Heritage of Grace

Busy days!

2011-11-16T07:49:00.001-08:00

It is beautiful here in the East in the Fall. I have been enjoying the changing colors over the last month and the cooler weather. The fall has been good, very busy, and challenging for me. I am sorry I have been absent here but shortly I am sure you will see why.

This is from my kitchen window one morning when I was up early with Eleanor.

Though my current study on spiritual disciplines, and motherhood I am being constantly reminded of my shortcoming and my capacity to do nothing in my own strength. The study has been great don't get me wrong, but a complete failure in my goals for myself in regards to spiritual disciplines. But its a good lesson and I won't give up, I need to discover how to fit these things into my new normal.

Speaking of normal, most days I have another baby here just Eleanor's age, so its a very full day even if we do "nothing". I say in quotes because doing nothing involves, 6 feeds, at least 8 diapers, much bouncing, crying, fussing and constant movement to keep everyone happy, and don't forget picking up pacifiers at least 50 times, I am sure more. Many days they do both nap and I can run a load of dishes or feed myself if I am lucky.

The best news in the last month is Eleanor is now breastfeeding! I can't say how thrilled I am, even more than I thought I would be. We were making it work before, but its so wonderful to leave the house without having to take the pump along like a third child! I was told if I wanted it to work I would have to bite the bullet and just do it non stop for a week and after much screaming an latching for all of 30 seconds the first few days, magically she would nurse for a few minuets longer each day. Its still day by day, and most days she takes one bottle of formula to supplement but its a huge step forward and I can't be more happy.

Parents take ages to pack!

One thing you can not do with a pump along is backpack! So it was first on my list before it got much colder, and so Baby's first backpacking trip was last weekend. We went to a wonderful spot called St Mary's wilderness, We will go back when we can swim, we camped right on a river, where we could here the water all night! It was wonderful and renewed my soul, as backpacking always does, particularly when I can hike in and just sit for a day before hiking out whitch I did this time. To make it better we went with a couple from church so we had sweet fellowship also, and more baby holding arms! It was a great success and I do hope we can go again.

Can you spot the baby napping?

And now the Holidays are around the corner and I just booked my flight home, so I can tell you I will be in Seattle area South (Gig Harbor) Dec 17-24 and Seattle North (Lake Stevens) Dec 24-Jan 4. So let me know if you want to make a date with us while we are around. I do hope to see as many of you as I can!

Lots and Lots of other things happened this month! Here is the rest in a snapshot!

She liked her first food!

Hanging at the ball field for Dad's fall season

We love bathtime!

Visiting a local marine museam

Mark Bevin and cousin Ally came to visit!

Big enough to sit at the table

Brian turned 30! We were a couple a kids at the theme park for the day!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Cutest Giraffe ever!

At the babies at the meeting I go to for nursing mothers

Trick or treating with her first Alex

Mmmmmm candy!

Butterfly!

That's a sloth bear behind her!

And to round off a great busy time Grammy came for a visit!

Fall

2011-09-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

Fall is in the air. I found myself drooling over fresh new #2 pencils in the store over the weekend. Alas I am not in school and have no need. But it was a blissful 72 degrees here today and rainy all day, I was euphoric all day! Though the three hour nap Brian allowed me to have yesterday may have played a roll in that also.

You may have seen our area in the news lately. We are all well and safe and here is the highlights.

Hanging out watching the hurricane blow in, without electricity, it was hot and stuffy inside with no AC, so we sat on our dear neighbors covered porch. That's Brian enjoying a cigar.

Thankfully after a earthquake, hurricane and tornado all in one week, this was all the damage done, that's our house in the background, this tree uprooted and fell right across the front yard during the hurricane. That corner of the house is our bedroom. We feel very blessed and grateful that we were all safe and sound and only without power for three days.

Many new things starting now that the school year is here, I am starting a new study with my home bible study ladies on Spiritual Disciplines, I am very excited to dig into this topic. I had also planned on starting to study with Community Bible Study in town, they also have kids bible study for every age as the kid/kids grow up. I like to attend a study when I lead one, but I have been asked this week to lead a discussion group for this also, so I am praying over this further commitment. We will see, but I have heard nothing but great things about the organization and I think it would be a great thing to get involved with, they are all over the country, so you should look into it if you are looking for a study this fall. This year is Acts, should be a great topic.
I have also agreed to watch another three month old girl starting tomorrow, 4 days a week. It will help me to raise the money aside from Brian's income to pay for us to all go home to Seattle for Christmas, I am very excited I can contribute towards that trip. I met the woman through a local nursing support group run by the hospital, and she works on the same base as Brian, and lives just a few miles from us. Her daughter was born 3 days after Eleanor, and is on the waiting list for the base day care. So it won't last a long time but should be an adventure basically having twins eight hours a day. Thankfully she naps well and is as easy going a baby as Eleanor.
Lastly Eleanor is three month old today and doing very well, changing all the time. She is not very interested in toys yet, but she is starting to look at them a little more if not grasp them yet. She has discovered her hands this week and has been chewing on them non stop. She is now drooling, and most excitedly smiling the last few days! She was ten and a half pounds today.

Unofficial kinda first smile on camera

August 23rd is Grandad's Birthday thats why the fancy onesie.

We had a great time spending the labor day weekend with our great friends from Germany who we did ministry with when we all lived there, then with no kids. It was such fun to now get together with our gaggle of kids, them with twin boys and a little girl, and both our husbands now civilians, how life has changed.

With Dad's hat, hiding from the sun

Fun with Dad

Swimming in the river testing the new life jacket

Adventures in breastfeeding

2011-08-21T15:52:00.000-07:00

Forgive my long overdue post, we are still living over here on the east coast, no one had died, no good reason except for that of a baby.
Eleanor is doing great, if not gaining weight as she might but we are watching it and we will see how she does in a few more weeks. She holds her head up decently well now for short times, no smiles yet, we keep waiting, and sleeps through the night a decent amount of the time, that is from midnight till 5:30 am or so, which isn't bad when your a few months old.
Eleanor and I have been plotting away at nursing for these few months with many a challenge, but with Brian pushing me on gently we have not given up yet. I had an appointment with a lactation consultant nurse last week who was astounded I had lasted this long which made me feel better, I am not just a wimp after all. Apparently, Eleanor is a sucky sucker, or her suck is terrible as the nurse said, but not just that, she has a very small mouth, and a very high pallet, any one of these issues can give you many problems and she has all three, so I guess all said we are doing well. But as another excuse for my not posting my days are full of, feeding, changing, pumping, dishes, pumping, feeding, pumping, changing, pumping and feeding me, pumping, feeding her, pumping and making dinner somewhere in there by which time Brian gets home and holds her while I pump some more. The last few days the feeding has gone much better and I hope we can start pumping less.
But I can't complain, she hardly crys and when she does she has a good reason, rolling of the couch comes to mind, or often, "someone just put me down for a nap already!" and of course I am hungry, but she is clear about what she wants and stops soon after you fix it, so I am very lucky really, she is a very easy baby.
In non baby news, we went to DC this weekend, we were kindly lent someones house while they were out of town and had a great weekend "on the town". My ladies baby study continues very well and we are growing.

With that here are some unimportant "firsts"

First trip to Trader Joes

First hoodie

First shots, (band aids on legs)

Trip to DC

Bath in the "big" tub!

First Hungry Hungry Caterpillar

First hike

First Monet

First art museam

First concert

First shoulder ride

She has arrived!

2011-06-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

Eleanor Elizabeth Graham was born June 7th at 9:30 PM. She weighed in at 6lb 12oz and 20 inches long. She was 36 weeks and 2 days along and therefore a month early.

For those of you who are wondering about all the details I am going to put them here. If you don't care how she was made it out into this world feel free to enjoy the photos and skip all the details!

Just after they told me this was it! 42 inches, 36 weeks and 3 days

In recovery, 30 min old

Grandma got to hold her first

Granddad said a blessing over her, still with no name at this point

Her first hat the nursery put on her

First morning 12 hours old

Daddy taking the early morning shift

A bit the worse for wear, looking much better now!

The night nurse made this for her while she was in the nursery her second night after she was named.

Going home!

Home safe and sound, meeting the cat!

If you are baby crazy enough to want to see every picture taken of her, click here

3 Week old Update!

Now its been three weeks, I was feeling well after 2 weeks and this caught a bug and am just now getting back after that. But today was my first day with no pain killers and I was up and in town all day long, and still have enough energy to write this! So great improvements. Eleanor has proven to have a great disposition, she has a good set up lungs but only uses them if she hurts, and then not often. She is very easy so far, and very content, and goes with the flow. She is 7lbs and 6oz today on her 3 week mark with her due date still 5 days away. She was down in weight to just 6lbs even at 4 days old, so she put that weight back on up to 7 lbs by her 2 week check up and now keep gaining. She eats very well, and is starting to sleep 6 hours at a time.

The birth details

Sunday June 5th I started feeling some symptoms of high blood pressure which can be very dangerous, seeing spots etc. So Sunday night I e-mailed my Dr and asked if she wanted to see me sooner than my Tuesday apt. She called Monday morning and I was sleeping and had my phone off, so she called Brian at work and told him I needed to go to the hospital right now. So thankfully my parents were home so Mum woke me up and we went directly there. This was the third time I had been sent to the hospital for the high BP and each time before I had been sent home the same day when my BP lowered with rest.
This time they did the same tests for preeclampsia they had been doing for weeks and this time they did show abnormalities where they had always been normal before. At this point after just a few hours I was told this was it. At this point my kidneys were showing some signs of not functioning well and as the baby was far enough along to be delivered safely it was time to deliver her to save my body any more stress from the pregnancy.
At this point they started me on magnesium citrate drip to prevent stroke or seizures which can be caused from the high blood pressure. This is a important but miserable drug that makes you flushed and groggy, and feel flu like symptoms. I was on it continually for the next three days. That afternoon Brian came with his bag packed for the week, and stayed that night with me. I was given something that evening for overnight to soften my cervix in preparation for being induced the next morning. We did our best to sleep which is very hard with an IV in one hand and a BP cuff on the other, and a nursing coming in hourly to check the IV bags etc. Not to mention the baby monitors strapped to my belly. But I digress and should not complain as it all kept us both safe.
The next morning this is Tuesday the 7th, I was started on pitocin, to induce labor, they started slow and upped the amount every half hour. At around noon I was starting to have contractions on the monitor but did not feel them yet, and was maybe 2cm dilated. By about 4 that afternoon I started contracting very regularly and well, and had the epidural as they started to come very quickly, each was twice and intense as the last and about a min apart. The contractors were good but they baby would not settle down low and I was not dilating.
Through all of this, and every hospital visit I had had up to this point the baby's heart rate had been "ideal". At about 8 that evening the Dr came back in and checked and I was still just 4 cm with good hard contractions every min, and told us that for the last hour the baby's heart rate was not where they liked to see it. As she had been so predictably great up until now and with the slow dilating it was going to be some time yet, and she recommended a c-section to be sure the baby would be safe. My Dr up to this point had been very good about doing only what was really needed and nothing more and I knew she was trying to avoid a c-section at all costs so for her to bring it up I knew she had good reason and we agreed. From then on it was a blur of activity with the anesthesiologist coming it and lots of prep and they had me in the OR by 8:50 I think. They got me all prepped and then let Brian in. Who I have to add here looks very nice in scrubs, he might have missed his calling! Its a very good look for him and I realize now we didn't get one picture of him! He held my hand and watched as they pulled her out of me, and got to see her right away, they weighed her and wiped her down and he brought her over for me to see. I was so groggy and out of it I didn't see much. He went with her to the nursery to be sure all was well, but the Dr in the OR said she was perfect and I think she scored a 8 out of 10 in the first min infant test they do for all newborns, and 9 at the 5 min mark, not bad for one month early. The nurse her had her first said a few min after she was born that she had a lovely disposition. We heard that many more times from many nurses before we left. There was also comments that Brian couldn't be a first time Dad because he help her so naturally and without the fear most new dads show.
They patched me up while I was still out of it, and Brian was with the baby and brought me out to recovery where Mum was able to be, Helen was able to go with Brian to the nursery. Not to long later once I was settled in recovery Brian was able to bring the baby back to be to hold and nurse for a hour, everybody got to be there, and see her during that first hour. Then the Grandparents headed to our house and I was moved to a room.
The next morning we talked about names and finally agreed on Eleanor, which was very easy in the end, it was just right, even though it was not the name we thought we would use. She was just the perfect baby right away, hardly cried that first 48 hours, we had the three grandparents around much of the first few days and Brian never left. I love the picture of his sleeping with her on the cot in the room the first day. We went home Saturday morning, things healed well and baby starting to eat well. The Dr said it was a textbook surgery, and everything went perfectly.

