Reflective Mood

Today is my twin sisters' 51st birthday. However, it is bittersweet as the youngest twin, Belinda, died before she could turn 50. Celebrating the birth of my baby sisters is so very important - I remember that day they were born very well. But for a few moments during this day I am sad...sad that Belinda died too young, sad that I didn't do something, sad that her whole family misses her every day, sad that I didn't tell her how much I loved her more often.
I guess the bottom line of this post is - we are not promised tomorrow, only this moment. Spend that moment well with people who you love and who love you. Make peace with family and ask God to forgive you even if you can't forgive others.

Still Kickin'

After turning 60 in July - I am still in disbelief when I say those words out loud - I really didn't think too much about it. Ken and also celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary that weekend as well.
Then winter hit in February and I started to feel my age. After spending hours shovelling snow nearly every day in February, my shoulder, back, and often every joint screamed in agony.
I did survive the snowiest winter in over 100 years in the Tri-Cities. We had at least 2 feet of snow. Today I finally felt like we might actually make it to spring alive!!
I hope all is well with everyone and that you weathered the winter as well. Blessings to all and have an amazing Lent.

Wow....it has been .... Interesting

I wish I could say that I thought about this blog and all who might read it during this past year and a half since my last post. But to be totally honest, I haven't had time to even think about it. I will try to give you the short version of the last 18 months or so.
2017 was a crazy year - we bought a home in Kennewick, WA after I spent nearly a year working here and travelling to Colfax every weekend so Ken and I could spend our weekends together. We love our new home but we made 2 mortgage payments for almost an entire year before we finally got the house in Colfax sold.
Ken started as deacon at Holy Spirit in Kennewick a few months later and we are truly blessed to find such a great spiritual home in our new hometown. Being closer to family has been amazing - mostly good and so glad I was here especially this year.
On January 4th this year our sister, Belinda, passed away. It was sudden but not totally unexpected - she was only 49 so her children and my other sister and step-dad were really thrown for a loop. I can't explain how much I miss her and wished she were here. In fact, today would have been her (and is Bonnie's birthday as well) her 50th birthday.
The rest of the winter just happened - I don't remember a great deal about those months - just a blur really.
The next big event was our granddaughter Yasemin's high school graduation and our road trip to Texas for that. It was an amazing time and we are so proud of our grandchildren - especially Yasemin. She is starting college in Dallas this fall and she will be doing amazing things with her spectacular singing voice and acting talent.
My job is so amazing and I feel so very blessed. You all are in our prayers.

Crazy Year Part III

Immediately after ordination (Saturday) and the baptisms of our two youngest grandchildren by their loving grandpa (Ken), we drove to Kennewick, WA with our daughter, Kara, and son-in-law, Kerem - as they wanted to spend a bit of time with Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Calvin, cousins, and Grandpa Ben. It was so joyous to have so much family surrounding us with all the love you can imagine. I took a bunch of pictures to commemorate this amazing day. I don't think Kara had seen Grandpa Ben since she was 13 or 14 (maybe) so it was quite the reunion.

The week following ordination, I returned to work, but Ken stayed with me in Kennewick as did his mom and their life-long friends from Pensacola, the Pings. It was wonderful and I so appreciated the extra time we got to spend with mom. In 2016, we got to spend time with Ken's mom (btw, she is the BEST mother-in-law in the entire universe) in March and in October! This doesn't often occur - we usually get to spend a week or two with her every other year or so. But this year was so very special with getting to spend so much time with family, especially mom.

The holidays in 2016 seemed a bit anti-climatic with all the excitement and huge events throughout the rest of the year. Thanksgiving is a blur - quiet and peaceful (I think). But Christmas was very memorable. Our friends in Moscow, George and Caroline Canney, were away for the holidays. But they graciously allowed us to inhabit their beautiful home for a few days. We had an amazing Christmas dinner with several people from the parish and community that didn't have family in the area. We bought two complete dinner kits from Rosauers in Colfax and everyone else brought various side dishes. We had a huge feast, wonderful companionship, superb conversation, and lots of laughter. An amazing day with many, many amazing friends.

So now we have come full circle - back to a New Year - 2017 this time. Hopefully it won't be a whole year before I can get an update on this blog for the few people who actually read it! God bless everyone and here is to an amazing 2017!!

Until the next time.....

Crazy Year Part II

To continue with our amazing and crazy year, I will start where I left off - Summer 2016. After leaving WSU (15 years at the Libraries alone; over 30 years total) and beginning my new adventure at Trios Health, I never looked back. I had prayed about this new job and talked with Ken endlessly about it, and when they met the criteria we had set - I quickly accepted their offer. Ken and I have spent the months from July to now apart during the week and together on the weekends. Our house in  Colfax went on the market, we packed 99% of our stuff and moved it into storage in August/September.

