Backyard Visitor

The other afternoon Steve and I caught sight of a Stellar Blue Jay in our backyard. He would take turns gathering seed on the back deck to flying over to the bird bath to get a drink. The last time we saw a blue jay in our yard was this time five years ago. I hear they can be a mean bird, but he sure is pretty.

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...

Frozen Mocha Torte

This past Sunday, our church held a Men's Dessert Contest after the evening service. There were nineteen fantastic looking entries.

My husband signed up and after looking through every cookbook we owned, he decided on the Frozen Mocha Torte. There was one main rule to the contest and simply stated: The "man" could not get any assistance from a/the "woman"; therefore, this creation was all up to Steve and his ability to follow the recipe.

Steve was in the kitchen for two hours working his magic and occasionally, to my delight, he would seek me out and let me taste his concoction.

Lets pause here for a moment and picture with me a mama who is proud of her child for accomplishing a special project? Oh how she would beam! Well, I must say that was me, the wife beaming over her husband's triumph. When Steve removed the spring-form pan from around his torte, I couldn't have been prouder. It all stayed in place!

Later that evening, after the competition, we got to partake. Not only did Steve's torte look great, but it also tasted a-m-a-z-i-n-g-l-y yummy! I am sad to say that his dessert did not take 1st, 2nd or 3rd place; but in my book, he gets the trophy!

Great job honey! Looks like you will be making more desserts in your future :)

It's raining, it's pouring and I'm not snoring...yet that is

Here it is the last day of August and what does it bring in? Rain and lots of it : very much a sign that summer is on its way out and fall is coming.

Don't get me wrong, I love fall and all the colors it brings, I just don't like the rain, overcast and cloudy skies and the lack of daylight that comes with it. My body seems to instantly begin its "hibernation" mode which will only get worse as winter comes on.

The month of August flew by quickly like every other month, it seems. I am making progress in my job...I actually like to get up and go to work now, since I have passed the "learning curve". I still have lots to pick up on, but I can get through the basic daily tasks without to much trouble. I just Praise God for all those who have been praying for me, your prayers are working! And for Kali who graciously answered all my "S.O.S. emails". Thank you!

This month was especially surprising as we were able to see the Waldron gal's and the Majors over the last two weekends and some longtime friend. The Majors and the Waldron's (plus their two gals) moved over the mountains to start a church back in July. God has been blessing them with visitors and ministry opportunities, PTL! It was so good to see them!

The bigger surprise was when I got a call from Judy who has known me since my preteen years. Her and her husband Chuck took their 5th wheel and toured Canada, Alaska and parts of the West. On their way back from Alaska they came through our neck of the woods. It was so great to see them. We were able to spend two evenings together over dinner and catch up on all the years we have been separated. It truly was an amazing time.

My husband had his 46th Birthday this month and things are going well for him. He is settling down in his new job and is loving it! He has been in physical therapy for his arm now for a couple of weeks, and that in and of itself has been a great help in the recovery process. I'll have to admit, it is kind of gross to see his bicep laying over on its side. He thinks it is cool and likes to show me it and the big indention where his muscle use to be attached. Boys, ya just gotta love 'em. :)

Well that pretty much covers my August. Looking forward to September and all that it has to bring.