Just 2 more weeks of Summer - Please??!!

Being that I am a proud native Pacific Northwestern(er) you would think I can take the rain in stride.

Let's me give you a weather update for this past week.

Sunday I woke to the sound of wind driven rain on our windows. Followed by more rain after getting up and then dodging big raindrops going to church and more rain on the way home from church. Going to sleep with the sound of more rain. I don't think it stopped raining on Sunday at all. Only to be followed the rest of the week with (you guessed it) more rain. Not always a down pour, but sprinkles, rain showers, etc. Let's put it this way, only in the Pacific NW can you have different words to mean, it is raining.

Fall is definitely in the air here!

Really I want just another week or maybe even two weeks of glorious sunshine! I'm not asking for to much, am I? My tomatoes need a bit more sunshine (they are still green, green , green), so a little sunshine would help them too. I think I need just a little more vitamin D to get me through the winter. After all, it's Labor Day weekend with people having their last Summer BBQ & picnic, and sunshine is a great ingredient for a successful, fun time.

Well, I suppose I will check the weather forecast to see if I need to pack an umbrella for any outings for the weekend. Wait, do I own a umbrella? You know I am from the Pacific Northwest.

Embrace the liquid sunshine (that means rain)! Yes, embrace it because I will have the rain until late Spring. Unless I get my way of a week or two more of sunshine.

Rain = Green

Friends Celebration Weekend

My weekend actually started on Thursday.

The reason I traveled to the eastside of the mountains was to attend a funeral of one of my scrapbooking friends, and to attend a play. (I blogged about her in an earlier blog.) Since the funeral service was early Friday, I decided that I would drive over on Thursday to visit with some of my eastside friends. I am always greeted by Deb with open arms and on this visit it wasn't anything different. Deb is one of my friends that I can confide in and always know that it won't go any further and it doesn't change her feelings toward me. Thank you Deb for everything. Then it is off to see my friend Kim that recently moved over to the eastside - I really miss her!


I finally get to see my dear friend Jane, she is so positive and creative. I love our chats. She makes me feel so special! Thank you for letting me stay with you, and a special thank you to Ande for sacrificing her bedroom me.

After the funeral our scrap book retreat friends got together for lunch. It was so nice together and enjoy each others company. I wish we could get together more often, because I really enjoy being around my friends. It wasn't the same without Darla, she wasn't feeling well so she couldn't make it. Hope you are feeling better!

At Cynthia's funeral her friends & husband spoke about how much fun Cynthia was, and her husband started his remarks with all of us reaching underneath the pew in front us for an envelop. It contained a gift certificate for Cynthia's favorite restaurant. When I called home I relayed that I loved that idea, and wanted that to be included at my funeral. When I was asked which restaurant was my favorite, I told them I would have to get back to them. Anyway, the funeral service was good and reminded us of the good qualities that Cynthia represented and celebrated. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.

Next I am onto Leavenworth to meet up with my friends - Sandy, Sonja & Harriet (Sandy's Mom). We had planned on this trip to attend the play "The Sound of Music". It was wonderful, I would encourage anyone that likes "The Sound of Music" to attend. It is located on the ski hills of Leavenworth, it seemed like we were actually in the Austria Alps. When Maria comes out singing from the actual hills -it was awesome. It was under the stars on a beautiful evening, at one point the frogs & crickets were singing so loud that I thought if they get much louder they would have to turn up the microphones. Needless to say, the frogs & crickets did settle down. I think it made it even more endearing. It was so much fun to be with Sonja, Sandy & Harriet!

I got home just in time to attend a Wedding Open House. And of course more friends and celebrations!

I feel so blessed and thankful that I have such wonderful friends.

National S'more Day

Did you know that Sunday, August 10th was National S'mores Day? Ok - I don't know if it was National S'mores Day or if is was just S'more Day. It just sounded better with National in front of it to me.

Sandy informed us of this day, and Sonja & I thought that was a great reason to get together for Smores. Which ended up being our families getting together to include a BBQ too. And if Sonja's involved with food it always proves to be a delicious event, and I loved the pretzel salad Sandy brought too. Yummy!

It was fun to have a National S'more Day!

What do you think - do we need to start a new S'mores Day tradition??

