Surprise Date Night!

Where are we going?

Very funny Dane! HAHA

We went here!

The Drive

And why would they want to search our car? Hmmmm

Motley Crue Final Tour 2014 Ridgefield, WA

We leaned against the back wall and enjoyed the music of the evening (my favorite..Kicks Start my Heart, rink DJ would play it every time I speed skated as a kid). That was fun, but the best part was the people watching! Grandmas, kids, drinkers, and smokers oh my!

Longing for Fall

- Bob Marley

An early morning rain made me long for my favorite season...fall. Specifically the first washing of rain that fills the senses with renewal. The smell of rain on the hot pavement, the excitement of a new school year, the cooler refreshing air. Summer filled with memories will get me through the ugliness of weeks and weeks of Oregon rain. I both welcome and love to say goodbye to summer, fall, winter, spring. But by far fall is my favorite!

A church is just a church right?

Memories at Trinity Lutheran Church...

https://www.trinityoc.org/

Emmalyn's baptism - 2012 (Pastor ?)
Samuel's baptism - 2008 (Pastor Kasting)
Madelyn's baptism - 2003 (Pastor Kasting)
Christian's baptism - 2001 (Pastor Kasting)
My baptism - 2001 (Pastor Kasting)
Married - 1999  (Pastor Kasting)
Dane's baptism- 1976 (Pastor Ruthenbeck)

I have a lot of memories at TLC, but memories aren't the only thing that I hold dear. A church is not made up of bricks and mortar but of other worshipers. The Christians at our church have a genuine love for Christ and show that in many ways. Their greetings to one another, their attention drawn to the pastor's words, their voices praising in song, and their actions to share with insiders and outsiders.

I recently decided to judge our church. To do so, I needed a comparison. While visiting another, only myself and another time with Emma and I. Judged the content of the Word and the people hearing it. I listened with open ears but held true to my known faith. And looked around at the worshipers to search the tenor and faith. The reaction to my child showed me how accepting and tolerant they are of others. No, I was not going to send my child downstairs for Sunday school at a new church while I worshiped with the "grown-ups". 

Jesus loved little children because of how pure their faith was. They have no filter and say what's on their mind! They have yet to encounter all the bitterness of this world and can see things unmasked by the Holy Spirit.

My children are good judges of people and can tell if they are warm and inviting then jump in without concern. This is why I love TLC! My children feel at home smiling at people, they don't hold back and are themselves,  excited to be there and are not afraid.

Just Breathe

This saying will forever be part of my life. Funny how easy it can be to forget to just breathe. When you fail to relax and just breathe, life seems so hard. When deprived of needed oxygen to refresh, you fail to see things clearly, and your heart beats toxins throughout your body. I forgot this many times and felt my entire being filled with many toxic emotions. Less I forget again, I will look down at my chest and remind myself to JUST BREATHE.

Spiders keeping Dad up at night

Apparently, it's too hot outside for the neighborhood spiders. Every night Dane gets woken up by the kids needing Daddy to take care of a friendly spider. I say "Take care" because Maddy wants him to re-home the spiders outside and Christian wants them executed. 3 spiders kept Dane up last night. In the dead of sleep, he was woken first by Maddy...

Whisper..."Daaad, Daaad." Poke, poke. Louder... "Dad!"
Not again, sigh. "What Maddy"
"There's a spider in the bathroom."
At this point Dane had just fallen asleep, it was about 2 am. Stumbling into the bathroom, he grabbed some tp.
"No.. don't kill it!"
"Then why did you wake me up?"
"Take him outside." She crouched down examining the little guy. "I think he's scared."
"How am I supposed to get him outside." The spider was about the size of a grain of rice.
"I don't know, can't you just put him in your hand."
"Maddy I'm either gonna squish it or I'm going back to bed" He grabbed his cowboy boot and pounded the little guy into the floor. "Problem solved, good night."

Half hour later

Christian comes out of his room. "Dad, Dad!"
Seriously! "What?"
"There's a HUGE spider on my TV! Seriously I've never seen a spider this big!"
Opening his eyes trying to focus he sees Christian circling his fingers to the size of a baseball.
Well, that's a spider worth killing. "Show me."
On Christian's TV was a spider about the size of a quarter. "Exaggerate much?" Dane grabbed one of Christian's shoes and missed it! The spiders now scrambling on the floor to get away. "You son of a b****, get back here!"
Christian finds this very amusing and is hysterically laughing. "Get it!"
WACK, WACK, SQUIIISH! "Problem solved, good night."

But no, the big spider must have been a Mama spider. Christian found one more, this one smaller than Maddy's little friend in the bathroom. So small that Dane could barely focus his sleep-deprived eyes on. How my kids can find all these little guys shows you how freaked out they are by these harmless friendly visitors. It was on the ceiling, Dane used his finger to dispatch the little guy. I'm sure it had siblings, so tonight will be another adventure.

post inspired by: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/03/spiders-are-scary-its-okay-to-be-afraid.html