January | Rest of Month

January was another full month for everyone and a lot of fun too.. :) 

First off though, I found a couple photos on my phone from a couple outings with Alex in November: one where we had to get some organics (I straightened my hair that day) & the other when we all went to the Dollar Store and Alex decided to make James a Dr. Seuss character.

Going back a bit, on January 7th, Hank & Tasha (Alex's sister and hubby), Daniel & Rachel, and a couple other friends went on a quadruple date to Tito Macaroni's, before going to the Cotton Candy machine (thus our cotton-candy colored outfits). Alas, we had so much fun at the table, though we were just next door, we arrived and they were *gasp* closed!! Horrors!! T'was a great disappointment, but we all solemnly decided we must go again and change our fate.

Plans having changed, we went on to have dessert at Gooeys and embraced a chilly walk around the short side of the boardwalk before clambering back into our cars and driving home.

On the 13th, Alex dropped by for lunch and brought by these beautiful mini Orchids to grace my desk at work..aren't they adorable?! :) He's such a sweetheart.

We all went skiing again, 3rd week of January, and since homeschool days get such good rates, you always see friends on the slope... :) (Let me tell you--homeschoolers don't lack for friends!!) 

A relaxing, quiet afternoon journaling, working, and drinking a healthy version of  an Orange Julius and popcorn. :)

January 24th was a full day, starting with the Homeschool Spelling Bee. It's long been a tradition to compete and enjoy these annual competitions, and at the end, I'm proud to say that Esther and Josiah (our 2 competitors) won their divisions (6th and 8th grades, respectively) and are going to Regionals in March!! It'll sure be fun to see if either of them go to Nationals this year!

Afterwards, we all went to celebrate at Ihop, and Alex and one of the judges came and ate with us.

In our opinions, you never get too old for coloring! :)

Afterwards, we went to the Symphony (another annual tradition), and this time Alex came with us too! That's been awhile... Isn't he handsome? ;)

 That evening, a bunch of my co-workers (ie. friends and family, haha) and I had a game night...talk about fun! This game is called Ticket to Ride, and if you haven't played, you should! It's awesome, and a mix between relaxing and strategic. I was yellow and did pretty good! :)

Alex and I had a little mudding adventure on the 26th, and enjoyed washing the car clean afterwards. :)

Aren't these adorable?! I found them for a GREAT price at GoodWill for Rebekah.

January 31st, to finish out the month, Esther and I made pizza together for dinner....talk about delicious! :)

 Mmmm..are you hungry now?? Haha...well, you should be!!

And that was our January! Yes, there were other things--selling alpacas (we're down to 20 now!), lots of work and school, etc. But these were our highlights.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love..."

~ Ephesians 1:3-4 ~

October Originals

Well, well, well!! Hello October (and almost November!!) Did you know that between the last of October and the first of November is a very special day?! THE FIRST OF OCTEMBER!!! But better beware!! If you're not very, very careful, in a blink of a flash, you will have missed it.
In fact, it is so hard NOT to miss, that most people I know have never been able to slip inside it's joys!
(For those of you who don't know...it's cousin is Sleep Day--the day between Saturday and Sunday). A lot of people miss that one too.

Onto other such things, this month has been a blur of yet more activity.. The week after Tasha and Hank's wedding, we got to spend some more time with all the relatives and especially these awesome cousins!!

We got to show them around our place and they got to meet their first alpaca!! :)

I love this photo Alex captured (thanks to Alex for most of the photos on this post.) :)

That next weekend, Alex and I had the joy of video graphing the last 2 shows of Rockin' B Ranch's 20th Celebratory Dinner Shows!! What an honor that was, and it brought back memories for both of us..

And, for the first time, we were able to actually spend our courtship anniversary together...that was a LOT of fun! I am so blessed...

Alex got his winter vehicle, and his ole' pal Matthew and I had a lot of fun testing it out with him on the logging trails... Isn't the color glorious?! I have to say, I love Land Rover Discoverys.... (1994 is the best!) ;)

Of course, we had to take opportunity of a handy photographer in this landscape! (Courtesy of this lot to Matthew)

On another note, I've been working on downsizing the ranch, and we have now gone from over 50 head of alpacas to a mere 24 (and sliding) in the last 5 months! Praise God!

Also, as of this week, it has been ten years since we moved onto our ranch.... Looking back, I am so thankful my parents decided to move--first from Anchorage, and then from the Coeur d'Alene suburbia...what memories we have to cherish and are still making!!

Like.......

Introducing: the newest meat bringer of the family:

Thanks to Esther, we now have fresh deer meat in the freezer!! :)

 We sure had fun watching Hank and Tasha open their wedding presents too!! They sure got some fun and useful keepers!

