Along the Flip Flop path

The end to a perfect day

2009-07-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

I've decided that while the perfect end to a perfect afternoon is making a new friend, it should NOT to be done the way I did it tonight. As I pulled onto the freeway to make my way home, I pushed play on a book on CD that was just hitting the good part, and cruised along behind a fellow driver. Unfortunately, the "friend" I made was cruising along behind me at that point, and made herself known with flashing blue and red lights. After handing over my license and registration and answering the usual questions about why I was going so fast (72 in a 55) and where I was going (home after swimming all afternoon), I was rewarded upon her return to my window with a warning. Thank goodness for friends!

I've missed your old friend...

2009-07-25T22:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks into summer I got a text message from A. It was a picture of the To pool, under it said, "I miss you!"
Today Lisa To got a message "Is it okay if I come visit the pool - and you guys ;) - with A this afternoon?"
The following text was received "You are always welcome to hang at the To pool."

Today the pool and I rekindled our friendship. There was splashing, laughing, and sun bathing. A and I also enjoyed some much needed friend time over cheese, crackers, and berries. From the edge of the pool, we watched the sun descend below the hills and commented, "I love summer!"

Last Weekend

2009-07-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday:

I worked and then went on a shopping spree (a early anniversary present).

Sunday:

Church then a killer softball game. Killer = they killed us. :) Then a trip to Portland for the tradition of seeing the Harry Potter movies with Z&A. But no fight scene??? We were a little disappointed.

Monday:

After waking up at 7 in the morning at the Banker abode, I enjoyed a leisurely morning with tea, toast and my book while I waited to Amanda to wake from her "nap" after taking Z to the airport at four in the morning. Then it was another of the great adventures of A&M! While our tube supplier was MIA, we searched around town for ANYTHING to float down the Sandy River on. Finally settling on some nice pool floats, we attacked the river. In attacked, I mean meandered, walked, and bumped our way down the river. Three hours later, we were content, a little cold, and glad to have checked one more thing off of our "to do" list. We also decided that while it was fun on our little pool floats, it would have been a little better with actual inner tubes. :)

All Around the Town

2009-07-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

Stephanie and Corbett join us, on Sunday, for exploring McMinnville. We started with breakfast at Wild Wood. I'm pretty sure it's my favorite restaurant in town.

There were quite a few "Corbett" pictures. As in, Corbett just points the camera from whatever angle he wants and shoots. There are always some very interesting pictures resulting. :)

After breakfast we took to the streets. This weekend was "Who's on Third?". It's a traditional festival celebrating McMinnville. Third street is the main historical downtown area. The whole street was blocked for the weekend with artist booths, vendors, sidewalk sales, and musicians.

Corbett and Stephanie were entering a raffle for a new guitar.

These two little girls were "helping" one of the artists with a watercolor. I just couldn't help but take their picture.

This kiddo was just too cute with his ice cream cone. When I asked if I could take his picture he just grinned and nodded. It was when I showed him the picture that I really wished I could catch him, he had the cutest grin. As I walked away he kept saying "Thank you!" :)

We convinced Corbett to try the bull. This was the only picture I got. :)

I should have known better than to have them pose.

Random collections

2009-07-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, Mike got some records as a gag gift. There was a Donny Osmond and a Partridge Family. They hung on the wall in our old apartment. After that when we would find fun records at garage sales we would pick them up and they would be added to the collection. Slowly added were Frank Sinatra and some Johny Cash. The collection has been growing lately. I told Mike a while back that while the random collection was fun, I really wanted to actually listen to some of these records now.

On Friday morning Mike headed to an estate sale in town to check it out. He called me with the info that there was a record player there for $20! I called him back and left a message to get it. Unfortunately he didn't get the message until he was at work, but Saturday he headed back to see if it was still there. It was! I get a message while at work that it's loaded in his car along with a record holder and all the records they had left. They had wanted to get rid of it so badly we got the whole collection for $15! His comment that he would need help unloading it from his car when he got home made me pause. This is what I found upon unloading:

It's a whole console! It works wonderfully and is positioned in the dining room. I now get some sweet music while working in the kitchen! It has a radio and...

an eight track! Crazy!!! We don't have any 8-tracks, but maybe that will be the next collection. ;)

Mike had to teach me how to use the record player, but once that was done I've LOVED listening to all of our records. Though in the collection we got with the player is a lot of organ music and polkas...not to sure I'll be listening to those anytime soon. :)

Playing Possum...

2009-07-11T23:29:00.000-07:00

Friday night I was getting ready for bed when I heard Mike saying "Get it Oliver, get it!" I emerged from the bathroom wondering what the heck was going on. When I asked, I was informed that something ("a giant rat, raccoon, or maybe a possum") was hiding behind the grill on the patio. Oliver was too scared to go chase it out, but kept on sniffin' the front of the grill. Mike moved the grill enough to stick the camera back behind the grill and take a picture to try to figure out what it was.

At this point I couldn't tell if it was a giant rat or a possum so I went scurrying inside. I wasn't going to have some rodent jump out and bite my toes!

I decided to document the process from inside, but soon realized I had to at least open the screen. My flash was reflecting and I couldn't seen a darn thing!

Mike was trying to use the flash light to figure out what was back behind the grill. When I asked why he wasn't closer, his response was "I'm not blocking it's escape path!"

Finally Mike layed down on the ground and took a picture (from a ways away) under the grill. It WAS a possum. "Are possums dangerous?" "No, ever heard the term 'playing possum'. They play dead as their defense mechanism." "Oh, so it's okay for Oliver to be getting closer sniffing him." "Oh yeah, Oliver won't hurt him and he'll ignore Oliver." Or so Mike said. Two minutes later I hear, "Oh come on Oliver!" as they both run for the door. Apparently this Possum wasn't going to play dead any longer!

A busy weekend!

2009-07-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday started out with work and a LARGE coffee. Once I was home from the work day, I made a salad for Sunday's church picnic and waited for Mike to get home from work. We planned to go to the Mac fireworks display. Once we were there and got settled (after waiting in half hour of traffic) we hung out for a while until the display started. They weren't that great, but Mike and I had fun together. Though, on our way out we decided that if the display is at the Evergreen Museum next year we're not going. We had to sit in traffic for over an hour to get out of the parking lot.

Sunday, after church, we had our 4th of July picnic. I made my favorite dessert type salad and a huge 5 gallon cooler of lemonade. We hung out at the park, eating and laughing.

We then rushed to the other half of the park for our softball game. We didn't win, but had fun. I even hit the ball and got on first, then got to third on the next hit. It was a lot of fun! :)

After the ball game, we came home for some naps and relaxing before our big night out.

A couple months ago I was driving to work and drove past the Drive-in theater in Newberg. I hadn't been to a drive in since high school at my grandma's house. I suddenly wanted to go again. So last night Mike and I packed up the car to spend a night at the movies. We packed a picnic supper, blankets, cards, and took off for the drive in. Playing was "Up" and "The Proposal". Both movies were spectacular! We laughed and almost cried. We even saw a Greece acting troop wondering the grounds. It was a great date night.

After not getting home till 2:00 this morning and in bed till 2:30, it's been a lazy day. I got the oil changed in my car and then been sitting on the couch. I hope your Independence Day weekend was just as exciting!

Oliver

2009-06-29T17:26:00.001-07:00

Laying in the sun takes a lot out of you. :)

Seminary Reunion

2009-06-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

Last spring the guys graduated seminary, the "Sugar Momas" slowly started to become real mamas, jobs were found, and slowly the group parted ways. We had all survived the last three years with the encouragement, prayers, and game nights had with our friends. We are spread all over the U.S. Only a couple of us have stayed in the area.

About a month ago we got a call from our friends, Dave and Erin, saying that our other friends, Luke and Virginia, would be in town the end of June. We commenced with planning a BBQ to get together while they are in town. As the time grew nearer it was discovered that another set of friends would also be in town that same week, hence the "Seminary Reunion."

