A Charming Christmas...

Prince Charming

Our Christmas letter is done and Facebook won't allow me to upload it, so I will load it here. :P  (Take THAT, Facebook!)

After the letter was completed, we discovered our little Prince Charming was available for adoption, so we brought him home. Its going to be a Charming Christmas! We are Charmed!

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FOR EASE in reading the letter, RIGHT click over the letter and open the letter in a new window. You can use your browser enlargement function to zoom in.

Annapolis Street

So many of my childhood memories occurred at our home on Annapolis Street. My parents bought the home when I was an infant and we lived there until I was 16.

After Urban Renewal purchased and tore down the house in the mid-60's we lived in rented homes until Mom could afford to buy a new home.

Today a brick home sits on this site with the same address, but that is another story for another page.

I miss this house sometimes. I wanted others to know about this place.

Puyallup Fair with Gregsons

Taking the babies to the fair is always fun, but you never know if they will LOVE or HATE the baby animals. For Bailey, it was "look and don't touch". For Savannah, 6, "show me WHERE to pet!"

Bailey is reluctant about the goats 

The Camel exhibit had both single and two-hump camels and they offered rides. No takers among us.

2 hump camels... I don't see them much

Jesse wanted to take my picture. NOW there is evidence I was there!

Some day I can be the Cow-pants Tractor driver! [Great retirement goal?]

Jesse trying to "outrun" the baby elephant (cardboard... he will survive)

Wouldn't you know the two "clowns" would have so much fun
with the cardboard elephant? Charles and Jesse playacting.

"It's on my TOE!"

"AHHH! Get it OFF!! 

The girls were fascinated by baby goats in pens

How big was your fish, Reuben?

Getting a photo of Savannah without a "cheesy" grin is tough. Here is one!

Savannah and Jesse really were into the fishing!

When I asked Reuben how big his fish was he showed me. When I asked Jesse, he held up three fingers (the number of fish he caught!). They LOVED the free fishing event. We spent better than a half hour at this exhibit after lunch.

The Rainforest Exhibit was really special. The kids really enjoyed seeing tortoise, spiders, scorpions, snakes, alligators, birds, monkeys, and weird bugs.

The tortoises were cute and pet-able. Savannah liked them,
but not Bailey, when she saw they were moving (slowly).

Always looking for a laugh, Charles is the TORTOISE BOY

Some kind of African primate 

Clever Charles... perfect photo / hand combo

I loved these colorful birds. The camera was tough
to get a shot, but at least the color is visible

It was a great day at the fair. I was glad I took my own vehicle this year, as I was "done in" by 3 pm and they still had lots to see. Fun in the NW Sun!

Puyallup Fair 2012

We made our annual excursion to the Western Washington Fair in Puyallup WA today. We went to many of the same displays and did not stop for any of the "free entertainment" this year. 

After browsing the dealers hall and seeing all the new products, we were hungry for lunch and headed for the Earthquake Burger place. Oh my! That's a lot of BEEF, if you were looking for beef!

Earthquake burger: half pound of madness with a loaf of fries!

After lunch we viewed the quilts and art displays and were amazed at some of the lovely quilts this year. The art made me want to go home and paint! Inspirational!

Al found a HUGE butterfly in the rain forest. (silk :) )

After lunch we wandered over to the animal barns for a bit and eventually discovered the Rain Forest Exhibit. We didn't stay for the show, but it was crowded by folks and young children waiting to see it. This Rain Forest display is very well done with a variety of live animals from Africa's rain forests, as well as Australia and Brazil.  There were some very lovely parrots and monkeys, as well as snakes, porcupine and tarantulas!

Barb found a Praying Mantis eating a red ant.

 Outside the Rain Forest Display we found a statue of a Praying Mantis eating a red ant. Blech!

CAMELS: Not an everyday event in our state!

As we were heading to the car we noticed camels on display. They offered camel rides (just like in the Middle East, when Al was there!).

We parked for the third year in the church parking lot just west of the red gate parking. That church uses the parking lot funds for their missionary fund; so we help missions when we go to the fair! How neat is that!?

It was a good day with some great weather. Loved going to the fair again!

The Preacher and the Bear

We have done quite a bit of biking this trip to Kila, Montana, especially Al. He even upgraded his bike while in the Kalispell area. Today we biked about six miles.

This mural of bears has always fascinated me, at the exit to Kila off Hwy 2. This year the restaurant has  closed, so we were able to get a photo.

Then the preacher wanted a photo of him and the bear. After I took it, I said, "the Preacher and the Bear!" Pretty good photo! That mural looks so real and about the right size too!

All week we have watching this field of Timothy Hay being mowed, raked, baled and harvested. Farmers have such a big task. 

Today we stopped to get a photo of the rows of stacked bales to show their hard work nearly done. They were collecting the last of the bales when we went through today.

These photos remind me that the ministry is never "done". There is always more to do in some area.

It has been a restful vacation and we are preparing to leave in the morning and get back to "work". Thank you for praying for us. It has been a blessing.

