Papas and Grandmas

My grandparents lived right next door to us in our dirt road setting in rural Montana. Oh! How I loved my grandpa and grandma! They were so wonderful to have and it is rare that a day goes by that I don't think of them.

Our girls are blessed with wonderful grandparents as well. Papa and Grandma Kamps came out recently for a visit. We had a nice time and for the last day they were here we hit the big city. Being it is my dad taught me how to drive in a hay field with bales as the other cars, I was impressed that he let me drive and was my navigator as we drove about Seattle. He was a bit perturbed by the urban custom of paying for parking, "never had to pay to park a day in my life in Montana." :)

We first hit Serious Pie and had a great time. The pie, well, it was good. Nothing to rush back down to Seattle for. The girls were completely wigged out that you sit w/ strangers at the same table. Our seat mates were honeymooners from Cleveland and were a sweet young couple. It was fun getting to know them!

We then hit the Dalia bakery right around the corner from Serious Pie. Oh man! Man oh man! Holy moly! That was amazing! Everyone but me ordered something and I had a sample of everyone's baked good and they were amazing. Now THAT is something I can see driving down to Seattle for. Unfortunately the baked goods were consume b/f I could snap a photo, but we highly recommend Dalia Bakery. The truffle cookies.....the gingersnaps....the black forest cupcakes....

That day we also found THE TROLL in N. Seattle. It took a bit of driving to find it, but it was worth it. Papa tried to pick it's nose. 

They even got to see a soccer game while they were here. So special to Livy! 

Papa and Grandma Gates live in Bremerton, just a couple of hours away. We try to see them as much as possible. They recently made the trip up here to catch some basketball. We had a great time w/ them and are so grateful they live close enough for us to see. 

We are so THANKFUL for our grandparents!

Fall 2013

Fall us usually a dreaded time for me. Everyone else is saying how they love the crispness, the coolness, the beauty in the changing of seasons. What I feel is the dread of winter in Washington. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but man, does the gray, wet, lack of sun get to a person! Every year around October I find myself on real estate sites looking for a sunnier place to live. Oh to be a snow bird!!! Of course, this is all my flesh talking. We know God has plans for us here and we will not be leaving until He says so.

With all that said, we have been SO BLESSED with a glorious fall. The sun has shown WAY more than I can remember from past winters. It has been wonderful. And, like so many NW Washingtonians, we feel the pressure to get outside when it is sunny. Here are a few things we've done.

Soccer: both Livy and Maryn participated in Anacortes Parks and Rec soccer programs. We are so blessed to have a really great Parks and Rec department and try to take advantage of one sport a season.

Gina entered and won a pie competition with the Anacortes Farmers Market. She got first place for best crust! Yum!

And, of course, we made the annual trek to Gordon's Pumpkins to get our fall on. We went w/ the Shooks, Evans and Neufelds. Then, they all came over to our house for chili and caramel apples. What a great day!

We have tried to get out most sunny Sundays after church for hikes. We've enjoyed them very much. Thank you Lord, for letting us live in such a beautiful place. We find contentment and joy here in Washington. It is truly a very, very beautiful place.

And, maybe, I do like the gray, rain, socked in dreariness. It reminds me--I'm not home yet....

Love and Loss

Well, it's been awhile since we've last blogged. As all 3 of you know who may be following this,  a season of loss has come the past couple of months. Our neighbor, Eric, passed away. You can follow his wife, Lisa's blog here http://nwneufelds.blogspot.com to stay up w/ their journey. Lisa has incredible faith and one day we will all be in glory w/ Eric at the feet of Jesus! Come, Jesus, come!!

Then, out of the blue, we received a phone call saying our dear friend and sister, Endsley, was involved in an accident taking her life. Upon contacting her mom, the news was true and we were speechless with shock.

James 4:13-14 tells us: "Look here, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.' How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog-it's here a little while, then it's gone."

What does this mean? To me it means, make EVERY day count for Jesus! Make every conversation intentional! Live life w/ gusto and w/o regrets!

The girls and I are studying Matthew this year for school and we have memorized Matthew 5:14-16: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so everyone will praise your heavenly Father."

I love that. Lord, let our lights shine for you! Let us do good deeds for you to shine. We can't do this alone, Jesus. We need you to guide us, to shine your light in us b/c we fail. Amen.

VBS

Our church had VBS the last week of July-first of August. We had over 60 kids and gave 16 Bibles away to kids who didn't have one! And, we had 7 kids raise their hands on Friday who made a decision to give their lives to Jesus Christ. What a great, great week worth all the work and preparation that went into it. We were EXHAUSTED, all of us, but a good tired. Josh took the week off of work to help out.

Miss Leslie and Gina on set-up day. 

Maryn's group:

Gina, Livy and some of their friends busting a move on stage w/ the GoFish guys:

We decided it would be fun to go camping at Deception Pass that week to save time and gas. Wow! Camping and VBS, we must be crazy. The kids had a great time though. 

