S is for…

For April I’m challenging myself to an A-Z photo a day excluding Sundays and in addition to any regular posts that come to be.

Today is Tuesday, April 22nd, and we are on the letter S.

S is for Soccer and for Seattle Sounders Soccer Team

A couple of Joshua’s teams.

A couple of Dan’s teams.

Katie’s team.

There were a couple years in Junior High and High School that the boys played on the school team together. That was a fun treat.

It’s no secret that I have been a soccer fan since our kids started playing in their early years and continued into high school.

World Cup 1994 was in the United States and that solidified our national and international love of the sport. World Cup is coming back to the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2026.

After their soccer glory days were over we became fans of the Seattle Sounders and our son has had season tickets from the beginning, since 2009.

In 1994 our boys were 15 and 13. We flew to Southern California to catch all the World Cup excitement we could. We found the U.S.A. training facility in Southern California and were able to see some of the team practice and get an autograph.

After finding the training ground we also found the hotel where they were staying and managed to meet up with most of the players who were very approachable and happy to sign the team poster.

Dan and I were able to attend a game between Brazil and Cameroon at Stanford Stadium.

Josh had tickets for games at the Rose Bowl.

Participating in this historical event was thrilling for our family.

After World Cup the boys still had years of soccer left to play before their Soccer glory days were over.

Since 2009 we’ve enjoyed professional soccer in person in the United States, Canada, in England and Scotland and Italy. Whenever we travel to the United Kingdom with Josh and Laura, a futbol match is in the itinerary.

Josh and Laura have been able to attend a few Major League Soccer Championship games along with regular games in several states. I was able to attend two of the championship games that ended up being in Seattle, 2009 and 2019. In 2009 Seattle hosted but didn’t play. We’ve all been to Seattle Sounders games but Josh and Laura have enjoyed the most games in person.

Josh and Laura trying not to freeze in Toronto in 2016! We won the championship!

Then in 2019 the kids got me a ticket to enjoy the MLS Cup Champions game and Seattle won again! It’s amazing to win a championship on your home field!

And now I get to watch our ‘Grands’ play soccer.

Great Uncle Arnold wrote this poem in a letter to Greg’s mom about our boys playing soccer.

Playing Soccer in the Rain

It’s raining steadily and hard,
So puddles, growing in the yard
Spill over, and run down the street
Past where this street and others meet.

The boys play soccer in the rain
They run and strive with might and main
To kick the ball into the net
In spite of getting soaking wet.

The teams they play on won 1st prize
It’s good that they could realize
Success for all the joy and pain
Of playing soccer in the rain.

The letter S was covered satisfactorily here today.

Hope your week is starting well.

P is for…

For April I’m challenging myself to an A-Z photo a day excluding Sundays and in addition to any regular posts that come to be.

Today is Friday April 18th and time for the letter P in the challenge. Today is also Good Friday on the calendar. I have a separate post for Good Friday.

P is for Point Mugu on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California and off the Pacific Coast Hwy.

Point Mugu Rock, Point Mugu State Park, Point Mugu Beach off the Pacific Coast Hwy.

Photos from 2008

Point Mugu Rock

Photos from Point Mugu State Park and from Pacific Trails.

B is for…

For April I’m challenging myself to an A-Z photo a day excluding Sundays and in addition to any regular posts that come to be.

Today I’m on the letter B.

Brothers, before digital photography.

Bonus: Brothers then and brothers now;

Psalm 133

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Coming down upon the beard,
Even Aaron’s beard,
Coming down upon the edge of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon
Coming down upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forever.

Blest is the Man, Forever Blest ~ Hymn

Blest is the Man, Forever Blest

Blest is the man, forever blest,
Whose guilt is pardoned by his God;
Whose sins with sorrow are confessed,
And covered with his Savior’s blood.

Blest is the man to whom the Lord
Imputes not his iniquities;
He pleads no merit of reward,
And not on works, but grace relies.