Victoria Weekend

A couple weekends ago we went to Victoria with our friends, and had a great time! Whenever I go on a ferry I think I pretend it is a cruise ship (even though the only similiarities are they are usally going somewhere fun and they float). As we were on our way we played a friendly guys against the girls "Hand & Foot" card game. It is one of my favorite card games, but you really need to have at least 6 - 8 people to really have fun.

We started in Victoria by checking out Victoria's inner harbor area. Here is Dan, Cheryle, Lloyd, Dawn & Rayme. I didn't know that Victoria is known for being the Garden City, and after our weekend I can see why. Then we were off to Butchart Gardens to see the beautiful flowers and gardens. I haven't been to the gardens since I was a kid, and I am sure that I didn't have the appreciation I do now. I took tons of pictures! Even the trash cans were beautiful with flowers.

We managed to get the guys to pose for this picture!

Enjoyed some celtic music at the gardens too. We discovered that with this band when it gets closer to the end of the song tempo goes faster and faster. Tried to give the guys some cultural.

What would a trip be to Victoria if you didn't go to The Empress Hotel? We visited the Parliment Building, and it has so many stained glass windows and very ornamental detail woodwork. We took a double decker bus tour around the city and stopped by Craigdarroch Castle. So much to see!

Charles and Beth - another couple was suppose to join us, but couldn't at the last minute.

They were missed!

Another trip on less than a tank of gas, and alot of fun!

Celebrations!

Ok - I know I am late on getting this on my blog, but one of my sayings is "it is better late than never".

Nicole my oldest daughter was able to come home to celebrate her 25th Birthday!

• You know you are going to have a great day if it starts out going to IHOP for birthday breakfast (I love IHOP - especially restaurant pancakes.)
• Off to find the perfect birthday present - Nicole we hope you liked your present??!!
• What would be a birthday without cake? Gotta have cake!!
• Then top it off with getting together at Treasury of Memories for our East meets West Crop. Loads of fun, food & friends - what a great combination!!!
• Nicole scaring Darla with her surprise greetings.

Nicole I hope you had a good time, I know your Dad & I enjoyed your visit!

The Fair!

I promised Nicole that I would post some pictures of this years NW Washington Fair.

Some of my highlights of the fair include

• Showing Animals - we got to the fair just in time to watch my niece show her horse. She won a ribbon for that show.
  
• Fair Food - you have to have curly fries & king size batter dipped corn dog, and until last year I never had a funnel cake. I really wanted to get a funnel cake and was informed that there was a Carmel & Chocolate, but the weather was so hot I didn't feel like eating. There is always next year.
• Entertainment - This year we enjoyed the "Higgins" family band from Delta, BC and they were very good, in fact I bought their CD. That night we went to see the band "Chicago". Talk about a blast from your past - all the songs I remembered. I bought the tickets last December and they sold out shortly after they went on sale.
• Friends - I love going to the fair, just to see friends I haven't seen for a long time.

Life Lessons

This is when I wish that I was an eloquent writer, but since I am not I will do my best.

Last week I gave a lesson in Relief Society and the lesson title was “Words of Hope and Consolation at the Time of Death”. Little did I know that I would be reviewing this lesson so soon after giving it.

It was with sadness that I received news that my scrapbook retreat buddy Cynthia passed away suddenly.

Cynthia was always the leader at our retreats completing the most pages. She was always willing to share tips and her friendship with us. Cynthia will surely be missed at our retreats, but she will always be remembered in our fond memories.

I know that we shared the same belief that when we die, we have great comfort in knowing that we will meet again in the world to come. This gives me hope!

My thoughts and prayers are with her husband and family.

Count Your Blessings!

Today at church for our Relief Society lesson the teacher saw a bumper sticker that read

GET RICH QUICK

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

It made me think of all the blessings I have and I would have to list my family as my number 1 on my list of blessings. I love it when we get all together. Now that our children are adults and have lives of their own, and live elsewhere. We don't get together very often. So I count my blessings when I do get to see them. Also, today to start out the class we sang the hymn "Count Your Many Blessings". I love to sing that song and all of it's verses, it reminds me that when I am discouraged and thinking all is lost. I need to count my blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. I need to remember to see what God hath done. I am thankful that I can count my family as my #1 blessing.