Back in Time

I know it's been over a month since Halloween, but I took pics of dH carving the pumpkin we bought at the flea market. (Go ahead and laugh...it was a huge one for only $5.)

It was so fun the way he got all excited and just up and decided to get one and carve it.

Being an artist, he had no trouble sketching out a face that was suitable and to both our liking. I had my doubts before we actually got the pumpkin, because the faces we both drew on paper left much to be desired. *lol* There's a fine art to face drawing, I have decided. We didn't want him to be absurdly grinning, nor did we want an expression conveying anything remotely akin to anger or disgust. *lol* Forgive the big words...I'm not sure where they are coming from this morning!

So he went to town, cleaned it out and proceeded with the carving. No fancy kit or tools here...we just used one of these great little stainless steel knives you can get around here.

I think it turned out rather well, and it sat on the porch for a week and a half in warm weather and barely made it to Halloween. *lol* He got covered in black spots inside and started rotting. Soo...I don't recommend carving one that far in advance. Heh.

Popping my head in...

Well, things have been crazy busy with the holidays and company and painting going on. We're having to hit the 'ole canvas pretty hard these days, and will have to do some double time to make up for slacking to enjoy family visits.

As far as our whole "lifestyle change" discussions go, we're still talking and planning. For the record, we're sick of talking, actually. Tired of BS and everything, and ready to jump in with both feet. So dh said something about January 15th being a momentous day. That will be after our show is hung, with a bit of time to discuss what the plan is. We were going to help serve Thanksgiving meal as a start to our quest, but it turns out that volunteers come out of the woodwork at this time of year. So, I think we'll try to get involved after the holidays...there are so many things that they need help with, and I think that it will be a good place to start. You can't always start where you want to end up. Jumping in will give us the opportunity to find out the smaller areas where we might fit in, help us meet some folks, and start to alter my mindset, I'm hoping.

Here's the mission's site.

So far the computer and internet are safe. Heh. I'm not ready to sacrifice that much yet, and would have to be really convinced that it was a good thing to do. I don't want to lose touch with so many people...

I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Loving

Well, my new bread pan from Ripe for Harvest arrived, and I have finally made some bread! I said I was going to post a pic, but due to things beyond my control, meaning dead camera batteries, plus the fact that I let a friend take a loaf....that's just the way it goes. Next time maybe. But I LOVE LOVE LOVE that new bread pan! It didn't stick at all like my old ones do. *sigh* So nice to have fun new kitchen things.

I was going through some old pics from back home in FL. Made me a little melancholy remembering all the good times. But it's all good...

Here's a pic of the huge hayfield we had in back of our house. It was so much fun to throw the aerobie frisbee and run for acres trying to catch up to it.

And here's a few that made me smile.

That's my bro-in-law playing his low whistle and doing a little jog. *lol*

And here's some great pics of my dh.

I just love this pic of him...not sure if he was hamming it up or what...lol....but it's fun.

Today my goals are to get some laundry done, clean a bit, and paint.

Oh...lol...I'm totally going to brag on myself for all I got done yesterday. I decided after lunch that I was going to do some food prep so we'll have stuff to eat in the midst of painting, because it's too easy to run out and pick something up.

So I made a big batch of granola, two loaves of bread, cooked up a big pot of pinto beans from which I made some refried, some to freeze, and finished it off with a big pot of chili. I also made hot dog chili to freeze for fast lunches, and cooked up rice to have on hand. Not too shabby for me!

Time to go check for eggs...have a sunny day!

OR Honeymoon, Part Two

Now that my full time "job" is oil painting for our show, the best I could come up with to stall this morning was finishing off my honeymoon postings. *lol* Fortunately, I'm almost finished with my first painting, after putting in about 24 hours. A few more should finish it off and allow me to move on. I'm going batty looking at it all day long, with only Buck to critique my work. He doesn't say many helpful things...in fact, I'm sure he mutters under his breath when I ignore his toy on my lap yet again, along with the soulful brown-eyed looks he tries to hypnotize me with.

Ok...where did I leave off?

We stopped at Florence along the way...as you drive along, suddenly you look over and do a double take. There are huge sand dunes, dwarfing and swallowing up tall trees, and bigger than any FL dune I've ever seen.

