Before the Fires…

We were celebrating just across the water from where the Boyds Fire would start one week later. You never know what a day may hold.

Love this photo of our sweet Addy looking up at her Great Granny and Great Uncle Scott.

We have made trips back and forth across the Cascade Mountain Range from Western Washington to Northeastern Washington for every weekend in August. We know the route along I-90 and Highway 395 North like the back of our hands. Since the Boyds fire and other fires in Washington State and British Columbia started the skies have been smoke filled and unhealthy to very hazardous. This weekend was no exception. We left for Colville early Saturday morning and the skies were smoke filled from Seattle to Colville, 350 miles of smoke filled skies. It is disheartening to say the least. On our way back to the Seattle area on Sunday we started with very smoke filled skies in Colville to Spokane and then traveling west we had relief. We had rain on Snoqualmie Pass which was a blessing to experience. Here in the Seattle area the air is clear again and we’ve enjoyed some light rain.

We will be making the round trip again on Labor Day Weekend. Still praying and hoping the fires will be contained and that Northeastern Washington will experience their beautiful clear skies again soon. Looking forward to future weekends when we can stay put!

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Back in the Big City

Before we headed west again over the Cascade mountains we enjoyed a lovely casual outdoor wedding in Kettle Falls, Washington. Beautiful weather, beautiful views and great food and friends gathering together in a plush yard overlooking the Columbia River.

These are the bride’s great granddaughters who include our granddaughter, Addy.

We have not been successful in finding a home yet but we are not losing hope. We are tired and hope to regroup soon.

We miss this kind of traffic already…

Hope you are all enjoying your environs!

Lift, Pinch, Swipe, Nick…

…is what this post is all about. The following photo collages from Dan and Jamie’s wedding day were nicked from my sister, nieces, or whoever shared them on Facebook!

Thank you Melissa!

Thank you Lana!

Thank you Michelle!

Our family on the top and our nieces on Dear’s side in the bottom shot, too.

My brothers and sisters.

I will be sharing more individual shots from the wedding that I managed to take on another day. We are still celebrating here at this old house with family. It’s still really hot! Yesterday a few of us went canoeing on Lake Washington. Fifteen of us enjoyed Tequila Tuesday at Dear and my Mexican haunt. We came home to watch the U.S.A. women win their World Cup Game against Germany and then despite the heat lit a fire so the kids could make s’mores! The fun continues…

Shine Thou Upon Us Lord ~ Hymn

Shine Thou Upon Us Lord

Shine Thou upon us, Lord, true Light of men, today,
And through the written Word Thy very self display,
That so from hearts which burn with gazing on Thy face
Thy little ones may learn the wonders of Thy grace.

Breathe Thou upon us, Lord, Thy Spirit’s living flame,
That so with one accord our lips may tell Thy Name.
Give Thou the hearing ear, fix Thou the wandering thought,
That those we teach may hear the great things Thou hast wrought.

Speak Thou for us, O Lord, in all we say of Thee;
According to Thy Word let all our teaching be,
That so Thy lambs may know their own true Shepherd’s voice,
Where’er He leads them go, and in His love rejoice.

Live Thou within us, Lord, Thy mind and will be ours;
Be Thou beloved, adored, and served with all our powers,
That so our lives may teach Thy children what Thou art,
And plead, by more than speech, for Thee with every heart.

Words: John Ellerton, 1889.

Wedding Countdown!

This is wedding week and we are in the midst of all the last minute preparations leading up to the main event on Saturday! If you come by here in the meantime send a little prayer to our gracious Father for His blessing on all the events and travel involved. Thank you very much!

Wondering…

The name I chose for my blog waaaayyyy back in 2007 is The Happy Wonderer.

Wonder:

noun 1. a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.

verb 1. desire or be curious to know something. 2. feel admiration and amazement; marvel.

Wonder is something I experience a lot in both the noun form and verb form. I’m happy to be a Wonderer.

Right now I’m wondering how everything will fit together for the upcoming wedding in just 11 day! We are waiting for the good times we’ll have with friends and family around this wonderful event.

Waiting for good meals and time together out on our deck after the wedding when company from hither and yon will linger on.

Soon this view is going to change as we are into another project at this old house to give us a little more privacy when we are on the deck. It won’t be until after the wedding that I’ll be able to share the photos of the latest do it yourself project!

Linking up with ABC Wednesday which was started by Mrs. Nesbitt and carried on by Roger and the ABC team! Thank you.

W is for wonder, wonderer, wondering, wonderful, waiting, and the wedding. Oh I should have showed you the Western boots that will play a huge part in the wedding, too.

Forty Years and Counting…

December – When December’s snows fall fast, marry and your love will last.

Today Dear and I are celebrating the day we got married forty years ago. We were married on a Friday evening in Southern California.

I love this photo of my dear maternal grandmother and me. She was a gem.

My grandmother, my mom and me.

Our sweet and oldest niece was at our wedding.

My paternal grandparents came to the wedding, too. This was not a given and we were pleased that they came.

This is Dear’s paternal grandmother and she was not able to travel to the wedding but she visited us in our first apartment.

Out of order but this is a photo from the rehearsal for the wedding.

Here we are heading off to our honeymoon.

