Time for Reading Glasses

No, these aren't Kelsey's new glasses....I wish they were :) I've been having lots of trouble with my new contact prescription and have had to go the eye doctor three times to try to figure out the best prescription! When I got my new lenses, I started having difficulty focusing while reading and while working on the computer (kind of a problem when I sometimes spend hours each day writing reports on the computer!) Finally, the doctor decided that I should try reading glasses to see if that helps me with focusing up close. So I bought some today and practiced using them at work when no one was in the office. I felt like a dork trying to figure out how to use them while I typed at the computer and then also having to look at other things across the room. They kind of made me feel sick, but I'm sure I'll get used to them. I think they're helping...but it's a little depressing that I'm at the age of needing reading glasses. Kelsey sure thinks they're cool, though!

Enjoying Our Backyard this Summer

Our flowers are in full bloom - we have several hydrangea bushes, and they are all slightly different colors. We are really enjoying being outside on our deck this summer. I love looking at all the flowers - they just make me feel happy :)

Help for a Friend

One of our friends is in his last days, as he is dying of lung cancer. He is only 43 and has a wife and three children. This whole situation has been so tragic, and it has been very difficult to see him deteriorate over the past year. It has really been amazing, though, to see how much support friends provide each other. One of our friends has established a trust fund to help with some of the medical bills as well as to provide some assistance to his family. A couple of weeks ago, Kelsey wanted to do a bake sale, and she decided that she wanted to donate money to our friend and his family. This weekend we did the first part of the bake sale, and Kelsey raised $45.00. We are planning to sell more, but she's off to a good start.

Hike in the Gorge & Conner is Home!

Yesterday we went on a hike with our good friends. On the way there, the kids enjoyed playing games in the car. We only hiked a couple of miles, but there was a lot of climbing uphill. We think we need to start Kelsey on a fitness training plan - we had to bribe the kids with ice cream to encourage them to keep walking :) When we arrived home from our hike, Conner had also just gotten home from his 4-day trip. We were so excited to see him. McKenzie leaves this week for a 4-day trip to Seattle with her friends. We're forgetting what it's like to have all 3 kids at home!

Fourth of July Party

We went to our friends' house again this year for a fourth of July party. There were lots of people and lots of food! Brad and Tina always put on a great party and are wonderful hosts. It was nice that it was 30 degrees cooler than last year! Conner is celebrating the 4th of July weekend in Lincoln City with our friends who have 3 boys. He's probably experiencing what it's like to have brothers. He comes home today, and we're so excited to see him!

Happy Day!

Lots of happy things happened today - my day started off with a 2-mile walk, listening to uplifting music. Then we made smiley face, peace sign, and heart pancakes for breakfast. Peter and I did a few chores, and then Kelsey and I went to one of my student's birthday parties. This family lives in a very low-income apartment with rougher people than we are used to. I prepared Kelsey on our drive to their apartment that this family didn't have a lot. A couple minutes after we arrived, the next door neighbor asked if her children were at the party, and the mom told her that they were not. She said, "I'm going to kick their a****, and she went off to go find her kids. She brought her kids back to the party and informed us that they needed to stay because she had to take someone to the liquor store. She asked if they could bring over some strawberries and cool whip because the kids hadn't eaten lunch yet. The little girl also brought over a cupcake from a party that she had been to. Six kids shared one cupcake. On our way home Kelsey and I were talking about the party, and she said that she was nervous when she heard the lady swear and talk about needing to go to the liquor store. You're probably wondering how this all relates to having a happy day... :) Well, Kelsey and I talked about how we could focus on the part of the party that made us uncomfortable or we could think about what we saw that was really neat. Kelsey and I had both watched in amazement as 6 children shared ONE cupcake without a single bit of fighting or complaining! They also perfectly shared the strawberries and cool whip. The cupcake was pretty big, but it was amazing to see children who really didn't have much, be so willing to share and be grateful for getting something so small! Kelsey then said if we would have had one cupcake at our house, we would have said things like...."Hey that's mine - get your own! Hey, you're taking too much!, etc., etc." My heart smiled as I knew she really understood that what we saw today was pretty special. As we had left the party, she said, "Wow, people here are really nice" after we stopped and talked to a man (who looked like someone who may have been homeless) about the dog he was holding. This was a whole new experience for Kelsey (and a very good one, too!) After the party we did a little bit of 4th of July t-shirt shopping and then dog sat for our neighbor's dog. Kelsey was thrilled to play with the dog and walk him all the way to Bethany Village. We ended the night hearing a great message at church and then going out for dinner.

Before and After

After spending at least 10 hours trying to pull the weeds and ivy out of our front and back yards, we decided to hire some landscapers to help us. Initially we had a grand plan to have the kids help us - we figured 5 people working could get the yard cleaned up in no time. Boy, was that not true! After 10 minutes of the kids helping with the ivy, Conner was miserable with his allergies, and I was scared I was going to cut them all with the cutting tool we were using. I thought if they could just pull the ivy back, I could cut it. The kids quickly volunteered to clean the whole house while Peter and I continued to do the yard work. After we worked so hard, it looked like we hadn't done anything! I am very grateful for landscapers - they definitely earn their pay. I was so grateful for their help that I kept bringing them food and drinks (coffee, banana bread, pizza, salad, cokes, and cookies) because I knew they were working so hard. They probably thought I was crazy! The 10 hours that Peter and I did gave me a new appreciation for people who do this type of labor all day, every day. Today I spent about 4 hours hauling barkdust, so we're now finished with the yard work. Now when Peter and I sit out on the deck enjoying our decaf coffee or splitting a cold beer, we can enjoy our yard and don't have to look at all the work that still needs to be done!