Curve Balls

Life sometimes throws us a curveball! The wierdness of our individual personality quirks is something we all must face from time to time. Sometimes things just come out of "left field" and leave us wondering, "What just hit me, and where did it come from?" Well, it could be "testing" of our character and maturity that has been developing over time, or it could be simply an attack by the enemy of our souls!

It's all about continuing growth! Wow! My head is so full right now of all that has transpired in the last three hours! Testing is hard, and "victory" is not always sweet! Responding correctly to someone who is determined to "win", determined to be "in control" -- no matter how unreasonable or how ridiculous the point of view is . . . is definitely a fiery trial! No matter what the outcome is ("win or lose") . . . it's still painful!

The only sweetness is in the realization of: "I was victorious in what I have learned -- what I have been taught by God!" However, I still feel attacked and wounded! At this moment, only God's grace can make me smile, as I sense that He is pleased with my growth.

Wow!

40 Years Later . . .

A week ago we celebrated 40 years of marriage!

Today I am reflecting on how good God is, and how good God has been to us during the last four decades of life together. He is always good and His plan for His children is always right! No matter what circumstances surround us, we can rest in His goodness and trust that His plans are for our good and not for our harm. The key is simply to trust Him, even when we can't see Him or hear Him.

Faith is not in seeing or hearing -- it is in believing that God is always good to His children, no matter what!

Japanese Gardens in Portland

A Lovely Afternoon at the Japanese Gardens in Portland

Welcome November!

Halloween has come and gone. Now it's full speed ahead toward Christmas! Can you believe it? We'll now see the barrage of Christmas decor in all the stores, and be forced to realize that the end of this year is quickly closing in on us.

But, wait...there's more: We still have November! It began with the birthday of my twin sisters--today! Happy Birthday to the two of you! I love you! Next comes the wedding of my son-in-law's sister--this coming weekend. Woo hoo! It has seemed like a long wait, since we've anticipated it for quite awhile. But, it's finally here--less than a week away, and we are so looking forward to another little family reunion because of it.

Next on the calendar will be Thanksgiving--a full house this year with our son and daughter-in-law, and with my brother and his family. I'm so looking forward to that family time as well.

Near the end of the month (the 25th) I will complete the end of my 3-month probationary period in my job. I'm so looking forward to that successful completion! I really enjoy my job, and am so thankful for it!

Wow! As I stop and think through this new month we've just entered, I have a lot to be excited about! And, this new month starts with all the glorious fall colors still in full bloom! Our yard has been bursting with the incredible beauty of autumn, as we frequently stop and reflect on how God has blessed us and carried us through a very difficult year!

God is always good to His children, no matter how hard or how bleak things may look sometimes. Continuing to trust Him is the very best way! We truly have much to be thankful for as Thanksgiving approaches.

A MIlestone Journey

Last week my husband celebrated a new milestone:

THE BIG 6-0 !

It was a beautiful autumn weekend, so his choice of celebratory fun was to go for a hike through the back country of the gorgeous Columbia Gorge. Here's some pictures from our trek:

Larry's birthday was the 21st, so I'm a little late getting these pictures posted.

One year ago, during this very month, Larry was just beginning his recovery from quintuple heart by-pass surgery. I'm so thankful for his complete recovery and return to normal health and strength! That's the biggest reason of all to celebrate his birthday this year!

Just Because

No, it isn't my birthday or my anniversary. These flowers were given to me by my husband, just because he wanted to--just because he loves me! They were simply a continuation of a very nice surprise God gave to me, just because He wanted to--just because He loves me!

On Wednesday morning I received an email that was sent out to all the women in our "house church"--announcing 10 free tickets to the annual Women of Faith Conference. (The conference was this past week, Friday night and all day Saturday.) Wow! I love going to that conference and have gone almost every year since it first started in 1996. This year I knew we really couldn't spend the money on it, so I gave no thought at all to going. However, God had bigger plans for me! Not only did I get to go for free, but I got to spend my time in one of the private suites on the level that is totally off-limits to everyone except the suite ticket-holders. Now, that is true luxury, and truly a wonderful gift from God! As if that wasn't enough already, on Saturday someone in our suite annonomously paid for lunch for all of us. Just one more special gift--so greatly appreciated!

The conference was great, and so was our time together in the suite. When I arrived back home on Saturday evening, I was greeted by a loving husband and yellow roses. This morning he went out and cut some purple flowers in our yard to add to the bouquet--just because he loves me a lot and wanted to add one more special touch to an incredible weekend--just because. What a guy!