There were several days of typical Oregon weather, with fog and drizzle, of course. It was still beautiful.

The drive along the coast is so exhilarating. The road winds around, up and down along the cliffs with hair-pin curves and a picture around every corner. It was hard to restrain my shutter finger.

After I took that pic, I think we were driving along and suddenly Aaron realized that his wedding band was missing. We both about had a heart attack...with his thin fingers and the chilly weather it had a tendency to be loose, despite the fact I had gotten it sized once already. We tried to remember where we had stopped...back tracking and frantically trying to think. Then we realized that Aaron had to dig in the trunk in one of our suitcases. Sure enough, after pulling over to check, there it was safe and sound inside. Apparently it pulled off when he withdrew his hand from the search. I believe in Providence. *grin*

Haystack Rock is a good place to enjoy a walk on the beach. I wish we had a better view when this lighting came along.

We also had to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory. They have the best ice cream and cheese ever, and since our visit I've heard that they are only using hormone-free dairy for all their products.

Of course we saw lots of lighthouses along the way...

We stayed in Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia river, and had a nice view of the water and sunset that evening.

Up above the town, they have this column on Coxcomb Hill. We were able to climb up and enjoy the view.

They also have some nice historic buildings, of which we loved this old house.

We decided to cross the bridge and visit Washington for a brief time. I wish I could have taken Aaron to several places, but there wasn't time. The Yakima valley is georgeous and they grow some of the best apples you'll ever eat. And I also visited Top*****h, the city of murals. It's amazing to drive around this tiny town and look at all the art on the buildings.

Here are the murals that "wowed" me the most. The "stone carving" is all painted on.

But I digress. *grin* I get a little carried away when I start talking about the west coast.

Everybody has seen pics of Multnomah Falls. There are lots of falls to see along the Gorge.

I wish I had better pics of the Gorge, but these will give you an idea of how the sun looks on the hills.

The Columbia Gorge Hotel is another nice stop, located in Hood River. They have beautiful gardens around this ritzy little place, and you can stop for tea, dessert and a walk, or stay the night in their luxurious accomodations. This was our "splurge," as we decided to stay. Aaron laughs at me and said that I got all "prim and proper" and stuck my little pinky out as I drank tea and reveled in the ambiance. *lol* I guess maybe I did...but who could help it, drinking tea with a view of the river and surrounded by a historic hotel's furnishings?

The room comes with a complimentary breakfast...and it was the best we had ever eaten! *lol* I laugh thinking about it. Wow. And I hate wasting food, so that was really painful, besides the fact that we ate until we were stuffed. It was the best oatmeal, fish and eggs, etc... We would taste each dish and look at each other with this funny expression. The oatmeal was what cracked me up the most, because we're not big fans. But something about it just made you want to devour the entire bowl!

We tried to drive and see Mt. Hood, but the weather didn't cooperate. Oh well...maybe next time.

That about wraps it up! I hope you enjoyed the rest of the tour, and hope that someday you too can experience the wonders of Oregon and beyond.

Walmart Update

If you didn't get enough from my first rant, here's some more fuel that will hopefully help a little spark to ignite.

I think this is great..the more publicity things like this get, the better. That's the only way to force them to change. They certainly don't have any conscience of their own. The only way to reach them is through the pocketbook...and goodness knows they aren't hurtin' in that department.

And here is where a lawsuit was won against Walmart in PA. Check out why...

Thanks for looking in on your "bash Walmart" newsletter....*grin* Good thing I'm not spending more time digging dirt on these guys..there'd be too much to post!

Thank you once again...

I just wanted to thank everyone who visited this past week, and left such kind notes.

I must say I enjoyed the attention! *lol* I think I've been in a posting frenzy, a little.

Why? Somewhat because of being blogger of the week, but also because my husband and I are discussing making a break with a lot of the technology in our lives. I have a sinking feeling that my blogging days are numbered.

Dh has read a few books by this French philosopher named Jacques Ellul. The Technological Society is a great book. Very hard to read, requiring great concentration and thought. Fortunately my dh is able to wade through and give me the highlights! It's so challenging and thought provoking. So that kind of started it.

