Great job, Jocelyn!

This past week I watched Jocelyn's testing for the advanced yellow belt in taekwondo (green stripe). She absolutely loves going to these classes & her instructors say she has the potential to take this to competition level. I went with her a few times to a fitness class and noticed I wasn't exactly in their league. Nothing wrong with trying to keep up with others as far as fitness goes... (I did say "try")

A new week...

This past Saturday was a very beautiful day - actually we've had quite a few lovely Spring days which is partly why I haven't blogged. I've spent a bit of time in the gardens - just enough to make things look cared for and enough to make me think about what's going into my vegetable garden this year. These photos are of my camelia bush by my front door. My Mom bought this for me a number of years ago and each year it looks like this. I only wish the flowers would stay longer - depending on whether it rains or not the flowers turn brown on the edges & start falling off. I was able to pick enough of a variety of flowers from my garden to make my first bouquet for the house. Isn't it beautiful?

This past week was busy. Henry was in Winnipeg for business and I started volunteering at Paul Aker's for US Senate campaign office. Check here for more information - it's been an amazing experience so far. I'll keep you posted - in the meantime check out his website and tell a few more people about what you've read.

Lorelle was supposed to come home yesterday but her plane was cancelled due to maintenance issues. Nice that this happened on the ground but it caused a cancelled flight - and because it's Spring Break for midwest colleges there were too many students to rebook. Delta decided to rebook them on a flight two days later - which was not a happy solution for most people. So the group of people she was standing in line with (yes, complete strangers) decided to rent a van, split the cost and drive from Omaha to Minneapolis to catch their connector flight. She was with two Dordt students she knew well and their parents, as well as myself, grilled the driver over the phone to make sure this was a "safe" solution. The gentleman I spoke with assured me it was very random & he had a daughter as well whom he would be quite concerned about should he have this type of phone conversation. The airline gave them vouchers for a hotel stay once they arrived - which was in the wee hours of the morning since it's a 6 hour drive. So far we've heard they arrived safely at the hotel and were looking forward to a short sleep before checking in at the airport. We're really hoping this will be the day she gets into the Seattle airport - we're also hoping her luggage will arrive there as well.... :)

Next week the Dordt Choir performs in the Pacific Northwest as part of a 10 day tour they're on. We have four students sleeping here for two nights - it started with one, then two, then it grew into four. As long as they're not fussy where they sleep I'm sure it'll be lots of fun! We're looking forward to listening to the choir perform - we attended their performance three years ago and it was fabulous!

Vancouver 2010

This past week our television has been on a LOT more than it normally is. We've been caught up a bit in the Olympic frenzy that is all around us. I just read a friend's blog and it said so nicely what has been going through my mind. It's very easy to get caught up in the excitement and the glory of the competition but really there is no room for the glory or acknowledgment of God.

This said, we did go to Vancouver this past Monday as the kids had the day off for President's Day. There are many free venues if you have the patience to stand in lineups. We did enjoy the 4D experience of Ontario House - way to go Tourism Ontario!! I was, however, rather surprised that every Canadian venue we went to had mostly "first nations" displays, dances, etc. I'm wondering whether the world realizes that there are a few caucasians living there as well.

Is it really Spring?

We've had some unseasonably dry & sunny days this winter. In fact, you can hardly call this winter. The following verse comes to mind - also as we look forward to Henry's new employment. Seasons always come to an end. This has been a great reminder of God's faithfulness & how we need to trust Him through all circumstances.

"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." Gen. 8:22

What I'm reading...

Just thought I'd share some books I've read in the last few weeks/months and some I plan to read soon. I just finished a book by Charles Martin entitled "The Dead Don't Dance". I've read a number of his books in the last year including "When crickets cry". Here's a piece of someone's review on this book that sums it up quite nicely "a work of southern fiction, drenched with spiritual lessons, yet not one sermon is ever preached". That is the style of this author - most of his books take place in the south and indeed the above applies to my latest read as well. I would say that the first book I read from this author "Chasing Fireflies" is still my favorite.

I also took some books out of our church library today. The first is entitled "Is Christianity Good for the World" - a debate between an atheist and a reformed pastor. The DVD based on this book is called "Collision" and our church hosted an evening where people could watch it together. Very informative - we'll see how the book reads.

The last book I have is called "The Life of Pi". This book I attempted to read a few years ago & could not get into. I've been told it's a good read so I'll attempt once more to get through it. Hopefully I can give you a great recommendation in a few weeks. Happy reading!

Double vision?

I've been meaning to post these photos - I just love them! Here's father & son on a Sunday afternoon playing on the Wii. They are bowling by the looks of things - both of them still in their Sunday best. Just so happens they're both wearing navy pants with a light blue shirt. Talk about "a chip off the old block". Didn't mean to mention age - it's just part of the expression!

Nothing exciting...

