January

 Here we are on the last day of the January.  Where did it go?!  Looking back it has been a pretty wild and emotional ride.  Like everyone else in the state we woke up to snow the day after Christmas.  It was beautiful!  It also meant we were snowed in for several days.

 Once the snow melted I went in for a Moh's surgery to remove a basil cell from my face. One of those times when I was grateful that wearing a face mask is the norm around here. Lol!  A few days later I started getting headache's and tingling in my back, face, hands and legs.  My doctor put me on immediate stroke protocol and sent me in for a brain MRI.  Those few days were extremely scary and stressful.  I am so happy and thankful to say all looked well and most of the symptoms have subsided, although I still get some occasional tingling and am keeping watch for any new symptoms.  I have been wearing a heart monitor for a few days to be sure everything is going okay with the heart ablation I had in November.  So far, so good!

The next weekend we took our 14 month grandson for three days while our daughter flew to Georgia to go house hunting.  Her husband accepted a job with an international company based outside of Atlanta and they will be moving in a few weeks.  It was fun having our little guy, but stressful as I was still recovering and he is a very busy little boy!

The only time he ever stopped was when he was sleeping!

Every moment was a treasure though, as we won't be seeing him in person very often after this.  

Five days after our grandson went home, our two granddaughters came to spend five nights with us while their parents flew to Texas to go house hunting too.  Yes, they too were thinking of moving out of the state!  The girls are always a joy to have.

Even so, we were pretty tired by end of each day! Is it time to go to bed yet?

I was so sad thinking of all my grandchildren growing up somewhere else.  I am happy and grateful to say that my son and family have decided not to move at this time. The girls will be here and continue to be a part of our lives. Amen!  We hope to now plan to spend part of each year in Georgia so we can stay connected to our daughter's family and especially our grandson.

The second half of the month has been a little less stressful.  I spent some time at a friend's by the lake.

I have slowly been getting the house back in order after the holiday seasons.  

I am relishing these few days of quiet.  My daughter's family is moving out of their duplex the end of the week and will be staying with us until their house closes in mid February.  Her husband will go ahead to meet the furniture, and then we are flying back to Georgia together with our daughter and grandson to help her get settled into her new home.

It's been a crazy and emotional roller coaster couple of months but, God is with us and goes before us and we are resting in that.

A belated Happy New Year to all of you and may God bless you richly in this year ahead.

Adieu!

 

Deception Falls

 We don't do much hiking these days, but we still enjoy an occasional walk through the woods when the opportunity arises.   Last month we took the time to stop at Deception Falls on our way home from Leavenworth.   Generally, we visit the falls later in the season.  In fact, this photo was taken a number of years ago in the late autumn. 

 

This year we drove up in early June and with the late spring thaw we were greeted with a roaring explosion of water!

 

We took the trail that runs along the side of the river.

 

Up the steps that would take us back to where we had parked our car

We were so glad we able to see the falls when we did as just a couple of weeks later, the Northwest was engulfed in an extreme heat wave that broke all records.  Even though, that weather has broken we have not had any measurable rain in weeks, so all the rivers are running low.  

 

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We have been sticking pretty close to home helping to watch our grandchildren as our daughter-in-law has injured her shoulder and has been needing an extra helping hand. 

  We did some entertaining on the 4th of July.

And helped with Vacation Bible School at our church.

 

It's been a quiet, easy going time.  We still have much more summer to look forward to.  How are you enjoying your summer days?

 

Mother's Day Weekend

 As part of my Mother's Day celebration our oldest invited The Inspector and me to come along on his father/daughters outing.  Our older granddaughter had told her dad she wanted to go exploring. With that thought in mind, we all headed up to Deception Pass on Whidbey, an island which is about 60-90 minutes north of us.  We crossed Deception Bridge which connects the island to the mainland, and then stopped by the shore at Deception Park   The girls had a great time walking the trail, climbing over driftwood and throwing rocks in the water.

 

When it was time to move on, our next stop was to see the old batteries at Fort Ebey.  Built in 1942, these were part of the old  World War II coastal defense system that have since been turned into state parks.

 

The battery guns looked out over the inlet from this bluff.

From the water side it would have been difficult for any passing ships to detect the bunkers and batteries which were well hidden behind that mound..

Everyone was excited to explore the underground bunkers with their flashlights.

 

By now the girls were starting to tire, so our last stop was to take  a short walk through the little waterfront town of Coupeville.  Even though it is the government seat for Island County it still retains its small town charm.

 It was a fun but tiring day and it was time to head home for a late lunch and to rest up for Sunday.

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After church on Mother's Day the whole family came together to celebrate all the moms in the family.

 

 My mother was with us too.  As matriarch of the family she has welcomed four children, twelve grandchildren and twenty-six great-grandchildren into the world so far! 

 

My family showered me with flowers!

 

 

None of the men in the family are much on cooking so it was up to little Kora to plan the meal!

We also celebrated our daughter's birthday.  Ava decorated a special cup for her auntie!.

All in all it was a very special weekend filled with all the blessings of family joined together in love and creating memories for the heart. May the Lord richly bless your families wherever they may be.

Adieu!