December 2010 Family Photos

Memorable Moments

Fall in the PNW...

Jeanine's Visit. At the Puyallp Cider Press

Thanksgiving Snow

Ryan Lovin' the Snow

Mitzi and Family

The Garcia's...minus their kids LOL

My mom in the Snow

It's been a while since I blogged last. There has been a lot going on! Here are some of our most memorable moments of Fall/Winter 2010...

In September I had 2 great visitors...first my mom! She came out and just spent some time with me. We shopped til we dropped! It was so much fun having family visi

Steve surprised me by telling me that my sweet friend Jeanine was coming out for a long weekend visit! Needless to say I sobbed with joy! When you don't have close friends where you are, you sure do miss them!!! Jeanine and I did lots of shopping, meals (met a new awesome friend...tell you about in a sec.) and just spent time catching up. It was a blessed time!

Ok, so about my new friend...

As Jeanine and I were thrift shopping, we came across this lady who was by the changing area. Jeanine struck up a conversation and we all started talking. Her name is Mitzi. She is a RIOT!!! We became friends on FB. She invited me out shopping with her friend, I accepted. We had a FANTASTIC time and the rest is history! LOL! She and I seem to be separated at birth. Scary! Her family and ours now have a really great friendship and I know the Lord has put this great family in our lives for a reason.

SNOW!!! We had our FIRST official snowy holiday! We were showered with beautiful snow for Thanksgiving!!!! The boys are LOVING the weather up here! Lots of great fun!

For Thanksgiving, we had the awesome opportunity to spend that day with some LONG time friends the Garcia's. We have known these people since High School! We cooked all day and spent the holiday at their house. It is so nice to have "family" here that you can count on. We had an awesome time and made it a bit easier not being with our California family.

In December, my parents came out for Christmas. It was so nice seeing both of them. The boys really enjoyed their time here with them. Best part, they got to see snow before they left back home.

For New Years, we spent the evening with Mitzi and family and rang in the New Year with the traditional banging of pots and pans.

That's it in a nutshell...

Our house

Many of you have been asking me for pictures inside my house. Here are a few to get the "idea". Our home is a Tri-level home (most are around here). Our entry, living room, kitchen & dining area are on the main floor. Downstairs is our computer/office/man cave & Laundry room. Upstairs are the bedrooms etc. You get the drift!

Our Living Room

To the left you can see Snickers in her bed! LOL!

Our window looking out to our front yard.

















Little corner nook I had to fill in.















Our kitchen table


















Last, the kitchen.







Hope this gives you all an "idea" of what it looks like inside. Blessings to you!

1st Day of School!

Ahhhhhhhh....... silence!!! Truthfully, I'm sad to see them go. We have had such a great summer full of change and new things.
This a.m. I stood out in front of our house watching the bus stop from afar. The air was cold and crisp & I could smell the fir, pine & spruce trees all around...FRESH! It smells like TAHOE!!! Love it! I could not help but be excited for new beginnings for the boys.

Here's Bradley! 6th grade...WOW! I still can't believe that he is getting so big!
Here's Ryan! Sophomore...WHAT!!!!!??? Ok, this is just scary! I feel like he was just in Kindergarten.
I look back and remember people telling me to enjoy it because it goes so fast. I am in full understanding of this statement now. I am reminded of a song with the lyrics "Turn around slowly, time is a racer." Boy is that right! Here's the song if you want to hear it... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpUTEjiA47c

More updates to come! Praying for new friendship and a happy year!

Day at the Beach

Today we enjoyed a beautiful day at Dash Point Beach on the Puget Sound. The beach is about 30 minutes from where we live so it made for a great "get away" today.
The beach is also a state park so you can camp there. Here is a picture of the boys in a stream that empties out into the Sound.
Bradley taking the canoe out for a ride. The water was COLD!

Another summer almost gone...time flies!

Starting from SCRATCH!

Starting from scratch...my old posts are gone! This summer has been about new changes...as most of you know, we moved! I thought I'd start from a new point of view because I have moved away from my old point of view! LOL! We are in Washington state because of my husband's job transfer. We had to leave everyone we know behind to start this new adventure. Very sad and scary.

Our dear friends drove all the way with us here from CA to help us move! Here is a picture of use eating a fantastic seafood dinner before we had to say our goodbye's.

We know we are in God's hands!
Well, let me show you around...

Well, here is the view of Mt Rainier. This is something we get to see every day (weather permitting) If you come out of the Walmart Parking Lot...there it is! If you drive down the street...there it is! This view is so strange to me being that I have been a "flat lander" my whole life! I am amazed that something so grand can just be "plopped" in the middle of such a random place! If you have seen this mountain before...you know what I'm talking about!
Our house.

This is our yard. Yes, we live in the trees! I feel like we live in our own camping spot! Where you see the white chairs is where we have coffee in the a.m. and eat most of our dinners in the p.m. We are enjoying the outside (Steve especially in the hammock!) while we can because we know that the "weather" will be here before we know it!

We have found a church that we enjoy very much! Praise the Lord! This was to us, a daunting task in our minds but of course, we found one we like very easily. God's so funny like that!

School starts up here in a couple of weeks so my focus is getting them all ready for the big day. I'll keep you posted on that!