Time with daughter and grandkids

Spend a great day at our daughter Angela and Tory's house in Rochester. It was good to see all of them. We all played Yatzee and went shopping with Angela and the boys. I always spend way too much money when we shop together!!! We both love to shop! At the house before we left, Blake said, "So, when are you two women going to go shopping" It was just so funny to hear him say women to us!!!
Love to spend time with Blake and Riley and hug them and hear them say how they love me! They are two very special boys. They are getting so big. Blake is in 4th grade and Riley in Kindergarden. Where does the time go?
I have now been with all three of my kids and most of my grandkids (all but one) in the last 3 weeks. Nice! I love them all so much!

Street Fare in Illinois

Jeremy on a photo shoot for the paper. This skunk was so soft and so sweet. No stink of course!!!

Jeremy in his face!!!

He had fun talking to the people

The pig was not into getting his photo taken!

This bull frog was big, squishy.

I did hold him, but I did NOT like

it at all.

Angela with the kids at the street fair.

Rutger and Lily getting their

face painted.

Connor is one of the twins of Angela's. He is 20 and has just joined the Air Force. Was very glad that I got to see him before he leaves.

Rutger with his little kitty.

Was not in Illinois very long, but it was good to see Jeremy, Angela and the kids. Went on three photo shoots with Jeremy. One was a high school football game in Sandwich, Il..... weird name for a town! That was really a lot of fun being on the field with the players and laughing with Jeremy as he did some funny stuff.

Another shoot was a street fair in Ottawa. Angela went with us, which is rare, but she seemed to have fun being out with the kids. There was a farmers market that took us all of 5 minutes to go through. Nothing like our Farmers Market!!!

Another shoot was at a retirement home and care facility for elderly. They had tons of food, a petting zoo, kids games and entertainment. It was so fun to watch Jeremy take pictures.

The song, "I'm crazy..." was sang by a worker at the home and Jeremy and I started laughing because for years I would break into this song whenever anyone said "crazy". We danced to the song together in the middle of this crowd of people!!!!

Met a friend of Angela's, Angie... I rented the movie "Momma Mia" as Angela had never seen it before. We laughed a lot through the movie and then we all sang with the sing-a-long with our felt pen microphones! Great fun!!

I was really getting homesick while here.

In Illiois

In Illinois with Jeremy and his family. Rutgar and Lily have sure grown since I have seen them. Rutgar is 8 and Lily is 6. It's good to see Jeremy again. Hope to spend some time with him before I leave for home on Sunday. He is very busy with work and second job taking pictures for a newspaper. Life is very different here in Illinois from Florida and the weather is cloudy and cool. I am looking forward to getting home. I have been gone for over 2 weeks now. I miss my sweet Sofie and LarBear!!

Forida sunshine and rain, 3year old, nudity and homesick

I am really enjoying the warm temps in Florida, but the rain just dumps. I love the lightning and thunder shows, they are amazing. Spent a great Sunday at Jason's church. The worship was awesome and the sermon was right to the point and spoke volumes to me. I love how they have activities for small groups that you can sign up for. There was about 100 different interesting things to sign up for, from regular Bible studies to softball, fishing, board games, comedy nights, crafts, singing, playing, swiming, diving, mommy group and tons of other stuff. What a great way to connect with people and get to know each other.
It has been hard for me to deal with the 3 year old's little attitude. I think a week is enough at a time. I love them to pieces, but I hate to see them talk back to mom and dad. I know that it is all part of the age and having a new little brother, but it is hard. I know it is hard for Jason and Christina too, but it is not for me to interfere. It's all part of growing up and it will pass. I just pray that God gives them the strength they need as He did when mine went through this phase.
LarBear made it home after his flight was cancelled last night and had to stay in a hotel. That must have been frustrating for him, but he survived!!
Will be going to see Jeremy and his family on Thursday, then home on Sunday. I am getting a bit homesick and I am missing my little Sofie girl. I miss my friend Sam and Shameka from work. Don't miss the getting up and going to work!!!
I have to say that I love swimming in the pool, but the beach wasn't as much fun this time.
First time I saw a topless lady laying out on the beach!!! That was awkward!!

New Grandson!

