Switchfoot

Only a few of the kids have seen Prince Caspian.

I will wait until it comes out on video.

I absolutely LOVE this song by Switchfoot though.

Enjoy.

Perseverance

Photo taken at Yellowstone National Park, near the Mud Pots


Hebrews 12 1-3:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

One of my favorite verses.

May we finish strong.

Ahhhhh, Yellowstone

I love this place.

It is beautiful beyond words.


















Here we are in the Teton National Forest, at a lake, and behind us is the "back" of the Tetons. There was a deer across the street grazing on some grass.






















Old Faithful. It went off twice while we were there (about 75 minutes apart) and the second time was bigger than the first. I guess it built up pressure. (?)
































The hot springs. That's boiling water my friends!

As the water is heated, its temperatures rise well above the boiling point to become superheated. This superheated water, however, remains in a liquid state due to the great pressure and weight pushing down on it from overlying rock and water. The result is something akin to a giant pressure cooker, with water temperatures in excess of 400°F.

We were totally obsessed with waterfalls. What would you expect from a bunch of desert dwellers? :) Their power was humbling.

















A bison. Not zoomed in at all. We were on foot and he could have cared less.


















Click to enlarge and smack dab in the middle of that meadow, just beyond the yellow wildflowers, you will see the top of a grizzly bear's furry back and to the right another one. Possibly Mama and cub. Dave spotted these guys and I forgave him for everything he's ever done to hurt me. He was my hero. teehee. We watched them eat and walk casually through the meadow. Unfortunately (?) they walked in the opposite direction of our car. We were standing on the bumpers, hanging out the windows and I do believe a child was standing on the roof of the suburban.


















Here we have a darling little black bear playing near a creek. This was just off the main road that goes through Yellowstone and cars were all over the place and people were jumping out just to get a look and a few pictures of this little guy.

I sincerely hope you have had or will have the opportunity to visit this national park. It is a great family vacation. I can't wait to go back!

Jackson, The Town

Hello! I'm home, just busy.

Our vacation to Jackson, Wyoming was wonderful! I was at home in Jackson and could have stayed for another two weeks.

The weather was a delightful 80 degrees and sunny.

The mountains were both rolling, green and drastic and rugged. More on that later.

The town of Jackson was darling. It reminded me of the town I grew up in, Minocqua, Wisconsin. I called Jackson "Minocqua on steroids".

I'll post pictures over the next few days but don't worry I won't drag it out like I did the D.C. pictures. LOL.




















Downtown Jackson

















"The Square"






















A famous bar in town. Donna could do very cool things with this photo.






















Elk antler arches. Dani and Lauren posing for the picture.






















Top right is our room at The Rustic Inn. We had a great view and a little creek right behind where I'm standing.





















Great local BBQ joint. Love the name.

On The Road Again

Buffalo in Yellowstone National Park


We don't usually travel this much.......but here we go again.

Next destination: Jackson, Wyoming!!

We are going with my sister-in-law, her hubby and their three adorable children. Our families/children do very well together and we have wanted to do a road trip for years. They go to Jackson almost every summer (they have family there) and this time we're tagging along.

We are driving. Yeah baby. It will take 1 1/2 days. Our first night will be spent in Provo, Utah.

Please pray. :-O

**************************************

"We" had a little mishap with my digital camera. "Someone" left it "somewhere" and I don't believe we'll ever see it again.

So, based on Ree's recommendation and the fact that I did not win her contest, I went out and bought this:




















It's the big one. 10 mega pixels, 4X zoom and a nice big LCD screen.

I snapped a few shots late last night after the 100 minutes of battery charging. Already, I can see a difference in color and clarity. Hmmm, are we talking about diamonds here? I digress.

***********************

I am so excited to get on the road.

I feel like our children are growing so quickly and before we know it they'll be off to college and/or married. I decided that we'd better do some memory making and travelling before everyone is out of the house. The DC trip was a given, as we always go to the business conventions. This trip, however, was planned and schemed by my sister-in-law and me.

I don't think I'll write any posts while I'm gone but I will probably pop in and visit Quiet Life. It's the best place on the net.

I've Been Tagged

by Staci at Writing and Living.

Here goes....

What was I doing ten years ago?

My kiddies were 6, 5, and 3 and I was 8 months pregnant with #4. I'm sure I was having a heat stroke and spending a lot of time in our pool. Life was good and I was ready for another baby!

