The holidays are rapidly approaching and life is beginning to speed up.

In the fall and winter months our family not only has the holidays to enjoy, but we have several birthdays and our anniversary inserted into the season as well.

After selling 9 puppies in September, Rich and I made plans for a getaway.....alone.....just the two of us. Our wonderful friends; John and Karla and their four children agreed to housesit, child-sit, dog-sit, cat-sit and chicken......watch, so that we could make our get-away plans a reality.

Two weeks ago, we kissed our little blessings goodbye and headed off to our destination: Port Townsend, Wa., which is  located on the peninsula.  It is a beautiful area with plenty of variety regarding things to do.

We had a fabulous time!

And.....why, yes.....I did take my handy dandy camera along!

Day 1

We drove to Coupeville, Wa. to board the ferry. It was cold and very windy. The sea looked very choppy and I was a little bit nervous about sailing on a very small ferry. They were even considering canceling the run since the weather conditions were so bad and the boat was so small. As we waited for news of our impending voyage, we headed to a small restaurant and purchased a fresh, hot pumpkin spice latte. We decided it would be a romantic thing to do.....to head to the beach and walk along the water together, sipping our nice hot cups of coffee..

Romantic? Um.....I wouldn't exactly label it #1 in romantic things to do. Windy?  Definitely. Cold? Yes, in fact my entire hairdo was reinvented by the inclement weather. We did make memories, though and we did laugh our heads off and we did hold hands.....but that was to keep from being blown apart form each other by the wind!

The pictures don't adequately depict the reality of the weather, but these were taken as we mosied along in the wind and the rain.

We discovered that indeed our little ferry was set to arrive to take us to our destination, but it was "roughly" an hour late. (Pun intended).

Once we finally boarded we were comforted by the words of the captain over the loud speaker: "Please sit down ladies and gentlemen. It is rather windy and the water is quite choppy today. Be advised that  there will be a fair amount of pitching and tossing of the boat. We hope none of our passengers are prone to sea sickness. In this case, there are restrooms for men and women located on this vessel. Please use them for your comfort. Everyone must remain seated as I do not care to have passengers fall down on my vessel. Thank you very much and have an enjoyable journey"

Wow....now, that was really comforting!

My husband looked like a little kid in a candy store. He was grinning from ear to ear & practically running for the bow. I think it was the highlight of the trip for him. Cool! This is gonna be a grrrrreeeaaattttt ride, honey! Just one look at my face might have told him I wasn't "on board" with him in the opinion department, but I think I did a pretty good job about not letting on. With a soft, gentle grin plastered on my face and a nod of my head, I simply sat down next to him without saying a word and buried my head into his chest snuggled up close to him & fell asleep....lulled by the waves and the gentle rocking of the boat.

I was thrilled to see our destination come into view (after he "woke me up" to tell me, of course) and pulled out my handy dandy camera to capture the moment. I apologize for the lack of clarity in this picture. It was taken through the window.

As soon as we disembarked, we set out to find our hotel. It was a quaint, Victorian king suite and very comfortable. We settled in right away and took a little time to relax.

And....yes.....I had my handy dandy camera :

Living room

Another view of it:

Dining area:

In between the dining and living rooms there was a wonderful gas fireplace that put out great heat....and it was so pretty although the picture doesn't do it justice!

The kitchenette:

The good looking man that came with the room:

Another view of the kitchenette/living area

After we settled in, we headed out for a walk around the town. We had dinner at this fabulous restaurant called: the Silverwater. Mmmmmm.....goood! We both had the most amazing meal beginning with appetizers:  We had artichoke, parmesan cheese & garlic pate served with hot pita bread for an appetizer, the most amazing cup of French pressed organic peppermint & Ginger tea and for my entree: halibut in hazelnut sauce, tender crisp broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes with fresh Rosemary! Yummmmmm!

After dinner we enjoyed a nice, brisk walk in the cold and windy air and then headed back to our room to relax. We had a wonderful soaking tub and I couldn't resist taking a nice, long soak & then snuggling up in the terry cloth and silk robes that were provided. This mamma felt PamPered! It was so wonderful!

Day 2

Breakfast was brought to our door at 8:00 a.m. and after a leasurely meal, a little lounging around and showers, we were off to Sequim, Wa. where we spent a wonderful day Christmas shopping together. It was so nice to shop without crowds and to take our time, browse a little, dream a little and have a nice lunch together. We got most of our Christmas shopping completed on that outing.

The snowcapped mountains surrounding us were so beautiful. I just had to make use of my handy dandy camera again:

Once the shopping was complete, we headed back to Port Townsend and enjoyed a tour of Fort Worden. It's just gorgeous there and it is also the location where "Officer and a Gentleman" and the movie: "Enough" were filmed, if you are familiar with them.

