Just missing my brother David today!

Happy Birthday Dutch!!!

Happy Birthday to this great guy!

One of the things I like about being back at work......

Weekends are so wonderful! Hey! My job is a "piece of cake" and the day goes by so quickly, I have no complaints. But there is something about enjoying the weekend that sets those two days apart. I love the way God has ordained the seven day week At first I thought, it's so great....a new start every Monday or every Sunday! On second thought, it's a new start every day! Every morning presents a new opportunity. The prophet, Jeremiah says: "Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion" says my soul, "therefore I hope in Him!"

Last Sunday I had lunch with............

my friends Blake and Brooke ...... and I forgot my camera! Here they are in previous pictures......so cute ..... and really good kids! We had so much fun eating lunch together ....I heard some good "knock knock" jokes and enjoyed a lot of laughter. In these pictures the kids are a year plus younger than they are today......Blake at his 6th Birthday Party and riding his Birthday bike. And Blake holding on dearly to his Bear .... Christmas, 2007, at our house....you can see in the picture, Blake is still the Dradle Champion! And Brookie, with her big, beautiful smile and sweet personality. Brooke's vocabulary at the age of 2 was far beyond her years. And here's a pic of Brooke and her Mommy loving every minute of Christmas together! Next time we all go out to lunch after church I will be sure to bring my camera! Then we will get Devon in the pictures too! And updated pictures...they are growing! Blake is now 7 and Brooke is 4 years old.

On My Walk Today

On my walk today, I brought along my camera. Cherry trees and Magnolia trees have some gorgeous blossoms. It is beautiful for walking right now. The only blossoms in my yard, so far, are these camellias.

My Friend Alexandra

Alex stopped by to see me the other day......she is a high school freshman who recently had her 15th birthday and she is adorable. I love being around Alex because she is full of energy and fun to hang out with. A "River Park" experience with Alex includes stopping off to have our eyebrows waxed, shopping at Nordstrom's Rack (window shopping that is!), a visit to the Apple store, checking out the latest cell phones at AT&T and inevitably a visit to Starbucks.

And then, sometimes our visits are on the serious side. Being a teenage girl has both highs and lows and there are those days when" nothing seems to make sense" and I love that Alex shares those experiences with me too. I thank God for this beautiful teenage girl who enriches my life.

Thirty Nine Years Later.......

The year of yesterday's pic was 1971.

We no longer hang out on the beach in New Hampshire, except for Jayme, and her favorite ocean front is Old Orchard Beach in Maine.

We all three live in different states. California, Utah and Minnesota.
Beth--Jayme--Uncle David

The year was...............????

Do you remember........

What year this was?
Who is in the picture?
Where was it taken?

And....

Where are they now?

(Answers tomorrow)

My Friend Sandy Smedstad Nagorski

Proud grandparents! Phil and Sandy with their beautiful new granddaughter. Isn't she adorable!

Sandy is my life long friend........we go back to High School days in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. I treasure those memories............and the phone conversations we continue to have Sandy!

I love these pictures! and I thank God for these Forever Friends!!

My Friend Vivian

My study partner.....my prayer partner.....my retreat partner............my "full of fun", dear friend, Vivian! Today we worked on lessons together.........and I so appreciate this lovable friend of mine! And she brought Pizza! Homemade, no less........and it was delicious!! .
Vivian is another one of these incredible cooks! And today she gave me her pizza crust and sauce recipe............her grandmother's recipe from Italy! (Now that's a friend!) I have never in my life made pizza from scratch...it's always been Round Table! She keeps saying "so easy, so easy" ....ha! she doesn't know me in the kitchen! But this will be fun.
I thank God for this precious friend of mine. She is a godly woman who enriches my life.

My Valentine!

Happy Valentine's Day to the man of my dreams!!
Twenty-eight years ago today, we had dinner with a group of friends at the "Big Yellow House" and it was that evening he asked me to marry him.
My answer today would still be........."Yes!"

Back to Work!

Back to work! Delighted to be back at work..............just struggling with the 5:00 a.m. mornings! So I asked my granddaughter Shannon, who is very disciplined in her morning schedule....no one ever has to get her up....... how do you do it? On her advice, I am setting two alarm clocks, half an hour apart. Shannon says that by the time the 2nd alarm goes off, it is easier to get up. Mind you, she says "it is easier to get up", but she never said it was easy!

My Friend Luz

My friend Luz.........an incredible lady. She has been over a couple of times this week to study with me and I so enjoy her company. We are learning together as we study the Book of Luke.
Luz is a wife, a mother, a full time employee working all night long....and goes to school by day, soon to be a nurse! Wow! She is an amazing lady with lots of energy. She is my good friend and I thank God for her!

The Japanese Maple outside Shannon's bedroom is glistening with the raindrops this morning.
(Yes...we still call it Shannon's room. And closet is still full of her books, some clothes and shoes. The room is always ready for her visits!)
Cold today. Windy. And some much needed rain.

More than knowing about God..........

"And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You." Psalm 9:14

Knowing God's name.....His ways & character....will help me trust. I want more than knowing about God.
I want to know Him, experience Him in my life and fellowship with Him!

He is "my hiding place" Psalm 32:7,
He is "Faithful and True" Revelation 19:11,
He is "my guide" Psalm 48:14,
He is "my hope" Psalm 71:5,
He is "my peace" Ephesians 2:14,
He is "my glory and the One who lifts up my head" (the lifter of my head when I am down) Psalm 3:3.

And....He is so much more.

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will trust in the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7

Happy Birthday Charlene!

Happy Birthday to the best sister anywhere!!!!

The Perfect Granddaughter!

This lovely 16 year old is our perfect granddaughter, Shannon! Her next visit is still a few months away and we miss her terribly. Come visit soon Shannon!!! We miss your bright smile and clowning around.

Poem by Shannon (Aug. 2007)

I walk by the mess without a care
This mess I barely see
that my parents cannot bear......
Colorful clothes all over the floor,
cleaning it up sounds like such a bore
Trash laying there,
not been thrown away.......
.....old food starts to decay.
Sheets and Pillows not neatly on the bed
Which now my parents
REALLY start to dread.
I walk by this every day
without a stress
Because I don't care about the mess!

My Friend Pamela

Today I had coffee with my friend Pamela. I call her "my friend who can do anything!" When it comes to cooking, baking, entertaining, designing, ceramics, painting, music, creativity galore and the list just goes on and on, Pam gives Martha Stewart a run for her money. No kidding!
And to top it all off, Pam is one of those people you just love being around.....a woman of faith who is full of kindness and fun!! I thank God for my wonderful friend Pamela!

A day to pick oranges

Another beautiful day.......70 degrees......we have the windows open and the Dutchman is harvesting some oranges. I am content to sit outdoors and read.

WEATHER CONTRAST

BLOGDE leads a protest against the cold, as today was the 33rd straight day with temperatures below 32 degrees. Posted on Friday, January 30th, 2009.


My brother's experience living in Minneapolis is in sharp contrast to my weather in California!