Nursery Done!!

2011-05-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

Soo exciting but before I tell you all about the room I will give an update on the pregnancy. Many of you will know by now and some will not that I had high blood pressure before I ever got pregnant. So we have known from the start this could add some complications. It has become event this has started, I am on medication and so far its keeping the blood pressure just barely under a very concerning level. I keep track multipal times a day as the Dr is keeping a close watch on things. If it goes up much at all, and it did about 10 days ago they will check me into the hospital for observation. This did happen just after I got back to VA and after a few hours in the hospital and lots of tests the blood pressure went down and I was sent home. The same almost happened today, but it went down again after sitting for 10 min at the Dr's office so they let me go home. All my tests for many things that can be effected by the high blood pressure, like organs and heart etc have all been negative, so far its not having any lasting bad effects, they will continue to check this. All along the baby has looked great, she is a few weeks ahead in growth which is a great sign as the most common side effect to this is low weight baby's. All this being said I will be induced early its just a matter of how much early, anytime possibly, which would be 6 weeks early, but they are optimistic and hoping to old off to 3 weeks early. Its all a matter of weighing many details for whats best for me and baby at this time. There is no reason to think that if the baby was born next week she wouldn't be perfectly healthy, and over 5 pounds, close to 6 we hope, she may not have a name yet but all signs show she would be fine.

I have been asked over and over how I am feeling and ironically I feel the best I have yet though this pregnancy, so thats a nice side note. I feel greatly at peace though all this and very open to whatever needs to happen to have a healthy baby. I feel deeply we are in Gods hands and it will all be fine and in His perfect timing in the end. I also feel very ready, which helps my mind be at ease, there is always more I can do but everything that needs to be done is ready, I have a bag in the car and a few preemie clothes just in case, so I can be ready at a moments notice. I also have many wonderful ladies who will be here and support me in whatever I need. Thank you for all your prayers, please do not worry about us, but know that no news is good news and if anything happens Brian will be sure you are all kept informed via Facebook right away and here a little later.

That brings me to the fun stuff, I have finished decorating the nursery which I love more than I expected and has been lots of fun! This is the view from the door.

The crib, I just couldn't resist the canopy though I am sure Brian thinks its a bit much and will need to be taken down when she is old enough to pull it down, but for now I love it!

Found this bran new chair on craigslist! The wood is just the same as the crib amazingly! And my plan is to have toys in the baskets and books on the shelves, though I hope the book collection outgrows the shelves soon!

I love these numbers I found in a shop with my Mum, and my Grandmothers doll and my old doll highchair my Granddad made me, with my other Grandfathers old dresser serving as a changing table.

Wonderful full drawers thanks to many of you and your generous shower gifts!

And by the door, with my Mothers old doll, is the new fish tank serving as white noise and a night light. Don't worry Brian will baby proof the cords long before baby can pull on them. And hopefully its nice and high, the cat as so far has not noticed them, lets hope it stays that way, but she would have to do a 7 foot vertical jump, which I can't say is impossible, but I couldn't have made it more difficult either. Ohh and hooks for the diaper bag and coats and blankets etc.

Last but no least the closet, bedding on the right, bigger clothes up above, diapers in the middle with more on the way thanks to my Mother-in-law, and my Dad driving them in the car across the country for me. And my ingenious if I do say so myself, double decker hanging clothes. She got so many cute dresses at the showers I had to make room, but these are through 24 month size, so not to many she won't get lots of use from them all!

More garden images

2011-05-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

For the few of you who really want to see more garden details and help me identify some plants etc.

Azalia, that looks a little sickly

Close up of the leaves of a tree I posted awhile back, Katie asked for a closer view of the leaves, not sure what it is, but its a very strange looking tree.

This is coming along nicely but I haven't a clue what it is.

This poor rose looks a bit worse for the wear, I have treated it for bugs and pruned the bad bits

Beautiful weekend

2011-05-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

How nice it is to be home, in ones own home. I am just getting settled back in, getting things back in order very slowly! But it was a beautiful weekend and we stayed home and enjoyed it. It was nicely warm and not humid at all so I felt like I better enjoy each second of it because I am sure there will not be very many days like that.

We have this pear tree that is a very odd shape and has been bothering us both, it looks a little like its wearing a hat, with this top notch, and blocks the view of the larger trees further back on the property. So Brian decided to my delight to prune it! Thankfully he just got a set of wireless tools and one of them is an electric saw thing, it probably has a real name but I am not the one to know it.

Also putting to use his new ladder!

And here is the after, you have to look very carefully to see but Brian's head is at the top and you can see the trees behind clearly. Regardless you can take my word for it, it now looks like a normal shaped fruit tree and makes the view from the deck much nicer!

I mentioned before how much things have grown up while I was away and with that comes shade! The patterns of the shade are completely differnt now that the trees have their leaves. And I was thrilled to come home and find out that the whole backyard is in shade after about 4pm, so its very pleasant to sit out the back in the evening! For now at least, at some point it will stay too hot shade or not, but for now its very nice and a exciting discovery.

You might remember the front of the house is well, I say naked. It was a blank empty garden when we moved in and I have been bidding my time to get some plants in, and this weekend was it! I was so excited to get some plants and get them in the ground, and even though they are small now I am sure it will improve things eventually, above is the after shot, which from the street looks just like the before shot, but closer up its a big improvement already!

I have hydrangea on either side of the front steps, azalia under two windows, a few gerber daisies someone gave me left over from a function where they were center pieces, and two rhododendron on either end of the house.

We have also started getting serious about having a baby sometime in the near future, I will have a car-seat today so we are prepared just in case and I am working more seriously on getting the nursery more the way I want it now I am back. Not that a newborn needs a nursery done but I know I can spend the time I want now and not later so I better get it done, the sewing things have yet to be removed from the room yet though.

Sorry this is a very random post with lots of odds and ends, once I am caught up and have you caught up things will go back to normal.

In other news, while I was gone my husband found some killer deals for a projector and speakers and has set up a home theater in the family room. I am sure a new subwoofer is just what every newborn needs in the house, but he has been enjoying it in the meantime at least. Poor kid might grow up thinking it lives in a war zone, but at least it hopefully will not be a light sleeper. I give him a hard time but I was very impressed when he showed it off and its truly very cool, and with town and the theater being so far away I think we will have lots of fun with it. We had some friends over Saturday to give it a go and they loved it too, and we had a great time. I will have to take some pictures of that next.

Thats plenty for now, I will try to make a more normal post soon. And of course post pictures of the baby's room when its done!

Visit home in pictures

2011-05-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

I am back home (VA) now, and its amazing what has grown in my absence! The trees are fully leafed, if thats a word, and everything is sooo very green! Lush and green in a different color than Seattle green somehow. I think its lighter in color without the evergreens. And the crickets are back! They were one of the first things I noticed when we moved here, constant and loud like a soundtrack to everything and they have returned after the winter. And of course my dear husband is as wonderful as ever.
But enough of that, I am going to give you an overview snapshot of my trip home from all the pictures I took on my phone and sent home to Brian while I was away. Its kindof a day in the life, but a few large things like the baby showers are missing as we took pictures of those with a real camera.

First day back, and I am greeted with sun! The view from my Mother road!

Pedicures with Mum!

Met my brother for lunch with Mum and dad

Found a temp ring thats bigger to wear while I am pregnant.

Coffee with the bride

Manicures with the bride

The big day!

With Dad on the big day

Visit to our old home church the day after!

Showing Brian my belly getting bigger

Being spoiled by Mum with strawberries and cream for breakfast in her newly remodeled kitchen

At Ikea, Brian likes to greet me with this daily, especially when I am not looking my best, i.e. just woken up etc, so it was ironic to find it up on the wall in Ikea.

Lunch with the parents

Easter at the in-laws, and my sister-in-law and my matching bellys

Watching Game of Thrones with my brother-in-law

Apparently Brian left this at his parents house when we moved and his Mother wondered if he wanted it. He replied "of course, I hand picked it out myself!" (for a fish tank in college) so home it came with me!

Dinner with my brother and family, here is the niece and I!

My niece nnd nephew took to Brian's brother at dinner. He is a big hit with the kids!

At one of my showers with my Aunt and "bossy lady" (Brian and I both worked for this dear lady!)

Tea after the honeymoon with the bride and groom and the new tea things!

The Everett waterfront

Snow and civilized toilets at a rest stop crossing the mountains for the womans retreat.

Visit with Aunt Judy in Wenachee before we started the retreat.

Dear friend Jonelle saying hi, you can't have her back to Brian via picture

And more mountain views driving home to Seattle to fly out the next day.

After a miserable cold rainy spring in Seattle I got there just in time for the sun to come back out. I visited with lots more people, had lots of great coffee, and baby showers, thanks to all of you who made time to see me, I feel so blessed and refreshed for having visited with all of you, and at the same time so very glad to be back to my own couple acres here in Virgina.

Home and Home, random reflections

2011-04-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

Strange how we can have two homes. I find this comforting because if I can have two homes here on earth then maybe I can find a way to feel a little of home on this planet while always knowing my real home is yet to come.

I feel so very blessed as I prepare this home for my absence and get ready to travel "home" to see many of you. So many can't even claim one home and I feel as though I have known many.

I walk around my yard giving my plants one last good drink, on this warm Spring day. I am so grateful for what I have here, I pray for each lady in the bible study I started a few months ago, and that they did not want to take a break while I am gone, but have become so reliant on the time of fellowship and prayer we have they didn't want to stop, blessings! They will make coming back here so much easier, when leaving many of the people I love in Seattle might have been hard.

Brian took these pictures the other day, he was spontaneously inspired by the "flowers" sprouting in our backyard he went out and started creating these works of art out of His works of art. (Even if they are truly weeds!) I do love my wonderful husband, I have been more blessed by him than any other, and I thank God for him daily. I love that he has these spouts of artistic in him, that he is capable of anything he sets his mind to, that he has started taking such pride in this little plot of land that is ours, that he always provides the logic I lack, that he knows what I need long before I know myself, he can read my emotions much better than I can, that he is the only person on the planet I can think of that I would want in the labor and delivery with me. That he is the only person I want to see when I have had a bad day. And even that he already knows how to change a diaper and isn't hesitant to do so, (thanks Mother-in-law!) how lucky am I!

