Serendipity

Yesterday I stripped my bed and washed all of the bedding. It wasn't on my list of things to do or even high on my list of things that were due soon. My plate was already full, my energy level low after a poor night's sleep. But, for the first (and hopefully last) time in her life, Sasha wet the bed. So, the unlikely became the immediate. I carved out time to head to the laundromat... not only to wash the comforter in a large capacity washer, but to dry sheets, et al, since the dryer vent needs to be replaced before I can run my dryer.

This incident also necessitated a bath for Sasha, so I bathed the other two while I was at it. And, since bathing Sis Sue is much like bathing a cat, I had to jump in the shower afterward.

But, last night I crawled into a wonderfully fresh bed surrounded by sweet-smelling critters. And slept like a log. A good and totally unanticipated ending to my day.

I wonder how often God insinuates "inconvenient" events into our lives just because He wants to give us that good ending.

Awesome

My brother believes that awesome is a word whose powerful meaning should be reserved to describe God. In his mind, only God measures up to that descriptor. Ever since he shared that idea with me, I have been reluctant to endorse the contemporary use of the word. It seems trite somehow.

I just viewed a video that I'd like to share with you. It is from a website called Crazy Love.* Once you're there, click on videos from the left menu and choose The Awe Factor of God.

Our God is an awesome God.

*Shared via AddThis.

The End of a Remarkable Journey

What a week it has been. Beautiful Harbour Island, meeting new family, launching a couple into a new life together, playing with an engaging 7.5 month old. Hard to see it end.




The island seemed as sad to see us go as we were reluctant to let go of a wonderful week in "paradise." I've never seen what could be described as torrential rains before, but we experienced them along with crashing thunder and a lightening strike to our house, which is located on the rise above the beach. It poured. And poured. Enough to spout from the gutters.

I was glad that Reggie was coming in his taxi to take us to the dock instead of relying on a caravan of golf carts. I didn't want to start out this journey soaked to the skin.

We had an amazingly smooth ride across the bay to Eleuthera on the water taxi. I was also thankful for the full canopy, which kept us relatively dry. After we were loaded in the taxi at Eleuthera, our driver got in a spirited argument over who was there first and deserved to take us to the airport... a six-passenger fare is nothing to take lightly.

We arrived at the airport to find everyone who had planned to leave earlier in the day waiting for the airport to reopen and resume service. We almost had our first wedding party reunion. I was glad Ryan and Anna had left the day before and weren't caught with us. Anna's grandmother, who bought the family house on Harbour Island, told me she had spent the entire day there before without ever getting off the ground.

As is common during these storms, the lights flickered more than once, and a generator could be heard coming to life before they came on again.

Ours was the second plane out, delayed more than a couple of hours by the bad weather. It was good to be airborne, but I read the safety instructions twice since I was the only one sitting at the exit window over the wing of the plane.

The aquamarine that you see in this photo is the ocean, and the darker images are on the sea floor (clouds are white).

Sleeping is the best choice on this flight, and Grandma Weber and Carson were the only ones who crashed.










We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale just minutes before our connecting flight to Houston was scheduled to leave, but it was also delayed. Terry was just thankful to have landed and be heading toward customs. We were all glad it wasn't raining out on the tarmac. The Weber clan barely made that Houston connection, the last flight out. We flew south around some storms in the Gulf, but had time to eat together in Houston before splitting up for our Seattle and Portland flights.

I actually got into PDX half an hour early. We left Houston about 15 minutes early and evidently made up more time in flight. I was surprised since we taxied so long on the ground, I thought we were driving part of the way.

It was a long day. Over 21 hours after I got up in the Bahamas, I was home in Vancouver. Amazing that it can even be done in a day.

All in all, it is very good to be home.

You can see more pictures of the trip here.

Wedding Celebration

The event we have anticipated for months went off with very few hitches. My nephew Ryan married his soul-mate Anna in the Bahamas on the 22nd of this month, with eight adults and one infant from his family in attendance.