Rich is a Navy  vet and served in the first Gulf War, so we both thoroughly enjoyed touring the museum. It was really amazing and well done.

And, yes.....I did take pictures of the grounds at Fort Worden:

Military housing:

Looking toward the bay:

Former barracks:

Beautiful fall colors:

That good lookin guy from the hotel:

And yes....this is my husband and yes....I think he's very good looking!

View of the lighthouse and water.

More barracks:

We went down to the water and I just had to take pictures of the light house. I love light houses!

Rich played around down by the water for quite a while and I took pictures for quite a while:

We headed back to our hotel and regrouped, relaxed a little

and then decided to do something really irresponsible and FUN!

We walked downtown and had dinner at the Elevated Ice cream & Candy shop. No, they don't serve meals there. Yes, they do serve ice cream and candy. Now THAT was a yummy dinner and so much fun!

We walked around for a bit after we ate and then headed back to our room for a nice, cozy, relaxing evening in.

Day 3:

We enjoyed another leisurely morning with breakfast served to our room again and then checked out of our hotel. We walked downtown and did some window shopping. That was really fun. We browsed, goofed off, & Rich tried on some cowboy hats. I tried to talk him into buying one. He makes those hats look awesome! He wouldn't do it, though.

We had lunch at this beautiful restaurant that had the most amazing views. It was right on the water and simply breathtaking. We were seated by the window and enjoyed watching the stormy waters as we partook in another exquisite meal. I had a prime rib dip and Rich had a prawn sandwich. Both were mouth watering. We totally lollygagged through lunch, enjoying coffee and splitting a sundae for dessert.

After our meal was complete, I stepped out onto the deck and took pictures of the view we enjoyed from our table:

It was windy and stormy again, so we had to drive around to another ferry terminal since the ferry we were scheduled for was canceled. The ferry we took home was double the size and in protected waters, so the ride home was much less exciting more pleasant.

One last picture that was taken as we got ready to dock:

What a wonderful, refreshing weekend! I'm so thankful we had the opportunity to get away together.

We were thrilled to see all of the kids when we got home. It was wonderful to be here again. John & Karla had dinner ready and we spent a wonderful evening visiting with them and enjoying the children.

And that, folks.....

is a wrap!

Have a fabulous day full of blessings!

Jana

As I chose this fall picture, I realized that there is not that much time left of the season!

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. They say you're getting old when time begins to go by, unnoticed....Hmmm, not sure how I feel about that. Who are "they" anyway?

Our Fall Season At a Glance

We have had so many fun things going on this season that I haven't had time between events to even write a blog and post the pictures! (We won't talk about the Facebook Bug that's been biting everyone, or that this particular bug could possibly be the reason for less time spent blogging).

There was another National Holiday last month.....or at least in my opinion it SHOULD be a national holiday.

Yes, you guessed it, I had a birthday! Whoo hoo!

It actually was a very nice day. The week before my birthday my husband sent me shopping for a new wardrobe for winter. I bought him some clothes too, while I was out. My dear friend, Tracy went with me and we had a great time out shopping together.I have to say Ross rocks! I got a lot of bang for the buck there & I'm so happy with my birthday gifts......that I got to pick out! Thanks Richie! Two days before the actual day, my kids and grandkids all came and made the day so special. We had a big family lunch followed by two kinds of cake: German chocolate and chocolate cheesecake. YUMMO!

On that note, I guess I'll risk boring everyone with pictures of my own special holiday celebration!

The kids all had a great time playing outside, raking leaf piles and jumping in them!

We had a great meal of home made Italian Sausage Soup, dinner rolls & salad

And....we enjoyed lots of visiting. Below are some of my very favorite men: my husband, Rich and two sons-in-law, Micah and Kevin (holding his baby girl; Hailee).

Brandi, giving her son, Kyran a helping hand. Natalie and Noah were enjoying their meal.

My beautiful 3rd born daughter, Natalie

Noah and Nama enjoying some baby Hailee time

Kevin and Brandi.....goofing off and teasing each other, as usual.

Nama, Squishy little Kyla and baby Hailee. Kyla loved kissing and squishing her little cousin.

They brought me two of my favorite cakes: German chocolate and chocolate cheesecake. It was tough, but I did share with everyone.

Noah and Chrissie looking on with anticipation as I blew out the candles.

What a beautiful card I received from my family with everyone's signatures.

My Heidi holding her daughter, Kyla and her neice, Hailee.

Messy little cousins; Alahna and Kyla

All 7 of our kids and all 5 grandkids. From left to right: Timmy, Chrissie, Alahna sitting, Cora behind her, Brandi holding her son, Kyran, Kyla in the high chair, Heidi holding Hailee, Natalie holding Levi and Noah in front with the balloon.

Timmy got a little wild with the balloon here:

Kyran, Levi and Noah thought the balloons were da bomb!