The News

First, the weather:

What a beautiful weekend of Indian Summer we're having! I'm wondering if the seasons are all mixed up this year. It certainly has seemed so throughout most of 2008. It looks and feels like summer, yet the calendar says it's autumn. Then there is the fact that it seemed like fall had already begun before the calendar officially announced its arrival. Now, although there is only a tiny bit of the usual fall color, the temperatures are back to being pleasantly summery. But, somehow the feel of fall is here, even with the mixed up weather. It's a bit crazy, but so enjoyable! We spent the afternoon over at the river front in Portland, soaking up the sunshine and savoring every last bit of delicious, unseasonable warmth.

Moving on . . . A little update about my job:
September 25th (Thursday of last week) was my one month anniversary date. Friday actually marked a total of five weeks on the job, so tomorrow begins my sixth week at work. I'm still lovin' it! Every day is a new challenge that really feels like a great puzzle to me -- but, hey! I love working on puzzles! It just keeps me wanting to conquer the next one!

Next subject . . . our house:
No, it has not sold! Not even one offer has been presented! We are content with that, since we really don't want to move anyway. Now that both of us are working, our financial crisis has passed. Just barely breaking even isn't easy, but neither is uprooting, packing, and settling into a very small apartment--which was being considered for awhile. God has provided just enough, and for that we are extremely grateful and feel very blessed. Yes, once again, God has taken care of us.

Well, let's see now, did I leave out anything that you've been wondering about? Feel free to let me know if you want to know anything else. I may or may not tell you, but you can ask. :-)

And, now for the rest of the story . . .

Click here to read the finale to the Government Island saga.

The Story Continues . . .

If you've been following this story, click here to jump back into my adventures on Government Island.

Or, if you haven't been following the story, simply scroll down a bit to: "A Trip to Government Island".

Another Continuance . . .

Perhaps "ditto" would be in order--ditto to what I said last night. I'm tired and I hear my pillow calling for me, so I'll have to delay my "Government Island" continuation once again.

Tonight I worked a little bit later than usual, so, of course, got home a little later than usual. Since arriving home late, I have:

1. Picked up the mail
2. Put away stuff brought home with me
3. Eaten supper
4. Read and answered email
5. Refilled all the bird feeders (5) and squirrel feeder
6. Cleaned and refilled the bird bath
7. Watered some flowers
8. Visited with a neighbor
9. Played with the neighbor's kitties
10. Emptied all the waste baskets (9) and replaced liners
11. Took trash bins out to curb
12. Cleaned up the kitchen (left messy from the weekend)
13. Did the ironing from Saturday's laundry

Now it's 9:20 -- now can I go to bed?
I'm too tired to get up and go.

Too Pooped to Participate!

Hi All!

I know, in last night's post I said I would tell more "tomorrow" (today) about our trip to Government Island, but, as I also said, we spent today over at the coast (the Pacific Ocean), and now I just don't feel like working on my blog, so I'm going to put it off till "tomorrow" again--tomorrow night after work, after supper...if I feel like doing it. (How was that for a nice long, run-on sentence?)

Oh, the beach was

A Trip to Government Island

This is where I was exactly one week ago, to celebrate my birthday. It was decided that we should take a little trip over to Government Island, which is in the middle of the Columbia River, which separates the states of Washington and Oregon.Our son had taken our canoe across the river to camp on the island several times, but Larry and I thought he was crazy to do such a thing! The Columbia River is a very big river with very fast current, and people drown in it every year! Not exactly my idea of a fun time, let alone a great way to celebrate one's birthday. However, that little adventure is exactly what was decided on my birthday.
We loaded up our gear and piled most of it into the canoe, since a kayak doesn't have much cargo space. The trip across the river was actually a very enjoyable ride--not at all scary, like I thought it would be.

I loved it!
The benefit of carrying most of the stuff in our canoe was a nice surprise to us:
The extra weight causes the canoe to sit a little lower in the water, which results in a much more stable ride.

We decided to explore the island before eating the dinner we had brought with us. The first thing we discovered was the abundance of blackberries. Make that--an explosion of blackberries!
It was amazing!
They hung on the bushes like clusters of grapes on heavy vines! Some of the berry bushes were more like trees! We really got sidetracked there for awhile--yum! (Who needs dinner when you have all this luscious fruit?

Next came our big, scary adventure--a close encounter with a mad cow! She came on the run, rushing right up to us, with big eyes full of rage, looking just like a bull ready to attack! I was truly scared to death!

All I could think was, I survived a canoe trip across the mighty Columbia River, only to die on this serene little island--killed by a mad cow!!

More about this tomorrow -- I need to get to bed to be well rested for tomorrow: church in the morning, and then a trip over to the coast.