Christmas in the Desert

Yes, I do realize that Christmas was a whole month ago. But I have some catching up to do!

Dave and I thought we'd try something different this year. Because both of the kids are married, we usually celebrate holidays with them every-other-year. Christmas 2006 was "our" year. Wanting to make this year special, we all put our heads together and decided to go away on vacation instead of celebrating Christmas together at home. And to make it REALLY special, we decided to invite both sets of grandparents! (And it probably goes without saying that the record rains in November made a December trip to the desert sound even better!)

To make a long story short, we rented two houses in sunny Palm Desert, California and proceeded to plan activities that all three generations could enjoy. Here are a few pictures from our Christmas in the Desert vacation!

Grandma T. and Erik reading by the pool on Christmas morning:
Because we ALL have way too much "stuff," we decided not to exchange Christmas gifts among ourselves this year. However, we did decide to do a fun "book exchange" utilizing the rules from your typical white elephant gift exchange. What a hoot!! We each ended up with a book to read by the pool that had previously been a favorite of one of our special loved ones.





Two of my favorites from the Living Desert Museum: We visited Palm Desert's Living Desert Museum the day after Christmas. I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone visiting the Palm Springs area. Great, natural wildlife and plant exhibits; a terrific model train display; a fantastic stage show!










Palm Springs Air Museum: Because the museum was full of World War II era aircraft and memorabilia, the four grandparents truly enjoyed this outing.


Joshua Tree National Park: This is a photo of Kara & Dusty and Krista & Erik at Keys Overview at Joshua Tree National Park. While in the park, we also took a short hike to Barker Dam. Weather was terrific and the scenery beautiful!



Palm Springs Aerial Tramway:
It had snowed up on the mountain the day before we went up on the tram. We had a blast looking down at the desert thousands of feet below while treading carefully on snow and ice up above.

She's back....

Ok, so I haven't written anything in a year and a half. Where have I been? Certainly NOT blogging! My goal in 2007 is to turn this into more of a family news blog... so that family and friends can keep up with what we are doing... and so I don't have to send out the annual Christmas letter next year. (Got that great idea from friends... Thanks, Larry & Linda!!)

Quick Trip to D.C.

This past week just flew by! I truly loved being in Washington D.C. and loved meeting many co-workers who I only previously knew by phone. It wasn't difficult to put names/faces with the people based on their voices.

Although the days were long (and filled with MANY meetings), I did get some quick sightseeing in on Thursday late afternoon. Charrie drove Judy (from Atlanta), Donna (from D.C.) and me all around town, stopping at the various sights. We quickly toured the Viet Nam Memorial, the Korean Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Cathedral, and Georgetown. In addition, we drove past most of the other famous/historical locations in Washington D.C.

We finished the evening with dinner on the roof of the Hotel Washington (on 15th St and Pennsylvania Ave, across from the White House), where we saw the sunset and the city lights begin to illuminate the Washington Monument, White House, Lincoln Memorial and many other famous buildings. What a view!

I love being back home now, but am so grateful for the opportunity to work with and for such a wonderful bunch of people! The sights and sounds of Washington D.C. (more about the sounds later) were amazing, but meeting Terry, Rich, Donna, Gerry, Charrie (and many others) was the highlight of the week.

(Charrie & Donna)

San Jose Airport

As I'm writing this post, I'm sitting in the San Jose International Airport waiting for a flight that has been delayed (once again!). Tonight I fly back to Seattle and then tomorrow morning take a 6:00 a.m. flight back to the Bay Area and then on to Washington D.C. Lots of miles!!

Airports are an interesting place to get your fill of people-watching. A lady just walked by me with purple hair, wearing a purple flowered dress. It would be fitting to tell you that she was wheeling a PURPLE carry-on suitcase, but I won't. (The carry-on was RED.) Parents with kids are fun to watch in airports also. There's usually two kinds--the ones who are letting their children run wild and the ones who are trying to keep control of their kids with leashes, snacks or "The Look." You know The Look; that's the one that Moms use when they REALLY mean business. In addition to the strangely dressed and the parents-with-children, there's always plenty of airport staff to watch. Some are extremely energetic and helpful; others are standing in groups talking to each other with the attitude written all over their faces that CLEARLY says, "I don't care what you need; please don't even bother to ask."

