In my previous entry, I mentioned that we had gone out to Ephrata this past weekend to attend the 50th wedding anniversary celebration of Uncle Phil and Aunt Barbara. While we had a lot of fun being in attendance there, we were also treated a wonderful weekend in other ways.
We left Friday morning around 1100. We stopped at Costco and filled up our gas tank and picked up a birthday cake for Mary (which sadly never got eaten). And then we headed out! We took Hwy 18 up to I-90 and then headed up Snoqualmie Pass. There was LOTS of snow still hanging around over the pass. That really didn't surprise me since we've had snow way down here just in the past few weeks. But Mike did mention his concern... after all, camping season is just a few months away. Hopefully it'll all be gone by then! I'm glad I took these pictures on the way over. When we came back, it was late at night, dark, and very foggy.
It's so fascinating to drive along I-90. I'm always amazed at how there is such a definite line between the mountains and desert. There is a pretty defined demarkation between the two. You might miss it if you blink! One moment you are enjoying the beauty of the evergreen trees and the next there is vast nothingness!
We stayed at the Motel 6 in Moses Lake since the rest of the family was staying there. That was an interesting experience. It was definitely a cheap place to stay, but I doubt we'll do it again. The water was funky... it looked and smelled okay (we had bottled water to drink)... but it dried out our skin terribly. What's worse, I couldn't get it OFF my skin. I'm not kidding... it's like it had too much bleach in it. My skin felt slimy and I couldn't seem to rinse it off well. Mike got a rash. The beds were uncomfortable, the floors were cement (very hard on the feet and back), and the noise was outrageous. We could hear every footstep from the people above us. The kids had a hard time going to sleep because of all the loud noise around us. Oh well... we spent very little time there... it was a place to sleep and that's it.
We checked in, dropped off our stuff, and then caravaned with everyone else over to Time Out, where Aunt Barbara's family and friends had gathered to eat pizza, drink soda, and socialize before the party. It was WONDERFUL getting to connect and reconnect with everyone there! We had not seen Jon and Kreanna since their wedding day in 1999! And so of course we'd never met their children either. I had only seen pictures of them on Aunt Barbara's blog. They are so cute! And I personally had never before met Terri, Teresa, Steve or any of their children. So that was a real treat!
After meeting up there, we had some time. So we took the kids to play at a park. And then we headed over to the anniversary celebration. That was very fun. The decorations were perfect and it was so nice to see all the pictures of their family over the years. How exciting! When we were done at the party, our family all gathered over at Perkins for a late night bite to eat. We sang Happy Birthday to Mary but I think everyone was just too full and it was so late so we didn't eat the cake. That poor cake... we toted it around with us and finally brought it home. Nobody would take it off our hands. We each had a piece and then the entire thing found its way into the garbage. Sad.
We woke up somewhat early on Saturday morning (no choice really... the beds were so uncomfortable!) After checking out of the motel, we made plans to meet with Jon and Kreanna for lunch at the Golden Corral (along with Roy, Linda, Bekah, Loral and Emily). Roy had wanted to go to the Golden Corral the night before and we talked him out of it... just not worth the money when we weren't that hungry. I remember eating at a GC in Utah last year and I was REALLY impressed!
Anyway... we went in search of breakfast and happened upon a little place called Griffin's Bakery & Cafe. Um... YUM. Really... that sums it up. The have some of the best bakery fare I've ever had in my life. No exaggeration... in little Moses Lake, WA! Mike had a ham and Swiss pastry that was to die for. I had quiche that was melt-in-your-mouth. The kids had a yogurt parfait that was incredible and had the best granola I have ever tasted. And I had a piping hot cup of Mexican hot chocolate that was sinful! Truly... I almost want to make the drive again just to have breakfast there!! If you haven't had a chance to sample the fair, well, you really MUST stop the next time you are driving through central WA! Here are the guys, enjoying themselves thoroughly...
