Turkey Toss, 70, and No Surprise About the Winner

Sorry it's been so long. I've been thinking about you and hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

Last Monday through Thursday I worked 40 hours and walked more than 70,000 steps preparing for our Thanksgiving Outreach. We served 850 people on Thanksgiving Day! A delicious meal, great entertainment, family photos, games, prizes, then those that wanted to could go upstairs to our clothing bank. And everything throughout the day was free. Every year I'm a little more sore at the end of the week, but it really is a privilege to serve our community.

 

A few weeks ago our office manager decided to do a turkey toss. We all went out to the south parking lot and... tossed a turkey! I tried to hide in the back but I was spotted and called to the front. 😁 It was fun though! It was definitely the topic of conversation for the day!

This is me. Gotta love my good form! 😂

 

This was Diana and Peter's first Thanksgiving with us and he brined the turkey. We'd never had it that way but it was really good. The white meat was juicy and tender, like it was falling off the bone. Did you ever brine a turkey? Or eat one? We had all the usual food: green bean casserole, dressing, rolls, Sharaya made the mashed potatoes... for dessert I made an ice box pie and Diana and Peter brought a pumpkin cheesecake. That's something else we'd never had before. 

Then we played Mexican Train. Sharaya won. Again. She wins a lot and we always take the opportunity to tease her about it!

We ate way too much and laughed too hard! Exactly like time with family should be. I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!

Surprised by a Chicken

 I walked into the main storage room at work last week and this greeted me!

Just hanging out by the bleach and the vacuum cleaner bags.

I've asked some of the custodians where it came from but they don't know. We don't know who put it there but it sure puts a smile on my face every time I see it!

We'll be at church on Thursday, helping with our community Thanksgiving outreach. Then our family will have Thanksgiving on Saturday.

I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Six Month Scan

It's been 6 months since Chuck's last scan, when he was declared cancer free. He feels great and all the side effects from the immunotherapy have disappeared.

He'll be getting these scans every six months for a while so we headed downtown early this morning.

 

We had a few hours between the scan and when we would get the results so he made a different appointment for work since we were already down there. We did a lot of sitting! But we got back to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and met with his doctor. Bottom line... 

He's still cancer free!!!! 

All of his organs look good, his blood counts are all normal... what a huge relief! The Lord has been so good to us!

Pine Needles, Cozy, and Laughter

I hope you're all having a good weekend. We've got a break in the rain today so we've been cleaning pine needles - millions of pine needles! - off the roof, the storm drains, the driveway...

Almost done!

 

We went over to Diana and Peter's last night and played Chronology. We laughed so hard! Just over the most random things! Laughter really is a good medicine!

I'm home today. The first Saturday in many weeks that I'm not at work. It feels good to just be at home. The rain is supposed to begin again this evening and I plan to be on the couch with the fireplace going and eggnog in my Christmas mug. My house is still decorated for fall but come on, it's not too early for Christmas mugs is it?  😊

Alerts! Peace, and So Grateful

At work yesterday around noon we started getting alerts on our phones about a tornado near us! What?!? This is Seattle! But on the peninsula about 30 miles to the west of us, there was a sighting! We kept track of it but never took any action. A while later they canceled the alert. It sure woke us up though! The weather's been so stormy lately and at 1:15, we lost power. No computers, no printers, we all just hung out in the hallways and offices that had windows. An hour later one of the pastors told us we could all go home. We're at our desks getting our things and wouldn't you know it, the power came back on! We spent the rest of the day talking about how close we were to having the afternoon off! 

I'm still working 6 days a week so I try to keep Wednesdays my own. Today I worked on some greeting cards, the first time in almost a year. I pulled up YouTube on my phone and listened to some quiet worship music while I made them. It was so peaceful.

 

I worked around the house this morning and then took some chairs out to the garage. While I was out there I found all my Christmas mugs! I brought them in and washed them, then had some eggnog and watched a Christmas movie!

I've been thinking of my dad this week. He was on the USS Dixie during WW II and repaired the giant cranes onboard the ship.

 

I'm thankful for all the men and women who have served this great country for centuries. And for all those who are serving today, thank you. May God bless you and your families, and keep you safe.

With Friends Like That...!

Two days after Diana and Peter's reception, we loaded up a Penske truck and moved them across the country. 

We packed up the last few things from Diana's house and Peter came with the truck. His parents arrived and about the time we started hauling things out to the truck... it began to pour!!

I spotted Diana waiting in the car hoping it would slow down before she ran back to the house!

 And about the time we finished, the rain let up. Ahh, life. 😊

 

We all went out for brunch and then the 5 of us headed west. But I want to tell you about a site we saw just outside of Bozeman, Montana. They were doing some construction on the highway, not much, most were just getting off the highway and getting right back on again. But for some reason Google maps took us on this 5 mile detour. 

