Tag Archives: World Cup 2026

Simple Joys

It is the sweetest experience to be doing my regular shopping in town and having these two find me in the store with a big hug! Simple but a very special joy for me.

It is also so sweet to enjoy flowers that pop up year after year that I had no hand in planting!

We had a wild thunderstorm come through on Friday morning! We had lightning and thunder and a good soaking of our planters. I’m happy when God does the watering for me!

During our heat wave which is continuing this week it was a good exercise to finish this summertime puzzle.

On Saturday afternoon, JJ had a Taekwondo exhibition at Yep Kanum Park.

It was time for the Yep Kanum Park Celebration in Colville, the celebration will bring neighbors and visitors together from July 17-19, 2026, for a vibrant weekend of activities. Attendees can enjoy live music performances, local artisan markets, food vendors, and family-friendly events. This year’s celebration promises to be a wonderful celebration including performances by musicians, local artists, a classic car show, a youth baseball tournament, a pickleball tournament, and plenty of entertainment for all ages.

JJ gave a demonstration of his kick that split the wood in two. I have a video of that but I’m not able to share it here.

On Sunday after church we enjoyed the finale of the World Cup with Spain defeating Argentina. I’m one who has enjoyed every World Cup soccer game despite the teams I was cheering for coming up short. We were rooting for Spain in the end and were happy for their accomplishment.

I’ve been following ‘Drew Cooks‘ on Facebook and we enjoyed two of his recipes on Sunday.

Blueberry biscuits were very good. We also enjoyed chicken thighs in the crockpot with a soy sauce, brown sugar, green onion, garlic, and ginger. Delicious!

Our area is experiencing wild fires with smoke making our outdoor spaces unhealthy. We can identify with those of you on the east coast experiencing smoky skies and hard to breathe air. Praying for our firefighters!

Last and least, it is always fun to spot these frogs in our yard, as long as they stay in the yard!

How was your weekend and what does this new week hold for you?

Young and Old Hodgepodge

It it’s Wednesday it must be time for Wednesday Hodgepodge

Thank you to Joyce for supplying the questions each week.

1. What’s something you enjoy now that your younger self would never have appreciated? 

Being able to climb into bed earlier in the evening, calling it a day before 9pm.

2. What was peaceful about today? 

There is nothing on the calendar or to do list for today and we had already planned on eating out today so we’ll enjoy what the day brings and then being served a meal.

3. It’s National Blueberry Day (July 8). Will you celebrate?  You can have one of the following right now-a slice of blueberry pie, a warm blueberry muffin, or a stack of blueberry pancakes…which do you choose?

I do have fresh blueberries in the refrigerator. Time will tell if I manage to bake some blueberry muffins on this very hot day.

This or that-blueberries or raspberries?

Raspberries

Blueberries or strawberries? 

Strawberries

4. Do you need a break? From what? 

I don’t need a break from anything but I could use some help in trying to get on top of our weeds.

5. What has surprised you most about getting older? 

So much…

How hard it is to roll over in bed these days

How hard it is to get up off the floor

How quickly the wrinkles are forming

How hard it is to lose weight.

Now some positive surprises…

The wonderful freedom of travel.

How we can survive on one meal a day.

Good medical care w/o paying a fortune.

Cell phones and the internet and GPS!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our sons were able to attend the USA v Belgium game on Monday in Seattle. Even though the game was not the best that the US has played it was amazing for them to enjoy the World Cup Excitement together. One of the highlights of their day was getting Alexi Lalas’s attention so he could see a photo of the three of them from the 1994 World Cup and then for him to take a 2026 photo with them!

1994

2026

It was a wonderful treat for the two of them to spend this time together at this international event in their own backyard!

I’ll still be watching every game until the end to see who wins World Cup in 2026!

Puzzle Me World Cup

Josh and Laura gifted me this puzzle on their last visit and it was a fun one to put together during World Cup Fever here in the USA/Canada/Mexico and the world!

The World Cup posters for each city hosting games are so clever.

Seattle

Boston

Atlanta

Miami

Vancouver

Houston

Dallas

Los Angeles and more…Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterey, Toronto, Philadelphia, Kansas City, San Francisco, and New Jersey.

The USA played Australia yesterday in Seattle and Josh and Laura were able to be there and enjoy all the glory of World Cup Fever with a 2-0 win for the USA. From the fan excitement in the stadium, the patriotic clothes and costumes worn (Uncle Sam, Eagles, Lincoln etc.), 60,000 people singing the National Anthem the cheering was deafening. And then when the game was over the whole stadium sang ‘Country Roads, Take Me Home’. It was a blast of energy that was so refreshing to see and hear!

What a joy to vicariously enjoy being at the game with these two!