The weather on Harbour Island was "iffy" all week - to say the least, and the decision to hold the ceremony on the beach was made at the last possible moment. The photos I took can be viewed here. The reception was marred only by the sunburn inadvertantly acquired by various guests earlier in the day. Most notably, the best man's toast speech was cut short because of his discomfort, but was still remarkable.

In the days preceding the wedding, we spent time getting to know Anna's family at Farcliff and being immersed in family traditions: Dinner Tuesday night, sitting at a table with Anna and Ryan, her parents, sister and brother-in-law. A native dinner in the courtyard the next night, after which Anna's father led a hootenanny from two large volumes of songs collected over the years.

The next afternoon's event was a rousing beach volleyball game on the beach below Farcliff. I was given the honor of holding the game ball by Anna's father, Scott, for having scored 14 consecutive points on serve. We're wearing our "official" Anna and Ryan wedding T's and windblown hair-dos.

That evening, the rehearsal dinner was hosted at Landfall, an estate further down the beach rented by a contingent of Anna's family. Cheeseburgers and Conch salad!

Don't ask me to recall everyone's name, but I met a lot of really, really nice folks. This family will compete with the English Clan on almost every level.












We saw the newlyweds off at the government dock the day after the wedding. We know where the honeymoon is, but we're not telling... not that you're likely to be in the Turks and Caicos this week. In case you don't recognize this vessel, it is a water taxi, otherwise indistinguishable from the water craft that populate the Columbia River on any given day.

Paradise Found

We finally arrived in the Bahamas after a two-hour flight delay. For the second time this trip, our plane was decommissioned because of maintenance problems, and we had to wait for another. The plane was a small Gulfstream, with one seat on each side of the aisle. Lynn and I had a front row seat for watching the pilot in the cockpit.

From Eleuthera, we took a water taxi. I'm not sure what comes to your mind, but this wasn't what I had envisioned. Here's me next to a bag of onions in the back of a very ordinary runabout.




















We seem to have brought good weather with us. After settling in at "Sitting Pretty," where we posed for a family picture on the deck, we had a great time "meeting the parents" for dinner at "Farcliff," a house the Lowes have owned for 26 years.

Roosters roam freely over the island, and a very persistent one served as my alarm clock this morning... much earlier than my body was ready to be up and about. But, I'm told "island time" is very relaxed, so I'm sure there will be time for a nap later today.

Traveling Across Country

The day began with the alarm going off at 3 AM for the trip across the country... from the NW to the tip of Florida. It ended over 14 hours later. Along the way, I had a smooth trip into Houston, where I had time to walk for 40 minutes after eating lunch at Bubba's. (Where else would you eat in Texas?) The airport has a space exhibit in honor of NASA's 5oth anniversary; along with amazing space pictures, my favorite was a full-size model of the Mars rover.

I then met up with the rest of my family and fed Carson strained carrots while everyone else had lunch. Carson's penchant for sucking on two fingers of his left hand, even while eating, gave new meaning to carrots as finger food.

We boarded the jet for the next leg of our journey and were promptly "deplaned" because of some maintenance problem. Less than an hour later, we were underway again. But we were in a holding pattern for quite awhile before we were allowed to land in Ft. Lauderdale.

We felt right at home because it was pouring down rain. Did I mention that it was sunny and 80 degrees in the NW today? Soaked to the skin on the first day of this adventure. I wonder what tomorrow will bring...

Kristi Needs

Thanks, Patty, for a fun exercise this morning. Googling "Kristi needs" garnered some amazingly accurate results. It seems that Kristi needs:

1. A schedule. Kristi needs to know exactly what time she is to be doing something and exactly how to do it. Not really. I'm quite resourceful.
2. A new hair color. What, you don't like the silver highlights?
3. To go to Home Depot and buy a filter for the exhaust fan over her stove. Honestly, I just put in a new fan! Is it dirty already?
4. HELP. Don't we all.
5. Bread. Always, because I have to bake my own. Then, again, there's the beatnik $$$.
   
