Saturday, December 24, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Holiday Fare
Last night was our church's first (and perhaps annual) chilli cookoff and white elephant gift exchange.....
And 10 different types of cornbread appeared, as well as.....
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Vindicated!!!
Keeping my weight at a healthy level is a constant battle for me. I have the metabolism of a sloth, further exacerbated by an accumulation of years added onto my birthdays. Periodically I have to take drastic measures, cutting out all carbs and eating only protein and vegies for a short period of time. I am so glad that Congress has broadened my choices of food items that constitute "vegetable". Check this out!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
One Of My Heroes
My heroes are not your garden variety. I'm not impressed by actors or sports figures or great minds. All of these gifts are God-given and it's admirable that they are put to use, but their origins were not up to the recipients. My heroes are those who "run the race with endurance, fixing their eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of their faith".
Yesterday I attended the memorial service of one of my heroes, Tim Roos. I met Tim about 20 years ago. I was then working at one of our local elementary schools and Tim was a volunteer. For a long time I thought he was a district employee. He was there all day, every day, just like other employees. But I as I began to develop a friendship with him, I learned that no, he was "just a volunteer". As I learned more about his life, the story became more incredulous.
Tim has a twin brother who was born whole and complete; Tim was not. He was born with spina bifida and over the years had endured multiple surgeries, constant pain and legs that he had to drag with him everywhere. Crutches and then a wheelchair were his constant companions. Although he received monthly SSI checks, he did not just sit back and collect his money and feel sorry for himself; he chose to give back to his community by volunteering at multiple locations over the years. This is and of itself was remarkable, but that's just the beginning of the story.
Tim lived his whole life with a glass that was not only full, it was running over....on everyone he came in contact with. His irrepressible spirit was infectious and complaint and self-pity were foreign to him. He was full of gratitude, he praised his Heavenly Father every chance he got and was the first to let you know he was follower of Christ. He was living proof that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Ignoring other's doubts, he graduated from high school, learned to drive and then met and married a wonderful woman only 4 years ago.
Last Tuesday Tim mentioned that his back was hurting a little more than normal. No one thought too much of it; pain was part of his reality. Tim went to sleep in Everson that night, and woke up in the presence of His Lord and Savior before morning, whole at last!
It was fitting that his memorial service was on Veteran's Day. He was a true "veteran" of life lived to the fullest in spite of the "battlefield" of adversity. And he was victorious! The church was packed, standing room only, filled with young and old....all those lives he touched!
Well done, good and faithful servant. We'll miss you Tim, but we'll see you soon!
Yesterday I attended the memorial service of one of my heroes, Tim Roos. I met Tim about 20 years ago. I was then working at one of our local elementary schools and Tim was a volunteer. For a long time I thought he was a district employee. He was there all day, every day, just like other employees. But I as I began to develop a friendship with him, I learned that no, he was "just a volunteer". As I learned more about his life, the story became more incredulous.
Tim has a twin brother who was born whole and complete; Tim was not. He was born with spina bifida and over the years had endured multiple surgeries, constant pain and legs that he had to drag with him everywhere. Crutches and then a wheelchair were his constant companions. Although he received monthly SSI checks, he did not just sit back and collect his money and feel sorry for himself; he chose to give back to his community by volunteering at multiple locations over the years. This is and of itself was remarkable, but that's just the beginning of the story.
Tim lived his whole life with a glass that was not only full, it was running over....on everyone he came in contact with. His irrepressible spirit was infectious and complaint and self-pity were foreign to him. He was full of gratitude, he praised his Heavenly Father every chance he got and was the first to let you know he was follower of Christ. He was living proof that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Ignoring other's doubts, he graduated from high school, learned to drive and then met and married a wonderful woman only 4 years ago.
Last Tuesday Tim mentioned that his back was hurting a little more than normal. No one thought too much of it; pain was part of his reality. Tim went to sleep in Everson that night, and woke up in the presence of His Lord and Savior before morning, whole at last!
It was fitting that his memorial service was on Veteran's Day. He was a true "veteran" of life lived to the fullest in spite of the "battlefield" of adversity. And he was victorious! The church was packed, standing room only, filled with young and old....all those lives he touched!
