Make New Friends but Keep the Old…

…One is silver, the other gold.

I’m linking up to ABC Wednesday for O is for Old and for the fact that this post will go on and on! Thank you Denise Nesbitt, Roger, and the ABC team!

One day, four events! I flew from Seattle to Santa Ana (California) on Saturday and had a full day filled with time with old friends!

I arrived at John Wayne Airport at 8:30 A.M. and drove to La Habra, California. My pop and I went to his favorite breakfast spot and I treated him to breakfast. This is what he always orders, 2 sunny side up eggs, hash browns and sausage.  He enjoyed every bite of food and each slurp of his coffee.

My pop is now living with my oldest sister and thriving. He lets me know frequently how much he loves the chair Dear and I bought him. Lately he’s occupied with jigsaw puzzles.

At 11:30 A.M. I drove down Whittier Blvd. to our dear friend Alice’s home for a Baby shower in her beautiful back yard!

This is Alice with her son who will be holding his new son soon and this will be Alice’s first grand baby! Alice has always had an open home and is the most hospitable lady. Many of us at the shower have been graced with hours of good times in her home with good food to eat.

The new dad and mom to be with our friend Natalie in the middle praying a blessing on them, the baby and the festivities.

My best friend from college days and beyond, Heidi, with her daughter Nikki.

My nieces Melissa, Michelle and my SIL Kelly.

Heidi, Alice and I had some fun adventures in our college days. Alice lived in San Francisco and we spent time with her there and she came down to L.A. to spend time with us. We hadn’t seen each other for over 35 years!

I caught my sister enjoying her food with my blast from the past friend, Alice.

I took off from the baby shower before gifts were opened to drive on 2 more freeways to get to my high school mini reunion.

We had a great turnout with close to 50 grads from Montebello High School showing up.

I was so happy to see my friend from elementary school days through high school at the reunion. I hadn’t seen her for over 46 years!

Lots of good memories came back to me and I have to admit some of the people that were there didn’t drum up any memories from my dear old brain.

These girls I’ll never forget. Nancy on the left was my good buddy and Anne her cousin is on my right.

I left the reunion after 4 hours and finally headed to my hotel to check in at 6:30.

My dear nephew David and niece Kristin picked me up at the hotel door to take me out to dinner at 7:00. They had been out on a boat with their friends for the afternoon. How sweet of them to take the time and treat me to dinner and catch up conversation.

My hotel experience was good to start with and I fell asleep exhausted since I had been up since 3:15 am. At 1:15 the room next door was visited by some very loud guests who were pounding on the door. I woke from such a deep sleep that I was disoriented and didn’t know where I was for a few moments. My heart was racing. I called the front desk and they said they’d come up and talk to them. It took me a long time to fall back to sleep and then they woke me up again at 5:30 a.m. oye and bother!! When I talked to the front desk in the morning the person behind the desk said they’d take a percentage off my room. When I got back to my room I got a phone call from another person on staff who told me how sorry he was for my experience and that they would comp my room and I didn’t have to pay anything.

One day filled with so many old memories and friends. I’ll put the hotel experience way behind me!

 

The Boston Marathon!

Our niece Debbee is running the Boston Marathon today! Her husband Lenny is from Boston and they are enjoying lots of pre-marathon fun there.

We are all cheering Debbee on from afar and happy that Lenny and some of his Boston family and my sister Vera and brother-in-law Nick are there to cheer her on, too! An epic experience for all of them!

We are proud of you Debbee. You’ve worked hard and we are all behind you! Go Debbee, Go!

And…here she is at the finish line!

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She’s amazing! Way to finish strong, Debbee!

InSPIREd Sunday ~ Chewelah

While in Eastern Washington last weekend we had a little driving time down Main Street in Chewelah and spotted the Chewelah Baptist Church. Linking to InSPIREd Sunday with Beth and Sally.

We had a great weekend in Eastern Washington spending time in Chewelah, Colville and Kettle Falls. Today I’m just back from a 24 hour trip to Southern California. Travel two weekends in a row has gotten the best of me. I’m looking forward to a quiet week and a stay at home weekend to come. How are things in your neck of the woods?

The Glory of the Spring How Sweet! ~ Hymn

The Glory of the Spring How Sweet!

The glory of the spring how sweet!
The new-born life how glad!
What joy the happy earth to greet
In new, bright raiment clad!

Divine Redeemer, Thee I bless;
I greet Thy going forth;
I love Thee in the loveliness
Of Thy renewèd earth.

But O these wonders of Thy grace,
These nobler works of Thine,
These marvels sweeter far to trace,
These new births more divine:

This new-born glow of faith so strong,
This bloom of love so fair,
This new-born ecstasy of song,
And fragrancy of prayer!

Creator Spirit, work in me
These wonders sweet of Thine;
Divine Redeemer, graciously
Renew this heart of mine.

Still let new life and strength upspring,
Still let new joy be given;
And grant the glad new song to ring
Through the new earth and Heaven.

Words: Thomas H. Gill, 1867.

A Whirlwind of Activity!

Bright and early on Saturday morning I’m flying to Southern California for a whirlwind day. The original reason for booking the flight was to attend a high school mini-reunion that my dear friend Nancy is hosting at the clubhouse in the development where she lives.

We from Montebello High School were known as the Oilers.

I enjoyed being a Song Leader for my Junior and Senior years of High School.

img347We had some fun and crazy times at Montebello Dear Old High.

251579_261130540566499_100000086664820_1179545_1986015_nOur high school was fed by a couple Junior Highs back then. I really loved the old architecture of Montebello Junior High which had to be torn down since my time there.

High School scannedTime will tell how many of my friends from the class of ’68 I’ll get to see tomorrow.

But…that’s not all I’m doing on Saturday. On Saturday morning I get to see my dear old Pop!

