Decorating!

Decorating for Christmas is always an event at our house. The night was made complete with Classic Christmas music, Peanut Butter Balls, Whidbey Coffee, and Blue Buffalo Dip. MMMM!!! We finished the tree and were able to empty about 4 of 8 huge tubs that were full of decorations. WHEW! It's definitely a lot of work, but worth it when you stand back and look at the final product. "It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!!"

Snowflake ornaments I thought would make fun earrings. hehe

Josh's version of a tree topper.....hmmmm

Josh was putting the bow on top but didn't realize that the ribbon had snagged the blinds. It was so funny! I love that bewildered look on his face.

This is Josh's REAL identical twin!!

Two funny little guys...

Just hanging out....

An "Off-Island" Adventure.

The Lord surprised Whidbey Island with a bit of snow on Monday. They said it was going to be a bad winter, but snow before Thanksgiving?! Originally they said it WAS going to snow, then they said it wasn't. (I think they were confused) BUT it did snow and no one was prepared for it. Going back a few days, Anna and I had decided that we would go shopping off-island on Monday (our day off) to find some accessories for our dresses for when the SPGs go see Handel's Messiah. I know that sounds silly, but I needed some shoes and Anna needed a shawl and earrings and stuff like that is just hard to find here on the island. So off we went! We chose to take Anna's car since it was a 4WD JUST IN CASE it snowed. We stopped off at Whidbey Coffee (of course) on our way out of town, and as we were inside the flurries started to become larger flakes. It won't stick I thought.

We headed out of town with the peace of mind that it rarely sticks on Whidbey and it would look like it never snowed when we got back. The snow was beautiful. We drove to Burlington, which had some snow, but not tons. We had a successful shopping experience and were just about to finish up when we got...the CALL. Anna's brother had called to tell us that the bridge to get to Whidbey was shut down!!! Apparently there had been a few spinouts and the traffic was so backed up the snowplows couldn't get through. Needless to say, the snow had stuck and there were several inches of snow on the ground. Now those who get regular dumps of snow are probably laughing at our mere inches, but keep in mind that people around here are not accustomed to such road conditions. It doesn't get cleared up very fast so it's pretty dangerous. Not to mention people don't know how to drive in the snow.

So Anna and I decided to spend a little more time in Burlington. Doing what, you ask? Well, shopping of course! :-) What better way is there to kill time? hehe After a couple of hours we decided to head back to see how traffic fared. As we got closer we saw the end of the traffic line...at a spot that was normally about a 20-25 minute DRIVE from Whidbey! What a dilemma. We certainly were not going home that night. No way! We would have spent ALL night in the car in traffic. We did however think ahead and buy supplies at Target just in case we were going to be spending some time in the car. After talking to our parents, we decided that a hotel was the best idea. So we drove all the way BACK to Mt. Vernon and found a nice warm, SAFE room to sleep. We were wiped out. Not from shopping. Oh no! From all the driving. You may be thinking that we were totally stressed and crying for our mommies and for fluffy pillows. No! We were laughing the WHOLE time! It wasn't necessarily fun...but it was funny! It was a laugh that means This is so amusing! How did this EVER happen?! There is no way we could have seen it coming (remember, they weren't forecasting snow!) but Pastor's recent message about worry kept coming to mind and I KNEW that the Lord was looking out for us. Praise the Lord for people back on the Island who knew what to do and were helping us out. We would have been totally lost without them. So....another adventure gets put in the book and it's a time I will never forget. We had lots of laughs. I am curious to see where I get stuck next...

We went through lots and lots of coffee. teehee

This is our "Essentials Kit". We needed a little more than Food, Shelter and Love to get us through over night in a hotel..with nothing...but the clothes on our backs....and new earrings and fuzzy socks...(sigh)

Third Anniversary!

