Lovin' the SNOW!!!

5 pounds of unceasing fluff, bounce and merriment, the effervescent Eloise loves the snow as much as her master.

I love snow, (who doesn't??) and I'm sure I wouldn't mind living in one of the states that gets"real" winters every year with a (word of the day!) "superabundance" of the white stuff.

Was that a run-on sentence Susi? =(

I think we deserved it after all our patient waiting and wishing! =)

"Come now and let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as the snow." ~Isaiah 1:18

Tennis Anyone?

The pool is up, summer must be here!

But this summer, the thing I look forward to the most in my week, isn't swimming, it's tennis!

I've wanted to learn tennis for some time, and while dad has played just about everything else with us (soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey, volleyball, badminton, and even touch-football) when I asked if he could teach me tennis, he gave me "the look." You all have dads, and you know what I mean.

The look that says "go jump off a cliff." And he accompanied this with the words, "I HATE tennis. If you want to learn, get someone else to teach you."

Me to self: Hmm, maybe if I ask with the "big brown eyes tactic" in mind (which rarely fails) he'll know I'm really serious, and reconsider.

But upon application of said tactic, all he said was; "Sorry Princess, but I mean it. I HATE tennis. Get someone else to teach you."

Me to self: Phooey. Wow, he really, really doesn't like that game, if the no-fail tactic FAILED!

Well, I guess I'd better find someone else!

So I called around, and Homestead (our local fitness center) gave me the number of a gal named Holly. So I called, obviously, and she said that if I could find a friend to take lessons with me, it would cut the cost of lessons by $10!

Now to find a friend...

"So, Ali... ever thought of taking tennis lessons? By the way, did I mention how cute the shirt is on you?

Ali: Nope. Not interested.

Me: Don't you think it'd be fun? I mean, good exercise, fun and experience!

Ali: I don't care to spend the money, I get lots of exercise playing badminton with you as it is, and besides, if you learn to play, you can teach me for free, and then I'll get the experience.

Me to me: Darn this dutch heritage of ours! She got the "cheap gene."

Well, Sam already said she wasn't interested...who else could I call....

This led to the phoning of My good friend Janeal, who to my utter astonishment, immediately said "Yes! I've always wanted to take tennis lessons!"

Wow! So, needless to say, we're takin' tennis lessons! Every Friday for an hour +1/2, and hopefully we can practice Thursdays.

Our coach is awesome, and an excellent teacher. And Janeal? Well... umm... she beat me our mock game last week! She'll be great!

So, anyone know how to play tennis? I'm up for a game anytime! =)

Walk for Life

This morning Ali and I walked/ran the 2 mile Walk for Life in Bellingham. Our church, had a great turn out, they had lots of walkers and the pledgers all did a terrific job raising money for the WCPC.

We had lots of fun walking/running and chatting with our group of girl friends (we ran on and off during the "walk." Fun! ;-) Ali and I got T-shirts, and because Ali raised over $500, she also got the cute hat she's wearing.

It was a great morning, and definately, a "mark-it-on-your-calender-for-next-year"!

I hate to admit it...

But signs of fall are are creeping in! One of the many things that fascinate me about nature, are trees. I am NOT a 'tree hugger'. But I am intrigued by the way the Lord has made them self-preserving. They make and store their own food, and when the ground gets hard, they store their own water. Like a camel. You don't have to be a scientist to enjoy the beauty of the fall colors in the trees. Reds, yellows, golds, and browns, even purple. But here is a little something that might make you appreciate them more. So in my own words...

Water enters each leaf through microscopic tubes in the leaf's stem. Near the end of summer, a thin layer of cork like stuff seals off the ends of the tubes. Without water the green color (chlorophyll) fades and disappears. Then the yellow (xanthophyll) and orange (carotin) colors can be seen. These colors are all there all of the time(in little packages called chloroplasts), but the green over powers all the others.

The plant's food, sugar, is carried out by sap to other parts of the tree to be used during the winter months. But sometimes, some of this sugar is trapped in the leaves when the tubes seal, causing the leaves to turn red or purple.

Pretty amazing isn't it? This is only the one aspect of trees and their leaves and how it all works, and how they benefit us! I encourage you all to consider doing a tree study as part of your fall curriculum this year. But don't forget to make sure that you highlight the most important thing!

That GOD is the one who created and orchestrated all of nature, and that He has given us just one more way to praise Him and give Him the glory for His awesome handiwork in the trees.

O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom though hast made them all. The earth is full of thy riches.

~Psalm 104: 24

Lovin' the snow and Mt. C st

For the days when the snow was falling a week or so ago, and it wasn't just a big slushy mess like it is now, we were outside enjoying it to it's fullest. And on Christmas day, dad took a shovel to one of those great big mounds of snow that the snow plows created in front of our house, and smoothed in out into the best sledding hill ever! Grandpa gave us two of the old fashioned wooden tobagans for Christmas, and they go so fast if you can find a steep enough hill. And our "hill" was perfect! Our nieghbor lady even gave it a name, Mt. C st! We thought it was perfect.We spent hours taking pictures, and going one or two at a time down Mt. C st. How fun! Hope you all have enjoyed the snow as much as we have!

Whoo-Hooo!!!

King of the mountain!