As you read we just had our 6th Anniversary which makes me think over these things i love about him. But I also went though and read through the cards we received at our wedding from many of you. I am so blessed by them, by the marriage wishes you all sent those 6 years ago, and I look back and see how many of them have already come true. At who we were then and how far we have come, at the amazing hand God had on our lives leading up to that day, and how much I can see of that same leading and blessing hand in the 6 years since then. He never leaves us or forsakes us. I can truly look back and be as thankful for the hard times as the easy ones for what they have brought us in these years, and where we are because of them.

I planted a garden this year for the first time and I have been so blessed by it even now. I am not growing milk, but am using them as small greenhouses to help the seedlings take hold. I kept meaning to post my gardening adventures but my pride help me back, I have failed at this endeavorer so many times I kept thinking I will wait to see if its going to grow before I make my failure public. Shame on me.

I think I have deiced gardening is one of the best lessons in patiences, of which I need always! But sure enough these little seeds have started to sprout, and its a joy to see how they change day to day. I am reminded of so many lessons from the scripture in regards to growing, and many of them have take on such new meaning for me as i live this out by growing myself.

He is faithful

His timing is perfect and not ours! (or the seed packets!)

We must be faithful in what He has asked of us

Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mothers womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle. for you do not know which will succeed, weather this or that, or weather both will do equally well.

6 years ago...

2011-04-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

I married my best friend, and I am so happy to still call him the same. I feel lucky each day I am blessed with his company. He is much to good for me, and I am thankful for him all the time!

We were not feeling flush this year a decided to get away and finally visit Shenandoah, we had been planning to get there since we moved here 8 months ago! Took us long enough! So it was a great excuse, and we figured a good last chance to get out camping without a baby to tote along. You don't need tons of details on our weekend but I know the Mothers will enjoy seeing these so I will let the pictures do most of it and just walk you through what they are. Most Brian took, you can tell because they are the good shots.

Our first impression of the park was not much but white, we rose just high enough to be completely in the fog, but the forecast was for beautiful weather the next day so we hung in there hoping for the best the next day.

We drove slowly!

There were deer everywhere!

A short little hike in the fog

Quite magical really, I had visions of Narnia, not sure why!

After checking out the various sites and things, we ditched the plan of roughing it, left the tent in the car and Brian booked a room at the last min. They had had lots of cancellations because of the possibly government shutdown, the park might have been closed so we got a great deal on a room with one of the best views in the park. Or so they told us as all we could see that day was white. I was excited to see a bed in the end and promptly took a nap!

Enjoying our very own deck, with the white view in the wet drizzle, I must say I did feel at home!

Making Brian a gourmet Anniversary dinner!

He said it was great!

We wandered out after to the dinning room for a nice dessert! And this was on the way!

Later that night in just a few moments the white fog shifted and we got our first glimpse of a view, the is the Shenandoah Valley

And come morning the view again, no more fog but clouds settled over the Valley. We are on the Blue Ridge Mountains and looking over to the Smokey's

We did a short hike up to one of the highest points, (almost 4000 feet, they were very proud to tell you!)

At the top

This is part of the appalachian trail we were on going to the top, Brian likes his close ups!

And a few last views as we drove home. It was a great weekend, just the right amount of relaxing, hiking and beauty! We enjoyed some quality time together before I leave him for a few weeks while I come back to Seattle to see many of you!

House done!

2011-04-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

I had a little party the other day and realized i kept planning to take more pictures of the house when it was "done" which of course it never is. but i am done for now until after baby at least with upstairs, and as i cleaned for guests i took the chance to take some updated pictures. hope you enjoy!

Above is the nook in our master bedroom, I am useing the end section of the couch we bought for downstairs for hereat least for now, its a great reading corner.

Nurcery slash sewing room while i attempt to get caught up on babyswho have been born some time ago and are still without their Rochelle made quilt, I am shamfuly behind but making up time. Also the beautiful bassenette you see is on loan from a dear friend. I am just missing a rocking chair, on the hunt for the perfect one!

My hall bath which has become my favorite, its all sea green and brown which I am loving the combo. I loved how this room turned out!

Living room, much as it is all the time which the exception of two extra chairs for lots of people that night, so its more tight than normal.

Looking into the kitchen. LOVE my island, best thing i bought, thanks to both my mothers kind generousity! I think of them when I use it, and it was ideal for a group coming over for potluck!

Cat has made herself right at home, maybe to much so!

And the other angle of the livingroom as seen from the dinning "room". Thats the front door you can see and the dolls I brought out for our youngest visitor expected that night for dinner.

And lastly a very messy bedroom with Brian checking his e-mail on the bed, and a baby gift that came in the mail that day still out in front of him. This is the view from the door, we each have a dresser on either side of the bed you can't see.

Cherry Blossoms!

2011-04-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday we went to the Washington DC Cherry Blossom Festival! Brian's idea, and it was a good one! I was also blessed to go to town early and visit a wonderful church I have heard about that some distant family who lives in town goes too. So nice to worship with them! And get to see and play with their little boys!

Just behind Brian's head is the Washington Monument, but you will have to take my word for it! :-)

For all you who have been wanting to see the belly, this gives you a little idea, and the rest you can see in person in about a week!

Brian was a little worried about Pregnant me climbing this tree! Geeze Brian this is ME we are taking about! (I was perfectly fine!)

Lots of fun had by all, there was a outdoor theater and we sat on the lawn and enjoyed some darling Indian girls doing traditional Indian dancing, and then a roots rock group.

Also to you who track this, sorry its been an age, but I have not felt great the last few weeks and when I did I was getting things ready for my trip to Seattle! So I will see many of you soon! I am getting very excited! And for you who are keeping track of these things I am officially in my third trimester as of two days ago! So I guess this is the final stretch!

This weeks Prayer

2011-03-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

The promise of new growth

My prayer for this week.

Also taken from my new prayer book

Lord God, please keep us balanced between the times you call us apart to be alone with You and the times when we dwell in the midst of others who claim You as lord, that we might in every circumstance know ourselves in the beloved community of Your Trinity. Amen

Read along with this was Ex 2:23-3:15 where Moses has an encounter with the burning bush and

Mark 6:30-46 where Jesus calls his disciples come come away from the crowds out in a boat with Him

Birthday!

2011-03-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

Birthday flowers

What a lucky girl I am. Brian took off a few hours early and surprised me with these flowers on my birthday Tuesday. We had dinner and a movie out on the town! Big excitement!

Brian also found a roomba on creigs list for a great deal for my birthday. I would not normally support vacuums for birthdays but I hate to vacuum, and have wanted a roomba for our whole 6 years of marriage, (yes 6 years next month if you can believe it). So it was very very exciting to get one with my new bigger house. And I am thrilled to say it has not disappointed, and in combination with the cat has been very entertaining.

My shoes won't protect you!

Soo great, I had ladies bible study in my living room, and while we met I let roomba rip in my bedroom, and by the time we were done and the ladies left, presto, immaculate bedroom floor! Just like magic!

Brian was also very sweet and took some pictures of my spring flowers! Things are a blooming!

Climbing rose

And my very sweet parents sent me a few things one is a wonderful new prayer book. And I loved this from this morning reading. Hope you like it also!

May the peace of the Lord go with you: wherever He may send you;
may He guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm;
may He bring you home rejoicing: at the wonders He has shown you;
may He bring you home rejoicing: once again into our doors.

New baby pictures

2011-03-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

I had another ultrasound, and everything looks great, we were able to get some slightly better pictures this time and confirmation it really really is a girl. And this time I wasn't wishing I could throw up the whole time so all in all a much better experience and I am glad the baby did not cooperate fully the first time! Thus needing another go. :-)

Babys spine, looks much more clear than a month ago, head is on the right

Feet: with all the kicking I did not need confirmation she had these

Nose, mouth with her hand bu her chin

This one is much harder to see, but on the left middle the long line is a arm, and just below is the face, you can see a cheek, nose and eyes

This is like the one above but more clear, she has both arms along side her head and the eyes are clear

Closer of the above

and closer of the profile.

Sorry if you didn't need to see all these, and are now bored, this post is mostly for the Grandma's, and nurses in my life.

Evening Prayers

2011-03-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

My Prayer corner

Taken from this evenings prayer in "The Divine Hours"

Lord Jesus, stay with me, for the evening is at hand and the day is past; be my companion in the way, kindle my heart, and awaken hope, that I may know you as you are revealed is Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake of your love. Amen

Watching the storm

2011-03-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

Still and quiet with bird song all around as I sit and be still, to know, You are.

Then suddenly they quiet, the trees grown and sway, and I watch as the wind rolls in mightily. The air around grows darker as the clouds roll in on the wind. It seems thunderous with the sounds of wind and trees, and slowly, ever so slowly the bird song starts again, and the trees grow still while the light returns.

For a moment Spring has returned before the process repeats itself. Then suddenly I hear drip, drip, plonk, and splat, and the heavens open and instantly the earth is drenched. I tuck my feet up under the edge of my umbrellas small shelter as I sit and watch in awe.

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Lazy weekends

Good food

Warmer air

New growth

Birds

Blue skys

Womans fellowship

Peaceful days

Healthy active kicking baby

For Katie

2011-02-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

I am posting this for Katie's garden advice, if you have some also feel free to chime in.
First of all I have a bunch of roses, which I am sure were not pruned before winter and now seem very lankly, and I am wondering if I should do something to them before they start growing to much for spring.

Any idea what this tree might be? I was wondering if it could be fruit, but you may not be the tree expert.

Another huge rose, should it have something to climb on?

This Rose is going all over the place

This has a ton of sprouts.

I think this tree just landed here and needs to be pulled up?

This is hard to see, but has old roots, and just this one tiny shoot.

Another one last the last, clearly an old rose that someone chopped up allot.

This is not a rose but some small tree, any ideas?

And this is the funkiest looking tree ever, but my Mum wondered if the leaves might be magnolia? Any ideas?

This is coming back, any ideas what it is?

This is right next to it, but not growing back like the other, think its dead? Maybe you can't tell, the pictures are hard.

Some kind of shrub? Is it possible this will come back, or should I just rip it up?

Thanks! Any input is useful!

Spring has Sprung

2011-02-26T12:27:00.000-08:00

We walked out in our yard today and it was like Christmas in Spring! We have bulbs! Little green things popping heads out of the ground. And on top of that I had two wedding invitations this week, so Spring really must be here! I can't wait to see what all these green things turn into, I have a few guesses but won't know really till there is buds spotted.

Colds, and Spring on its way

2011-02-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

I have a miserable cold, which is no fun when you can't take anything for it. But the only good thing about colds is the food! I am excited to have one last winter stew with the Spring coming. And nice warm bread is a must to go with stew!

Company

2011-02-21T17:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry no pictures today, we have had a houseful of family all weekend and I never picked up the camera, shame on me. But we had a wonderful time with family visiting, a few brothers and sister-in-laws, and 3 baby boys. The twins are 2 and had a blast in our yard which was lots of fun! We talked, played games and ate lots all weekend long. And it gave me the push I needed to get the house done, things on the walls and everything! So now that the house is more empty again and reasonably dirty, its still so much better than it was because things are mostly put away and organized. Its so exciting!
I am looking forward this week to the first meeting of my new womans bible study, I have had it on my heart for ages to start a day time study as there isn't much like that in the area, and now that I am moved in and feeling a little better I didn't want to put it off any longer. So I can't wait to start this week.
Also new this week I started feeling the baby, and now four days later I can feel strong kicks all day long, I am convinced she is practicing the triple jump in there just like daddy, or at least building up those leg mussels, and I imagine they will be long legs like all the Grahams. But we will see.

