Celebrating Katie!

Today is Katie’s birthday and we have a full day of festivities planned. Our day is starting with breakfast at the Queen Mary Tea Room in Seattle.

From the the Queen Mary Tea Room we plan on heading to Seattle Center to see the Chihuly Glass and Garden Exhibit. Sounds like we are getting a lot of rain for Katie’s birthday so time will tell if we will walk through the garden. We might just be able to take in the indoor exhibits. I hope to have photos to share next week. After the Chihuly Glass Museum we have a booking for massages and a sugar foot scrub. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Massage Envy happens to be in the same little center that Padria Mediterranean Cafe is in and we’ll pick up take away for dinner. Dear, Katie and I will be joined by Josh, Laura, my sister Lana and her husband Steve, our nephew Caleb with his new bride, Marie. I haven’t thought about a cake…too bad there isn’t a bakery in the same center. Maybe the Queen Mary will have something nice to take away that can stand in as a cake…thank you for listening while I think out loud!

Since we’ll be gone most of the day there really is no time to prepare for company. My house is still kind of messy from the Christmas festivities so it’s nice to be having family in who probably don’t care about the state of things. At least I’ve convinced myself no one will care…

This next photo was from Katie’s birthday just one year ago…

Happy Birthday Dear Katie!

Hope all is well these last few days of 2013 in your world. Hard to believe we’ll have to be training our fingers to grip that pen and write 2014 instead of 2013 so soon!

Five of Many!

Whoa! It has been weeks and weeks since I participated in Susanne’s Fave Five at Living to Tell the Story and I have nothing but life to blame. Seasons come and seasons go but one thing never changes and remains and for that I am ever so grateful (Hebrews 13:8). Although I haven’t participated I have visited some of your Fives. Today it will be fun to see what all of you have been up to.

My Five Favorite things that I’m thankful for this past week:

1. That our family could get together for a early Thanksgiving celebration this past Saturday and we all got to meet and enjoy our son’s girlfriend.

2. For times together with the family away from our table. We had a nice time out on Sunday for brunch and a wee stroll around Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle.

3. For my faithful “Dear” who continues to work hard in the market place and at home and provides well for our household.

4. For reports we get from Afghanistan when our Son in law, Andrew , makes it back from “Missions” safe and sound.

5. For my pop’s well being since my mom died this past September. After living with your love for 70 years it’s not easy living alone. I enjoy getting the facebook photos from my sister and niece when they take him dinner on a weekly basis. Here’s another facebook photo my sister sent me that makes me smile. This is the first recliner he has ever called his own or chair for that matter. It took 90 years for him to get his favorite chair and Dear and I are so thankful we could buy it and have it delivered from 1200 miles away (the chair wasn’t delivered from that far but the arrangements were made from afar). He called me after it was delivered and said “lyena, when I sat down in the chair I just laughed, I was so happy.”

I think it still has the tags on it in this photo.

Bonus Fave: I’m so thankful that God loves me and sent His son to die in my place so that I can have so much hope for the future no matter what this life throws at me and for everything that comes and goes His love remains and He is the same.

Happy Thanksgiving and Gobble Gobble y’all!

A bonus question if you want to answer it (or are old enough to answer) as I noticed today is November 22nd and 50 years since the day JFK was assassinated. Where were you on that day when you heard the news? Did you know that C.S. Lewis died on this very day, too?

My answer: I was in 8th grade science class at Montebello Junior High in California. Our science teacher gave us the news. It was such a somber sad day at school. Each class we went to there were tears and disbelief and then we all went home and were glued to our televisions. It wasn’t until years later that I learned C.S. Lewis died on this day, too.

Sunday in Seattle…

On Sunday morning we headed to Seattle to have brunch at Palisade on Elliott Bay.

It was very windy and the water was choppy with white caps. We had the sun blinding us and then getting blocked with clouds that the wind whipped through the skies.