Sunday arrived and we headed to Portland. We met up at Dave and Erin's apartment with: Luke and Virginia + Ellyann, Ford, and Zach and Amanda. We laughed, reminisced, played games, and talked about our lives at the moment. And when it was time to trek home, there were tears shed. Not everyone of our friends from seminary was there, some are still in there corner of the country, but we had a good group.

Luke and Virginia + Ellyann will head back to California and to hopefully a job. Ford and Lyndsey will head back to North Carolina and welcome baby #2 in a few months. Dave and Erin are talking about school in Scotland. And Zach and Amanda are looking forward to hearing for sure about Mali.

Mike and I will hold down the fort in Oregon. We'll keep trying to figure out what God has next for our lives. And we'll keep praying for and encouraging those seminary friends no matter where in the world they end up.

Thanks for the laughs last night friends. We'll miss you, but know that the table is always open for a game night. :)

Spirit Week

2009-06-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

We had our annual softball game - "Duel at the Diamond" - against Cherry Wood this week. To help boost our spirit for the game (after last years slaughtering we needed a some encouragement) we had SPIRIT WEEK. Did you remember Spirit week from high school? We always had it the week of homecoming. Each day was a different theme that everyone dressed up for. Well, we had Spirit Week at work. Some days were lots of fun, while others were just plain silly. Originally I set out to capture my outfits for everyday, it didn't happen. I just got Tuesday (Tacky Day) and Thursday (Hawaiian day). Enjoy some laughter. :)

Oliver just felt the need to be included in this picture, every time Hubby tried to call him, he would just walk right back to me.

Dana and I decided that Stephanie was the winner in the tacky department. :)

We had decorated the whole dinning room for Hawaiian day, partially because we had our Luau for happy hour on Friday. Stephanie and I thought this was the best place to pose.

Monday was Wacky Hat day (I don't work Monday's, so I missed this one all together). Tuesday Tacky day. Wednesday was Blue day (our team color is blue). Thursday was Hawaiian day. And Friday was Sports day. It was a fun, but very busy, week!

June in a nutshell?

2009-06-20T22:43:00.000-07:00

I told A the other day that my problem with blogging is the fact that interesting things only happen in my life about every other weekend. Hence the lack of posts again.

The beginning of the month started with a visit from the family. Hubby's mom, two sisters, and nephew all crowded into our place, filling it with laughter and games, and left us exhausted. :)

The day after the circus left our house I joined A at the Iris gardens in Salem. I've never seen anything like it. So much color and so peaceful. A and I had a great time wondering, photographing, playing "Marco, Polo", and talking about life. Enjoy!

*No commentary to follow, just follow the pictures*

Happy Memorial Day!!

2009-05-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

My brother was in the Marines for 4 years. He served through three deployments. Ben got out after his four years, but they made him into an incredible man. I love and adore my baby brother. He makes me so proud every day. He's a wonderful father, brother, son and friend.

Ben, thank you for fighting for our country!

Here he is with my sister, Shelisa. We are both so proud of you!!!

Welcome sun!!!

2009-05-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

It is about 80 degrees outside right now and I'm LOVING it. I love the sun, I love summer, I love heat. We don't get much of those in Oregon, so I'm soaking it up today.

Since we got our patio furniture, I haven't gotten much of a chance to use it till today. So blogging is taking place outside under the umbrella that protects just a fraction of the sun. Which means it I'm still getting a tan, but maybe not quite as hot. :)

I've almost all the ingredient for a lovely day in the sun. My computer to blog with, my suntan lotion (ignore the spf if you are afraid of skin cancer), my cell phone in case hubby calls from work or some friends call with other plans, my big glass of iced sun tea I made yesterday, and the camera to record it all. All that's missing is a pool. ;)

The flowers provide lots of vivid color to my atmosphere.

I've got my feet up, relaxing, and working on my tan. It's a perfect day!

Happy Birthday!

2009-05-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

May 8th was hubby's birthday. We usually have a party, though this year it was a little tough to schedule. I work late Friday nights, we both work Saturdays, leaving us Sunday off together and the Sunday after his birthday was Mother's Day. Now I'm not a mother, so it doesn't affect us, but most of our friends are any more so it makes it a little difficult to plan around. With all that in mind we had the official party yesterday, more than a week after his birthday. We had fun with a couple friends, grilling and playing games.

When we started to talk about a party, I asked hubby what kind of cake he would like. After some deliberation, he declared "Funfetti! With funfetti icing as well." 'Okay,' I thought, 'That's easy enough.' But I should have know, when it comes to cakes, I never take the easy route. I love to make cakes. I've even considered taking some cake decorating classes, though I'm doing fairly well on my own. So this last week I starting thinking of a fun way to decorate his cake. Wednesday I came up with a superb idea.... Those of you who know my hubby well, know how big of a fan of superman he is. I like to call him my own personal superman. Every holiday I try to get him a new superman t-shirt. I think the total is about 10 different t-shirts now. Anyway, that in mind I decided it would be fun to make him a superman cake. The problem became when I could make it. I work till 7 every night, not getting home till about 8:30. When could I make him the sweet cake? Friday night on my way home from work I stopped and picked up the mix (I don't make cake from scratch usually, that takes way more time) thinking I maybe could get it in the oven so it would be cooled for me to decorate on Saturday. That didn't happen. So Saturday I left work about half hour early (on Saturdays that means 5), got home and got started making cakes. Only I realized I was 3 eggs short! So while one was in the oven I ran to the store for more eggs and got home with 8 minutes left on the timer. Wheew! The cakes got baked, cooled, and then I started to decorate them about 9 o'clock. I am a procrastinator so I knew they would get done, just super late! :) The poor dog didn't get his walk that night and the house was cleaned by hubby when he got home from work. :)

Since hubby wanted the funfetti icing and I was going to use fondant, the sprinkles couldn't be on the top and sides of the cake. I decided what better way then to have the funfetti icing be the filling between the two layers! It turned out wonderfully. I stacked, cut, shaped, and got the white fondant on the cake! I wanted it to be blue, but I had a bad time dying the fondant when I made my bowling alley cake, so I bought icing dye that's spray on! I had to cover the area around the cake with paper, since it is basically a spray paint type stuff. It is the coolest stuff, got the cake nice and blue! Only it misted out past the paper and turned EVERYTHING in my kitchen a nice shade of blue, even the insides of our noses (allergy season, need I say more).

After that dried, I got to work creating the superman symbol. That was kind of a trial and error process, but finally it was completed! It was midnight, the kitchen was a disaster. It had been frustrating, time consuming, and a little ridiculous at times, but hubby LOVED it and everyone at the party was impressed. That made it all worth while. :) See what you think.

This was at about 11:30, almost done! Do you see the superman t-shirt I'm working off of hanging from the cupboard. :)

Completed!!! Isn't it cool!?! The "S" wasn't quite right, but I couldn't seem to get it right without redoing the whole thing, and I wasn't about to do that! :)

And hubby loved it, which is all that really mattered! :) Happy Birthday love!

Another walk

2009-05-11T23:08:00.000-07:00

Since Hubby and I got Oliver we have been taking him for two walks a day. Once in the morning right after we wake up and once in the evening before dinner. I can tell you, I have never walked this much. The other plus is this gives us a chance to explore our neighborhood. Since spring really has taken hold of Oregon, I've been thinking I need to carry my camera with me. There are beautiful flowers and gorgeous views everywhere I look. So on Saturday evening while Hubby was working, Olly and I took a walk with my camera.

I was excited that I have lilacs in my backyard. The bush isn't very big, so I didn't have a lot of blossoms, but enough for me to enjoy. Hubby is allergic so I couldn't cut any, but now all I had to do was walk out the back door to smell them.

I have a lot of flowers in my yard that I have no idea what they are. But the colors they are flourishing are astounding.

This one is in my front yard. Today when I went out even more of those buds are full, it's beautiful! Can anyone tell me what it is???

We decided to follow the path that originally made me fall in love with my neighborhood. Back in February I took a very similar photo, only with a lot less green. I love spring!

It was truly a beautiful day for a walk. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the birds were singing.

