The Move

She moved from near the Atlantic to the Pacific...and then....

We hauled it inside on the rainiest day of the year in Seattle.

The kitchen when we walked in at 8:00 am.

When most of the boxes to go in the living room were stacked.

Working on the boxes in the small kitchen.

The bedroom before the boxes were stacked here; just the bed so far.

Blankets used to cover the furniture to protect it from the rain - and rain it did!

Making progress, but time out for a little music with the new guitar.

In Virginia, 6 year old Anna helped label the boxes.

Moving is not fun, but if you have some great people to help on both ends, it makes it infinitely better, AND, if a little music is thrown in, it's almost a party.

Thanks for the good time! You know who you are.....

The Sound of Music

It was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon in Seattle....

listening to father and daughter jam....mighty fine!

Hey, I have a good idea...let's do it again - soon, real soon.

Soon We'll All Be Together Again! Fun Times Ahead..

Kristi from Seattle,
Janna from Virginia via Australia where she is visiting her parents and sister
Janessa from Hurricane,
Jenni from Hurricane,
Loni from St. George,
Carisa from Coronado Island - where we are all gathering for a wedding celebration.

Okay, it's going to be fun.

Okay, This Made Me Laugh!

Ha, if this isn't the strangest combination of items to sell:

Violins
Food Storage
Paint Ball equipment...

But now that I think of it; it makes perfect sense.  In case of a disaster, you will have the essentials;

food to eat,
music to soothe your troubled soul,
and something to have fun with.

Okay, now it all makes sense.

NOT.

Simply L.O.V.E.L.Y..

It's simple.

It's beautiful.

Sometimes the variety and beauty of the earth take my breath away.

Five Fathers; Five Styles

The oldest son has two boys.

He's a good father because he listens to them.  He tries to be fair and let them explain why they behave the way they do.  He spends time with them.

The second son has three boys and two step-daughters.

He's a good father because he plays with them.  And, he makes the rules clear and expects them to follow those rules.  He spends time with them.

The third son has two daughters and a step son and step daughter.

He's a good father because he spends most of his free time with them.  He has made career choices that put his children over his livelihood.  He spends time with them.

The son-in-law has three sons and one daughter.

He is a good father because he expects his children to work and to help around the home.  He has taught his children to work and to be strong in the church.  He spends time with them.

The husband has three sons and two daughters.

He is a good father because he supports his children.  He listens to them, encourages them, and loves them.  He spends time with them.

Each of these fathers love their spouse.  And, that also makes them a very good father.

Hooray for dads who are good, honorable, and decent.

I'm forever grateful for the fathers in my life; including my own father and father-in-law.

Fathers; a good idea.

Why White?

She wondered why we had picked white for the color of our new car -  two reasons:

1.  I didn't like the color choices in the particular car I specifically wanted.
2.  White is perfect for the HOT, HOT desert....it stays so much cooler than a dark color.

Good choice.

How To Lose Weight

1.  Eat less
2.  Eat slowly
3  Drink more water

Should work, right?!?!?!

Hooray for Flag Day!

I love America!

I will be forever grateful for this land.

And, so on this flag day, I express gratitude for the land of the free and the home of the brave!

My father singing at a patriotic event; it was my father who instilled in me a great love of America.  He had lived overseas after WWII and had come to appreciate our marvelous opportunities and way of life.

Thank you, dad, for helping me to love this great country; founded by good men looking for religious liberty.

I love my land, America!

DECISIONS

I just wish I weren't so bad at making decisions.

Because, right now, I just don't know what to do.  I have about 5 hours to decide.

Should I or shouldn't I?

Where's the OUIJA board when needed?

The Sunday Visits

Time for another write-up in the series of Sunday visits, which by the way, I LOVE (not the write-up, but the visits).

Al & Sandi just moved in the neighborhood in a truly lovely home.

She is having major dental/surgery work done this week.

It will cost NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS!

They will be taking out a loan to pay for it.

That just makes me so sad..to have to pay that kind of money for something so not fun!

But, it should also inspire me to take R.E.A.L.L.Y good care of my teeth!

Now, That's What I Call Fresh!

Allen picked this just as we were leaving to head to church.

I'm going to say here: DELISH!

Wishing I Were Somewhere Else Tonight

Yep,

that's for sure.

Virginia to be exact.

To see our daughter graduate from her grueling residency program where she was Chief Resident.

But, we'll see her in about 11 days in Seattle.

Still, I wish I could give her a very big congratulatory hug.

Kristi, you make us all proud!

So, congrats, DOCTOR!

Happy Birthday to my Favorite Doctor Rose!

When Kristi was 4 years old, she walked to our door, opened it, looked out and said,
"Oh, what a glorious day!"

Since that day a few years, she has been making the world a glorious place for me and lots of other people, as well.

She's bright, fun, happy, kind, thoughtful, strong, good.  I love this RD/MD.

Here's Kristi on the left surprising Jenni by showing up at Jenni's doctoral graduation.

So, Kristi D...thanks for making my world a continually brighter place.

(Also, happy graduation from residency on Friday!)

Saying YES, but Meaning NO

My church is a church of volunteers.

We are often asked to do things that we might not really enjoy.

We have the option to say NO.

So, it is always interesting to me when people say they will do the job,

and then they don't.

Why don't they just say NO in the first place?

Then it is easier on everyone.

Don't say YES, if you really mean NO!

The Gene Pool

Here's what's in our gene pool during the aging process..

Alzheimer's
Depression
Anxiety
BIG, as in size.

WOW, old age is not looking so enticing.

The Clothes Closet

What do you do for fun?

Apparently, Barbara shops.

She and her husband make good money in their retirement (he told me the amount.)

They love to gamble at Mesquite.

She loves to shop for clothes at a department store there called BEALLS....and other places too like Dillards, Penneys, etc....

But, here's the ironic thing...

recently her husband had me look in her closet (with Barbara in tow):

Her closet was a large, spacious walk-in closet.

IT WAS FILLED- STUFFED - FULL OF NEW CLOTHES THAT HAD NEVER BEEN WORN...TAGS STILL DANGLING FROM THEM!

It was humorous...made me laugh out loud.

Normally, Bill doesn't care if she shops, but he told me that day he has given her instructions; no more new clothes.

We'll see....we'll see.