The Adventure Begins

This is the message that Ally found in her fortune cookie while at the Houston Airport. Little did we know how true it would be. Late night at night, 4 tourists walking down a dark road somewhere in Washington D.C. pulling their luggage behind them. Man, were we ever a sight!

But if we got mugged, at least the Fire Station was close by. I think that that was a little bit comforting. A little bit.

My "not so little" Katie

How can this be? How can this be that I held her for the first time in my arms 11 years ago? Where did the time go, and why is it moving so quickly? I can't slow down the time, but I can hold on today...this day...and love her for the amazing child that she is. Happy Birthday, Katie.

Traditional "Birthday Donut Breakfast"....2 long johns = 11!
American Girl Store, L.A.
Hawaiian Pizza for lunch at the Farmer's Market.
Ice Cream at Bennetts.
Sweet Birthday Fun at the Grove.

Pork & Beans

I have turned my back on my roots. As my family is from Oklahoma, eating meat is very important. So when I decided to become a vegetarian, it didn't sit too well with my parents. They're mostly concerned with my health, but I believe part of it comes from an unspoken allegiance to the pig. A couple of years ago I found the most awesome footed pig bowl on sundance catalog, but when I finally decided to put down the money, it was gone. A couple of years later (unbeknownst to me) Scott tracked down a similar pig and had it sent to me for our anniversary (yes...he's a romantic!) As a tribute to my heritage, and in honoring my family, I made pork & beans...in a round about way...

A Time For Everything

"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:" Eccl.3:1

And now is the time for....rollerblading. I've been holding on to my old rollerblades for nearly 10 years now because they cost way too much money to just be given away! But Scott brought them out of the depths of the garage and let Katie try them on. She did, and that was about all it took to begin a new love affair. And I think that the rollerblades feel the same towards her. But my question is how did those sweet little feet that I would hold in my hand grow so quickly as to fit into my shoes? Hmmm. A sweet reminder that I long to be a good example in how I walk, as someone is following in my footsteps...I mean...rollersteps.

Sequoia National Park

We have been talking about going to Sequoia for years, but there was always a reason why we couldn't. God has been so good to us, and He has been teaching us so much over the last couple of months. One theme that continues to come up in our lives is "Risk it and Trust Me". So, after a brief encounter with www.reserveamerica.com, we were on our way. And oh...what an amazing time we had. If you have never seen the Sequoias, go. It is an amazing thing to behold. Such beauty.


Katie and Ally climbing on a Sequoia. "LAY DOWN OR YOU'LL FALL AND BUST YOUR HEADS OPEN" says their mother.

Ally found a sweet place to hang out on the chilly mornings

Katie going up Moro Rock. She has a slight aversion to heights....

Ally and I at the top of Moro Rock. 400 stone steps. 6,725-ft. elevation. YIKES!

Happy Campers!

Isn't that thing HUGE?!?!?!

I heart these two.



And a good reminder for me in life....

Hair Today, Gone Today...

I've already mentioned before that my youngest, Ally, is a brave soul. Well, today she outdid herself. She's been talking about getting her hair cut, so, being the thrifty mom, I said "How about I cut it for you!!!" She quickly agreed, and soon after we were out on the patio with scissors and comb in hand.

As most interns know, the first cut is the hardest. But within 10 minutes, we had about 4 inches cut off. She was happy, I was happy, and my sweet assistant, Katie, was happy.



Then, we went to the park....and as I was watching Ally come towards me, the right side of her hair appeared about 2 inches longer than the left side. So when we got back home, I sat her back on the chair and I began to even it up. But by the time that I got around to the other side of her head, it was about 2 inches shorter than the OTHER side!!! Apologizing profusely to Ally, and promising that I would buy her a pony the next day, I called my friend Carol. (She knows how to cut hair.) Carol rescued Ally's precious locks and everything is even.



Ally had such a sweet spirit throughout it all. And she still loves me. I guess that's what grace is all about.

Chicken Fights

I like my chickens...I really do. And I have to say that I think that I'm rather nice to them, too. I make sure that they get plenty of free range-ing and I feed them only the best scraps. I even give them bird feed in the mornings (which I am convinced is equivalent to yummy granola!) So when I found a new recipe for swiss chard this afternoon, I was eager to try it for dinner. As if the above mentioned wasn't enough...those selfish chickens were eating MY SWISS CHARD!!!!! As I ran out to the garden, confusion filled my soul. "Have I not given you enough? What more can you possibly want?" "Swiss chard," they responded. When it comes to my swiss chard, momma ain't sharing. Next time, it will be a chicken fight!