The birds singing on the ground were a temptation for Oliver. :)

I call this the "really Mom?" look. I get it a lot. :)

I find the view of a bench on a path just sort of peaceful. Especially when it's surrounded by budding trees and beautiful flowering colors.

"Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night." ~Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke

Still alive and kickin'

2009-05-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those periods in life, where it all just gets away from you? Well, the last month and a half have been that for us. But, as I finally typed the last answer to the last of my 13 "Points of Doctrine" essay questions on the last page of my 13 page application for AMF, I feel that I can breath again. It seemed over the last 2 months since Hubby and I started this process, every time I sat down at the computer I was so over come with the sensation of needing to be working on that application that I would freak out, turn off the computer and walk away. Hence the lack of posts. But it's done!!!! We both sent in our applications at 6:36 this evening and even have the 1st draft of our job description in along with our preliminary budget. How crazy is that?

So, here's an update of the past month and a half.

I got certified as an Activities Director. Thirty six classroom hours, 2 hours of studying, and an hour on a test - I walked away with a 100% on my test and my certificate. I'm still the Activities Assistant, but I got a pay raise! :)

Ile (pronounced Illie) hit her 100,000 mile mark. I'll never forget the day I got her. I was so proud! She only had about 20,000 miles on her then. 5 years later, three trips half way across the country, and many happy memories later, she's still going strong. I love my Neon.

Hubby and I decided to join Z&A on an adventure to a Daffodil festival. It was not exactly a daffodil festival (see http://littlebylittleonetravelsfar.blogspot.com/2009/03/daffodils-where.html). The next weekend we decided to join Dustin, Beth, and Eric for another Daffodil festival the following weekend, only to not find it! We gave up. No more Daffodil festivals for us.

We got a pupper (thanks for the word Gram)!!! Oliver McGuffin joined our family on March 29th. He is a 1 & 1/2 year old cocker spaniel. We couldn't have found a more perfect match.

We discovered that having a dog is kind of like having a child, yet not quite. It's easier in the aspect that he can stay home all day without a babysitter. Harder in that some people can't have pets in their homes - so overnight trips are a little harder to maneuver. In the same aspect as having a child, this dog is getting photos taken constantly, videos of the funny moments, and all his antics are told to friends (sorry, you get them too). He LOVES doggie tooth paste. He wants to eat the toothbrush as soon as he sees it and will literally climb Hubby to get it. He also doesn't like his feet wet - what a strange dog.

Activities Day was celebrated at work with a trip to Bullwinkle's Family Fun Center. Corbetto, Stephanie and I played miniature golf together then shot at each other lazer tag style. And to cool down we rocked a little Guitar Hero!

Easter came and with it the joy of dying Easter eggs, which I quite thoroughly enjoyed with my residents. They can dye a mean egg.

Hubby and I took our annual Easter picture.

Then attempted many with the dog who won't sit still.

Easter was also spent catching up with old friends. We headed up to Portland and got to hang out with our old small group and then a couple from seminary. It's always nice to be with friends. During the time with the Searights we discovered that while Oliver is scared of adults and will bark and bark; he's really GREAT with kids. Their 10 month old was able to pull his paws, take his toy and just generally chase him around with resulting kisses and a new best friend (which also may have to do with the fact that while she got dinner, he got the droppings).

Since I work on Saturdays, my husband has started taking the dog on garage sale tours during their morning walks. I now have a recliner that was purchased for $10 and a patio furniture set ($35) that needs a little bit of TLC. I can't say I'm complaining though. I was very excited about the patio set. :)

This has been a productive post. I hadn't realized how much had gone on in the last two months. It's a good thing I take pictures or I never would have remembered all that. I've decided to leave you with a video of our crazy dog. Enjoy!

Being in the ear of an Activities Assistant

2009-03-07T19:17:00.001-08:00

Yes, I said ear. :) Now that I am an activities assistant I get to hang out with residents so much more than when I was receptionist. Along with that comes even more hilarious stories.

Part of our job includes MDS's (Medical Data Sheets). Within 5 to 7 days of a resident entering our facility we must get basic information from them that will help us better serve them, hence the MDS. Last Friday night I kept trying to get the information from a certain resident but she wasn't available the couple of times I stopped by. Finally I caught her as she was going to bed and the nurse said it would be okay for me to chat with her for a while before she went to sleep. That being said, she had just finished a VERY busy day and was extremely tired so I assured her my questions would be quick. We were flowing through them quite smoothly until we came to the section on daily routine. Upon being asked if she attends church, synagogue, or temple she informed me that she use to but no longer does. The following question is a strange one that is hard to ask of some residents, but I need the information, so I asked her if she finds strength in the faith that she does have. Upon that question she burst into tears, telling me that she just doesn't know with everything going on. As I let her express herself I prayed that God would just bring peace into her life. After she had calmed herself down, we continued on with the questions. The very next question was if the resident has animal companions, which I always phrase "do you have pets at home?" Upon hearing this she gave me the strangest look and said, "Darling, I have nobody at home to have sex with." It still cracks me up to go over that scene in my mind. I quickly said "PETS...DO YOU HAVE PETS AT HOME?" in a much clearer voice. She then laughed, reminded me that she was very tired, and said she did have pets at home. The rest of the questions went by swiftly and with no complications. Afterward, I told her to have a good night and rest well. As I left her room, her roommate laughingly said, "So nobody to have sex with?" and I closed the door on a burst of laughter from both ladies. I was glad that I was able to make her smile before leaving her for the night.

Hence the joys of my job. I might complain about the drive and hours, but there are times that I wouldn't trade my job for the world.

Spring

2009-02-28T21:47:00.001-08:00

I saw robins in a yard on my way to work this morning...spring is on it's way.

I've realized just how much I've missed spring in Oregon, not the rain but the beauty the rain brings.

The flowers,

the colors,

and the new life.

Psalm 113:1-5
"Praise the Lord!
Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord!"

"Blessed be the name of the Lord
forever and ever.
Everywhere-from east to west-
praise the name of the Lord."

"For the Lord is high above the nations;
his glory is far greater than the heavens."

"Who can be compared with the Lord our God,
who is enthroned on high?"

Psalm 66:1-5
"Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!
Sing about the glory of his name!
Tell the world how glorious he is.
Say to God, 'How awesome are your deeds!
Your enemies cringe before your mighty power."

"Everything on earth with worship you;
they will wing your praises,
shouting your name in glorious songs.
Come and see what our God has done,
what awesome miracles he does for his people."

Psalm 66:20
"Praise God, who does not ignore my prayer
and did not withdraw his unfailing love from me."

Where did February Go?

2009-02-28T21:29:00.001-08:00

As I realize that tonight is the last of February, I reminisce over the succession of days that made up this month. The first week of February was spent packing and boxing the couple of items that had come out of boxes while at my parents. The second week was spent driving, moving into our new place, and hubby starting his job. The third week was the start of my new job, answering questions like "Didn't you move? Why are you back?" and hearing "We have missed you!" This past week was a test of patience as I discovered my registration on my car had expired and dealing with the wonderful DMV, trying to figure out my job since my boss left for vacation with me having three days experience, and just generally figuring out life back in Oregon.

After having lived in 4 different places in the last 8 months I am yet again realizing why I hate moving. I've lost an enormous amount of items including a toaster, my day planner, and my cool dish soap dispenser and even I believe my brain. But the good parts of moving...we are finally in our own place, it's a new town to explore, and I'm learning new things in a new job with old friends.

Oh, and I'm back in the land of Dutch Brothers! :)

Still alive

2009-02-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

We are still alive. Just without Internet. :) We made it into Oregon last Monday and into our new place last Tuesday. I spent the week (with much help from friends) unloading boxes and arranging all our things. We love our new place, it feels so big after the basement. I started work yesterday and am slowly getting the hang of things. I have a bit of a drive every day. It can range from an hour to about an hour fifteen. I've gotten hooked on books on CD. Hubby is loving his job at Petco. He comes home with stories about the ferrets and mice and all the dogs that come into the store. I am finally realizing just how much my husband loves animals. :)

Hopefully Internet will be hooked up on the home front soon and pictures can then be added. Until then it's the library computer that I type from, without pictures. And my time is running out on the library computer, so it's goodbye for now!