Today makes three years since we drove into Oak Harbor to make it our home for the second time. It seems pretty amazing when I think about it. In some ways, it seems like just yesterday that we were driving over Deception Pass bridge for the first time (this time around that is) and coming back to Bible Baptist Church. I remember driving into town hoping that we would make the Sunday Evening service, but being SO nervous because I hadn't seen a lot of these people since I was 9! I was very pleased to see some old friends and playmates and to meet some new faces. With all the the Lord has done in my life since then it feels like it's been even longer than three years! Each year I become more and more grateful to the Lord for bringing us here. It's also a reminder to me that I can't see into the future, but because the Lord can, He knows what's best for me. My desire was to not move here at all. In fact, I was very set against moving here. I wasn't trusting in the Lord like I should have and became very discontent. I learned my lesson after we got here and I saw the plans that the Lord had laid out for our family. My faith was small but has since been greatly enlarged! :-) Now, I am prepared for whatever the Lord has. If it involves another move, staying here, or anything else! I am totally trusting Him. As much as I would LOVE to stay here, I know that if I am only content with what I want I will miss out on the blessings of God.

Usually about this time we start to think about where we will be moving next. That's a strange thought for me! I feel settled...and no such thoughts have crossed my mind. :-) It's a pleasant feeling that I've never had before. I am looking forward to seeing what the Lord does through our family in this church over the next year, and hopefully for many years to come...

If You Like Musicals...

If you like musicals, you might enjoy watching A Christmas Carol: The Musical. It's been a favorite for while now, but we watched it again last night. Love it!! It's definitely a keeper. Check it out!

A New Record!

Blogging from work again....they said they are coming to fix our internet today, but we'll see.

Yesterday I hit a new record!! You see, I keep track of all the books I read in a notebook, and I've kept track since 2005. Two separate years I reached the total of 24 books, but couldn't seem to inch my way past that number. This year, my goal was to read more than 24 books. Last night I finished book #25!! WOOHOO! I am hoping to get one more in this year, but things will be pretty crazy from here on out between work, college preparations and Bible Institute. Any suggestions for my next book?

Whidbey Weather

The weather has been quite interesting these past couple of days. It's been rainy and bleak, but that's pretty normal for this time of year on Whidbey. The wind, however, has been intense! Monday night, my family and I were heading back into town from doing some shopping and noticed that Southern Oak Harbor was blacked out. Well, if they are out of power out in town, then we are most likely out of power, I thought. Sure enough, our street was completely dark.

One aspect of a power outage that is fun (probably the only thing) is that you can light a bunch of candles! My room smelt heavenly. :-) I gathered several onto my nightstand and read by candle light. Now I can assure that if we had internet that would not have been happening, but it was kind of nice to do something different for a change. I went to bed early that night, but woke up in the middle of the night to a huge popping sound and lights outside my window. I peeked out my blinds and saw a transformer down at the church blowing. GREAT! I thought. My mom and I ventured down to the church to make sure there wasn't a fire, and that was my adventure for the night. :-) Because of the transformer blowing we still didn't have power the next morning. It came on around noon. However, still no internet. I am blogging from work before I start my shift. It is even more windy today than it was Monday night so who knows what will happen. It's definitely a blustery day on Whidbey!

Another 7-Eleven Coffee

Yes, as I type this I am sipping a Pumpkin Spiced Latte from 7-Eleven. As you may have guessed, I now go in there with a purpose. :-) As much as I love the lattes, it's only an excuse to talk to Michelle. Last Monday I went in and didn't see her. After inquiring, I learned that the man was filling in for her. I was a bit dissapointed, but planned to go the next Monday. That would be today! I ran my usual errands, looking forward to my stop at 7-Eleven. I had the first study out of the E-life studies and a John & Romans all set to go.

As I was getting my coffee, Michelle came up to greet me. A good sign! I thought. I told her about the Bible study and asked her if she would be interested in doing one. She said, "Well my schedule here is really weird and busy so I don't know...." I assured her quickly that she could still do it! We could get together sometime over coffee or I could give it to her and she could do it whenever she gets some time. She brightened at that idea! I approached the counter and paid for my coffee, but didn't say anything else about the Bible Study yet. As I finished she said,"So you can just bring that Bible Study in to me." She seemed really excited and eager to have it! So I ran out to my car and brought it inside. I told her that this was only the first of many studies and she said, "Oh well write your phone number on the first page!" I made sure she knew that she could call me anytime if she had questions or just wanted to discuss it. I am so pleased to see that she is open to hearing more about the gospel. Please continue to pray for her.

This coffee just tastes better and better each time! :-)