Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

(Written in August 2015)
 I had my adorable grandson here all morning and when he's around, I don't think straight! He's so much fun and it's all I can do to stay one step ahead of him with fun and games; no outside play with this smoke :(  So…after exploration of Nana's Seashell, rock, and heart rock collection (20 minutes), 2 games of UNO (30 minutes with potting in the middle), creating happy face snacks, (10), TV time (15 min), coloring firetrucks and tractors, (15 minutes), playing with toy box (total of 4 minutes/pulling it out and spotting the bath toys) Bath/Indoor swimming and funnel fun (20 minutes and up until Mama walked in the door with a "what in the heck is this about" look on her face!) We had a fabulous time….and Mama Jill spoiled the rule: "What happens at Nana's house, STAYS at Nana's house!" ;) 

January 11, 2016

As another year rolls in, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for so much and so many. I've been avoiding writing my blogs far too long, and it is liberating to finally sit down again and share my thoughts. (now if I can just remember what's happened in "the blink of an eye" these past months!) I'll be posting many pictures, as they are my memory!
My last post was in June, 2015, and I shared pictures of our 2nd annual Beer Jug Bash. Here it is, nearly a year later, and our 3rd Annual bash is in the making! Not sure if it's best to work backwards or begin in July of 2015. I will say that we've spent the coldest and 2 weeks in AZ this year, with more rain than we've seen in the desert. (ok….dear friends in -20 and -30 temps right now…I'll stop whining!)

So, beginning in July, where I left off, we spent the remainder of the Summer enjoying grandkids, kids, and the great outdoors-with a bit of golf thrown in-although never enough for Action! I did quite a bit of kayaking with a couple friends that are also "kayak junkies". Jack LOVES these two ladies!! ;) I taught 3 yoga classes each week, adding new locations to my church class;  Parkinson's Resource Center, The Gathering House, (a renovated grocery store to church/coffee shop), and a Summer outdoor class at KOP Construction. Jack continues his work with Armtech; and building decks, remodeling, doing honey-do's in his spare time. As I mention several times in my blogs; he NEVER gets enough time whacking that little white ball! 
My greatest joy is being close to three of our grandchildren, and 5 hours from our two eldest. I tried to arrange a "Tatum day", "Jaxon day" and "Kiah day" as often as I could. We had much fun doing art projects, hiking, playing guitar, singing, reading and cooking or creating. Grandchildren are God's richest blessing, for sure. 
In July, our "Gannon Reunion" at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp resulted in three families attending: Jack and I, Jill's family, and Kyle and Kelli and Kiah. Though the reunion count went from 23 to 9, the joy and memories made exceeded our wildest dreams! (If you've ever been to Flathead lake, you understand why!) Hiking, swimming/diving, and kayaking filled most of our time. That place truly is a piece of Heaven on Earth!
The weekend ended with Papa Jack catching a ride home with the Nagles, as I drove to our friends' the Berglands, in Helena to spend a couple nights before heading to ND for my brother's wedding. After a great visit with Susan, Arne and Ingrid, I drove to meet my sister and her husband who were driving up from CA. I parked my car at a little church in tiny 
We've continued to live a bit on the crazy side, moving 4 times in 10 months. I believe that broke our record of 8 times in our first 7 years of marriage?! After getting nicely settled in our tiny, humble abode, we were taking our daily walk around the park and saw a for sale sign in a window of a cute, yellow doublewide. Happy in our new tiny home, we had no intention of upgrading (remember we downsized and got rid of most of our furniture so we could squeeze into 925 sq. feet). Jack said, "Give them a call just to see what they're asking." Long story short….in two days, we had our tiny home sold (doubled our money) and purchased the cute yellow home! So…..with moving date being the week before November, we made an unexpected trip back up North from AZ to move from tiny home to yellow home. (didn't take long with no major furniture left!) We flew back South Thanksgiving Day, and our turkey looked more like carrots, herring, and Southwest peanuts!