The girls and Keaton and Cole:

Camp fire:

The Holy Spirit was working in the lives of the kids and the leaders that week. What a great, great thing to be a part of! Praise Jesus!

Maryn's Birthday

Well, for the first time in her life, Maryn had a friend party for her birthday! She invited her fairiest of fairies and they had a fairy good time! We built fairy houses and partook of cake that, well, ummm, what can I say? The cake was made by Gina and dad--a caramel apple cake. When I came home from work that day, the smell was, well, distinct. Josh said, "The oil I used didn't smell very good." Well, it didn't taste very good either. But the fairys barely noticed (we noticed no one took more than a bite of cake). Its the mistakes and whoopses in life that make memories, right?

Here are some photos from the day:

The Tinkerbells!

Sweet Eva with her fairy house, Queen Esther in the background:

Maryn with her other presents, a new bike helmet from her family and a new American Girl doll dress from Papa and Grandma Kamps:

And, we decided that the rancid cake was just not enough so Gina, Livy and I made Aunt Gloria Zylstra's famous, delicious, filled chocolate cupcakes. :) Aunt Gloria is battling cancer in Sioux Falls, SD and is an amazing fighter! We pray for her daily! And, we made her cupcakes with butter! :)

Seriously, I can't believe this little girl, this miracle baby, the one who was--by doctor's words--not to be, is 4 years old. Amazing! She is such a fun, wonderful, "strong-willed" little girl! Happy birthday, Maryn! We love you!

Ft. Worden and the Gates Family

This past weekend we went over the river and through the woods. Our journey did not end at grandmother's house, but grandmother WAS there! :) We joined Josh's parents and his sister, Jesika, and her family at Fort Worden in Pt. Townsend.

We rented one of the huge officer's houses located right on the Fort. It was a gorgeous, turn of the century home, including much of the original woodwork and fixtures. Unfortunately, the state has "let them go" a bit and they could really use a good facelift and a deep cleaning....and some clean sheets.

Despite that, we had a great time! We were outside more than in and explored the gun batteries and the beach. The kids, Josh and I were at the beach really early one morning for tide pools. We dug our own pool, circled it w/ rocks, and Isaac (the 13 year-old marine life finding expert) caught over 30 eels, sea lice, sea cucumbers, and other creatures to put in our pool.

Unfortunately I have no pictures of that or any beach excursion b/c I didn't have our phone w/ us. But, check out this momentous event:

That's right folks: Josh, his dad, and Isaac caught a salmon!!!!! And, a king at that!!!! These three were on cloud nine all day. Josh described the scene to me as we were packing up. He said they hooked the salmon and Isaac was thrilled! But, just as they were reeling it in, Isaac noticed a pod of porpoises right along side the boat. He was supposed to be reeling in his line so it didn't get caught up in the line w/ the fish, but he was so excited about the porpoises he lost all sense of salmon and was calling, "Look! Look! There they are! They are right there! Look Papa!! Look Uncle Josh!!". So sweet! Isaac is 13 and is just about the nicest, funniest, awesomest 13 year old boy there is. Hope that salmon tasted good last night, guys! :)

Here are some other pictures from our trip:

Hiking up to the bunkers.

This is our other nephew, Jonah. He is exactly 3 days younger than our Gina. While his brother was catching fish, he was entertaining the girls. He is funny, smart, charming and adventurous. His nickname was "Dirt clump" when he was little b/c he is a true boy. We love him! Here he is descending from a steep hill:

This is Josh's sister, Jesika. She is younger than him by 2 years. She is probably one of the most patient people I know. Jesika blesses me so much and is an incredible aunt to our girls. And, she's lovely. I say this all but, dear blog readers, please know that right after I snapped this picture of her she lashed me w/ blackberry thorns. When I yelped in pain, she reminded me that I was too short to reach the high ones and that she was just trying to help out. Hmmmm, let's rethink all those positive things I just said about her! ;)

These are Josh's parents: 

They are supportive, loving, kind, funny, easy going, and our friends. We are blessed to have them live semi-close to us so we can see them semi-frequently. They are WONDERFUL grandparents who love their grandkids so very much. And, the feeling is mutual!!

Ft. Worden is HIGHLY recommended by us as a family destination. There are beautiful beaches, awesome steep and moderate hikes, great fishing, and wonderful "scopes for the imagination" when you read about the history of the Fort and see the hard work all those men did to protect our country. Maybe just observe the gorgeous exteriors of the officers quarters and enjoy your clean tent in the campground. :)

The Neufelds

Our neighbors and friends, the Neufeld's, have been going through a storm in their lives lately. We know and trust that Jesus is the calmer of all storms and we will ride this out with them as long as it takes. We love them all and have really gotten to know their sweet, wonderful boys lately. They are our girls' friends and there seems to be no concern that they are boys and we are girls and there is no worries that we have ponies, Polly Pockets, and American Girl dolls and they have trucks, tractors and cars. In fact, the kids rarely play with toys! They love to be outside--laughing, playing and enjoying the sun and each other's company. We even have had a couple of sleep overs and the girls won't let me clean that room b/c they want the boys to come back again.

