A Perfect Square

Yesterday, Steve turned a perfect square! Yes, a surprise party, and it was a surprise, was given to him after church Wednesday evening. We appreciate those who stayed after services and greeted the birthday boy with well wishes.

Anyone who knows Steve, knows he tends to be the center of attention, whether he tries to or not. When he is prepared for attention he can ham it up, but when it is unexpected attention, well...that is a whole other story. Steve's face was priceless, and may I say, beat red. Loved it, loved it, loved it! Under his breathe, I could hear him say, "did you orchestrate this?". My response, "get over to the Fellowship Hall quickly, people will be waiting on you to cut cake". Ha! I cannot begin to tell you how much pleasure this surprise party brought me.

I also want to thank Vicki, Tess, and Pastor for helping me pull this off. Steve and I have said it many times before, and it is worth repeating again... we have the best church family and we love spending time with them.

Thanks again, EVERYONE for being a part of his 49th birthday!

Christmas Trip 2012: Day 2

We finally arrived in Lowell a couple hours later. It didn't take us long to get settled in for the night so we could catch up on some zzzzzzzz's.

Saturday morning we went to a candy factor called Albanese; what an amazing place!It was filled with every kind of candy imaginable and people, too! A few pics were snapped: a decorated tree, some of the family, part of the chocolate fountain and Steve and I with Rudolph.

Dave wanted to take us to the Shrine of Christ's Passion, but we decided to push that tour off to another day. While nearby, he showed us a modern day Nebuchadnezzar instead. This statue is known as the Lady of the New Millennium. Apparently, her new home will be located at the Shrine. It is huge people! She stands 34 feet tall.

Afterwards we headed home for dinner. Shayna made a wonderful meal and surprised me with a birthday cake. Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me. The singing was good, but the cake was even better! Thanks Shayna girl!

The rest of the evening we just chilled out and enjoying each others company.

To be continued...yet again....

Fall Trip 2012 Snapshot

If you've been wondering why I've been quite lately it is because Steve, Levi (the dog) and I got away for a couple of weeks and went to visit my mom.

Levi was ready to go! He was freshly groomed (never cut so short before), had his health vaccinations and dowst with Frontline - all made for an unhappy pooch. But nonetheless, he was happy to be able to go! This was the first time Levi had ever flown.

Levi is a very social dog and likes to be in the know; so it wasn't uncommon to see him peaking out of his pet carrier. After a couple days at moms Levi began to get real comfortable.

Levi also got to meet his cousin Sassy for the second time. The first time, Levi was just a puppy. While away, Levi celebrated his 10th birthday.

Not only did Levi have a birthday, but my mom did too! She turned 79 years old! She was kind enough to pose for us in her new wild print PJ's. She is so cute!

Not only did Steve have a list of things to do (which kept him busy and made him happy), he was able to sell my dad's mill while we were there. This was a tremendous blessing and lifted burden!

Steve and I were also able to run every other day, which was great because the weather was nice. Some may think we were crazy to run in 90 degree temperatures, but we loved it! Sweat, sweat and more sweat - just kept pouring off us.

While we were there we were able to attend services at Heritage Baptist Church, visit with my aunt, wash windows, change out bathroom and kitchen faucets, troubleshoot mom's computer, mow the lawn, trim bushes, get a quote to fix the driveway, take Sissy (the Lab) to the vet, and made an attempt to annihilate some pesty bugs that were stripping leaves off the backyard bushes.

Finally, I can't say enough about mom's cooking! She is the best cook ever! And as always, each dinner was fabulous! Isn't this the strangest bird you have ever seen?

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye. I sure do love my momma!

The day we left to head back home, storms were brewing. Both of our flights were delayed, but God got us home by 2:30 in the morning. I don't think it took us too long before lights were out! Great trip!

Where Have I Been - "Snippets"

Snippet #1: So many things have happened since I last blogged. Back in June 2010 my dad found out he had Stage 4 lung cancer. But on November 13, 2010, just 10 days after his 75th birthday, he passed out of this world. Since then my life seems different. It is like I've been looking through another set of eyes. Things that seemed important at one time, are not as important now. Experiencing the death of a loved one is very difficult, but I thank the Lord for being faithful and true and for all the support I received from my family and friends.

