things happen when you pray

 It started on Wednesday at Bible Study

In Psalm 96 verse 2 we read Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.

In the discussion we talked about proclaiming Salvation, how often do we thank God for our salvation and how often do we share it.

Next day we are heading to Chicago and before we leave I ask the Lord for words,  proclaiming his Salvation, if the opportunity came. 

I was seated by a lady and her son.  For most of the flight they were in conversation and I was reading my book. 
Then she turned and smiled and asked about my trip. I told her I was going to a small family Bible Camp. Not sure how the conversation got to our "faith" but I told her I  believe in Jesus, that He is the Son of God and is my Savior.        Then I asked her about her faith.    
( I wish I had a recorder going, but who knew all that she would share )
She believed in dreams, and we noticed the book I was reading.   She called God her manager, but she was not a Christian.  She encouraged her children to learn and study other avenues of faith.  Her son reads the Bible every day.   Her daughter goes to a Catholic school.  

While that was the serious part of our visit, there is more to come.

She asked an unexpected question.  What have you learned lately?

Well, I had just been putting some facts/ideas together in my mind and this is what came out:
I believe that there is no one, not a spouse, friend, child, that can understand/help with every issue in your life...Only Jesus.
I also realize with technology we sometimes expect answers right away.  But,  everyone has there own style/preference of communication.  Some text, some phone call, some email,   some promptly, some pause,... because they are not like me/you, does  not make them wrong. 

More conversation...

Her son was going to an economic convention in Chicago, he is 16.  He began his schooling at Cherry Crest Elementary..... What ?! one block from my house ! The school my kids went to! 
  A family across the street have a 16 year old boy and I started looking for his name in my phone, but as I scrolled I came  to his mother's name first and the lady beside me said...I know her, her son is also coming to the competition here in Chicago.

Now that is what I call...a small world....and even more,,, providence.

She took my name and thought we might meet for coffee some day.

I have not heard from her yet, but ... one day at a time

I live an exciting life

An amazing day

 Easter Sunday 

A Perfect day to remember a Baptism 

Three friends and their parents were invited to join

and they came 

Standing to sing reveals ... they brought their Bibles along 

 

The wetness,  the smiles and then some tears 

Then to Grandmothers house we go

Kitchen helpers having fun

And everyone smiles
even the lady behind the camera
and
No lack of food

And no lack of desserts ....

Then comes the hunt... baskets ready

Yes, everyone needs Peeps, and a reminder of the first Easter ...

The boys were off in a flash... but little one took her time 

And she opened each one carefully, before finding the next 

Each egg needs to be empty so Grammy can load them up next year...  candy and coins go home with the kids

and a view of our family's Easter decor  in Minnesota

 

We always make carrot cake for Easter...and the See's bunny boxes are sweet memories of past years
   traditions we want to keep 

Then... 

  An invitation to our oldest grandson's high school graduation in June !      Icing on the cake ♥

I live  an exciting life.

keeping in touch

 My Mother taught us to always write a thank you note. Actually, my sister just sent me a beautiful thank you note last week...she had a BIG birthday.

Even the envelope is special 

In the past few years I have tried to send notes for almost  no reason.

By the way..... in 2022 a company was offering U.S. postage for about 1/2 price.  It was near Christmas, so even though it seemed risky, I ordered 300.   And they arrived!..and  in plenty of time !

Now there are many ads for about 1/2 price and yes, I have ordered more and more.   So this year at Christmas all the family got their own little supply of stamps in their stocking.

And I have tried to ramp it up a bit.... I like to have stamps, return labels and cards to sort of go together

Feels like it is a little reflection of how much you know/care  about the recipient and a little about my own character/personality 

Yes, I do have lots of cards with shoes....but if you find any shoe postage stamps, I would love to know 

On to 2024.   Hubby showed me an article in the local " Bellevue Style "  ( and no, I cannot say that I fit into Bellevue style, but that is where we have lived for many years )

I hope you will  read Cara's  story....she writes a note every day and decorates them by hand !!   Her focus is on being thankful. 

 Yes, we need to be more thankful.       Every day !

You can do it !

I live an exciting life 

not an ordinary day

We had been waiting for this appointment
  so we knew it would not be a regular ole day

Woke up extra early and had my outfit ready but, it just didn't look right.  I rarely change my mind in the morning
            But I wanted to be comfortable and cute

Done.
Had a quick bite  to eat and one more cup of coffee

We have lived together long enough to know that when hubby says to leave at 7:30, he might really mean 7:25.   As it turned out, I was ready at 7:20 and away we went.