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Beautiful sunny weather!
Airing out the house with every window open!
Turning off the heat!
Space to run and play!
Safe baby's
Brothers bonding
Generous friends with used baby gear!
People to cook for!
Snow in the forecast!

Update

2011-02-10T13:10:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling so much better I have been so busy in the house I have neglected posting, Which I feel is a little hypocritical because I excused not posting before because I didn't feel well, so I guess I have no excuse. It has been wonderful weather here, and last Sunday afternoon it was sunny and like 50, so we spent our first day in the yard, we had so much fun. Brian was determined to get his swing up and running properly, he still has plans to put steps up the side of the tree, this weekend.

Brian is embracing being a homeowner with power tools! Thanks Dad!

And I am enjoying all his hard work! I love my new hammock chair, I think it will be much better to rock baby than a normal ricking chair!

And if you looks close here you can see Brian also made a normal swing seat. For the more serious swingers! This is him testing it just before heading to the super bowl at a friends down the street. Did you know that on the East Coast the super bowl is in the evening! Strangest thing! I can't get over it, its so odd! But we were watching with all Steelers fans, so it was a little bit of a sad night.

In case you are waiting in suspense Brian's calculations were right that if the Packers won the baby was a girl and the next day at the ultrasound it looks like it is a GIRL! At least 75% chance it is a girl, we will have another look in a month and hopefully know more. But that was Monday night, we found out, so its been a very busy week!

Do you think thats a Graham nose, I suspect it might be. :-)

The house is looking so much better! Maybe I will show more pictures in a week or to when its close to done. We have Brian's brothers coming this week and we are so excited to have guests and have the house almost put away, at least the important things!

I have been enjoying my quiet times outside the last few days, and even went for a bike ride yesterday. So nice to feel some warmth, though that means I am getting closer to having to think about the garden which is scary, one thing at a time, inside first!

I also got a new phone that has internet, as you might have seen from last nights post, but it allows me to do my daily prayers from anywhere and even alarm throughout the day to remind me. So much fun.

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Safe baby, every thing accounted for and in place as it should be

Wonderful husband who never expects from me what I expect from myself, what a blessing this is!

Family and friends who love us soo much they want to come see us!

Sunshine, I might get used to this after all!

Tree's!

New ways to communicate with friends near and far

New ladies bible study in the works!

Fellowship with old friends who are new!

Great deals for house stuff on craigslist!

test

2011-02-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

Just testing, I have a new fancy phone and I can now post from anywhere!

Pantry Done!

2011-02-04T11:54:00.000-08:00

I am SOO excited, because my pantry is done and I think it is a thing of beauty, if you had ever seen my pantry from the last house you will understand. And if you saw the number of boxes I unpacked marked pantry and the huge overwhelming task it seemed you will also understand. Not to mention the very few cabinets I have in the kitchen, all those factors make this a very exciting new accomplishment!
But I can truly say as I was putting all the food away, I was so thankful for each box and can, and the way the Lord provides for my family. I hope I will never take the ability to just go buy grocery's for granted again.

My Mother says I can survive a few natural disasters! :-) Particularly now that we have own own well. But I think its a thing of beauty. And my very favorite par is my very nice tape labels which will theoretically mean when I ask my husband to get something he will be able to find it, and it won't be the inevitable,"I don't see it" which means I end up getting it myself in the end. But I can't give him to hard a time as I remember very clearly doing the same thing to my Mother about her pantry.

So glad to be feeling myself again! And getting things done!

Why do I count?

2011-02-04T07:35:00.001-08:00

My inspiration for starting this blog and the importance of counting me blessing started with this woman, and this video she has so beautifully made explains that in a way I could never, I hope you are blessed by it as I was.

Figuring Life Out - One Thousand Gifts (720) from Jacob Forrest on Vimeo.

The Midday office

2011-02-03T13:49:00.000-08:00

Its a beautiful day today and I am starting to feel human most days again! Today I was so blessed to spend my first quiet time out on my new deck. Thanks Bevin for the cozy new socks! I hope you won't mind but as i was praying through the midday office today I feel the need to not just say it with my mouth but type it through my fingers also. I hope you are blessed by it as I am

The call to Prayer
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy Name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits

The request for presence
Show your goodness, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are true of heart Ps 124:4

The Greeting
You have set a banner for those who fear you
Save us by your right hand and answer us. Ps 60:4-5

The Refrain
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all who dwell in the world stand in awe of him. Ps 33:8

A Reading
The a branch will grow from the stock of Jesse, and a shoot will spring from his roots. On him the spirit of the Lord will rest: a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord; and in the fear of the Lord will be his delight. He will not judge by outward apperances or decide a case of hearsay; but with justice he will hudge the poor and defend the humble in the land of equity; like a rod his verdict will strick the ruthless, and with his word he will slay the wicked. He will wear the belt of justice, and truth shall be his girdle. Is 11:1-5

The Refrain
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all who swell in the world stand in awe of him

The Psalm
Praise the Lord for his mighty acts; praise him for his excellent greatness.
Praise him with the blast of the rams horn; praise him with the lyre and the harp
Praise him with timbrel and dance; praise him with strings and pipe.
Praise him with resounding cymbals; praise him with loud-clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord, Hallelujah!

The Refrain
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all who dwell in the world stand in awe of him.

The Gloria
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever, amen.

The Lords prayer

The prayer for the day
O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into my heart your greatest gift witch is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Concluding prayer
Almighty God who has promised to hear the petitions of those who ask in your Son's name: I beseech you mercifully to incline your ear to me who have made my prayers and supplications to you; and grant that those things which I have faithfully asked according to your will, may effectually be obtained, to the relief of my necessity, and to the setting forth of your glory, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen

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Blue sky's
Beautiful backyard
New friends
Wonderful husband who never expects from me what I expect from myself
Parents
Family visiting!
Cooking!
Windows
Talented musicians
New Swing!

If you are wondering about the daily office, it is the 5 daily prayers that monastic orders gather for daily. many lay people also practice a habit of pausing in their day to stop 5 times a day for prayer and reflection. I have done this for periods in my life and I can not recommend it more if you want to change your perspective, and refocus your life on what counts. They are short simple prayers that can be done at your desk or the like, and the simple practice of making time for and turning your attention to the Lord 5 times a day will change your life. You can use the Common book of prayer of course, the prayers in it are longer, but I enjoy using a book called the divine hours. Or the same online.

First snow in the new house!

2011-01-27T18:22:00.000-08:00

SNOW! Somehow we must live in some kind of bubble because every time there has been a big storm hit the the East Coast this winter, everyone got tons of snow and we had a pathetic inch or so. So today, NY had almost 2 feet, and DC had like 10 inches, and we got just over 2 little inches, better that the last few times but whatever. We don't have trouble driving at least. But all complaining aside it was beautiful to watch it snow out my new window. And this morning the yard was loverly!

From the front door

Back porch

Brian enjoying the new swing this morning!

Getting settled

2011-01-25T16:21:00.000-08:00

One week ago today the movers were here, and we are starting to feel at home in our new house. Thanks to my parents who left today and worked hard all week installing things and fixing and unpacking and shopping and organizing, its all gone much faster than we could have hoped. We still have lots of boxes but we are starting to get the things in the main rooms the way we want them.

From the front door

The biggest news is tonight we put up the rope swing! Brian's brilliant idea of course and now it really must be home. Its huge and will be the best rope swing in town so feel free to come try it out. A better seat will be on its way.

And yes is you know how tall Brian is that branch really is that high, we guess 50 feet, and the land slopes to the right on this picture to start on the swing so it should be amazing!

Also super excited our parents all of them made it possible for us to get this amazing kitchen island! I am in love, and I love costco who also made it possible seeing at it was 1/3rd the price of the manufactures price! But it makes the whole space and adds so much to my small kitchen and I am super excited to use it! Can't decide which way to face it yet, so this is the current favorite but it will likely try a few other positions before I make up my mind, I did just get it a few hours ago, so it will take some living with to decide.

This is the back and it slides another table top out, you can just see there is two sets of legs here. And the first picture shows the front of it which is beautiful. Also this picture is taken from the back/side kitchen door, looking at the front door.

Our bedroom is much less finished, still lots of boxes and I need to buy another dresser as we never had room for one before and had big closets, now we have a small closest and a large room, this is just half of it, the other half is a sitting room area which is currently full of boxes but will have a desk and chair etc in it in the end I think.

So in love with this bed, and it fits in the room and with all the furniture I already had so well! My parents found it on the street years ago their neighbors were tossing it! And lucky for me they just downsizes and have no room for it.

This is the master bath which I love, I added some shelves and that cabinet you see etc, and the chandelier! Ohh I love it! Please don't think less of Brian for it, he was very clear in his no chandelier policy, and this time I just ignored him, (not something i do often mind you!) but I didn't put them where guests will see and ruin his reputation so I should have some credit for that, but I love it, its been a plan of mine for 5 years, so what I can say, Brian lost this one I guess.

Also not very finished is the family room, and it will take some time as we will have to buy some things slowly for it, but I am excited about our fire place and its ready to go! We will eventually have a row of bookshelves on the back wall you see, and the pile of boxes is all the books to go on them.

As you come around the corner from descending the stairs, this is what you see, on the left is another space the same size which Brian has big plans for a TV thats bigger than his brothers and Dads TV, and a sectional, but it will be some time before we save up for all that.

And last but not least, the best part of my new bed is our old bed is now a very nice bed for you, you know who you are!! Your room is cozy and waiting for you. Fresh towels and sheets ready to go freshly cleaned today! Just on the chance some of you are feeling impulsive and decide to come see us on a whim! The room is ready and waiting. And the guest downstairs bath right across the hall from your room is also all set, I added an extra hanging hook thing today so you have plenty of places for clothes and towels etc.

The only thing missing is I am shopping for guest bathrobes for your use while you are here! :-) Soon to come I hope!

Thats all for now, long enough post, but rest assure I have TONS to be thankful for, not the least is wonderful family, both mine and the in-laws, we couldn't have done it without you!

And as many will ask, I am in week 18, or maybe its 19 now, I loose track, and starting to feel better, at least only sink a few hours each day which is a huge step up, still very tired all the time, so I am still hoping for my energy, I still have lots of unpacking to do. And we will go for our ultra sound and find out the sex of the baby Feb 7th in the afternoon, so you may get a excited phone call that day, if you are a Grandparent you WILL be getting a phone call, don't worry!

New House

2011-01-17T09:20:00.000-08:00

We closed on our first home Friday! Its been a very exciting weekend! My parents arrived Saturday to help out and help us celebrate, and we have been making small changes around the house with their help. Tonight we will spend the night for the first time in the empty house and tomorrow first thing all out household goods that have been in storage will be delivered! I am very excited to get all my things in the house and see how it all works and where everything will fit and all that. I also enjoyed watching Brian out on his new acre, there is something about men and land isn't there, I am sure its been the same since the beginning of time somehow. But he cleaned the gutters and cleaned up the yard which with an acre is no small task. And thankfully he was able to do so because my wonderful Dad was taking care of all the inside list I had, changing light fixtures and putting up shower curtain and the like. So we really must be homeowners now, already doing home improvements.
Anyway I have much to be thankful for as I always do. But I will make one note on my health because I know many of you will ask if I don't. I have a miserable cold which is very sad and keep me from much sleep etc, but I do think slowly I am feeling less sick as I have been, just a few times a day and not all day so maybe its on the mend. I am still tired all the time which is frustrating with so much to do. But I had my 16 week check up and we heard the heart beat, and all is well, and the baby is moving around a whole lot, because she could hardly get the heart beat before it would move again and again. So maybe we have an active one, which somehow dons't surprise me.