I’m happy to report he is thriving now that he is living with and being cared for by my sister Kathy and her husband Len. I’m so grateful to them and to God for the despair that has been lifted off my pop’s heart.

After a visit with my pop and on the way to my reunion I’m popping in to a baby shower that our dear family friend Alice is giving her daughter in law. This will be Alice’s first grandchild. The timing of the shower works out perfect.

My sister Kathy with our friend Alice.

Stopping in on the shower I’ll be able to see many of my friends from the church I grew up in. Good thing I’m not an introvert! All this people time would be overwhelming.

I’ve got to get organized now for my trip. If you don’t hear from me for a while you’ll know I packed in way too much even for an outgoing person for a day in sunny California!

Family Signs

This last weekend we enjoyed lots of great family time at some of the places featured in this “Signs, signs”  by Lesley combo post!

Six of us traveled east and then north to the little town of Chewelah.

The girls enjoyed a bridal shower on Saturday while the guys worked on flooring and plumbing at our son’s home.

Granny had several fun signs at her home.

In this part of Washington state you see a lot of these signs if you travel off the main highway.

When we made it back to our son’s home after the shower we went out to dinner to celebrate our son-in-laws birthday at El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant.

Happy Birthday Andrew. We had a real good time celebrating you!

After dinner we all went up to the lodge where Dear and I were staying and had a family photo time.

 

The soon to be married couple!

 

The girls!

 

The guys!

Our family is rounding out very nicely. We are thankful to God for blessing us with kids who get along and enjoy each other. It was good to work together, celebrate together, play games with each other, and eat together.

Just before we hit the road to travel back to Western Washington we all had brunch together at the new Main Street Bistro in Chewelah.

And then we stopped to get gas at our station of choice in this area.

“Owned and operated by The Spokane Tribe of Indians”

Shower of Blessings!

Our whole family was together in Eastern Washington this past weekend to celebrate our son and future DIL’s wedding shower and we worked in some other fun events together, too.

The Bridal shower for Jamie was hosted at her Granny’s home.

Granny has quite a view out her kitchen window.

It was fun to get to meet many of Jamie’s friends.

Tami and our daughter Katie are two of the bridesmaids. Tami on the left hosted the shower.

We enjoyed watching Jamie open her many gifts. Her matron of honor was by her side recording each item.

Jamie with her mom and granny.

Jamie with her mom, granny, and dear family friend Sylvia.

Mom and daughter.

Our girls, dil Laura, future dil Jamie and our daughter Katie.

When the shower was over and most of the guests were gone we helped get a couple things done for the wedding reception. Many hands make light work!

After the work was done we made a trip out to the venue so we could be able to visualize the route and site.

Beautiful views on the road to the venue.

It was good to make the trip out and to know what to expect. We then traveled back to Dan’s house to see what the guys had been up to while we were partying. I’ll share our evening together in my next post.

New Blooms

It’s time for ABC Wednesday and the letter N. Thank you to Mrs. Nesbitt for starting this meme and to Roger and the rest of the ABC team who keep it going.

N is for New Blooms or New Blossoms! It’s a stretch but they are too pretty not to share.

First my Bible Verse Card for the letter N…

For my next few posts I’ll share our time in Eastern Washington with all our kids!

Roll On Columbia

Roll On Columbia
Words by Woody Guthrie, Music based on “Goodnight, Irene” (Huddie Ledbetter and John Lomax)

Green Douglas firs where the waters cut through.
Down her wild mountains and canyons she flew.
Canadian Northwest to the ocean so blue,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on!

CHORUS: Roll on, Columbia, roll on.
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.
Your power is turning our darkness to dawn,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

Other great rivers add power to you,
Yakima, Snake and the Klickitat, too,
Sandy Willamette and Hood River, too;
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

CHORUS

Tom Jefferson’s vision would not let him rest,
An empire he saw in the Pacific Northwest.
Sent Lewis and Clark and they did the rest;
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

CHORUS

It’s there on your bank that we fought many a fight,
Sheridan’s boys in the blockhouse that night,
They saw us in death but never in flight,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

CHORUS

At Bonneville now there are ships in the locks,
The waters have risen and cleared all the rocks,
Shiploads of plenty will steam past the docks,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

CHORUS

And on up the river is Grand Coulee Dam,
The mightiest thing ever built by a man,
To run these great factories and water the land,
It’s roll on, Columbia, roll on.

CHORUS

These might men labored by day and by night,
Matching their strength ‘gainst the river’s wild flight,
Through rapids and falls they won the hard fight,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

This photo is one view of the Astoria-Megler Bridge connecting Washington State and Oregon over the Columbia River at the Pacific Ocean.

These are a compilation of photos I have of the mighty Columbia River. Some were taken this year and some in years past. The photos with Dear and I in them were taken in 2012. Some of the photos are taken in Oregon and most are taken in Washington State. The North end of the river the central part of the river and the southern part as it reaches Oregon.

 We are just back home from 4 days traveling to the Northeast part of our state to enjoy our son and his fiance. I’ll share posts later about our time there. We ended up crossing the mighty Columbia river four times during our visit. I was able to get photos of lots of great old barns.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

O for A Heart of Calm Repose ~ Hymn

O for A Heart of Calm Repose

O for a heart of calm repose
Amid the world’s loud roar,
A life that like a river flows
Along a peaceful shore!

Come, Holy Spirit! still my heart
With gentleness divine;
Indwelling peace Thou canst impart;
O make the blessing mine.

Above these scenes of storm and strife
There spreads a region fair;
Give me to live that higher life,
And breathe that heavenly air.

Come, Holy Spirit! breathe that peace
That victory make me win;
Then shall my soul her conflict cease,
And find a heaven within.

Words: Anonymous