Category Archives: Family

Happy 7th Anniversary Josh and Laura!

I couldn’t have asked God for a better match for our son Josh in his wife Laura! We thank God so often for bringing these two together. They are a great compliment to each other. They serve God’s people together well. I’m not just saying this because I am their mother either.

This is a photo from the Summer Bible Teen Camp they directed this past August. Arrggh! They make good pirates, too…

Happy 7th Anniversary Josh and Laura. Your father and I love you dearly and thank God for you and your marriage!

ht: top photo by Jeremy? Pirate photo by?

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I posted on my blog from 2007-2015 hostage and replaced them with big black and grey boxes with threats. So discouraging…as I’m slowly trying to clean up thousands of posts!

Friday’s Fave Five

Susanne at Living to Tell the Story is hosting a new Friday meme called Friday’s Fave Five. You just have to post 5 favorite things from this past week and link back to her blog. She’ll have a Mr. Linky so you can join in easily. Here are my Favorites from this past week.

1. Having our daughter visit us with her boyfriend. They arrived at the Long Beach Airport on Monday morning and I picked them up and we did some sight seeing on the way home.

2. Meeting up with my walking buddy and having a walk in Old Towne Camarillo with some Antique shopping and thrift shopping along the way.

3. Going to Disneyland and meeting up with family for some fun.

4. Eating out with family. This photo is from Naples Ristorante in Downtown Disney where 8 of our extended family met up to eat and enjoy each other around food again.

5. Last favorite was being able to catch several Olympic Soccer Games and especially the Gold Medal Win by the U.S. Women’s Team. Hope Solo was amazing in goal! Well done ladies!!

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage on their site and have replaced my photos with black and grey boxes of ugliness. I’m slowly deleting those boxes from my blog and trying to update so many posts, very frustrating.

Disneyland Anaheim

 

On Wednesday I drove out to Anahiem to meet up with my daughter Katie, her boyfriend Ben, and some of my family. It’s been 10 years since I had been to Disneyland and boy was I in for a surprise.

 

My sister Kathy and I spent a lot of time sitting in the shade and watching people. I enjoy people watching at Disneyland…

 

Katie and Ben ~ Debbee, Kathy, and Melissa ~ Katie resting her poor aching feet (this was her and Ben’s 2nd full day at the Park), Melissa and Katie in their traditional Disney photo.

 

Some of the fun noisy rides we went on using the Fast Track Passes.

 

The music and entertainment at Disneyland really sets a great mood in the Park. Sometimes it even drowns out the poor exhausted babies and toddlers who are crying…

 

The colors in the lagoon where the Submarine Ride is were calling to me. I guess it’s called the Finding Nemo Ride now.

 

You gotta smile when you see the great colors on the tea-cups and lanterns. I so enjoy this Fantasyland setting!

 

Disneyland always has beautiful fresh flowers that match the seasons in all their planters. I loved these beautiful pinks and purples. They were already beginning to add pumpkins in Frontierland getting ready for Fall.

Don’t you just love this little guy? There are so many things to see at Disneyland.

We left the Park and headed to Downtown Disney to meet up with my sister Lana for Dinner at Naples. Our newlywed nephew and niece met us, too. Again Lana treated us all to dinner. They all went back to the park after dinner but my sister Kathy and I headed home. I made it back home at 9:45 and I was exhausted. I’m still dragging today. After I fed them a hearty breakfast, Ben and Katie headed to Magic Mountain today to tackle the roller coasters. Ahh, youth. This old gal on the other hand is just sitting around watching the Olympic Soccer games today hoping for a second wind soon.

 

Fun with Friends and Family

 

We have had some fun and fulfilling days this week with family and friends. Yesterday we headed to Dave and Jody’s house in Edmonds overlooking the Sound for swimming and food.

 

I had a little stroll about Jody’s garden and watched the bees enjoying it.

Finn charmed us with his cuteness. At one point in the evening, when no one was watching, Finn went into the bathroom and had fun with lots of toilet paper and grandmother’s lipstick!

We met and held sweet little Josee (pronounced JoeZay). She is 2 weeks old.

We also met for the first time, sweet Juliet, who is 4 weeks old and Josee’s cousin.

As if with all this sweetness we needed the desserts I brought (Recipes to follow soon)

Creamy Cheesecake and

Fruit Pizza (thanks Bernideen for the recipe) The recipe will make 2 round medium size pizza’s. I chose to do 1 large rectangular one.

Dave and Jody served Soft Fish Tacos made with barbecued Tilapia (Yummy) and Jan brought fruit. We always eat well when we get together.

 

The Sun going down beyond the Olympic Mountains on the Olympic Penninsula. Thank you Dave and Jody for another wonderful time in your company!

Besides all this fun the guys have been busy, busy, working on our continuing basement project. I love it when my 3 guys are together working, laughing and just hanging out…

Dear and Dan assembling the new wheelbarrow they needed for mixing cement.

 

Josh mixing up the cement…

Dear and Dan pouring the cement down into cinder blocks with limited access.

Time flies when you’re having fun.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage on their site and have replaced my photos with black and grey boxes of ugliness. I’m slowly deleting those boxes from my blog and trying to update so many posts, very frustrating.

5 More Days in Washington

 

My six weeks in Washington State are winding down. I’m here for 5 more days and then Dear and I hit the long road home to Southern California. My hydrangeas in Washington have reached their full bloom. My hydrangea plant in California is dead by now because Dear forgot to ask our neighbors to water our plants while we’ve been gone. Oops!

One thing that keeps us awake and makes the trip seem shorter from here to there are books on CD. I was so excited to find this at Goodwill and look forward to listening to hours of one of our all time favorites…

This week we’ll be getting in some last minute visits with friends and family here in the Seattle area. Maybe I’ll fit in one more trip to Goodwill. I hope all of you have a great week.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage on their site and have replaced my photos with black and grey boxes of ugliness. I’m slowly deleting those boxes from my blog and trying to update so many posts, very frustrating.