Me and my new grandson, Boston Antonio Bautista Reed. Born 9/10/09. Weighing in at 8 pounds and 21" long. He is a beautiful baby and very sweet.

It's Friday!!!!

I am sooooooooooooooooo glad it is Friday!!! This week has drug on and on and on and on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never been so tired before. Two car shows in one weekend was a bit too much for the ol' body!! I guess it wouldn't be so bad if I was just going to a car show, but when you are helping put on the show, it is a lot tougher. It is so worth it, but it's hard to tell my screaming feet that.

The car show was so awesome. Broke all records in attendance as well as vehicles registering. Many left because there was no where else to park. That's a first!

See the link here to look at the blog site I have built to show off the show. Still many pictures to add, so come back and check it out. http://www.cruisinsunday.blogspot.com

Thankful Thursday

Wow, this week has gone by very fast. It's been a very busy week with the car show coming up this Sunday!! We are trying to get our T-Bird ready to take with the Teardrop Trailer. I am very excited about that.

I am thankful for my good friend, Mike Schoonover who is putting a hitch on the car. We didn't think we would have it done for the show but he was off this week and was willing to do that for us. He wants to make it nice for me and I am so thankful.

I am thankful for friends at work. I love the people I work with and how they appreciate me. I have never felt so loved and appreciated at a job before and it really makes me feel good. It really makes me love what I do and it makes me want to be there. (Well, for the most part) Some days I really don't, but it is good to have a good positive environment to work.

I am thankful for my children and that we have good relationships. I really miss seeing them on a regular basis, but it is good that we have cell phones, email and skype to keep connected.

I am thankful for grand kids and for the new one that is due any day! Can't wait to get there and hold that new baby. It is under 2 weeks now before we leave. Will be there for 20 days!!!

I am thankful for God's blessings in my life and I am thankful that God loves me unconditionally and that when I mess up He is not mad at me. I am thankful that God made it possible to be forgiven through His Son Jesus Christ in such a simple way. All I have to do is ask for forgiveness and through His GRACE He promises to give me a clean heart. I am glad that anyone can come to Him anywhere anytime and you don't have to get all cleaned up to come to Him!! God is amazing! I am glad that He shows us pictures of His love in sometimes the most simple things in life!!

As I love to say, Even at our very worst, we are truly blessed!!!!

PS anyone who is in the Port Orchard area..... Sunday is the Car Show at Christian Life Center. It is going to be an amazing day!

New Ride

1966 T-Bird
Found this on Craigs List. Got an excellent deal on it and couldn't pass it up!
It is so fun to drive. Going to put it in our car show with our Teardrop Trailer.
Will have to get a trailer hitch added and it needs some work, but not that much.
It's newer than I wanted, but it sure is pretty!!!

Time with grandsons

Took Angela's boys on a steam train ride in Chehalis Washington. They had a blast and enjoyed the spray of the steam on their skin. The sound of the train is so cool and our big campout was on the route the train took. There is a video here, you can see the camps, even though it isn't real detailed, listen to the sounds.......

Riley, Blake and Grandpa!

In memory of my momma...

It's been 4 years ago today.......

I miss her so much!!

My best friend....

It IS still winter people!!!!

So, it's been a while since I have been on here and it is now March!!! We had snow again last night and again today!!! I hear so many people acting like it is spring..... it IS still winter!!!! I love the snow and seems I just don't get tired of it! It is getting harder to have snow supporters as most of my snow loving people are now wanting to move on to spring. I will admit when I think about camping season coming then I am ready to move on too. I just never get tired of seeing the beauty of snow. It is so pure and makes everything look so fresh and bright. It's so beautiful on the trees of Washington and doesn't stay around very long so I am ok with that.

It takes me back to my childhood when the snow would fall and we would take off for the hills to sled, sometimes all night. It was good times. We lived on 10 acres and I loved to walk in the back fields where the snow was untouched. I would be in awe of the beauty and would make snow angles and lay there watching the snow fall. We loved to gather the "clean" untouched snow and bring a big bowl of it in the house and we would add cream, vanilla and sugar and have wonderful snow ice cream.

When there was a lot of snow, we would make forts and have neighborhood snowball fights. One year we made the coolest igloo!