We spent a wonderful 2 weeks home for Christmas playing in the snow, basking in the mineral hot springs at Quinn's, and lots of precious memories with kids and grandkids. God is good, and we are very thankful.

Wonderful weekend with Curtis and family at Quinn's hot springs!

Praying we can reveal this sweet shining star's face someday soon, as we await this foster to adopt journey. She is precious beyond belief!

Crisp Christmas morning in Spokane!

Since then it's been "Projectville", as Jack calls it. We have a list running the entire length of the refrigerator of everything we want to do. We finished the deck railing and back dreckio steps, and finished the first leg of the front steps yesterday. Another go-around today and we should be caught up a bit. Then it'll be time for golf and sun! 

Just a few weeks until the 3rd annual Beer Jug Bash! Anticipating a bigger crowd this year, and very excited that our good friends, Barb and Adam, will be flying down!! (Bring your checkbook, Adam, the next door neighbors put their house on the market yesterday!!)
Until next time…
remember: 

PRAYER WARRIORS: Please pray that the adoption process with our little angel moves forward in a quick and positive way. 

Beer Jug Bash-2015-and the end of Winter in AJ-Beginning of Summer-2015

It happened! The deck was completed in time! Well, enough to hold 25 people yesterday, anyway! The 2nd annual Beer Jug Bash was a success and much catching up was done with just a few stories told by the infamous story teller: Jack Gannon. The swiss brats were delicious and the nachos supreme were tasty, along with just about every delightful dish you could imagine shared by the guests. The weather cooperated with a warm 93 degrees, which made the sunset spectacular and put an extra sparkle on the blossoming ocotillo and prickly pear cacti and palavarti trees.

After cleaning up the remains of the bash, Jack and I loaded the kayaks on the trailer and headed back toward Spokane. We planned a slight side trip to the OR coast to meet Kyle and Jill and families. It was a great trip and the stop at the ocean topped it off perfectly. It was an amazing two days with two of my most favorite things: the ocean and grandkids! Nothing can top that. Nothing.

So….here we are, back in the Pacific Northwest---and moved for the second time in 6 months! Our lease was up at Shelley Lake, and after much research and thoughtful "back and forth", (buy a bigger camper trailer to live in here, rent another appt. and then move out every 6 months to head South, live in Jill's guest room---N.O.T., etc…) My sweet husband, aka: TCLK (I know…it looks like TALK…and we all KNOW how much he likes to do THAT! But this acronym stands for The CraigsList King), came up the deal of a lifetime in his regular, nightly ritual of scrolling through CL. We are now the proud owners of a 'brand-used' 1982 home in the Cascade Manufactured Home 55+ Community! We absolutely LOVE it-9 minutes from Jill and Ryan and kids; 7 minutes from Kyle, Kelli and sweet baby Kiah, and still just 5 hours from Curtis, Jen and kids! Heated pool, great fitness center, jacuzzi, sauna, and new community center with a piano! We spent at least a month (as soon as we got the trailer unloaded when we returned from AZ) sorting, throwing, donating, packing and managed to downsize and simplify our lives to the point of comfortably squeezing 1600 sq feet and 39+ years of "stuff" into our sweet little 924 sq foot home. We somehow managed to say farewell to ( should say "I") many things from our past that really don't have any meaning or value and were simply taking up too much space. It has been very cleansing, bitter/sweet and freeing for me. To step back and really look at one's things and realize that they are just that; things, is very liberating-especially when those things can be gifted to others in need. 

Even though it's been a very, very busy and hectic 6 months; we've managed to have fun, too. Some of you may know that I have reconnected with a friend from Glendive days; Wanda Morrison Wanda shares my inexplainable, obsessive passion for kayaking! And, thanks to Cathy Lobdell (another friend from G-dive days), for triggering the reunion! Wanda and I kayaked in AZ and are planning as many trips as we can in this lake infested area throughout this Summer! I am thrilled, but not nearly as happy as Jack-since his passion is NOT kayaking…and he basically goes with me because I'm ONE of his passions! hee hee. Actually, most of you also know that his #1 passion is NOT his wife, but rather: Golf, with hunting in close second place. So, Wanda….he owes you B.I.G. time! 

