Baking, Workouts, and Blessings

 Hi everyone,

I hope your week has been good. We were blessed with such good weather this week, one day even got up into the 80's! Blue skies, sunshine, it's been really nice.

Sharaya and Ally came over last weekend and Ally made crepes for us! She is the crepe master, I tell ya. She makes them from scratch and they are so good!

Beth and I went downtown on Monday to see the Veterans Memorial they have down there. I'm grateful our little town has something to honor the brave men and women of the military.

Then we headed down to the waterfront for a while.

For a couple weeks now Beth and I have been talking about making banana bread and we finally did it! I forgot to take a picture when it came out of the oven so you'll half to accept our half-eaten loaf. We actually made two, one with chocolate chips and one with walnuts.

We're still going to the gym. Learning about the different machines. It's something we've never done before but we're really enjoying it. Beth always goes to this one first and I get on the treadmill. 

That's about all from here. I hope you have a great weekend. And you know, I pray you feel truly loved, cherished, wanted. Because you already are. This weekend and this coming week I pray you tangibly feel it.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. Num 6:24-26

There's Not a Lot Going On, So Why Am I So Busy?

Hi everyone, 

It dawned on me yesterday that I haven't posted in a while. Honestly, I'm in a season where it hasn't even crossed my mind. Yet when I think about everything I've been doing, it's not that much!

Looking through my phone for photos to share I realized I never showed you my classroom. We have a sensory room for kids who find our typical Sunday school classes overwhelming. The swing is the newest addition.

I snuck a picture of Beth at our coffee bar on Sunday. Every week she buys the same thing, a hot chocolate with soy milk and a fruit snack. 

I have an azalea in the backyard that has grown so much! We had a dog that used to pee on it when it was much smaller and it killed that part of the plant. I thought it was a goner. But then the dog passed away and now - it's probably been 10 years - it's gotten so big! I took this before it had bloomed completely. My watering can is there for reference.

Let's see... Diana sent this picture of Adelaide, they were going on a hike.

She's growing so tall! We get to see them again in August and I can't wait! First we have a family reunion in Iowa in... wait, next month! I was going to write 'in a few months' but no, it's next month. We're going in June.

Ummm, what else? We're having fantastic weather: blue skies and temps in the high 60's to low 70's. Speaking of which, I think I'll close this, head outside and get some Vitamin D! 

Do you have any vacations planned this year? Been on any hikes or walks? Do you have a garden?

Take care!

Such a Fun Visit!

I flew home from my sisters late on Monday the 10th, worked the 11th through 13th and Diana and Adelaide got here late on the 14th. Those few days we finished getting the house baby-proofed, setting up all the toys I had (I saved a few for later in the week) and making sure the den was ready for them. If I remember right, Saturday we just stayed home. 

We went to the aquarium, went out to lunch, went to an indoor play place, we played cards, watched movies, it was a fun, full week! I'll share just a few of the photos:

Making bracelets with pipe cleaners

Adelaide and friends watching Bluey

It was the first time I'd been to our aquarium in many years. It's changed a lot. There were different sections, multiple stories, and even separate buildings. There was a lot to see.

If you ever get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.

We left there and took the new Overlook Walk to go get some lunch. Seattle used to have a double decker highway that ran right through the city. We recently tore that down and put in the tunnel, then built a beautiful area to view the waterfront and easily get to Pike Place Market. It was supposed to pour rain that day but the Lord answered my prayers and we only had clouds. And wind. Lots of wind.

As they were heading to the airport, Adelaide grabbed the little Tigger (I have the whole set) and never let go. Tigger lives with her now.💖 

Have you heard of the Wingman Program or Visitor Pass? SEA has a new program that allows visitors to go with you through security and to the gate. Peter was able to get it at their airport and Sharaya got it here, so she could help Diana get Adelaide through security and all the way to the gate. 

 It's okay to tell you now that Diana is four months pregnant! Due in July. You can see it in this photo, they were playing hide and seek:

So having that help through the airport was a Godsend! We're planning a trip back there after the baby is born.

It has taken me such a long time to write this. There's so much I want to tell you about Beth and my job and Sharaya's promotion, but I really need to close and start getting ready for work tomorrow. I'll try to write again soon.

Hope you're all doing well. Take care!

So Much Fun, So Little Time

There's so much to write about, but so much happening around here I haven't had time to write.

I guess the first thing is that Beth and Chuck are both feeling much better. Still a tiny bit congested but they're back to their regular routines.

My visit with my sister was so much fun. She had always wanted to go skydiving but due to a knee replacement, and minor back issues her doctor advised against it. So my niece and I surprised her with indoor skydiving! She was shocked! Our plan worked perfectly! This is when she first realized what she was going to be doing - 

She had also wanted some nice photos taken so my nieces daughter did her make up and we headed outside for a fun photo shoot.

Then we headed out so she could learn to fly!

Each person got to go twice if they wanted to and she did! I thought she'd be too nervous to go at all but she wasn't. I'm so proud of her. At 70 years old, she 'flew' by herself. You can see in the second picture the trainer isn't even holding her.

Then we took her out for a family dinner at her favorite restaurant, The Olive Garden. She was overwhelmed. It was a great day!

We went for a walk at a local park, watched her tortoises eat lunch, (that pan is the size of a large pizza) and spent a lot of time just talking.

It was exactly what we both needed. We decided next time I need to spend a week there because it just went by so fast. We're the only two left of our original family of five. 

Back at home - I'm gearing up for Sunday school. The Leaders Handbook is finished, I've been working in the classroom, and I even had a wonderful assistant help me with the bulletin board on Wednesday.

And Diana and Adelaide arrive tomorrow night. I filled my car with gas, I'm getting the den ready for them, putting out toys, baby-proofing the house... I'm beyond excited to see them! So if you don't hear from me for a while, it's because I'll be  chasing a two year old around the house! And loving every minute of it!

I'll get back to visiting your blogs soon, I promise!