Quick Overnighter

We've been trying to camp with Cam and Tracy all summer and finally on the last weekend before Sept. we managed to coordinate our calendars. She has a friend with a property about an hour away where we had complete privacy and fun along the river. All the work of packing up for just one night didn't seem worth it all at the start, but did once we arrived!

The kids can always find something to do. I'm so glad they are good at that! Catching minnows.

It's always fun to dam up the river and create a nice pool for lounging and swimming.

Stick racesWe found an old granite quarry that provided some awesome rock scrambling and exploring.
Tracy building an inukshuk.

Found a big rock with some appropriate graffiti.

Kevin mapping out the GPS coordinates for the next hike.

A big weed

Jacob always has to wreck it hey!

Pivotal Designs

Kevin's been a busy little bee (can I call him that?) the past 2 weeks working like a fool on the computer getting his website back up and running. He hasn't needed it for so long, because he hasn't needed MORE work for the past 4 years, so it was ready for an update. I really like the re-vamped look. Take a peek . Feel free to notice any typos or errors, it's still under construction. I hope he gets some work and then maybe has some free time to continue to explore other options. Wouldn't that be nice for all of us?

Summer Craftiness

I did one crafty thing this summer... I saw this CUTE fabric and thought it would make cute outdoor placemats. I think they turned out pretty well.
Ignore the spaghetti stains :) I haven't washed them yet, I'm a little afraid.

This Week in the Garden

We're going for the world record. Well I'm not, but they are. It's 5'8". The black furry beast is at 3'8" and this is without much training. I'm getting a little worried about the 4.5 foot fence. Movie maker girl put together this movie. She's amazing! They learn this stuff at school, these kids are so smart. Do I sound old yet? Turn on your speakers, her choice of music is brilliant! I have no clue how to do the slow motion and stuff. I'm so glad to have her around, and school starts in 13 days. What am I going to do without her??

Petal to the Metal

Well, I didn't die after 2- 90 minute soccer games on Saturday. I am a little stiff still though. We were eliminated after the semi-final because we lost 1-0. Only 1 measly goal! My nursing skills were put to good use in the last 5 minutes of the match as opposing team players both went up for a header on the ball. Ohh.... the crunching noise. It was not pretty, neither was my poor team mate who got it right in the eye socket. Fractured zygomas are a frequent surgery on our ward, so off she went for x-rays- thankfully it wasn't broken, but it sure ain't looking good for her weekend away with hubby :) Purple and swollen shut. Thankfully men usually love us anyways, sometimes they even think we look good in the mornings??? Don't ask me why.

mmm....

bruschetta...pico de gallo... greek salad.... BLT sandwiches...
...........send over any good basil recipes, I have A LOT!

Today in the Garden

I have about 8 tomato plants in this one spot that have gone a little "bananas" and grown all into one big heap so I can't tell where one starts and another ends. But there are lots of different sizes and shapes of berries growing. I heard from my trivia husband this week that tomatoes are neither fruit nor vegetable, but they are a berry. I'll concur with that because these ones taste so sweet!!

Today's produce pick... Those pesky little cucumbers, you turn your back on them for a day or 2 and voila, they turn huge! When we lived in Mukilteo and I had my 5 acres, I am positive that I could hear them growing! Must have been all that rain, and the nicest soil I'd ever seen, that had been laying fallow for a few years, but was really just composting all that time! I had rows of cukes because it was the year I learned how to pickle and how not to pickle. And pickle we did! Every day we'd go out and there would be more and we were sure we'd gotten them all the eve before.

40?

Happy Birthday Sunshine!
Lookin' great!!