From guile his heart and lips are free;
His humble joy, his holy fear,
With deep repentance well agree,
And join to prove his faith sincere.

How glorious is that righteousness
That hides and cancels all his sins!
While a bright evidence of grace
Through his whole life appears and shines.

Words: Isaac Watts, 1719.

Opportunity Abounds Hodgepodge

Fresh questions are up for Wednesday Hodgepodge thanks to Joyce From This Side of the Pond.

1. It’s been said January is ‘the month of opportunity, inspiration, and change.” Which of the three do you need most right now? Elaborate.

I’ll go with inspiration. A good dose of inspiration is always good. Inspiration to keep reading and learning. Inspiration to keep moving and giving my heart a good workout. Inspiration to encourage others. Inspiration to clean and organize the spaces in our home.

2. Do you consider opportunity as something that comes to you or something you create for yourself?

I think it comes both ways. I’ve had many opportunities come my way in the course of doing what I enjoy. There’s a verse that comes to mind.

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the LORD is.” Ephesians 5:15-17

Some examples:

Through blogging (something I enjoy), God brought the Mennonite Girls Can Cook into my life with all the amazing experiences and friendships to enjoy.

Through singing in groups honoring Christ, God brought Greg and me together.

Through following Christ and staying involved in a church body, my life has had many opportunities to serve and enjoy many good gifts from God.

3. The British Museum opened on this date (January 15th) back” in 1759. Do you like visiting museums? Do you have a favorite?

I have a couple favorites in Southern California that I hope will still be standing after the fires in the L.A. area are finally under control!

The Getty Museum and the Getty Villa. These photos are from the Villa in Pacific Palisades from a visit enjoyed with my bloggy friends, Willow (Willow’s Cottage) and Sara (Come Away With Me) way back in 2008!

We’ve also had the opportunity to visit the Art Museums in New York, Chicago and London. They were all amazing. Unlike my husband and daughter, though, I tire easier than them and I am more casual about viewing everything.

4. It’s National Oatmeal Month (yes, apparently it gets a whole month as opposed to a single day). Do you like oatmeal? How often do you eat a bowl of oatmeal? How do you like yours? What about an oatmeal cookie? Is that a sweet treat you enjoy?

I do enjoy all things oatmeal. I love a nice hot bowl of oatmeal with a little milk, brown sugar, raisins and walnuts. A good oatmeal cookie is always a treat I enjoy.

5.What’s something useful you learned in high school?

I’m going to go with Junior High because that is where I learned to type and that is a skill that has been so very useful throughout my life!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Our two sons, Dan and Josh with our little granddaughter photo bomber.

We are celebrating these three this week in January! Jamie’s birthday is today, Dan’s tomorrow and Joshie’s is on Sunday. We’ll have a birthday dinner here on Saturday for our Colville kids and we’ll have to celebrate Josh over the miles with birthday greetings. God bless you and keep you and protect you! We love you, we love you, we love you!

Same son Dan and his wonderful wife, Jamie.

Hope all is well in your corners.

Fifty Years and Counting…

Today Dear and I are celebrating the day we got married fifty years ago. We were married on a Friday evening in Southern California. Our 50th anniversary lands on a Friday, too.

Sharing lots of photos from our years together.

Greg and I on stage in England. We are on the right in this photo.

We met at a church parking lot where Greg was singing in a contemporary Christian Band that my best friend auditioned for. I went to the concerts she was singing in with the group and that is how Greg and I met. Later the group needed an alto so I auditioned and joined the group, too. We fell in love while traveling with this group.

Dating, Engagement party and early marriage collage.

Lousy photo from one of my bridal showers with my mom and Greg’s mom.

The rehearsal for our wedding ceremony. Our officiant Andrew Semenchuk turned 99 this week!

December – When December’s snows fall fast, marry and your love will last.

Our wedding day…

I love this photo of my dear maternal grandmother and me. She was a gem.

My maternal grandmother, my mom and me.

