Tragedy and Joy

Hey everyone,

May is about over and we're headed into June already. Does anyone else feel like this year is flying by? 

We live on a busy street and a couple weeks ago I had gone to bed around 10:00 when I heard a car fly by our house. The speed limit is 35 but sometimes people go so fast. I laid in bed calculating their speed 'They have to be going at least 60' when I heard 'Bam!!" I thought, 'Oh no! Please don't let that be from the car!' There's a very sharp turn a block or two from us and the street heads up a big hill. Then I heard, "Ka-boom!"

I flew out of bed, grabbed a sweatshirt and headed outside. Chuck had been watching TV but heard the sound too and was right behind me. By that time we could hear the sirens. From the sidewalk in front of our house we could see tons of flashing lights up the street. The article said the driver 'was traveling at an excessive speed.'

We learned the driver didn't survive and now there is a memorial at the corner where the car left the road. I don't think I will ever forget the sounds of that car that night. I keep thinking about that persons last thoughts as they lost control of the car, and about their family members receiving the news. It just breaks my heart. 

On to something a little lighter -

I was out watering the other night and happened to notice this on one of our evergreen trees -

I've been watering these trees for 25 years and this heart has just appeared in about the last 6 months. I just smiled thinking about how God's creation sings it's praises to Him. Isaiah 55:12 "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace, the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." The Lord speaks to us through His word, through others, and through His creation. His love is like no other.

Beth had some lab work done recently. It showed she's slightly anemic so she's now taking iron a few times a week.

Before I got on here, I was going around closing the blinds and noticed a pink hue outside. Our house faces east so I headed to the backyard and sure enough, a gorgeous pink sky! The sunset was beautiful tonight.

And tomorrow... Diana and Peter fly in and we get to see these two!!

Not sure I'll get much sleep tonight! We saw them back in December but when they're this age it seems like forever. They'll be staying with us for a week so Sharaya and Ally will be over a lot, we bought a kids slide, kids patio chairs, lots of new toys, took some extra furniture to storage, our house looks very different than it did a couple weeks ago!  

There's going to be a lot going on at the end of next week too so I'm not sure when I'll be back on here. I'll try to log on and read posts when I can. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Art, Crowns, and Beth at Work

Beth went back to the dentist today to get the permanent crown put on her back tooth. I could tell she was a little nervous but I told her it would be much faster than the last appointment.

When we got into the room she immediately decided to go use the bathroom. I'm sure she was thinking of the last time when they stopped the procedure so she could go. 

She got settled in and they began.

They took the temporary crown off and cleaned the tooth up a little. She was still nervous though because she was holding on to that arm rest.

But, it only took a few minutes and we were out the door and on our way home! Everything went well.

Last Thursday I was able to get a few pictures of her at work. She empties the trash in our preschool classrooms, then takes it out to the dumpster. I caught her coming out of the elevator but she doesn't look too happy to see me.

I followed her outside and noticed the lids were down on the dumpster. I watched to see what she would do and she got right up there and tried a few times to throw it in! I was already half way there when she got frustrated. I was holding the lid open (just barely - those bins are big!) and we ended up laughing as she would throw the bag and only get a corner over the edge, then I'd use one hand to try and help get the rest of it up and over... we were quite the team! 

Another thing she just started doing is delivering printer paper to the third floor work room. She gets the paper from the second floor work room, takes it up the elevator and into the office wing. We're always running out of paper up there so the third floor staff is going to love her for doing this!

Beth has another appointment the end of next week, and then Diana and Peter are coming for a visit! We are so excited to see them!!

Oh, I know what I wanted to show you. Our middle daughter Sharaya loves to paint and draw, and she posted this the other day, titled 'Michael.' I just keep staring at it.

Well, I should go start dinner so I'm going to close this. I hope you all have a blessed day! 

How Was Yours?

 May 13, 2005. It was 26 years ago today that my mom died. She was born in Massachusetts and her family moved to San Diego when she was 13. She met my dad a few years later. He was a sailor in the Navy and she was smitten! 

My mom in snow-covered Springfield, Massachusetts 

Me and my mom

I was in 10th grade here

Sharaya, me, my mom

In the front: Diana and Beth

Me and my girls

You know, while looking for photos for this post I searched a long time but couldn't find a current photo of me and my girls! You can bet that when Diana and Peter are here next month, that's one thing I want to do!

The girls all got me great gifts for Mother's Day, and we went out for lunch. (Missing Diana and Peter's family of course.) But I had a very good day. 

How was your Mother's Day? Did you do anything special?

One of Her Favorite Places is The Hair Salon

Beth had her final appointment with the Dermatologist today. Nothing has changed since she started the cortisone shots but the doctor said she believes the scarring alopecia is dormant. She's been monitoring it for about a year and it looks exactly the same, and it's still the same size. We've been able to cover it with a small pony tail so that's really good news. 

Between meetings with her case worker and various doctors, Beth has had 10 appointments so far this year. Plus she still has three more this month. This is the most she's ever had and I think it's just due to her age and how our health changes the older we get.

