Tag Archives: Family

April Fool’s Day in Victoria…

Was it foolish to head out on our Sister Weekend on April fools?

 

Who can predict the weather and seasons? Not us humans for sure. Whatever the weather the time was right. After we docked in Victoria and convinced the local authorities that they could trust us in their country we jumped on a tour bus that would give us a little background on the city on our way to Butchart Gardens.

 

The gardens provide these great see through Bumbershoots for rainy days.

 

The great thing about being at the gardens on a day like Friday was having the gardens to ourselves.

 

The phrase of the day was “everything is 2 weeks behind this year”.

 

We saw a lot of great pruning jobs and a lot of blossoms promising to show their glory soon.

 

 

Photo taking was a little difficult as you had to hold the brolly with one hand and focus your camera with the other.

 

There was lots of beautiful color to enjoy throughout the garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I learned some new names for umbrellas today. We are very familiar with Bumbershoot in Seattle because of our Bumbershoot Music festival on Labor Day weekend. Bumbershoot: Take the umbre from umbrella, and the chute from parachute. Combine them and give it a more phonetic spelling, and you’ve got the name Bumbershoot! Bumbershoot is an American slang word. Then there is Brolly, Brollies: used in the UK and Australia and New Zealand. Gamp: British slang for a large baggy umbrella.  A Hanway: An 18th century term used by English gentlemen. The name comes from Jonas Hanway, a Persian writer who carried an Umbrella and is said to have made the accessory acceptable for men to carry. Sadly we would not be needing a Parasol this weekend. This term comes from the Italian parasole, from parare, meaning “to shield” and sole meaning “sun.”

 

 

We ended our time at the garden with some nice hot cups of tea and coffee.

 

 

The tour bus took us back to our hotel in Victoria just in time for our check-in. I’ll show you the Beaconsfield Inn in my next post.

Happy Tuesday to you!

Acts 14:16-17

In times past, God let each nation go its own way. But he showed that he was there by the good things he did. God sends rain from heaven and makes your crops grow. He gives food to you and makes your hearts glad.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with these blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Sisters!

 

My sisters and I are embarking on a weekend getaway to Victoria on Vancouver Island in Canada. The four of us have never had a weekend away or an overnight for that matter and I’m hoping we have lots of laughing moments like this next photo shows.

 

Vera ~ Lana ~ Kathy ~ Ellen

Kathy is the oldest, Vera next, Ellen next and then Lana. We also have 4 brothers. Fred was born after Vera.  Tim was born 7 years after me and then Steve. Lana and Leonard (twins) were the last two born.

We had a sister Kathy who was the first born in our family that died when she was 2 in Persia. My parents decided to name their second daughter Kathy, too. The Kathy we know was also born in Persia.

Both of these photos were taken a good while ago. Vera is several sizes smaller and I’m a few sizes larger. I think Lana and Kathy are about the same. I told my Southern California sisters to leave their flip-flops at home and to bring lots of layers. I’m providing them with rain coats with a hood. Whatever the weather we will persevere and delight in what God has in store for us!

We leave early Friday morning on the Victoria Clipper for a 2-1/2 hour ride to Victoria. We have gardens, castles, walks, and having a proper tea planned. Next week after I catch my breath I will post about our adventures.

Before I get swept away I wanted to share my plate of Baby Back ribs from our dinner on Sunday. So delicious!

 

Maybe plates like this are why I’m a couple sizes larger. You won’t be hearing from me till next week. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

FFF ~ Announcements, Announcements, Announcements!

Time to choose our favorites from this past week and to link up at Susanne’s Living to Tell the Story to share them with our friends in bloggy world.

March has proved to be a month of wonderful experiences at our house. While we were in Seattle enjoying and celebrating my 60th birthday with our sons and daughter in law, our daughter Katie and Andrew were in North Carolina with our blessing on their plans to be married! This was going to be a secret until their wedding next winter but yesterday they decided to go public! I’m so happy to be able to share this and not keep it a secret for a year! So my #1 favorite for this week is …

1. …the announcement that we have a new son Lance Corporal Andrew and that our daughter Katie has changed her last name. We are still planning an official wedding with my brother who is a pastor officiating and our family, Andrew’s family, and friends witnessing their vows and covenant promise to each other.

These are their temporary rings which will be replaced at their wedding.

2. Katie and I have spent a lot of time together this week at the different government agencies that need her new information. We have made sure to enjoy nice lunches together after spending lots of time in waiting rooms people watching.

