Congratulations G-maw & G-paw!
Sunday, December 31, 2006
December 27th
Wednesday was my grandparents' 65th wedding anniversary & we all went out to dinner to celebrate. They were married in 1941, in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, just before my Grandpa shipped out to war.
Congratulations G-maw & G-paw!
Congratulations G-maw & G-paw!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Christmas Morning
Alan in a new Heifer cap with a mini weighted blanket.
Note: this green shirt that Boo is wearing is my design :)
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas to all!
A prayer by David Blanchflower...
Holy Child of Bethlehem,
whose parents found no room in the inn,
we pray for all who are homeless.
A prayer by David Blanchflower...
Holy Child of Bethlehem,
whose parents found no room in the inn,
we pray for all who are homeless.
Holy Child of Bethlehem,
born in a stable,
we pray for all who are living in poverty.
Holy Child of Bethlehem,
rejected stranger,
we pray for all who are lost, alone, all who cry for loved ones.
Holy Child of Bethlehem,
whom Herod sought to kill,
we pray for all in danger, all who are persecuted.
Holy Child of Bethlehem,
a refugee in Egypt,
we pray for all who are far from home.
Holy Child of Bethlehem,
in you the Eternal was pleased to dwell,
help us, we pray, to see the divine image in people everywhere.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Christmas in Spokane
We took off Thursday for Christmas in Spokane. There was snow, great food, relaxing time (& much needed craft time for me), we frosted cookies, caught up with old friends, Lois got the complete Farside Collection, & I got to play with my new camera. What more could one ask for? Ok, so we did miss Elyse a little bit, but don't feel sorry for her, as she is playing on a warm, sunny beach.
We came back to town today & attended the Keystone Christmas Eve service with my mom. We're soon to head out to Issaquah United Methodist for their midnight Christmas Eve service.
Lois & her Farside Collection.
We came back to town today & attended the Keystone Christmas Eve service with my mom. We're soon to head out to Issaquah United Methodist for their midnight Christmas Eve service.
Lois & her Farside Collection.
Our friends Nick & Lyndsey & their little baby girl, Maggie.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Jolly
It just wouldn't be the holidays without a trip to the Jolly Roger & a night spent drinking their holiday brew. We had a great group of friends & family drop by & good times were had by all.
Carly propositioning Eric.
Boo having a little too much fun with Carly's hat.
True dat.
Hoodlums
Our good friend Steve is getting hitched in March & we all had input on rings.
Here's the soon-to-be-groom & Levi.
Our camera freaked out a little on this photo, but you can't go wrong with subjects like these.
Power Outage Activities
What to do when the power is out? We found lots of ways to amuse ourselves & there was a part of me that definitely enjoyed having no TV, computer, etc. Levi worked on the stream behind our building that had flooded its bank, we chopped firewood for our neighbors, & we did a lot of reading & visiting with friends & family.
Pets are always entertaining--we thought Calvin might need a hat to keep warm...
I wrapped Christmas presents by headlamp.
Sunday, we went to the Christmas party at my Grandpa's group home. Here he is with four of his six kids.
And Sunday we went to dinner with Elyse & JP before they headed out to Beliz for Christmas. They just returned from their three day jungle trek & our now visiting ancient ruins on the coastline. We certainly miss her, but wouldn't let her pass up a travel opportunity like this!
Monday, December 18, 2006
Update
Our power came back on at midnight last night. So, tonight I can finally post the photos we took over the weekend!
Friday, December 15, 2006
NW Windstorm 2006
Windblown greetings!
For us, the fun really began on our commutes home yesterday. We both encountered small lakes & rivers on the roads leading home & much of our parking lot was a pond. Our lights flickered as we quickly got ready to head out for the Sportworks Christmas party at the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville. Due to the weather, attendance at the party was sparse & about half-way through, the brewery lost power & we spent a little time chatting by candlelight until the generators kicked in. We were surprised to see our Christmas lights on when we arrived back home, but it didn't last long. We lost power around 10:30pm & promptly went to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night & lay awake looking out our bedroom window. Lightening flickered constantly & every few minutes the rush of the wind would turn to a roar (during which I heard a couple cracks of trees breaking). Waking up this morning, we still had no power & dressed for work by flashlight. Levi headed out to Sportworks & I hopped a bus downtown with no trouble & everything is powered here. Levi is now home napping (still no power), as not much can be done at Sportworks without electricity. I will be covering the reception desk for the afternoon, as our receptionist did not make it in, but it works well for me, as I'll be able to work on our Christmas cards while answering the phone. :)
This wind storm inevitably makes me think of the Inauguration Day Wind Storm of January 1993 (apparently this recent one has been ranked more extreme). I was thirteen & in 7th grade at Whitman Middle School. We spent morning recess out on the blacktop leaning into the wind as it held us up. Before too long, we were no longer allowed outside & the school lost power. Undoubtedly many teachers had headaches that day, as we raced around the dark hallways, hollering & playing. I remember Kris Hansen finally getting up the courage in a dark hallway to ask me to the Valentine's Dance. Soon after, school was canceled for the day & Alan came & picked up my friend Ailee & me. We drove onto our street & there was the huge holly tree from our front yard lying all the way across the neighbors' driveway! Since our house had no power, we ate fish & chips in Ballard & fortunately finished our meal just as the entire Market Street went black. I did my homework by kerosene lamp that night & the weekend was spent cutting up the enormous holly tree with the help of my uncle & cousin & then waiting in line at the dump for hours (well, Mom & Uncle Dave waited, while Lisa & I played football in the nearby field).