After having a nice breakfast, we drove around and checked out the small city. We hit the local Walmart and then spent some time cleaning out our car and vacuuming it. The car always gets so trashed when we go on road trips. Ugh. But it looked a lot better by the time we got done!
Later we met up with everyone at the Golden Corral and had a nice lunch there. When we were done eating, we decided to go to a park in Ephrata and let the kids burn off some energy. They had a LOT of fun playing with their cousins and enjoying the nice weather! (Ahhh... the weather was SO much nicer in Ephrata!) I love this picture!:
And isn't Miss Aleigha just so adorable???
Anyway... the kids had a blast... here are some other pictures:
The kids all climbed a steep hill while we were there too, but that deserves its very own entry!!
After playing for awhile, we all walked over to the adjoining cemetery to meet up with Steve, Teresa and their family. Their daughter Amanda is buried there. I remember Mike telling me the story of how he and Mary drove down there for her funeral and how heart breaking that was. That was right before Mike and I had met. While I've never had the honor of meeting that beautiful little girl, it was quite apparent that she has a lot of people who love her and her spirit was very present there that day as her family gathered around her grave and left flowers for her to enjoy. There was such a feeling of peace there and I couldn't help but reflect and be thankful for the plan of salvation and the ordinances that bind us as eternal families.
We all headed over to Aunt Barbara's house and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening there. It was so wonderful to be there. Mike and I have spoken about this and we both felt as though we were in the midst of such goodness there. We were honored to have been included in the evening meal and then we had such fun just talking and getting to know everyone better. We are so blessed to be able to call them all family. How lucky we are to be associated with such wonderful and good people! I thank them for gathering us into their fold and allowing us into their circle. (Of course they have us pining after the warmth of Arizona now... but that's a post for another day!) Here are some pictures snapped while we were there:
We headed out pretty late. I believe it was about 9:30pm. We stopped for a snack and then headed back over the pass. It was very foggy in places and the temperature was hanging right around freezing. There were some twists and turns that were a bit treacherous, but we made it home safe and sound, just after midnight. What an amazing weekend! Truly, we are so blessed!
We had the absolute honor of being invited to the 50th wedding anniversary celebration for Uncle Phil and Aunt Barbara. The moment the invitation arrived in the mail, I marked March 20th on my calendar and was so excited to make plans! In a time when the national divorce rate hovers around 50%, 50 years is an amazing accomplishment. Certainly it is worthy of a celebration! It was wonderful to be there and to connect and reconnect with so many people!! I'll write more about our weekend tomorrow. Right now we are into the wee hours of the morning and I need to wrap things up!
We went on a really fun adventure to Ephrata this past weekend. We went to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Uncle Phil and Aunt Barbara. I'll write a completely separate entry about that. But in the meantime, I wanted to post a few pictures from Friday afternoon. We had some time between dinner and the party and headed over to the local elementary school to let the kids play and burn off some energy. They had so much fun. The picture above is my favorite of the weekend. There is something about it that just sings to my heart. Ethan and Sierra always seem to connect with one another. I think that what I love about this picture is that it shows the love that they have for each other, as well as how playful they are. They're so cute together!
I have attached some other photos as well. One of the things that I never can get over when I'm in central Washington is how absolutely big and stunning the sky is. It seems to just go on forever, the view uninhibited by tall trees or buildings. The beauty is breathtaking in its own special way.
Happy Birthday Alice! (Oops, I mean Mary!)I often call Mary "Alice". It's from the novel Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. You have to have read the book to really understand the character of Alice. But that's what Mary is to me... she's my Alice. She's a good friend. She's reliable and she's always there. She'd give you the shirt off her back. In short, I love her!!
I think this might be my new favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry's!! Marzipan and ice cream... all in the same bite. Who knew? Seriously... this is heaven! Now... I also saw they have a new flavor called "Chocolate Macadamia". I haven't tried it yet. But how can you go wrong combining chocolate, ice cream, and macadamia nuts??? I say you can't.
