Look!
Several years ago, we planted a berry patch. We planted blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. Our blackberry bush is LOADED this year!
They're almost ready! These are "Triple Crown" blackberries. They're HUGE:
Yum! I can almost taste the blackberry cobbler. And the blackberry pie. Oh - and the JAM! Oooh! Can't wait to fire up my canner. Soon!
The kids set up 'shop' today:
They're selling veggies by the side of the road. :) Here's what they do when a car drives by:
They wave wildly until the cars stop. So far? They've made $12.25. Not bad. Maybe Derek doesn't have to worry about finding a job. He just needs to grow more veggies. And put the kids to work.
I've been tagged! Mary tagged me to answer these questions about me from A to Z...
Attached or single? Attached! Married to my high school sweetheart for 17 years.
Best Friend? I'm married to my best friend. Best girlfriend? Khristina. And my sister, Carol. :)
Cake or pie? Definitely CAKE. Carrot cake to be exact. With cream cheese frosting. Mmmmm!
Day of choice? I don't really have a favorite day. I like weekends. But no special favorite day.
Essential item? Hmmmm...I'd say my cell phone. I feel lost without it. What if my kids need to get a hold of me? And I need to text my friends!
Flavor of ice cream? Vanilla. I know, boring. I also love girl scout thin mint ice cream. YUM!
Gummy bears or worms? I'm not a gummy person. Not a big fan of either.
Hometown? Soldotna, Alaska.
Indulgences? Pedicures! Aaaaah, love 'em.
January or July? July! That's one of the most beautiful and sunniest months around here!
Kids? Three. Two stinky boys and a sassy girl in the middle.
Last movie I saw in a theatre? Kit Kitridge An American Girl. Lexi and I saw it together. :)
Middle name? Elizabeth.
Number of siblings? One older brother, one older sister, and one younger half-sister.
Oranges or apples? Apples! Just got done eating one off our tree!
Phobia or fear? Flying. :( For some reason this fear has developed since I've had kids. When I was little, I used to fly all the time and LOVED it. But now? For some reason it terrifies me. It's not the fear of death. It's the fear of crashing and the sheer terror I would experience for those few minutes on the way down. I know - morbid. Last time I flew I had to pop several xanex. Sad.
Quote? I have lots - several scripture quotes too numerous to list. And also these...."Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
And.... "Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."
And a funny one from Dolly Parton: "It took a lot of money to make me look this cheap." Ha!
Reason to smile? Right now? My youngest son is laying on the floor watching cartoons in only his underwear, wrapped up in a blanket, with the dog and two cats practically on top of him. The dog is snoring, the cats purring, and Cole is absent mindedly petting them all and laughing at cartoons. THIS makes me smile. :)
Season? SUMMER! But it's almost over. :(
Tag 4 more? Hmmmm...lemme think on that one...How 'bout Heidi? And Hillary? You guys wanna play?
Unknown fact about me? I have a tendency to bite the inside of my cheeks. I catch myself doing this ALL THE TIME. I've done it most of my life. I try to make a conscious effort to stop, but so far? Hasn't happened.
Vegetarian or oppressor of animals? Ummm...I eat meat. I live on a farm. We raise black Angus cattle and pigs and chickens. But oppressor of animals? Sort of a silly way to put it.
Worst habit? Uhhh...I guess snacking. Or overeating. Yeah. Not good.
X-rays or ultrasounds? This is a weird question. I guess ultrasounds. But they're only fun when you're pregnant. Except when you have to go in there with a full bladder. They say here - drink ALL this water, and then HOLD it. I know you're pregnant. But we can't see much unless you have a full bladder. Ugh. One time I was *this close* to nearly peeing all over the ultrasound table. Miserable.
Your favorite food? At the moment? Nachos. And fettuccine. Salmon fettuccine to be exact.
Zodiak? Aries.
We interrupt my series of 'early years' posts to bring you this morning's sunrise:
Wow! I stood outside in my backyard with my morning cup of coffee and just stared in awe. God sure outdid Himself this morning. :)
Did you miss Part 1? Click here or just scroll down...
Ok, so the first date:
I gave Derek my phone number that day by our lockers. Later that night after football practice, he called me. I remember it was a great conversation. I don't remember exactly what we talked about, but I do remember he was very easy to talk to. We decided that we would go out to dinner that Saturday night and see a movie afterwards.
When Saturday finally rolled around, I was incredibly nervous! I remember my Mom and Step-Dad were on a camping trip so only my brother and I were home. I spent most of the day trying to figure out what to wear and how to do my hair. Ha ha!