Here's a photo of before bedtime story time w/ dad (Mr. Josh):

And, here is a photo of their lovely, patient, kind, soft spoken, wise momma with our dear friend Joanna and myself:

We were able to get out for a couple of hours and enjoy each other's company and pray. It was great to hear their stories of their lives and to just come together as sisters. 

Please hop over to the Neufled's blog to see their journey. Please pray for them and support them however the Lord puts on your hearts. 

http://nwneufelds.blogspot.com/

Speaking of Friends.....

On the 5th of July the girls and I were blessed to meet my dear friend from high school, Heidi, and her beautiful family! Oh! What joy it was to see her and visit again! You know those friends whom you don't talk to in forever (11+ years, right Heidi??) but when do you see each other again, you are able to pick right up where you left off and visit and laugh and enjoy each other??? Heidi is that kind of friend and we had a great visit!

Here is us back in the day, over 20 years ago:

And, now:

"A friend is a friend forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them....". Love you, Heidi Joy!!

Maryn and Esther

We are so blessed by the friends we have in our lives! When you are home schooled, many people freak out about the social aspects. It is really important to us to be social and enjoy friendships and God has certainly blessed us with dear, wonderful friends and we love you all! We dearly miss those who have moved, some to cornfields, some to the land of country music,  and some to sunnier, tropical locations; however, we are saving each dime to come see you all, but the sunny, tropically located ones are our first stop.

Anyway, here is a shot of Maryn and her friend, Esther on one of our Pac. NW sunshiny days.  They are two peas in a pod for sure.

This movie cracked me up! M and E were discussing tomatoes and all of the sudden E bursts into song. M is quick to join her but neither one quite know the lyrics. SO CUTE!!!

"A friend loves at all times...." Prov. 17:17

4th of July

We had an awesome 4th of July. For the first time since we've lived here in our little burg, we figured out what time to arrive and where to sit for the parade--10:10 in front of the cruddy old nail salon and run-down former location of the Island Cafe. Mom sits there and waits while dad and the girls get ready to lead the parade down Commercial Ave. When one is positioned in front of afore said location, it is easy for parade stars to join mom there and still get their fair share of loot and enjoy the parade.

Sitting/Standing w/ friends at the end of the parade.

Wow! Those fire trucks are loud!! Maryn and her friend, Esther.

Livy begged to make her first cake ever by herself and she did an outstanding job. This could very well be the most expensive cake she'll ever make (organic blueberries: $6.99, organic raspberries $17.00 for a flat, the smile and sense of accomplishment: priceless). And, it tasted great!

Happy Birthday, America!! Love, the Gates Gang!

Other So. Cal. Adventures

My cousin, Brian, and his lovely wife Larissa live near Disneyland and have season passes. They met us there for an afternoon of fun.

It was great to see them and to have their perspective on the park--they knew where all the closest bathrooms and water fountains were! We rode Matterhorn Bobsleds, watched a production of Tangled, and other great things that day. 

On our second to last day there, Brian and Larissa took us to Seal Beach which was AWESOME! Sun, sand, and water that you can swim in. 

Note: the two ride wimps are the two crazy wave, water girls! Poor Livy spent a good deal of her beach time like this: 

She had a wave that, "....crashed me to the ground and tossed me under the water for a long time. I wasn't sure if I was going to be swept out to sea." Daddy had warned the girls and I before we left that day of the undertow on California beaches. Many times throughout the day I was asked if we were being "undertowed". But, our So. Cal. beach guides were quick to inform us that we were in a protected bay at Seal Beach and there was not a danger of that. What a great day that was! We all decided that if there were not a trillion, gazillion people living in Southern California, the smog that blanketed our view of the mountains every day, the concrete jungles, the lack of green, did we mention the 1.5 mazillion people?? that would be the place for us.

We were fortunate to meet some friends of Brian and Larissa at the beach and the girls struck up a quick, great friendship!

It was great to meet you, Audrey and Chloe! Hope to see you again sometime! 

Poor daddy had to work hard all day while mom and the girls enjoyed the beach. Hey, somebody's got to support this lifestyle, right? :)

That night Brian and Larissa and the sun-kissed (maybe more than kissed. Note to self: NEVER let a hyper 9 year old apply sunscreen to your back....never, ever....) Gates girls headed back to the hotel to pick up daddy so he could join us for dinner. We headed out to a Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives place: Mama Cossa's, in Anaheim. YUM! We all really enjoyed it, even daddy despite his face in this picture. He is the king of photo bombs. 

Larissa and Gina picked out the same sunglasses at an awesome shell shop on the beach. Aren't they lovely?!?! **the sunglasses AND the ladies**

Thanks for a great time, Brian and Larissa!!! Don't forget, we owe you a Juicy Dog or two so you better come up and visit us soon! Or, better yet, come buy it!!!! :) 

We spent the last day of our vacation in the pool. All three girls would be content to swim in a pool all day if we let them. 

All in all, we had a great vacation; much different than our regular Montana summer trip. Hopefully we get back to California someday.