Also, we've been reading and discussing a book by this guy named Shane Claiborne. He is part of a group in Philly called The Simple Way. They are doing an amazing work with the abandoned and forsaken people and places. They go into houses, fix them up, live in community and share a common purse while getting to know the neighbors, help kids with homework, give out clothes and food, etc... Their whole way of thinking, and goal to get back to authentic living and following of Christ, is almost incomprehensible because I'm so far away from that kind of reality. Here's what they say.

Our Mission is:
"To Love God. To Love people. To Follow Jesus."
We're giving that our best shot.

Shane talks about how so often we give to charity, we go for a day and help someone...that part of our lives is entirely separate from our day to day living. The two don't mix, and he says that they should. That "work" with the lowly and downtrodden should be our life.

Arghh....I'm terrible at communicating these things. Just get the book...or read a sample chapter here.

Anyways, after all the talking we've done the past few years about how to truly follow Jesus, and questions we've asked, this has come the closest...indeed, we believe that it has the answers to those questions. It's definitely not what I want to hear, but I think it's the right thing to move towards. Talking isn't good enough...now we have to do something. Kind of scary, really. Moving out of my comfort zone always is. And just rejecting traditional church and Christianity isn't the answer either.

So if I actually can make myself give these things up, then I'll come and say goodbye. The TV isn't so much the problem...I think I can live without. It's the computer and internet. I have convinced myself that it's vital to my life...it almost IS my life, at times. Here I have my friends, and lots and lots of information. I'm *addicted* to information. I can get the precise recipe I want in less than 10 minutes time. I can write my family and send pictures in the blink of an eye. It's how I "meet" people and communicate and stay in touch. *sigh* Kind of sad, in a way. I stay in my house, avoiding actual human contact and relationships, which is what matters most. This would be good to force me out into my community, to meet people that need my help and that can help me. It's not fun or pretty. I'm not good at loving the unloveable, or even the unlikeable. And staying in my comfy little house doesn't allow God to supernaturally overcome my human and wrong feelings and show His true work.

Argh....the end is at hand.

Honeymoon in OR

We spent our first night in the hotel at Celebration, Disney's perfect little community that they've built. It's kinda cool to visit, but then it starts to get a little creepy. Every blade of grass and every shrub and flower are prim and proper in their place.

We flew out of Orlando and headed for the west coast...so exciting! Landed in Portland, found our rental car, and tried to sleep. Our plan was to head south and visit Crater Lake, and then swing over towards the coast and work our way north. Well, the plan for Crater Lake didn't work that great. We didn't have food, and because it was barely the beginning of June, not all the roads were open. We still had fun playing in the mountain stream before we got so hungry that we had to turn around.

So we made a beeline towards Bandon-by-the-sea. It was amazing! I had been there before and loved it. Orgeon just leaves you in awe at every turn.

Here's Face Rock...can you see the profile looking up and to the right?

We went down and hiked around and saw lots of sea creatures and seals, which was cool. They just bobbed around in the water and seemed rather curious. But that's on video.

Somehow in the back of my head I have this thought that no one really cares about all this stuff....lol. Kinda like you just have to have been there or something. Oh well...I'm going to keep posting and reliving these great memories, and if you're bored that's too bad! Maybe some one will be inspired to visit the west coast some day, and that would be worth it to me. You'll remember it the rest of your life! Visit the east coast first, because it has something to offer, but not compared to OR, WA and CA.

Ok...after Bandon we drove up towards Shore Acres National Park, in Coos Bay. That is a worth-while stop...is you catch it at sunset, while the tide is coming in, it's astounding. The waves crash against this rock and go spraying upwards at great heights. Plus they have some amazing gardens there, with georgeous roses to sniff to your heart's content.

We took our time here, enjoying one of the only sunny days we had.

One of the few pics of myself that I like was taken in the gardens there.

Dh's favorite stop was Newport. It's a neat little fishing town with a fabulous bridge and few touristy things, mostly untouched and home to Moe's Restaraunt which boasts the best chowder money can buy! We had some, of course, and then later on in our drive we stopped at another of their places and filled up on some more! It was the perfect food for the rainy and foggy days on the OR coast.