6. A boyfriend. Most of my life.
7. To be patient. Refer back to number 6!
8. Some sleep. Hmmmmmmmm.
   
9. Our support and prayers. Now more than ever.
10. Numbers. Mostly more numbers in my bank account. See number 9.
    

Happy Anniversary

It has been a year since the day I was called into the CEO's office and laid off "because we don't need you." A year of searching for another full-time position. A year of unprecedented illness and healing. A year of examination and growing. A year of expectation. A year to be thankful that God is mindful of me.

Look Who's On Facebook

It had to happen sooner or later. It appears that God is now on " facebook. " At least there is a profile page with his name on it, where facebook users can sign on as fans and leave messages or have discussions with each other that God will no doubt monitor.

It is a sign of our techno times that God has been given a URL. Historically, we have appeared to house God in church buildings, cathedrals, and synagogues. But, they, too, were just meeting places to which people were called to acknowledge God in the company of like-minded souls. God "tabernacled" with his people throughout history in various ways, but his Son's coming was not timed to utilize the technological innovations of the info age.

The God of the universe, whose presence fills and sustains all creation, has specified only one dwelling place of choice in all of the earth... it is the heart of the believer who invites His indwelling by acknowledging God's gift of his Son and all that that implies. There is no i Pod application for that.

Much of the world will spend this weekend rejoicing in the empty tomb. I hope you are one whose heart is filled with the presence of God and the promise of eternal redemption.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:6-11

A Day At A Time

What would you do if someone told you the next 10 months would be yours to pretty much do with as you pleased? An extended vacation of sorts. A mini-retirement. Ideas would come crowding into your mind if you're anything like me. The possibilities would seem endless. And exciting.

But, if that time came dribbling a day at a time, with the next day or two that of expectant change, what would you do with just that day or two?

Perspective changes everything.

Looking back, I could've written my memoirs, researched and written a book of substance, remodeled the front room or Mom's place, redesigned the yard. Any number of things. Who knew that the days would stretch into months?

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

....................................Ps 90:12

Winter Blues

My head hurts. My face hurts. My eyes hurt. My ears ache. My throat is sore. My chest hurts. With each breath, a whistle wheeze echos in the ear that I lay against the pillow. Severe abdominal cramps send me tottering unsteadily to the bathroom with agonizing frequency. Every muscle in my body seems to ache.

I'm wearing sweats, a down vest, a fleece zip hoodie, and two pairs of socks. I lay on the couch under 2 throws, freezing, while my temperature creeps above 101 degrees. The dogs love it when I am sick. I am "momma" bed, and they each find a place to snuggle on me. Tonight I am too hot for them, and they find other places to be.

I am in and out of awareness with vivid, feverish dreams. One in which someone is tapping on the window from outside trying to rouse me while the dogs protest the intrusion. I don't acknowledge them. Long after bedtime, I rouse enough to secure the house and go to bed.

I missed my flu shot this year for the first time in decades. I hope it isn't too long before my body assembles the templates for antibodies to fight this bug. Maybe they will come in handy next year.

Tagged for 5 Things

Betty tagged me to produce my lists, so here goes:

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago (As near as I can remember)
1. Breathing in.
2. Breathing out.
3. Eating.
4. Um... well, you know...
5. Reading.

5 Things I Want to do in 2009 (Better idea)
1. Find the perfect job... er, a good full-time job.
2. Spend more time with family and friends.
3. Advance the NW chapter of AMWA as president.
4. Keep on decluttering life and home.
5. Finish remodel projects.

5 Things On My To-Do List Today
1. Finish the brochure for the AMWA-NW's Symposium.
2. Go to the grocery store... finally.
3. Do on-line job search.
4. Make appointments for me and dog-children.
5. Sweep debris off the patio.