This week there's not much to write about. It takes a fair bit of mental energy being unemployed and I find it hard to write. A little update for those of you wondering what the job hunt is looking like. Henry was asked to meet with a company in Winnipeg to talk about possibly expanding their presence in western Canada and the U.S. A company in Seattle called him yesterday and wants a phone interview on Monday. A few other things are percolating so we're feeling a bit more optimistic. I've had a few promising interviews for office administrative positions but no job offers. At least I am more understanding of what it feels like - God is teaching me something in this as well.

This past week we've had two extra kids from a family that's vacationing in Mexico. It's going well but it's definitely different having a chatty, kindergarten aged child in the house. ;) Lorelle left on Monday. Rachelle's mom drove with me - we left at 4:00 in the morning to drive to Seattle. We got there without incident as the roads were not at all busy. I spoke with Lorelle a fair bit this week as she is quite excited about her classes. She's taking a Children's Literature class so when she has questions she knows she can ask her librarian mom who gets equally excited about Children's books. The first picture is of Alec's electronic "bank" - he is faithfully saving his money to pay for a long board that a friend of ours is making for him. The other is of Jocelyn when she returned from "police academy" - all tired out and ready to eat the entire contents of my kitchen... The next is our little extra after a trip to Edaleen to pick up dairy - always need to taste their ice cream before you leave.

The First Week of 2010

I started off the New Year in true form - forgetting my camera and forgetting to take photos. At least I'm consistent... We had a very nice second week of break with the kids home. We usually have no trouble keeping busy by either going skiing or overnight somewhere but this year we thought it best to find low budget activities. :) Lorelle was busy working at the Health Care Cente. Jocelyn had a few days at the bakery and then was away for 5 days at a Police Academy in Yakima. She really enjoyed it but it was very tough at first - a bit like boot camp. Other than that, we went to Langley for a New Year's Celebration with friends and had a games evening here the last Saturday evening - lots of fun with many tables of games going on. Now it's back to school for the school kids and one more week for Lorelle before flying back to Iowa. I'm the designated driver for that trip - 4:00 am is going to come way too quickly on Monday morning. I'll keep you posted!!

Blessed Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Here's wishing you God's blessing on your Christmas celebration and may you receive much comfort from the true meaning of this season. We always comment on how empty people must feel after the commercial frenzy of the season is over and the pretty lights are gone. It's so easy to get caught up in our own version of things and forget what all the fuss is about. It's truly a time to reflect on Christ's birth and God's goodness and grace to us his people. We surely have a comfort that knows no time limits... May God surround you and bless you as you enter the New Year 2010.

So far we've been enjoying the company of many friends and family members - a great birthday celebration for Henry, a neighborhood get-together, family over for Christmas dinner and more. Lots of games have come out of storage and a new game (Poker) is being learnt and enjoyed (no gambling, just chips...) Today Henry took Alec & a friend ice-skating while Hannah and I went to look for some badly needed clothing (yet another growth spurt...) Again I've been too busy cooking, baking, serving and talking to remember to capture some of the fun on my camera. I'll try to remember next week!

Happy Days!

Last week Thursday was our school's Christmas/Band Concert. It was a very nice evening, but the best part about it was we would be leaving at 9:00 pm to drive to SeaTac Airport to pick up Lorelle. It was fun to hear the days being counted down & expressions of how much the kids were looking forward to having their family back together. We arrived without incident at the airport and waited for 10 minutes before their plane arrived. Her roommate's families were also waiting by the time we arrived. Here's a photo of everyone who greeted her at arrival (her good friend came with us) - less mom and dad. An excellent start to a happy holiday!

Warning: Contents Are Very Hot!

For lack of anything else exciting to write about I thought I'd try grossing you out. This past week I was making hot chocolate for the high school Spanish Class who planned to practice singing their spanish songs at our house. I shook the "pump style" thermos I had filled with hot chocolate to make sure it was well mixed and the hot chocolate shot back onto my arms. This caused a great deal of pain & left it's mark in the form of (possibly?) third degree burns on my wrist. Here's my arm, in all it's glory... or should I say "gory".

Our anniversary - 20 years flies by!

This past month we remembered and celebrated that 20 years ago we were married and began our journey as husband and wife. It seems like time has gone by quickly - yet so much has happened. We are thankful that God has been with us and blessed us each step of the way.

We were able to get away overnight thanks to some wonderful friends that shared the benefits of their timeshare membership. We drove to Leavenworth, WA which is over the mountain pass about a 3 hour drive. We've been several times with our kids when they were younger & have fond memories - both in summer when it's blazing hot and in winter when we could get our "snow fix". Here's a few photos of our trip. They don't look too exciting - probably because we're getting older and just enjoy reading a good book and enjoying some quiet time together.

Honor Band 2009

This past week Jocelyn was busy practicing with the San Juan Music Teachers Association Honor Band. Each year many of the public and private high schools in the county (& beyond) submit names of their top band students in hopes they will be chosen to play with this honor band. This year 2 from our school were chosen and Jocelyn was one of them. She plays trumpet & the other girl from our school that was chosen plays tuba. The performance also included an Honor Orchestra and an Honor Choir - our school does not have either but it was beautiful to listen to. Here's Jocelyn after the performance - happy to be done. It was a great experience for her and she realizes the talent out there & that there's much to aspire to.

