I can say it in "Four Words".....

He is so cute!

I can't help myself, is it becoming a sickness, or do I have too much time on my hands? Maybe a little bit of both. Over the last couple of days I have thoroughly enjoyed blogging. I know my family and friends might think I have gone a little coo-coo, blogging about horses and cows and all and now Levi, again.

Could you only imagine what I would be talking about or taking pictures of if I had actually had children? Levi is my boy, my pride and joy and I love to take pictures of him. Sometimes he is reluctant, but most of the time he doesn't mind being a ham.

Tonight I was out in the backyard taking some updated shots of my tulips. These beautiful red tulips have done very well, but they are almost spent. Levi just happened to be sniffing in that general direction, when I caught him and set him amongst the tulips. He really didn't want to look into the camera's eye, until I said the magic word, TREAT! Yep, that got his attention. I know it is a sickness, but I just can't help myself. I think he is the cutest little white dog ever!

Mooo

On the way back from church last night this calf was drinking milk from the mama cow. I came to a screeching halt, backed up and decided to take a few pictures.

I can't seem to stop taking pictures of animals. Spring time is a wonderful time because there are always new births. Obviously, the calf in this picture is not a newborn, but is still very cute. Unfortunately, one day she will be meat on the table.

These cows are just two of the 500 head of cattle owned by the 3 Sisters Cattle Company here in Oak Harbor. 3 Sisters Cattle Company is a grass fed/finished beef operation that has been a family business for over 100 years. 100 years, amazing! This company uses no growth hormones or antibiotics and their meat is USDA certified. It is nice to know that you can get beef without all of the extra stuff. They actually sell their beef at our local Farmers Market in Coupeville and Bayview. You can also purchase meat directly from them as well.

It is quite a story about the 3 Sisters Cattle Company and if you are just dieing to know how their journey began then head over to their website at http://www.3sistersbeef.com/ and poke around.

The Five Love Languages

If you have never read Gary Chapman's, "The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate", you must. This is an easy book to read (read in one day) and understand , and with a little hard work, it can be put into practice (a lifetime). You may be saying, there is nothing wrong with my marriage, why do I need to read this book? My answer: Because your marriage and your mate is worth it.

(For those of you who are not married, Dr. Chapman has a book out entitled, "The Five Love Languages for Singles".)

You can get a copy of this book, new or used, at Amazon.com, just click on the link: http://www.amazon.com/ as well as any of the other twenty books he has published so far. You can go directly to Dr. Gary Chapman's website at http://www.garychapman.org/products.htm to find out more.

Tulips All Around

As promised, here are a few pictures of the tulip fields. Vicki asked me Sunday night if I wanted to go out to the Tulip Fields. After conferring with Steve and his ever-changing tutoring schedule, we decided the best time to leave would be right after I closed my store Monday night. The last time I had been to the Tulip Fields was back in 2004 with Vicki and Trish.

We first stopped off and got a coffee (a must) and then away we went. Once we got into Mt. Vernon, Vicki showed me the new round about, and around and around we went. Once we got out of the round about we headed down the road to check out the tulips. We ended up taking pictures of two different fields (as usual I have some pics out of order, and since this was my fourth attempt to get them uploaded I am not going to redo it). To see more pictures of the tulip fields check out my slide show, "Flowers Abound".

This picture is obviously Vicki and I. Some guy asked us if we wanted him to take our picture and of course I said yes. You can't go to the tulip fields and not have your picture taken.

This was the first field we stopped at. The field is owned by RoozenGaarde, a division of Washington Bulb Company, Inc. This field was primarily lined with yellow and red tulips for what seemed like miles.

This was the second field we went to. I am not sure who owns this field, but the tulips here seemed to be more vibrant. There were red/white tulips, pink/light pink tulips, and purple tulips everywhere. It was absolutely beautiful. God is a wonderful artist!

This was one of the roads we were walking on to get to the rows of tulips.

As the hour went by, the wind was picking up and the clouds were moving in. Although I took several pictures of the tulip fields, I've never been there on a cloudy day. It makes taking pictures a little more challenging.

We also wanted to stop in at Tulip Town, but they were already closed for the evening. I don't know if I'll make it back there, but if there is anyone out there that wants to go to Tulip Town, they will be open until May 10, daytime hours only.

Well that about sums up our little adventure. All in all it was a fun and relaxing evening. Thanks Vicki for inviting me. I had a great time!

Colt and Mama Horse

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go off island with Vicki and head over to Mt Vernon to see the Tulip Fields. Another post will follow with some pictures of the fields. In the meantime, on our way from one tulip field to another we saw these horses. When we first caught sight of them the baby horse was feeding, but as soon as I got out of the car to take a picture he moved away.

In just moments I was able to take a few shots of these wonderful looking creatures. I wish the mama horse would of turned around and smiled. It would of made for nicer pictures. Oh well. This would of been a really cute shot had I moved a little quicker. The colt was backing up to his mama and sticking his bootie right underneath her belly and rubbing. I think he had an itch.

Vicki and I thought he was heading back for more food, but he changed his mind at the last minute.

Just strolling around mama.

Just hanging out with his mama.

This shoot came seconds after the colt pulled away from his mama eating.

It was a lot of fun to stop and take pictures of these horses. They really are a majestic animal and are absolutely a wonder to watch in their environment.