3. On Saturday Dear and I spent a day in Snohomish eating and shopping and buying a new piece of furniture that was delivered on Sunday.

 

4. Josh and Laura came over for brunch on Sunday and we enjoyed their company. Waffles, ham, and strawberries were on the menu.

5. Finding out our cookbook Mennonite Girls Can Cook is now available on Amazon for pre-order! It’s due for release on May 1st!

Our household is thankful for all God’s goodness to us. My cup continues to overflow.

What were your favorites this past week.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Sixty Years from the Day…

… I was born I was given some royal treatment!

Monday March 14th was my birthday and I had no idea what was up the sleeves of my kids. I knew we were going out to dinner at an Italian Restaurant downtown and we’d be leaving just before 6:00 in the evening.

When we stepped outside to get into what I thought was going to be Laura’s car I saw this!

 

The kids had ordered up a limousine to take us to our dinner in Seattle. “No Way”, I said!

 

I never dreamed they would come up with this special treat. Dear and I had never had a ride together in a limousine before last night.

 

 

 

The kids weren’t the only ones with surprises. The restaurant managed to surprise us all, too.

 

We had a private area behind some sheers with this pretty chandelier and then we were handed our Menus.

 

A personalized menu just for my birthday. How great is that!? There even was a cocktail with my name on it. The cocktail is on their regular menu. They didn’t make it up just for me but I pretended they did and indulged!

 

The Ellen…

They turned the lights down very low in the restaurant so my pictures are all dimmed, too.

 

This is our table behind the sheers.

 

This made our meal together very private compared to other areas of the restaurant.

 

Dan and I had the Ossobuco di Vitello with saffron risotto. It was so delicious.

 

This was Dear’s dessert a ricotta cheesecake.

 

My complimentary birthday bite. I’m thinking at 60 all desserts should be this size.

 

I was impressed with the bathroom mirrors.

 

Such a wonderful evening and we still had our limousine ride home. When we got home there was more. Josh and Laura gave me a gift certificate for a massage with a handmade card that is priceless. Dan paid for dinner and also gave me a card that made me want to cry. I received other cards with gifts of manicures and pedicures and a handmade card from my BFF from junior high and high school. Before dinner I got a special phone call from Texas and my sweet little 3 year old niece sang Happy Birthday to me all the way through by herself. Oh my…that was precious. My heart is full and I am grateful for all the wonderful birthday treats and wishes I have received. I’m savoring my moments.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

My Cup Was Filled…

…to overflowing yesterday!

I keep thanking God for his goodness to me expressed in so many ways yesterday through family and friends. Truly it was a day full of joy and gladness for me from start to finish and I still get to celebrate today!

 

Our day started out with an invitation for brunch at Josh and Laura’s. What I didn’t know was that Dan had taken an extra day off so he could drive over the Cascades to help celebrate my birthday. I was so overjoyed to see him when he walked in the room. I just had to keep saying his name. Thank you Josh, Laura and Dear for surprising me! Thanks Dan for driving the 6 hours one way to celebrate my birthday. The last time we had seen Dan was at Christmas. Tonight the 5 of us are going out to dinner downtown.

From brunch Dear and I headed North to meet up with 5 of the Mennonite girls and their guys for dinner at the Chuckanut Manor.

 

We had a room to ourselves overlooking the Chuckanut Bay.

 

What fun to meet all the husbands. Thank you Anneliese, Marg, Lovella, Judy and Kathy for driving across the line with your husbands to join Dear and me for a wonderful evening. I’ll never forget it…unless old age messes with my brain.

 

The food was delicious and the conversations were lively.

 

There were songs sung and candles silenced. And if that wasn’t enough I got showered with cards and gifts from Canada and Africa. I also got showered with Loonies and Toonies to send to Willow for a classroom assignment. You might be wondering about that loaf of bread. It’s the Mennonite Girls Can Cook traveling loaf that began it’s journey the day the Mennonite Girls all met for the first time at the Abbotsford airport. Yep! It’s harder than a rock but it is traveling on…

 

The rain subsided for our dinner time and we were afforded some beautiful views.

 

 

 

Seriously I was overwhelmed in a good way and I don’t take for granted the gift of family and friends that God has blessed me with!

Sixty is looking real good!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

FFF ~ Marching Along…

It’s that time of the week when we look back and choose our favorites. Susanne at Living to tell the Story is our hostess and you can click on the logo above to get to her site and join in this worthwhile exercise. Here are my 5 for this past week.