Fish Lake about 20 minutes from our house.

As we gratefully sit in our cool, tiny home, Hoopfest is going strong just 10 minutes from us-praying for the 27,000 competitors, 7,000 teams from 42 states and 3 other countries, and thousands of spectators as they stand in this nasty, unusual, 104 degree heat on pavement and cement! The most heat I'm taking in today will be venturing out to save my garden beds and tower garden from expiring! Three zucchini ready to harvest in about 2 days, and lots and lots of organic garden lettuce and greens! Yummmm…I LOVE gardening! Of course, the growing season here is nothing like it is in my sister's backyard! The joy and peace from tending it is the same, however. I just read the other day that people who garden/dig in the dirt/plant seeds/harvest  live longer and with much more serenity.

planting day

12 days

15 days

my zucchini….

Sis, Amy's, harvest last week---show off!

No matter what, Gardening is good for the soul.

PRAYER WARRIORS:
Please pray for two friends who are battling cancer-one newly diagnosed, the other flaring up again. 

QUOTE for TODAY:

"Everything we go through opens a greater sense of being, if we don't linger in the ruins." ~Mark Nepo~

Melancholy Moments….Alone…Meditative…Grateful.

One Month ago, I lamented about waiting for the old 1967 double wide to be taken away to make room for our "brand-used" manufactured home.

Out with the old:

And we wait…...

And, finally, in with the new:

So, as we continue to WAIT upon SRP (the electric company) I'll share a few events that have kept us 'patient'.

First: I completed the "Dreckio"!

Then came the Nagles!

Our Amazing daughter doing handstands EVERYWHERE!!

Hiked the GoldField Mountains and Superstition with these two-best little hikers ever!

The kids and I painted in my art studio while Mommy and Daddy hiked over 10 miles into the GoldField Mountains in front of our house. They obviously were amongst amazing, spectacular beauty!

Near the top of Superstition Mountain

And Miss Tatum and Nana road horseback one afternoon-so.much.fun!

And now as we continue to wait for SRP to change the transformer so that we can be connected to electricity, we are finishing a few projects-skirting on the front of the house, gate entrance, building the deck (our goal is to have it completed by the Beer Jug Bash! 

Amidst this long (over 2 months) wait for completion of our home, we just learned very exciting news! Kyle and Kelli are fostering to adopt an adorable little 9 month old girl. This is a brand new experience for all of us, and we are prayerfully walking through this with them. It may be a long process and very difficult, but as Kyle told me this morning: "Kelli and I believe that whether we have this baby for another day or for the rest of her life, we believe God brought her to them to love on every second while they have her. And they're doing just that. She's so precious, I'm already head over heels in love with her, and I haven't met her yet! 

So….for all of you prayer warriors: My request is prayers for baby and Kyle and Kelli; that they will treasure every moment of this little soul as they love her, care for her, and give her a home. That God will protect their hearts and give them strength, courage, and understanding as they go through the process and experience the waiting, wondering and the unknown. We are asking God to guide the officials who will be making decisions about this little baby's life-that their decisions will be exactly what God wishes for her. We know He is in charge and will only do what is perfect for that sweet little girl.

Avis Anderson shared from a book she's reading by Richard Foster that he encourages us to pray for what we want-letting God know what is important in our lives and then ending always with, "not my will, but thy will be done." This will be my constant prayer forever for Kiah.