So, as winter slips away I will move on and snow will again become a memory. Spring will bring all the beauty back to the landscape of this beautiful area and I will be delighted with all the new life and will then be ready to move on to summer and camping. For tonight though I will think about snow ice cream and snow angels and thoughts of sledding down slopes of snow in my dreams.

Snow Quota in Port Orchard!

Have I been transported to Illinois and don't know it? I thought I was living in Port Orchard Washington, you know that place where it hardly ever snows much and if it does, it's just a dusting and gone before you wake up? So far we have over 4" of new snow!

THIS IS WHERE WE WERE HEADED TONIGHT..........

Today was to be a fun day with grandsons to see the last day of Fantasy Lights and we drove to meet with Angela and the boys to drive through the big display. They were all excited to see the big pirate ship and other animated scenes, but more than that they were excited to see Grandma and Grandpa! About an hour before we were to meet, the snow started falling. It fell, and it fell and it kept falling until we decided that we had better head for home. The boys were so sad and in tears and called me on the phone to say how sad he was that he didn't get to see us. It was hard to comfort him. Cute as can be, but so sweetly sad!! I love the sweet love of grand kids. Nothing else matters, presents or anything else. They just want to be with us. It doesn't get better than that!!!

Sleep baby Jesus

Today makes me a bit sad because I took all the Christmas decorations down. It looks so bare now! I love all the lights, displays of the nativity, lights in the yard and all that goes with it. Now the yard is bare, the wall lacking the sparkle of lights where the star shown bright above the nativity, the place the Christmas tree stood is now bare and dark and all the boxes have been put away in the attic. The only thing left is the Christmas memories. There is this one thing that I know, the baby Jesus is now warm and dry and will enjoy the next 10 months wrapped in place out of the winter snow and rain. He played his part well as he showed the world what the true meaning of Christmas really is. He will take his place in the attic along with the three wise men from last years display.
As I feel sad about all this joy being removed again, I am reminded that Christmas is not just in December! Jesus came as a baby in a manger, but he grew up and became our Saviour that died for our sins. He rose again to defeat sin and death and make a way for us to have eternal life with Him. So today I close with the words to Silent Night.....

Silent Night, Holy Night all is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child
Holy Infant so tender & mild
Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Sleep in Heavenly Peace!

So, little baby that represents Jesus, sleep tight!!

New Year's Resolutions?

What is it about January? As soon as the clock strikes midnight our mind starts thinking that all of a sudden we can change everything that we don't like about ourselves. Some people decide that they are going to stop smoking, drinking or loose weight or some other promise that we have made time and time again. I decided, again, that I would get off of sugar! I did this one time before for a whole year and as soon as that clock struck midnight, all I wanted was anything and everything with sugar in it!! I said I would never do that again, but here I am making that same weak promise to myself. I know how hard it is to do this, but I need to get in control.

I am glad that the promised that God makes to us is not so weak. When God gives me a promise, He is able to carry out the promise even if I struggle to believe it. I know that God promises He will never leave me, but I find myself thinking that He is not there. That can't be because then He would be a liar and that is not possible.

So, I need to think about making some different kind of resolutions.

Laugh more, Laughter is a way to clear the mind of "stuff" .... get the giggles!!!

Spend more time with friends and have people over more often.

Create a wall in my house that has pictures of Friends and pray for them often!

Find something good to say about everyone.

Spend more time with my grand kids, this is always a goal!

Dance and sing more!

Find new places to explore or camp!

There are many things that I want to do and enjoy, but there are so many things that I want to do better. I will be asking for God's strength to do these things and not set myself up for failure. I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for 2009. I pray that this year is filled with blessings and strength to accomplish all that God has for me! I pray that for my friends and family as well.

Happy New Year

Here it is 2009!!! Where has the time gone! It seems just like yesterday that we rang in 2008!

We were able to get out of the snow on Christmas day and travel to our daughters house. We spent a few days there playing with the grandsons. Here it is New Years night. We had my brothers over and a friend next door come over. I made an old family favorite, home made pizza and fruit salad and other great food. I love to spoil my brothers!! Tim brought over a great DVD of Louie Giglio. It was awesome! Lot's of phone calls to wish family and friends a Happy New Year. I really have a lot of things that I would like to do better this year. More on that later.

It is 2am and I am ready to head to bed! Happy New Year to all!