A Thankful Rebel

It’s been ages since I joined in with Susanne’s Friday’s Fave Five but this morning I’m going to post some favorites from my time with family last Thursday thru Saturday in Southern California. And because I’m overwhelmingly blessed with a wonderful family there will be more than Five photos! I’m a rebel that way…

The reason for my trip down was to meet my new little nephew Andrew (he’s 5). My brother’s family lives in Texas and they were flying to California for Miss Hope’s 7th birthday and a trip to Disneyland and my extended family filled in all the edges of their trip with parties and fun. Andrew became a part of their forever family last August and is already a U.S. Citizen. He was adopted from the Ukraine. He now sings God bless America! So cute. I’ll share more photos from Miss Hope’s birthday party later.

Fresh off the plane last week I met up with Dear’s SIL, Christina, and my best friend from college days Heidi. Heidi, Christina, Dear, Dear’s brother and I were all in a Christian Rock Band in the seventies. Heidi and I attended the same Russian Baptist Church in Los Angeles and had lots of adventures together! We caught up as much as we could in our couple hours together.

What a blessing to spend some time with my soon to be 92 year old pop. He’s a sad guy without my mom by his side.

He was surrounded by some of his grandchildren at Hope’s birthday party.

Josh and Laura took the long way home to Seattle from their trip to Kaui through Southern California so they could meet Andrew, too, and visit with my pop and their cousins.

All my pop’s kids except for one were together in one spot so we took some photos.

Our youngest siblings, the twins, are flanking my father on the couch.

I love this photo of my older sisters and I love them, too.

Andrew is fitting right in and it’s so much fun to listen to his half Ukrainian and half English sentences!

When we all got together this time my Father prayed a blessing over his new grandson Andrew and over his great grandson Thomas. My brother thanked all his friends and family for praying them through the adoption process and helping financially to bring Andrew to the U.S.A. We all sang Great is Thy Faithfulness and another of our Russian favorites together acknowledging the fact that God is the faithful one in our lives. Of course we had lots of good food and good conversation and laughter.

DSC_0967So I’m thankful for my Faithful God, my faithful pop, my family, my friends, and all our fun times together! We’re not perfect, mind you, but we have practiced forgiving each other and keeping our relationships going. We try not to neglect each other. What are you thankful for?

Signs of Huntington Beach

Hope y’all aren’t getting tired of Huntington Beach. Some of these shots are conventional signs and the others are things that are “signs” that let you know you are definitely at the beach.

The Huntington Beach Pier was full of signs advertising their upcoming Surf City Marathon and Half Marathon.

It’s good to know the beach rules!

Glad he didn’t stop…

Pelicans are a good sign that you are close to the seashore.

Oil rigs and surfers are another sign that you are at Huntington Beach.

I’m linking to Signs, Signs with Lesley. Click over to see more signs from around the world.

Beach Fences…

I was in Southern California last week. My sister lives a few blocks from Huntington Beach. On our way back to her house from our walk on the promenade I captured these shots of some waves through the fence while we waited for the light to change so we could cross PCH. (Pacific Coast Highway)

I’m not a fan of sitting on the beach but I do enjoy walking along the shore.

Winter is my favorite time to enjoy California Beaches.

I’m linking up to Good Fences #45 with TexWisGirl at Run*A*Round Ranch.

It’s great to travel but I think I picked up a bug on the airplane and I’m a little under the weather. I hope it stays at the “little” stage and doesn’t go into anything full blown. How are you feeling?

Walking at the Beach

Last Friday I had a wonderful walk on the beach. My sister Vera lives a few blocks from Huntington Beach in Southern California and we always enjoy walking down and taking in the sea air. On this day we walked down with my brother Leonard, SIL Mandy, niece Hope, new nephew Andrew, and my sister Vera.

We were wondering how Andrew would react to the ocean waves.

Hope went in with no fear and Andrew watched from the sand.

We left my brother to enjoy watching the kids while the three of us walked along the tide line for an hour.

We walked up the beach and then down again to the pier.

Andrew kept quite busy building in the sand.

Do you live anywhere near an ocean shore? We live close to the shores of Lake Washington and a short drive to the Puget Sound but we have to travel a few hours to get to the Pacific Ocean.

California

California here I come, right back where I started from.

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Where bowers of flowers bloom in the sun.

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Each morning at dawning birdies sing and everything.

Sun kissed Miss says don’t be late.

That’s why I can hardly wait, Open up your golden gate, California here I come.

I was born in California so this is a song I easily claim. I’m happy for my growing up days and my early married days in California but I’m very content to be living in the Seattle area now. I do look forward to my trips back to visit. The top photo is from the plane on our descent into John Wayne Airport. We turned inland at Catalina Island and this is the first time I’ve seen it so clearly from a plane. The beach photos are all from Huntington Beach where one of my sister’s lives.

It’s time for ABC Wednesday and we are on the letter C so I’m sharing some photos from my trip to Southern California last week and a photo of the bougainvillea from my archives. Thank you to Denise Nesbitt and the ABC Wednesday team.