Biking with the critters!

We were biking with dragon flies, grasshoppers and even Sand Hill Cranes (2 pair flew overhead, they mate for life and spend their summers here... like we do!) Love these trails recovered from old train tracks!

We rode 9.1 miles today. Hopefully we can start another location to see more of the trail between here and Kalispell. I am just not up to the full ten miles one way!  :)

Joy graduated from college!

Sorry these are so late getting up! I found them in my BLOG draft pages just now!

We are so proud of Joyce's efforts to get an education! Good job, Joy!

Mom, Alice, Joyce, Dad

Joy and her boys, L to R: Ethan, Anders, Gordy

Joy and her finance' John

All smiles afterward! So proud of you, Joy!

Anders, Alice, Mom (me), Joy, John, Ethan, Gordy, cousin Josh, Dad

Chick-Fil-A (Eat chicken!)

Just thinking about this phrase that arrived in my email today. Good thinking!

Home Improvement "Near Miss"!

Two days ago, on the spur of the moment, hubby decided we needed to "look into" residing the house. He picked up a door-hanger flyer from someone that wandered down our street looking for jobs and had caught him for a few minutes chat... so he called them for an appointment. They came out the next day (yesterday), all smiles and friendly and good news and great offers and unbelievable "DEALS"... They would throw in the gutters, a window replacement, the paint job, and on and on.  Since this was our FIRST quote, which we told him when he came in, we would not make a decision that day.  We had no idea if the price was inflated or truly a "good price" at 20% off the "true price". My "antennae" went up a few times when he encouraged us NOT to get our son-in-law, a roofing carpenter, involved (a 3rd party).  HE, the salesman, would take care of us.

Before he left, he had our completed job commitment in hand and out the door with all his promises. I was trying to be positive, but I could not believe what we had done. We NEVER buy big offers without research.

THEN, I started searching the internet for local contractors. I also researched the first company, and found a few holes in the salesman's statements. I lost a night's sleep after firing off a few email requests for quotes A.S.A.P. so we could know if this offer was "for real" or a price gouging.  The phone rang early in the morning for the 2nd quote to stop by before noon, and another next week.

Our state has a 3 day decline law, so I had seriously considered canceling the contract immediately when I awoke today.  We could always call them back if we found them to be reputable. Checking further, I noticed the salesman had not NAMED the high-end product in the contract that he verbally quoted, but merely called the product by a generic content. Thus, it could be switched out for inferior products and still be legit. Also he over-quoted the board feet of the house by 500 feet. (He had told us there would be more product delivered than needed, and any leftovers would go with the crew, and it did not belong to us!)

By noon, hubby had signed the CANCEL paper because the second quote showed us several "holes" in the first offer. It was mailed, as well as emailed by 1 pm.

We will get a 3rd quote on Monday, which falls after the 3 day law, so we are relieved we cancelled this first offer, and are still looking for options. By 2 pm the first salesman already called back about the cancellation and tried to get back in the line up of considerations for the job.

Uh, maybe not?

What an experience!

California Quick Tour

When Lindsey went away to college, we assured her we would be there when she graduated.

Finally on May 9, 2012 she graduated, and we were there because we DROVE there and back in five days (remind me not to try that trip again!)

Here are a few photo mementoes of the trip.

Dr Paul Chappel with Al after the graduation.

Patti and Mike McKee with Lindsey.

Al and I with Lindsey.

Vineyards everywhere!

Fresh strawberries... so yummy!

Garlic, onions, leeks? Sally loved these
and I liked taking the picture!

The trees kept getting bigger. We told Sally
"This is a SMALL Redwood!"

Definitely the BIGGEST tree I ever saw!

We got to the ocean just as the sun set!

And OH, what a sunset!!

The morning gave us new photo opportunities.

Tried so hard to hide the white car on the road in front!

COWLITZ

We are on a road trip to California this week with Sally to see Lindsey McKee graduate in Lancaster CA. Driving is tedious, so Sally and I kept talking to keep me alert. (Al slept or rested in the backseat with his earphones for most of the day.)

Passing through Cowlitz County in Washington, Sally remarked with an amazed look, that she had NEVER heard of that county before.  "COWLITZ? REALLY?"

WORD GAME time! I don't recall who exactly said what after the first few exchanges, but it got funny pretty quickly.

SALLY: COWLITZ? I NEVER heard of that County!

ME: MOO-LITZ!

S:  Huh?

ME:  MOOoooo-Litz

S:   SHEEP-litz

GOAT-Litz!
HORSE-litz!
DOG-litz!
CAT-litz!
CHICK-LITZ!!! (high five!)

(LAUGH OUT LOUD!)

Engaged!

In February Matt proposed to Sally. They plan the wedding for August 4 this summer, so I have started arranging pages for her scrapbook memories. This page is done except her personal memories of the engagement.

Posted online at the Scrap Girl gallery. Most of the kit was Brandy Murry's Shabby Blanc.