Forty Years - Ya Gotta Be Kidding Me!

Forty-four YEARS ago, I ended up, by a series of unusual circumstances, a freshman at this tiny little university in Iowa called Graceland. I went against my parents wishes and took a chance, just "feeling" this was the right thing to do. Well, it was :)  And now we are going back for the 40 year honor class reunion for the Class of 1976. What stories we will all have...  I just wonder HOW did this happen so quickly? :)  I'll be back in a couple of weeks and start up a slightly more regular blog on those simple observations of daily life.

A Life Changer in 1980

I am giving a little talk at church tomorrow about our trip to Nepal and did some thinking about what inspired us to go. I'd have to say my inspiration got it's start in 1980 when I went to the Philippines with a group called Outreach International, the brainchild of a man named Charles Neff. Though he is long gone, I remember much of his manner, grace, and concern for those who were oppressed. When I asked him once why he kept coming back to third world countries, and all of the problems associated with severe poverty, he replied, "You now, I feel honored that I have been accepted by the poor." Wow. Outreach International now has a big presence in 15 countries with thousands upon thousands of lives affected every day by it's mission:  "Give a person a fish and they eat for a day, teach a person to fish and they eat for a lifetime." I found this old picture of Charles and smiled to see that young boy watching him so intently...what a life changer this man was.

Jack, Succulents, and Barb Brock Occasionally...

Greetings to those few dear friends who like to humor me by looking at these "daily" posts :)  I need to try to change the name from "daily" to "occasionally" don't I?  Here's a post of my good buddy Barb Ifft's grandson, Jack, who "helped" me pot these coffee mug succulents yesterday for our local coffee shop. Tomorrow, Vern and I are off on another PCT adventure. I will return with "Two Old Beans on the PCT" highlights in a week! :)

Never Grow Up...

Dear friends Rick and Deb Sarre from Australia were with us this week. We hiked, laughed, swam, cooked, picked berries, shared stories, crossed bridges, drank lots of tea, ate Hudson's Hamburgers, cruised through art galleries, visited Boo Radley's, climbed up in a Red Wagon, fed trash to a goat, and STRETCHED ourselves in the silly mirrors. I hope none of us ever really grows up too much... :)

A Bali Bowl of Flowers

Thanks Mark and Jen for the idea of floating flowers in a shallow bowl. After seeing a lovely Bali Bowl on their kitchen table, I came right home and made my own. The petals have lasted a week and I'm about to restock the dish. This has been a summer of flower adventures!  The owner of The Mason Jar can't wait for me to bring in a fresh new bunch of 20 Cheney Bloom mugs tomorrow. I really don't know what I am doing, but they are pretty cool.

Our New Favorite Little Family!

It was such a fun surprise to reconnect with a long lost "second generation cousin."  Stephanie, Josh, and adorable Oliver stopped by for an evening of chickens and walks and sandboxes and freshly picked kale and salmon and cherry pie. They are taking a long and winding road trip to their new "home" in Iowa City after seven years in California. Their visit just left us smiling and 22 month old Oliver was a true joy to behold.  SO glad they squeezed us into their trip and can't wait to hear about the new "chickens" that Oliver will soon insist upon :)

I love having a grown up girl :)

I enjoyed my babies just as much as anyone else did...but I really love having a grown up girl. No fru fru coffee tastes better, no outing to Value Village is more fun, no swim at the pool is as energizing, no berry picking is as productive, no craft/hobby is as messy and creative, and no Monopoly game is as good...as when Sydney is here! And even though you might look taller in these photos...you are not :)