Our sweet and oldest niece was at our wedding. Her mom and dad were our matron of honor and best man.

My sisters on our wedding day. Kathy, kneeling on the left, also got married in 1974.

My paternal grandparents came to the wedding, too. This was not a given and we were pleased that they came.

This is Dear’s paternal grandmother and she was not able to travel to the wedding but she visited us in our first apartment.

Here we are heading off to our honeymoon.

Our first apartment in West L.A. We were in it for less than a year. The great thing about this apartment was that it was 2 buildings down from a grocery store and easy to get last minute items we needed for a meal.

Our first home with a mortgage in Huntington Beach across the street from my sister Vera and Nick, 1975. Greg tiled the entry.

Early in our marriage with Greg’s side of the family before we had children.

My first pregnancy and our first son, Joshua.

Almost 2 years to the day after Josh was born, our second son, Daniel, was born.

Our boys were born while we lived in our second home in Huntington Beach.

Three generations of Bayles Boys!

1985 in Arizona on a bicycling trip. I was pregnant with Katie.

Our sweet surprise, Katie, was born in 1985.

On our move from California to Washington state we stopped in Yuba City to drop off Greg’s mom Verna who would join us later in our home in Bothell. Aunt Carol supervised our three on the horse.

Our first camping trip after we moved to Washington State with our friends who were a big part of the motivation for our move. Rainier in the background.

The University of Washington years. We were able to get tickets to the Rose Bowl Championship game in 1992.

Josh and Laura’s wedding in 2001

Edinburgh 2006

2008

From 2007-to early 2010 Greg and I walked the shore of Emma Wood State Beach every Saturday morning when we were living in Camarillo.

My birthday in 2009 at Tam O’Shanter in Los Angeles.

My 60th birthday in 2011.

Katie’s wedding in 2012.

England 2013

England in 2014 for our 40th Anniversary

Dan and Jamie 2015

First granddaughter

First Grandson

We’ve walked together as man and wife for 50 years. We lived in Los Angeles in 1974-75, Huntington Beach 1975-1984, and Ventura 1984-1988 in California. We moved to Washington State in 1988 and lived in Bothell 1988-1997, Kirkland 1997-1998, Kenmore 1998-2018 and now Colville since 2018. We lived temporarily in Camarillo, California from 2006-2010 while still owning our home in Kenmore.

I was a file clerk when we got married and then a school teacher until Josh was born. Greg was a painting contractor with his dad when we got married. When our sons were young Greg got a job with an aggregate company which prompted our move to Ventura where he ran heavy equipment in a quarry. Katie was born in Ventura and Greg was encouraged to finish his education and he decided to take some science courses to see if Pharmacy would be a good fit for him.

We moved to Washington State so he could finish his schooling at the University of Washington and then apply to Pharmacy school. While Greg was in school in Seattle I started a cleaning business for homes during the day and a dental and medical office at night. He finished his courses in 1992 but went on to a year of residency at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue before moving into the Biotec industry dispensing medical information on therapies or treatments that the companies he worked for discovered. One of the big names you might be familiar with is Enbrel. After his residency was over I retired from the cleaning business.

I homeschooled Katie for a couple years and when she went back to public school in 7th grade, I substitute taught for a few years. Greg continued in the Biotec realm until he retired in 2019. We are happily retired in the country in the small town of Colville with Dan, Jamie and our Grandchildren close by. Our ‘Coast’ kids have the freedom to visit us several times a year and we like to visit them, too.

Here we are in Kenmore, Scotland with Josh and Laura giving a nod to Kenmore, Washington where we lived for 20 years.

This post is just scratching the surface of our 50 years of marriage and all the experiences and opportunities that God opened up to us. We were both Born Again Christians when we married and have been in the Sanctification process these past 50 years. Our life with Christ has progressed with some mountain tops and valleys but has always gone forward bit by bit as we choose obedience instead of our self-centered bents. Some of those bents are easier to identify than others. We’ve been members of Bible teaching churches all our years. Evangelical Free church in Huntington Beach, Bible Fellowship Church in Ventura, Sunrise Christian Fellowship in Seattle and Edmonds, Evangelical Free Church Conejo Valley, Northshore Baptist Church in Kirkland, and now First Baptist Church Colville. We attend and we serve.