As my dear old Pop would say we are so thankful to God for all He “did to us” these forty years! “Thank you God for what you did to us” was my pop’s prayer. He has given us peace and joy through the hard times and good times. He continues to lay His hand upon us and lead us beside still waters. We already had a wonderful anniversary celebration in England in July but that doesn’t stop us from continuing our celebration today. We are headed to a little town north of us to enjoy dinner at a restaurant we enjoy on our actual anniversary day! We trust God for the future of our marriage.

Gatherning the Moments ~ June

Looking back at June and all that took place around this old house and beyond.

I’m joining Cheryl at Thinking About Home for Gathering the Moments.

Trees came down, firewood cut, patio covers went up, peonies bloomed and were enjoyed, hydrangeas just started to color.

Main floor bathroom renovations began with the gutting process, removing everything to the studs and car deck, adding a new window, adding recessed lights and a fan/heater, replacing the ceiling dry wall.

Visitors came from the South and visitors came from the North. Tours commenced. The Market, Kerry Park, the Troll, Ballard Locks, Ste Michelle Winery, Whidbey Island, Queen Mary Tea Room, and University Village just to name a few destinations visited.

Celebrations in June included a retirement, combined Mother’s Day/Father’s Day dinner, and a wedding in the Portland area.

World Cup fever began and continues!

It’s been a while since I shared a photo of my dear old Pop on my blog. Most every week my sister Lana and niece Melissa join him for dinner at his apartment. This last week my niece Debbee and sister Kathy joined in the fun, too. They are getting real good at taking these selfies. My pop still has his ups and downs with his loneliness but he can still move around well and gets out to his church services and a Bible Study weekly. I appreciate seeing the weekly photos on Facebook since I live so far away…

I have to say that June just flew by this year. July holds many new adventures for us. We are looking forward to a trip to England to celebrate our 40 years of marriage, and when we get back the Bathroom renovation will be completed. What are you looking forward to in July?

Showers of Blessings

Dear and I were up very early on Saturday morning to drive about 3 hours to Nate and Abbie’s wedding at Bridal Veil Lakes in Corbett, Oregon. The setting is east of Portland close to the Columbia River. Umbrellas were a needed accessory for the day. The bride and groom were not bothered by the rain or if they were their faces never showed any concern.

A Beautiful tree canopy led the way to the wedding venue.

Guests were reminded that the wedding venue was outdoors and that because it was in the Pacific Northwest rain was very possible and to be prepared.

The private road to the wedding venue.

This is the mother of the groom, Heidi, with her daughter Nicole. Heidi and I were best buddies in my college years and into our early married years. When Nicole and her brother Nathan were very little they lived across the street from us. This next photo is of Heidi, Nicole, and Nate back in 1984 in Huntington Beach, California where we all lived.

The walkway to the wedding ceremony site. The wedding was at eleven a.m. with a brunch reception following the ceremony.

The setting was so beautiful and peaceful.

The showers would come and go throughout the duration of the wedding and reception.

My cousins arrived via a shuttle bus from the hotel where most of the wedding party and guests were staying. These are two of the couples that we are sharing 40th wedding anniversary celebrations with this year!

Time for the groom, Nathan, to escort his mom and dad to their seats.

Nate’s sister Nicole is due with her and Jason’s 2nd little boy in a month.

Here comes the ring bearer in the wagon with his dad, Jason. Little E. is Jason and Nicole’s firstborn. He was looking dapper in his little suit. Wonder how he’ll react to his baby brother coming soon?

Here comes the beautiful bride, Abigail.

The groom.

The bride’s grandfather and father performed the ceremony.

Parents of the groom trying to stay dry eyed.

Man and Wife

At the reception we were seated with my cousins and their spouses.

Dear was sporting one of his father Rex’s Bolo ties. Fun memories. Maybe he’ll start a new trend.

The wedding cake was actually wedding doughnuts that were provided by a well known shop in the Portland area.

As we were leaving I caught the groom rowing his bride away.

One thing was true for this day, rain or shine Nate and Abbie would be married and start their new life together. They were showered with blessings and we pray that God will shower their marriage with love and stability and longevity!

Ranch Hospitality…

When you have a wedding on a Ranch/Blueberry Farm you have to consider some extra comfort items you need to bring in…like generators to provide electricity, fancy honey buckets, and special lighting.

The drive up the coast beyond Santa Barbara was lovely with lots of views of the Pacific Ocean. The wedding venue was 16 miles beyond our first beach camping experience with our family back in 1984, Refugio State Beach.

Each table had a book by a favorite author of Caleb and Marie. Each guest found a library card on file at the guest book table to see what book and author they should look for to see where they were to be seated.

I was happy to see that our table was Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment. There were a few more Russians at our table!

Here’s the table where we found our library cards and were able to sign the guest book. They had photos of the parents and grandparents on their wedding days. Sweet!

There were a few tables that I would have been very comfortable at.

They had a special coloring book for the younger guests with crayons at the tables where they would be sitting.

Blueberry Jam for each family to take home to remember the special wedding at the Blueberry Farm.

Just in case you doubted whether or not we were on a working ranch here come the cows and the horses!

After the sun set and on our way out of the ranch we stopped on a section of the road to look up. The sky were amazing with a view of stars I haven’t been able to see in a very long time. Wish I could have gotten a photo of it.

I am happy to announce that we were able to get both our cars in the garage again. That means we have everything out of the garage and back in the house in it’s new or old spot. Such a good feeling. Dear still has touch up and baseboard work to do along with closet shelving and organizing.

What’s happening for you this weekend?

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Tag Archives: Wedding