nephew pretended to sneeze. 😊 

 

Here Adelaide is pretending to sneeze in my ear

 

From here we went to Knotts Berry Farm for their famous chicken dinner. We used to go here fairly often when Chuck's mom and sister lived in L.A. His sister lives in Colorado now but his mom passed away in February 2021. This was a way for us to kind of include them in the trip. Do you sometimes do that? Have a little 'nod' to a family member while you're doing something?

 

 The next morning it was time to pack up and head home. 

 

 

But first, a quick stop at Downtown Disney for souvenirs and final goodbyes.

 

 

Beth was so excited when she found this backpack! And I bought a mug, because you can never have too many mugs.

 

And besides...

 

 

We sat here for a little while before beginning the long walk back to the car.

 Such an amazing trip. We are so blessed to have had all these opportunities to travel and hang out with each other.

Have you been able to get together this family this summer?