This post doesn’t cover any of the friends that God has surrounded us with who have sharpened us like iron sharpens iron. Friends who have helped us grow in the Lord. Friends that were by our side for so many life experiences. Friends that God graciously put in our lives. That will have to be another post.

As my dear old Pop would say we are so thankful to God for all He “did to us” these fifty years! Thank you God for what you did to us” was my pop’s prayer. Thank you, LORD God Almighty for bringing us together in our marriage covenant. You have given us peace and joy through the hard times and good times. You continue to lay your hand upon us and lead us beside still waters.

We already had a wonderful anniversary celebration in Walla Walla with our family of ten but that doesn’t stop us from continuing our celebration today. We are having a small overnight getaway in Idaho to celebrate our actual day. The photo above is our celebration meal at Parallel 47, a restaurant in Hayden, Idaho. The food was so satisfying. After dinner we walked the Christmas lights boardwalk at the Coeur d’Alene Resort.

We trust God for the future of our marriage and thank Him for his lovingkindness and mercy in our individual lives and as husband and wife.

Thank you, Dear Readers, for making it to the end of this long post.

July Wrap-Up #3

At the end of the week with Southern California cousins visiting in Washington State, the party shifted down to Southern California with more cousins and aunts and uncles for what we have dubbed these gatherings, Bag-o-rama! Josh and Laura flew down to catch our visiting Bagdanov-Dallas family along with more of our family in So Cal! I’m living these events vicariously with photos shared.

First stop, my sister Vera’s home, where my brother Leonard’s family were staying. They are the Dallas fam.

Our youngest niece, Hope, enjoying Jamie’s sourdough bread that Josh and Laura transported to So Cal.

Saturday was beach day!

Party shifted from the beach to their cousin Debbee and Lenny’s home in Huntington Beach.

On Sunday Bag-o-rama continued at Debbee and Lenny’s home.

Half of the Bagdanov siblings were there. My brother Tim, sister Kathy, sister Vera and brother Leonard.

The Sunday crew of my brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, grand nieces, grand nephews, son and daughter-in-law.

Josh and Laura flew home on Sunday and some of the crew continued with Bag-o-rama at Disneyland on Monday. Earlier in the week my brother Steve and brother Leonard made a visit to our parents’ gravesides.

My parents would be pleased with all these gatherings. We carry on our pop’s now famous phone call or end of visits benediction, I love you, I love you, I love you.

This will wrap up my July posts. Onward to August for more fun in the sun!

I’m Late, I’m Late…

…for a very important date!

The photo above is of my brother Steve creating my blog for me.

In March of 2007 when my brother told me he was going to start a blog for me I was a little afraid that I wouldn’t be able to handle the technology. He convinced me everything would be ok. We were at Greg’s brother’s home in Anaheim Hills, California. We started brain storming about what I should name it. We came up with a few fun names but the way I came up with my keeper is…

a. I’m generally a very happy person.

b. I’m also someone who wonders about a lot of things and have a deep need to know.

So as we were discussing point a and b my husband came up with The Happy Wonderer.

As far as the purpose of my blog I chose “to Honor and Encourage”. I’m an encourager to people around me and I wanted that reflected in the relationships I’d develop on my blog. It is very important to me to Honor Jesus Christ who is my LORD. I want my words and posts to be things that will encourage people and be something that won’t reflect poorly on my relationship with Jesus.

My blog was born on March 3, 2007 which means I’m a little late in celebrating my 17th Bloggy Anniversary!

I’ve had a few headers over the course of the 17 years.

Conwy Castle from our trip to Wales, Scotland and England in 2006 was one of my first headers. Greg took that photo.