Okay... Hilary Weeks is one of my all time favorite singers. She has a voice that is so magical. I was so blessed to be able to see her at Time Out For women this past weekend. Wait... not only did I get to see her, but I got to meet her, chat with her, have her sign my CD, and take pictures with her! It was most definitely a highlight of the day! She is the sweetest, kindest person and as someone else at the conference said, you can hear her testimony of the Savior as she sings. She also has an amazing sense of humor! She had us in stitches! Another thing that just struck me so poignantly about Hilary is that she is really just one of us... she's a mom who has her own fair share of trials. And she must work to strengthen her testimony the way the rest of us do. I am not surprised by that, of course. But when you hear one of your favorite singers all the time, somehow you just don't picture them having parenting struggles, sassy teenagers, health problems, and stress in general. It's nice to know she's "real"!
I wanted to go up and ask her to sign my CD, but I sort of chickened out. Thankfully, Mary talked some sense into me! She really pushed me and said, "Come on Christina. You love her. This will be your only chance!" So she came with me. We trekked all the way down to the stage and when we got there, I couldn't believe I had left my camera back at my seat! Mary was kind enough to go back and get it for me. I didn't even know she had done that until she came back with it. I'm SO grateful! THANK YOU MARY!! I'm glad Mary had the camera because otherwise I would have no shots at all. There was a woman behind me named Dawn who also had a camera. She took a group shot of me, Mary, and Hilary together and was supposed to email it to me. But as of today, I haven't received it. :-( Oh well. I have the memory in my heart if nothing else.
I found this video today and was blown away by the confidence of this young lady. She's 20 years old and attend Harvard. How many of us, if we were in her shoes, would have represented the church so confidently, so eloquently, and so well? I am really, really impressed!
Happy 8th Birthday Savana!! Hope you have a spectacular day!! (I think it's ironic that she has a St. Patty's birthday AND she has an Ireland t-shirt on... and this picture was taken in January!)
Emily Freeman gave a presentation about abundance. Her talk was about learning to lower our buckets and recognize the abundance around us. Some points she made:
~Remember to write down the miracles in our lives. (I LOVE journaling, so this is not a problem for me!) ~There is nothing more important than a testimony of Jesus Christ.
~Have personal scripture study. When we study the scriptures, we should ask ourselves, "What if this was my story?" How would the story look if we put ourselves in it?
Emily's three principles of abundance:
1. Making the most of what we have to offer. There are ordinary miracles in our everyday lives. A season of gratitude always comes before a season of giving. (Example: It is no coincidence that Thanksgiving comes before Christmas.) Alma 26:16 which reads:
16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.
2. Learn to be content. Abundance can come from the simplest offerings. Be content with the Lord's offerings. Emily shared a story about her son. When he was very small (I can't remember how old, but I am thinking just 6 or 7 years old), he was diagnosed with diabetes. She tells about how absolutely dark that year was. At one point, she sat down on her kitchen floor and wept. She talked about how she found the Savior during this time and how he helped her through the darkness. She said she was profoundly depressed for about a year prior to this. But through the healing of the Savior was able to come through it a better person. She referred the audience to Matthew 11. Matthew 11:28-30 is one of my favorite scripture passages. And it also reminds me of one of my favorite songs by the vocal group Take 6. Appropriately, it's titled "Come Unto Me."
28 ¶ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
3. Giving our all. Emily shared the parable of the Loaves & Fishes. Although there were only five loaves and two fishes, the Savior was able to take that complete offering and add unto it and make it enough with some to spare. John 6:12-13 says:
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost 13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
She shared that her mother always talked about the "Be there" principle. It meant that you were always there... you were always giving... you could always be counted on... and you were always on the Lord's errand.We can follow these three principles, but the miracle will not happen until we invite the Savior in. John 10:10 says:
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Christ is the abundance. The Giver of every good gift has given us enough... and some to spare.
The other two speakers were Kim Nelson and Kris Belcher, both of whom gave excellent presentations. However, I was so engrossed that I was unable to take notes very well.