All good

The roads were clear and we made good time and then the sign said keep left and we did and we must have been in the wrong lane to keep left      We crossed under Montlake, instead of onto Montlake
But, hubby knew what to do and we arrived at 
University of Washington Medical Center right on time

All good

The gentleman doing the testing was Dr. Barry Lia.
He knew his stuff

The first cage

  

Hubby in the cage

Hubby almost in the middle 

At this point Dr Lia explains what will take place in the next cage 

   Not a life size model, but very helpful 

Inside cage two.   Dr. Lia admitted that some patients will not even step inside.   Once the door closes, it is pitch black.   Then you are told what to do ...follow the lights, but do not move your head

The results appear and are printed out 

The next testing lasts for an hour.  

And during the hour of watching the middle green dot...

images came up here and there and are printed out

And during the pauses we had conversations about family, sports and Dr. Lia was very observant.

He noticed my tote bag  ( brought along reading material in case I was stuck in the lobby )

He seemed impressed with the felt  lining ( chartreuse, not my favorite color ) and did not notice the front of the bag...I'll just turn it over now

The results of this test showed many things...including that all the crystals are in place in Hubby's ears
This would have been an easy fix.  But it also showed a few other irregularities that the Vertigo specialist Dr. Rubenstein, will review and share the results with us next week..

And I will share with you

All good

 

I live an exciting life  

.

A woman with dignity

 When you come home from a visit with a friend you have not seen since Covid and you have a conversation that is real, and honest, and hard,  you don't want to forget about it

So,  I write...

We met about 8 years ago, at a volunteer position in the library.   As we worked together, we had plenty of time to get acquainted, and we did.   While we chatted and laughed, I learned some of the hard part of her life.   Many years ago, she had married and had one daughter, and then...maybe 12, 13 years later, her husband decided he would rather live with another man.   So she and her daughter moved across the country and started a new life.  Soon she fell in love with another man and after several years of marriage and care, he died of cancer.  In the meantime, her daughter had married, had one son and now that marriage has ended.

Today, we are catching up.  She remembered that I had a red car and that I had prayed that my son would find a wife.  And he has. That wedding should be coming soon, but that is another story for later.

 Her daughter has found the love of her life and  has wedding plans for this spring. Also, her tall dark and handsome grandson is now in college and still loves his Grammy.   They have a home where all three generations can live happily ever after.

There is a hard part to her life now.  A while ago her daughter told her that her memory was not good and she did not seem herself. So she checked with her doctor and found out that she does have a form of dementia.  There is a diagnosis that is different than Alzheimer's. Part of the symptoms are hallucinations,   memory loss, tiredness and more.   That means she cannot drive or live alone.   

And my friend is cheerful and content.  She is not shy about speaking up about the truth, admitting the situation.  

She also told me about her growing up in North Carolina in a church where they loved the Lord and later she worked in the office.  So good and comforting to know that she knows, that Jesus knows, all about her,  and cares.  

We prayed at breakfast and I continue to pray for her.

She is an example to follow.  We are all growing older.  And changing, and admitting our changes (  memory loss, lower energy, weight change, etc. ) is healthy and feels comfortable/comforting. It is not easy, but we  must  still try to do our best and what is right.  

Never too old to learn

I live an exciting life

.

Cancer is a Family Affair

 

Sign up.....and I did 

We weathered the storm..

Greeted by our friend and very in charge Jenni

and then

by my side, Tanner, the best technician ever 

No more than a little prick 
Hardly needed a Band-Aid 

Three generations of love

The young looking grandma is my cousins daughter 

♥   My Cousins   ♥

And this little angel is Charlie
She loves pink 
so seemed right for her to keep my pink umbrella

Memo: we have the same blood type !

 only 7 % with O negative   ♥

I live an exciting life 

.

More than a walk in the park

 A walk in the Bellevue Botanical Garden d'Lights 

Date night for Damon and Kelsey.

Along the garden path they sat down to enjoy the lights, then Damon got down on his knee and asked Kelsey to marry him 

And,  she said yes  ♥  

Then they drove to Mercer Island where Damon had made plans with some of the family, very secretly, to share the news with a party

The place 

Waiting inside...
Kelsey's Dad, Damon's Dad & Mom, 
    and secretly...
Kelsey's sister flew in from Colorado just for the day
Kelsey's brother and sister in law flew from Virginia 
Kelsey's best friend from Colorado flew in too

The Perry's close friends from Seattle 

Damon's two Bellevue  sisters , two Bellevue brother in laws, and two nephews

What a big surprise.  a few tears,,,, no a lot of tears and lots of good food 

I believe those smiles tell a sweet story 

And no one more happy than the dads, who paid the bill 

I live an exciting life.