A place to land

2009-02-04T21:51:00.000-08:00

I have an amazing friend who spent two days driving around McMinnville looking at places for us to live. I trusted her completely with this task. You see, we were roommates in college and for about 7 months after. She knows my living style. We have similar tastes and I knew that if she wouldn't live in a place, neither would I. That being said, Kimmy rocks!!! She found us a nice two bedroom duplex with a small backyard. It has a great kitchen and dinning room (to fit our huge table), a nice sized living room (not as big as our last place's but that was GIANT), a bigger bathroom than the last place (which isn't hard to do), and we can have a dog! :) And for this great find I now owe her two lifetimes of Friday night dinners. What's a girl to do? :)

Hammond's Candy

2009-01-30T20:17:00.000-08:00

Today, while Kimmy looked for a place for us to live in Oregon, Hubby and I enjoyed a candy factory here in Colorado.

Hubby and I have been trying to figure out what things we absolutely still have to see before we leave this beautiful state. Hammond's candy was top on the list since the last time we went the power was out and we didn't get a tour.

Walking into the factory, the smell alone told us they were up and running. It smelled wonderful! Like Christmas. :) The tour consisted of getting to watch the whole process from start to finish. They do all the parts by hand from mixing the ingredients to forming the candy canes and lolly pops. It was amazing to learn about the different processes.

My favorite part was learning that they recycle candy. When candy is broken and won't sell they send it through a chopper so that it is basically candy dust. It's sorted by fruit and peppermint flavors into containers. When the hot, fresh candy liquid is poured onto the cooling platforms the chef will collect a bucket of the recycled candy and add it to the new batch. It then melts in and becomes part of new pieces of candy.

After the tour we wandered around the candy store. They are all decorated for Valentine's day, with heart shaped lolly pops even. It turned into a "sweet" day. :)

Exciting news on the homefront

2009-01-28T15:16:00.001-08:00

Well most of you have already read it on our facebook pages or in an e-mail, but here it is again. Hubby and I are moving! We decided to head back to Oregon, McMinnville to be exact. We would like to persue being missionaries with American Missionary Fellowship on the Linfield College campus. Until we have finished the application process, raised support and are full time in ministry both hubby and I have found full time jobs. Hubby will be a full time team lead at Petco and I will be back at TCV, not as receptionist but as the Activities Assistant for the Rehab/Skilled Nursing. I'm so excited to go back to that GREAT company and work with my friends again, while learning new skills.

We will miss my family but not their basement. :) I will miss the snow (Hubby will NOT) though it seems to have been snowing more in Oregon than it has here this winter. I will miss the sun, but will get my fill of vitamin D through the tanning bed. I will miss the mountains, but have the ocean an hour away. It will be nice to be near most of our friends again.

So, on to the next adventure in our life.

Fun in the Sun

2009-01-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

My nephew is 8 1/2 months old. I have become his babysitter in the last two weeks since his dad now has a full time job as well as his mommy. Last week it was in the 60s and 70s most of the week, perfect weather to be outside. So hubby and I decided to take Camden to the park for some fun.

It was his first time in the swings. He wasn't so sure about that swinging thing.

He was more entertained by his elephant pretty much the whole time.

We started with the small slide and moved up from there.

It was fun to be outside when it's been so cold and to be there for Camden's first park experience.

Betty Crocker strikes again...

2009-01-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

Last Monday hubby's work had their holiday party (yes, in January). It was a potluck party so I decided to make a cake. I've also gotten very interested in cake decorating and have gotten a book and watched quite a few shows on the cooking channel. I decided I could handle making a bowling alley cake. :)

I made two cakes, a chocolate and a butter cream, then just set them end to end and frosted.

I made the bowling pins and bowling ball out of fondant.

I rolled out fondant to cover the two cakes and make the floor for the bowling lane.

I had to finish the decorations at the bowling alley, but when it was all done everyone loved it.

Where God talks to me

2009-01-17T22:16:00.000-08:00

I have realized over my 26 years that it's when I'm really alone in nature that I tend to listen to God better and hear his voice a little clearer. Today I realized that I needed that more than anything. So at 4 o'clock I headed out to Cherry Creek Reservoir. It's an oasis in the middle of the city. I was able to just sit, in God's creation and really listen. And I heard God's still small voice.

Psalm 4:1 "Answer me when I call,

O God who declares me innocent.

Take away my distress.

Have mercy on me and hear my prayer."

Psalm 6:4&6 "Return, O Lord, and rescue me.

Save me because of your unfailing love.

I am worn out from sobbing.

Every night tears drench my bed;

my pillow is wet from weeping."

Psalm 5:11 "But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them sing joyful praises forever.

Protect them,

so all who love your name may be filled with joy."

Psalm 5:12 "For you bless the godly, O Lord,

surrounding them with your shield of love."

Psalm 4:8 "I will lie down in peace and sleep,

for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe."

Celestial Seasonings

2009-01-16T21:32:00.000-08:00

While coffee is probably my favorite drink, tea comes in close second. Growing up we only ever had the plain-old-no-flavor tea. I didn't like it. I continued to not like it until I was married. For some reason after I was married I decided to give it a second chance. At Winco I found a Chocolate Hazelnut tea. I added a little sugar and milk and was hooked! Who knew tea could be so good. About that same time I also met A who does not drink coffee but loves tea. She encouraged this new love of mine. I had so many different tea boxes in my cupboard before we moved I told Hubby I needed a tea rack.

Upon moving to Colorado I have heard my mom talking about the Celestial Seasonings Tea factory in Boulder. I have been wanting to go, but it's about an hour drive, so I haven't really made the effort. Today however, Hubby had off, so after some research we decided to make the trek...and boy was it worth is.

Celestial Seasonings is located on Sleepytime Drive. As you turn the corner you are welcomed by the Celestial Bear.

We signed up for the 3 o'clock tour and were welcomed into the Taste Testing area - where you can sample any one of their 100 teas. Hubby and I tried about 4 or 5 together (Hubby - 1, Me - 3 or 4).

We also learned that all the artwork on the boxes of tea are pictures made just for that tea. The original works of art hang through out the Testing area.

As the clock tolled 3, we were ushered into a theater where we were introduced to our tour guide and watched about a 5 minute movie with the history of Celestial Seasonings, which is celebrating their 40th birthday this summer. We were also informed there was to be NO photography on the tour. :( The tour consisted of seeing the different stages of the tea making process. My favorite parts included:

To clean the ingredients they are first passed through carbon monoxide to kill all living bugs, then placed on a cushion of air where the heavy twigs and leaves fall through to the bottom and the feathers and dust float to the top.
Going into the Mint Room, where they keep spearmint, peppermint, and oddly enough catnip. Catnip belongs to the same family as the other two and has the opposite effect on humans that it has on cats which is why they include it in some of their teas.
For the decaf green tea, they place the tea leaves in a chamber with carbon dioxide and put that all under a massive amount of pressure. The carbon dioxide grabs onto the caffeine without effecting the taste or antioxidants of the tea leaf. That caffeine is then added to another tea - Fast Lane - to make it way more caffeinated than a cup of coffee (I bought a box).

The end of the tour brought us to the Tea Shoppe where was all of the teas plus different accessories. I left with three different teas.

The drive back took a little longer since it has reached 4:30 upon our departure. The trip home was spent dreaming of who we can take with us next time to Tea Heaven.

Most relaxing day ever?

2009-01-13T21:16:00.000-08:00

Or at least most relaxing in a long, LONG time. I visited Mom in the hospital for a couple of hours (where she is doing GREAT), visited the library and left with 9 books + 2 movies, and then went and sat at Starbucks for 2 hours.

In college I learned the comfort of coffee shops. We would go to relax at the campus coffee shop after studying for hours, after major tests, or just because. Kim, Judy and I often frequented the Governors Cup in downtown Salem for a relaxing atmosphere. And I don't know how many friends I met over the years at the Lancaster Mall Starbucks. The coffee smell, the groovy music, the comfy chairs and the scrumptious drink and snack all equals comfort to me. I feel my soul sing and my muscles relax just entering a coffee shop. It doesn't matter what shop or where it is. I LOVE to sit in a coffee shop with a steaming drink (or an icy one in the summer) sitting on the table and a good read in my hands. I find coffee shops so relaxing I've taken to decorating my home in a coffee house theme. I even have found a candle that emits the constant fragrance of fresh brewed hazelnut cafe.

