Category Archives: Photography

Events, Kathy, Project 365

P365 – Day 103 (I’ve fallen…)

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We had our Women’s Retreat this past weekend (as Tim already mentioned in his awesome Saturday Blog). I took exactly TWO pictures all day Friday and NONE on Saturday. My goodness, if Tim hadn’t covered for me on Saturday I would have actually had a lapse in my Project 365. Yikes! We wouldn’t want that to happen.

One of the pictures from Friday is of me and a sweet friend, Beckie. I posted a blog about Beckie WAY back at the beginning of my Project 365 adventure. She makes another appearance in today’s post. So the picture is from Friday (keeping up with the Project 365) but the story of this blog is from today (clear as mud?).

I just got off the phone with Beckie. She was checking to make sure I was safe and sound and in one piece. You see, in a moment of utter grace and poise, I fell backwards in the church parking lot this afternoon and fell and conked my head.

Yes, it was a priceless moment that should have been captured on film, but thankfully WAS NOT!! I was in the parking lot visiting with Beckie and some other friends. I was standing up against the curb and started to take a step back. As soon as I did so, I felt the edge of the curb and knew there was no way I could lift my feet up and over it or stop myself from falling. I didn’t have time to shift around and stop the motion in action. There wasn’t anything to grab on to so DOWN I went.

Ouch! I landed first on my bottom (ah, nice cushion there) and then banged my head hard on the sidewalk. I was thankful I didn’t fall the other way – hate to crack teeth or bang noses.

Everyone was terribly solicitous. They helped me into Beckie’s car and made me sit down and rest. They looked at my pupils and gave me instructions about concussions and the dangers of falling asleep. It was quite an impressive crowd – the worship pastor was there, the youth pastor came by, two of the church secretaries hurried to help (one being the wife of the junior high/Small group pastor) and the AWANA director.

Here’s a sample of the conversation Beckie and I had:

Beckie: Kathy, are you all right? Oh my goodness, you really hit the ground hard.

Kathy: Yes, I heard it too.

Okay, I think I would have had me sit down for a little bit at that point as well. “Kathy, we are very glad you heard the noise of your own head smashing the sidewalk, how about you rest for a few minutes before driving your children around town.”

beckie and kathy

Beckie and I at the Women’s Retreat, Friday night.

I took the ice they graciously provided and then declared myself well enough to drive home. I was a little shaky/sore but not dizzy or light headed feeling. I got in the car and immediately burst into tears.

What is that all about??? Am I too proud or self-contained to cry in front of other people? Perhaps. Maybe I was afraid they would cosset me too much and I wouldn’t be able to stop crying. The poor children, they were awfully worried to see me crying.

Rachel: Mom, you don’t ever cry. How come you don’t cry more? Are you okay?

Daniel: Mom, it makes me scared and worried when you get hurt.

Thankfully I have a hugely blessed life and am most often happy and cheerful and healthy. It shakes everyone up (including me) to have Mom (Rock and Stable Force/Manager of the Family) fall down.

kathy at the retreat

She looks poised and confident but this gal is one good push from falling flat on her backside.

By the time I got home, the tears had stopped and I was feeling better (although still very tender in the noggin). One of the women called me 10 minutes later, checking to be sure I was okay. Wasn’t that kind.

It reminds me how much we have been loved and cared for by the people of our church. When Daniel had his appendix out last year we were thoroughly covered in prayer, blessed with meals, and visited by many members of our church family. Daniel got so many gifts that I think some of the other children wondered if they couldn’t do without their appendixes (appendices?) as well.

I am thankful for friends and for a hard head that keeps me safe.

I’ll close with a piece of Tim’s prayer this evening:

“Thank You, Lord, that Kathy is so hard headed she survived her fall this afternoon.”

Kathy

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Events, Grandparents, Project 365

P365 – Day 104

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In Kathy’s absence, I find myself driven to write a blog to break the silence. Perhaps her recent phone call explains my motivation:

“If you can lay on the couch in good conscience and read your book while there is no blog posting for today or yesterday, then go right ahead,” Kathy suggested. So here I am, taking up the sacred keyboard out of sheer guilt.