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A roof over my head
My wonderful husband who works everyday to provide it for me
A husband who waits on my hand and food when I don't feel well
And a Mother who fills in if he is not there to do it
A very handy Dad who knows everything
Wonderful neighbors who are letting us borrow anything and everything we might need
Amazing in-laws who are ever supporting us in everything we do
New friends offers of help for the move
Getting to be "home"

Worship

2011-01-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

I was asked a few weeks ago to write something about an experience I had in college, normally I never write, but I also normally don't say no, so catch 22 next thing I knew a deadline was looming and I needed to write. And then as I was driving this came to me, and I quite liked the result, and I am sure I was more blessed than the friend who it was meant for. So I thought I would share it with you.

I stand on a vast beach with nothing above but the black of the heavens with the stars shinning through.
"O Lord O Lord how majestic is Your name"
The familiar words sink deep into my soul as all I see around me is Your majesty and all Your hand has made.
The dear friends whose voices I hear ring out around me. Each one I know deeply enough to know how perfectly you knitted them together. Each one unlike anyone else, each with unique upbringings, experiences, and interests, and yet each as dear as family.
And here in this place we join together solely because of You, in this mighty cathedral You have crafted by Your hand to remind us this night You are mighty, majestic and yet You love us each, down to each hair on each head.
Blessed be Your name.

As a quick update on life, sorry so seldom, I am still sick most days and the last week the worst yet, so thats why so few posts, but nice quiet Christmas with family here in VA, but I am laying low and trying to feel better most days, otherwise all is well happy and healthy, and the house is booked to close Jan 17th so we are excitedly waiting for that.

Meanwhile here is what I am thankful for these weeks:
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Quite times or relaxing and reflecting around the Holiday
Enjoying the peace before children come
Health, I will appreciate none sick days so much more from now on
Healthy baby in the second trimester!
Wonderful husband who waits on me hand and foot, bless him!!
New house getting closer and closer
Family visiting and spoiling us
Exciting new year to come, house, baby, other baby's and weddings ect.
Feeling better soon I hope!!

Things I like

2010-12-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

I was asked recently if I was liking it here where we now live and I had to think about it, it just is I had not thought much about it. But now that I have here it is..

What I like about living in the South...

First of all, you might wonder, the South you say, don't you live near DC, well in fact we do, about an hour and a bit South of DC. And moving here I had no idea it was the South, but if you ask anyone who lives here they all consider it the South so I will take their word on it. I have come to found out these things are still based very much on the Civil War, and the front line was often about 10 miles North of here which puts us in the Confederate camp, so therefore in the South. Back to what I like..

Men open the door for you
Now granted men do that in the NW to sometimes, and I am used to it as my husband always does. But, I am talking old grisly truck drivers at the gas station, which was a first certainly, not just that but while I was a full 10 steps away, he stood there and waited for me. And seeing as I am pregnant and have need of a bathroom more than usual lately I went back a few hours later and it happened again, and as I was leaving someone else was having the door help for them too, so it was clearly not a one time deal.

People are conservative, and just assume you must be too.
I am sure its just me, but its amazing. Everyone is very right wing and they wouldn't imagine for a second that you aren't too, and they are so open about it. Its the craziest thing!

Leaves!
I feel very certen I will regret this next year when they are all over my own yard and I have to deal with them. But, they are beautiful, and they are all colors and blow in the wind, so great!

Shooting guns off the back porch.
Now granted some do this in WA also, but out here its great, the guys all get together and show off their guns to one another and shoot right off the back porch. Men really are men out here!

And last but not least, everyone says Merry Christmas!
There is none of that PC Happy Holidays stuff here, every casher and random person who greets you wishing you a Merry Christmas, I have not been Happy Holidayed once, its remarkable!

Christmas Parade

2010-12-08T07:05:00.000-08:00

We spend Saturday in town and toped it off with the Fredricksburg Christmas parade, lots of boy and girl scouts, dance company's, car clubs, police motorcycles, and ROTC from the University, but I loved the backdrop of town where every building you see in this shot was there when George Washington road through to build a home for his Mother to retire to, its about 5 blocks from the parade route.

A bunch of police motorcycles did an amazing formation riding

And I even found a great spot to watch from.

Soo Soo Tired!

2010-12-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

These days I have been soo very tired! Its amazing to me! Its like I have mono all over again. I will be glad for my second trimester which is around Dec 20th so in time for the Holiday which is nice I hope. They say you feel best in the second trimester so I hope to get my energy back then. Regardless of lazying around the house I am thankful for so many things!

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Not throwing up, seems like a small thing but I am so very thankful each day I don't
My wonderful forgiving husband who lets me be lazy and not take care of him as usual and he is so sweet, and waits on my hand and food.
That I don't have to drag myself to work these days, I am truly thankful, and feel nothing but respect and ahh for the woman who do
To be blessed with maybe buying a home which will have an even lower mortgage than I imagined!
To live in a beautiful part of the world, even if its not snowing when I want it to! (this was taken from my bedroom window, blows my mind daily)

I am grateful each day that I know when the next paycheck is coming, what a blessing this simple thing is.
Wonderful Sunday fellowship with new friends
Visitors coming soon!
Christmas Parades!

New York! New York!

2010-11-29T13:27:00.000-08:00

Feel free to sing as you read this! Its hard to resist!
We traveled 5 hours and $20 in toll's to New York City on Thanksgiving! We had our turkey at some nice people from church who were kind enough to invite us over. Two other couples about our age who also moved here to work at the base, and don't have family near. We had a wonderful time and all got along really well. Then we hit the road and got to NY late. We stayed with a friend of an old friend who lives in the east Village and was away for the weekend and kind enough to let us all use him place! Thanks Alan! You rock!

After a great night sleep in the city, we road the subway and headed for the free Stanton Island ferry. Who knew some things are still free! It sails right by the
Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and gives you a great view of the downtown area.

We then headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was wonderful. Very pleasant surprise, as I had no plan to go to it and hadn't looked into what was there at all. But there is a new mosaic found in Israel that is on loan right now so we were soo lucky to have seen it. And amazing find as it is in almost perfect condition, and whole. We couldn't take pictures but here it is from the web.

Where to next, regrouping with the map on the museum front steps.

Whats New York without stopping at times square of course. It was nice because the whole city was quiet and had less people than usual as most people go away for the Holiday.

The next day Rose was not feeling well which was really sad, but it worked out well that we could keep her Dad company so we headed out for Central park, it was a beautiful sunny day.

The Plaza Hotel

Brian loves this shot he got

St Patricks

Dinner in the East Village, we were really hungry and not feeling great.

It was so much fun to be in a city with the people and hub bub again. Perfect combined with a nice little apartment to go home to when you get tired of all the noise. I realized while we were walking around, that when I was home with morning sickness when it was worst, I think I went 10 days without seeing another human being other than Brian. Strangely I didn't mind at all. But it was a great change of pace to visit NY and see great old friends from home too. There is nothing like people who have known you since you were young. And in Brian's case Rose's Dad was there when he was born, so has known him a very very long time.

Baby on the way!

2010-11-23T08:08:00.000-08:00

Its official, and you likely heard already but we are expecting! Little overwhelming as Friday we had our first ultrasound and heard the heartbeat etc, and an hour later had our contract for the house ratified. I guess when it rains it pours! Everything all at once.
I have been a lazy blogger as I have been busy being tired all the time and nauseous all the time. But I am getting a better handle on it and figuring out what helps and am getting back to normal. The current due date it July 2nd.

Don't worry if you think this looks like a blob, its not just you. We did get a better view during the ultrasound than what the took the picture of.
The house is in full swing, we had the inspection Sunday and found a few things that make us nervous, as it was flipped you want to know what they did they did right but now it looks like it was not inspected by the city as it should have been so you have to wonder what you can't see. Otherwise it has nothing major wrong just a little unsettling, as its not legal to not have it inspected. So we will see what they agree to take care of and if it makes us feel better about the whole thing. But its all very stressful and I will be glad when its all behind us. I can't wait to really move in and have all our stuff delivered and get settled for good.

New House

2010-11-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

Looks like we may have bought a house! I can hardly believe it! The sellers sent a counter offer that we liked and we signed it. So we still have inspection and such to get through but we should be all set, closing date is set for Dec 21st, so should be a great Christmas gift. I am still in a state of shock I think, we will see as it sets in. It was flipped so its all new inside. So we can move right in and not do a thing which is so nice. Its 2000 sqf which is amazing, but it feels smaller which I love because its like a rambler with everything upstairs and family guest and laundry down, so I hope I mostly just have to clean the upstairs 1000sqf. I like that most everything is on the one level. It have a nice big master and master bath. Anyway you can see the listing, address and pictures here.

Vetrens Day

2010-11-12T08:55:00.000-08:00

Brian as a veteran got in free at Mt Vernon, George Washington's home yesterday. So we thought it would be a great cheap day out, and appropriate celebration of the day as well. It a wonderful place to visit, one of my all time favorites, they have added one of the best museums ever all about his life also which alone would be worth the trip.

But the day being special they had a wonderful group of retired veterans who sing old barber shop quartet kind of songs and included all the armed forces songs which was lots of fun. They were great.

We were also able to hear from lady Washington our hostess herself, which was loverly.

They is a wreath laying ceremony held every year by the sons and daughters of the american revolution, and we were able to hear the rife and drum accompany some nice words as some active duty woman laid the wreath and then all the attending veterans were given and flower to lay as well.

And we finished the day by hearing the Air Force Strings play a selection of Washington area music, they were also fantastic.

So Much

2010-11-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

So much going on I will never catch up so I don't think I will try. My In-laws are here for a week and we spend the day yesterday in DC, walked our feet off, and are completely worn out today but had a great time. Makes me so grateful to be in the country I am. I always love Lincoln, and its boring but its the best. I stood in the cold with my almost 10 year old sister-in-law and read both speeches out loud. It was so neat and every time I have done this I take something new away from Lincolns words. He laces his speeches in scripture for all to see if you know to look for it. In his time everyone would have known where he was getting much of what he said and I wonder if that's the case for those reading them to day. He talked of war, and Gods will, and his righteousness, no one speaks like this anymore and I can't help but wonder how things would be different if they did.

I also visited the WWII memorial for the first time as it was not built the last time I was there at 17, and it was inspiring. Its what all the war memorials should be, and is so deserved by the many who gave their lives and those who came home from that war. I love how equal amount of the space is given to the Pacific as the war in Europe, so often this is not true and I was glad to see it as I had Grandfathers in both.

I also saw Roosevelt's memorial for the first time and it was truly inspiring too, what a great man who came beyond so many hardships and lead the country through many tragedy's its remarkable.

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Great surprises
family
sunny weather
fall
leaves and pumpkins
my wonderful hubby
cold crisp winter coming
That God always knows whats best
And He and Brian know what I need before I do myself.

Happy Birthday Brian!

2010-10-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the wonderful love of my life! Hope you have a great day, and a good year of new things to come!

We had a nice dinner with family who were visiting, here is Brian with his candles! And below with the gift from me! I know what he likes! :-) (and he did just get to go on a great vacation after all!)

Dinner on the deck with a view.

Long time

2010-10-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned last I posted we were on vacation and I had such a good time I never managed to post. I am in the middle of having my parents here still, and seeing other family this weekend and the usual laundry and unpacking after a trip. so this is just a teaser to say I am still here and will post lots more soon!

Many blessings!

Lots of this!