All that being said, when I left Starbucks at 5 this evening, even the traffic couldn't undo my content state of mind. The gorgeous sunset only boosted it.

Snow and Surgery

2009-01-13T09:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning we woke up with a phantom snow storm. When I got a call from the Temp agency to work and they said to be there whenever I could because of the snow, I was so confused. It wasn't suppose to snow. The news has been saying no snow for at least another one if not two weeks. We have snow on the ground??? And sure enough, when I emerged from the dungeon basement and looked out the window, we had 5" of snow!!! That made for quite an exciting morning trying to get to a job. Luckily Ile was a steady and sure car. We swerved and almost spun out a couple of times, but I made it to the site in 45 minutes! And by the time I left four hours later the main roads were clear and it only took my 20 minutes to get home. :)

Also yesterday, Mom had another surgery. Her incision was infected, so when she went in to see the Dr, he sent her into surgery. They opened her back up and cleaned her all out. She is in the hospital again till tomorrow I think. Before she leaves they are putting her on a wound vac. The wound vac will keep her incision totally closed off to air, but pumps all the gunk out and will help her heal faster. Thank you for all your prayers for her. My whole family feels so loved and we appreciate all the concern.

The things people do to babies...

2009-01-09T17:52:00.000-08:00

So, I just about died laughing a few minutes ago. My sister and her fiance were trying to get their 8 month old to do one of those hand print mold things. First they broke the hinge on part of it trying to print his foot. Then Shelisa had to reprint his hand so many times because he kept grabbing handfuls of clay instead of leaving a print or his fingers would not print or his finger was under his hand. Finally she tore out all the clay and started all over again. Shelisa kept threatening to just cut off his hand to get the perfect print. And when I commented on him being mad, she said she didn't care "we're creating memories dang it!!!"

The things people do to babies... :)

Year in Review

2009-01-04T22:25:00.000-08:00

As I have seen a couple of friends with their year in review I decided to follow suit. I liked A's so much I decided to copy it...picture style.

January

This month was my trouble month. Apparently I took NO pictures in the month of January...none, zip, zilch, nada.

February

My first and only quilt!

March

In the cold and dreary Portland weather we decided to hit a local coffee shop for studying and relaxing.

April

This month brought the annual Tulip Festival, pictures were had by all.

May

AHHHHH...finally free from the bonds of "Sugar Mama"

June

The International Rose Test Garden.

July

4th of July was spent with friends at the river front.

July also brought mine and Hubby's first trip to New England.

August

Symphony in the park anyone?

September

The end of the month brought the end of our lives in Portland. Hubby and I bid adieu to Portland, the friends...and Smokes.

October

Living in Colorado brought living with the parents, a sister, and a nephew.

November

26 Years Old!!!

December

The beauty of Christmas lights seen through the season.

As a new year begins my resolutions are to

keep my camera by my side (no more months with no pictures)
live each day to the fullest, remembering that time with family and friends is limited to a season
keep remembering that though it may seem dark right now, God will bring the morning and the lessons learned now are blessings for future reference.

What a week and a half...

2009-01-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

Since Christmas, life has been a whirl wind.

Friday morning - the day after Christmas - I was awakened at 6 am by my father yelling for my help. As I ran up the stairs I found my mom on the couch looking like she was going to die. I soon found out my dad had called the ambulance because she was in so much pain. Upon arriving at the ER and dealing with an idiot DR it was discovered that her colon had ruptured and she needed emergency surgery. 2 hours later the surgeon found us huddled in the waiting room, she had come through surgery just fine.

Soon after hearing that news I was home to clean and make room for my brother Ben, his girlfriend Callie and his daughter Bella's arrival. I picked up my dad on the way to the airport from the hospital where he had been kicked out of ICU.

The days that followed included trips to the hopspital to visit Mom and trying to entertain a 2 1/2 year old in the ICU waiting room.

A second Christmas

A trip to zoo lights with siblings, significant others, a niece, a nephew, Dad, and two cousins.

A surprise birthday dinner for Dad.

An intense late night of Wii.

A trip to the candy factory only to discover their power was out and all tours were canceled.

A trip to the Invesco at Mile High Stadium.

An unforgettable night at Casa Bonita.

And many, many games of Settlers of Catan. So many in fact that my brother is now an addict to the computer game. And Callie is needing to buy it to play with her family.

On New Years eve it was back to the airport for the family. I was sad to see them go, but I think the dog was excited to not have a little girl chasing her all over the house.

New Years eve night brought Shelisa, Brandon and the baby back for home made pizza, Settlers and Pizooki! Lots of laughter was had by all.

I woke up New Years day with a cold thanks to Ben and spent the day curled up on the couch not moving and watched a lot of football with Dad.

Mom finally came home late Friday night. She's still in pain but doing a little better each day.

Saturday was a day to relax. I spent most of the day cleaning our basement and just hanging out. I watched a couple episodes of Friends and played some card games with Hubby once he was home.

Today is more of the same. Thank goodness I survived this holiday season. ;)

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T22:31:00.000-08:00

This year, with all that has been going on in our life, it just hasn't quite felt like the holiday season. As I drove home from yet another temp job on Tuesday, the radio DJ was commenting on Christmas firsts. I thought about all the firsts of this Christmas for Hubby and I. It's the first Christmas where we haven't had a house, where our Christmas tree/decorations have stayed in their boxes, where Hubby had to work, where our life is in utter chaos. But with all of the "non" Christmas feelings, it's here and even past at this point. It still didn't feel like Christmas throughout the day. I have to ask my self, even though it wasn't the "ideal" Christmas, what is? The first Christmas probably wasn't ideal either. I just have to remember that Christ is still in the day and in my life. Just because it wasn't "perfect," it was God's perfect day for me.

I hope you had God's perfect Christmas day for you as well.

BRONCO GAME

2008-12-21T18:22:00.001-08:00

Brrr...I'm still trying to warm up after sitting in the freezing cold and trying not to be too depressed about the loss. But I can say my first game was a blast! :)

Shelisa and I posed in front of the blue and orange limo.

We all used bandannas to keep our noses and mouths warm. We were the bronco bandits.

We were only 11 rows from the field!!!

Thunder was on the field a lot with antlers! :)

And Miles was dressed as Santa!

The players ran out through the tunnel with fog and flames.

We were ready for a great game, especially after Cutler's first touch down!

Shelisa and I felt the need to go all out in our Bronco's gear! :)

We were ready for the cold and survived the game. We had a blast and we were just excited to be there!

Merry Christmas!

Love Melps

What?!?!

2008-12-16T17:10:00.000-08:00

If you really know me, you know how I LOVE the Denver Broncos. However, I have never been to a game. It has been a dream of mine for a long, long time. I thought that moving to Denver I might have a small chance of marking it off my bucket list, but the tickets are so expensive it just hasn't happened.

Then today, I get this text message from my dad: "Do u want broncos tix 4 sunday? Let me no asap. There r 4 tix n prking pass..." You can imagine my spastic response of "YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!" :) I had to call him and asking what kind of question that was in the first place. Do I want tickets????? Hello!!!! :) So now I have a countdown going till Sunday when I get to see my favorite football team in the world! :)

I'll let you know how it goes! :)

It's freezing outside...

2008-12-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

Thus finally an update! :)

Update:

I did all the cooking for Thanksgiving! All by my self! I even made rolls from scratch!

Update:

The day after Thanksgiving was a great day! I hit my favorite store, Jo-Anne's, for the blessed flannel sale and got a stack! :) Then came home and decorated my parents house for Christmas!

Update:

My nephew is rolling over and starting to try to crawl, which is just plain funny!

Update:

We've had lots of snow here in Colorado. I finally convinced hubby to go play in it with me. The snow that day was just powder and wouldn't stick so my snow lady stayed small.