Truth be told, I would never dare to take up the actual sacred keyboard, that is, Kathy’s cool wireless keyboard. Somehow, in spite of the fact that I am the resident computer professional, her computer is the best and newest one, with the biggest monitor, and (much to my chagrin) the comfiest chair. I’m writing from a straight-backed chair at my own tiny desk in the corner, having (finally) outlasted the kids and their incessant Webkinz playing. Such idle amusements are not permitted on Kathy’s computer.

Today we celebrated my Mom’s birthday, cheerfully ignoring the fact that her birthday was on Wednesday. In keeping with her own character, and (perhaps) in honor of our recent attempts to reduce our expenses, Mom asked for work instead of presents. We piled into the van at about 7:20 this morning (shudder) and drove out to the Duckabush, where we spent about 2 1/2 hours pulling Oregon Grape fragments out of what seemed like acres of muddy hillside.

Mom and Daniel working on a stubborn root
We had a competition to see who could get the longest root segment — of course, mine was the longest, although Grandma and Daniel made a creditable effort.

We planted 20-some trees (Dad said they were Turkish firs, but I wasn’t fooled) with the help of Chaplain Ted, who has been staying out at the Duckabush and was duped into being part of this project.

David and Sarah hauling trees
David and Sarah were very helpful planting each tree and marking them with little orange flags.

As energies flagged, Grandpa entertained the kids with tractor rides (and promptly ran out of gas). We broke for lunch (hot dogs at the Gazebo) and stalled until the rain settled in. We played games and read stories and enjoyed cake, hoping that the rain would continue so we wouldn’t have to go back out and do more clearing. As is often the case in the Spring, the sun shone brightly while the rain poured down for much of the afternoon.

We couldn't find the elders, so we laid hands on it ourselves.
It turns out that playing with the tractor was a lot more fun than pulling Oregon Grape out of a hillside.

It was a fun day, and Mom seemed to enjoy it. I was very proud of my children, who did very little complaining or whining, at least on a per-capita basis. Joshua, Rachel and Daniel plugged away at the ground-cover removal, and Rachel kept a stiff upper lip about an outbreak of hives (apparently aggravated by the cold temperatures). David and Sarah worked with Chaplain Ted to plant a number of the so-called Turkish firs, and even I managed to keep my whining down to a low mumble.

Buried Treasure
Chaplain Ted shows the proper way to plant a tree.

I took a few minutes to walk around the main lodge of The Refuge, admiring the progress made since my last visit. The kids and I agreed that we disliked the yellow and blue outside wall coloring — funny that Grandma and Grandpa would put so much effort into designing such a beautiful lodge and yet neglect such basic asthetic matters.

Main Refuge Lodge
Grandpa claims that logs will cover up the unsightly blue and yellow, but we’re not fooled.

On the way home we saw the most spectacular rainbow, which, of course, I didn’t capture with my camera. It was a double rainbow, and it was very deep and vibrant with color — so much so, that there seemed to be two nearly complete rainbows mapped out in the bands of the primary half-ring. As we drove along, it seemed the rainbow ended just a few hundred yards away in the marshlands — we were tempted to go hunting for a pot o’ gold, or at least a box of Lucky Charms.

A rainbow on the way home
This is not the rainbow that we saw … it was another rather pathetic one … but I was determined to have SOME kind of picture of a rainbow.

When we arrived home, Joshua made us pancakes while I collapsed on Doughboy (our couch, not a slow-moving family pet). I was very proud of him — he is on dinner dishes duty, which meant that he had to clean up everything as well — he is a very diligent and cheerful boy who we are beginning to rely upon a little too heavily. As I struggled to wake up enough to work on my Sunday School class, he even decorated the downstairs with crepe paper streamers for Daniel’s birthday tomorrow. Truly, a delightful boy.

