Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Pee in a Cup

KD has been dealing with his urine all day! It was sent to the lab for his pre-employment drug screen, but apparently it needs to be screened for 10 possible substances, not only the 5 they do at all labs here. It's funny hearing him ask if they could please take his urine out of storage and also test it for tricyclic antidepressants, phencyclidine, marijuana (you'd think they do that in Kelowna, isn't it the pot capital of the country?), and a few other names he can't pronounce. The clock is ticking...
Monday is supposed to be the big day. Call me a cynic, but I'll believe it when I see it!

Monday, August 30, 2010

Anti-war propoganda?

So what do you think of this shirt? I'm not sure what it means?
My friend who left for Africa yesterday, says he wore it for me to the BIRTHday party. I'm not sure what that says about me???
Those sassy Gen X ers and their teasing shirts.

Home

We're back from a whirlwind tour of Alberta. We spent 10 days away visiting and visiting and more visiting! We hugged new nephews...

there's something so sweet about your own babies looking so grown up holding babies, I'm sure this is what Gramma's feel all the time, I don't know how they stand it! Isn't this just the sweetest pic of my Jacob? and he's always loved babies. Even Erin, my never to marry, never to have children girl, thinks a baby would be pretty fun right now! Tristan is absolutely perfect!


We had fun with other nephews we don't see often enough!
And played with my 1 and only niece who is growing up so lovely! She is so GOOD at playing, can't you tell? I LOVE this pic of her... always trying to hide from the camera.


We celebrated a zero BIRTH day and a 77, although 69 was more appreciated on the cake.
There were 4 superb babysitters fighting over this 3 1/2 week old while his parents went out for quick anniversary dinner the next night!

... made a much awaited trip to this store, and contemplated for nearly an hour...


It was OFF Kermit's "Awesome meter", which is the way everything is currently being judged. Auntie Tara, and the trip to the Bow River to swim Ditto and Misha also measured in the awesome zone according to JC.

... celebrated turning 3!


... and my sweet friend threw together an impromptu engagement brunch after hearing the news of our other friend getting engaged 2 days before! What a fantastic morning to catch up with old friends! YAY Kim, we're so happy for you! FINALLY (oops did I say that? :)
We got to sneak in some bridesmaid dress shopping when we ran into Kim at the mall, Jacob was NOT thrilled!
I love brunch!

...we packed, carried and unloaded boxes, and moved a lot of furniture helping KD's Mom and Dad move. No photos of that one.
We are so blessed to be filled with so much love from family and friends.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

I Heart Starbucks!

.... not only because I love the smell in there. I love the aroma of coffee brewing but I just can't drink the stuff. I tried again this year, it just didn't do it for me. But they do make a mean Earl Grey tea latte. But today I LOVE them because they want to order one of KD's prints! How exciting is that? ...to have your photo purchased by Starbucks and hanging in one of their Portland shops!! That's cool!
Montgomery Park #2 is of a building in downtown Portland somewhere, and the Starbucks is really close by. It's totally not one of either of our favorites, but the reason why he tries to vary what he puts on the website. I totally prefer Montgomery Atrium, but hey, if they love it, then so do I.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Peachy



I think peaches are my favorite thing to can, except, "it's one for the jar, one for me".

Ode to the Peach

Oh how I love you
Your sweet, juicy flesh
The color of summer
There's nothing sweeter than you, my love.
You're so cute and fuzzy.
I like to chop you up, you make everything better....
smoothies, pie, cobbler, pancakes, yogurt...
mmm... sweet!

Oh my sweet husband,
I feel pain for you, not being able to eat peaches.
I hope that in heaven you live in a peach orchard.

(this is why I don't write poetry- I've challenged my kids to write something better)

Monday, August 16, 2010

Extended Summer

This is gratitude Monday. I am thankful. Thankful for the summer that is lasting and lasting. Sometimes by mid-August it's getting a lot cooler than I like it to be, but we've had another hot and sunny spell. If you haven't already figured it out, I'm a summer girl! Love the sun, love the garden, love the water! I really like spring too, but mostly because it means summer is on the way. I don't want it to end.

"So when you feel all the endings coming ... begin looking for all the beginnings."

177. getting canning jars out for the first time this summer, it's sooooo late for me!
178. wood and screws
179. my husband who goes with whatever the flow is that comes along
180. the heat that makes my crazy dog just want to lay around all day and not get into trouble
181. home made fries in the deep fryer, ooooooh I should get one of those! Or maybe not!
182. Trader Joe's.. oh I wish Canada had one!
181. These cookies are making me happy. 183. daily dips in the pool
184. I've been asking God to fill me with joy and I feel it, as unspiritual as that sounds, I feel it. He is good.
185. a day to weed and putz in my overgrown yard, to lay some bricks and tidy things
186. fresh garden peas, even if there were only about 12 pods
187. fluffy towels
188. laughing boys
189. hope
190. new brakes that don't make a funny rattling sound when you go downhill
191. This little muffin that I CAN'T WAIT to see in not too long. Hi Tristan! I love you!