October brought the most amazing day to our family. Ken was ordained as a permanent Deacon in the Roman Catholic Church in Boise ID along with 3 other holy men. Ken had studied for 4 years plus two additional years of discernment and learning the art of being a Deacon. He was ready for this!  The entire rite was amazing, beautiful and filled with such emotion - tears were a big part of this day for me. To say I was proud and in awe just doesn't quite explain the emotions of that day but will have to suffice. In the pews were many friends from all over the country as well as daughter, Kara and her husband, Kerem; our son, Deakin and his wife, Nicole; my sister Bonnie, her husband, Calvin and their son, Zak; and last but most importantly, Ken's mom, Faye, who drove all the way from Pensacola, FL in her RV. She spent a month and a half touring the United States before arriving in Boise for the ordination in mid-October. It was a wonderful day and it was made even more memorable by having an early Thanksgiving dinner (lovingly prepared by our amazing daughter-in-law, Nicole) with all of our family there! So very special. The next day, Ken was able to baptize our two youngest grandsons (Deakin & Nicole's youngest boys) at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Nampa, ID. To have his first baptism be for these two little guys was beyond amazing. Spencer and Connor were baptized by the best grandpa in the world! When time allows, I will try to post some photos of this event.

I guess the rest of the story will have to wait for the next installment. I guess I didn't realize just how much crazy stuff happened to us in 2016. Stay tuned for more. God bless y'all.

What a Crazy Year

It is amazing to me that it is already closing in on March of 2017. It has been nearly a year since I last updated this blog - there is so much to tell that I am sure this will be a multi-part story. I will try to keep to chronological order so I don't forget anything so bare with me. In March last year we travelled to Austin, TX to spend nearly a week in Lago Vista with our daughter and her family. Plus, our son, Deakin and his wife, Nicole drove down as they wanted to renew their wedding vows (it was their five year wedding anniversary). It was an amazing time and Ken's mom drove over from Pensacola, FL to surprise everyone. It was so much fun and so exciting -- three of our five kids were at the event including their children. It was such a blessing to have so many kids and grandkids in the same place at the same time! I graduated from WGU Washington in April 2016 in Seattle. I decided to walk in the graduation ceremony about a month after I finished my degree. It was such a special day. I am very glad that I did it. My sister, Bonnie and her husband attended as well as their son, Zak - oh and Ken attended as well. I felt so special even surrounded by hundreds of other students who were equally as proud of their accomplishment.  June 2016 brought a couple of job interviews in the healthcare industry - one in Pullman and one in Kennewick, WA. The one is Pullman was not something I was very interested in so I was very glad when I received the "thanks but no thanks" email from them. However, the job in Kennewick was such an amazing opportunity that I jumped on it when they offered me the position. I am now working at Trios Health in Kennewick as an Application Support Analyst since July and absolutely love it. Currently I stay with my sister, Bonnie and her family during the week and return to Colfax on the weekends. More on that situation in the next installment. To come next time - Ken's ordination, his Mom's visit, lots of time with our son, daughter-in-law and their boys, and how the whole changing jobs for me has gone.  God bless everyone and I will try to get the next section done sometime next week. Peace!

A New Year - A New Direction

As of November 2015, I have completed my B.S. in Health Informatics from Western Governors University Washington (an online accredited university). It took me slightly more than 4 years but I am beyond glad that I did it and finished it! In February 2016, I successfully passed the Registered Health Information Administrator certification (gigantic). Now I have time to do other things in addition to looking for a different job (if I find one, great; if not, I am fine with that too). I will actually "walk" on April 16, 2016 at Key Arena in Seattle, WA at 10:00 a.m. If you would like to view the streaming video of this event, go to: http://tinyurl.com/lgrysra and watch!!

In October 2016, Ken (God willing) will be ordained as a permanent Deacon in the Roman Catholic Church. He has been on this journey for about 6 years but it took him nearly 4 (almost the entire time he was completing the coursework) to discern that the diaconate was actually his calling. He finally got the hint from the Almighty and entered the Deacon formation with the Diocese of Boise. He is beyond excited, as am I. His service to the church will probably not increase much as he is extremely involved in many ministries including RCIA, Family Promise (housing for families who are temporarily house-less), the Knights of Columbus, and many more. Please keep us (but especially Ken) in your prayers.

Since last posting, we have a new grandson (Connor Cain Patrick, born the end of June) and another granddaughter via our oldest son marrying his best friend. So we are currently at 18 grandchildren and holding. We also lost my dad last July as well as my kids' grandmother, Clarice Miller, two days later. It was a difficult time for us all. But my dad is now dancing with the love of his life (my step-mom, Jane) in heaven and watching over us all.

Anyway, God bless everyone and hopefully I will post a bit more frequently now that my degree is finished (but no promises).