Five snacks I enjoy

Poore Brother's Jalapeno Chips
Cookie Dough Ice cream
Pretzels
Buttered popcorn
Diet Coke


Five Things on My To-Do List Today

Get car washed and vacuumed.
Make several phone calls.
Do laundry.
Take a shower!
Clean up after 4th of July party.


Things I Would Do If I Were a Billionaire

I would give a bunch away to various ministries and missionaries. I would buy two new houses. One here in Phoenix and one in the mountains up north or maybe one in San Diego on the beach. I would drive something other than a kid toting, gas guzzling, road hoggin' SUV. I'm thinking BMW. Now I'm really getting materialistic so I'll stop. ;)

Five Jobs I Have Had

Gift Shop girl (?)
Aerobics Instructor (back in the day)
Lifeguard/swim teacher
Physical Therapy Assistant
Programs Coordinator @ American Heart Association


Five of My Bad Habits

Creating and keeping piles of paperwork
Not making my bed in the AM
Not keeping my kitchen floor clean
Drinking too much Diet Coke
Procrastinating


Five Places I Have Lived

Wheaton, Illinois
Minocqua, Wisconsin
Tucson, Arizona (Go Cats)
Dallas, Texas
Glendale, Arizona


Five People I Would Like to Get to Know Better

Donna :)
Laura
Junebug
Amy
Susan
Ree (never hurts to try)



Five Random Things About Me

I am a fraternal twin and the baby of seven.
I have a degree in Nutrition & Exercise Physiology.
When my children grow up I want to take up tennis (again) and play golf with my husband.
I want to rock babies in the PICU.
I love Target and hate Walmart.

Please feel free to copy and do this on your blog even if I didn't tag you. Or leave some of the answers in my comments.

Have a blessed day. Stay cool.

The National Cathedral

It's hard to believe these pictures were taken only about 30 minutes apart. Look at that sky! We walked back to the hotel in pouring rain and a thunderstorm.

My last post about Washington DC.

Phew.

Happy 4th of July

Show The Flag
Edgar Guest

Show the flag and let it wave
As a symbol of the brave;
Let it float upon the breeze
As a sign for each who sees
That beneath it, where it rides,
Loyalty to-day abides.

Show the flag and signify
That it wasn't born to die;
Let its colors speak for you
That you still are standing true,
True in sight of God and man
To the work that flag began.

**********

Having a picnic? Watching fireworks?

Have a great day!

Burt's Bees

Super Shiny Lip Gloss is super indeed!





















Do you use any Burt's Bees products?

If so, which one do you just love?

I am loving the lip gloss this summer. I have it in the lovely pink color that is pictured above. I'm not a lipstick girl so this is nice because it moistens and adds just a hint of color. And I think I taste just a bit of peppermint but it is not in the ingredients so I'm not sure what I'm tasting....maybe my breath mint.

Ok now, tell me in the comments. What do you like of Burt's??

Pictures of People in DC!

The kids call this my paparazzi shot.





















Lauren, in between uncontrollable laughter and sobbing uncontrollably. JK. It was a long day folks. What a ragamuffin. :)






















Sarah at the National Cathedral.

















Did I forget to mention we were at an Interstate Batteries Convention? Isn't that limo kewl? No, we didn't get to ride in it.

















Hannah at the Smithsonian gardens.





















Dani at The National Zoo.





















Dave, James and Hannah on the Metro.





















The whole fam with Mr. Lincoln. Hmmmm, who took this picture?

For Donna

Your Matthew and Melinda.

A delightful young couple.

***********

Goodnight.

Arlington National Cemetery and Company is a Comin'

I hope you're not getting terribly bored with these posts. I've decided to continue posting pictures of our trip as an online scrapbook for my family.

I'm so glad we paid a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. It was an incredible (visual) reminder of all of those who have given their lives for our freedom. We did our best to talk to the kids and help them realize the significance of where we were and what was before us. The lines of headstones is humbling, to say the least. Really, there are no words....just a heart full of gratitude and thanks to those in the military, past and present.

I thought the cemetery was mostly flat (I'd never been in that part of the country before) so you can imagine my surprise when I saw the beautiful, green, rolling hills with the headstones lined neatly in a row. It was breathtaking and beautiful all at the same time.





























This is one of the older areas in the cemetery.






















The Tomb of the Unknowns.

