Busy, Busy, Busy

I'm actually home for a full day!! :) My schedule can be pretty chaotic but it's unusual to be home all day anymore! So cleaning my work area and getting some work projects finished is on the agenda. And then babysitting tonight! Payroll quarterlies got done and mailed yesterday!! Now onto the next! I"m still not completely sure if I'm completely full time yet since a couple of possible clients are in limbo. I look back to 4 years ago and am just in awe where my business has went! I didn't know what busy was even though I thought I was busy!

It's so easy for me to get distracted from one project to the next that when the day is done nothing is actually finished. So my goal today is to finish one project before another gets started! We'll see how that goes! I feel like that happens a lot in my must do's in the morning too. All the sudden a thought comes up and before I know it, it's not my Father that I'm communicating with! I'm reading and the same thing happens. It's really quite scary how easy it is for that to happen!! Another scary thing is how much that's revealed will become hidden when there is complete unwillingness. The thought that has also come to me is when the same thing is done over and over again with forgiveness being asked for over and over again. It occurs to me that there is a complete lack of willingness to change if I keep repeating the same thing over and over that I know shouldn't be done. With willingness from the heart to change comes the ability to not do it again! Then that brings true repentance. The urge might be there but the strength to not give into that urge is there.  The one thing that is a big distraction for me is keeping up on the news. I like knowing what's going on. But I also know that it's something that I need to set aside. All is in my Father's control and listening to the news does me no good except to satisfy my curiosity. And the struggle I'm having with that tells me that it definitely needs to go!! Which leads right back to the thoughts I was having this morning!! The strength to not do something is provided if it is a heart felt willingness to change. That human nature makes it real hard to get the heart completely willing sometimes!!!

We've had some awesome sunrises and sunsets recently(see below). Today is misty but still have had under a inch of rain for the month here for the month. And it's still pretty warm for the time of year. There hasn't yet been consistently cool nights! I believe the last three have been above 55*! And there was one morning last week that I woke up and at 7 am it was 64*! The east wind was howling that day but normally we would be in the 'cold' season of the east wind by now. Fall /winter/beginning spring brings cold east winds and the late spring/summer brings hot east winds. Grass is growing like crazy as a result so I'll have to get out and mow later this week when things dry out a bit.

Last Friday's Sunrise

A week ago Sunday's sunset (Christina took the picture as I was driving :) )

Beach Visit!

For picking the time due to my least busy time of month I got extremely lucky! Friday evening was cloudy and misty when I got there but Saturday through Monday.. WOW!! Saturday I spent the day with some dear friends right down the road from Rockaway Beach. They took me to the marina and then to where a lot of people do their fishing and crabbing. I visited the beach Saturday evening and found out that sand hoppers really like me. :(  My feet itched SO bad when I got back to the house. Luckily they had baking soda in the cupboard and a soak of tepid water with baking soda did the trick and then a paste of baking soda with socks put over so I could sleep! It's amazing how well that baking soda worked! The itching was right on par with the itching from hives and on the bottom of the feet... yikes!! However the sunset pictures I got did make it worth it! :)  Then we carpooled to our meeting Sunday morning. It was pretty awesome that I also got to see my cousin Brent W. and his wife from Vancouver at the meeting. They came down for the same days I did and we just happened to be at the same meeting! I also went down to Lincoln City for a afternoon meeting. What a gorgeous drive and wonderful meeting! Monday was a wander the town and relax day at the beach day and then dinner with friends. And as I was leaving today the clouds were back. Loved, loved, loved the break! And as I having a standing invitation to a place to stay, I may just go back in a few months!! :) As you can see from the pictures below the weather was awesome! It was in the 70's Saturday, probably upper 70's Sunday and low 80's Monday. It's very rare to get that good of weather three days in a row any time of year, much less in October!

Another side that was good to this trip is that this is the first overnight trip I've made to the coast since Dave left. We headed there as a getaway now and again so it was tough to head to the beach. Lincoln City was one place we went to fairly often so that's good to get off the plate, so to speak. Seaside was another but that'll be for another time!! Step by step the tough things get taken care of!! It always helps to have very dear friends that help by just being there!

A typical Oregon beach day!

Looking back at Rockaway Beach with clouds.

Garibaldi Marina 

Lots of boats!!

A crab pot is down there!

The view from where people fish and have their crab pots. Hwy 101 is off to the far right.

Gorgeous Sunset with the seagulls

My favorite picture!

My attempt at a selfie. :) 

Rockaway Beach without the clouds 

There's a blue heron right along the middle edge of the pond. This pond was right along side the house I stayed at. 

A gorgeous 81* on Monday! On the Northern Oregon Beach!!

Another shot of the beach. It was just perfect Monday!

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The cute house that I stayed at. It's on airbnb.com, sleeps up to 8 but probably 6 comfortably. And only a 3 minute walk to the beach. Well stocked with the basics. Towels, kitchen etc. 126 Beacon St.