The sun kept breaking through so after brunch and our photos in the wind we decided to head to Pike Place Market and see if we could find a parking spot and enjoy the market and all it has to offer.

Our son just sent me this photo so I’m adding it into my post after the fact.

When our parking time was up Dear and I headed home leaving the “kids” to do a little shopping before they joined us at home again. The skies and views tempted me to take photos from the car on the ride home.

We had a wonderful weekend. Dan and Jamie left to go over the pass while it was still early and light on Monday. A very good choice as the weather is worsening with more snow predicted to fall in our passes.

The rest of the week is relatively free for us. The only thing on the books is our small group meeting here on Thursday evening. I’m looking forward to getting things thought through for Christmas. Maybe I’ll even start on our Christmas letter…maybe. Have you started thinking, planning, or buying for Christmas?

August Notecards

For Vee’s August Notecard Party

I’m sharing some shots in the Seattle area from summers past…

August 2011 ~ Josh and Laura at a Sounders Soccer game with Seattle in the background.

2010 Kayaking in Anacortes, Washington with Dear, Josh, Laura, Andrew and Katie.

July 2009 on Lake Washington with Seattle across the lake. Laura and Katie with my niece Debbee between them.

Summer 2008 ~ Canoeing on Lake Washington with Katie. You can rent canoes and rowboats at the University of Washington Waterfront to mess around the lake. “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing-absolutely nothing- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats” ~ Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

The State of Washington is filled with Lakes and Sounds and other water ways to enjoy. It’s no wonder people invest in boats in this area. We live within 2 miles of Lake Washington and one of my favorite walks is along the Sammamish River/Burke Gilman Trails a short drive away. When I’m on the water, I prefer to be able to see the shore. I’m not fond of being out in the middle of the ocean surrounded by water with no land in sight.

Hope you are still enjoying some lazy summer days. I’m hoping to get some lazy days in before summer is over! To see what we’ve been doing this summer that has been anything but lazy, you can scroll down to the post before this one to see our floor project with before and after shots (or just click here).

My Party Ride…

On Tuesday my son called me to say that his company had an extra ticket to the U.S.A. World Cup Qualifier Game against Panama at Century Link Field. He asked me if I’d like to meet up with him and go to the game. What do you think I said!? Yes, thank you. Off I went to a hotel in Bellevue to meet up with the rest of the group. Joshua’s company had reserved a party bus to take everyone across Lake Washington to the stadium. They also had booked a private suite for the game.

Josh was able to represent well with his USA warm-up. He and I were probably the most excited of the bunch to be going to the game. Soccer is a joy for me to watch and I understand that for many it would just make you yawn. We caught the “soccer bug” after going to World Cup games in the U.S.A. in 1994.

It was a beautiful day in Seattle and as we crossed Lake Washington it was fun to see all the sail boats out in force. What fun to just let someone else do the driving.

When we got into the stadium they were handing out complimentary scarves to everyone. We were very excited to receive these!

We headed to the elevators to go up to the Suite Level. I had never been on the Suite level before.

You have to have a ticket that shows a Suite # to be admitted onto this floor.

We looked down to our usual level when we come to a game. Our Club level is pretty sweet, too.

Here it is…Suite 16. We were very happy to see we were not far off from the 50 yard line! Woohoo!

Wow…this is going to be fun and comfortable!

Food and drinks included and 2 private restrooms.

We picked our seats and hung our flag and got ready to cheer the U.S.A. to victory!

The excitement was mounting and I sat ready to enjoy it all.

This is the Centennial year for soccer in the U.S.A. Our Seattle fans are the best and unfurled these banners to celebrate 100 years of history!

#6 Brad Evans and #18 Eddie Johnson are players from our own Sounders Football Club here in Seattle. Brad Evans scored the winning goal for the U.S.A. against Jamaica and Eddie Johnson scored a goal in this game against Panama. We’re proud of our Sounders!

At Half time we took the time to take some posed photos.

What a great group of people from all over the Western States that work for our son’s company. I met folks from Arizona, Utah, California, Idaho, Denver and Washington.