Well, I'd better go check to see if they've delayed my flight YET AGAIN....

Campbell, CA

What a cute town! Campbell is a suburb of San Jose, CA and a very cute, quaint-yet-cool town! Dave & I are here to attend a reception celebrating Erik & Krista's recent marriage. "Brunch in the Garden," in Krista's parents' backyard, will be a wonderful opportunity for us to meet the rest of Krista's extended family and friends from both the Bay Area and Central Valley.

Dave & I just got back from a 3 mile walk along the Los Gatos Creek Trail--sunshine... beautiful scenery... good company--what could be better!

God's grace

II Corinthians 12:9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Have you given much thought to the grace of God lately? Grace is God's unmerited favor to those who deserve only His wrath. It's God's kindness and blessing on those who by their nature and their action deserve anything but kindness and blessing! Ephesians 2:8 says that it is by grace we are saved; we haven't done anything and can't do anything to earn salvation.

Thank you, Lord, for your Amazing Grace!

FREE hide-a-bed sofa & chair

Erik & Krista would like YOU to have these lovely pieces of furniture (one or both).

They are both in the "early college" or "early apartment" style.

The chair is a rocker/recliner and is EXTREMELY comfortable.

The hide-a-bed sofa comes with a good mattress. Sofa is apartment size / double bed.

(Click on pictures for larger/better view.)

The price is definitely right - FREE. Just come get either or both before July 29th.

Give Erik a call at (206) 818-4068.

A dear friend

Did you read what I wrote a couple of days ago: "Cancer... YUK!"? Well, I hate the disease even more now (if that's possible)! I just heard that a dear friend, Bobbie, has terminal pancreatic cancer with only a few months to live. A few weeks ago we were hugging and laughing about weight loss of all things. A few months ago we were studying the Bible together. A few years ago Bobbie was encouraging me through a difficult career change. More than a decade ago she was a mentor to me in learning to be a wife. Though saddened by the news, Bobbie and her husband are rejoicing in their faith in a loving God. Though devastated by the new, we are praying for God's strength and peace in their lives.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Erik & Krista...the newlyweds

Our son, Erik, and his new bride, Krista, were married on June 18th in a lovely ceremony at Christ's Church. Their reception followed at Cedarbrook Conference Center. What a terrific day! The weather was perfect... everything went as planned... the reception location was out of this world!

The picture to the left was their "first dance." Yes, I think they really are as happy as they look!

While the "first dance" is always memorable, my personal favorite was the "second dance" with bride & dad and groom & mom (ME!).

Of course, everyone else who was there commented that neither the couple's first dance nor the dance with the parents was the most spectacular. The comments that I heard the most related to a certain dancing wild woman--the groom's grandmother! I can honestly say that I have NEVER seen Dave's mom, June, have as much fun as when she was wildly dancing at Erik & Krista's reception. You go, girl!

Dave

My husband Dave (even OLDER than me!) just made the comment, "My wife is a blogger? My wife is a blogger!" Actually, he repeated it probably TEN TIMES, which is pretty typical of Dave. His favorite bad line? "When something works, you gotta stick with it!" Of course, to him that means telling the same funny story over and over (not so funny anymore) AND telling you a new joke (that he told you five times just yesterday) AND working at the same job for thirty years (despite having other opportunities) AND being married to the SAME WOMAN for over 25 years. When something works, you gotta stick with it!

Cancer... YUK

Cancer has been a terrible, but valuable, part of my adult life. I am a sixteen-year survivor of breast cancer. Sixteen years ago breast cancer treatments were still nightmares from the dark ages. While treatments have improved over the years, too many women are still having to face the diagnosis of breast cancer. Why can't they fine a definitive cause? Why can't they find an absolute cure?

Although living as a cancer survivor is something I wouldn't necessarily choose, it has taught me that every day is precious.... It has taught me that I can't survive alone.... It has taught me that my life on earth is short; only what will survive in eternity matters.... It has taught me that Jesus Christ is the same today, tomorrow and forever!

It's Official!

It's official... I'm a blogger! So what if people my age don't blog. After seeing a couple of blogs done by my daughter's friends, I thought I'd give it a try.... It can't be THAT hard after all. But then again, I'm not the most random person in the world and probably haven't had a random thought in years. Well, it's about time!