They had an old ship at one of the docks, used to explore icefields or something.

I had a hard time understanding why dh liked it so much. It smelled fishy, it was kind of dirty with warehouses and such, and the day we visited was wet and drizzly. But he talked about how authentic it was, which is important after living in Orlando where so much is a facade. And it kind of grows on you, a little town like that. So I endure his jokes about moving there, thankful that it's a long ways away and very expensive to move there. *grin*

There are so many pics...I will continue this later as we make our way up towards Astoria.

Wedding pics!

I finally have uploaded all the pics I need. This might be a two-parter, with our honeymoon in OR coming next.

Ok...So I was living in Winter Garden, FL on my family's property/orange grove. There was a teeny little house at the end of the drive, and it was the perfect size for our starter home. I wish I had a pic of that, but they are buried on a CD somewhere. Here's a view from our house...we were surrounded by hay field on several sides, with a section of tall pines on another. They were so beautiful.

Anyway, my dad and uncle and aunt and great grandmother all lived on this property, and it had been homesteaded by our ancestors back in 1875. It was called Almyra, after the couple that first settled there.

It was such a beautiful house and grounds, with so many of my childhood memories, and we decided to get married under some trees at the corner of the lawn.

Plus, the family had decided that it was time to sell, with chunks of land being taken off for roads, and developments all around us. So, with that in progress, I wanted as many pics to remember this Grand Old House as possible. (Today it is demolished. As a tangible memoir I have two green tiles from the fireplace in the parlor. That about broke my heart.)

Here's the parlor, where I had some of my bridal photos taken. I don't have the photographer's pics on computer yet, but when I do, I'll post some.

Here's the female side of the party...DH's two sisters on the left, my sister-in-law on the right, and my little cousin Rebekah. Her brother Andrew was the ring bearer, and they both did so well!

Here is dh's entire family, plus one cousin on the far left. Yup...there's eight of them! And I couldn't have wished or dreamed for a better family to have as in-laws. They are so great!

Ok...trying for a little better progression here! I'm doing a house tour and our wedding at the same time....heh.

We had our rehearsel dinner at P.F.Chang's, which has american chineses food, and offers white and brown rice, which I love. Yumm. It's one of our favorite restaraunts, and I'm kinda glad the closest one is now 1 1/2 hours away, because it can sure take a toll on the 'ole pocketbook. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Afterwards we came home and started in on the flowers. I bought 20 dozen roses, I think, for about $100. They get them from Columbia or something. Anyway, my mother-in-law, two sister-in-laws and I worked on flowers until 3:30 or 4:30 in the morning! I was relaly happy with the flowers, but I wouldn't recommend to anyone to try this themselves. *lol* It makes for a very exhausting day, even though adrenaline helps get you through.

Here's my new mom helping with the dress. I'm so short, we had to get it as fluffy as possible!

Here are my little attendants. Aren't they the cutest? My brother and I were in my aunt and uncle's wedding, so I thought it was cool that two of their children were able to be in mine.

Here's the guy's walk-down. My father-in-law was able to officiate, so that was special. Dh had his brother and two friends for his men.

My dad bringing me down the aisle. It was so hard walking in grass in that dress! If I have a funny look on my face, it's because he was walking a little fast and I was concentrating so I wouldn't fall!

I don't think we captured it in a photo, but while we were saying our vows a butterfly came and flew around for a minute.

We had to kiss a lot, because the photographer told us to. *grin* I guess we didn't mind. Everyone still teases us about it though.

Our cake was so georgeous...I found the idea I wanted in a magazine, and my brother's wife offered to make the cake. She worked at a bakery for years, and does such a professional job. She was up until the wee sma's, maybe 5:30 am? to finish it to completion. I hated to cut into it!

I enjoyed taking our time about leaving....we didn't have the traditional send-off, because I still needed to go down to my house and finish packing! It was great to be able to visit a little longer with some friends, and not feel so pressured to get packed before the wedding. It's hard enough to pull off an event like that! I never could have done it without so many friends that helped with making and serving the food, and helping with the decorations. It was the day of my dreams!