Sunrise Brian captured in SC Hilton Head

My own Baywatch in Hilton Head :-) Quite a hunk isn't he? :-)

On the boat for the first formal night

Grand Caymon

Waterfall we climbed in Jamaica

Beautiful Jamaica.
Lots of stories and more pictures to come!

Last weekend in DC

2010-10-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we headed into DC for the first time after getting to the East coast. Because we live near and figure it was the first of many trips we didn't take on much but mostly just did the History museum. But first we headed to Georgetown because I had heard this mansion had the gardens open to the public for free that weekend so we checked it out. They were nice but we were glad to have done them for free.

We loved the streets in Georgetown, and the architecture and buildings, it was nice just to walk through the neighborhoods.

We drove by the FBI building, so had to snap a picture!

Brian was pulled from the crowd to participate in a "sit in" just like black students did at this soda counter in 1960, it was a "white counter" and they were asked to leave and just kept sitting there to make a point.

From Disneyland!

Right from Judy Garlands food, they should be silver as per the book, movies get everything wrong!

Right off Honest Abe's head the last night of his life, he wore it to the theater that night, we also decided that Brian is the same body type, height etc and Abe and I as his wife, funny huh!

We both loved this piece of WWII propaganda. I guess now when we ride alone you ride with oil tycoons who are destroying the planet or something, maybe they should bring the poster back.

Berlin Wall

The things we now call "history" I am feeling old!

Julia Child's kitchen! She has everything labeled, it said so people who working in her kitchen with her knew where to put things away, not a bad idea really.

C3PO from Stay Wars! may was that guy skinny!

And that was our day, it was over 90 so we will do the outdoor stuff in the fall when its cooler and nice to walk outside.

We are going on vacation for the next few weeks so I will try to post some of the trip but it might be a while.

Back to basics

2010-09-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

Now that I am somewhat settled and not traveling and doing exciting new things each and every day I am going to slowly go back to the roots of this blog and what I started it in the first place. Why is that you may ask, well it stemed from the inspiration I got from

And her Gratitude community through that and a few other things coming together last fall I realized I needed to be looking more for the small every day blessings God puts in our path. One way to do this is to keep a gratitude journal and a great way for my to be accountable to do that is through blogging mine. I hope also it might inspire and encourage other as i have been through woman who do the same thing. By keeping a list of things I an thankful for I am looking for them as I go through each day, and the more you look the more you find and the less you seem to have to complain about. It seems simplistic but I have changed my outlook and my inward thoughts significantly this past year and all based on this simple thing. It has become second nature now and I find I will look for things and make mental lists even though I don't list them here for some time, but I love to be able to look back and so I am starting again. I hope also for those of you who are not near my physically anymore, that you can feel near me as you see a list and virtual picture of my daily life. I will still post on our adventures here also but that will be sprinkled in throughout these posts.

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Crisp white sheets waving to me in the breeze

The promise of a clean bed, smelling like the fresh river air, with my always wonderful husband to share it with

The last warm days of Summer, even if they are a little to warm at times

The water sparking in the sun

The beauty of evening

Fresh baked bread rising while chili cooks on the first cool day of fall, with rain falling out the window

The smell of fresh baked wheat bread

Welcoming a hard working husband home to a warm meal, I am truly thankful to have food to put on the table, might I never take it for granted

Fresh bread and tea the next day to sooth a sore throat

A roof over my head, for which I am truly grateful

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Might I never forget that everything means everything!

Funny thing happened.....

2010-09-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Strangest thing happed today, I went out to get a picture of the rain on the water (one of my favorite things by the way) and it was WARM! So weird! I was only wearing a tank top and I didn't even want a sweater, it was like 70 and raining! Strangest sensation! I also met a new friend who has been coming to drink off the deck and eat our acorns, he has been on the deck to two days now hanging about. What should I name him?

Your room is ready!

2010-09-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you know that I got your room already! Thats right YOU! We had been unpacking still but this week I got it all put away and cleared out the room. I didn't take a picture but there is a bathroom just off the room thats all yours also.

The view from the chair you see above! :-)

And the view looking right out the window!

We spent the day at the American History Museum today and I will write more about it soon, for not I am going to go spend a nice Saturday night with my sweet husband.

The Boardwalk!

2010-09-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

This is "the village" Boardwalk (its cement actually)

This is looking North up the boardwalk, the building at the far end is some kind of gambling place that in Maryland because its over the water which is Maryland technically. And a restaurant on the left, with a tiki bar

The Tiki bar with nice white sand for the "floor"

Looking South down the boardwalk, you can see the public pier

The beach looking South, towards the end of the spit of land that is the city of Colonial Beach. I guess they natually has nice white sand here and sold it some time ago. Who knew there was a market for sand! Anyway this is now brought in which is sad, but the private beach near our house has very nice white sand, I am guessing is the natural stuff.

This Morning

2010-09-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

Brian got up early this morning and took some pictures of the Sunrise for your viewing pleasure! These are all taken from no more than 10 feet from the house keep in mind!

This is "our house" looking back from the marina. You can see the deck and dock and gazebo from this shot.

Why are you putting off a visit to see us again?....

:-D

Friday Night on the Town!

2010-09-23T05:58:00.000-07:00

Exciting Friday night on the town!
When I wrote about our weekend I left out Friday night, which is just as well as I have pictures again! Yah!
We thought we would spend our first Friday night "on the town" that is to say on base! :-) We got burgers from the bowling ally and took them across base to the docks where we had a nice sunset dinner.

We then went to the movie theater on base and checked it out, very satisfactory for 4 bucks! All and all a great Friday night!

You heard it here first!

2010-09-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

And I will just say no I am not pregnant because I am sure you were all thinking that, anytime I announce anything its always what people say, but rest assured if I was you would not be hearing it first on my blog! I mean I am not that bad!

Brian and Rochelle will not have internet! Shock silence, I know! Us of all people! So its interesting in this area, there is not DSL or other fast internet options, very has dishes! Its so odd, but dish only offers slow internet and we would be stuck with dish cable for 2 years and its expensive for bad internet, so in our temporary place it just does not make sense, so not only do our cell phones hardly work, had I mentioned this? But we have no internet at home either. There is a library and coffee shop in town with WiFI and the library on base we have been spending some time, which is where I am now. So if you never see me on google chat, and I am slow to respond to your e-mails, and I hardly ever pick up my phone now you know why. As for the phones we seem to have reception if we are within a block of the water, so on the base some places not others, and in all the Wi-FI places we have no reception, and on all the roads we have no reception. We do end the contact we have on Feb so we will swap then, there are some services that have service all over so it won't last but for now I apologize for "going dark" on you. I will keep tiring to post so at lease you know I am still here when I can't contact you directly.

In other good news today I got my gate pass, so I can come on and off base without Brian now which is a big help! And I have access to the pool and gym.

Also we did find the camera, I knew it had to be right in front of us all alone so that crisis is averted, but as I am on a libray computer today pictures will have to wait.

Weekend

2010-09-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

Well sadly the camera has been hiding this weekend so you will get not pictures from me this post. But this is exactly the site I saw when I visited downtown Fredricksburg, so you can pretend I took it, I very well could have. It was a full weekend but I will have to go into details later, for tonight I will just say how it all went. Please note, if you plan to visit me, take special note as I post and explore of all the places you want me to take you back it.
The weekend had great plans all of which we changed in the moment. It was great. We had wonderful plans to explore Fredricksburg Saturday but had a lazy morning where I made my hand working man pancakes in bed, and then we both decided we had been so busy all week we had hardly had any time to just enjoy where we were. So we read on the deck for awhile (this is the only picture I do have and the last that was taken which means the camera is not to far) and then checked out the local State Park which was loverly! We also sopped on the birthplace of Robert E Lee and built in 1770 something, and found out it was 10$ entry and decided to go back when we have visitors, we hear its well worth it, the original house and building for a plantation. And checked out George Washington's Birthplace (all of 6 miles from our house) which is a national monument and free! And it was beautiful and very nicely done, we will go back and see more and take the tour. Then we were home by three (remember this was all just 10 miles down the raoad) and had a very nice evening, I made dinner and we watched a move and enjoyed the view and the not so hot day!
Today we went to two church services, thought we would get a jump on things and one of the churches I was interested in had an early service so I could do both, So we did that, the first was a beautiful old white church with steeple and pews, and was Southern Baptist, it was ok but we were there when they had a visiting singer/ preacher guy come, so there were lots a visitors I guess and it was mostly an alter call so its hard to tell what a usual Sunday might be like, but the Ps. seemed very nice. Its 400 strong on a Sunday so its doing something right at thats huge in this area. We then we to the only PCA church in the area, Brian grew up PCA, and we liked it allot, but it is very new, there was no PCA church around for a long time so its been a long time coming I guess, and they meet in a rented tin building with no windows, in a field with a gravel drive. It could not have been more different, yet it was nice after so many exquisite churches around, and I have a feeling there are many people who attend culturally so to speak, but not so in this little 100 person congregation, you could tell they were very genuine and where there because its a large part of their lives. I am sure we will go back, but we will also visit more before we settle in somewhere, we might go back to the other one two on a more normal week, we will see.
We then went and saw some of the historic city, and explored a little, I am excited to go back to St Georges in town, its a beautiful sanctuary that they recently did up I guess and has beautiful windows and they have concerts there monthly. They have an in house orchestra, and sung celtic evensong every Sunday evening I want to go back for some weekend. We then went and found the mall and got Brian some work clothes, which is very nice mall as malls go, with a new outdoor sections like all the malls have now, and costco right attached to the mall! Crazy! And a very very nice new movie, with fancy VIP seats just like in Hollywood, very cool. We saw a movie and relaxed some more and came home and had Mexican food on the end of our dock and listened to the crickets and bugs they are loud in these parts, you never heard anything like it!
And now this is much longer than planed and its much later than planed and I need to iron Brian work things and go to bed. More soon, and pray I find the camera and I can post more pictures too!

I got the camera back so I thought I would add the picture that was the cause of the loosing the camera, ( I dared to remove it from Brian pocket, and it all went downhill from there!) This was Saturday morning!

You can see why staying home sounded nice! Brian whats to go to Virgina Beach this weekend as the weather is still "so nice" read 90! And me without my big beach umbrella, Brian drew the line there when we packed the car to drive across country! :-)

"The Village" A.K.A. Colonial Beach VA

2010-09-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Colonial Beach VA

A little about the small village near us. I like to think of it as a village as its most similar to little seaside villages in England that I know. As far as I have ever seen the NW does not have anything near this in which to refer to it. So its a village. I took pictures of main street, though its not called that. There is another main drag thats more a driving road where the McDonald's, True Value, Papa Johns etc is. But this is the main old downtown where you can walk to things and the city buildings are. On the map this is on Washington Ave between Colonial ave and Boundary. If you look on the map we live in Monroe Bay, just south of the name on the map. Its aptly names as John Monroe was born here in Monroe Bay not 1 mile from the house. I should also say its about a 4 mile drive around Monroe Bay to get to "the village".
View Larger Map

This is the beautiful little elementary school. If I turn around you see the water, over a city part with gazebo, though not this day as there was a circus is town and the big top blocked the view.

This is a typical sight in town, golf carts are allowed on the road and surprisingly people of all ages use them, young and old alike, and every home has one in the driveway. Also a beautiful old home with old tree's right next to the school.

Across from the school the park and circus tent, behind it is the water.

Looking down the street with the school on my right.

Ice cream stand, haven't tried it yet but I am sure I will.

If you turn left at the ice cream stand this is what you see, and if you walk that way you will come to the "board walk" that runs just a few blocks parallel to this bit of the street. From the Park to the Museum.