A few thoughts/ 2 years old!

The last few days have been 'trigger days'. Dave's birthday is tomorrow and anxiety tends to try and hit for several days prior. Naturally speaking that is totally normal and I typically kind of sludge my way through it and know it'll pass and know that I'll get the strength to get through it. But yesterday it came to me that it isn't something that I have to 'live with' or sludge through. Just ask my Father for specific help in dealing with the anxiety. I've got to say a good portion of the anxiety disappeared. It's still there a bit but not bad at all. I love it when a verse just pops out that gives strength and a hymn is there when I wake up that perfectly fits and gives strength. This is definitely something that I can't stay emotionally strong through except with the help of my Father. And, quite frankly, I have way too much work to not be as strong as I can be emotionally. And that only comes with spiritual strength from my Father. We heard tonight that we can't do things in our own strength. Sure we can believe in our Father but that does no good if we aren't reaching out to him and that can only be done in prayer. There has to be a connection between Him and us and a sincere prayer, from the heart, to Him is the only connection that will allow Him to help us. Unless we reach out in prayer then it's only done in our own strength. I appreciated that reminder.

I've been trying to not let work get me overwhelmed as well. I'm hoping tomorrow goes okay as there's an issue with a new client and I do believe part, if not most, is me learning the system that they use. It's totally new to me and I've been kind of feeling my way around and unfortunately it's not a real forgiving program so we'll see! I do believe I'm getting the hang of it now but tomorrow will be the test! But again, leave it in my Father's hands and what needs to happen will happen. Also, I'll find out in the next month if I have a new client in Sandy. If so then I'm definitely full time!

On another note Scarlet turned 2 yesterday! Her and Bobbie (great-grandma) share a birthday. Blake, Erika and the girls and Bobbie came for lunch. Then we went to the park and then everyone went home for naps. :) Scarlet is now asking what everything is. I heard a lot of  "what's that?" when I was holding her in the kitchen! She's really starting to talk. And is doing well with toilet training from what I can see! For the first time ever she asked me to do her hair and actually sat on the piano bench and allowed me to do it! Normally she sits for about a minute and is done.

Not so sure about picture time! Officially 2 years old!

When I was picking raspberries a few days ago I looked down and found this praying mantis on my shirt! Oh, and we ended up with one morning of rain of the 3 days of rain forecasted the prior week. Perfect for the raspberries so I'm still picking!

Back where he belongs! We just couldn't get the camera to focus so this is the best we could do. Maybe something to do with it's coloring?

Interesting Dementia info/rain

I learned something from my doctor this week. I mentioned that I noticed that my dad's dementia gets worse when his sugars are high. She said that research is showing that sugars are actually one of the causes of dementia. High Sugars actually hinder memory, which I've seen first hand. It's also amazing how it effects steadiness when walking. He had a rough go the first week back home but seems to be pulling himself into line today. Yea!!! :)  I guess we sometimes need to prove to ourselves that what some else says is really true. The last few days were NOT good days sugar wise for him.

I'm quite excited. I picked a basket of raspberries tonight. YUM!!! There's nothing better then fresh picked raspberries! (Or tomatoes for that matter!) We have nice weather until next Thursday so hopefully I can get a decent amount of raspberries before then! Although this week they were saying 3 days of rain a week ago and the only real rain we had was really early Thursday morning then just scattered showers. So we'll see what next week really brings! The Pacific Northwest is one area where you use all different kinds of rain terms. Misting rain, light mist, heavy mist, scattered showers, heavy rain, light rain, downpour, then just rain (steady rain everywhere). You get the idea. And I do love the weather! Being we are now in an El Nino, and a strong one at that, it'll be interesting to see what we get this winter. There's a good possibility for more east wind then normal due to the set up we get in a typical El Nino, maybe some freezing rain, maybe some snow. I think the only guarantee from those is the wind! :) And above normal temperatures over all. I think I'm ready to pull most of the summer garden this weekend. I'm going to plant some broccoli seeds and lettuce and swiss chard and see how it does! Oh, and peas.

I'm seriously considering a several day break sometime soon. Maybe to the coast? The trick would be finding something within my budget. I've definitely reached the point of needing a break! The hours have been ridiculous the last 2 1/2 months!  Everyone is pretty much caught up. There's just one client that has a bunch of back years but the trick is getting all the information needed to finish the years off! But that being said, I need an away break so that I don't end up working during my vacation!

