Last Sunday we enjoyed a sunny and warm day. We had a great meal and time together before the Sounders opener and the Sounders won big.
This Sunday we’ve had nonstop rain with no sun shining through and the Sounders lost their game last night. Boohoo. Today we had a great church service and we are meeting the kids in downtown Seattle to enjoy a meal and Irish Music at Fado (Irish Pub). That’s sunshine of another kind…
How was your weekend?
What a wonderful Wednesday this is for our family. We woke up to news from Kiev that finally all the papers and legal documents were in order and my dear Sister-in-law will be traveling home with their new son, our new nephew ( the initial trip to the Ukraine and applying for the legal papers was at the beginning of July). My brother Leonard and niece Hope are anxiously waiting for that plane to land later this week with Mandy and Andrew on it. Home at last and a forever family for little Andrew (5 yrs. old). Hope met her new little brother during the initial trip in July. When I get the OK, I’ll post a photo of their family. We are thanking the Lord for his love and care in this grueling process which started way earlier than July…
More good things happening here…
Last night we got together to celebrate Josh and Laura’s 13th wedding anniversary. Josh and Laura are a wonderful couple and such a blessing to our family, Laura’s family and friends.
We are really enjoying the fact that for the first time since they got married Katie and Andrew are living in the Seattle Area.
We are also grateful to God for watching over our son Dan on an assignment away from his home for a month. He’s back home now safe and sound and we rejoice with that news. So all of our children are in the state of Washington for now. Very good news.
On Sunday Dear and I were at a local elementary school getting it spruced up for the coming year. Dear was spreading bark and I was suppose to help a teacher in her classroom along with a couple other volunteers. When I got to the classroom two young ladies walked up with their name tags on and I was surprised to see the name Ellen on one of them. I do not encounter many other gals named Ellen. The other Ellen commented “No way, I never meet Ellen’s” and then she said, “We have the same t-shirt on, no way!” These were t-shirts from a 5k “Stop Human Trafficking event from 2 years ago. Well at that point we decided we needed to document this strange occurrence in both of our lives!
Fun times!
Another fun random thing is that our Seattle Sounders Soccer Team is celebrating their 40th Anniversary this year just like Dear and I. 
Yep! I bought Dear a t-shirt with this logo on it just because…
This is my happy day, happy post with so many things that are making me rejoice. What’s giving you a reason to rejoice today?
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:4-8 ESV
…in my little corner of the world!
After 4 weeks of my new season of restraint I’m friends with my scale again.
One more quarter of a pound and I will have lost 10 pounds!! Yes, when you need to lose weight you count fractions of pounds lost. I still have a way to go but I don’t cringe when I step on the scale anymore. That’s a good thing. Maybe in another 4 weeks I’ll report my progress again.
Before I go I wanted to share this photo of Josh and Laura at the last Sounders game we went to together.
Love these kids of ours! Love all our kids but I don’t have current photos of the others…
Today (Monday) I made borsch and I’ll share my method with new photos tomorrow. We always joke around our house that I am inspired to make soup on the hottest days of the year. Today wasn’t the hottest but it is warm again. We are still dry and will be for a while longer which means I have to keep watering.
Update on my mom: My mom’s MRI confirms the fact that she had a small stroke in the back of her brain. She will probably be able to go home tomorrow. Thanks so much for your concern and prayers for my mom. I so appreciate my blogging friends!!
Not only is it Friday again but we are officially in our Fall Season. There are some things that do not change with the seasons and one of those things is the need to show our gratitude or to think on the good things in our lives. Thank you to Susanne for hosting Friday’s Fave Five!
1. Last Saturday our son picked me up for the Seattle Sounders Soccer game against D.C. United. Not only did we win big but we managed to get our hands on a couple free Sounders lunch boxes. They were handing these out to all the kids that came to the game. At half-time when they had boxes left over they let us oldies have one, too, until they ran out.
2. On Sunday after a great church service we went to a Welcome to the Family meeting for new members at church. We are so grateful to finally settle into a home church that is a good fit for us and so close to home. This church is the closest to us in 40+ years of church going…
3. Although Dear and Katie passed along a sick bug to me my bug was very mild and I was feeling well after just a couple days.