Down one more block is the only coffee place in town. Its down up super cute and used to be an old Esso gas station, so its has memorabilia from then.

Looking just past the coffee shop is the rent of the street, golf cart sales of course, you can also rent them here. The brick you can just see is the library and town visitor information center, and the museum on the left, nice little house, currently featuring the "Oyster wars" exhibit, which sounds thrilling, but is only open Sat and Sun afternoons so I haven't seen for myself yet.

So thats about it, there are some waterfront restaurants and some marina's. Maybe I will walk the boardwalk and show you that next. Brian and I are headed to "town" A.K.A. Fredricksburg this weekend so I hope to have more pictures to show you of that.

Family Pictures

2010-09-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

We had some family pictures taken just a few weeks before we left town, I just got them and thought I would share them with you. Don't look to close though because you might see them again on the Christmas card.
If you are interested these were taken by my wedding photographer who we think the wold of and if a great couple, that work together in the art and home school there kids. So check them out Greg Nye Photography They work in Seattle but live in Bremerton so if your not in the city neither are they and they will come to you.

I like this one, I like to think of it as the "007" shot! :-)

First Impressions

2010-09-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Crickets crickets all the time! I am feeling a little jet lagged and I blame the crickets! The first day I noticed them quite loud at noon, which threw me because I feel like the are a twilight thing not an all day thing. I am slowly getting used to them but they are all the time which feels odd.
I was told the first time I drove by 7-11 here in town everyone would be talking about me, you have to remember a WA State licence plate is not seen much around here so far from home, so I stand out driving around town. And sure enough the men who smoke and drink coffee each morning in front of the 7-11 where there and stared unashamedly at me the whole time I was pumping gas. I have been stared at allot for that mater, and not like we are used to people stare, you see them and they quickly look away, well here they just keep on staring until you turn a corner, no shame at all, they don't care if you see them. And I have to say I have not minded much. Or I am getting used to it. Regardless its nice people know enough to know a new person. And I get waved at by everyone which I can get used to! And they smile, its a very purposeful wave with a smile, its very nice, and very friendly. We wave very half heartedly in the NW I have come to realize. I will have to start taking pictures of people waving at me to show you.
We met with a Realtor the other night and I am going out to look at home for the first time today, I am very excited.
Brian is liking his job so far, he is still mostly doing in-processing stuff and not working yet but the people all seem great and things are very laid back and easy going which is right up his ally, and everyone he will work with seem to love their job which is also nice.
I have been driving him the 30 min to the base each morning so I can run around town all day and then pick him up, which has worked out well. I have been getting the house sorted slowly, slowly because the land lords need to add more freon to the AC so its not working well right now so I haven't been wanting to spend the mid day at home to much. It is beautiful though!
I did spend one day at home and I keep thinking about how far I could row myself. We are 4 miles driving from "town" and maybe only 1/2 mile by boat, so if Brian has the car I keep considering trying to go by water.

Its right across, the picture makes it look further, but its very still protected waters which is good, I could go less far to the shore further right but would have to walk further left once I was there to get to shops. What you see right across is the marina, and I am told they have live bands Friday night and we can sit on our deck and here the music across the water. So that should be fun, hopefully we like the band, with no AC we will kitchen to it regardless with all the windows open. It hasn't been more than 85 I think so its not to bad, heat wise, but its humid enough that it feel worse than it sounds, but its bearable.

I went to McDonald's for something quick today and this was the view.

A local golf cart going through the drive through! :-D I laughed! This is a golf cart community! Everyone who lives here has one and uses it to go all around town.

Thats all for today, I will try to post more, but we don't have internet at home yet so its not easy. And I am busy, and the heat makes you more tired too. We are hoping to go to "town" read Fredricksburg which is the nearest city of any size, with things like mall, movies and Costco, so we hope to go check it out Saturday.

More when I can, miss many of you, come see us soon! We are looking forward to many of your visits already on the calender! Yah!

First day!

2010-09-13T07:14:00.000-07:00

So now that I am in my new local coffee shop with wi-fi I can post all the pictures I took yesterday. We started the day just an hour away and had an appointment to meet the land lord at the rental later in the day so we thought we would go check out the base and make sure we knew where to go for Brian's first day of work. We drove into the county and stopped for a picture.

I am looking forward to whatever the fall festival is, there are nice corn fields around, maybe a maze!?

And right across the street was this beautiful church, all the churches here are beautiful, they all have a steeple, even the new ones are build to look like the older ones, I love all the architecture so far.

The drive getting closer and closer was lovely, the beautiful farms and houses and fields, nothing but trees and they are starting to turn colors and are beautiful! The surrounding area is just what I imagined Pennsylvania to look like but with not horse and carriages.

We then headed to the base, and it was really beautiful too, I was surprised, and the commanders homes where something to see, right on the river and incredible!

And other views driving through the housing area, the the tree lined streets are loverly.

We also drove around and checked out some the the testing facility areas and waterfront areas.

You can see some of the test guns in the background here, but I won't post them publicly for security reasons.

This is right out to the river where the guns would shoot, its very wide at this point. Thats Maryland in the distance.

Brian in front of the biggest target you ever did see, he loved it!

This is the riverside from the town on Colonial beach 5 min. drive from where we are living. You can see the nest up high there are many birds to watch.

This is the main city beach a block from all the city municipal buildings, and with the gazebo in the background and the main public fishing dock. The water was very warm!

The view back at town and some nice homes from the public dock.

This is the front door of our rental home. You can see the water through the house, and out the main sliding doors.

Closer up of the view from the front door, we are on a small inlet with just trees across from the main living room view.

The kitchen thats the same view as above out those doors you see over the sink.

Out the sliding doors and looking left is the screened in gazebo with a table for dinner, complete with an overhead fan. :-) You can also see behind the end of the small inlet we are on.

Looking right out the main doors, thats our dock, the boat is not for our use though don't get to excited, the lease the dock to the boat owner. But its nice water to swim off of I am sure, also warm, we will try it in a few days I am sure. Thats also the tress directly ahead, and just to the right further away is the western edge of the peninsula that is the town of Colonial Beach, its about 4 miles by road but I imagine only 1/2 mile by boat directly across.

And this is to the right, you can see the community marina which is our neighbor, and the end of the Colonial Beach peninsula on the right edge of the shot.

And back inside you can see the sliding doors on the bottom right and this is the view looking down from the stairs. There is a walkway all the way across, and even a library at the end of the walkway. This leaded up to a semi loft master suite.

This is the view walking into the master, its a beautiful big room, you can see the door to the bathroom with the walk in off of it in on the far wall.

And the view back to the entry and Brian discovering that there is a private screened in balcony off the bedroom. It looks out the back of the house towards to open water the opposite direction of the small inlet we sit on.

The view from the window you see directly ahead in below.

Thats the turn around at the end of the split of land we are on and the parking for the small marina which is just out of view to the left. You can see the end of Colonial Beach and the open water to the right.

Back inside again this is the master bath, whirlpool, and it works great, I tried it our last night! :-)

And the view out that bathroom window you can see! Opposite side of the house as the last bedroom window picture, this is the inside of the small inlet. Gazebo is just off to the right in the picture, but thats the same tree you can see thats also over the gazebo.

And just off the bathroom is the huge closet which our one duffel of clothes each will not near fill, and the Christmas tree in storage in the corner, we are set for everything! This might also be the only window in the house with no view! :-)

And back to us again! We are soo excited and so overwhelmed with the amazing blessing this house is!! I was sure when we got there we stumbled into the wrong home! We feel unbelievably blessed with this home to come to, the area and this new job Brian started today. I can't wait to see what house God has for us after being blown away with this temporary home. The owners will be renting it for much more money weekly to vacationers come Spring so we can only stay here this winter, but what a winter!

Thank you for many of your prayers! many have been answered, and but please continue to pray for a church community and Brian's job.

We miss you all already, and feel so loved by many of your send off's and anticipate many of your visits!

Home!

2010-09-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

We are home! We moved into this great house. Its going to be a vacation house this Spring but they wanted someone in it for the off season and we got a great deal. Its amazing, more than I could have imagined. We don't have internet yet so I will find some wifi tomorrow and post a bunch more pictures, this will have to do for now.
We left the hotel this morning and went to the base, explored it, and its beautiful! I took a bunch of pictures but lots of water everywhere and trees and its very nice. We then drove here to the rental and met the land lords who were very nice, its a family beach house. And after you see the pictures you all need to go book a flight out. Keep in mind this is the rental and we will only be here 4-6 months or until we buy a house. And we won't be buying a house on the water you can be asured! So now is your chance!

Here is the front door, you can see right through out the doors to the water!

The living/ dinning, taken from the kitchen sink! Thats the huge sliding doors looking out to the water! To the left is another window from the dinning room that looks to the inside of the little inlet we are on. And to the right is the way out to the potomic river, which is so wide at this part you can hardly see the other side.

The amazing deck where we had dinner, on the other end of the desk is a screened in gazebo with a table to have dinner bug free, but tonight there were no bugs so we sat here. You can also see just off the deck the community marina which is next door, we are at the end of the road which is way such wide views, we are at the end of the spit of land. When we were getting here we thought we much have missed the house number because we went to far to the end, and then there it was!

And this is us taen from OUR DOCK looking back at the house and the porch!

Can I just say agian, there is a loft which a huge master and downstairs there is a perfect little guest room with YOUR NAME ON IT! Yes I am talking to YOU! Remember we will not be in this house for long!

Must go unpack and find Brian clothes for the first day of work tomorrow. I will post more pictures tomorrow as I said. Thanks for many of your prayers! Now pray for our new church home, and the home hunt to buy, to bad this one is not for sale! :-)

Almost!

2010-09-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

We are headed for the base this morning and then on to meet the land lord at the rental this afternoon, and hopefully move in after that. Will post more as soon as I have it.

VIRGINIA!!!! We Made It!

2010-09-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

We crossed over the border to the final State and we were here!

They had a welcome center shortly after and I picked up tons of pamphlets for all the exciting things we can do in VA and with you all when you come see us! They have very nice rest stops here, we saw 3-4 as we drove through the State, they are all nice buildings that blend in with the other architecture in the State.

This is the State marketing slogan, we liked it! I guess they advertised for young couples to travel here like 40 years ago and it stuck, or so the nice friendly welcoming lady at the center said.

Beautiful farms everywhere! makes you want to go milk a cow somewhere.

Nice green hills through VA.

We drove by many crazy VT fans. This one was the best!

We are in Richmond VA at the last hotel tonight just an hour or so from "home". We will hope to get into the rental house tomorrow, we have an appointment to see it at 2pm EST, so I will get pictures for you all as soon as I come. We hope to go get to the base and get the gate ID stuff taken care of so Brian can get right in to work Monday, and make sure we know where it is and all, and then head to Colonial beach where we will live and check it out. I am sure I will have lots lots more pictures then, but I don't know if I will have much internet tomorrow so I will see what I can do.

West Virginia

2010-09-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

I feel certain Kentucky is a beautiful place, it was getting hilly and green but sadly this was the view I had of most of it, so I wouldn't know very much.

We then passed into West Virgina and we were getting close!

We had lunch in WV, and found a new chain we liked, it was like normal burger place prices but it was sit down and really good food, but for a great price. Sadly I have no idea if its also in Virgina or not. We will find out soon I am sure.

We started to see some nice "mountains" in West Virginia.

Virginian's!!

2010-09-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

We made it to the Sate! More to come!