Well done, good and faithful servant. We'll miss you Tim, but we'll see you soon!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Free At Last
IN MEMORIUM
Isabel (Liz) Perkinson Hoyt
August 20, 1953 - September 22, 2011
"...and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain..."
Revelation 21:4
Friday, August 19, 2011
Guest Appearance!
I'm way behind on posts! It's been a busy week. Last weekend we had a surprise visit from the newlyweds!
Josh had business in Seattle, so they came and spent the weekend with us!
On Sunday, our women's Sunday school class had a potluck. We have such a great class, a wonderful combination of women, it's a real blessing. We have great discussions and truly enjoy each other's company. We included the spouses! That's Ernest to the left, he's a chef and he prepared the salmon for us. Wow! Jan is in the far back, she's our hostess and Ernest's Mom, and that's Julia to the right.
L to R: Wilbur, Annette and Lisa who sings like and angel. She's Julia's daughter and my stand-in daughter since mine lives far away....
Standing is Shirley, she has a charming British accent and even though she's lived in Canada and now the US for a long time, she is still charmingly British thru and thru. That's Mary Ann to the right, she's from Sri Lanka.
This is Eric, he's Mary Ann's husband, they met in the peace corps! And that's Ken, Julia's husband, seated at the end of the table.
A fun day!
A fun day!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Stolen Moments
Summer for Wally is not so relaxing! The company he works for (School Specialities, Inc.) publishes products primarily for schools, just like the name says! So for this company, summer is high gear/no holds barred and they work, a lot. For Wally this means long days and usually 6 of them in a row. But..every once in awhile, grace abounds and he is off early enough in the day for us to escape to the water. For us, because we are blessed, this means a mere 5 minute trip to the south side of town to Marine Park where we can set up our beach chairs and haul out our picnic dinner and enjoy some late afternoon sun. There's no "planning ahead" for these moments. So over the years I have learned to be extremely adaptable to be able to make dinner plans on the fly.
Fortunately, I have some handy dandy products that help: hot/cold bags, a picnic basket that is ALWAYS stocked with cutlery, plates, bowls, cups, vinyl tablecloth, napkins, "trash" bags, matches, towels, etc. A beach bag that always has our beach towels, swimsuits, sun screen, etc. and another bag that always has waterproof sandals, camera,sunglasses, clothes for when the sun goes down and the temperature immediately drops 10+ degrees and of course a BOOK!
Yesterday was such a day, and here's what we get to enjoy....just minutes from our home!
That's the Lady Washington, a 1700's tall ship that is currently hanging out in Bellingham!
Fortunately, I have some handy dandy products that help: hot/cold bags, a picnic basket that is ALWAYS stocked with cutlery, plates, bowls, cups, vinyl tablecloth, napkins, "trash" bags, matches, towels, etc. A beach bag that always has our beach towels, swimsuits, sun screen, etc. and another bag that always has waterproof sandals, camera,sunglasses, clothes for when the sun goes down and the temperature immediately drops 10+ degrees and of course a BOOK!
Yesterday was such a day, and here's what we get to enjoy....just minutes from our home!
Lummi Island
The view south!
That's Wally! It's not warm enough for me to brave the waters yet, it's got to hit 80 degrees before I'm willing to enter those frigid waters!
It's not just for keeping things cold!
Dinner! Polenta with carrots and spinach and andouille sausage...fruit salad.
Looking south, that's the Olympic Mountains in the background!
Sunset!
And back home....dessert awaits: apricot/cherry upside down cake! Urp!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Respite
The sun was out (after a two-week absence!) and Groupon provided us with an opportunity for a road trip, so we headed up to Mintner Gardens in Rosedale, BC. We were surprised by how uncrowded it was on such a glorious day and we took full advantage of the quiet and the calm to re-energize. Here's just a glimpse of the beauty that filled our senses to overflowing!
See those "little" colored specks? They are hang-gliders who are throwing themselves off of that very, very steep cliffside! We had climpses of them throughout the garden!
This makes me very nervous...we don't usually see these guys until late August, early September. What does this say about the length of this very unusual "summer" we're having?
This was my very favorite garden detail! I thought it was a great metaphor! We are now able to "enter the veil"!
A perfect day in every way!
I want this to be my summer cottage!
Follow the yellow brick road!
A garden maven!
A "house" fit for Bilbo Baggins!
And what is more beautiful than late afternoon sun through the cedars?
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