5 Snacks I Like
1. Popcorn.
2. Tootsie Roll Pops.
3. Cheese, summer sausage, rice crackers, and grapes.
4. Jelly Bellys.
5. Corn chips and salsa.

5 Things I Would Do If I Were A Millionaire
1. Retire!
2. Retire all my debts.
3. Buy a beach house.
4. Buy a house with a garden patch.
5. Set up a trust for things I would like to support.

5 Places I Have Lived (For Various Lengths Of Time)
1. Guymon, Oklahoma (6 years)
2. Corvallis, Oregon (6 and 3 years)
3. Weiser, Idaho (1 summer)
4. Los Angeles, California (8 months)
5. Vancouver, Washington (31 years)

5 Jobs I Have Had
1. Technical Writer.
2. Laboratory Director.
3. Financial Services Regional Manager.
4. College Biology Instructor.
5. Addressograph techi for Montgomery Ward credit office.

5 People I Tag (to post a "5 Things . . . " list on their blog)
Put your name right here: ___________.

Catching Up on Christmas

It's hard to believe that I haven't posted on this blog for almost a month. I joined Facebook in the middle of winter hunkering, so my internet interests are stretching time resources.

Christmas did indeed turn out to be a white dream; my front-yard Douglas Fir looked like a giant flocked Christmas tree. The week set weather records for our area. I enjoyed the beauty of the snow, if not the enforced isolation. I got out Christmas eve to join my family in Seattle. The drive was like a blast from the past with the lightest freeway traffic I've experienced in decades. My stay was extended by a day because the melting snow made climbing the hill out of my brother's neighborhood an impossibility, although it was fun watching many locals try. The extra 5 inches of snow we got over Christmas day didn't help.

Family is one of the highlights of Christmas. This year the brightest spot was spending time with the newest addition to the family. I babysat Carson the day after Christmas while mom went bargain shopping. I got the best deal of the day. See if you don't agree. It was an all-consuming job, what with being required to hold him nonstop; but, hey, someone had to do it.

It is fun to examine babies and look for family characteristics. Carson is a good mix of mom and dad's DNA. Overall he reminds me of his mom when she was an infant, but his mouth resembles his dad's. His expressions reflect both parents. But, Carson holds his hands like us... his mom and me, and his great great great grandmother Lib!

If you have trouble understanding why a holiday can be structured around the birth of a baby, you've never had a new little one to play with in December. Carson will have a great future if how much he is loved is any predictor. But, the significance of a baby Jesus is how much God loves us, and that gives all of us a forever future.

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Winter has finally come to this part of the country. As much as I enjoyed our prolonged Indian Summer, I was invigorated by the sunny, brisk cold that followed. Now we're getting a rare smattering of snow, with promises of more to come. Three snow storms in less than a week. Gotta love this "global warming!"

Most of my Holiday social events were scheduled this week. And, just like the gal's white board calendar gets "opened up" when the guy in the cranberry bog spills juice that washes away Wednesday's notations, the storm fronts are erasing my holiday schedule day by day. I don't know if the white stuff will stick around for Christmas, but one can hope. After all, 'tis the season.

All of you who are looking out your window in hopes of seeing more snow and dreaming of a White Christmas have soul-mates here. I hope that all of your Christmas wishes come true! God bless us every one.

Louisville

You just thought I was never going to post another entry in my blog. You weren't alone. Let me catch up from October...

The National AMWA Conference was in Louisville this year. It was, by far, the best one I've attended. Maybe that was because I had fewer sessions and more time to network. Not to mention that the amazing sky bridges of the Galt House made it so convenient to leave jackets, et al, in my room.

That's not to say that I didn't go outside. Walking is my favorite sightseeing mode, and I ventured out more than once. The Ohio River was less than a block away from our venue, replete with paddle-wheel boats and a floating visitor's center that used to be a rescue vessel. The riverfront was a great place to shake off the lethargy of too much sitting.