The weekend was amazing and I'm so glad that I went and had my spiritual cup filled.I was able to get Hilary Weeks' new CD and a book by Emily Freeman called 21 Days Closer To Christ. It's an absolutely amazing book and since I have begun reading it, my life is richer and fuller. I feel blessed beyond measure!!
I got to attend Time Out For Women (TOFW) this weekend. WOW... talk about an amazing, wonderful, spiritually uplifting experience!!! I have been to TOFW in the past, but I thought this one was even better. The spirit that was there was so tangible. This was a fun, two day event. I went with Mary and two women from her ward. We all got to stay at the Marriott down on the Seattle waterfront and enjoy some good girl time! THANKS JAY!! On Friday night we ate an early dinner at Kel's Irish Pub. They have some really amazing Irish food! Then we headed over to Benaroya Hall for the Friday night part of the conference. It was crowded and there was a really good turnout.
We got to hear one of my all time favorite musicians... Hilary Weeks!! Then we got to hear Ardeth Kapp speak and listen to a lot of musical numbers by the very talented Jenny Oaks Baker. We also had the privelege of hearing Sister Kristen Oaks (wife of apostle Dallin H. Oaks, who is the father of Jenny Oaks Baker). She was wonderful! All in all, a very uplifting night which left us wanting a whole lot more! Thankfully, we had all of Saturday ahead of us.
On Saturday morning, we got up early, got ready and checked out of the hotel early. Then we drove the car over and parked in the Benaroya garage. Saturday was so wonderful. Hilary Weeks provided all of the music for the day (along with very healthy doses of humor and a good measure of spirituality!) The speakers included:
Emily Watts who spoke about parenting and appearances. One of the key things she said that just stood out to me and sang to my heart was this: "Heavenly Father loves my children as much as I do." I know that sounds so obvious, but there was something about the way she said it that just created an "aha" moment for me. Another thing she said: "Sometimes Heavenly Father allows difficult circumstances in order for us to become the people He would have us be." Wow. Talk about being grateful for the trials! She also shared something really profound that she realized and it was something I personally needed to hear: "What if the parenting experience isn't about how my kids turn out but how I turn out?" She also discussed another little principle that my heart needed to hear. She said that things get better, even when we don't actually see them getting better. One day, we just look at a situation and realize it's better. Her daughter said it is like the hour hand on the clock. We don't actually see it moving, but it is. And each time we look at it, we can see the progress. And looking at my own life, I see the truth in this.
Some days it seems as though whining never ends. And then one day you look and realize that the kids have aged a little bit and the whining has diminished. One day they are just a little more cooperative. One day they are just a little more engaging. One day you realize you aren't quite as tired as you were before. And while we can't pinpoint when these changes occur, they do and it's wonderful to make those realizations.
Hilary Weeks told many little stories in between music sets and other presenters. One such story took place when she was a teenager. She woke up early for seminary and pulled her car out of the garage and didn't realize her dad's work truck was parked there (in a place he didn't typically park it). She ploughed into so hard that she got her car stuck to his and couldn't get them separated. Of course she panicked and didn't know how she was going to tell her dad. She climbed out the passenger side and went into the house, where everone else was still asleep. She strategically decided to tell her mother about the wreck, knowing her father would be very, very angry. Her mother woke up her father and said, "Hilary wrecked both the cars!" Nice. So they went outside. Her dad surveyed the damage and then climbed in through the passenger side and got the vehicles separated. He then opened the door for Hilary and said, "Try again." She stood, bracing herself for a lecture but it never came. She has always remembered that. He had every right to lecture her. He had every right to be upset. But he simply opened the door for her to try it again.
And so it is with our Heavenly Father. We often do things that upset, frustrate or disappoint Him. And often we deserve a lecture. But instead of lecturing us and making us feel bad for our mistakes, He instead shows unconditional love and in a sense says, "It's okay. Try again." How blessed we are to have a Father in Heaven who loves us so much!