I also remember he was late picking me up. We lived on an island and the roads meandered along with no rhyme or reason. It was very difficult to navigate addresses. So Derek got sort of lost (even though he denies that part. Ha!) Anyway, so he picked me up in his old red pick-up. I remember the inside of the truck had a wonderful vanilla/coconut scent. It must have been an air freshener of some sort. But to this day, I LOVE that smell! (Another thing I remember about that pick-up? When he stopped to gas it up, he also had to add a quart of oil. Every time!)
So our first stop was the restaurant. It was a pretty nice restaurant called The Harvester. (Side note: we went back to that restaurant on our 3rd wedding anniversary. It was very romantic!) Anyway, I remember I ordered salmon (you can take the girl out of Alaska...) and Derek had the prime rib. The one event that stands out was what happened during dinner...the guy at the table next to us had a heart attack! It was so scary. One minute he was laughing and talking to his wife, the next moment he was clutching his chest writhing on the floor right next to us. He ended up being taken out in an ambulance. I often think about this poor man and wonder what happened to him. Anyway, so with all that going on, Derek and I didn't have a chance to talk much.
So after dinner we went to see "Aliens." Ha ha! Quite the date movie, right? I don't have ANY recollection of the movie. In fact, 5 minutes after the movie, I couldn't tell you what it was about. I was so busy thinking about sitting next to Derek and whether he was going to hold my hand or not (he did.) Instead of watch the movie, I just sat there thinking, here I am sitting next to this huge 6'2" extremely good looking football player and he's holding my hand. What am I doing here? How did I get here? What is the name of this movie again? Ha.
After the movie we went to Dairy Queen. Derek bought me an ice cream cone. Awwww, very sweet. The thing I remember about that was Derek's step-dad. We were in Dairy Queen eating our cones, and we saw his step-dad go through the drive-though with his cat. IN THE CAR. The step-dad spotted us through the window, so he held up the cat and waved his paw at us. While he was driving. Derek was pretty embarrassed. But I thought it was hilarious. :)
Ok, so after ice cream, it was time to go home. We got in the truck, drove for a little ways, and... RAN OUT OF GAS! Ha ha! Can you believe it? Luckily we were near a gas station, so we walked there and called my brother. My brother came and got me and took me home. He also brought Derek a gas can of gas so he could gas up his truck. (Derek was so embarrassed! But my brother and I thought it was pretty funny.) So that was that! Our first date.
After that, Derek and I were pretty much inseparable. We went out almost every weekend. We went to prom together. At our graduation from high school, we walked arm and arm to receive our diplomas. We fell in love. :)
Little did I know what the future held...
To Be Continued...Part 3 Coming Soon..."College, the 3-year separation & Desert Storm"
I decided to follow Mary's lead and write a series of posts about my husband and I. Today is about how we met. Derek and I were high school sweethearts. But before I delve into that, I need to explain my situation back then...
I was born and raised in Alaska. From 1st grade through 11th grade, I went to school in the same small school district. My last year - my SENIOR year, my mom decided to move to Washington. This was devastating to me. I mean seriously distressing to my 17-year old self. I'm 39 now, and still this move was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I went from a small high school in a VERY small town where everyone knew each other to a very rich clique-y snobby high school where students drove expensive cars and had drinking and drug problems. It was SUCH a culture shock. To make matters worse, I was (am) an extremely shy person. Back then I was not one to approach strangers and make friends.
So needless to say, my first day at this new high school, so long ago...in September of 1986, was miserable. Hideous. I didn't know where to go or what I was supposed to do. I didn't know where to go to sign up for classes, or where any of these classes were. I remember the morning on that first day, we were supposed to go to the gym for a back-to-school assembly. Once I FOUND the gym, I figured out we were supposed to sit with our class. Only I didn't know who or what my my 'class' was. I figured the seniors would be on one side of the gym or the other. I ended up picking the wrong side and sat with a bunch of freshmen. :( It was humiliating. I nearly cried.
Apparently, at this assembly was where Derek spotted me. The lonely pathetic senior who wandered around with tears in her eyes and didn't know what the heck she was doing. Derek was a football player. Coincidently, the football coach was responsible for assigning lockers. So Derek decided he would pull some strings and weasel into the locker next to me (not that I even knew where my own locker was for a long time...) So suddenly, he showed up. He had the poor sap that originally had that locker next to me moved out, and Derek moved in. :)
So every day between classes at our lockers, Derek found some way to say something to me. Every day. He would say, "You look nice today." Or "Do you need help finding your next class?" Or "Aren't you the girl that moved here from Alaska?" I don't even remember what I would say to back to him. But I do remember thinking how TALL Derek was (he's 6'2") and how handsome he was! (*swoon*) But the thing I'll never forget was how nice he was to me. He was the only person that took the time to offer a kind word to me... the shy new girl from Alaska.