In Other News:

Our class had a mini reunion!

We hadn't seen each other in nearly 28 years, so this was really fun! One of my classmates from high school; Roy, and his wife; Anna Maria hosted it in their home. We had a small turnout and at the last minute the men who were going to come had to cancel for various reasons: sickness, business etc. None of the other gals' husbands were able to make it, so I think Roy was probably very glad that Rich accompanied me as he was the only other male there! We had a fabulous time, laughing our heads off and eating good food. Anna Maria cooked the most amazing Italian meal featuring the best raviolis I have ever tasted and tirimisu for dessert. YUM! We had a vast array of appetizers as well. One of our class mates couldn't make it all the way from Utah, so she arrived via skype! Below is a picture of all of us with her.

Roy has been playing the sax since he was 10 and we were so blessed by an amazing performance by him.

Roy's wife and daughter. They are a beautiful family!

Like I said.....we laughed a LOT!

And went down memory lane via the 1982  Capital High annual

Anna Maria praticing her amazing culinary skills~

What a fun night and what special memories we made!

The morning of my actual birthday......

it was cold! The day started off with a cozy warm, fire. I couldn't think of a better way to begin the day.

Karla and her kiddos joined us for home school co-op & Reformation party planning. Below is a picture of Karla with her son, Joseph.

That evening we went to a Mom's Night Out. Brandi played and sang beautifully for us. She is so talented & it brought tears to my eyes as she sang and played. I love my kids.

Rana played and sang worship songs for us. Again, it was beautiful and so uplifting.

And.....we yacked and yacked our heads off! Below are my friends; Christine & Donna on the couch and in the background Heidi is talking to another friend of ours.

Co-Op News:

Our Home-School co-op has been studying the Reformation for the past couple of months and our family has been doing its own study of the Reformation. We began this study a year and a half ago & had our first Reformation party last October. We hosted one at our house again this year and had about 60 guests! We started the evening with group pictures, but not everyone was here yet, so not everyone was in them and some people were manning the cameras so aren't included in the pictures.

Almost everyone came dressed Medieval style. We had monks, priests, nuns, Martin Luther, kings, queens, princesses, gypsies, peasants, knights etc.  We enjoyed a medieval feast, songs, readings, games, skits and lots of wonderful fellowship.

What a fun night!

Below is the Reverend Mother; Karla

My adorable grandson, Kyran

Some adorable little princesses

A little prince and a popper

The Inquisition arrived.......

My little princess granddaughter, Alahna!

A princess, a nun and the Reverend Mother

King Richard, the Great and Powerful Ruler

More pictures of little princesses

A couple of little monks

Martin Luther reading: Lutefisk and Yams....."Sven, I am....do you like lutefisk and yams?"

Adam reading the 23rd Psalm

Playing Pin the 95 Thesis on the Wittenberg Castle Church Door

And....she nailed it, folks!

Waiting in line.....

The littlest monk.....he tried so hard, stretching on those tippy toes, but he missed the mark....a little!

The other little monk managed to get it on the door.

Eric Coleman, Brandi and Hailee

Would anyone care for a diet of worms cake?

My two sons-in-law; Micah and Kevin (nice, intimidating look, Kevin!)

Funny looking lady serving the cake!

Brandi and my dear friend, Sarah!

Everyone hanging out and having fun

Kathy Ware on the left with two of her six daughters. She has another baby on the way. They made their outfits. They're such a beautiful and fun family.

Adam Ware talking to my son-in-law, Kevin. Adam's oldest daughter, Lydia who is 14, made his shirt.

A handsome prince

My Heidi and my dear friend, Sarah. Sarah loves my kids like they are her own. She is such a gem. She was raised in Mexico in a missionary family and is the oldest of 20 children. Her parents had 10 kids and they adopted 10 Mexican children. She just had her 9th child. Isn't she beautiful?

Squishy & her Momma!

There was this adorable little garden gnome running around....so cute!

Rich, visiting with Micah and John

Three of my very special friends; Sarah, Kathy and Julie visiting.

There's that cute little gnome again.

Kevin, Hailee and Alahna

I guess we were a bit too much for poor Mark. I found him behind the couch, snoozing away!

Let the Skits Begin!

The kids & some of the adults put on some great skits for us. The first one was called: "Sally got ran over by a donkey" Chrissie played the part of Sally. Kyle Engleson played the part of the donkey, Paula played the skit director and Evelyn Ware was Chrissie's sidekick who saved her life after the tragedy.

The main characters: Sally's friend and Sally

The donkey, having just run over poor Sally.

The skit's director

Take Three!

Next skit: The Microsoft Monastery

Rigo and Jeff did a great job!

And that little gnome and her Daddy were having a great time!

