Thursday, May 26, 2016

Overreacting?

Chuck and I went on a short hike yesterday. It was recommended by the health insurance company with Chuck's work. We're in the middle of this forest and I noticed there wasn't one single sound. There were no birds chirping, not a single person around anywhere, we couldn't even hear cars on the nearby roads! It was really spooky!

We're walking on this trail and we come to a post where there should have been a directional sign telling us that we we're on the right path but the sign was gone! But they said it was a moderate to light hike so we kept walking and I made a mental note of what we were wearing and realized we didn't come prepared to spend the night in the forest. I tend to panic easily. :)

I texted Sharaya and told her where we were and the name of the program. That way if something happened to us, they'd be able to look it up on-line and at least go to the right area to search for us. I even made a mental note of what we were wearing. My next plan was to begin to look for someplace we could make a shelter. :)

But that wasn't necessary because after just a few minutes we came to the end of the trail, and the sign that told us we'd finished this challenge. It really was a beautiful walk but I didn't enjoy it very much because I was preparing to spend the night outside listening for search dogs!

Sorry they're so blurry.
I was probably shaking with fear! Haha!



Sunday, May 22, 2016

We're All Glad This Weekend Is Over

On Monday Chuck tripped and fell while at work and has been home all week with a sore foot. (X-rays showed no broken bones, thank goodness!) Thursday I was up early to take Allie to school.

Friday I visited a friends farm and wedding venue. They've just recently moved there and it was fun to get the grand tour! T is such a gracious hostess. One week before the wedding season begins, she had us all up to her house for lunch! Thank you C for letting me ride with you!




Spent Saturday afternoon making hors d'oeuvres for a Volunteer Appreciation event. Then spent 30 minutes at home before going back that evening for the actual event. This is just some of the food we had and all of it was delicious!

(Not my photo)


 Our church couldn't do all the things it does, Food and Clothing Bank, neighborhood outreaches, Children's church, VBA, homeless ministry... without the help of hundreds of volunteers. So once a year we hold a huge party for them! We treat them like royalty and just love on them for the evening. It's a great way to give back to those who give so much to others.
(Not my photos)



A, me, Beth and Kathy




 The last couple of weeks have been busy at work as I planned for our Business Meeting (which was today.) I'm the event planner and there is so much work to be done to pull off this event. I ran out of cloth napkins so I couldn't put any under the centerpieces. Oh well, nobody noticed. :)  It's fun to do but I'm always glad when it's over. Especially when it falls on a weekend like this one!



Beth 's boyfriend has been on vacation with his family all week and she hasn't seen him in over 11 days! He got home today. :) He sent her a postcard and you should have seen the smile on her face when she read it! He really lights up her world! Then today she said he texted her and told her he was going to kiss her when he sees her on Tuesday. Ooooh! :)



 We're all so thankful for the start of a new week!
I hope you all have a great one!

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Please Indulge Me

Earlier this year, Sharaya and Allie spent some time with Diana in downtown Seattle before Diana moved to Pennsylvania. Sharaya brought her camera to capture scenes of this great city and Allie asked if she could take some pictures too. Sure, why not?! Could be fun!

Then they watched as Allie positioned herself, snapped a picture, reset the aperture, and took another picture. Over and over she did this. All over Seattle. When they stopped for something to drink, they took the opportunity to check out the pictures...







Throughout the day Sharaya would grab her phone and take a picture of Allie taking a picture. She said it was amazing to watch her re-position herself to try to get a better angle.









 Did I mention she's only 6?

Saturday, May 14, 2016

What Is It About Bubbles?

Do you do this too? I was walking around the house thinking there was something I was supposed to do today. I've done the laundry, mopped floors... then I remembered, the blog!! My poor, neglected blog!

Our receptionist is on vacation this week so I worked for her on Wednesday. Got to sit at the front desk and answer phones all day! It's actually a fun job and I really like filling in for her. Then Allie spent the night on Wednesday. After dinner we went outside to water all the plants and play with the bubbles. So much fun! What is it about bubbles that bring out the kid in everyone? Sorry though, no pictures of me playing! :)






 I had some flowers appear a few years ago, these beautiful pink little bells. Then this year, some larger purple ones appeared. I don't know what they are, but I do love them!

These are the small pink flowers.


And this year, the purple ones. I absolutely love the way the back is braided to form each of the petals. Does anyone know what kind of flower this is?


Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Pickleweed Part 2

The main reason I went to San Diego was to spend time with my dad. And it was The. Best. Time. My parents divorced when I was 16 and my dad and I didn't get along during that time. But 4 years later when Chuck and I got engaged, I desperately wanted my daddy to walk me down the aisle. We reconciled and have been close ever since.

I was at the kitchen table at my sisters when my dad came into the living room. "Would you want to go see some of the old houses we've lived in?" "Absolutely!!" So the next day he and I drove through our old neighborhoods, visited some dear family friends, he even drove by my old high school! Then he took me out for lunch before heading back to my sisters.

We reminisced, we talked and laughed, he shared some memories of his time in the Navy, it was truly a day I'll remember forever.

 This is my old high school - and the only picture I got that day!
(When I attended in the late 70's there was no ramp or gates.)


 Another day my oldest sister Kathy and I went out to the Ocean Beach Pier. Neither of us had ever been there before and it was so much fun! We had lunch at the cafe right on the pier. We walked all the way to the end and she spotted a baby whale!



(Thanks Google for this pic)





We then walked around on the rocks at the shore. We sat and watched the waves splash onto the rocks and I crawled down to explore some of the tide pools. We laughed at how easily all the young people walked around on the rocks, even that slanted part, they'd just walk past us like it was perfectly flat! We don't know how they did it!








And this is where I got some pictures of pickle weed. It's also called Ice Plant. It's a ground cover and grows wild all over San Diego. When I was little, my friends lived by a canyon and we'd slide down the pickle weed on our bums. When you open one of these stalks, it's filled with a clear fluid that would ruin our pants. Our moms would always get mad but we had so much fun doing it!



Then we headed East and stopped at Sonic for some ice cream. We sat at Santee Lakes for quite a while, just playing Yahtzee and watching the wildlife. 




 The other big event was a family reunion with my dad, sisters and our cousins. I had created a 5-Generation family tree and brought copies down with me. We looked through old photos and reminisced about when we were kids. At one point we all looked up to see my dad licking his fingers over by the cupcakes. Busted!


Me, my dad, and my sisters Debbie (middle) and Kathy


Three of our four cousins.




When I was 2 my mom took a picture of me and my sisters and I had us re-create it at the reunion.



My cousin took the picture, THEN we had to get up! That took a little more work than we expected!



Oh my gosh we laughed so hard! There's nothing like fun and laughter with family!!