Of course, a three-hour time difference made fewer scheduled sessions a wise choice. Listening to someone lecture at my body clock's 6 AM is less than beneficial. Almost as much fun as trying to go to sleep at a corresponding 7 PM. I found that an afternoon power nap helped me manage the time change.

Louisville has a rich and varied history. Home to Ali, "The Greatest," and Colonel Sanders, the city boasts tributes to both. The museum honoring Ali was just across the hotel plaza.

The visitor's center had a life-size wax figure of the Colonel and a pictorial history of his life. I had forgotten that he was past retirement age when he launched the Kentucky Fried Chicken venture. We may have that in common...

The most striking impression I had of this city was that it seemed happily stuck in a by-gone era. The new housing developments visible from the plane window had large lots. The music, even at the local Starbucks, was of an earlier time. Lyrics you could actually understand and lots of jazz.

Speaking of Starbucks, the beverage for which Louisville is most famous isn't coffee (a sad commentary that had this Northwesterner searching for the nearest franchise at the first opportunity). Bourbon-related gifts were everywhere. And our welcome reception featured mint julips —without the stately front porch and lazy summer day. That, along with a tour of Churchill Downs, will have to wait for next time.

Meeting in Person

This weekend I got to meet and hold two-week old Carson, who loves to snuggle. He is a sweet baby, except, of course, when he is hungry and fussy. At 6-11, he is not quite up to his birth weight of 6-15, but close. All of us went on the first walk around the neighborhood with Carson in his stroller. He stayed awake the whole trip.

Bella, who was an "only dog" until Carson arrived, has not quite adjusted to his prominent place in the heirarchy. Until recently, she was the focus of visitors' attention. Bella was happiest near the end of my visit when I picked her up and held her.


Mom and Dad are doing great with Carson. He's a lucky little guy, surrounded by much love and attention.

I well remember what it felt like to become the "matriarch" of the family when the last generation of our family passed on. It has its advantages. Ushering in a new generation is one of them.

Best Buds

Somehow I knew these two would hit it off. Carson and Bella have a great future together!

What A Difference A Week Makes

Carson seemed to enjoy his Mommy's birthday today. At least he was awake for the party.

He's been sunbathing under bili lights this week and hasn't regained his birth weight yet, but he's close.


I'm thinking he looks good in a hoodie, but I am a bit biased.

Carson's Arrival

Carson James Kelly, my great-nephew, made his entry into this world Friday night, October 3, at 11:55 PM, allowing his mother to almost finish a week of school teaching. He came early according to all predictions, perhaps not wanting to wait until his mother had her next birthday. This handsome young man weighed in at 6 lbs, 14 oz, and measured 20.5 inches long.

Welcome to the family, Carson! Can't wait to see you in person!

A Blessed Day

I came home this afternoon to find a voice mail commendation from a stranger for today's “well-written” letter to the editor. His parting words were “God bless you.” God does. This phone message was one of those ways.

The edited letter follows:

Character defines women

Many columnists and so-called feminists focus on a woman’s “right to choose” abortion as being singularly important. But, a woman’s stand on abortion rights does not define her life. Character does.

Michelle Obama has a knack for torpedoing her image as a prospective First Lady reminiscent of Theresa Heinz in the last election cycle. Michelle made headlines with her ill-advised comments at a public appearance.

It does not matter what Michelle thinks about a woman’s “right to choose.” She has proved herself incapable of choosing words wisely or acting prudently.

Contrast that with the graciousness of an accomplished Cindy McCain, and there is “no contest.”

Oh, and did I mention that “cute” Sarah Palin, who has been in the public eye more than a decade and earned a popularity rating of over 80% as Governor of Alaska?

I didn’t think the editors would print it, but they did. And it evidently blessed someone’s life, who blessed mine in return.