Update:

I finally finished all the nieces and nephews Christmas presents. I made them this year and stayed up till way too late most nights sewing! :)

Update:

My love of photography has continued and my nephew is the perfect model and a total ham! I was also asked to do the Christmas photos for my sister. I've had a blast!

Update:

Today the high was zero degrees. I'm sitting inside, bundled up in long johns, jeans, sweatshirt, beanie, and quilt!

Love,

Melps!

Turkey Bowl!

2008-11-23T19:57:00.001-08:00

Today Hubby and I joined a little game of church flag football. It is a traditional game, played adults vs. teens. Apparently the adults won last year. Unfortunately that was not the case today. Hubby and I played our hearts out. There was a rule that a girl had to touch the ball within each 4 downs, and guess what, I was the only girl on our team. I ran, I caught, I blocked, I even threw the ball. But to no avail. I don't know what the end score was but we were slaughtered. Hubby and I did have fun though. We even got to know a couple more people at church, which was the original goal. I do know that I..AM..EXHAUSTED! And SORE!!! :)

Hubby and the baby

2008-11-19T10:53:00.000-08:00

If you know my husband very well you know that he won't really hold babies under a year old. It took a lot of persuading to get him to hold his brother's sons before they were a year old. This being the case, it's been interesting living with my sister and her son. Hubby has actually taken to holding him and hanging out with him. It makes my heart warm to see him be just a great uncle. I've always thought he would make a great daddy, but this just confirms my feelings. When the time finally come for us to be parents I know he'll be wonderful. :)

Birthday weekend

2008-11-16T21:15:00.001-08:00

Well, I must say I had a blast of a birthday weekend! Friday we had dinner and Martinis with family and a couple of friends. Hubby made kabobs and risotto and lemon drop martinis.

He also made my birthday cake which was turtle (a.k.a. chocolate, Carmel, and pecans), topped off with coffee ice cream for me. :) We played some Bond trivia (thanks to my sister-in-law Kim for putting it together for us).

I opened some SWEET presents (Cutler jersey, trench coat, scratch tickets, and roses).

Then it was off to the late night showing of the newest Bond movie Quantum of Solace. I thought it was GREAT!!! It was a continuation of Casino Royale, so Hubby and I explained the plot and a couple key points to our friends Tracy and Radu on the way to the theater. It was an intense and action packed 2 hours. But worth every minute.

Saturday I was all over the country side taking pictures for my dad's work again. I can tell I'm a country girl at heart, when even though I get lost on the back roads I enjoy the whole trip. This time I saw a lot of wild life (though unfortunately no pictures of them). I saw buffalo, deer, a coyote, long horns, and lots of cows.

The beauty of the country is always soothing to the soul, although sitting in a car for 5.5 hours is not. :(

Today was spent at church and then home to catch the last of the Broncos game...

which I personally believe that my jersey brought good luck for! What a great birthday weekend!!! :-D

26 Years Ago...

2008-11-14T12:06:00.000-08:00

...I came into the world in the midst of a snow storm. Since then I have loved snow! I love the cold beauty of silent falling flakes, the clean white sparkle of a freshly fallen snow. This morning, I woke up to the first snow of the year. I grabbed my nephew, who is really seeing snow for the first time, and went and danced in the backyard. He giggled with me as the flakes covered our heads and tickled our noses. It is suppose to be warmer again tomorrow and the snow is already melting. But I think God knew how much the simple gift of snow would mean to me. He's pretty great like that. :)

This is why I leave cooking to Hubby...

2008-10-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

I found a recipe in one of my mom's cookbooks that I thought sounded good. Apple Pumpkin Soup. Most people I've talked to since thought it sounded gross, but at the time my mom and I thought it sounded good so it was created.

Apples were diced and sliced.

And sauteed with onions

Pumpkin was added

And I should have known it wasn't going to turn out too swell when I had to blend it to get rid of the chunks....

I thought it looked like baby food, but it smelled great!

The test came as supper. It was just Shelisa, Mom and I. Shelisa was the first to say that she thought it was gross. (My sister is not one to mince words.) Mom soon followed with the comments about how it didn't taste right and "wouldn't it be nice with out the onions." After half my bowl it started to wither with me too.... It just wasn't that great. There goes my daring with cooking. I'm sticking with what I know from now on...Hubby cooking. :)

Pumpkins, Pumkins everywhere...

2008-10-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

Last night Shelisa and I went to get our pumpkins.

I fell in love with the lopsided one and Shelisa liked the big fat one.

Tonight we cleaned off the table, got out the knives, and prepared to carve the beauties.

Shelisa wanted to do one that would showcase her wonderful artistic abilities. She was working and working, it was looking wonderful. I could have sworn it was going to be the best pumpkin I had ever seen. Then...

It broke and she almost swore. And those of you who really know her, realize that it was pretty good that she just "almost swore." :)

Mine I would like to dedicate to my dear friend, A. It is Captain Gourd. My pirate jack-o-lantern. I am pretty proud of it. I think it's the best I've ever done!

Shelisa's is hard to see here, she did put it back together with toothpicks. :) It's a kid peaking out from between his hands.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

One of my favorite things...

2008-10-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

I love books. I love reading. I love libraries. I remember my favorite gifts growing up were the books I received. When I was living in Castle Rock after college, I remember coming home from the library with 10 books a week, and reading them all before the end of the week. And today I got to go do one of my favorite things, I got my library card! AND I checked out 6 books! Not quite 10, but I've got to work my way back up to that number. :)

Yay for favorite things!!!

Springfield, CO

2008-10-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

I was born in Springfield Colorado. It's an itty bitty town in the South Eastern corner of Colorado, population 1,302. I was born there and lived there for about 6 months. After that I went back just about every summer to stay with my grandma for a couple weeks. It was my second home growing up.

This weekend we went back to visit. Hubby had never been. He got to see my grandma's house, my cousins' houses where I spent all my time, the pool that we would hang out in when it got to be in 110s, the church we went to, and the drag we would drive every night. It was fun to see his reactions to the small town that I love. :)

On our way there I took pictures for my dad of some property. This is what the landscape is in Eastern Colorado; flat and dry. Thought the sun rises and sets are beautiful!

It's funny how when you've been gone for a while you forget how much you missed it.

Still alive...

2008-10-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are still alive. Life has been a rollercoaster the last few months. And we still haven't come to a complete stop. But after receiving txt from friends lately regarding my lack of blogging, I decided an update was long over due. Maybe this will also make regular updates a little less daunting. :)

On September 5th I gave my two weeks notice at TCV. Hubby and I decided to trust God and jump...into the wide open state of Colorado. We both felt it was time to be close to some family and mine family was the final choice. With much complaining on my works part about losing me, they threw me a party on my last day, September 19th. I know I'm going to miss all those smiling faces and the friendships built there over the last two years.

We spent the weekend packing and saying goodbye to our church. There were many tears and well wishers. Z&A woke up at the crack of dawn Monday morning to send us on our way. Along with "The Excommunicated Seminary Wives Tale" - the story of our time together the last three years. That produced laughter and tears. :)

Moving was quite an adventure. Mike drove the moving truck with me following behind in my car. And yes, I took pictures while driving. :) And Mr. Peanut kept me company. :)

Hubby driving the Penske truck, towing lil' blue... There's lots of pictures of the back of Hubby, I just can't help checking out his rear. ;)

After 12 hours of driving we stayed the night in Ogden, Utah. Tuesday morning we started the last leg of our trip, which turned out to be only 8 hours long.

Do you see the mountains???? We're getting close (or so I thought...it was still like 5 hours).

I got a little slap happy being in a car by my self for 20 hours...I liked the back of this truck. :)

As we cross the boarder of Colorado this giant buffalo greeted us.