Madame Blueberry

I figured out my problem. I haven't taken any photos for like 2 weeks. What's with that? For those of you who have watched Veggie Tales, remember the Madame (gee I wish I was in France :) Blueberry song, "I'm so blue oo-oo- blue-oo-oo blue-ooo -ooooooooo. I'm so blue I don't know what to do."
Well I'm snapping out of it. Nothing like a good Starbucks trip with a girlfriend at 10pm (yes I had caffeine) and getting out of the city for a few days to give you some refocus! We went on this fabulous 20 km bike ride and I didn't remember to bring my camera. There were a few good photos ops. Oh well, they'll have to remain as mental images.
There's this place we love to camp... every year we go at least for a weekend. There's a fabulous fishing/swimming hole along a river with a sandy beach. I know we live right by the best lakes in Canada, and yet we go to a river. Call me strange. You can float down for miles though on floaties of all sorties :)

I love this shot esp, that her eyes are closed :)

"Honey. honey how you thrill me uh huh honey honey. " Sorry watched Mama Mia last week with Erin, ABBA on the brain. As I was taking this photo I was thinking, "that guy with the beer can had better just move, or I'll have to photoshop him out." He WOULDN't move!
Cute butts!

My photo taking ability never ceases to amaze me. Too much flash in the pitch black makes for some good facial expressions! Guess I'll leave the good stuff to someone else.

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst forth into song before you, and the trees of the fields will clap their hands" (Isaiah 55:13)

I'd like to see all these mountains burst forth into song. That will be quite the sight. Similar to the NT verse that says if people don't proclaim HIM, the very rocks will cry out!
I want to claim that joy for now and be led in peace...and trust the context of the verse that says HIS Word will not return empty, that every Word gone out from HIS mouth will accomplish what HE desires (Is 55:12-12). And so I wonder what HE desires with me/us. I know that every Word I have put into my mind in the past has gone in for a purpose, and that may be for now , when it seems much more dry. The roots have grown down to hold fast for times such as this. To know without a doubt that HE has purpose. I'd really like to know what that is and feel like my day has some purpose right now, but that is coming in HIS perfect time.

So I pray for those who are facing some really big challenges, and pray God's purpose in them too...
...like my friend starting chemo. on Thursday morning for breast cancer while her oldest starts kindergarten tomorrow, oh the timing!
...my friend whose Dad had an aortic aneursym last weekend and was air ambulanced to Vancouver, thankfully I was at work so could be there with them..
....the homeless lady who appeared on my doorstep yesterday with her own story of trying to find her birth daughter (yes I know where she was, but can I tell?)
...a 7 month old baby, with some disabilities, getting put up for adoption soon, hoping for happy endings or beginnings
... a friend who says they are going to separate because the marriage is over
...and my dear friend awaiting the birth of #5, hoping she has the energy :)

I'm off from working -outside the home- for more than 2 weeks, so I should be jubilant. But instead I feel bored, restless, and not sure what to do with myself. There has been this impending sense of uncertainty looming around and it feels heavy, sort of like the smoke that's been hanging in our valley. The big question hangs in the air about where we are supposed to go, what Kevin should be doing, is there work somewhere out there that will fit him and his personality and his abilities? We definitely determined that we didn't want to jump into any big decisions about relocating unless it were something really great, but how about nothing? All the questions swirl around in my head that still remain unanswered. Is this all we were meant for? If we are meant to live lives to the full, why does it feel like this? Why can't I hear where God is directing us? I'm tired of trying to listen for that still small voice, just hit me over the head, tell me what to do, I'm not really that observant, I need big signs. This searching gets tiresome after awhile, and yet when I give up the pursuit of Him, it feels even more meaningless. But sometime along the way, there must be some answers to the bigger questions. It's not that work defines you, but you definitely can't just sit around all the time and expect to pay the bills. It kind of stinks that way! Darn that Adam and Eve! It's too bad, you can't just take what you absolutely love to do and get paid to do it. But what if you don't even know what that is?

I am usually one of those people who just pull themselves together, try to be positive and look for the best. But this day I feel a little like feeling sorry for myself for awhile and just feeling frustrated.

I think I'll just fly away.

Check it out

Erin made a cool movie of her riding that I was going to post, but she already did! Tell KK!

This Week in the Garden

The light has been a strange orangey color because of all the smoke in the air, giving a sort of pink hue to everything and making it hard to tell how sunny it really is outside these days.

I had to go look to see what was blooming after Tara posted her lilies. These were totally taken the other day, not to one up your clematis, definitely, definitely NOT!