We're cruising along, trying to enjoy the sights when a pick up pulled out in front of us. We could tell they were locals and we drove along for a few minutes when all of the sudden...

 

This massive dog pops up from the bed of the truck! We couldn't even tell he was back there until he stood up. He was so big and was moving around the back... then we see this little dog pop up on the left side of the truck. I couldn't tell you what kind it was, a terrier I think. It looked like he put his paws up on the wheel well and we could see it's little head. 

And then all of the sudden....

This And That

We had 9 straight days of rain and when the sun finally came out everybody went outside! I went out to the backyard to take some pictures and the sun went behind some black clouds (see it between the trees?) It was so nice to finally see some blue skies!

 

 

Our church held it's second Trunk and Treat on Saturday. We usually have a big Harvest Party inside with games, inflatables and food, but when covid hit we did a drive through Trunk and Treat last year and this year it was a walk through. They had a little clicker thing and counted 1300 people in about 3 hours! Chuck had the day off so he was able to come with us this year. It was so cold, only 45 degrees, I'm so glad we brought thermoses of tea and cider! I'm not usually one to dress up and do stuff like this but it really is fun. At least 3 parents told me their toddlers had just watched Winnie the Pooh for the first time! I love their smiles and amazement at seeing us, but I will say, everyone loves Piglet the best!

 

Diana and Peter arrived today! They've been driving across the country this week and finally pulled into our driveway around 4:30. We drove them out here the end of last month but they had to go back to New Jersey to sell Peter's house and tie up loose ends before coming out for good. Well, temporarily for good. They plan to move back there again in about 10 years. But for now, they are here! It's hard to describe the feeling when all your kids live nearby. I read once: 'Having kids is like having your heart go walking around outside your body.' But then having them move across the country?! Some days the feelings were indescribable.

Do your kids live nearby or far away?

Times Two

Work has been so busy lately. I'm working 6 days a week, sometimes 12 hours a day and Chuck has put in more than 120 hours the last couple of weeks! We get home at the end of the day and just sit in front of the TV. I've been watching Christmas movies and drinking eggnog. I am so ready for Christmas.

A few weeks ago we celebrated Beth and Sharaya's birthdays. They are 2 years and 4 days apart so we've often celebrated them together. Sharaya wanted to take the new light rail downtown to Elephant and Castle. I'd never heard of it before and the food was really good! Then we came back here for cake and presents.

(Not my pic)

Beth's actual birthday was on a Sunday, and Sharaya and Allie weren't able to join us so we asked Beth where she wanted to go for lunch. We weren't surprised at all!

Happy Birthday girls! I promise next year we'll sing! 😉

The Big Event!

There was the small ceremony in Boston on Wednesday. Then on Saturday they had a picnic for everyone who had come in from out of town for the reception. 

Then on Sunday, September 26 we woke up and got ready for the biggest event of the week! The girls all went to the salon and then met at Cairnwood at 2:00.

Cairnwood Estate ~

 The Sweetheart Table

When Diana told me they were going to have a photo booth I'll be honest, I was a little concerned. I imagined the kind you see at a shopping mall and I knew that wouldn't go with the vibe she was trying to create. But this thing was the hit of the party! It was big enough to hold a few people. And every single person in the photo got a strip and a 4x3, plus the guy put one strip and 4x3 onto a page that we got to write messages on, then he'll put those into a book for the bride and groom! It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g!

Me, Chuck, Beth and my sister Debbie.

 

Getting ready ~

While Diana and Peter were out taking pictures the rest of us got to enjoy Cocktail Hour. The servers came around with trays of the best hors d'oeurves! Everything I tried was so good. Everyone who tried anything said it was delicious!

I snuck outside to watch for a few minutes.

Then it was time for dinner and the introduction of the bride and groom!

Chuck and Sharaya, and Peter's dad and sister all made toasts, and after dinner we all went inside for the first dances. I'm standing to their left with my hands folded in front of me. Trying to hold back the tears. 

I wasn't the only one ~

 

Then the DJ cranked up the music and the party began! Dancing, drinking, laughter, it was so much fun!

 

Right after dinner my phone died so I don't have many pictures of the actual party. After it had been going for a while, Beth told Chuck she had wanted to sing. Diana had made a couple of comments during all the wedding planning about Beth maybe singing a song but honestly none of us thought she would actually go through with it so we never pursued it. Well, she did! And she sang loud enough to be heard over the track the DJ played! People were lined up against the walls and packed into the adjoining library to listen to her. She bravely stood there and sang Butterfly Kisses in front of everyone!

 

It was a wonderful night. A great way to end a weekend celebration of Diana and Peter becoming Mr. and Mrs.

Sharaya took these in Boston ~