Yesterday, as the storm began, I found myself continually thinking of the Washington Coast. How incredible & awesome it would be to witness the storm along the rugged & wild coastline. Nature's force & power manages to be awe-inspiring & exciting to humans, while also causing fear & danger. The destruction of a windstorm hitting the Puget Sound Metropolitan Area is often sad & expensive & I couldn't help but think of how different it would be to witness this force in a natural environment, out in the wilderness. While I wouldn't want to try & pitch a tent (much less sleep) in conditions like these, I sure would love to see a winter storm on the wild Washington coast. Last night the gusts on the coast were breaking 70 miles an hour & the ocean swells were reaching 30 feet! Imagine the beach combing after a storm like this! You'd find all kinds of strange & interesting sea junk (maybe even a glass float!). So, next winter, or perhaps even in January, we'll be making a winter trip out to the coast. Let us know if you're interested: a fondness for getting wet & beachcombing are a necessity, but unless we've invested in some amazing gear & are feeling particularly hardcore, we'll be renting a rustic cabin on the coast. Who's game?
I hope everyone is safe & warm--what are your recent or past windstorm experiences?
For us, the fun really began on our commutes home yesterday. We both encountered small lakes & rivers on the roads leading home & much of our parking lot was a pond. Our lights flickered as we quickly got ready to head out for the Sportworks Christmas party at the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville. Due to the weather, attendance at the party was sparse & about half-way through, the brewery lost power & we spent a little time chatting by candlelight until the generators kicked in. We were surprised to see our Christmas lights on when we arrived back home, but it didn't last long. We lost power around 10:30pm & promptly went to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night & lay awake looking out our bedroom window. Lightening flickered constantly & every few minutes the rush of the wind would turn to a roar (during which I heard a couple cracks of trees breaking). Waking up this morning, we still had no power & dressed for work by flashlight. Levi headed out to Sportworks & I hopped a bus downtown with no trouble & everything is powered here. Levi is now home napping (still no power), as not much can be done at Sportworks without electricity. I will be covering the reception desk for the afternoon, as our receptionist did not make it in, but it works well for me, as I'll be able to work on our Christmas cards while answering the phone. :)
This wind storm inevitably makes me think of the Inauguration Day Wind Storm of January 1993 (apparently this recent one has been ranked more extreme). I was thirteen & in 7th grade at Whitman Middle School. We spent morning recess out on the blacktop leaning into the wind as it held us up. Before too long, we were no longer allowed outside & the school lost power. Undoubtedly many teachers had headaches that day, as we raced around the dark hallways, hollering & playing. I remember Kris Hansen finally getting up the courage in a dark hallway to ask me to the Valentine's Dance. Soon after, school was canceled for the day & Alan came & picked up my friend Ailee & me. We drove onto our street & there was the huge holly tree from our front yard lying all the way across the neighbors' driveway! Since our house had no power, we ate fish & chips in Ballard & fortunately finished our meal just as the entire Market Street went black. I did my homework by kerosene lamp that night & the weekend was spent cutting up the enormous holly tree with the help of my uncle & cousin & then waiting in line at the dump for hours (well, Mom & Uncle Dave waited, while Lisa & I played football in the nearby field).
Yesterday, as the storm began, I found myself continually thinking of the Washington Coast. How incredible & awesome it would be to witness the storm along the rugged & wild coastline. Nature's force & power manages to be awe-inspiring & exciting to humans, while also causing fear & danger. The destruction of a windstorm hitting the Puget Sound Metropolitan Area is often sad & expensive & I couldn't help but think of how different it would be to witness this force in a natural environment, out in the wilderness. While I wouldn't want to try & pitch a tent (much less sleep) in conditions like these, I sure would love to see a winter storm on the wild Washington coast. Last night the gusts on the coast were breaking 70 miles an hour & the ocean swells were reaching 30 feet! Imagine the beach combing after a storm like this! You'd find all kinds of strange & interesting sea junk (maybe even a glass float!). So, next winter, or perhaps even in January, we'll be making a winter trip out to the coast. Let us know if you're interested: a fondness for getting wet & beachcombing are a necessity, but unless we've invested in some amazing gear & are feeling particularly hardcore, we'll be renting a rustic cabin on the coast. Who's game?I hope everyone is safe & warm--what are your recent or past windstorm experiences?
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