See the funny colored light? I didn't mess with it at all.

Echinacea

This is weird.... because theses jackamanaii clematis have always had 4 petals, and this year some of them have come out with 5. It's just the strangest thing. I like them! 5 is a much more balanced looking flower.

My First English Riding Lesson

Since my girl is in Calgary, Erin's coach let me take her Sunday slot for a lesson (since we pay by the month). This one is for you Erin. Don't laugh too much!

Don't Get too Close

it was like a 300 metre drop! I was getting a photo!

It's a Chukka

Not something you get to see everyday.... We happened upon a polo match and pulled in to watch. Each player has 4 horses (no wonder it's an expensive sport) because they play each "chukka" which is 10-15 min. on one horse, have a quick break, switch up and play the next chukka. I told Erin about it on the phone and called it "quarters" of each match, and she said, "oh Mom they're called chukkas". I had heard the term from the announcer but figured she wouldn't know it. How wrong I am. She's very well read :)

Kevin's Pretend 40th Birthday

We spent an afternoon and evening at the lake with Kevin's whole family who came out from AB to help celebrate him. There was a lot of playing in the lake. Gramma in the tube with the 3 oldest grandkids.

Jacob and Sebastien fooling around only the ways boys know how.

Sammy looking cold even though it's over 30!!
He's like a little Erin.Then we had a competitive tournament of bocce.
Morgan plotting her next toss.

Some serious assessment going on.

Erin handedly beat this round, but with much encouragement.

Who knows what Jacob is doing, but he looks cool!

Seems to me maybe the winner was rigged...

Belly up to the trough... for some yummy, if I might say so myself, eats.. some of Kevin's favorite's- chicken satay, spring rolls, rice and for the rest of us lots of salads and sushi rolls...

Birthday Boy having a good time

Mom and Michelle

Home for cake
They're all a little wacky!The guys headed up to the KVR trestles for a good day of biking the next day and male bonding??

This is where the last fires of 2003 went through and they rebuilt the bridges.

Marc showing off his muscles again, right in front of the old guy no less...

Cathedral Lakes and some other COOL stuff God made

On the road...

We have been wanting to do this trip for a few years. Kevin and Phil went up to the lakes a few years ago, but they hiked in the 17 km with packs on, up 1300m elevation gain. Let's just say I am in awe of them!! This trip we opted for the Unimog drive up to the base camp (any normal 4WD drive might not make this trip), so we could fully enjoy the hiking to be had up in the alpine meadows. It was absolutely stunning!! We hiked the Rim Trail the first day taking us up and around a whole panorama view across the peaks. The wildflowers we were told we in prime season!

Quiniscoe Lake

I love lupins! Fields and fields of them!

We made it back to our camp site about 5 minutes too late.. we were caught in a torrential hail storm and got completely soaked. The rain continued from 4:00 til around 8, when we could get out for a breather, then it started up again for the night. We made a quick supper in the tent, and played Yahtzee and tried to hang things up to dry inside with our clotheslines, and then went to sleep by 8:30. What else is there to do?

Day 2, we woke to sunny blue skies, thank the LORD, and we hit the trail in the early morning at 8:00 since we were awake by 5:30 :) This was one of our destinations-- Smokey the Bear:

But along the way, saw some very cool and different rocks and wildlife.

This one is for you Jacob-- he's peeing, actually it's a she.
Ladyslipper Lake from aboveLadyslipper Lake from in it :)

(KD photo)

Refilling our water bottles in a mountain stream. We were out for about an hour, so this was a much welcome find! I drank a whole liter in one swig!This is us in front of Smokey the Bear- yes we were up on top of that tallest peak looking down. Had no idea how high it was until the trail led us down around to the base! Incredible!!


Me in the lake, oh my sore feet, and icing my knee at the end of the day 5 pm..Wish we had one more day, but it was awesome! We saw so much amazing landscape and totally got sun burnt- who would remember to put sunscreen on at 8 am?

Some more KD photos (he took 300 and I've only seen these ones!):





(love those hiking poles Phil and Marcy- I let Kev use them a few times)