Gratitude Friday

Good morning! Today's latte is from Cafe Fresca at Holy Family Hospital in Spokane. I just left there after having a follow up mammogram and ultrasound. I also got to visit with my good friend Diane who works at Holy Family. Life is good in the lump department...very benign features and I'll get checked again in a year.

I am on my way out the door to Leavenworth, WA for a relaxing weekend on the Wenatchee River. We were blessed to be able to rent a big cabin for my cousins, David and myself. Having spent six years in Germany, Leavenworth isn't much of a Bavarian type town for us but it's still a great place to visit and play. Ready to go....and guess what? There's a Starbucks in Leavenworth. Score~

Here's my gratitude list for the week:

1. suntan lotion! My nose keeps getting darker and darker so I have been putting Face 45 on it. I also lost my sunglasses so there's not the very noticeable line anymore! :)

2. Jennifer! She's home for the weekend to hang out with the Beagle Boys and kitties.

3. Ian! He's back in San Francisco going to college at Art Academy Institute. Keep him in your prayers as he searches for a job and an apartment to move into with his friends. It was nice to have him home to hang out with the beagle boys while I am at camp all week.

4. a cool place to lay my head! I've had horrid headaches due to the heat and it was nice to come home last night & be cooled off in our basement. Of course, our temps are usual for Eastern WA. Can't imagine what Puget Sound people are feeling with their super high temps.

5. watching kids laugh and play at camp! Jenny and Brian's two kids were at camp with me this week. I didn't get to be with them much but it was fun to watch them have a wonderful time!

Have a wonderful week~ miss hearing from you all!!

Gratitude Friday (on Sunday!)

Good morning! Wow, what a week....it's been sooooo hot here in Spokane and camp was a constant GO for me. I arrived home on Thursday, slept most of Friday (super duper bad headaches!) and yesterday I was at a wedding and a luau housewarming. How to cram 1000's of activities and friends into one quick weekend....I think I am learning to master it all.

Here's my gratitude list....

1. the love of traveling and teaching. I interviewed for Quality Schools International this past week and so far I've been offered two jobs overseas. The first one was in Baku (I had no idea where this city and country is located!) and the most recent is in Atyrau, Kazakhstan. I don't think I'll be accepting either one (I'd have to move in about 3 weeks!) but I'm definitely willing to go overseas if I can't get a job here in WA. (and yes, I'd definitely go to MT, too!)

2. longtime friendships. The wedding I attended was for Amy Nelson, one of Charlotte's twins. Charlotte and I have known each other since jr high and I'm blessed to have her in Spokane where I get to laugh with her often.

3. the rain! This morning we woke up to rain. It's very nice to not have to water the lawns ourselves today. It's been VERY hot in the Pacific NW and everything is super dry. Fire danger is quite high.

4. Wild Women Group! I've been a part of the WW group for about five years. They never fail to keep me laughing. Alllllllllll I've learned about life comes from this group. I always am good for blushing in many of our conversations! We were at a luau housewarming for Terri last night, complete with spouses, significant others, friends and neighbors. They roasted a 160 lb pig. It was DELICOUS!!!

5. being able to fit into size 8 clothes! Yesterday I wore the cute dress that you see in the picture and I loved being able to fit into it. I bought it last fall and wondered if I would ever be able to wear it. Tada~ miracles do happen! Now to continue to keep myself this size -- lots of discipline and working out. But it's sooo worth it! Tons of compliments yesterday...happy smile.

Have a wonderful week! Next weekend David and I are traveling to Leavenworth, WA with my cousins from Canada. Inbetween now and then, it's an action filled week with elementary kids at camp.

Gratitude Friday

Good morning! An amazing week at camp and now David, Ubu (one of the beagles) and I are headed to Long Beach, WA to hang out with my cousin and her hubbie and their three beagles. Dieter has to stay home due to having an owie on his left flank. I will do the rest of my gratitude list when I return on Sunday.....thankful for you!!

This week at camp!