4. Katie and I went shopping for wedding jewelery and came up with some great pieces to go with her dress and the price was right.
5. I was grateful for the fresh herbs on my deck that added wonderful flavor to dishes this week. It’s great to just go out and snip the herbs rather than go to the store and pay too much for them.
Hope you are all having a great transition to Fall. I still have to get out and about and see if I can find some great fall color.
Yesterday at the Seattle Sounders Soccer game there were these little flags placed in every cupholder in the stadium. From the 9th minute of the game until the 11th minute of the game everyone in the stadium raised their flag in tribute to all the lives lost 10 years ago today. A chant started around the stadium U-S-A, U-S-A. It was a moving tribute. When the game was over I was surprised at how many of the little flags were just left behind. Our son Josh and I picked up about 100 of them. This morning I placed them on our fence along with pleated fans. Our flag is also flying at half staff. It’s true that all of us who were alive that day will never forget the images we saw.
A Psalm of David. Psalm 23 (ESV)
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for hisname’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
I’m linking up today with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.
FYI: There are some of your blogger blogs where I am unable to comment. When I try it sends me to a page that says that I’m denied access to your blog. If in the near past you had comments from me on your blog but all of a sudden I’m absent…this is why.
A time to remember some good things that have happened in the last week. What are your favorites. Visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in this worthwhile activity.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17 (ESV).
On Thursday morning I had one of those times of overwhelming thankfulness to God for what He has done and continues to do in my life and the lives of those around me.
1. I was given the gift of appreciation of old friends who have been in our lives for years. Several of these friends came to our house on Sunday to celebrate our daughter Katie’s engagement to Andrew. Then on Tuesday night some young long time friends and I sat together at the U.S. Open Cup Final and enjoyed the excitement of winning the game with high fives all around and hilarious stories during our ride to the game and back home.
2. Our son Dan is really close to completing his time of training and will return to Washington State to his own space and regular work environment next month. God has been gracious to him and given him a gift of a job that he is really cut out for. During his time away he has been protected and safe and I am so thankful to God for that.
3. On Sunday morning as I was preparing for the open house we were having for Katie and Andrew’s engagement I listened to my daughter singing praises to God in the shower. I walked into the guest room and said to Andrew “Thank you Andrew for rescuing my daughter from her old boyfriend” My daughter had lost her joy in that past relationship and her personality was altered from her usual bright and positive self. I am so thankful to God for sending Andrew into Katie’s life and for the fact that they bring out the best in each other.
4. Our son Josh started a new job this week. He was pursued by a company that recognized his skills and work ethic. I thank God for the gift of this new job for Josh. I also thank God for Josh and Laura’s relationship and how they support each other. This was a bonus week for me because I got to enjoy two winning Sounders games with Josh and Laura! Whoohoo!
5. I’m thankful for my “Dear” who gives me the freedom to pursue and enjoy adventures in life. Many of the adventures we enjoy together but he’s man enough to let me go off on adventures without him, too. I’m more of a sports fan then he is and our relationship can manage that reality. He is a great provider and works hard so that I can spend his money. He is faithful to me and our family and I do not take that for granted. God has been good to us in giving us a trusting relationship. Greg is a man of integrity and our children recognize that and have been positively effected by that.
Yes my cup is full to overflowing this week.
And on a “lighter” note I sure wish I weighed what I weighed in that last photo taken with Dear in Edinburgh almost 5 years ago. :0)
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.
It was so much fun being with these long time friends at Qwest field in Seattle last night watching our Seattle Sounders Soccer team win their 2nd U.S. Cup trophy! This is the first time a team has one a back to back U.S. Cup championship. The night was perfect weather wise and the crowd was electric like our Sounder’s jerseys.
Congratulations Seattle Sounders F.C.!
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.
It’s time to visit Sally at Smiling Sally and show your blue!
At the Sounders game on Saturday the men and women of the Armed Forces were honored! It was a privilege to give them a standing ovation.
The game started at noon so we met up at Voulas Offshore Cafe for some brunch before the game. Guy Fiere had recently made a visit here so it was more crowded then usual.
I decided on the Pinata Benedict and it filled me up for the whole day!
Hope you all have a great week. It’s hard to believe May is almost over.
Happy Victoria Day to all my Canadian friends!
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.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 