And of course, the Budweiser plant was sighted from the road and pictured for my beer loving friends. :)

Finally pulling into Denver with massive traffic, tall buildings and the home of the best football team ever. :)

We had a good nights rest and caught up with the family some just to hit the road the next day with my mom and nephew in tow as we checked out apartments. We soon discovered that with the decline in the economy comes a much tougher apartment search. At just about every apartment we stopped as we were informed that you needed to have a combined income of three times the rent...what???? That's right. So, with Hubby working about 30 hours a week and me unemployed, we were out of luck. Thus came the basement plan! Yup, we moved into the parents' basement. Which I should tell you is an unfinished basement that use to house mice. Luckily my dad helped clean and sanitize it and we somewhat got our bed down the narrow stairs with a bit of maneuvering and we were set. It does get somewhat cold now that the chilly Colorado weather has set in, but we have lots of blankets and our own personal space heaters in each other.

Hubby is enjoying his job at the bowling alley even though it can be slow and boring. And I'm doing some computer/research/photographic work for my dad while I continue searching for a job. I am also helping my mom out around the house, taking her to Dr. appointments, and helping with my cutie nephew. He's fun to take pictures of too. :)

Isn't he just a ball of joy??? :)

After living in Colorado for a total of two weeks I headed back to the dreary city of Portland for some spiritual refreshing in the form of some friends and Women of Faith. I stayed with Kimmy in Salem and we made the treck to Portland every day to enjoy speakers, worship, laughter and tears. I know I grew in those two days and God tried to teach me yet again about patience and trusting him in all things. I keep trying to say to him each morning, "Okay God, I don't know where You're going today but I'm going with you."

Thus is the update on our lives. We are taking pleasure in the company of family. We are enjoying the beauty of the mountains and the fall colors. The cool air brings a promise of snow. And the holiday season around the corner has me excited as it always does.

This weekend it's even off to Gram's we go. :) Time to introduce Hubby to the town I was born in and the place I enjoyed my growing up summers.

Still alive

2008-09-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

I promise, we are still alive. As I type Hubby and I sit at Starbucks using the internet, trying to find apartments and jobs. We did make it to Colorado on Tuesday night after about 20 hours of driving and a night in Ogden Utah...which was not all that nice. :)

I will try to update as life progresses, the problem being...no internet. :)

But life goes on and we are alive. Just thought you would all like to know! :)

We love and miss you all!
Love, Melps

What's going on?!?!

2008-09-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

Life has been busy that last 2.5 weeks! We had a swim date with a 9 month old, we drove to Bellingham and hung out with my best friend from high school and her family, we didn't get the Massachusetts job, I got my hair cut...life has moved by quite fast. All that and the fact that our Internet is no more at the house has resulted in me not updating the blog. Sorry. Pictures will follow of all of that, but unfortunately I have to update at work and that makes it a little difficult. Soon, soon. I promise! :)

Belleque-Rogers Wedding

2008-08-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

We made the 8 hour drive on Thursday/Friday to Montana for a wedding. Our friends Kris & Thomas' wedding was Friday night. We've both know Kris since she was itty-bitty. I think both Hubby and I babysat her and her brothers at one point. She met Thomas when she was living in Oregon. He is perfect for her.

Last night was the wedding. We gathered at the church that we all grew up in on a 90 degree evening. The wedding was beautiful and the reception (a lot cooler outside) was just as beautiful and lots of fun! There was sweets and dancing and sparklers.

Nick could NOT get the screen to go up after the slide show,
when he finally did get it there was applause. :)

Kris looked so beautiful!!!

Lighting the unity candle.

So much love

"You may now kiss the bride."

They couldn't get out of there fast enough! Married at last!

Listening to toasts

Cutting the cake

They were nice to each other with the cake

Asher was excited to dance!

They're so cute!!!

Father-Daughter dance

First Dance

Kris danced with all of her brothers. This dance was with Andrew.

This was with Nick, the older brother.

And Sam, the goof ball.

Sparklers were the favors.

We lit the sparklers in the parking lot.

They were trying to NOT catch Kris' dress on fire. :)

The bouquet toss

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Rogers! :)

Wedding Weekend

2008-08-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

We are in Montana for the weekend. Our friend Kristine got married last night. It was a joyous occasion with lots of wet eyes and laughter. I'll post photos later. We're off to play games with Hubby's family!

3 YEARS!!!!!!

2008-08-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

On this day, 3 years ago, I walked down the aisle in a white sparkly dress to "Never Saw Blue Like That" by Shawn Colvin sang by Kris & Cindy. I cried, my dad cried. Hubby stood there with a huge grin on his face. My bridesmaids all looked beautiful, some smiling some crying, all happy for me. :) Pastor Paul talked about loving Jesus and loving each other. We light our unity candles and prayed together while Dawn sang "Be Thou My Vision." And at the end of the ceremony we ran out dancing to "I'm a Believer" from Shrek (Ed Murphy's version). I had just married the man of my dreams, my one true love. And we're still going strong three years later. Yay for us!!! :)

My Master Reverend

2008-08-12T20:36:00.001-07:00

Hubby was dubbed "Reverend" Sunday night in his ordination service. I'm so proud of all the hard work he has put in to get his masters in divinity and now to be ordained.

Congratulations Hubby!!!!

Amazing Race Portland

2008-08-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday we joined Mosaic Church in an Urban Camp event, Amazing Race. A & I were joined by Adria. We started at 8:30 and raced till 5:30. The Barracuda divas were out at 8th place while Team Spartacus (Hubby, Z & Mark) got 5th place.

It was run much like the Amazing Race TV show. We raced all over Portland with teams eliminated when they didn't beat other teams in the 5 legs throughout the day. We visited PGE park, the International Rose Test Garden, Saturday Market, Rocky Butte, and ended at Mt Tabor.

Our team was the last to the 3rd pit stop at the Rose Garden, but the Red Hots took pity on our parking situation and let us take their place. We did get out on the next leg but A was excited because she got to kayak as a challenge right after that.

We were all sore and bruised after running all day, but we all agreed we had a great time!

The Barracuda Divas!!!

A got to paddle on the Willamette and kicked butt at this challenge.

The flamingo had to travel with us through some of the challenges and has now taken up residence on Z&A's bookcase.

The last 5 teams had to find a dog bone in the sand...they never did.

One of the last challenges was bouldering, where one team member had to make their way on the wall from one point to another.

Congratulations to the Yellow team for 1st place. And congrats to Team Spartacus for accomplishing your goal, beating us. :)

Olympic Opening Ceremonies

2008-08-08T21:07:00.000-07:00

It is the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremonies...and I am amazed. They have such grace and poise. I love to watch the nations walk through the stadium. Seeing the pride on the athletes faces and seeing just how amazed they are to be there themselves. It's just amazing.

The other thing watching this reminds me of is the last time I watched the opening ceremonies...two years ago. The 2006 Winter Olympics we were watching with Z & A (again). Being winter I was going to have tea...little did I know the amount of pain it would cause. :) Z had heated up the water and fixed my cup. He was handing it over the back of the couch to me and I thought I had it and told him so. I did not have it. It dropped out of my hands and HOT tea spilled all over my leg. I don't think I've ever moved so fast. I was wearing jeans and the hot liquid was not leaving my skin. I danced and tried to pull the fabric away from my leg, at the same time everyone was telling me to just strip. :) Once I got my pants off (not in front of everyone) my was very burned. It blistered and was pretty nasty for a while. I still give Z a hard time for burning me, though it was totally not his fault. :)

I hope you are enjoying the Olympics as much as I am. As Z was saying earlier, "Protest governments, or the evil of governments, but not the work the PEOPLE have put into these competitions." Enjoy the world in one place.

Week in Review

2008-08-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday: packing.

Monday: packing.

Tuesday: we got an e-mail from the church in Mass stating that the other canidate can't be there till the 6th, so they do not have a decision for us as of yet. Which then commenced the panic of figuring out where we were living for the next two weeks.

Tuesday night: small group helped us empty our apartment into a storage unit. They all came ready and willing to work their tails off. And were truely a huge blessing to Hubby and I.

Wednesday: I could barely make it out of bed. I looked around the empty apartment from the air bed and just started to cry. The waiting and unknown finally caught up with me, as did the exahustion of the contant stress of the last week. I did make it to work and was welcomed with open arms and the assurance that I could keep my job until a decision was made on our part. "That's the way we roll," stated my boss. What a God send.