Gratitude Friday

Good morning, everyone! I'm back from another week of camp. This morning I got up very early to have a Starbucks latte with my Whitworth friend Polly. We can go back there if you'd like for another cup of coffee or I can make a fresh pot of New Guinea coffee here at the house. You decide, your choice! :)

Here's my gratitude list for the week:

1. wisdom in knowing how to handle different situtations! I had to handle a few things at camp this week that were out of my comfort zone & I'm thankful that I had wisdom to proceed with grace, love and authority.
2. my son Ian! I had a phone call this morning from a dear friend who read in her Vacaville, CA paper that "Ian York, age 21 in Fresno, had committed suicide!" Naturally she was very concerned and checked in with me. My Ian is 22 and is living in Spokane for two more weeks. However, the phone call was a wake up call for me to spend more time with my Ian, tell him he's loved LOTS and encourage him as he headed back to CA for college.
3. the Spokane River! I'm learning to really love it. This week we tubed down it with 30+ kids. Megan (our camp nurse) and I sat in a double tube and felt like we were the Princesses of the Nile. I'm taking our tiaras next week.
4. a very loving vet! The Beagle Boys are at the vet this morning and it's a sad day for them because they're being neutered. It should be a quiet few days around here until they get their spunk back. Perhaps Hans and Gretel will be able to relax, too, with the boys on a quiet schedule.
5. my hairdresser, Melissa! I had coffee with her last Sunday and today she's doing my hair & my eyebrows. No more "Princess Diaries" eyebrow emergency!! I can't wait to see what she has in store for my hair today!
6. These verses from 1 Peter 3:8-9 "Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble spirit. Don't repay evil with evil. don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do and He will bless you for it!" These verses were on a slip of paper on my chair in staff meeting yesterday. I really have been thinking about them. As I go about my weekend and into my next week, that's how I want to live, esp being tenderhearted and keeping a humble spirit.

Thanks for praying for me this coming week. We're jumping back into a camp with high schoolers! They sure help me break down my own walls and take off masks. Here's hoping the same things will be accomplished with them & they will learn to love the Lord with all their heart, soul and mind.

New kitties (aka new chewtoys for the Beagle Boys!)

Hans (pure white) and Gretel (grey and black striped) have joined our family since last month. The Beagle Boys love them, somtimes a little too much. Never a dull moment with the four of them running everywhere!

Gratitude Friday

It's late Friday night and I'm one tired skinny brown bear!! Two weeks at camp and I'm the darkest I've ever been with being out in the sun. Yes, I wear sunscreen but I just continue to darken. No coffee tonight unless you'd like to make it yourself. I think we have Country Time Leomonade in the fridge...help yourself!!

Gratitude Friday list includes:

1. young love....today Josephine and Kevin got married!! I have known Josephine since she was two & a part of my daycare in Germany. She and Ian (my son) have been best buds for 20 years and we're glad she's been a part of our lives! Congraluations, Jo and Kevin!! I'll see if I can get a picture posted of them.

2. the Spokane River....I have learned that by sitting in the river with a good book, I can keep really cool on our 90+ degree temp days. What a way to relax and enjoy the outdoors! It's soooo beautiful at the camp.

3. Speaking of camp...WOW!!!! 30 teenagers are part of my list this week. We had kids from Youth for Christ with us and the girls I had in my Challenge Course group were awesome. I learned sooooooo much from them! They each came with their own personal story of sadness and I was humbled. I pray that they have an wonderful school year and that they'd remember what they've learned from camp as they're home today and start school next month.

4. Cooking in the kitchen with my hubby! We tried a new Rachel Ray recipe this evening. It is HOT in the house....I really missed my quiet river time today!....and David had just gotten home from a baseball game. But he cooked right along with me. Dinner was great....pasta with sweet Italian sausage and broccoli.

5. payday!! I was able to buy a new camera today so I will be able to post pictures once again. I'm sad that I haven't had one for over a month because I've had some amazing photo ops and had to settle for making mental images in my brain.

6. air conditioned movie theatres...Ian and I watched "Public Enemies" this afternoon & were captured by the old time gangster movie featuring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Except for the bedroom type of scenes (I wanted to make Ian close his eyes!!), it was great!! Both the movie and the A/C, plus I splurged for a soda and popcorn. Nice to spend time with Ian, too.

7. catching up with friends! I had coffee with Melissa today. It was good to spend time with her!! I have such limited access to my cell phone (complete with text and email and internet) that I've been trying to connect with everyone while I'm home. I have to drive three miles one way to sit on the side of the road next to some hayfields to get service that comes and goes. I'm VERY THANKFUL for it. I consider it my "cell phone break", like others consider a smoke break. So shoot me an email or text me 5093893620 and I'll try to respond within a day or two. The emails are short since it is on my cell phone, but I'd love to get email from friends!

Happy 4th of July to everyone!! Thank a soldier for your freedom in the USA!