Ethan lost his third tooth over the weekend! It had been loose for a LONG time but just wouldn't let go. Well it finally did. Unfortunately, he in the bathroom and dropped it down the sink! YIKES! So Mike helped him draw a picture of a tooth and write a letter to the tooth fairy, in hopes that she would leave him a prize anyway. Mike warned him that it was up to the tooth fairy to decide whether or not she would accept the letter in lieu of a tooth. We all went to bed hopeful! The next morning, Ethan excitedly announced that the tooth fairy had accepted his letter and left him five quarters in its place under his pillow! YAY! Ahhh... the tooth fairy is merciful!
This is what happens when your brother bites you on the toe! (Reminds me of that line from The Sound of Music where Gretl says her finger got caught in Frederick's teeth!) These were taken on 2/27:
Apparently they got into a squabble and somehow Evan's teeth sunk into Ethan's toe. Evan is lucky he didn't get his teeth knocked out! It's finally crusting over and on the mend... but only after it got red, angry, and drained a bunch of pus! YUCK! This was taken this afternoon:
Well, it's been an interesting day, to say the least. In true Washington form, we had a little snow "storm" today. I came out of work to find snow falling and my car somewhat covered. Then it just kept right on dumping. I was surprised that the schools weren't even starting late. Here's what it looked like at 0830 in the morning:
And just four hours and ten degrees later, THIS is what it looked like!:
And one and a half hours after the above photo, THIS is what it looked like:
The boys love to stack Dixie cups into all sorts of formations. Ethan made these towers. The first one was taken yesterday. The second one was taken last week on the 14th.
Mike and I got to go on a little getaway by ourselves for our 10th anniversary. We went to down a place called the Skamania Lodge, which is right on the Columbia River, about 45 minutes east of Vancouver, WA. What an amazing retreat! It's gorgeous there and we had a great time just getting away. We dropped the kids off at Mary & Jay's in Port Orchard and then took off. We left on Monday, 2/16 and came back on Wednesday, 2/18. We were able to relax, eat some amazingly good food, and just enjoy ourselves without an agenda at all. On our way down (and back), we stopped at Multnomah Falls. What an amazingly beautiful piece of nature! On Tuesday, we visited a museum across from the hotel that is all about the history of the Columbia Gorge. We watched a little film about how the gorge was formed and then got to see all sorts of neat things relating to the area. Then we took a very scenic drive over to Hood River, OR and spent the day in that quaint little town. There is so much history there. It makes me want to study the Lewis & Clark expedition now! Hood River was fun. We found a little pub to eat in and just sat there for a good hour and a half, with no stress about getting anywhere. The whole trip was a blast and we can't wait to do it again!
The GI crud that's been going around made absolutely sure it shared itself with the Harris house. :-( It all started Tuesday when I got a call from the school nurse telling me I had to pick up Evan because he had puked everywhere. I didn't think too much of it because he and Ethan had gotten into a bag of candy that morning and I just figured he had overloaded on sugar. He has a sensitive tummy. Well, that theory got blown out of the water when he puked again... and then again. I believe the next day Ethan started puking. Overall, the boys had a pretty mild case. I can't say the same thing for myself...
I went to work feeling a little queasy. I mean a VERY little. I just felt sort of overly full. No biggie. As my work night progressed, I started feeling more and more uneasy. At about 4am, I told my charge nurse I thought I should leave because I could feel "something" brewing. She told me to go. Thankfully, we were busy. I left at 5am exactly. Thank goodness I live close. I crawled into bed at 5:17am. And at 7am, I ran to the bathroom. There I lived for the next couple of days. THANK HEAVENS Mike had taken those days as vacation days. I spent my 10th anniversary running between my bed and toilet. Fun. "In sickness and in health..." hahahaha. I hadn't recalled being that sick since I was pregnant with Ethan! I felt like a truck ran me over... and then backed up and ran over me a couple more times! UGH. Mike only got a touch of it. Mike took really great care of me. I lived on ice and jello for a couple of days. Then he went out and got me some hot pho and that really helped.
