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 ~

Clothing and Fashion Shops

Are you looking for beautiful handmade crocheted or sewn items? Are you wanting to encourage the ministry and industry of young women? Are you also wanting to get items for a good price? If so, look no farther!

Two of my dear friends have businesses that can cater to your needs:

Natasha specializes in vintage and crocheted items, such as electronic cases, slouch hats, scarves and more, and truly does gorgeous work. Her creativity thrives, and she is very timely in her deliveries. AND....she's hosting a sale!!

Kellie specializes in sewn things--such as modest and feminine skirts, vintage, and tulle skirts!! Her seamstress skills are impeccable, and her creativity is thriving as well!!

Don't see what you were looking for? Feel free to ask them questions!! Also, keep checking back, as their item selections change through the seasons!!

"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She perceives that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night."

~ Proverbs 31:13, 18 ~

Cagayan de Oro

Monday morning, I did laundry, and we got some  things up around the house, and then spent the rest of the day purchasing things at different stores, with the first stop at the Mall...which we just looked around at.

The Gate Entrance to their village

Toto and Inday's home...so comfortable!!

The Mall--so badly wanted to climb that tree!!!

Toto's cousin-Ja has been watching over the house for him, and adding him to our party was a lot of fun.

Inside the mall

 For lunch, we went to Toto's 'favorite' restaurant...a really nice one too..

 They even had a piano which somehow they convinced me to play on... The humidity kills pianos here, but because of the A/C, it was somewhat salvaged, and had pretty good tone... Talk about my being nervous playing in a restaurant!! Most of the songs I know aren't exactly 'restaurant worthy' songs....mostly hymns or Christian songs, which in America..is a no-no.. They turned the music off too, and every time I went to get off, I was told to keep playing... Yi.. I think I did passable. ;)

 There was a lot to crowd in the back...table, chairs, flooring, etc...but the boys all had smiles!!

Here is a glimpse of what the house looked like with all our junk in it during/before we put flooring down..

The bedroom, (after we moved all the stuff in the Left corner into it)

Looking from the living room, through the hallway/dining area to the kitchen/bathroom area.

The kitchen (where Sylvette was making dinner)

 Putting flooring down. (Unlike in the US, this flooring is 'temporary style'..it just sits on top of the concrete..that is the way they do it here.)

 Sleeping area...Toto and Inday got the bedroom, the boys slept on the floor and I slept in my hammock.

 After I left, Tuesday morning, they painted the walls cream.

Monday night, we stayed up playing a card game and having so much fun....it was such a blast and so memorable!!!

Travel Completed

Well, the rest of the trip went well, and I arrived in Davao yesterday morning (9/12) at 6:10am without any complications. Unfortunately, I had no time to post anything, because I had Orientation that morning, and then had to do some necessary shopping before hitting the hay... (For the first time in my life, I experienced JetLag--seemed more like being drugged to me...but oh well).

It seemed like this entire trip, there were a lot of guys in the AirForce or Navy traveling on our planes.. On our flight from Seattle to Seoul, there were 40 AirForce airmen on our flight. That flight was definitely my favorite, because my row (3 guys and me) had some really good conversations..
Interestingly, everyone I talked to was pretty surprised I was going to Mindanao...

The guy to my right (25ish) was from Seattle, but I think of Hong Kong descent, and Asians in general are extremely observant and polite...  The guy to my left was around 50, past Naval man who currently works with steel on the submarines, and makes sure they're all good to go.  Then on his left, was a 23 year old AirForce airman. During the last couple hours, we had the chance to talk quite a bit, and found that we had a LOT in common... Not only were we both born in Anchorage, AK but our values seemed very similar too. It was a pity our seats weren't next together, because I have a feeling we would have talked the whole flight non-stop. As it was, we went around the world on most subjects, but unfortunately didn't have time to flush each subject out completely.

It's always encouraging to find kindred spirits, especially in those that are serving our Country in any capacity. They have a really hard lot though, since most of those they work with don't agree. It is such a blessing to be able to encourage those who are serving our Country, as a sister (in Christ), and pray for them too.

Sa Manila Airport (2am) ...Backpacks make good pillows

Since our Seattle flight was an hour late in arriving, I barely made it to my connecting flight, and sat next to an older Asian couple. Customs and changing airports went smoothly in Manila, and the 5.5 hour layover went pretty well...was able to sleep for a few hours, and found quite a few people who live in Mindanao.

The flight to Davao went pretty fast, and they had this video playing 'Gags: Just for Laughs' and boy were some absolutely hilarious!! One was a gal on a bicycle with a 'child' (mummy) wrapped up in a child seat behind her. It was attached in a way that all she'd have to do is push a button and the seat would fall off and trail behind her, freaking onlookers out.

Another one: A person is asked to keep an eye on a car, but are distracted with this teen on crutches who drops his papers. When they get back to the car from helping him, they find a NASA satellite with smoke coming from it has fallen from space (sound effects and all) onto the hood of the car they were supposed to watch. Then a black van full on men in black suits talking on their cell phones pull up, load the satellite in the back of the van, warn the witnesses to shush, and speed off.

Anyway, arrived in Davao at 0610, and Ate´ Heather picked me up. The dorm homes moved from next to the clinic to about a 15 minutes walk away. I'm living in the same house as Brittany-a girl I met at the Butuan Missions last year.