Uncle Levi and Nephew, Kyran

And that's a wrap, folks!

Have a blessed day!

Jana

It is a beautiful, blustery fall day. Chrissie, my 9 year old daughter has helped me get a crock pot full of split pea soup ready for dinner. Split pea soup is her favorite, much to the chagrin of her older sister whose face actually becomes deformed at the mention of it.....but we'll just leave that little subject right there....and I'll get back to describing our cozy day.

The washer and dryer are humming away, washing the umpteen million loads of laundry that they have been tasked with today.

The children's beds are made and rooms are clean & I am so impressed at how the appearance of a big, white garbage bag and the mention of a possible trip to Good Will to drop off donations, spark a vivid interest in cleaning the aforementioned rooms and making the aforementioned beds. Why even "Jaws" (our beloved vacuum cleaner) has been hauled out of his dark & lonely storage closet & the girls' bedroom actually appears to have met up with the dreaded Jaws.His voractious appetite has been satisfied after he sucked up oodles and oodles of "stuff" from their floor and the room looks, well......clean!!!.Hmmm, perhaps this interest has something to do with the knowledge that "forced donations" could occur if an ungratefulness for their belongings is shown by leaving their priceless treasures strewn about the house/bedrooms/bathrooms.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the Goodwill? Hmm, well.....I do. That little store, somehow aids in keeping my house clean and tidy......imagine that!

Clears throat....so, uh....back to my cozy description of our day.

So, we just finished up a wonderful lunch of fresh organic scrambled eggs fresh from our very own laying hens & cooked with delicious green peppers, onions and peppered bacon & topped with grated, cheddar cheese. Wholesome, whole grain toast & fresh squeezed orange juice were served with lunch. Okay, so the orange juice wasn't fresh squeezed.....but I did buy it at Costco....next best thing, right?

The children are all busily singing and making cheerful sounds as they clean up the lunch mess.They're competing to see who can clean up the most, the fastest.....and...well.......They ARE cleaning up, but the big white garbage bag is gleaming in the corner....maybe that's why they're working faster than normal (rubs chin while looking thoughtful).

This afternoon laundry folding is on the agenda, followed by some quiet reading with the children.

Piano practicing, a math lesson & some baking are all  activities that are just waiting to fill up the rest of our cozy day.

In Other News:

I had a baby the other day!

........or at least it seems like it was the other day.

Can you believe that our little Levi just turned 3years old? It seems like I just announced my pregnancy and now my little announcement is so big! Why, he even sasses me, throws fits & displays his independence in other not so exciting ways. The other day he and his older brother decided to have a wrestling match and Levi won! Where did my sweet little baby boy go? He's still sweet (in spite of his tendency towards naughtiness & fit throwing at times). He loves to climb up in my lap & kiss my cheeks over and over again. He loves to be tucked in with his special little blanket at night. He loves to be prayed with & cuddled and sang to. He loves to be read to. He loudly assures me of his affection for me with a hearty: "I uv ooh, Mom Mom!" Translation: "I love you, Mom Mom." His signature name for me is Mom Mom. I love it! None of my other kids have come up with that one. It's just so.....Levi!

We took Levi out to lunch on Sunday to commemorate his special day. He thought it was great fun. He sat in his special birthday chair (a brown high chair, ) and happily colored with the crayons that were provided by the very nice waitress.He ate his chicken strips and fries with  a big grin after he sucked the barbecue sauce off of each fry first. He is a liberal fry dipper for sure! I think he had more barbecue sauce than fries! When his double scoop ice cream sundae with chocolate syrup, a mountain of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry on top.....arrived.....he bounced up and down in his very special birthday chair, clapping and yelling with gusto.

"My b'day come, my b'day come. It MY b'day now!

With gusto he blew out each candle, one....by....one. With gusto he ripped those freshly blown candles out of the whip cream mountain and with that same gusto he licked each candle until it was free of every drop of whipping cream.

And with gusto.....he ate....and ate....and ate....that sundae!

After a wonderful lunch and birthday celebration, we all headed for the car and made the beautiful drive home. Since my favorite Man was driving, I took some pictures of the scenery through the car window. So, if you see some glare.....and blur....and interesting stuff below....it's not your eyes that are the problem. No need to make an eye appointment or rush in for new lenses or anything like that.

I never get tired of our valley. It's beautiful everywhere you look.

I used to go hiking on that hill in the picture below. My friends and I loved that hill!

I think all the birthday excitement wore out our big three year old boy.

 Below is proof that sugar is a downer!

Look what that ice cream sundae did to my poor little Levi:

When we arrived home, he slept for two more hours! He was one tired boy.

He got to open his presents that night & yes, I did take pictures, but those will have to wait for another post!

I leave you with a little humor:

And  that's a wrap, folks!

Have a fabulous day full of blessings!

Jana