Snippet #2: February 26, 2011 Steve and I celebrated our 28th Wedding Anniversary.

Snippet #3: In March of 2011 Steve and I went back to see my mom and helped her clean out my dad's garage - we had a "Manly-Man" garage sale. Steve just about sold everything within 3 days. It was hard seeing my dad's "stuff" (others may view it as "junk")go for pennies, but in the end mom had a garage that was clean and could actually house her vehicles.

Snippet #4: In August, Steve celebrated his 47th birthday.

The grill was a present from me and the apron was from Mrs. Sargent. Steve has become quite the griller!

Snippet #5: Shortly thereafter, my sister and I traveled back to see mom in September and to celebrate her 78th birthday. Mom is looking well, but she is very lonely.

Snippet #6: November is always a great month because we love to be around family and friends. Since all of our family is out of state, we got to spend time with friends. Thanksgiving Day was spent with the Hower's and what a meal Tess put on. She is a super great Southern cooker! There was a whole slew full of people there, which made the day even more fun.

Snippet #7: This month I just celebrated my 47th birthday and can't believe I am just 3 years away from 50. Now that's crazy.

I would have posted sooner, but it has taken me about a month to figure out how to get back into my account. I have other things I want to post, but that will have to come a little later.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood....

Well after one year of waiting, due to Steve's schedule or the weather, Steve was finally able to use his 45th Birthday present - A gift certificate from PilotJourney.com (see old blog post from August 2009). After locating an airport that would accept Steve's Discovery Flight Certificate we scheduled his demo flight. Thank you Regal Air at Paine Field!



The guy on the right is the pilot (the guy on the left fueled the plane). When I first saw Mike's picture I was very concerned about how old he was (which would indicate how much experience he has) since he looked so young. I had no bones about asking him how old he was either after I met him. Thankfully, he is in his late twenties and has been a flight instructor over four years. Okay, so that made me feel a little better and a lot older! Steve actually got to take off, but not land. The plane was a Cesna 152, two-seater only.



After we were finished at the airport, Steve and I decided to take the ferry home since there was a major back up on I-5 due to an accident. So on our way home we stopped at Ivar's.



I have never eaten there, but had heard their food was great! So we took a stab at it and Steve ordered clamp strips and chips with clam chowder on the side and I ordered salmon and chips. Although the meals were fried, they were yummy!!


While we were waiting on our food, I was able to take a picture of the sound. The wind was blowing so the water was a bit choppy.


Overall, Steve, Levi and I had a great afternoon. The ride was nice, the weather was perfect, the food was good and the time together unforgettable. It really was nice just to get away for a few hours.

Until next time...

A Whirlwind of a Day!

Yes, yesterday was my birthday and what a whirlwind of a day it was! From the moment I woke up until it was time to go to sleep, I was on the go with one surprise after another.

My morning started with a big Happy Birthday from my best friend and hubby, Steve! I opened up my presents and received a 12" skillet and day planner pages for 2010. Great gifts as I was in need of both items. Thanks honey!

It wasn't soon after that, my sister called to wish me a Happy Birthday too! Yeah! She gave me two cards (a serious one and a funny one, which I loved) and $25 to purchase a flat iron. Awesome! I can't wait to try it out.

Not even five seconds after I hung up the phone, my mom and dad called. They wished me a Happy Birthday and told me my gift was on its way. It was good talking with them, and I would of talked longer, except time was fleeing away quickly and I needed to get to work. I can't wait to see what mommy and daddy got me! :)

Out the door and a little behind schedule I headed off to work where I met up with my friend Mary Fanning, who bought me, the birthday girl, a 16oz skinny, extra hot Chai; which I gladly drank until there was know more to slurp. Thank you very much!Yummy!

Shortly thereafter, my boss, Kathi, entered the building as secretively as she could and surprised me with cake and roses. All the staff that was available came and sang Happy Birthday to me (which was a prerequisite, especially, if they wanted a piece of cake), and then I blew out the candles, again and again and again. (Yes,Kathi used those funny candles that keep relighting).

Afterwards Kathi took me out to lunch at a local restaurant called Flyers. I had never been there before. The music was to loud, but the food and time we spent together was wonderful! Thanks Kathi for making my day so special.