I was able to spot and zoom in on the Space Needle from our suite.

Great views all around. Scoring first made for a wonderful atmosphere in the stadium and the chants “We are going to Brazil” made for a lot of excitement. It’s not a given for a country as large as the U.S.A. to qualify for the World Cup. We won this game with a 2-0 result.

When the game was over we headed down to find The Party Ride bus to take us back to the East side of Lake Washington.

We spotted the Party Ride just where they let us off. There were a lot of people who wished they could hop on that bus with us.

What a great experience for this soccer lover to enjoy with my son. If you ever have a chance to enjoy a game in a suite I would highly recommend it.

The party bus was fun, too. I got home late and was happy to know I had nothing on my calendar until noon on Wednesday. It was nice to just relax the morning after all the fun I had on Tuesday night. Thank you dear son of mine for thinking of your soccer lovin mom! You are the best!

Today is Friday and if the weather is decent I’m headed to Edmonds for their annual Art Festival. I worked hard on Thursday clearing out the free standing cabinets in our kitchen to get ready for the new floors being installed in July. I cleared out our island cabinets as we will have to remove the island completely so the floor can be replaced under it. We have prep work to do before the flooring contractor can come in so I’ll be living with the bare necessities in my kitchen. I told Dear that if I’m too limited we might just have to eat out every night!

I’ve been so sad to see the news about the fires in Colorado. I do hope things come under control soon. Hope all is well where you live.

I’m joining in with The Tablescaper for her meme called “Oh the Places I’ve Been #9” since I’m home alone this week and have time to come and visit all the participants.

Free Them 5K

On Saturday we met up with some of our small group to participate in World Concern’s Free Them 5K, helping build awareness of the worldwide problem with human trafficking.

This year the participants numbered over 2000.

Our son’s company was a large contributor and had a tent on campus with a giveaway. We were sad that Josh could not participate in person this year because of a recreational soccer injury he received earlier in the week that has had him home having to stay off his feet.

Another successful 5K/10K and hopefully our DIL Laura will have a more restful week now that this major responsibility is complete. After the walk Dear and I stopped by Chipotle to order some takeout food to deliver to our injured son and a meal for our DIL to enjoy once she got home from all her responsibilities at the 5K.

Today we are back in a rainy pattern here in the Pacific Northwest. It was fun to get phone calls from my kids one after another today to wish me a Happy Mother’s Day. Flowers showed up at my door today, too.

On another note I got a lead on a high school kid who is trying to earn money for a mission trip so I might get some help with the yard work. I’m happy to pay well for someone earning money for missions. I only have 3 things on my calendar this week…woohoo. How about you?

And That’s A Wrap!

Another busy day for Lovella and this time Kathy is joining her for an morning interview on Global BC News . Click on the link to see the interview.

Steve Darling will be interviewing them on the 9-10 am hour. Lovella has been on a nonstop schedule for more than a couple weeks now and I’d just like to ask for some prayer for her especially as the week winds down with this interview. So if you are a person of prayer that would be really appreciated.

Anneliese and Lovella just got back from Toronto where they had an interview on 100 Huntley Street that will be aired today. Click on the link to see the interview.

All the B.C. girls were also busy last night doing a presentation at Sardis Fellowship Baptist for their Spring Tea.

I’ve had it easy this week for sure compared to the rest of the girls. But I am missing stuff like this…

I keep looking on the kitchen counter to see if someone left platters of food out for me. These platters were from our Sunday evening Faspa last weekend at Lovella’s where lo and behold these old gals showed up again…

We’re going to have to find out who keeps tipping them off as to where we are celebrating!!

Have a wonderful Friday everyone.

Today I’m headed to a WOW luncheon at my church where I get to hear an old friend from my first church in the Seattle area. She’s speaking on Laughter and Gratitude. Tomorrow Dear and I are participating in World Concern’s Free them 5K to help raise awareness about Human Trafficking. Our DIL is part of a team that has worked tirelessly this week to make this event a success.