As I journey through my faith walk, I am continually amazed at our awesome God and His endless Grace. I'm closing this post with a few quotes that Jill sent:

Do you want to do SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL for GOD? There is a person who needs you. This is your chance.  Mother Teresa

"You might be temporary in their lives. They might be temporary in yours. But there is nothing TEMPORARY about the lesson." Tony Christle

"Today, in this moment, I am to care for these children. I am to love them today with no reserve. I am to focus on today and trust God for tomorrow and the next. I know that this lesson will be valuable later in life. Because aren't all children gifts from God that ultimately belong to Him?"

CALLING ALL BOOKWORMS:

The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears by Mark Batterson (suggested by daughter, Jill)

No More Facebook for this Addict!

Hello fellow bloggers! I finally made the decision to bite the bullet and deactivate my Facebook account. Feels SOOO GOOD! I have been extremely busy completing projects and accomplishing multiple tasks daily-but, for some reason, I have managed to avoid finishing this blog post for over a month---again! I guess staying off Facebook for me, gets me off my laptop completely! And, that, I believe is a good thing.

Before I go any further; I want to share with all of you the deep sadness our family endured through the Christmas Season, as my sweet Aunty Doris went to be with Jesus. She was the epitome of a selfless, kind, gentle-spirited woman. My prayers continue for her 7 children and families as that hole in their hearts slowly heals.

In memory of Aunty Doris-her "Happy" place

This past few weeks has been quite an adventure as we plan and await our "Brand-Used" manufactured home here in Apache Junction, AZ. The phrase, "Opened a can of worms", could have been written from all we're dealing with! The 1967 double wide trailer had to be removed in order to get the newer home in, and that in itself has been quite the fiasco. First of all, we gifted it, (it was either that or demolish it) Even though the trailer is very old and not legal anywhere in AZ without extreme upgrading, it has been well kept, and other than the outdated wiring, is a very comfortable home. Between the irregular rains we've been having and all the red tape cutting and hoop jumping; it's been the ultimate test of our patience! We've literally worn out the Serenity Prayer! We've heard "the trucks are coming tomorrow" so many times, we simply looked at each other and smiled when we heard it again last night after hanging around all day waiting for them to appear. We have managed to find much humor in it all. And, really, isn't that the best way to handle most situations in life? With humor? When situations like this fall in our laps; things that are completely out of our control, the best way to get through them is to simply smile. Or laugh. It's either that or be miserable. I choose the happy part.
So, as we wait for "they'll be here first thing in the morning" one more time, we get busy working on other projects to pass the time. We've managed to finish several projects during this wait time-and it always feels great to complete something. (especially of me-who has several started/unfinished quilting projects in closets [well, the garage, now!] both here and up North!!)
Last year Jack and I built a garage and my art studio. We are nearly finished with the interior, and I love how it's all come together. I shared pictures of the outside last year, but if you look closely, Jack added his finishing touch last week (while waiting for the trucks)

As the chalkboard drawer says: This is my HAPPY place! And it is. Jack has made supper the past three nights as I was working/playing away in my "woman-cave". I am blessed for sure!

Yesterday was spent in the sunshine starting project #63. 

As many of you know, I am one of those "queens" of recycling - new term: repurposing. I managed to scrounge up a few items that were in and under the old trailer. This is just a beginning, but some of you may get the idea. I'll share the finished "dreckio" soon. FYI…Dreckio is my created word for Drift/Deck/Patio. This little creation boasts our old pump from the Richey Ranch. Yes, I've packed that thing all over 5 states where it has proudly pumped (faux) water into a pond, creek, or bucket. And, No, I am NOT a hoarder.

Yes, that's snow!

As I complete this post, the sun has risen, a dove drinks from Mom's water fountain, and the quail are scampering around searching for a few left over seeds. The majestic Saguaro are plump and happily smiling at the neighbor's flag gently waving in the early morning slight breeze. All is good up here "On Top of the World" (My Dad coined that title for his homes here in the foothills of the GoldField Mountains) Other than missing my kids and grandkids way too much, I am in one of the happiest places I've been in my life.

 Until next time…...