08-08-08 ~ Happy Birthday Melissa!

I thought it was great that we have a few old photos of times in the past where you happened to be at our house on your birthday! Get ready…

 

This one was in Ventura. I don’t know where Dan is…

 

This one is in Bothell. Looks like you were 7. That’s probably a Blackberry Birthday Pie made from Blackberries you all picked.

 

On Norway Hill again and I think I count 8 candles here.

 

Happy Birthday Melissa. Hope you enjoy your birthday events from morning till night!

And Let The Games Begin!! Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics ~

 

Have a great Weekend Everyone…

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage on their site and have replaced my photos with black and grey boxes of ugliness. I’m slowly deleting those boxes from my blog and trying to update so many posts, very frustrating.

Jamie & Sarly’s Wedding

Our Son Dan’s best friend Jamie got married yesterday.

 

They’ve been friends a long time. This is the two of them on the way to and at Lakeside Bible Camp the summer of 1990.

 

Here they are 18 years later still the best of friends celebrating this wonderful event. Over the years that these two have been friends our families have grown close, too. There will always be a special place in our hearts for the Dickinson Family.

 

The wedding was held at Jardin Del Sol in the town of Snohomish, Washington. It was a beautiful outdoor setting. Dear arrived in Washington the night before and it was wonderful to have him here to enjoy this great celebration with us.

 

Sarly was a stunning bride. Jamie and Sarly composed their own vows. They had a sand ceremony instead of a candle ceremony symbolizing two becoming one. Sarly’s brother read a poem he wrote for the couple.

Sarly and her mother as she walked down the aisle.

 

The happy “Just Married” Mr. and Mrs. Jamie Dickinson!

 

On the way to the first dance showered with bubbles.

 

 

 

Dave and Beth have 3 sons, Matt, Aaron, and Jamie. These are some photos of the Dickinson Family.

 

The wedding party. Our son Dan is in the three middle shots. Oops, I kinda concentrated on the guys. Sorry girls!

 

Dan during the ceremony

 

Here’s Dan toasting Jamie and Sarly and entertaining us with stories of how he first became friends with Jamie back in grade school. All of the groomsmen and bridesmaids gave toasts.

 

After dinner it was time for the cake. Then on to more dancing. The Bride with her father and the groom with his mother.

 

I think these are such sweet mother and son shots!

 

 

Sarly enjoying the tenderness of this moment, too.

 

This is Dave and Beth’s newest little granddaughter. She is so cute and what a little trooper, she managed to stay awake through all the festivities without a fuss! Beth is so excited to finally have some girls in the family.

 

Laura, Josh, Jamie and Sarly.

Katie and Laura

 

Dear and Dan sharing a Cuban Cigar. This is a very rare moment… “The smoking the cigar part”

 

It’s so nice for Dear and I to be together finally for the next two weeks in Seattle. After that we drive back to our condo in Southern California.

 

Congratulations Jamie and Sarly. We had a wonderful time at your wedding. We will always hope for the best and God’s richest blessings for the two of you in your life together.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage on their site and have replaced my photos with black and grey boxes of ugliness. I’m slowly deleting those boxes from my blog and trying to update so many posts, very frustrating.

Bowling ~ Project Black

So just when I thought I had exhausted all my creativity for Project Black my daughter asked me to go with her for her pre-bowl. She’s on a bowling team with a bunch of guys in a Tuesday night “9 Pin” league. She has other plans this Tuesday and needed to get her games in for the team.

 

Her best score today was 151. Her bowling ball was a gift from us for her 22nd birthday. Her brother Dan bought her the cool star bowling shoes for her birthday. The Brunswick bag was a thrift store purchase I made for her.

 

These next two photos are going into my Project Black File here.

 

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone…

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage on their site and have replaced my photos with black and grey boxes of ugliness. I’m slowly deleting those boxes from my blog and trying to update so many posts, very frustrating.

Canoeing ~ Herons and Lily pads

While Katie and I were canoeing around Lake Washington we saw many Herons, Ducks, and Lily pads. We also saw some turtles, a woodpecker, and a raccoon in the water.

 

We’re headed back to the Canoe barn. We have to canoe all the way back to Husky Stadium. Can you see it in the distance. Now we’re getting closer. When we reach these lily pads and colorful boats we only have a short distance to go. I did put my camera down now and again to help Katie paddle back. Going across this part of Lake Washington was the roughest part of our canoeing but still very doable for us gals…

If you missed it my first post on our canoeing trip is here.

Canoeing on Lake Washington

There is nothing, absolutely nothing
Half so much worth doing
As simply messing about in boats

~From The Wind in the Willows

Katie and I continue on our quest to re-visit places we love in the Greater Puget Sound Area on her days off. On Thursday we headed over to the University of Washington Water Front Activities Center to use her Student card to rent a canoe and paddle about Lake Washington. Once we were in the water, her doing most of the paddling, me taking the photos, we looked at each other and said “why have we waited so long to do this?” It’s been about 17 years!

We headed over to the 520 (Evergreen Floating Bridge) to go under it and on to quieter and more peaceful waterways.

See that little wooden foot bridge? We’ll duck and go under it. “Keep paddling Katie, I’m getting some great photos!”

So quiet and peaceful. The water is so calm and is a mirror reflecting the trees and sky. It was just about here that we started singing

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Amen”

I have so many beautiful photos to share from our canoeing adventure, the herons, ducks, lily pads and our journey back to Husky stadium. I’ll be sharing more later along with our trip to the Husky campus to take in the beautiful Suzzalo Library reading room. Blessings!