Now I was really behind schedule as I was suppose to be out at the church by 1:30pm to work in the print shop and visit with my dear friend Vicki for a few minutes. By the time I got to the church Vicki was already gone, but.... lo and behold what did I find, but a birthday present left behind just for me. I joyfully opened the package up and found a jello mold bowl, two boxes of jello, heavy duty red pot holders and a meat masher. I had been looking for a jello mold bowl for awhile and now I have one. Guess I won't be able to ask her to bring a jello dish during the holidays anymore, now that I have been equipped. Yeah! Great gift and very, very useful! Thanks so much.

Three hours later and Baptist Doctrine IV completely printed, I was beginning to wind down. I called Steve to tell him I was heading home and that was when he promptly said, "We have reservations at 7:00pm, I will be home soon to pick you up". Well in no time, Steve whooshed me away to Christopher's, a very nice restaurant in Coupeville. Steve had pork tenderloin, with vegetables and scalloped potatoes and I had BBQ Salmon slowly oven baked, with wild rice and veggies. To top it all off, the restaurant served me a chocolate cake in honour of my birthday. The evening was fantastic, the atmosphere and my date were perfect.

On the way home we had to go back to the store to pick up some fudge to wrap for a customer and Vicki called to wish me a "Happy Birthday". I was so glad I got to talk to her before the night ended. Now all was complete.

Finally, twelve hours later, I got home, put on my PJ's and sat down exhausted, but happy from the days event! Thank you all...family and friends...for making my day so special and for all of the Birthday Wishes! I really did have a "sweet" day!

GOTCHA! Happy Birthday Steve!

The morning started out just fine. Steve left for a tutoring appointment and I got busy putting together his gift, cards and cake.

Yesterday, while I was out, I looked for a small round cake at Safeway. I could not find one, so I opted for a one-serving size round cheesecake. It wasn't your average cheesecake, it was better (yummy, I got a bite or two)! The candles were as big as the cake and the longer it took Steve to get home the more the "4" wanted to slide off.

Once Steve got home, I lit the candles, and then sang Happy Birthday to him. After Steve sampled his birthday cake, he opened up his cards and gift. The cards were cute; especially, the trick card sent from my sister.

This year, I wanted to do something special for Steve on his 45th birthday. For years he has told me he wanted to fly. In the past I have just brushed it off, but after our last conversation, I was surprised to find out that during his time in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) he had actual flown a 1932 Piper under the direct supervision of Hermann Skok. Wow, I thought to myself.....he does know what he is talking about. His passion was real because he had lived it!

So, I did a google search which led me to PilotJourney.com. This website is awesome and it was there that I was able to purchase a 40 minute orientation flight at Boeing Field. I think he is really pumped up.

The day ended with a trip over to the Jumbo Buffet where a few couples (plus dad) were waiting to surprise him. Everything was going well until we got out of the truck. Steve can be most observant when you don't want him to be. He stops, looks at me and says, "I'm not going in. This is a set up". He had noticed to many automobiles in the parking lot.

It didn't take him long to decide he wasn't going to miss dinner, so inside he went. The gang that was present broke into song, singing "Happy Birthday". I think Steve was slightly embarrassed. So he disguised himself appropriately (a Groucho Marx's he is not).

All in all, I think he had a great time. He was definitely unaware of the plot and really appreciated all that was done to celebrate his 45 years of life. (The only other thing he has to see is his picture in the paper and that will happen tomorrow.) Yes, I'd do it all again, just because he is worth it! I love you honey, Happy Birthday!

Slide show is up if you want to see a few more pictures.

Steve...is turning 45!

Yes, it is true...Steve is turning 45 years old tomorrow. The day will mostly be quiet as we come to terms with the fact that he is 45 years young. A small birthday gift will be given, cards from family will be opened and then we plan on ending the day eating at the Jumbo Buffet.

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: "

Mom's 75th Surprise Birthday Party

Ephesians 6: 2-3, "Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."

It was a privilege to work closely with my sister and dad to pull off the surprise party of the year. My mom turned 75 years old and many friends and family attended the celebration. Thank you to all who made the journey to come out and partake in this memorable moment in my mother's life.

I love my mom and will honour and cherish her all the days of her life.