The changing of the guard was really incredible to watch.

**********

It's 1 PM here in Arizona and I am waiting to hear from Donna's son Matthew and his wife, Melinda. They are returning to Phoenix from a missions trip in Mexico and will be spending the evening with us. We are so excited to meet Melinda and see Matthew again. They also have 5 or 6 other folks with them and they too are coming for dinner and swimming.

I'm serving Lasagne, Spagetti, salad, green beans, garlic bread and for dessert we'll have key lime pie and/or strawberry shortcake.

We are very busy cleaning house right now.

I'll take pictures and post them soon.

UPDATE 1:25 Just got off the phone with Melinda. They are back in the U. S. of A. and they are safe and sound. I asked her if they were hot and she giggled and said YES! She also said I sound just like Donna. (only I don't say "eh" and "take off hoser") LOL. I love it that she said I sound like Donna, that made me smile. They'll be here at 6 o'clock. :)

Thank You and Now, Mt. Vernon!

Donna gave me a gift this morning while I was sleeping. She sent her faithful and wonderful readers my way to see my Washington D.C. pictures and leave me a comment. When I woke up I had 17 comments and I was just sure they were spam. Boy was I surprised to read real comments from real ladies.

THANK YOU TO DONNA'S SWEET FRIENDS!

THANK YOU DEAR, PRECIOUS DONNA!

**********

Mt. Vernon

We rented a van and drove out to Mt. Vernon last Tuesday. It was a nice break from the Metro and city touring and the weather had cooled off considerably.


















George and Martha's beautiful Mt. Vernon






















One of the many out buildings.



















The kitchen. There is a washing area and a storage area inside this building. The cook lived upstairs.























The outhouse aka The Necessary.


















The view from their back porch chairs. The Potomac River where George Washington fished for herring and made a fortune. He also made money growing and selling tobacco and wheat but it was the herring that made him the most money.






















The girls fell in love with this guy! He was a very, very big mule.

Our visit and time spent here was probably my favorite part of the trip.

The United States Capitol

I called Congressman Trent Frank's office in April and they organized a tour for our entire group.

We had a very sweet tour guide that attends ASU and is doing a summer internship in the congressman's office. Here are a few pictures:


















The magnificent rotunda's dome.
Painted by Brumidi in 1865.










































Statuary Hall.
Isn't that pink color just beautiful? Click on photo to enlarge.





































Supreme Court Chamber from 1810-1860
I love the blue paint in this room.
Also note the fireplace in the back.

See the 'tiles' on the roof. Can you guess what that is on each tile? These 'tiles' (for lack of better word) are also in the rotunda and statuary room.

Safe and Sound/The White House

We arrived home on Thursday evening and as usual I hit the ground running. And I'm not talking about doing laundry, that is just getting started today.

We had a wonderful trip to DC. My family remained in good health and we had a very fun and eventful time. Thank you for praying!

Donna called me yesterday to find out when I would write a post about our trip. I told her I was overwhelmed and didn't know what to post first. So, here it is in bullet form and then I will just post pictures over the course of a few days. Let me just say that this was a trip of a lifetime! I was in awe of the city and history and gigantic buildings and monuments. Everything was sooooo BIG.

I felt like I was 21 again and traipsing through Europe; running after subway trains, standing on street corners with maps in hand, walking until I could walk no more, getting lost, thinking the next stop was 'just around the corner', etc....

Here's the list of sites we visited in no particular order:

The White House (tour of South Lawn!)
The Capitol (tour)
Lincoln Memorial
Vietnam Memorial
Korean War Memorial
Washington Monument
The Holocaust Museum
The National Zoo
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (gems!)
Smithsonian Castle
National Art Gallery
Arlington Cemetery
Mt. Vernon
The National Cathedral
Bureau of Engraving and Printing ($$)


The White House
Our first stop















































We had already been to the White House but on Saturday they opened the south lawn to visitors. It is something they only do four times a year. One of our employees was down there and called us so we hurried down town and got to tour the grounds. Aren't we blessed! If you are interested in touring the inside you better call your congressman's office six months to one year in advance or have major connections.
























Do you see the wicker chairs on the balcony? Do you think the President and First Lady relax there and have a cup of tea and enjoy the view. I would!

















The beautiful rose garden.


















The Oval Office.


















Do you see the difference in pavement in the bottom of this picture? The kids are on the President's jogging path!