End of Outdoor Soccer Season...

It's been a while since I posted - I almost couldn't remember how to download photos! This past week has been very busy - I'm not envious of those moms whose work takes them outside the home. It's truly a challenge to do a good job at both. Last Saturday was the last day of soccer for our kids and it was a very nice day to be outside. Both Hannah and Alec took home trophies for first place in their age group. Here's a photo of Alec's team at Dairy Queen later that week celebrating their victory over ice cream cake. The other is a photo of Alec & his best friend (well, almost).

Employment Update: We're going into Week 6 - but whose counting... Please pray that Henry's daily search will be rewarded soon.

Sorry, no photo!

Lest you think nothing is happening in our household and that we're sulking around without any excitement....I better at least post something short. This past week has been extremely busy. I've been given many more hours as Visit Supervisor/Transporter for an agency that contracts with DSHS. Basically I transport foster kids to their court ordered visits with their bio family members and then supervise and make reports on these visits to DSHS. You're right if you think this could be a little depressing - but some visits show some hope in that parents are either acting in a way that will ensure they have their children returned or in a way that will ensure that they don't. Either way it's up to them to change their lives around to make things happen. So I get to see the other side of things - in the past I've been shielded from this as we took kids into our home and someone else came to my door to do this job. This past week we had two foster kids stay with us. Too bad it's against the law to post pictures because these were the most adorable and well behaved little ones we've had. It was just a week of respite & they went home on Sunday back to their foster family.

We spent Sunday dinner with two wonderful families in Langley celebrated our Canadian roots. It was a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with the two E families - much to be thankful for. I took my camera with but it did not leave my purse - so sorry, but no photos this post.

Matthew 6: 25-34

I've been putting off posting because it's just hard to articulate what we've been going through as a family this past week. For the first time in our married life, we have found ourselves unemployed. The statistics and bad economic news you've heard from the media for the past year have finally included us in its numbers. Last week was one filled with so many different emotions; from disbelief, anger, numbness, fear, and then peace as we realize that even this is in God's hands. So many bible verses come to mind and give great comfort. Matthew 6: 25-34 is well known in our household (Steve Green) - the kids had this one memorized as toddlers. We'll go forward in this comfort and pray that God will open doors elsewhere and that we indeed will not worry about tomorrow!!

Soccer Saturday!

Well, it's been a while since I posted. The kids went back to school two days after we came back - August 26th. So we've been back into school routine for several weeks. Along with the beginning of school comes the start up of LYS Soccer in our community. Jocelyn plays very early Saturday morning (7:30) so I don't always get to see her games. I watched the second half of her game on Saturday and they lost by one point. Alec and Hannah usually play in the same area at similar times. So, I have to decide which one to watch - or just watch half of each game. Henry refs for this soccer league in the higher age groups while older kids ref the younger ones. Jocelyn is also coaching a 2nd & 3rd grade girls team. She says it's hard work - you've got to be all over the place encouraging & teaching. In this age group this is allowed during the games as well. The encouraging can include getting them to stand up and/or stop crying if they're hit by the ball. I'll have to check out her little ones' games one of these Saturdays as it sounds very entertaining.

A highlight...forgot to post

Here's a couple photos I forgot to add to the last post. This was a highlight for all of us as we had never gone whitewater rafting before. Here we are on the Yellowstone River.

To Iowa and back...

It's been very quiet on the blog front lately... The summer has just flown by - lots of friends & family have visited while our family continued to work very hard during the day. We knew that the end of summer would bring our turn to go on vacation. Our plan was to bring Lorelle to Iowa where she'd begin her college studies at Dordt. We left late Tuesday evening after a full days work. We figured the long drive had to be conquered one way or another.... so we drove 13 hours to Billings, Montana. We found a campsite close to Yellowstone Park and thoroughly enjoyed our time there. We sat and waited for Old Faithful to be faithful and spent an afternoon white water rafting on the Yellowstone River. After 3 days we travelled on (7 hours) to the Mt. Rushmore area. We camped there (sometimes a Kabin at KOA), enjoyed the tours and presentations about Mt. Rushmoor as well as drove through Custer National Park and the Black Hills area and saw amazing wildlife and geological wonders. You can't but agree that God is the amazing creator of all things - at times it just took our breath away. We carried on with our travels only to stop at the Badlands area within a hour of getting on the road. After that, we drove to Sioux Falls, SD where we spent two evenings just resting - playing games, a little shopping, etc. We headed into the wide open country of Iowa after that. We helped Lorelle settle into her dorm - talked with the other girls that had arrived from our area and introduced ourselves to the young lady from Nebraska who would make number 4. The following day we had to face the sad goodbye's - and the looooong trip ahead of us to get back home. We were enriched with the preaching at the Belgrade, MT URC and arrived home Monday morning early. Here is just a small sample of the many photos we took. It's hard to capture the amazing sites we saw - but I think you get the picture.