Mother of the Year Award..

Saturday evening found the Reel's at my sister's house watching a movie. Which wasn't all that exciting to the kids so they ventured off to entertain themselves. I figured all the kids were upstairs in my nephews' room playing minus Trent drawing and coloring at the kitchen table. Trent kept pestering me to come look at something. I thought it was his drawings. I told him he'd have to wait a minute because his timing is so impeccable, he had to chose the point in the movie where the mystery unravels its tangled web. Within minutes the movie was over and I got up to see what he was all excited about....

........THIS.............

There wasn't enough room on the table for her to draw, so she climbed up on the counter. Apparently it was soothing enough to put her to sleep. I was very THANKFUL that she didn't roll right off. I think I need to start putting a bell around her neck.

Jonnie speaking..

Jonnie was to be the first speaker for Saturday morning. I tried to capture the moments leading up that point. I know that she was really nervous about speaking, so she was trying to make light of every thing. Christy Guinard and she are BFF's. So Christy was trying to keep Jonnie grounded.

Debbie Hoisington...a wonderful lady, came over to wish her good luck.

The theme of the retreat was John 15 :1-15

1 "I am the true vine. My Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch joined to me that does not bear fruit. He trims every branch that does bear fruit. Then it will bear even more fruit.

3 "You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain joined to me, and I will remain joined to you. No branch can bear fruit by itself. It must remain joined to the vine. In the same way, you can't bear fruit unless you remain joined to me.
5 "I am the vine. You are the branches. If anyone remains joined to me, and I to him, he will bear a lot of fruit. You can't do anything without me. 6 If anyone does not remain joined to me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and dries up. Branches like those are picked up. They are thrown into the fire and burned.
7 "If you remain joined to me and my words remain in you, ask for anything you wish. And it will be given to you. 8 When you bear a lot of fruit, it brings glory to my Father. It shows that you are my disciples.
9 "Just as the Father has loved me, I have loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love. In the same way, I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy will be in you. I also want your joy to be complete.
12 "Here is my command. Love each other, just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than the one who gives his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.
15 "I do not call you servants anymore. Servants do not know their master's business. Instead, I have called you friends. I have told you everything I learned from my Father.

Different speakers spoke on certain verses. Jonnie had verses 3 & 4. She used a a lovely word pictures when she described the verses. She said that as parents we have to teach our children how to wash their hands. We tell them that they need to lather the soap in their hands and create friction to get the soap sudsy to work into our pores to get them clean. But how many times have we caught our children putting soap on their hands and running them under the water faucet? That's what the word of God is. His words are the soap and to apply them to our lives we need to take action, create suds and work it in to our pores. And it's easy to just read the word and not apply what's said to our lives, just putting the soap on our hands and letting the water rinse it off. So how are you washing your hands....??

I was pretty proud to call her my sister. Afterwards we a little down time, so we ventured out along the river. Christy and Jonnie thought they'd be cute and play in the road. Photo opt!! I don't think she knows I'm posting this.....

O' Well!! :)

Women's Retreat 2011

Every year our church puts on a Women's Retreat up river above Asotin at Snake River Rendezvous for a weekend. There are 8 cabins, a dorm and a lodge and they get filled to the brim every time (I ended up bunking up with Jonnie). I've not gone the last two years since I've placed a judgement on going. It just felt that every time I went, something bad happened. I removed the judgement and took a chance. I then found out that Jonnie was going to be speaking and I didn't want to miss that opportunity. Jonnie with her BFF Christy and me.

We headed out of town last Friday as soon as I got off work. These are a few pictures I took when I work up first thing Saturday morning. It snowed on the very top of the canyon. Very thankful we were below the snow line.

Our days were packed with worship, fellowship, and speakers. Both nights I don't think we were in bed before midnight just to be up early again. To call this retreat a relaxing vacation is very far from the truth.

Home

Fifteen years ago, my dad was an EMT and a logger in a small subdivision south of Cascade called Smith's Ferry. My mom, a 911 Dispatcher for the Valley County Sheriff's Department. Times were hard for the Logging Industry then. My parents soon realized that we weren't going to be able to make it on just her salary alone. So they sought out other options. Thus her finding a position at the City of Lewiston Dispatch Center. We had no problems selling our 5 acres in the middle of nowhere and transferring to the Lewiston Valley. As a fourteen year old, I hated them for up-rooting me from the only place I called home.

Fast forwarding to present time, I still live in the Lewiston Valley, but that doesn't mean I miss home any less. (I still refer Smith's Ferry as home, I think I always will). Last weekend Eric and I made a unplanned trip to Boise to purchase some furniture that was too irresistible to pass up. We decided to head south through the Weiser route, but then we'd take our time coming up through Cascade and McCall. I asked him to stop in Smith's Ferry to let the dog out and for Caitrin to stretch her legs. Looking around, I saw very few things had changed. Still lots of snow and the roads were horrid. Here are a few snap shots of what used to be my home...

This is Cougar Mountain. Hiked around on it a few times, never saw a cougar.

Cougar Mountain Lodge. My bus stop every morning at 6:30am. It took and hour and a half each way to get to and from school in Cascade.

We lived two miles behind the Lodge, down river. Eric didn't want to try to attempt getting back to the house I used to live in since we had the furniture in the back of the truck. We didn't want to risk ruining it with mud and slush.

We didn't hang out for very long, the weather didn't look promising. Though the time was brief, I was satisfied in seeing where my roots once were established.

Photo Phun..

Last Saturday I had to work the LCSC Basketball game for Inland Cellular. Since we were the VIP's for the evening, we got to hang out in the conference room above the court. My camera has a panorama setting so I thought I'd try it out. I know it's small, but it's neat nonetheless...

Flea Market Child

With Tarren being 12, Eric and I feel she's old enough to keep an eye out for her brother and babysit her little sister for short periods of time. We tend to venture off to the grocery store sans the kids to avoid any meltdowns of wanting toys or really sugary cereals. Last Saturday was no exception. I think we might have only been gone 20 minutes.
When we pulled up to the drive, I saw Caitrin with her nose plastered to the back door window and tears streaming down her face. I rushed into the house to make sure everything was all right.

Mom: Bug, are you all right? What's wrong?
Caitrin: *sob* They *sob* said *sob* I was *sob* bought *sob* at a *sob* flea market! *sob*
Mom: If that were true, you were the best find I've ever found.

After picking her up and loving on her, I went in search of the culprits. They were hunkered down under a bed snickering. So when I went back into the kitchen to put the groceries away, I handed Caitrin a yummy chocolate chip cookie. When the other two saw what Caitrin got, they both came running to say they wanted one, too. I simply told them no. That the cookies were only for Flea Market Children, not Mean Biological Children. I can only hope that they learned not to pick on their little sister. But having four sisters myself, I kind of have a feeling it's only the beginning. Poor Caitrin, she's doomed....

Conversations....

Setting: In Caitrin's room trying to find clothes for her to wear.

Mom: Pick out a pair of pants please.
Caitrin: You know, Mom. I had a dream last night that I got to wear my blue and black dress. (her recital costume)
Mom: Ahh, nope. It's cold out, I'm not battling this with you this morning. You are wearing pants today.
Caitrin: But my dream told me to wear the dress today.
Mom: I'm sorry sweet heart. Your dreams are a product of your over active imagination. No go. Get dressed please.

Surprisingly enough, no battle after that.