Another Whirlwind Weekend

The Halo Bride

Bev-Lea

Emily

Me (with my half up beehive)

Sarah, the bride

We've done it again. In Vicki's 100 mph style, we loaded this weekend with lots of fun activities. Friday evening started our wedding phase of the weekend. It all began with our 5 PM rehearsal (not to mention the day of preparation that Jack experienced). We gathered at the Beam Residence, practiced our placement, our walk, our boogie, the music and the kiss (well, they did!). A group dinner of falafel and pita followed, filled our tummies and led to a slumber party with the ladies and bride. The next day (with little sleep) our friend's Zak and Sarah Cooper tied the knot. Sarah was one of the most calm brides I've ever seen. In fact, the "Halo Bride" picture says it all. The only other pictures I have right now are from the salon. It was a GREAT wedding: small, sunny, simple, sentimental and short. The food was great, the guys and gals looked stunning and at the end of the day, they had a wedding celebration they will never forget. It's fun to help friends with momentous events like this!

Smelling the Roses

Linda found the "Queen Linda" tile. These tiles represent the Rose Festival Queens as far back as 1900.

We took a break after our meandering and cuddled close for a group shot.

Shortly after Canadian Thanksgiving, Mel and Linda stopped in town for a few days. It was great to see them (I can hardly believe it's been a few years!). Our activities included eating (Chang's Mongolian Grill), eating again (great place on Hawthorne Blvd), chatting it up and wandering through the lovely Portland Rose Garden. It was a lovely day, the roses were in bloom (which really surprised me), and we were together. I haven't stopped to smell the roses in a while. Probably because I don't have my own to sniff. Of course, when I'm with Denali, her cute sniff gets me to slow down, breathe deep, and look around. The afternoon with Mel and Linda was relaxing and enjoyable, and ended all too soon!

Saved!

It's amazing to think we can be so blind the the real struggle that Jesus experiences over us. The things in this life that rip us away, entice us, fool us, harm us. These things he allows us the freedom to explore, though he is standing by and feeling our pain. And as we begin our journey, in response to his "tugs" on our hearts, he risks EVERYTHING to bring us back to safety. I was truly moved by this dramatization.

This post was inspired by the following video:

New Job Bliss

It has been a while since I last posted and I really do feel badly. Vicki is keeping me in check (as much as she can without physically MAKING me blog on a regular basis) simply by threatening to remove our blog as a link on their page. Ouch! So, I am trying to make this a more regular thing. Today, I have a good reason to blog too!

I'm one week into a brand new job. I've told a few of you about it... and I love working in my home county! I'm so thrilled to be here. I've been able to take walks during lunch on the beautiful grounds. A few things I get to enjoy are: a wildlife botanical garden, featuring dahliahs, food, and other pretty things, a large wooded area with winding trails, wildlife (I saw 3 deer my second day) and quietness (no zooming cars, scary crosswalks, etc.).

I'll write more later...