Weekend Roundup F

Starts with “F.”  A Favorite.  Free. It’s time for Tom’s Weekend Roundup!

Starts with “F”:

Flamingo fanning out it’s wings with a foto bombing pigeon.

A Favorite:

Our forty year old son is a favorite.

Free:

Free from sorrow. Free from pain. Our pop’s funeral.

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” …”So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Jesus

And because it’s February and next week is Valentine’s Day…

We have a free weekend that we will enjoy while watching snow fall.

January Recap in Mosaics

January was packed with important celebrations and family time. I’m adding some photos and mosaics here for the sake of my memories that might be redundant to you. I’ll be linking up with Angie for Mosaic Monday. Thanks for hosting, Angie. Be forewarned that this post is overloaded with photos.

We celebrated three family birthdays in January. Dan and Jamie both had birthdays a day apart and we enjoyed dinner at our country bungalow in celebration of their birthdays.

Our oldest had a milestone birthday and his office celebrated him well along with other family and friends on the west side of the Cascades. We gave him his gifts early at Christmas and added a gift when we all gathered in Arizona 5 days after his birthday.

We handed down grandfather Rex’s Bible to Josh while we were in Arizona.

Thursday January 24th was travel day to Arizona for most of us. Josh and Laura were at the house already working nonstop to furnish it for our arrival. Friday started with some work on putting furniture together and then was Zoo/Old Town Scottsdale day. Saturday was shopping/work day, cousin/nephew-niece dinner. We broke in the new barbecue. Sunday was staging/photo and lunch/park and puzzle day. Josh and Laura flew home on Sunday. Monday morning Katie and Andrew flew home and then Addy’s Great Granny and Jim drove up to have lunch with us. (Photo Fail) They are snow birding in Arizona until March. Tuesday was our travel day flying back to our snow covered world.

8 adults to 1 child at the park. I don’t know how one person can manage a child in a busy park!

We were all happy to get a good dose of Vitamin D.

And the contrast of what we returned home to…

Our kids on the westside returned home to this…

Helping one another get Andrew and Katie’s home ready to move into.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 (ESV)

Click on  Airbnb to see the listing for this beautiful property in Surprise, Arizona. We highly recommend it.

Today we still have snow on the ground and are getting a weather warning for very cold temperatures overnight. The sun is breaking through the clouds. The Puget Sound area of Washington got a good snowfall overnight. Our kids on the west side of the mountains measured 7 inches this morning which means everything will come to a stand still in the Seattle area. Katie and Andrew moved into their new home over the weekend just in time to be snowed in. Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

 

All Creatures…

…great and small. Our Lord God made them all. Last Friday, while we were in Arizona, we took a trip to the Phoenix Zoo. The weather was in the 70’s and very pleasant. This post will take the place of my Quotes of the Week.

We waited a long time to see one of the three elephants the zoo has in residence.

And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”  So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:20-21

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:24-25

Psalm 104:10-12, You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.

 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? Matthew 6:25-27

While we were looking at the giraffes in the distance behind a low fence this hummingbird came right up to the plant next to us and I was able to take a lot of photos while our heavenly father provided food for it.

Laura captured the photo of the sun beaming down on Jamie right on our developing grandson who is due in April.

For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13 (ESV)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:26-27

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.

Psalm 139:14

With thankful hearts we left the zoo and headed to Old Scottsdale to have another walk about and find a spot for dinner.

Strikingly Different

We left Arizona yesterday flying into Spokane and were met with the striking difference in temperatures. This morning we started out at 12 degrees here in Colville. We’ve warmed up to 14 while I’m typing this. Today will be a catchup day for me. I’m behind with emails, blog visits and laundry. The photo of the sweet hummingbird was taken during our time at the Phoenix Zoo enjoying the 70 degree weather. We soaked it in and I’ll be posting more from Arizona after I catch my breath.

To those of you who are experiencing the deep freeze stay safe and warm!

Desert Doings…

Our family has been enjoying a work vacation in Arizona with play breaks.

 

We enjoyed a couple hours at the zoo and Addy got a nap in.

After the zoo we went to Old Town Scottsdale and enjoyed dinner there.

 

 

Our kids’ cousins were in Arizona for the weekend and drove over for dinner on Saturday night.

On Sunday we had a meal together and time at the park before Josh and Laura headed home to Seattle.

We all got a good dose of Vitamin D today! We’ll be back to the land of slippery snow soon enough.

Time for a little rest now.