Illinois / Indiana

2010-09-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

After leaving St Louis we headed across a bridge and found ourselves in Illinois, but there was no sign! ;-( So we don't have the picture, but here was a view from Illinois, we passed through the Southern edge in a few hours.

Then we passed into Indiana, and drove through it for a few hours.

We saw many nice farms and farm houses.

And we crossed over into Kentucky that evening just 10 min from my cousins home. We had a wonderful dinner and fellowship with her and her husband and they kindly put us up for the night. We also crossed over into Eastern time at this State, so if I call you early in the morning and forget, I'm sorry in advance!

Today we are off to VA, and are traveling through the West Virgina mountains right now, Brian is pleasantly surprised by their beauty I think. And we are 4 hours from home, so they are not to far away. We are staying one last night in a hotel tonight while our rental is prepared for us, so we will be in Richmond VA tonight, just an hour and a bit away. We changed where we will live at the last when a fully furnished place came available at the last moment, so we will have beds and a guest bed and everything, but will home to move in Sunday just in time for Brian to start work Monday.

White Castle

2010-09-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

We have been driving by White castles for days now, so we thought we should really stop so we can say we had been there and tired it. Brian liked the building.

If you are not familiar with White Castle like us, its apparently the first sliders. So you get 3-4 little burgers with a meal.

I was less than impressed, if I never go back it will be too soon. I think its the kind of place you go to when drunk, or hungover or something. But if this is true there were allot of non drinkers there at noon, many over 70 years old, which seemed odd to me. Cruel even to feed our elderly so badly, I am sure the deserved better. The beef seemed a little suspicious, and the bread was so soggy it was like glue. All and all adding to our big adventure!

St Louis

2010-09-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful time of fellowship in St Louis we had time to stop at the St Louis arch on our way to Louisville KY.

Brian was bored while I shopped, so he started taking pictures. I did get a new pioneer cookbook!

This wagon says Oregon or Bust on the top. Boy and I glad we didn't have to travel cross country for months this way.

At the base of the arch.

Missouri

2010-09-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

We drove into Missouri yesterday and this is what we saw. I am sure its a beautiful state but it rained the whole way as we have a storm following us so we didn't see much of it. We did have a wonderful dinner and fellowship with the Ranheim boys, childhood friends of Brian who live here, so that was wonderful. And now we are headed out to Louieville KY to stay with my cousin Anna for a night. I can't wait to see her, she has been married and had a baby sence we last saw one another. Then tomorrow on to VA and home!

We're not in Kansas anymore!

2010-09-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

We were driving right by the corner of Kansas, so we figured we were go the 2 miles off the freeway to cross the border, so now we can say we're not in Kansas anymore! It was a very exciting 10 min. as you can see below. I was disappointed we didn't even spot Toto through.

And we were back on the road and entering Missouri a few min. later. The excitement bar lowers allot after 8 hours in the car. And as you can see more rain. which is much better than hot hot sun, so I am right at home. We are from Seattle afterall so driving in rain is no problem.

Oklahoma!

2010-09-09T13:13:00.000-07:00

This was our first view of Oklahoma. It was dark and raining when we crossed the border, so this was all we could get when we passed the "Welcome to Oklahoma" sign. Sad we had a perfect record up till this state in getting a picture of each state sign. We crossed half the State in the dark and got to a nice price line hotel in Oklahoma City around 10pm.

We set out early the next morning in the rain, we are still being followed by this same storm Hermine. This was my view as we set out this morning, of Brian sleeping next to me

And most of my views of Oklahoma looked like this. I did see enough to see it was nice and green and had nice trees, the first trees we had really seen sense California, there have just been lots of brush in between.

More views of the rainy landscape

And we did manage to get a sign photo on our way out of the State! Yah!

Don't mess with Texas!

2010-09-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

Wednesday afternoon we entered Texas.

Texas left us a bit uninspired, to say the least. But they are proud, you can say that about them!

And we did see some beautiful skys! We did leave a an early Hermine tropical store in NM which we drove through tons of rain, and drove into OK and another storm, more rain and a tornado warning. So Texas was at least dry and nice weather.

Looking back at the beautiful sunset, looking ahead we could see dark low clouds looming.

We also drove by a church with this giant cross, it was enormous, this picture doesn't show it very well.

Even at Dairy Queen for dinner, they have Texas pride! This painting was one of three local DQ original paintings in the restaurant. If you look closely you can see on the cup is written "What do you like about Texas" the same thing was on the fry box, and the burgers we wrapped in a large Texas flag.

Eastern New Mexico

2010-09-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning we left Albuquerque, NM and headed East. We had nice weather for the start of the day at least. Below was a common view, so many many bill boards!

We stopped briefly for lunch at Santa Rosa for lunch, my Aunt used to live there so we were given a good local joint to eat at. It took us on route 66 for a little ways so we could say we saw it.

Just a few miles from lunch was "Santa Rosa Lake State Park" so we thought we would check it out as no one was waiting for us that night in Oklahoma City. I think lakes much be hard up in NM, seems they are dangerous!

And whatever you do Don't drive into the water! Ahhhh!

New Mexico, this is called a boat ramp! Boat ramp this is New Mexico, we from Washington think you should get to know one another better.

This was the famous lake, we were less than impressed, and to make it worse we were the only people there in the middle of the day, so I guess its not super popular.

And we were off, on to another State. Texas!

New Mexico

2010-09-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

Tuesday we left the Grand Canyon and drove into New Mexico. It rained much of the day as you can see from the nice Welcome to NM sign below. It was an uneventful and long day once we left the Grand Canyon behind, we mostly drove and here is an snapshot of the exciting things we found.

Lots and lots of road, and more road as far as the eye can see. Boy is it flat!

More flatness while Brian was driving later in the day. I have been starting out the day driving and Brian takes over when I get tired, usually for the later half of the day.

And mostly we saw signs, every exit it seems had a "must see" something. Most of them where" hand made moccasins for the whole family" or "Indian blankets, best deal" "must stop" "must see" "cold ice" you know because I hat hot ice and "hot food" or my favorite "best hot food" what dose that even mean? So we were well entertained all the way. Most of the exits had something and would have at least 15 signs 200 feet apart leading up to the exit. Above is an example.

And for some excitement we drove by this! As we got closer to Albuquerque NM we did see more and more cool rock things like this which was cool. We did get a great deal on priceline for the Sheridan in Albuquerque so we got a great night sleep after a nice all you can eat home cooked food at the "Golden Corral" buffet. And this morning we were off again for another driving day from NM through Northern Texas and into Oklahoma. I will post more exciting pictures of the drive through those states soon. The great news is I think the "mountains" in VA might actually look impressive after driving through most of these states!

Grand Canyon in the rain

2010-09-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

We spent a great night just a 1/4 mile from the rim in a nice motel, it had been remodeled since the pictures I had seen on line were taken so I was very pleasantly surprised! Yavapai Lodge

We woke up to overcast and rainy, we felt right at home, but it did make the Canyon harder to see, but we were very happy to have had the evening before so we were able to see lots then with beautiful weather. We wandered to the Bright Angle lodge and saw what was in the "village".

We then drove East towards the Desert View tower, and had some fun along the way.

By the time we go to the Eastern end the sun had come back out and we had one last wonderful view over the desert end of the canyon.

Brian had fun finding lots of California Condors. These two almost pooped on us as we hiked under this tree, but we were narrowly missed!

Grand Canyon Sunset!

2010-09-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

We have arrived! At the Grand Canyon anyway! Brian was not disappointed! We got here at around 5pm, and were just in time to look around and find a great spot to view the sunset, which also lived up to its reputation. It was a beautiful cloudless sky so that made it all the better

Our first view

Our chosen spot! Don't worry "Moms" its not nearly as scary as it looks, really! Brian did take it flip flips off to be sure they didn't fall though! :-) We have a nice picnic dinner we brought on this spot while waiting for the sun to set.

Golden hour, and it was beautiful!

CA to AZ

2010-09-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

Monday morning we left Chrissy's in LA and headed East officially! We are really on our way now! Above was leaving LA we started to see Joshua trees, Brian was very excited.

In the middle of the California desert was one peek seen from a rest stop. Not much to report, it was very hot, we were very glad to stay in the air conditioned car! It was close to 100 and this stop the ladies room was being cleaned so we had to wait in a long line in the sun for the one unisex room, by the time I was through the line I was done with the California desert.

Grand Canyon here we come!

Happy hour at sonic! Served at the car by a girl in roller skates and a poodle skirt and all, and we got the "route 66" size cherry lime-aid! Perfect as we were driving through the hot desert.

We spend half the day on the I-40 which we will stay on for the next 3 days. This was also on the other side of the desert as it was getting green and stayed green until the East side of the Grand Canyon.

Graham family time

2010-09-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

Fun family times with the Graham's (and Hampsons, his sister defected). Here are just a few of the many pictures we took with the family and new baby. Brian has lots of fun play time with the kids as you can see!

Day at the Getty

2010-09-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

Saterday while Brian hung with his family I made a trip to the Getty Museam. Loads of fun. I have always enjoyed art museams as a whole and this one in particular from when I lived here. Even more they have sence I moved built a new villa museam for the antiquies collection in Mallabu. I really wanted to go there but you had to have a ticket and they were all gone. So I went to the Getty center main collection. When I got there they were able to give me a ticket to the villa so I was able to see both.

A view over the wonderful gardens from a gallery balcony.

I really loved the Gerome collection that was there just for the Summer, some wonderful peices and so very detailed.

The Christian Martyrs Last Prayer

This one I loved, and it captivated and humbled me. Its huge in person and you can see each hair on the lion, and the faces of the Christians are remarkable.

This was the villa, remarkable, Getty has it built as a perfect replication of a villa that was destroyed in Pompeii. Its like walking back in time and spending and afternoon in Italy all at once. You can see the amphitheater on the left and they do Greek theater each Summer here.

The main gardens were recreated with all the plants that would have been there during the Romans, they were spectacular.

The main courtyard from the upper galleries.

Myself with a Roman Athlete in the gardens, a replica of a bust pulled from Pompeii.

The breif view I had on the pacific from the Pacific Coast Hyway going to the villa in Malibu.

I often underestimate the effect art can have. I always come away feeling refreshed somehow. Its a great form of worship for me and I come away feeling just as I do when I have spent a day alone in nature. These museums of course have beautiful settings also so you get the best of both worlds.

All and all it was a great trip, we have some wonderful time with Brian's family, and lots of time holding the new baby and with art and fellowship. Great time was had by all!

In LA and new baby!

2010-09-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Such fun sitting around watching a bran new baby make faces, we took maybe 50 pictures, I will spare you from sharing all of them, but it was lots of fun! We are here in LA with Brian's sister and family. But I am gettimng ahead of myself, we had fun getting here from Sacramento also, In and Out being the highlight of the drive. Its late so I will let the pictures tell you the rest.

Leaving Sacramento Friday morning, Tom if you are reading this your parents have not killed the dog yet, we can testify she was alive and well as of Friday morning.

Driving all day = crazy hair

In and Out burgers

Proud Uncle Brian, perfect little baby boy Elijah Thomas Hampson (Graham)

I could do many more but I will leave you with those for now. More of Saturday and my trip to the Getty to come.

Hot and Cold

2010-09-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

Thursday early morning Sunset driving through the Oregon wine country, beautiful drive! It was a cool crisp morning when we left town.

Then the clouds rolled in as we got to Eugene.

Welcome to California, by lunch just over the border it was 100 degrees! I don't imagine I will see another crisp cool day for awhile!

Mt Shasta

Mt Shasta National Forest