Surprise! Blessings Abound

All it takes is one person to ask, "What are we doing for Carolyn's Birthday?" (Sandi), one unknowing subject (Carolyn), one master planner (Kali) and one master deceiver (Sherri). When you put all these elements together what do you get? A SURPRISE 30TH BIRTHDAY PARTY!

Kali and I had the best time planning a birthday party for Carolyn. Yes she turned the BIG 30 and her friends were eager to join in the fun and make her day special. We had 23 ladies meet up at El Cazador's Mexican Restaurant Friday night for the big surprise.

Two blessings came out of this for me, that I wasn't expecting. The first blessing is that I was given the opportunity to work beside Kali and actually get to know her. She is quite the young lady. God has blessed her with the hospitality gift; she is gracious and likes to have fun. Sandi and I think she should become an Event/Wedding Planner.

The second blessing came from the ladies that attended the event. We wanted to make a dream of Carolyn's come true, so we all pitched in and purchased her a tandem jump at Snohomish SkyDive. Can you believe it? That crazy girl wants to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Anyways, we ended up collecting enough money to pay for the entire jump with video, and her dinner. The love shown for Carolyn is the real blessing here. Everybody gave willingly to make one persons dream come true. That just blesses my soul and pegs out my joy meter.

Psa 32:11 "Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. "

I won't be posting any pictures of the event or the video I recorded because I want Carolyn to be able to blog about it on her blogger. So be on the look out for the whole kit 'n kaboodle at http://covegirl79.blogspot.com/.

A big thank you for all of you who came out and made Carolyn's day special and for the love that you showed her. I know without a shadow of a doubt she was overwhelmed and touched by your thoughtfulness and generosity.

Rom 12:10 "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;"

1Th 3:12 "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: "

Zawkane's, SPS and Flowers

Tulips, Roses, Carnations just to name a few,

help me feel happy and not so blue.

The colors alone are vivid and bright,

making Springtime come alive and the days a delight.

I must admit, I love flowers and I really love to take pictures of them. These particular flowers are a mixture that came from the Zawkane's and last months Secret Prayer Sister. They fit so perfectly together I couldn't resist keeping them separated.

Speaking about the Zawkane's...I wish I had been smart enough Saturday evening to remember to take a picture of the group, but our church has a ministry, for all those who are 50 years and older, called The Zawkane's. This past Saturday they held a progressive dinner. My husband and I, along with two other families were to host them for the evening.

The meal started at our house; we were charged with preparing the salad. Then the group moved over to Bro. Matt and Sister Sandy's house for the main course. I heard it was Spaghetti and Cattitorie. Finally, they ended up at Bro. Solomon and Sister Tess's house for dessert. During the visit, the men brought a charge to the Zawkane's on how they can still be used of God. The word is that all the devotions tied together which is of God only, since the men did not call one another, nor do they have telepathic abilities. The evening was fun and full of energy.

Lastly, I also want to thank Susan for the beautiful yellow tulips she gave me at the Ladies Bible Fellowship (LBF). They are absolutely stunning. Your gifts, kindess and prayers this past month have been greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Maybe I will put together a short slideshow of all the flower pictures I have taken over the last few years.

Island Girl's Song Request

The song in this video was retooled by our very own Island Girl. The song was sung and dedicated to Shannon at her going away luncheon this past Saturday.

The Good Samaritan Texas Style

This afternoon we had a going away luncheon for our Pastor's wife, Shannon. This is one of the skits that the young ladies of our church put on today. Pastor and his wife are moving to Lubbock, Texas. (Sorry about the volume, it is kind of hard to hear the words, but the actions of the actors should give you a good idea about what is going on).

Mom's New Ride

Looks like my dad took the plunge and purchased a new 2009 Chevy Equinox for mom. She looks great and even looks good behind the wheel.

This is probably the last car they plan on purchasing and since they don't drive all that much, it should last over the next decade or so.

Enjoy your new ride mom!

Levi and his bunny

Levi loves to play with his toys and his bunny is one of his favorite stuffed animals. I am definitely an amateur when it comes to making video's, as a matter of fact, this is my first one, so please forgive me for the poor quality.

12th Annual ARC Fundraiser

Every year the Island County American Red Cross puts on their annual fundraiser, which honours local heroes of Island County. This was ARC's 12th annual Heroes Event and by far one of the best. In this picture Steve was tasked with the opening words for the event. Standing beside him is Chuck Morrison from Snohomish County and T.J. Harmon, our very own Island County ARC Executive Director.

The picture above and below are of some of the people that attended the event.

The room was packed with guests that enjoyed the meal, entertainment and most importantly, the stories of our lcoal 2008 Heroes. The recipents for this years event were two men from the Sheriff's Department, one little boy, who helped saved his older brother's life, and our own NAS Whidbey's SAR Team. Each were very deserving of the honour and award given to them this night.

Things are looking bad...

I received these two emails over the last 48 hours and thought they were cute.

GOT STOPPED FOR SPEEDING THE OTHER DAY. I THOUGHT I COULD TALK MY WAY OUT OF IT UNTIL THE COP LOOKED AT MY DOG IN THE BACK SEAT...

One sign you are driving too fast...

(You'll have to enlarge the picture to see the claw marks on the seat)

HOW BAD IS THE ECONOMY? IT IS DEFINITELY GETTING VERY BAD....

(Cat's are so dramatic)

What is amazing about this picture is that the dog actually could be Joey's double. Joey looked that way when he was around 3 or 4 years old. Kind of makes me sad...I miss him so.