Planning on Big Changes for Beth

Hi,

I hope you're have a wonderful fall. Here in the Seattle area we have a lot of evergreen trees, but we also have a lot of deciduous trees and the colors are stunning!

Beth has had a busy few months and there may be some changes coming soon for her.

The dentist told her she has to cut back on the sugar, and she's listening to him! She's got a couple cavities and has to have a couple of fillings this month. Thankfully she's not buying as many sugary foods when she goes grocery shopping now. 

At work we crossed paths up on the third floor and I took her picture before she headed out to fill up a storage closet with paper towels.

Everyone dressed up at the bowling alley last week and she went as Annie. She was so excited! Next year I might be able to talk her into getting some black shoes, and a wig!

Everyone went up front and some of the leaders voted on their favorite costumes. This is just a few of all the people who were there. Beth didn't win but she had a good time. 

She knew she wouldn't be able to bowl in the dress so I came to help her change before they started bowling. (Our internet was out at work so many of us took the morning off. Because of that, I was able to go help!)

While I was there, I asked one of the volunteers about an adult family home where some of the bowlers live. I learned that she had moved her own daughter into one of these homes a couple years ago. A minute later she's introducing me to one of the caregivers and she gave me so much information about this living situation. 

They are smaller homes, they only accept women residents and all the caregivers are women. She even invited us to some of their activities. She introduced me to a few of the residents, who also bowl in the same league as Beth. And a couple of them have Down Syndrome. 

Plus, our family knows someone who works in this field and we've learned these homes have very high ratings and are some of the best homes out there, and the residents love them. So I've reached out to the owner, and to Beth's caseworker to begin the process. 

I truly believe it's time for Beth to move into 'a place of her own.'

Chuck and I aren't getting any younger, and Sharaya and Diana have been very supportive of the idea. Some days I have a knot in my stomach and I get emotional just thinking about it. And other days I know that I know this is the right decision.

Beth is willing to talk about it with me but says she doesn't want to move, which is very understandable. But she just doesn't listen to me anymore, like when I'm trying to show her a better way to brush her teeth, or asking her to hurry so we're not late, she just doesn't... listen. Like she doesn't care what I say. And then I get frustrated with her and she gets frustrated with me.

And I remind myself she's 42 and I certainly didn't want my mom telling me how to live my life at that age so having her move out will allow her to create new, better habits and she may listen more to a caregiver than to me. I recently heard a podcast on this subject and they said, "You aren't giving her away. You're opening new doors for her to gain independence."

I'm talking to her every day about 'her new place' and have shown her pictures of the house. I don't know how long the process will take (weeks? months?) but I'm now talking and planning with Beth to help her get comfortable with the idea.

I will keep you all posted about the progress. I appreciate your prayers as we begin this journey.

Our Trip to New Orleans

I feel like I've been away for a long time. I'm definitely in a different season in life and it's been an interesting adjustment.

We went to Red Robin for Beth's birthday, she got a new phone case and some gift cards. It was a small celebration but she had a good day.

We just returned from a long weekend in New Orleans. We went to celebrate Sharaya and Peter turning 40 this year. Chuck, Beth and I had never been there before and it was fun to explore a new city.

Diana, Peter and the kids flew in on Wednesday, the rest of us took a red eye and arrived Thursday morning. We met in Jackson Square and began our adventure! 

St Louis Cathedral

We walked around downtown and came across a wedding procession. A band and a hundred people dancing down the middle of the street! The music just made you want to dance! 

And the food! We had beignets, we tried the gumbo, po' boys sandwiches, alligator, grits, and all of it was delicious. I only got a picture of the beignets though. It was hard not to be messy when you ate them. 😊

We went to the WWII Museum. That place was huge, we could have spent days there. 

Sharaya took this picture of the outside

I don't know if each of those dog tags represent a person who was killed, but it was a humbling display. 

Did you see The Monuments Men movie? The museum had a section about the art that was preserved during the war.

It's an incredible place. We were there for hours and still didn't see everything.

One day we took the trolley to the park. The kids got to watch the ducks and play on the playground.

It was such an incredible trip. There was so much to see and do there. The music, the food, the sights. And the people were so friendly. Oh, and the trees with the Spanish Moss! I wasn't expecting those. They were beautiful.

It truly is a beautiful city. We had a great time. If you ever get the opportunity to go, you should.
 

Beth Turns 42 Today!

October 10, 2026 Beth turns 42. Hard to believe! She wants to go to Red Robin - her favorite place, and due to everyone's schedules, we'll celebrate her later this weekend.

 

Happy Birthday Beth!

(And Sharaya turned 40 this week! I'll write about her birthday later.)

Still Here - What We've Been Up To

Hi everyone,

It's been a while. Our family is in the process of healing and we're doing okay. We appreciate your continued prayers.

We've had a very busy summer. I turned 65 in June. The girls got me a record album... with songs from different decades of my life, and songs that remind them of me. It's amazing! I've been playing records since I was in the 5th grade, and now I have my own. 💖 I love it!

Chuck and I celebrated our 44th Anniversary in August. We walked onto the ferry and rode it from Edmonds to Kingston, and spent some time at the small park there. Then we rode it back again. It only takes an hour or so but it's a nice relaxing trip. 

Beth bought some new bowling shoes. The bowling alley she goes to every week has a little pro shop and she loves to go in there. The bowling ball she's had for a while is getting too heavy for her. She's getting older! Her elbow was getting sore so we went to the doctor and turns out she has tennis elbow, so now she's looking at getting a new one.

This summer I went to a dahlia show at our local nursery to get some pictures for my greeting cards. I have some small orange dahlias in the backyard but I had no idea there were so many varieties! 

 

We also went to San Diego for Chuck's 50th high school reunion. Here's a picture to give you an idea of the evening. Chuck is in the dark blue shirt.

I also got to see my sister again while we were down there. In fact, Beth stayed with her while we were at the reunion. They wanted nachos for dinner, then they played Yahtzee and watched TV. 

Plus I got to see a couple friends from high school. (Chuck and I went to different schools.) There are five of us that met our freshman year and we're still close today. They're the only two that stayed in San Diego though. It had been a few years since we'd seen each other but it was like no time had passed at all. The older we get the more we cherish these friendships.

Well, it's taken me four days to write this so I'll close and get it posted. We've got a busy October with two birthdays, and a vacation planned. 

How are you doing with fall here now? Can you believe it's October already?