Hope all is well in your corner of World Cup Soccer and that your team is performing well!

Life is Blooming Hodgepodge

It is once again time for Wednesday Hodgepodge with thanks to Joyce From This Side of the Pond. 

1.  How would you define ‘the good life’? 

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7

2.  What’s the most used app on your phone (and are you proud of that)? 

(WhatsApp) It is the app we use with the Mennonite Girls and also with our immediate family. It is easier to send videos and photos with this app than with text messages.

I’m proud of myself when I figure out how to use any app!!

3. ‘Every rose has it’s thorn’, ‘everything’s coming up roses’, ‘looking through rose-colored glasses’, ‘it’s no bed of roses’ or ‘stop and smell the roses’…which rose idiom best relates to something in your life currently. Explain. 

‘everything’s coming up roses’ (or peonies)

It’s a busy and good time of year with so much happening all at the same time including flowers blooming on our property. We’ve had performances, visitors, events, meals in, meals out, preparations for a community garage sale this coming weekend. Life is blooming!!

4. How do you feel about floral flavorings in food or drink (rose, hibiscus, elderflower, lavender)? 

No, thank you. Elderflower has been acceptable in the past.

5. Over the course of your life what have you probably spent more time pondering than anything else? 

This is a tough one. It is not my habit to be introspective. I know I’ve laid awake at night pondering things but it has been a variety of things over the course of my life.

When I was young I remember pondering whether my parents would die and being sad about that prospect. They did die but not until they were in their 90’s so that was a waste of emotions.

In my teen years I probably pondered too much about myself and whether people or certain boys liked me. That was a waste of time and emotions, too.

I’ve spent a lot of time pondering what to make for dinner.

I’ve also spent a lot of time pondering what to do and see on any given trip we’ve enjoyed over the years.

In my older years, I’ve pondered how and why friends that I used to worship Christ with and who I’ve served Christ with have walked away in disobedience to His Word and how they have embraced the world and the ways and philosophy of this world.

Right now I’m pondering what else I should try to get rid of at the garage sale this Thursday/Friday/Saturday.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The 2026 World Cup begins tomorrow. I’m excited and have set our DVR to record many of the games. We were at the last World Cup in the USA in 1994. This Cup I’ll be watching from home. Josh and Laura will be attending the USA v. Australia game in Seattle a week from this Friday!

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Dan and I were able to attend the Brazil v. Cameroon game at Stanford in 1994.

We have great memories from the ’94 World Cup and I’ll share more on another day. In between games, I’ll be working on the new 2026 World Cup puzzle our Josh and Laura gifted me.

Soccer or Futbol Quotes

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It’s no secret that we have soccer/futbol fans in our family and I’m one of them. We are excited for World Cup 2026 here in the USA/Mexico/Canada.

This is a collection of Soccer Commentators comments during games in the past in honor of World Cup 2026. The photos are from games through the years from our travels and at home.  Some are from World Cup 1994 which was the last time and first time World Cup was hosted by the USA. This post is very random and jumps around near and far and wherever soccer/futbol has taken us.

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“He’s already written his name in lights here”

“That was a chance to put the game to bed”
“That goal keeper is a mere spectator” “It’s one way traffic at the moment”

“Every road is a cul de sac at the moment” ~ Ian Darke announcer for the Slovenia/USA game.

“England is running around like flies at the moment”

“He is a new name among the old soldiers”
“The giants can be knocked out by the minnows!!”
“Suarez, next time you get hungry take a bite of a Big Mac”
Quote of the match: “His ears look quite normal.” :0)
another great one…”couple years past their sell by date in the premier league” :0)
“So many of these players now on the wrong side of 30” Adrian Healey
“It really is keystone cops stuff here”
“The last drop of the drink in the last chance saloon”
“The North Koreans are a toughish nut to crack”
“The ball got smuggled away”
“So many of these passes going astray”
“Made rather a mess of it”
“Events conspiring against them”
“They need a win to tie up an almighty knot”
“That tall beanpole striker”
“Over the bar with a goal gaping at her”
“Columbia just had a sniff of something”
“Solo could have brought a portable TV and watched her favorite Film”
“Like a hot knife through butter!” I love Arlo White!
“A slender advantage”
“The cruelty of sport” nice way to describe the own goal…
A sport announcer’s most stupid statement of all time “It’s going to come down to who wants it more” As if one or the other team doesn’t want to win. It’s going to come down to a lot of factors in the run of play but there’s not anyone on the field who wants to lose! And that’s my personal opinion. Thanks for letting me vent!
“He was the meat in that sandwich” ~ English Premier League soccer announcer. The meat in this challenge happened to be the ref! He’s still down on the pitch…

USA-Panama3Go U.S.A.!

Vámonos!