What A Day…

Last Thursday I left our home at 4 AM to get to SeaTac Airport in time for my early 6:15 AM flight to John Wayne Airport in Orange County. The initial purpose of my trip was to meet my new nephew who was adopted from the Ukraine. My brother’s family was traveling from Dallas to Southern California to celebrate their daughter Hope’s 7th birthday at Disneyland and to have their new son Andrew meet his grandfather and aunts, uncles, cousins and our family friends. It’s easier to fly to Southern California then to fly to Dallas so I took this opportunity. It was wonderful to spend some time with some of our family and friends who live in Southern California, too.

My first stop from the airport was in the city of Orange to meet up with my good friend Heidi and my Sister-in-law Christina for breakfast and a little catch up on what is going on in our lives. The top left photo is of Heidi’s view from her back yard. Everything was so clear and it was great to see the green hills. We ate at the Pancake House.

I said goodbye to Christina and Heidi and headed to my Pop’s apartment to wait on Leonard, Mandy, Hope and Andrew who were arriving from Dallas a couple hours after my flight. Even though Andrew had talked with our pop using facetime he was shy at first but soon warmed up to all of us.

Miss Hope with her cousin Melissa.

My brother with Andrew and our Pop.

We had a nice lunch together at the apartment that my sister Kathy prepared and then we decided to go to Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor and believe it or not after ice cream some of us went out to dinner to celebrate my brother Tim’s birthday.

We all were in the mood for something savory after the ice cream from Farrell’s. From dinner I drove my brother to my sister’s in Huntington Beach where his family was staying and I headed to my niece’s in Huntington Beach where I was staying. We are fortunate to have hospitable family for our trips to Southern California. A plan to go to the beach on Friday was already in the works.

I am quite tired from all the sea air and fun family times we enjoyed. Looking forward to getting caught up now that I’m home again.

Here we go into the last week of January. What’s going on in your world?

The Comforter Has Come ~ Hymn

skies barn 012

The Comforter Has Come

O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts and human woes abound;
Let every Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!

Refrain

The Comforter has come, the Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from Heav’n, the Father’s promise giv’n;
O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found—
The Comforter has come!

The long, long night is past; the morning breaks at last;
And hushed the dreadful wail and fury of the blast,
As o’er the golden hills the day advances fast!
The Comforter has come!

Refrain

Lo, the great King of kings, with healing in His wings,
To every captive soul a full deliverance brings;
And through the vacant cells the song of triumph rings:
The Comforter has come!

Refrain

O boundless love divine! How shall this tongue of mine
To wondering mortals tell the matchless grace divine—
That I, a child of sin, should in His image shine!
The Comforter has come!

Refrain

Sing, till the echoes fly above the vaulted sky,
And all the saints above to all below reply,
In strains of endless love, the song that ne’er will die:
The Comforter has come!

Refrain

Words: Frank Bottome, 1890.

Signs of My Life – #2

This was taken a few years ago when I re-united with a good friend of mine from high school. I graduated from this high school in Southern California in 1968.

I’m flying out on the O-dark-thirty flight to John Wayne Airport in Southern California for a few days with my pop, siblings and nieces and nephews. My family is Russian and this sign that says no to Vodka is part of my upbringing, too. Russian yes, but Vodka no, growing up. Some things stay the same and some things change.

These were all places that were part of my life growing up in Pico Rivera and Montebello.

On Sundays coming home from church we sometimes stopped at 31 Flavors Ice Cream and we were able to choose 3 scoops! That’s was quite a treat for us. In junior high school Currie Ice Cream was across the street and we were able to go off campus and get lunch there if we had 35 cents for a hot dog and chips. The Garmar theater is the first walk in theater that I saw a movie in. Garduno’s was a fast food stand that was a favorite in high school where we had open campus, too, for our lunch time. Good Mexican food and pastrami.

I’ll have lots to share from my family time when I get back home. Hope everyone is doing well.

You can see more signs by clicking over to Signs Signs by Lesley!

 

B is for Birthdays!

Joshua's birthday 027January is a big birthday month at this old house. Our oldest son was born on January 19th and his younger brother arrived two years later on January 16th. My younger brother was born on January 22nd and my youngest niece, Hope, was born on January 25th.

I set Joshua’s birthday table around a Washington state sports theme. Since we were celebrating the night before the NFC championship game here in Seattle I added some Seattle Seahawks touches to our Seattle Sounders Soccer themed table.

The Seahawks and the Sounders have similar team colors which made it easy and fun.

Our boy was happy with the table setting, the Ribeye steaks and his special request dessert. We had such a good time celebrating Josh.

Joshua's birthday 037Josh and Laura gifted me these beautiful illustrated ABC verse cards at Christmas and I’ll share the verse for letter B, too.

On Tuesday you can click on over for more ABC Wednesday posts on the letter B. Thank you to Denise Nesbitt who started this meme and to the team of bloggers who manage it every week.