I am soooooo thankful that the sickness hit BEFORE our getaway! It would have been very sad if we had had to cancel that! Anyway, I guess this GI bug is making the rounds. I've heard many, many people talking about it. I'm just glad our household is DONE!
Happy 10th anniversary to Mike and me! It was 10 years ago today that we knelt across the altar from each other in the Seattle temple and made eternal commitments to one another. It's been the best ten years of my life. They have been so full of fun and adventure! Thanks for having me... thanks for loving me... thanks for taking care of me... thanks for 10 years of awesomeness!!!
For language arts today, we studied a little bit about tongue twisters. We had so much fun... Ethan and I were laughing so hard we could hardly even get any words out of our mouths! Here are a few we had the most fun with:
Bill built blue bridges with big blocks. Sue saw sheep in shoes. Trudy tried three free things. Wendy went to rent one red room. (I soooo kept wanting to say "Wendy went to rent one wed woom!")
I know that for most of general population, hemming pants isn't a big deal. But for me, it most certainly is. You see, my mother tried to teach me domestic things but I what can I say? I was a rebel. And being the stubborn child that I am, these domestic things have to be my ideas or else I'm not really all that interested. Hmmm... sort of reminds me of that scene out of "Father of the Bride"... where Stanley Banks suggests to his daughter that she take a coat with her and she shrugs him off and says she'll be fine. But then her fiancee makes the same suggestion and she turns around and grabs the coat. Fast forward to 1:33 if you want to see it!
Anyway... here's the story. The boys needed pants. Badly. So we went out to JCPenney two nights ago because we'd had good luck there before. They are both difficult to shop for, Ethan especially. They are both shaped like their dad... they are tall, but have longer torsos and shorter legs. They are also not skinny children. ;-) This means that if the length is good, the waist is too small. If the waist fits well, they are much too long. This shopping experience was no different. Secretly, despite repeated disappointment, I cross my fingers before each shopping experience in hopes that I will actually find pants that work for both the waist and length. In the words of Westley (Princess Bride), I should really "Get used to disappointment"!
So while I was perusing the sea of pants available in the boys department, I found a clearance rack of really nice corduroy pants! And I could tell by the sizing that Ethan would be able to wear them. These were originally nearly $40 a pair! No way would I spend that much on a pair of pants, but these things were marked down to just $7.50 a pair! So we picked up two pair. The bad news? They were WAY too long. I knew we'd either have to hire someone to alter them (therby giving away part of the discount on the pants) or I'd have ot suck it up and learn how to hem them.
Last night, I googled "How to hem pants" and came up with a FABULOUS YouTube video on how to do this. I was so excited to find the video and immediately set to work. I couldn't believe how easy it was and thankfully, I now have two pair of pants that look really good! (Well, if I do say so myself, that is.) Here is the video as well as a picture of the finished product!
I should add here... I almost didn't hem these last night. Ethan was sick and I didn't want to run out and purchase the right colored thread. Well, it must have been an omen because I opened my little sewing box and found only two spools of thread (besides the standard black and white)... and the two colors were nearly an exact match for these two pair of pants! I saw it as a sign and set to work!
On Tuesday, Denny's was offering a free Grand Slam breakfast to anyone who showed between 6am and 2pm. We were game! We decided to meet one of Evan's school friends (Nathan) and his mom around 10am before the boys headed off to afternoon kindergarten. I knew it was going to be busy but WOW! There were roughly 30 parties ahead of us. Surprisingly, it was only about a 30-40 minute wait. The most hilarious part of the experience was watching Federal Way police and Federal Way Schools police round up truant high schoolers by the DOZENS! They had them all lined up outside and sitting on the curbside. Too funny! Anyway... it was a lot of fun and we're glad we braved the crowds and went!
And isn't Miss Aleigha just so adorable???