Wednesday evening: Kimmy and Leonard joined Hubby and I in cleaning and gutting the rest of the apartment. We got it just about all done with their help. It probably would have taken another week with just the two of us if they hadn't been there.

Thursday: After work was the anuall softball game against our sister campus. We all put in a huge effort and had fun with little avail. We got slaughtered! A lot to a little is all I'll say. In the craziness of the week, this was the first and really only thing I got pictures of. :)

Corbetto was one of the few runs our team got in. Yay!

The hand off of the trophy was a little difficult for TCV to handle.

But we really did have a blast and a lot of laughs.

After the game, Hubby and I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned...and then crashed at Z & A'a at midnight.

Friday: We officially become homeless. Mike did the walk through with the manager of our apartment and handed over the keys. We are now "homeless" and Z & A officially have new roommates. :)

Friday night: We headed out to Lost Lake for a camping trip. Little did we know just how long it would take us. We took a few wrong turns and ended up lost. When we stopped to ask a couple of police men where we should be going, the just laughed...like it's called Lost Lake for a reason. We did pull into camp about 10:00 pm in the pouring rain.

Saturday: We spent the day trying to stay warm around the fire. I inhailed enough camp fire smoke to give me a lasting husky voice. A couple of us tried to find a warm spot on the lake shore to relax but the wind wasn't having any of it. We gave up and retreated back to the fire. Hubby and I headed back to town about 7:20 w/ the excuse of church early the next morning. We felt sorry for the poor suckers stuck out in the cold another night. ;) We came home to sunshine, a hot shower and warm bed. And the diva who welcomed us at the window with calls of greetings.

Welcome to our new digs.

Our sleeping quarters may be a little small,
but it's sleeping quarters and it comes with friends.

Thanks Diva for opening your home and sharing your people. :)

Packing...

2008-07-27T14:00:00.001-07:00

Our weekend has consisted of boxes, boxes, and more boxes. We still haven't heard from North Adams, but we have to be out of our apartment by Aug. 1st. Our lease will be up and we can't go month to month. So, we trust that God will take care of us and we pack.

We still have a bit to go...but it is starting to make a difference. :) We've been blessed to have friends who are more than willing to pack a few boxes with us. And then we willingly take breaks with them. Yesterday Dustin and Beth were here to help. After some grueling hours we all went to see Batman. What a movie...my packing doesn't seem so horrible after the darkness of that movie. But we had a blast and even unloaded a couple items on Dustin. All's fair in friendship and packing.

Well, it's time to go in search of more boxes...we've filled all we have.

Love all!
Melps

Back from Mass

2008-07-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Well, that had to have been the fastest trip I've ever been on. We are back and the time was great! Now we are just waiting to hear back from the church as to whether they want us or not. :) As we wait, enjoy some pictures.

This was looking out the window of the apartment we stayed in.
The big steeple is First Baptist Church's steeple.

The windows in the church are amazing! All of them were stained glass.

Do you see the amazing pipe organ? Some one actually plays that.

More stained glass..still waiting.

Welcome to camp. The chapel sits up on the hill overlooking everything.

Boats boats boats...just for A. ;)

Looking out at the lake...there's even a water trampoline!!!

The cross is at the vesper circle.

Four square and a cabin...6 bunks in that little thing.

More waiting...

Coffee anyone?

The decor in the Cup & Saucer was old fashion...and totally fit the atmosphere of the town.

Hubby enjoying the quiet.

We took a walk in the rain and looked at all of the amazing old churches.

Looking back at First Baptist.
You can see the steeples of all the Churches just about from every part of town.

This is the library...it's the old Mayoral mansion.

This is a church just across the street from First Baptist.

Yup...still waiting...

St. Francis Assisi

Mary was behind the Catholic church.
We met a man who said she had been there about 100 years.

I know that I fell in love with North Adams and First Baptist Church.
So no matter what happens that town will always hold a place in my heart. It was beautiful.

We just hope they welcome us.

What a day!!!

2008-07-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

So, do you ever have one of those days where you feel so overwhelmed that it all seems a blur? That's been today.

We were up at 3:30 AM to leave for the airport at 4:30. Our flight was delayed in Portland due to weather in Chicago. Though as Hubby so studiously pointed out, "If Chicago wasn't having 'weather' they wouldn't exist...so it's a good thing they are." (Smart alack). We landed in Chicago at 12:30 PM their time, grabbed some lunch and loaded another plane bound for Albany, New York, which was scheduled to land at 4:30PM eastern standard time. We arrived only half hour late which was fine 'cause Pastor Dave was also a half hour late getting through storms here. After collecting our baggage we departed in the big blue truck for an hours drive to North Adams, MA. It was a beautiful drive...but me being so sleepy and still a little sick from the plane ride forgot about my camera till 45 minutes into the ride. (I promise to carry the camera constantly tomorrow). As soon as we arrive in North Adams we were escorted into a living room full of people waiting to meet us. We partook in a delicious meal and were given the grand tour of the church. You've got to see the sanctuary on this thing...I'm so taking pictures tomorrow. After that it was back to the house for more talking and me starting to daze in and out. And finally now it is time for bed. Which is good...I can't spell right now or even think straight... :)

So tomorrow is another busy day. Meeting people at church and touring the camp. I'll update you all again then!

So good night all!

Pool fun!

2008-07-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday was such a BEAUTIFUL day! We enjoyed the great outdoors (a.k.a. the To's pool). It was a wonderful time of sun, water, and berries! :)

And then after lots of hours in the sun and being scorched...the Frasier parents arrived! We had a cruise reunion over dinner and fondue!

I hope you had as relaxing and sunny and wonderful weekend as I did!

Love ya!

Melps

BIG NEWS!!!

2008-07-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

Hubby had an interview on Tuesday with a church in Massachusetts. The job would be an associate pastor/camp director position. The interview went great! The pastor wasn't able to be in on the call and even called Hubby later that evening to talk to him about it. SWEET!

First Baptist Church of North Adams
(Isn't it a COOL building!)

And today.... Today, they called back. They want to fly us out to Massachusetts! Not only that...but I already have a job interview too.... Crazy! God totally answers prayers. So, as of right now we are flying out to Massachusetts next weekend. It's all happening so fast!

Garage Saling!

2008-07-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

So this weekend being the fourth and all required some extensive garage sale shopping (or "saling"). Hubby joined Z & A on Friday morning while I slaved away at work. ;) Then on Saturday we got the late start (noon) and hit as many as we could in the couple of hours after the rain. We were dissapointed by a few "large, multi-family" sales which consisted of a few boxes of nothing interesting. BUT we did hit the jackpot when A got a bike for FREE!!! I also snagged a GREAT brown dress!

We did have a couple more great finds like a total 80's style fondue pot, a massage mat (not pictured), the original "deluxe" Scene it, a Frank Sinatra album, a couple of kids books and who-but-Mike-knows-why tragedy & comedy masks.

Mike also found some rollerblades in pretty good condition. They did come at a cost though...in entertainment. Z tried them on and promptly fell down a sloping drive way. After we made sure he was in one piece with no broken bones we all had a good laugh...for the rest of the day.

Good friends, good finds, and laughter...the recipe for a great day!

In the beginning...

2008-07-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hello all! It has finally come to pass that I, Melps, have decided to start a blog about the great adventures of hubby and me. Especially since the next few months will bring so many unknowns into our lives.

And what a time to start. With the great Fourth of July weekend! What an adventure that was. Last night was a time of feasting, laughter, and big booms (quite literally). We had a BYOM/BYOeverything at the Banker household. Followed by fighting the crowds at the waterfront for viewing space of the fireworks. We settled on a nice little section of grass, thinking we would end up having to move just to see the fireworks...how wrong we were.

The barge was directly in front of us on the river and we received the full force of the show. As BD put it afterwards, "I'm glad I had my ear plugs." We could feel the explosions. But we all agreed they were the best seats in the house! And so...on with the show!

And thanks to A for all the wonderful pictures (dorky me for got the camera in the haste to get to celebrating).