End of visit/Diabetes

Today my dad headed home. Overall it went very well with the diabetes (type 2). It was interesting what we figured out. Everybody is an individual and as an individual tomatoes are a no no for him. It's supposed to be a 'free' food but it sends his sugars up. If it's just a couple of slices it's fine but a whole tomato will actually bring it up and 2 tomatoes will really send his readings up. I've mentioned this one before but the other weird thing we found out is caffeine is a no no for him. It actually blocks the insulin from working properly. Bread, of course, is an obvious one but it actually only takes a partial slice to send sugars on an upward trend. He had a biscuit at convention and it really sent the sugars up. Luckily my dad is doing fairly well physically for being 80 years old and he can take good walks to bring the sugars down. It is amazing what a walk can do. Sugars started a 147 just before dinner (high for just before a meal) so he took a 20 minute walk (a brisk walk) and when he came back they were 95. That leaves room for a good meal and not having to worry about what the meal will do. We did a lot of basic cooking. Very little starches, cottage cheese, cheese, vegetables, fruits, meats were the main stays. It helps being able to pull some of the vegetables from the garden!!

We went to the park Tuesday after dinner with the family. The pictures are below. Christina had to work so she missed the family dinner. :(

It's hard to believe that the summer is almost over! We have a couple of days of heat tomorrow and Saturday but then fall weather sets in again. It's supposed to be 94* tomorrow and then by Tuesday it's supposed to be 62*! I really hope the sixties with rain don't stick around for too long as I don't want my raspberries to mold! Although I have gotten a couple of good picks so it wouldn't be too big of a loss. It's really hard to beat garden raspberries!! The squash plant is still putting out squash. There should be about 6 ready to pick before the weekend is over. It's been amazing what that crook neck squash has put out! Peppers are still producing but we'll see how big those small ones get it the summer with is gone for good.

And on a last note- It's hard to believe Christina will soon be moved out!!! My baby has become quite the young lady!

Scarlet just wasn't so sure about getting her picture taken with great-grandpa!!

Smile dad!!

Maybe there's a little smile there?? :)

Exciting (nerve-wracking) Times! (By Christina)

Bonne soir!

I must say that the conventions that have just passed were greatly needed! There was much spoken on that really touched my heart, and it was with gratitude that I continued with the strength provided. It was a pleasure to see everyone there, and though I did not get a full Boring convention this year, what I was able to get was wonderful.

Lately, things have been fairly stressful. I know where to get strength, but with everything happening at once, it seemed impossible to just let things work out! But, work out things do, so... life just continued! I was fluctuating between not knowing about jobs, housing, vehicle situations... all at once! So, I just went with the flow and hoped desperately for the best to be accomplished.
And, after much internal desperate pleas, things have finally panned out. Whoo!

I got the school job (noon assistant), thus being able to move in where I planned, and I got a bike (my transportation dilemma). With all of this happening in one day, I can only marvel at how things just work. If one does what one is supposed to do, the situation just works! Especially if I listen to my Father.

So, I think I have told everyone and their next-door neighbor about my new bike, but this shall make that official! Here she is. (pictures at bottom)

Now, the whole reason I am writing on this blog (sorry to take so long to get to the point..), is that getting this bike really brought back memories.
Memories of riding my old bike with my dad around the block, and riding on Powell Butte.. it was something that I loved as a kid, and that love just seemed to fade out for the sport. But I don't think I ever thanked my dad for all of the wonderful memories that were created in those years.
The reason I was able to pick riding back up in 15 minutes? My dad taught my how to ride  a bike on the pavement at a local elementary school. I fell, but was encouraged to get back up.
Those are the sort of memories that will make my reunion with bike riding all the more special. Because in a way, it is a reunion with the special memories that he left, and I dearly wish that he was here to see it.

I love you dearly, and if you ever read this, I hope that you know that.
-Christina       

Wonderful days

We had our conventions the last two weeks. What wonderful encouragement and fellowship!  It was made real again that it is a daily service to my Father. It's not just once year or twice a year, it's daily! One thing that really hit home was the word commitment. Am I actually committed? Or am I just saying what I know needs to be done but not really planning on following through? Another thing that was revealed to me was answered prayers. I can look back and see where prayers have been answered and strength has been given and it is so very reassuring.

I got to see quite a few cousins this year that I haven't seen in a long time, if ever. That was quite a privilege! My cousin Nancy was out for Boring 1 and so we got a really good visit in! Then a cousin from San Francisco was up for Boring 2 and I'm not sure if I've ever seen her. If I have it was when I was a little kid! Had some very nice visits with her and then low and behold her sister and her husband show up today as well! And their nephews (my cousins as well). My family is actually fairly large when all the cousins start getting counted!

The weather was quite interesting. Last weekend we actually had a nice wind storm! Gusts were between 40-50 mph. It was actually a late fall/early winter storm set-up. They said that in current times that there has never been that type of storm so early (late August). The earliest one before was the end of September and even that is pretty unusual. Power stayed on luckily but it was a close call several times! Before that it was quite warm, after that storm it has been quite cool! First Boring we really didn't need coats until Sunday. Second Boring we wore coats the whole convention! I think it might have reached 60* or maybe 65* today but that was it! It's rained off and on but interestingly enough the downpours that have sporadically happened for the last week didn't cause much mud! The ground was so dry that it's soaking the rain up and has yet cause real mud issues!

Now to go out and live and put to use all that we heard!!