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Games, Project 365

P365 – Day 102 Webkinz Hit Our House

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The children have a new obsession – Webkinz. They heard about this new, exciting entertainment from some friends. It’s as if Beanie Babies married a computer programmer (a gamer, no less). You buy one of many adorable stuffed animals and with it (on it’s sacred tag) comes a code number. This number allows you to log on to the webkinz website and create a world for your pet. You play the games in order to earn money (realistic, I must say, that’s what we all know Tim is doing at work – playing games on his laptop). With the money you buy furnishings and other things for your pet. I’ll have to see if Daniel and Rachel will post a blog about their newfound fun.

daniel and david

I thought this sounded like a fun new game but didn’t give it much thought beyond that as we do not have ANY money in our budget these days for more stuffed animals (even if they do come with cool computer/web access). Lo and behold, we had visitors to our house and what were they hiding behind their backs? Not one but TWO Webkinz animals. One for Daniel and Rachel! Wow! What a huge gift! Thank you, Julee and girls. You are too kind.

So now Rachel and Daniel are extremely motivated to clean their rooms and do other chores as well as finish their school in record time, all in order to get time on the computer. Rachel told me, “I guess I won’t be a chip horder any more, Mom, with this fun game to play.” Joshua, who is NOT a stuffed animal lover and generally eschews these type of childish interests, has been seen helping Daniel with his pet for long periods of time. No doubt just doing a little consulting work on the side, I’m sure he isn’t really interested in the games. :)

Anyone else in on this craze? I felt vaguely comforted when the women’s ministry’s director of our church came over yesterday and immediately recognized the Webkinz game page. “Oh, do you guys have Webkinz?” She then launched into a long description of one aspect of the game. No doubt, like Joshua, she’s just “helping” her kids play. Nice to see people being so considerate. Lol!

Kathy

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Bible Study, Project 365

P365 – Day 101 (Women’s Retreat -My Prayer)

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I am blessed to serve on the steering committee for our church’s women’s retreat. I work with an amazing collection of godly women. This year’s retreat is rapidly approaching and I am in the throes of the preparation.

paper work

One thing I especially enjoy (in a sick and twisted way) is producing the retreat notebook. I love buying the crispest, whitest paper I can find at Office Depot and finding the perfect images to go with our theme. I spend hours (this is the twisted part – I’m a serious perfectionist when it comes to Publisher) getting the fonts just right and coordinating colors. A friend introduced me to Pixie which has opened up this amazing world of color matching.

Unfortunately the notebook is something that can only be done at the last minute as schedules are constantly changing and evolving and there is always something that needs to be adjusted near the end. This makes for a rather frantic time period for me. Thankfully I am a last minute kind of gal who thrives on a high pressure deadline.

I love being involved in the details of the retreat – knowing who is going to be in which cabin and what the speaker is sharing and what time we move from session to session, etc. It feels like I am part of some big grand secret. I am just thankful that I am not responsible for everything (or we would have a very interesting retreat).

If I’m not careful I spend all my energy working and worrying and preparing for the retreat and don’t save any time for readying my heart to hear from the Lord. The retreat is a wonderful time for fun fellowship with the women in the church but it is primarily an opportunity for me to learn more about God, to be challenged and convicted, encouraged and strengthened. I don’t want to run myself ragged before the retreat even begins or I have no energy left to meet with the Lord (I’ll be asleep). And so I am driven to my knees.

My prayer for the retreat…

Lord, quiet my heart as this special time approaches. Give me clarity in thinking as I finish up last minute details (and the list seems overwhelming at times). Help me to get enough sleep so I am rested and ready for a busy weekend. Speak to me in a powerful way through the women appointed to share. Let me be Your vessel. Help me to set aside my own desires and be directed by You. Teach me something new about who You are and what You want for my life. Fill my words with grace and encouragement as I walk among the other women. Meet me in my weaknesses, Lord, and fill me with Your strength. Help me in the areas where I am leading. As I think about the theme of the retreat, A Heart Transformed, I lift Paul’s words in Romans 12 up as a prayer.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will..