With his pretty Mama
How lucky am I to get brown nephews? It's what I always wanted!



holy experience

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Clairbouyant

It only took us 10 years to get out boating on Okanagan Lake. Our good friends took us out for the afternoon last week and we had a great time! I don't know what took us so long (well lack of a boat would be one thing). It was beautiful and so peaceful to jump off and swim in the middle of the lake with no one else around - I mean all those tourists and stuff.

I was more scared watching the boys tubing, than going on the tube myself, I suppose they were going a lot faster than us girls were though! I have an explainable fear of serious injuries. It was Jacob's first time and he laughed the whole way. I was reassured that they have never tipped the tube. I was told that about a SeaDoo once though too, and we
managed to flip it on our first ride together. We were much younger and wilder though

Jacob and his best friend, they met in the church nursery when they were 2. Oh the forts and Lego creations these two have forged together! I like the new bridge in the background.

And I hope to look this fantastic when I'm 50 something...
hey I'd be happy to look that good now! XO

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Only a Quarter

Love this shot taken by KD...

Blue Heron

just happened upon this fella downtown in the wetlands area... where are they when you need a photo of them hey?

Monday, August 9, 2010

Modern Day Ark

and God told Noah to build an ark... (Genesis 6)

...in this case, it's a youth camp in the desert! It started out as a houseboat sailing around the Shuswap and telling youth about Jesus, but this year has landed on a beach in Osoyoos. We had the extreme pleasure of having a short visit and seeing what God had brought together in just 3 weeks before kids started to arrive.
View of it from across the lake:

I thought you'd appreciate this one Melissa, The towering ROCK overshadowing and protecting this place:
Rigged up with hammocks and big speakers:



Camping like the Israelites in the desert!


"Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose. And the LORD was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to Himself, " I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night." (Gen 8:20-22 NLT)

the Fam


We have a difficult time getting a family photo around here. We have a "photo hijacker". I heard that expression recently and I thought it was so fitting. I know Tara tried to do some family shots awhile back and we had "Spiderman" hijacking the scenes :) It might not be quite Christmas card material but I'll take it!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Checked Out... Uh OH!!!!

"Hey buddy, you have a hot girlfriend!!"
To which Kevin in his mind replied, "Well if by hot you mean beautiful, and if by girlfriend you mean daughter... why thank you."

I'll take that as a compliment for Kevin, someone thinking he's a teenager riding bikes in ball cap with his lovely "girlfriend".

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

I Heart Africa

We had some awesome company visiting over the long weekend. My friend, who I worked pediatrics with in Zambia, and her family came to visit. She's from the UK and met her husband in Zambia; he basically came on the flight I left on. They got married and have been living in Ghana for the past 10 years. We were thrilled to have them! We loved hearing their stories of living in mud huts, learning Sisaali, the Harmattan winds, saving 4 months of water to last through the dry season, and the blessings and heart aches of living with the lovely Ghanaian people.
I miss Africa. I always knew I'd left a piece of my heart there and hope that someday I get to return and stay awhile. Jacob and I are dreaming of a visit :) there and maybe to Uganda.

Oh my... can you tell who were 2 peas in a pod? It was remarkable!


And just imagine the fun of having ANOTHER engineer in the house for a few days! Just have to check the water depth here... I could just feel the combined calculatory (is that a word?) brain power. They were so happy for the hot Okanagan sun so they could take off their sweaters and feel a bit more like home. I was so encouraged to see the bigger picture, to not worry about life's details, and not fuss over such small things.
We're really mad together about that Ghana World Cup game now again! Suarez was just NOT fair!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Back

We took a spur of the moment, meandering trip down through Osoyoos, Washington, around and back up. We just needed to get away and it was so good to let our minds be free of home, enjoy the open road, the different scenery, and the spontaneity of where to camp each night. We ended up meeting some friends at Mt. St. Helen's and had good fun, singing ALL the oldies around the campfire and just laughing a lot, something we've been lacking of late.



I know it's hard to tell most of the time what this boy is doing, but he's diving off a sand hill into sand at our church's ARK property where we made an overnight stop off. So amazing to see that place where God is doing a mighty work!

In front of Mt. Rainier

We hit a whopping 39 degrees near Omak and poor Ditto burned the pads on his paws on the black top, but we were loving the heat!