My mom thought I was being dramatic, but it was true. Literally, Derek was the ONLY person in that school that talked to me. He was my only friend there for a long time. I cried myself to sleep almost every single night. That sounds ridiculous and pathetic now. But it really was a very lonely traumatic time.
Finally, around mid-October or so, Derek found the nerve to ask me out on a date. I'll never forget that day. We were at our lockers. And, he was acting all nervous. Finally he said, "Ummm...so...do you have a boyfriend?" And I said, "No." (Duh! No one even TALKS to me! I don't know a SOUL here! How could I have a boyfriend?) And he said, "Ok, so do you wanna catch a burger and a movie this weekend?" "Uh, ok!" I said, "I'd love to!" "Great. I'll pick you up at 6:00." And he walked away.
"Hey!" I called after him. "Don't you want my phone number?! Or want to know where I live?? Which night are we going out??"
To Be Continued...Part 2 Coming Soon... "The First Date"
Remember when I showed you the Barn Swallow nest? And the three babies?
Look how they look after just one week:
Ha ha! Aren't they cute? They even fly around a little bit. They still rely on their parents for food, though. For some reason, they remind me of three old men sitting up there. Ha!
Today I was getting ready to take the mower out and look what I saw!
That's a chicken nest! Here's a closed-up:
Our laying hens are getting up in age. They don't lay too much anymore, so we let them out of their pen so they could live out their days free-ranging around the property.
One hen, our Araucana built herself a little nest under the mower! You can't really tell from the picture, but her eggs are pale green. The kids named her "Holiday" because her eggs are like Easter Eggs. Here's a picture of her:
I guess she still has some life in her!!
Our first sunflower bloomed! This is always bittersweet for me because as beautiful as they are, it reminds me that summer is winding down...
For several days, we've notice a couple of juvenile bald eagles hanging around our house. (We live close to a large river - prime eagle nesting grounds!) Well, today they landed in one tree, and I could get some shots:
Yeah, I know I post a lot of eagle pictures. I can't help it. Aren't they magnificent?!
Yesterday when I stopped for gas, I was panhandled.
Does this ever happen to you? I know when you live or work downtown, panhandling is just a part of life. But, I live in a small town. I don't encounter homeless people. I don't get panhandled. This isn't something I'm used to.
I stopped for gas in an area that I don't normally stop. I was by myself. An overweight Native American man came up to me while I was outside my car pumping gas. He smelled of beer and cigarettes and body odor. His hair was long and greasy and unclean. He had very few teeth. I was instantly extremely uncomfortable.
'Scuse me, Ma'am. Could you spare some change?
I said what came to my mind first. My first instinct. No. I'm sorry I don't.
And that was it. He moved on down the sidewalk.
I was bothered by this the rest of the day. Why did I turn him down? Sure, I had spare change. I could have gotten my purse from the front seat and given him money. Why didn't I? I don't know. Maybe I turned him down because I didn't feel safe. I was by myself. I didn't know what he would do if I got out my purse. Would he snatch it and run? Maybe I turned him down because I knew he'd go buy alcohol with it. Maybe.
But I have to be honest with myself. I have to truly say I turned him down because I didn't want to be bothered. He was unpleasant to look at, to smell, to think about, to be bothered by. I turned him down because I wanted him to go away. That's hard to say out loud. It made me feel ashamed and guilty.
We call ourselves Christians. So, what is our obligation to homeless people? People that panhandle on the streets? We're supposed to help the poor. Have you read Matthew 25:35-36? Jesus told his disciples that when they feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, provide shelter for the homeless, clothe the naked, nurse the sick, and visit the imprisoned, they are actually doing these things for Him. Think about that! We're serving Jesus when we help the poor.
I remember recently we had a sermon at church about helping the poor and serving the needy. The fact that has stuck in my mind is what our pastor said - The Bible contains more than 300 verses on the poor, and God's deep concern for them. Wow - 300 verses!
Maybe if I had given this guy $5, I would have felt less guilty, but would I have helped him? Probably not. He already smelled of alcohol. Chances are he would have taken that money to buy more beer. So what do we do?
I have a friend that had business cards printed up that list every location nearby where someone can receive food or help. When she gets panhandled, she gives the person one of these cards and prays for them. I once saw someone downtown hand out McDonald's meals and coupons to the homeless. There's a group at our church that volunteers at local soup kitchens and food pantries. These are all great ideas.