Kathy

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Aunts and Uncles, Events, Project 365

P365 – Day 100 (Easter Eggs)

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I like to think of holidays (including birthdays) as sort of fluid. There’s no need to be bound by the actual date, is there? In our house, we open Christmas presents for a good week. It isn’t that we have so many gifts (although with five children there is certainly a respectable pile under the tree) but that we like to S…T…R…E…T…C…H out our Christmas celebrations. Once the last present is open, it means Christmas is over.

where's the dye?

Although my primary Love Language is probably quality time, I have a strong love of gifts. It seems rather shallow in comparison to some of the other gifts. Although maybe you aren’t supposed rank the 5 love languages – I guess that kind of defeats the purpose of understanding people feel loved in different ways and in order to make them FEEL loved, you need to speak the language that communicates best to them.

Still, I feel a bit childish to admit that a present makes me happy. What am I, five? None the less, it’s true and I’ve come to accept it about myself. Thankfully I have a husband who LOVES to give presents almost as much as I enjoy receiving them. Aren’t we a wonderful team! One year my birthday lasted for several weeks with Tim bringing out a steady stream of presents. It was heavenly!!

bowls of color

I digress (it was all that talk of presents, got me a bit giddy). I was hoping a discussion on elaborate, stretched out celebrations would distract everyone from the fact that today’s pictures revolve around dying Easter eggs.

And Easter was several days ago. Sigh. I blame this terrible breech in egg dying protocol on my mother in law. I also blame my mother. My mother in law went and caught the flu this Easter. Now how are we supposed to dye Easter eggs and eat jelly beans and chocolate all day if Grandma is sick? Especially if I am on record as being generally opposed to candy and rely on the grandparents to provide my children with confections of all sorts. Some people have no respect for proper traditions.

dan, josh, andrew

2000 boys

Daniel, Joshua and Andrew wait patiently for Grandma to fire the starter pistol on the great Egg Dying Competition of 2000.

rachel's working hard

Rachel’s hogging the blue in 2000.

And my mother? She loves dying Easter eggs. She will work hard to gather some children (even if they are grown up, not a single one of them under the age of 10, or even 25) for an afternoon of Easter egg dying. She does, however, live in Michigan. Yes, Michigan. That is MUCH too far to go for an afternoon of egg dying. Some years our family has managed to combine our Michigan visit with Easter (truly a worthy feat).

phil and daniel

Here my brother, Phil, and Daniel work hard at their eggs in 2004.

sarah and jenn
more sarah and jenn

It’s 2004 and Sarah lets Aunt Jenn help her a little bit but eventually she wants to get her hands on that spoon and do some dipping herself.

Of course, this produces ONE yellow egg and some very messy fingers requiring serious cleaning up.

cleaning up sarah

With all these mothers not cooperating a bit, it’s amazing we managed to dye Easter eggs at all. Thankfully we had an episode of Bonanza to console and buoy our spirits. Afterward, it was time for some serious egg work.

How can we possibly eat any of the children’s precious works of art? “No, don’t eat the [insert color here] one!” With five children (and parents who want to play with the pretty colors as well), how many eggs do you need to hard boil? How many egg salad sandwiches can one family eat? How long do hard boiled eggs last? These are significant questions. I remember talking to my mother last week.

“Are you ready for your company, Mom?
“Oh, yes. We’ll have an easy lunch, that’s all settled. I’m worried about something else, though.”
“Oh dear, what’s wrong?”
“How many eggs do I boil? How many will each person want to dye? 3? 4? More than that? I’m a bit concerned.”
Pause.
“Um, Mom, is Dan coming over with the kids?”
“No, it’ll just be the four of us. Thom and Jenn are coming for lunch. But you know your father, he always surprises me and wants to do his fair share of Easter egg dying.”
“I’m sure you’ll work it out, Mom.”

rachel and david

So, you see, some of the great questions in life must be puzzled out each year.

Happy Late Easter Egg Dying!!

Kathy

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