Hope your weekend is filled with laughter and gratitude!!

Celebrating Sixty Two!

This year we celebrated my birthday on two different continents and 2 states! We arrived in Milan on my birthday but after being airborne for many hours and arriving in Amsterdam and then Milan, Italy I had to be reminded it was my day. After we arrived back to Seattle our oldest and our lovely DIL decided we should head out to celebrate after the fact.

Josh and Laura picked a restaurant for brunch in Seattle close to Queen Anne Hill. They offered several great dishes to choose from.

The name of the restaurant was Toulouse Petit Kitchen and Lounge. There was a long line up but it was worth the wait.

This is the front door to the restaurant. I’m not sure what the story of the cross in the door is. I like it!

We headed to Kerry Park after brunch to get a view of Seattle from above.

Someone was blowing bubbles at the park and I was happy to catch this one on the bottom of the photo!

Before my birthday we celebrated a wee bit early with my family in Southern California along with celebrating Katie and Andrew’s 2nd Anniversary at Julienne in San Marino.

This is my brother Steve with Katie and me.

My nephew Joe, nieces Michelle and Melissa, and grand nephew Jack.

Katie, niece Debbee, and Laura.

My sister Kathy. My sister in law Kelly and grand niece Avery were at breakfast, too, but I failed to capture them in a photo.

Here’s what my kids ordered for my birthday gift …

They delivered it to me on Easter. I thought that was so appropriate bringing our celebrations full circle from the birth of Christ to His death and resurrection. Now my nativity scene with Wee Forest Folk is complete except for one wise man.

We are looking forward to a weekend of celebrating with friends at a wedding on Saturday evening and a breakfast on Sunday. What do you have planned?

Tour of Seattle…

…on a blustery day!

The wind and rain limited my camera from clicking much outdoors. We were again blessed with a parking spot right at the Market! Amazing! My cousin and his wife who happens to be my best friend from college are in Seattle and I tried to give them my hallmark tour but we just had to go with the flow. While at the Market we went down the steps to the famous “Gum Wall”.

It can be a little overwhelming for newcomers! Jim and Jeanie were good sports.

Jim wanted to enjoy the abundance of our seafood choices and ordered a crab cocktail to enjoy while we walked around the stalls in the Market.

When in Seattle it’s a good idea to enjoy our bounty!

Katie joined us on our tour, too. Our last stop downtown would be Boka for Happy Hour where we would meet Dear when he was done with work.

I’m grateful that Dear is willing to work hard while I gallivant about the town. We love to meet up after work for him to enjoy a good ending to the day.

Father and daughter time is always good along with some good food!

We have lots of good history with Jim and Jeanie. Jim, Jeanie and I all graduated together from Cal State Los Angeles in 1972. Jeanie and I both graduated with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Home Economics. We both completed a 5th year to receive our Teaching Credential. Jim and Jeanie were married the same year Dear and I were married. We’ve had lots of celebrations together. We lived in Huntington Beach together as newlyweds and attended the same church. Their 3 kids were born in the same years our kids were born at different ends of the year.

Our Seattle tour was on Friday afternoon. I’ll be sharing our Saturday tour on Whidbey Island soon. Today we attended church together with a great celebration of Missions around the world and in our neighborhoods. Good times and good memories continue. A great afternoon of re-kindling our memories of fun playing Rook together so many years ago…

Hope you had a good weekend!

Chirp, Chirp…

Some of you might be tired of seeing food photos so I’m chirping in to say we are busy here with some out of towners. My camera cord for my computer is in their bedroom and they are sleeping so I can’t show you a few photos from our gallivanting. We might be going to an island today and not the sunny tropical variety.

Hope your weekend is going smoothly. I’m thinking of our bloggy friends in the path of the latest greatest storm and hoping all is well with you!

It’s probably time to refill the bird feeder! Blessings!

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Tag Archives: Seattle