So maybe I dismissed the homeless man that approached me at the gas station. And maybe you could argue that I was right in not giving him money. But that homeless man reminded me that I need to reflect Christ's love to those in need. Even unpleasant unclean people. That man is a child of God just like me. He's a sinner in need of redemption just like me. I need to be in prayer for him and people like him.
And this man reminded me that I need to find ways to give of my time and/or money to those services that help the needy.
Because that is what Christ has asked of me.
There's a nest of barn swallows around our place that I've been keeping my eye on.
This week, the babies hatched!
See 'em? So cute. I think there's 3 in there.
It's interesting that they built the nest with chicken feathers. (Well, and mud and hay, too.) But see that orange feather in the back of the nest? And all that fluff on the left side of the nest? Those are chicken feathers from our chickens!
See, we have those vent holes blocked off with screens to prevent the birds from nesting. But it obviously didn't do a bit of good. 
It's been over a month since we found out that my husband was losing his job. And so far? No interviews or promising leads for either of us. :(
For me, I think it hurts tremendously that I've been out of Microbiology for 10 years. (TEN YEARS?! Really?? Wow.) I took time off to be home my kids. I wouldn't trade that time for ANYTHING. So I certainly do not have regrets. But it sure doesn't help matters now.
And, It's like everyone around here is running scared. There's been some major companies here that have announced layoffs. So for now, employers seem to be holding off hiring or even looking for new people for fear that they will just need to be layed off.
That's not such good news.
So, we've decided to expand the search nationally. My husband is now applying to jobs all over. As much as we DO NOT have to move, we may have to. A firm in Anchorage was very interested in him. (Alaska? Nooooooo thank you. I was born and lived there for 17 years. It's a beautiful and it was a wonderful place to grow up, but I have no desire to move back.) Things seem to be hopping (at least they're hiring Civil Engineers) in Texas, California and Colorado. So we'll see. We could be on the verge of many more changes. I am trying to think of it as us on the verge of an adventure!
But, this is HARD for me. It's difficult to have everything still up in the air. I find myself still clinging to one of my favorite verses:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jer. 29:11
I am THANKFUL, so very thankful that there is a plan for us. I don't know what this is yet, but God does. And I thank Him everyday for that.
There is so much hoop-lah about the book, The Shack. It seems everyone I know was reading it and several kept asking me if I had read it and what I thought. I was reluctant to read it at first, passing it off as a fleeting "Christian fad." But eventually I jumped on the bandwagon and decided to give it a read.
I picked it up, and oh my. I couldn't put it down. I read this book cover to cover in one evening. Wow. I am grateful to the author, William P. Young for writing this unique, inspiring and heart penetrating book.
I know there is controversy swirling around The Shack. Many respected Christian leaders have written reviews citing that The Shack is 'new-agey' and is not scripturally or theologically correct. I don't disagree. I also had theological issues with this book. I think we do need to be careful. We need to remember that this is a NOVEL. We need to treat it as such. This is not meant to be a substitute for God's Word. This book is fiction. It is not the gospel truth.
But that being said, I do think this book has value beyond just entertainment. Once I pushed through the “Great Sadness” and the unusual portrayal of God and The Trinity, this book began to open my mind and my thinking and I feel like it has helped me with a higher understanding and relationship with God in many new ways.
But I think the main thing this book gave me was a renewed understanding of God’s immense love for me, as well as help understanding as to why unexpected and bad things have happened.
So I say go ahead! Take off your cynic cap and take a chance with The Shack. It might frighten you, warm your heart, make you feel uncomfortable, but that's ok. Let yourself be enveloped by the true purpose of this work of fiction. Maybe this book might teach you a thing or two about the power of forgiveness and that maybe forgiving is the greatest human emotion of all.
As I was leaving for work this morning, I walked out on the patio to find that 2 of our kitties were having breakfast...
That's Lexi's fat cat, Hamburger Joe, above. And yes, that's a snake. Ugh! Just a garter snake, but still! Ick.
That's Raven and her kill. See that poor little mouse?
She never eats her prey anymore for some reason. She just hangs out next to it until one of the other cats comes up and indulges on her conquest.
This is why we have cats on the farm... They sure do earn their keep! (Well, that, and we love cats.) 
I don't know about you, but I have a terrible time trying to find a good hairdresser. Is this something all women go through? Is it just me?
I decided last week that I needed a haircut. It had been waaaaaay too long. So I called up the salon I always go to, and asked for an appointment with Karen, the lady I have been going to for years.