After we left the doctor we headed to the hair salon. She got a shampoo, cut and style. We were the only ones there so it was easy to get some pictures. It's a small salon and we've been going there for a few years, the mom owns it and her daughter is the main stylist. They both love the Lord so we kind of feel at home there. 

She's so excited to show her friends! After every hair cut she tells me, "All Aboard will be surprised to see me!" (All Aboard is the day program she goes to for karaoke and art.)

She loves her time at the salon! 

Take a Walk Along the Waterfront With Me

Way back in January we had some nice clear weather so I bundled up and went down to the waterfront.

I walked out on the pier, it was really cold and it's always windy on the pier. The ferry was docked, letting cars and passengers off, then reloading for the trip across the sound. In the background you could see Mount Baker. Course, my phone made it look really tiny. It's about 100 miles from us but with the naked eye, it looked so big and so close.

I went all the way to the end of the pier, and I took this picture before heading back.

Looking back at our little town.

Then I walked along the marina. There was another ferry coming into Edmonds and a fisherman was getting ready to take his boat out.

Then I headed to the beach. Usually I just walk along the pathway and sit on a bench for a while. But this time I decided to walk on the sand. It had been years since I'd done that! It was January though so I kept my shoes on. 😊

This is looking back toward the pier and the mountains.

These are the Olympic Mountains. These are west of us. The Cascades are to the east of us. This area really is beautiful on a clear day. 

By the time I got to the end of the beach, another ferry had docked. It was so peaceful down there and exactly what I needed!

I hope you're able to take some time for you this week. Find a quiet place to sit and reflect on your blessings. Have a wonderful weekend!

Interesting Appointment

Hey everyone ~

Beth had an interesting dentist appointment the other day. She has a broken tooth way in the back, on the top, so this was the first of two appointments to get a crown. 

She's not thrilled about going to the dentist but she's not scared either. She was in a private room, separate from everyone else who just getting a cleaning. She struggled a little to get into the chair but finally got comfortable.

She fell asleep waiting for the dentist to come in

 

They did an impression of the tooth where you bite down on that gooey stuff. She made a face when they pulled out the mold.

The tooth was hard to get to and they had to work to get it cleaned out and ready for the temporary crown. It took them a while but they finally got it done, then left to give her a short break. While they were out of the room, Beth began to cough. Just a little at first, then more. I opened the door and called them back, they felt so bad! (Our dentist and his team are fantastic. We've been going to them a long time and we love them. They're so good with Beth.) 

I think it was just due to all the stuff they'd had in her mouth. They sat her up, got her some tissues and water. Then she had to go to the bathroom. 

When they finished and put the temporary crown on, it had been almost two hours! We left there just a few minutes before they closed. We got home and I suggested she go into the bathroom and rinse her mouth really well. But she turned to me and asked me to check the tooth. 

"Sure."

Kind of muffled she said, "It fell out!"

Sure enough, there was the tiny crown between her teeth and gums! Thankfully we live right down the street, you can see the dentist's office from our mailbox. We quickly put it in a baggie, jumped back in the car, went back to the dentist, and she was back in the chair.

This time they glued it on. So much better. She hasn't had any pain and is eating just fine. Her next visit to get the permanent crown is in three weeks. They've assured us that appointment will go much better! 😊 

Random Pictures

Thank you all for your encouragement on my last post about Beth's new glasses. It was exactly what many of you said, she just needed to get used to the new look. She's worn them every day since and really likes them now.

I don't know how you get inspiration for your posts but I usually go about my days just taking pictures of this and that, and mentally writing it into a blog post. But sometimes they just don't work. So this post will be about pictures that didn't fit into other posts.

For some reason this year we didn't have a designated photo spot at church on Easter. I guess I could have created an area but just didn't think about it in time for Sunday services. Our thought was to take this in front of the fireplace but it turned out to be in front of the TV! 

We have a wire hanging over our driveway that is for our cable. A few years ago it started drooping, so much so that it was hitting the DART bus whenever they would pull in. They came out last year and raised it but it started drooping again.

So I called them and they ended up having to replace the entire thing. The tech told me it was so old the inner wire wasn't supporting it anymore. Now it's much higher and isn't an issue with the busses.

Let's see, what else?

Oh, I found this picture of Sharaya the other day! She's our middle daughter and I love how she seems to be waving Hi!

We have a dwarf cherry tree in our side yard and I love it in the Spring!

I got to video chat with Diana and the kids today. It's so fun to see them and hear their voices. Adelaide was dancing for me, and Oliver was finishing his lunch.

Do any of you follow Friends of Big Bear Valley, and Jackie and Shadow, the two bald eagles? A few years ago scientists put a camera in the tree by their nest. It sits on a branch quite a few feet away but they're able to study them and their habits. It's been fascinating to watch them lay their eggs, and then to see the babies hatch! Right now they're asking people to submit names for the two eaglets. Any suggestions?

Jackie and Shadow

Well, Beth just came out and asked what we're having for dinner so I'll close this. Tonight I'm going to make pancakes. We haven't had them in a long time! 

Have a great weekend!