(They even got their height right! :D)

 On the way up there, a couple of my men decided to have some fun....

Mmm...oh, do I love this time of year with the scrumptious cups of tea and cider, good books, warms scarves and tights, gloves and ear muffs! And crocheting... You know?! As my family can attest you used to NEVER find me without cross stitch, embroidery, or crocheting in my hands, but after the Philippines and medical studies, life changed so much, that it really has only been in the last year or so that I've taken my handwork and sewing back out!! And, boy am I glad I have!!
With life so busy and full, I'm not quite as fast at getting projects whipped out, but they're coming slowly but surely! Maybe I'll post pictures of a few in a while... :)

One of Alex and my favorite verses has been I Thessalonians 4:11-12, and I think it is quite appropriate this post:

"And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; that ye many walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may lack of nothing."

Little Joys of Life

Mmm....the sweet joys of ... wait, it's not quite Autumn yet... Ah well, it's soon to be!! :) I can feel it in the air...and you know what one big plus is?!

Not feeling like this! =D

I thought August would slow down, and in some ways, it did...but in other ways, haha, NOT a chance! Here's a few highlights from the last month (I only wish I'd been able to capture more with my missing camera!)....

We've sold 24 alpacas in the last 4 months--most of which have happened in the last month, which is such a blessing, bringing us thus far down to 26 alpacas total...plus we've had quite a few crias born! All of that has kept me quite busy!! (Glad my dream last night didn't come true, where we had 5 crias born in an hour!! =D)

This little one is our personal favorite - from an outside breeding out of Lexington and Rose, his name is Legacy. :)

This little one (Asphalt), gave us quite a scare, and I ended up bringing his mom to WSU Vet Hospital because he wasn't coming...but when we got there, we found that trailering had corrected it, and this 19+lb. gray male was already born!!

Pride is an absolute darling.

And Cutie (our only female this last month), sold almost before she was born!! Isn't she darling and cuddly?!

The boys had a lot of fun on their fishing trip with the Alert Cadet Squad up here:

As did David at his photography class in Alaska, where he turned 18!!:

Maybe this will help you understand why I am so partial to my homeland... :)

Eagle River--the area that I grew up....except, we lived in the mountain, overlooking the valley.

And of course, there was no doubt that our men enjoyed their time in the Alaskan wilderness when Papa and Samuel flew up to join David after his class!!

Here they are stalking sheep...

And here...they found them! ;) (But, that was only the males....the females were their own number too!)

They had more than a few (close) encounters with Grizzlies...up to only 30 yards away, and charging! God is good. :)

And of course, what is the North without the Aurora Borealis?!

How great is our God, that the mountains, winds, and seas obey Him?!

The girls went on a 10-day Journey To The Heart in the Northwoods, for which I don't have any pictures offhand, however it was life changing and encouraging for each of them. Find out how you can go on a Journey HERE!!

A quick word on David...I can hardly believe he's turned from this adorable little boy:

To this dapper, responsible, young man!!

On with life, Alex's sister is getting married in a couple weeks, and we just had her bridal shower, which was so much fun!! With a crazy week of work and selling alpacas, I was doing prep to the last minute, and didn't get the photos I wanted, except of Tasha and I and glimpse of our decorations..

And, per requests, here's a little glimpse of my favorite part of life right now (besides my relationship with Jesus):
Starting with memoirs from July (since I didn't get my copy of the pictures until August... :) David, Alex, our friend Garrett, and I all filmed at a wedding by Sagle. Isn't it a pretty setting?!

(We're trying to get more 'even height' photos...just for fun :)

I can hardly believe we've been "officially courting" for over 2 months now, and the longer we have, the more I realize how blessed I am. We've been studying together how Christ and the Church relates to Marriage in real, applicable ways. And you know what?! The more we study, the more we find how it correlates in pretty much every way! We're also really enjoying going through the book 'Before You Say I Do'...definitely a recommend for any couple pursuing setting the foundation for life! That's just the tip (and if you want to know, just ask), but it has been SO good, and it is the most wonderful feeling to be truly washed in the Word.

The boys and I went over last Sunday to Alex's house for...umm...Hank's "Get-Together" Party. :) Tasha and I hung out at the house with their mom--talking and crocheting, while the rest went shooting, and then Alex and I prepared dinner...

Our silly picture (Tasha is just in bliss... ;P)

Cleaning the Barbecue

And I guess that's all for now folks! This next week is crazy between work, sewing, People and more people, and then babysitting all next weekend. So, for now, I'm off to my sewing machine to get as much done on...something (that'll I show you in a few weeks, when the times right :p).

"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, whig are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."

~ Philippians 1:9-11 ~