"OKAY! You're all SET! You have an appointment with Karen on Frideee at noon!!!" Chirped Kandi the receptionist. (Yes, her name was Kandi with a 'K' and an 'i'. I saw her nametag when I went in.)
"Ummm. Ok. How much will that be?" Cringing....afraid to ask...(The fees for the hairdressers at this place increase as they gain more experience.)
"For a haircut with Karen?!!! Just $90!!" Kandi with a K and an i is waaaaaay too enthusiastic for my liking.
Ok, $90? There's no freakin' way. For trimming a few split ends? Nope. I just can't justify it. Especially when my husband LOST HIS JOB. Remember? No way.
So Kandi and I go around and around trying to find a hairdresser that I can go to in which I don't have to mortgage my house to pay for. We finally settle on Michelle who charges $50. Still ridiculous, but ok. It's better than $90.
So I get there on 'Frideee' and check in with Kandi, who, incidentally, is much less animated in person. She gives me my 'smock' and shows me to the dressing room. This part always makes me feel uncomfortable. I would rather just stay in my own clothes, but I don't like confrontations, so I always give in and put on the dumb little shirt. Anyway, so I'm in this tiny room with the curtain door getting undressed, and my worst nightmare happens.
Another customer comes up and just WHIPS open my dressing room curtain! No warning. No 'hello? anyone in there?' She just whisks the curtain open. Holy crap. Who does this? When you see a dressing room with the curtain closed, do you ever just open it? Do you not say something or at the very least look under the curtain scanning for feet?
So I'm standing there scrambling, trying to cover up my naked-from-the-waist-up self...in all my glory and all my total humiliation, and staring at this woman in horror. Does she apologize profusely and quickly close the curtain? Oooooh no. She wants to CHIT-CHAT. "Oh!!! Hi!!! Are you here for a haircut? Or the full spa treatment?! I'm here for a wax and a pedicure!" Well, goooooood for you. Now, CLOSE THE DANG CURTAIN.
Anyway. Moving on.
I finally see Michelle. She brings me back to her station, and ummm...guess what?? HER station is RIGHT NEXT to Karen, my $90 hairdresser's station. Oh man. Totally awkward. What are the chances of this? I mean there's like 100 stylists in this place. And I pick the one RIGHT NEXT to Karen? I smiled at her and mumbled something about my husband losing his job and our lack of money for an expensive haircut. But she kept GLARING at me. Like I was cheating on her or something, by going to Michelle. I wanted to scream, "HELLO? You charge NINETY BIG ONES for a HAIRCUT. You HAVE to see how ridiculous that is!" But I don't. Remember? The confrontation thing.
Anyway, Michelle seems fine. Except she's very quiet. That's ok, I guess. It would be nice to have a little conversation, but nothing is better than too much I suppose. The things she did say were a little...irritating though.
For example, when we were at the hair washing basin, she asked me how often I wash my hair. "Ummm, every day?" Apparently this was TOTALLY unacceptable. "You need to cut waaaay back. Your hair is dry. I would wash it once a week. That will allow your natural oils to rehydrate the hair shaft" ONCE A WEEK? Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND? My NATURAL OILS? My hair would totally look like a greasy drippy nasty MESS if I only washed it once a week. Seriously. And? I would probably lose my job. And? I would have no friends. ONCE A WEEK? Puh-leeaaaze.
And then? When she was cutting my hair, I asked, "So, ummmm, do you see any gray hair? Cuz I was thinking it might be time to start foiling." And she says, "No, I sure don't."
Ooooooh yeah. I was thinking of something boastful yet tasteful to say about the fact that I'm in my mid-thirties (yes, 39 IS mid-thirties, thankyouverymuch) and not graying yet, but she adds, "Although your hair is dull."
DULL??
"Yes, the color is dull." So, I respond, "But,uuuuh, it's my natural hair. I don't put color it."
"Your color is still dull. You may want to foil it anyway."
Okaaaay, then.
We pretty much sat in silence after that little gem of a comment. The good part though? When she was all done? I LOVED my hair! Seriously. She did an AWESOME job. Whenever I get my hair done, I always hate it when they're done. I always have to go home and re-do it to decide if I like it or not. But with Michelle, I LOVED it! Right away!
So I guess the question is this: can put up with the humiliation of public near-nudity, glares from Karen, and weird comments from Michelle, all for a $50 haircut? As awesome as it was?
Orrrrr, do I take my freakishly dry DULL head of hair elsewhere?
Hmmmm...
Posts
All Comments