1. Dinner with our kids on Tuesday evening. I made a Russian favorite Golubtsi Голубцы (stuffed cabbage).

 

2. Elizabeth Goudge books. I re-read The Bird in the Tree and now I’m continuing on with the 2nd book in the series called Pilgrim’s Inn/Herb of Grace. The 3rd book is Heart of the Family. I also was able to check out one of her books I’ve not read yet called The Castle on the Hill.

 

3. More books including travel books for Washington D. C.  After checking out different travel guides from the library to determine which guides I liked best I ordered my own copy last week. I also ordered a box of 50 cards that spell out 50 different walks around D.C. The cards are great because they are easy to follow with a map and the route outlined on one side and a description of what you will see on the other. Groupon, an online site offers deals via email that alerts you to special deals in the many cities across the U.S.A. Besides Seattle I signed up to get Washington D.C. deals emailed to me. I’m concentrating on the dining deals since we’ll be eating all of our meals out. I’ve gotten 2 great half-price deals already.  Along with my travel books I ordered The Amish Cook’s Baking Book and I’m looking forward to trying some of the recipes.

4. Road Trip on Saturday with Dear to Cabela’s and the state capitol. It’s been a while since Dear and I took off on a Saturday. It was a good diversion from the regular. The weather was nice, too. We shopped, had a wonderful meal, and saw some great sights!

 

5. Whoohoo! My 2011 packet with my season tickets and new Sounders Season ticket member scarf was delivered by our son Josh. The season begins at Qwest field on Tuesday evening against the L.A. Galaxy. Happy Days are here again.

 

So how did your week go and what are some of your favorites?

I’m watching what’s going on in Japan and the countries affected by the Tsunami warnings this morning. Praying for the people of Japan and that the Hawaiian Islands stay safe.

Psalm 46: 1-3 (ESV)

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

From The Message

God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Lest I Forget…

…what wonderful evenings we’ve had.

 

Dear announced he was making a Valentine’s Day meal. He surprised me with the lovely tulips and card on Sunday morning and then put together a wonderful meal on Monday night with the help of our daughter Katie. Shortly after the meal the power went out because of high winds that knocked down a tree onto power lines. We were without power the rest of the evening so we gathered up some candles and got together in the living room where Katie read to us from The Bird in the Tree by Elizabeth Goudge.

 

We’ve come full circle. Now our youngest is reading to us. She said it felt so Jane Austenish…reading by candlelight.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

So Thankful…

 

…for all our children but in January especially for our sons. Born 2 years apart they’ve been able to enjoy each other through the years.

Psalm 133:1 (The Message)

A Pilgrim Song of David

How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!
It’s like costly anointing oil
flowing down head and beard,
Flowing down Aaron’s beard,
flowing down the collar of his priestly robes.
It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon
flowing down the slopes of Zion.

God has been good to us and to our children!

The sun is shining today so I’m going to see about getting out and about in it. I’ve already made a birthday delivery and gone to Zumba so we’ll see what else the day will hold. Hope you are enjoying your day!

Celebrating…

…continues here.

What a wonderful Saturday. We woke up to a nice dry spell. I met up with my walking buddies and we trekked our 5 miles getting caught up on our lives. At noon Josh and Laura joined us to celebrate Joshua’s birthday early.

 

We had brunch at The Barking Frog in Woodinville. Joshua’s 32nd birthday is on Wednesday.

 

I thought the parking signs for the restaurant were very clever.

Sunday at church I had to chuckle to see the Seahawk Football team colors lit up on the stage. Sad to say the game didn’t turn out the way Seattleites had hoped.

 

Even though we lost the game…the turkey chili and cornbread brought some comfort to the day…

 

Today is our son Dan’s birthday! Happy Birthday Dan! Hope to see you soon.

 

So thankful to God for our sons and how God has blessed them and kept them these 30 and 32 years!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Love is in the Air…

…and already stocked in some of the aisles in the local stores. I thought it was a good time to share about a fun party coming up just before Valentine’s Day.

 

Laurie is hosting this again this year. It’s a fun time to let the red, pink, and love flow freely. And speaking of love…

Here’s my sweet niece that I love dearly at Huntington Beach in California. I missed seeing her and the rest of my extended family this Christmas and New Year but at least I have photos to enjoy…

 

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.