Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Happy Holidays To All

We have had a full and exciting Fall and are enjoying relaxing times during our Winter Break! It has been a while since I last had the time and energy to sit down and post so I will do a bit of catching up with you all. School has gone well for both the children and is keeping them extra busy this year. The house has been filled with many teens this Fall which is always nice. We so enjoy spending time listening to them as they laugh and dream and just have fun. We were reminded just how precious life is when a dear friend of the childrens' was in a car accident. We are happy his voice and smiles still fill our house and that everybody is doing well. Band competition once again filled our lives this first semester and it was fun to make new friends through this season as we spent most weekends traveling all over with the group. It is amazing to see the time and energy these young people and the parent volunteers put into this organization. It is even more amazing to see how dedicated the directors are to the students as well as the school. What a great experience for all those involved! The weather has been odd for us as well as for most. We seem to have a different type of weather each week, so we shall not get bored!!! We are enjoying the sights of Winter as the area blooms into color with so many bright annuals filling the gardens all around the community. Winter is a time for the poppies, snap dragons, pansies and other bright annuals to fill the scenery. This is nice to see as most of our December and January are filled with rain and fog. This is our rainy season and the brightness of the flowers makes it a cozy experience settled into the foggy mornings as I travel to school to drop off the children and then onto work. Sprinkled between these days of fog and rain are the days when the weather warms and the sun shines across the mountains which were magically filled with snow behind the curtains of fog. I love to spend my mornings in the gardens with my coffee, walking and examining each plant or flower as the peacefullness of the day begins. I am continually amazed by the neverending bloom of flowers. My jade tree is covered with thousands of pink stars blooming all over it and was recently visited by an early morning hummingbird as I sat watching in complete awe. I would hope to never trade these early morning walks. I anxiously await the smell and bllom of the Freesias that are sending up shoots and have tripled in size since last winter! The Calla Lily seems close to bloom as do the slow but steady Bird of Paradise which we check daily! We have been greatly blessed by many, many lemons over the last few weeks while Brit has been suffering through a cough. What a true blessing it is to walk out back and be able to pick these bright fruit right from the tree as I need them. The smell and taste are a wake up call of all the senses! I am happy to report that our oranges are almost ripe and this sweet little tree that is but three feet tall at it's highest has saved us four special treats which we will share soon. Many of you may recall our excitement at finding a plant named the Kangaroo Paw. One of them has begun to throw up the first of I hope many shoots! These plants were a true crowd pleaser of the entire neighborhood! This year has once again been a true blessing. Through all the laughs, sadness, visitors, trips, and explorations, we have been truely blessed by our new home, our friends across this entire world, and our family this year. I leave with you some shots of our last sveral months and I wish for you each love and light to walk with you through this coming year! May you all be as truely blessed in your lives as we have been by you and your families! Happy Holidays~
The band was such an amazing part of Bry's life throughout his Junior High and High School years. He has been very fortunate to have many teachers and directors working with him over the years on the baritone as well as on his djembe.
A cup of coffee and a spot on the backyard was all that was needed to enjoy this sight as we spent one Sunday morning this Fall watching one right after another of these balloons sail over us!
A day spent in the mountains with students reminded once again how much I love my job!
A trip to Monterey to watch the band perform and an afternoon to explore the ocean and shops along Cannery Row.

Time enjoying the crashing of the waves!!!!


My grandmother fills my mind at moments like this when the sun is setting. She used to say that sunsets were a glimpse of Heaven. May we all be blessed with these glimpses!
The beauty of the Fall colors throughout our community.

Friends Having Fun!!!

Football games are not just about the game!

Thanksgiving with friends.

Winter has settled in all around us.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Friday, August 26, 2005

We Traveled up to the Top of A Mountain...Or Perhaps it was a Glimpse of Something More!


The trip up the side of this mountain was not my favorite thing in life! To travel for miles on a thin passage just wide enough for one vehicle, with a drop that went on forever was not a drive I enjoyed, nor did my family enjoy making it with me. Having said that...I would not have missed what was waiting for us. We must at times face our worst fears in order to find fulfillment and this was the case as we arrived at one of the most beautiful and peaceful places we have yet to travel this summer! The pass up was one you can only know by experience and so is true for the feelings you experience as you spend time walking the river, and the paths of this site. The hot springs were something we had yet to experience and it was amazing to sit and relax in such a simple pleasure. The calmness I received during this trip was to prepare me for my break from a summer filled with fun, laughter, tears, family, friends, and amazing memories and bring me back slowly into our world of schedules and life's expectations. I could not have asked for a better way to end my summer than to sit at the top of a mountain with new friends and talk, laugh, share, and breath the fresh air of a space filled with such powerful beauty. May we each take the time to challenge our fears and enjoy those simple rewards that are waiting for us within the world we live!

The Water was OHHH SOOOO Cold

AHHHH-Can it Get any Better?

PEACE-In the Middle of a Busy World

To Relax on the Top of a Mountain in the Hot Springs!

Breakfast by the Fire

Chilling at Camp

Catching "Air"

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Reliving Those Many Days we Spent on the Front Porch Swing

We recently traveled back to our hometown. What a wonderful time for our children and us to reunite with family and friends. I spent some time walking the streets of this small town, reliving the days we lived here and raised our children. To be back with these many memories was an experience I cannot put into words. What a wonderful experience to be able to travel back and see all the people we shared so much of our lives with. We are blessed to have been touched by each of these beautiful people over the years. I give you these pictures as they can give you more than my words could ever provide. Blessings-
Having Fun with Old Friends
"Lucy and Ricky" Hosting a Night of Fun
Our Backyards were Always Filled with Friends
Time with Cousins
More Time with Cousins
And Yes...There was More Cousin Time
And Even More Time with Cousins
Family Reunions
Grandma Time
Fun On The Farm
Water Time
The Old Youth Group Together Again...Part of it At Least
Nanni Time
Energetic Moments
Lazy Afternoons
The Carolyns
Friendships that Last
The Gathering of the Men
Catching Up On Life
After All These Years the House is Still Filled with Teens
A Night of First Times
Girls and Giggles
Watching All the Changes
Lucy and Ethel Together Again