I had a different view of this table from our Mennonite Girls Can Cook Tea to celebrate our second cookbook as my header for a few years.

My current header is just a stock header that I find easy to look at.

I used Photobucket for several years to store and post my photos to my blog and sadly they stopped being a free service and hijacked my photos. They will let me have them again if I’m willing to pay but it is more than I want to pay. That was very disappointing to me. I have a lot of clean-up to do on my older posts.

I did have some technical challenges off and on with my blog and my brother Steve was my go to person who could fix things for me at the beginning.

I’m not participating in many blog carnivals anymore. They were very helpful at the beginning to get connected with others in the blogging community. Blue Monday, Tablescape Thursday, Photo Hunters, Friday Feast, Mosaic Monday, ABC Wednesday, WFMW, Show and Tell, Thankful Thursday, Friday’s Fave Five, Sky Watch, Recipe Round-Up, Ruby Tuesday, Before and After, Wordless Wednesday, and many more were fun to join.

These days I’m participating in Hodgepodge Wednesday. On Thursdays I have my Truth for Today Bible Verse posts. Sundays are my Hymn days. The rest of the days are for what’s happening with family, our country bungalow, weather, travels and other events.

A big thanks to my brother Steve for nudging me into this fun activity that has opened up so much more of the world to me. Blogging has also improved my photography and given me ‘eyes to see’.

Lovella’s Blog is what connected me to my Mennonite Girls and my life is better because of my relationship with these ladies.

I’m grateful for the many friendships that have developed over the years with fellow bloggers. I met my walking buddy, Willow, in Camarillo through our blogs. I’ve been able to meet up with other bloggers from California, Kansas, Canada, Utah and Washington.

Thank you for visiting my blog and for the comments you leave. I have one survey question for fellow bloggers and those of you who leave comments. Do you prefer a reply to any comments even if it isn’t a question that you leave on a blog or would you rather someone visits your blog in return and reads and comments on your posts? Hope that question makes sense.

The Nineteen Seventies

Continuing a Happy 70th Birthday Tribute to my dear husband.

We had a nice small celebration with our Colville kids and in-laws for Greg’s 70th on Saturday evening. Our kids called out to friends and family to mail cards to our Colville kids’ home to surprise him with greetings near and far. It was a surprise and so enjoyable to hear from so many. Thank you to any of you who are reading here for your wonderful greetings.

Now back to the Nineteen Seventies!

My birthday tribute for Greg continues with photos from the years we dated, toured England, were engaged, married, our honeymoon, setting up our first apartment, then two houses and our first major road trip from Southern California with stops in Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan, and Niagara Falls.

My sister Kathy’s wedding about 4 months before our wedding.

Bottom right is the two of us with our first niece, Jenna.

The little yellow Honda was the first vehicle we purchased together as a couple. It is the vehicle we made our road trip across the U.S.A. and into Canada in.

By the late nineteen seventies we were in our second home in Huntington Beach.

Next tribute will be after we had children which started in the late nineteen seventies.

Remembering the fact that today is the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States. We honor all those who’s lives were taken away so tragically on that day and the survivors who were forever changed by their experience on that day and the days that followed.

On 9-11-2001 We were living in Kenmore, Washington. We lived in this house until 2018. Never Forget!

70 Strong!

A very Happy Birthday to my dear husband. He finally has entered my decade. Since this is his big 7-0, there will be lots of photos and memories of many of the seven decades of his life so far. He started out his life in the fifties. His only brother is four years older than him. He was raised in a Christian home in Southern California. His father was called up to heaven in 1985 and his mother joined his father in 1997.

Early years living on Cattaraugus in Culver City.

The bottom left photo has a description written on the back of the photo by his mom.

His maternal relatives lived in Colorado and came for visits.

Great Aunt Matilda from Kansas. She never forgot the birthdays of her nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews and sent a card on time. She even sent birthday greetings to the spouses of all. I was the recipient of many birthday greetings from her.