Blessed weekend

This last weekend, I had the opportunity to go back to the place that I hold near and dear to my heart, Mt. Gilead, to attend their women's retreat with my mom. I could talk your ear off about this place. It is a wonderful place where I grew up in my faith and met my husband, and sometimes I wish I could live there (retirement!). It is in the heart of the California Coastal Redwoods, right outside Santa Rosa, Ca. Those form-able teen summers were all spent there, and I constantly realized my need for God. I came across a quote that I just love speaking to this exact thing:

"Of all the needs (there are none imaginary) a lonely child has, the one that must be satisfied, if there is going to be hope and a hope of wholeness, is the unshaken need for an unshakable God."
- Maya Angelou

Mt. Gilead was that for me. The people during those years at camp gave me hope and showed me I needed God in my life, and I truly believed it! Not only did wonderful people invest in my life but God met me there, every time. And when you meet God, you are changed. I am so thankful for having Mt. Gilead then, and now! Going back there was such a treat for me. The whole time I was there I could just feel all the distractions melt away, and I could just be with my God, and amongst other godly women. It was like needed therapy for me! I was in an complaining, un-thankful place when I left home, and just escaping to Mt. Gilead for 2 days, gave me the perspective I needed to see that my focus had shifted off of my Father and onto my circumstances. I was a much needed drink of water for my soul. Can you tell? I am getting poetic on you :) Anyhow, I soaked it all in, and am in a good place, and am admiring a good God, who is faithful. I also had some really wonderful, much needed time with my mom, got to see some old friends, and climbed the rock wall all the way to the top. Yay for taxes that allowed me to do this wonderful weekend!

Shamrock Run!

So I got the chance this morning to run in the Shamrock Run with my good friend Jenn. She is a new runner, so we trained together, and did the 5K this morning with 21,000 other Portlanders (well they had many different legs...the 5K had 7500 people). It was quite crazy, but fun, running through the streets of downtown Portland! I did not bring my big camera with me to the Finish Line, so the pic I have is of us in the parking garage, and then one at breakfast. We celebrated with breakfast at the Tin Shed in North Portland. It was so good! Usually there is a long line on the weekends, but it also happened to be the time change this morning, so we got in there before the crowd hit! It was an awesome way to start my Sunday! Happy St. Patty's everyone! Hope you will enjoy some corned beef this week. I know I will :)

Mmmm good!

So these beautiful dishes have been the result of Spring-like weather, Chris' love for bbq and a desire to eat healthier. So good! Did I mention...it is all Chris? When it rains or is cold, I get to cook, but, apparently I have become the side-dish wife...or really I just make salads when Chris gets his bbq on! I am loving it!

Dancin' fool

Annabelle's elementary school holds a "sweetheart dance" every year on Valentine's weekend, so Chris took our little Kindergartner to her first dance this last Friday night! I so wish I was there with the video camera, because Chris said Annabelle ran to the dance floor, front and center, and followed the DJ the entire time. She LOVED it! Not to mention that she was pleasantly surprised to get to dance....when she thought she was going to a dance....to watch a dance! So except for a couple daddy/daughter slow dances, she pretty much danced the night away with her friends! The pictures say so much more than I could about how much fun Annabelle had....

All ready to go!

Doin' the twist...all the way down to the ground :)

Concentrating hard while learning "the macarena" with Emma!

After the bubble machine! And possibly doing the "thriller dance?!"

Trying to do the limbo...

Valentines Day

So I got crafty this Valentines Day although I can't take full credit for the idea. I fondly remember my mom making 4 little mailboxes one year out of half gallon milk cartons for us kids, so we could give each other "mail" and then my mom used them to write us little notes and give us treats now and then. We loved it! So since I didn't have the milk cartons, I went to Joann's to find something that I could make work, and they had these cute little mailboxes! So I just painted them, and found a little wooden applique of a heart and crown, for a reminder to the girls that their hearts belong to the King! I am hoping they get good use before Ella destroys them...but, hey...I had to try! I already caught Ella trying to break the door off her mailbox! She is like her daddy in that she wants to take things apart. It will also be a good reminder for me to make sure I love on my girls on a regular basis throughout the year, and not just on the hallmark holiday!! :)

The slumber party

Yes, I did. I hosted 4 giddy 6 and 7 year olds plus an extra giddy birthday girl for a slumber party at our home on Friday night, the 5th. It was a crazy day, and am amazed it worked out as well as it did. The day started with Chris is extreme pain, as he went into the doctors office to find he had strep throat/swollen tonsils and a peritonsilar abcess to boot. He was barely able to talk/drink/breathe. So I dumped the boys I watch off with their grandma, and we were off to the er, which is where Kasier sent us, but come to find out, they sent us there, only because they could not get a hold of the ENT doc who would lance the abcess in Chris' mouth so he could breathe! So thank goodness while were waiting in the er, a good friend had her husband come pick up my kiddos so that I could be with Chris during all this madness. So the er nurse poked Chris' arm too many times, and gave him an iv and some drugs/fluids. Then they finally got a hold of the ENT doc, made an appointment, and we were on our way to place # 3. About an hour later, Chris was relieved, and we were on our way home, where a slumber party was about to commence. I had all sorts of things I had planned to do for the slumber party...but obviously, the day was spent elsewhere...so went to the store, bought some cupcakes, and made do! Annabelle still had a fabulous time with her friends, eating store-bought cupcakes, watching a barbie movie, dancing to barbie movie, eating popcorn/drinking soda, playing sorry, and then waking up to a pancake/egg/OJ breakfast (at 6:30 am!). It was a good time had by all. And then I took a nap.

February 4th

Annabelle turned 6 last Thursday. I cannot believe how big my baby is! Annabelle has grown leaps and bounds in one year. To give you a glimpse into who she is becoming, here are some of her favorite things: friends, school, reading, sweets, bossing around her little sister (and whomever else will let her), asking questions,watching movies and eating pizza/burgers, yep, she is an all-american girl! This year, the lucky 6 year old got two celebrations. One with the fam on her actual birthday, and then a slumber party with 4 of her girlfriends the next night. Annabelle started her birthday with a bowl of Frosted Flakes, (her pick), a day at school with her daddy volunteering in her classroom, some donuts with her classmates, a movie with her daddy, playing her new wii game, homemade pizza with her family and her tata and kevin, and then we ended the glorious day with her choice of birthday dessert: blueberry pie.