Orientation went well yesterday, though I had a problem staying awake towards the end. Karissa (another intern) arrived a few days ago, and so we had Orientation together. Then we both went to Victoria Mall and got some necessities. It was fun knowing exactly where everything was still. Then, we went to MMC, and I shocked a ton of people there...the Filipinos went ecstatic to see me again (almost like seeing a ghost)... I still haven't met up with my 'favorite people'...They had either been on Night Shift or were out, so hopefully I'll see them all today. I'm hoping to spend the afternoon today with Sylvette..

Karissa and I talked for hours at her dorm, but finally my eyes were seeing double and I practically just dropped. One of the girls woke me up for dinner, but I was so tired (and was even talking incoherently), that I skipped dinner, and she helped me back to my dorm where I slept for 8 hrs..and now I feel much better. I was told it was 'JetLag'..something I've never experienced before.... It really felt more like I'd been drugged or something...

My first shift is on Saturday. The weather here is really nice. Semi-hot, pretty humid, and a little overcast....not too bad, actually.... They're having some cool weather right now.

Travel to Liberty, WA

INTRODUCTION: As I said in the last post, I am accompanying Oma to my Uncle Jim's home in Sammamish, Washington with an overnite stop at his Cabin in Liberty, where we'll be able to spend some time with him (he has some things to do up there), before he leaves on a trip on Sunday. Next Wednesday, we'll pick up Grampaw at SeaTac where he will be getting back from a Trip to South America-making 96 countries for this world-traveler!! We will then head back to the Ranch on Thursday or Friday, where I will be promptly swept off by my parents for a weekend at 'some place I've never been before', where will be seeking God's will on my life for the next year.

~~*~~

Got up at 6 am like usual for Family Devotions. After that, we had breakfast, I finished packing, and then caught up last minute with the kids...it's hard on a few of them especially to have Big Sister leave so soon after coming back...even though it is only for a week. 

James had begged me to go frogging with him (he is the world's best hand at it!!), and unfortunately, it got pushed to right before I had to leave (at 10am), and so we only had time to catch one, and I feel I rather more like "humored" him, than anything....but I promised I'd do a full-blown adventure with him when I get back..... oh that there were endless hours in a day!! I can't believe how fast my little siblings are growing up!!

Oma and I after we spent an afternoon at the hair salon last week.

Oma and I ran a few errands, picked up some food, filled up the gas tank, and then headed on our merry way for Liberty, Washington. On our way down, we (between conversations) listened to the 5 1/2 hour AudioBook "A Bride Goes West": a semi-auto-biography set in the 1880's about Nannie T. Alderson, a newlywed Virginian girl who married a Cowboy from Montana, and her life living in the "West of the West". Though I have listened to it before, it is always enthralling, and very well done. Even our boys really enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to anyone. Though is a 1-person narrative, afterwards, you think you heard more than one person, just because of the way it was written.

Miss the Alaskan Mountains!!

Right before we got to Cle Elum, we stopped at the amazing Thorp Fruit and Antique Mall, a place I am definitely going to visit before I get married....their 2-story Western Antique Mall is AMAZING!!! Good thing I don't have the assets for it right now (or the car space) ;), otherwise, I might have 'surprised' my mom with more "hopechest items".....(I'm already a joke with our ranch hands about "marrying Sarah off to get all her 'stuff' out of the house. lol ;D)

These Doughnut Peaches (that is their actual name) are sooo cute!! The peach on the left is of the top and on the far right is the bottom, so they almost literally go all the way through in the middle!!

I definitely got more wedding ideas...though of course, they're only ideas, and will have to pass my fiance's approval before they would be put in place. lol (no one on the horizon at this point)

Afterwards, I drove Oma a good long stretch. It was a bunch of fun, because we were so busy chatting, that we missed our turn off to the mountains, and had to circle around and find it, but since we had plenty of time, since my Uncle wasn't going to get to the Cabin until at least 6pm, we didn't worry about it. We had a blast once we got in the mountains, because besides driving a 'blink' through the Town of Liberty, the directions we had didn't have 'miles' on it once we got up into the mountains, and so we drove around a bit, trying to remember what the turnoff looked like. Finally we found it, and arrived at the Cabin at 4:50pm. What fun!!!!

THE TOWN OF 'LIBERTY'

There are quite a few amazing rock formations above Liberty...just amazing!!

Uncle Jim and Aunt Maria did an amazing job with their cabin, which I haven't been to since we had our Family Reunion/Cabin Raising Party there 8 years ago...lots of changes!!

This would be a gorgeous Honeymoon Spot.

My Oma...looking mighty comfortable!!

This outhouse is a favorite....you can only guess what I kept singing during my stay here!! lol

A closer look...grabeeah work Aunt Maria!!

After sitting on the front doorstep for a few hours--chatting, reading, etc. we went in and had dinner, as Uncle Jim had been delayed and didn't get in until 8:30pm.

Just a humble meal of scrumptious Chili with our favorite--Pepper Jack Cheese!!

 During our first day together, Oma and I found that we have even more in common than we knew!! We both share an insatiable love for cherries (anything), pepper jack cheese, and SO very kaayo much more.

After Uncle Jim got home, we had a good time all of us catching up, and though I retired a little earlier, Oma and Uncle kept on until 1:30am!! I'm so happy for them.

My uncle Jim (my daddy's 'double')...it's hard to keep my mischievous streak away sometimes living sometimes with someone so much like my daddy...but not used to doing pranks, they usually just stay in my mind....

For, lo, He that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, the LORD, The God of Hosts is His name.

~ Amos 4:13 ~

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

~ Isaiah 55:12 ~