Thanksgiving, Double Digits and Julie Andrews

Thanksgiving kicked my butt this year. 

These are pictures from last year (I didn't have time to take many this year) to give you an idea of what the Thanksgiving Outreach at our church looks like.

This is our gym, we call it The Commons, ready for our guests

 The first seating. 
When they're done we clean and re-set the tables and do it again. And then again.

In years past I've lead the Buser and Server teams, overseeing the Commons. Or the Condiment team, putting the rolls, black olives and pickles on all the tables then bringing out the pumpkin pie after dinner. But now that I'm the Custodial Supervisor at church, I lead the Custodial team this year.

I went into it thinking, "So we empty trash for a few hours. How hard can this be?" Oh my word, I had no idea just how MUCH trash we'd need to empty. And if we didn't get to it soon enough how heavy it would be to lift out of the can. And how much heavier it would get as we carried it out of the building and out to the parking lot. And how it would be even heavier as we tried to toss it up and into the dumpster! (I eventually got smart and went downstairs to grab our big rolling trash bin so we could fill it and didn't have to carry them out of the building.)

And the trash in the Commons would fill up within seconds. Not exaggerating!! Plus there were trash cans in the Reception area at the other end of the building. And in the childcare area downstairs. Plus cleaning and restocking the bathrooms. I'd clean one sink, move to another and someone would come in and immediately use the sink I just cleaned. I can't tell you how many times I'd be in the middle of cleaning and 15 people would walk in.

I had a few volunteers help in the morning but for the most part it was just me and Beth. She would go into our Women's Cry Room whenever there would be a break and it didn't take her long to fall asleep! It was a very long and exhausting day!

  

 

And when we got home... no wonder my feet hurt!

Last month I ended up buying Julie Andrews new book and I'm loving it! It's funny and surprising... I'm only about a third of the way through it but I highly recommend it!

Today we celebrated Allie's 10th birthday! Sharaya always does a phenomenal job on decorating and themes... she's really gifted in this area! It was a Winter Wonderland theme and there were so many fun elements to it. All the kids got to make gingerbread houses, there were snowflakes and snow and nutcrackers, it was amazing!

And look at this cake! Her friend Jen from Tasty Spoons Bakery made it and all of her cakes are stunning!

Happy Birthday Allie!

Competing With Bees

Back at work this week. Things are a little slow and I'm okay with that.

Beth takes an art class on Wednesdays and last week she came home with a cake. Yep, a real cake! When she said she had a cake, I asked her if she had painted it but nope. A real one, with eggs and flour and frosting! I guess everyone got to mix their own ingredients, then someone took the cakes, went and baked them (they don't have an oven on site) and brought them back for everyone to take home! What an amazing amount of work!

 

Diana bought a new car. It was a big decision but she finally did it! This thing has a sun roof, heated seats, side mirror defrost... it's gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

I babysat Allie on Saturday and it was cold and rainy for most of the day here. Of course. It IS Seattle after all. :) So we stayed in and made forts, worked on our reading and played with bubbles!

 

 

 

 

Today I was able to get outside and work in the yard a little. I cut back some blackberry bushes and started to pull some weeds when I could hear these huge bees. They were black and yellow bumblebees and were so big! I was pulling weeds around some bluebonnets and I certainly wasn't gonna compete with them so I let them have the flowers! I ended up pulling out a chair and just sat on the patio enjoying my backyard.

 

 

I hope you all have an opportunity to enjoy some flowers this week!

What Did You Expect?

What did you expect after a week of birthdays... except birthday pictures? :)

The day before Sharaya's birthday, while she was at work, Ryan helped us sneak our treadmill over to their house (we never use it) and set it up in their living room. She was very excited! 

She wanted to see the movie Gravity so we all went and saw it in IMAX 3D. Wow! Chuck and I bought a box of Good N Plenty but we never did eat them because there just wasn't a good spot in the movie to open them! The entire thing was so intense and I kept having to remind myself to breathe!

After the movie, we went to their house for cake and presents.

Beth wanted pizza for her birthday dinner, then for all of us to go bowling. It had been a long time since we've been bowling together and I had forgotten how fun it was.

Then back here for her cake and presents.

And now for the pictures...

 

 

Sharaya wanted a turn table but didn't expect to get one!

 

 Beth got her an album of one of her favorite bands.

 

Chuck putting our names into the computer.

 

 I have pictures of each of us bowling...

bowling isn't a glamorous sport. :)

 

So I'll just show you the pictures of Allison.

 

 This kid's got style!

 

Waiting for the ball return.

 

 

And this is where my camera battery died. 

Beth ended up with some paper and markers, a movie and lots of gift cards. She loves gift cards and asks for them every year. She makes birthday shopping so easy!

Twenty Eight Years

Twenty Eight Years ago today.... I said "I Do!"

I was begging him NOT to smash the cake into my face!

Begging didn't work. :)

Of course, he'll tell you that I started it!