Glimpses of My Days

Since many of you don't do Instagram, and that is where I share a lot of the pictures I snap, I thought it was time for another Instagram update. These go back to March...

I'm finding the #hashtags to be a lot of fun. I like thinking up which ones to use for each post... and then seeing what other pictures people have posted using those same hashtags. Sometimes I get comments or likes from random people who have found my picture from the hashtag. You can click on the hashtags below the pictures to see other what other Instagrammers have posted using that particular hashtag, if you're interested.

Breakfast at The Perfect Landing #airplanesinthemorning #breakfastdate

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Apr 4, 2015 at 8:10am PDT

Flowers from a friend. #cyclamen #touchofspringonmydesk

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Apr 13, 2015 at 5:33am PDT

Crocheting and audio book in the passenger seat... My idea of #roadtrip !

A photo posted by @karlacinid on May 14, 2015 at 10:50am PDT

I need a friend to do my hair for me every day. #fancybraid #goinggray

A photo posted by @karlacinid on May 29, 2015 at 12:33pm PDT

#rockymountainsunset #juneevening #lifeisgood #trustinggod

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jun 1, 2015 at 7:24pm PDT

#takingthescenicroute #onthewaytochurch #springtimeintherockies #sundaymorning

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jun 7, 2015 at 9:13am PDT

#rainbow #godspromise #onthewaytochurch #sundayevening #crazydenverweather

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jun 7, 2015 at 5:16pm PDT

#morningquiettime #trustinggod #coffee

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jun 9, 2015 at 7:02am PDT

#flowersfrommysweetheart #brightenmyday #lovemyman

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:59pm PDT

#gottalovehalfpriceafter8 #summerevening #strawberrybanana #milkshake #sonicdrivein

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jun 20, 2015 at 7:53pm PDT

#sundayafternoon #dayofrest #backyard #icedcoffee #goodbook #summertime #trustinggod

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jun 21, 2015 at 1:30pm PDT

#datenight #downtowndenver #lodo #summerevening #crazydenverweather

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jun 25, 2015 at 7:09pm PDT

Sonlight's 25th anniversary celebration at the Downtown Aquarium. #sonlight #denver

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jun 26, 2015 at 3:48pm PDT

Iced caramel crunch coffee for breakfast? Well... Okay! #saturdaymorning #breakfastdate #303coffee #lovemyman

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jun 27, 2015 at 7:43am PDT

Their Golden Anniversary

So grateful for parents who love God...

...each other...

...their children...

...and the rest of you...

in that order!

Sunshine Tag # 2

It's been a busy week! But then... they all are, aren't they?

As we've been getting settled it's been fun to explore our new home area, and discover neat new-to-us places. Somebody Lyle works with had recommended a restaurant at a nearby municipal airport, so Lyle took me there for breakfast last Saturday.

I think that may be my favorite breakfast date so far! Our table was by the window overlooking the boarding area with the runway beyond... and the Rocky Mountains off in the distance beyond that. Being a municipal airport, it was all private jets and small planes, but several took off and landed while we had breakfast. It was really fun to watch.

My homeschool convention started this past weekend in Loveland, Colorado. This was my fifth year to do this event, but this time it was "local" for me. I drove back and forth each day and spent the night at home.

Rush-hour traffic coming home on Friday evening through downtown Denver was a bear! Made me re-think the wisdom of not spending the night in Loveland. But I made it! And then Lyle did the driving for me yesterday. I will miss having him be my driver/loader for my other events this spring, as I will be flying.

I had hoped to post more often than weekly, but for now, I guess it will have to do. So to wrap up this week's post, here are my answers to Laura's questions on the "Sunshine Award" blog tag game:

1. Favorite thing to do on Friday night? Hang out with Lyle.
2. What is your favorite movie line? "I like people who make me like them. Saves me so much trouble forcing myself to like them." --from Anne of Green Gables.
3. Android or Apple IOS? Android. I've never owned an Apple product.
4. Favorite game? Phase 10.
5. Do you like coconut popcorn? Yes. But I like plain buttered popcorn best.
6. Favorite blog? Through My Eyes. ;-)
7. Favorite candy? toffee
8. What kind of car do you drive? Volkswagen Jetta and Ford Excursion
9. Favorite place to live? Wherever Lyle lives.
10. If someone wrote a book about your life, what would they title it? I'm pretty sure that would be Ramblin' Roads, dontcha think:?

Celebrating 28 Years!

Sunday Afternoon Drive

When the most-thoughtful-husband-ever surprises his wife with a new camera...

.

...(which she "needs" for blogging purposes, of course)...

... he should just naturally expect to be asked to take her for a scenic drive...

 ...on a sunny Sunday afternoon in September...

...just to try it out.

 Don't you think?

Then when he cooks supper on the backyard grill just as the sun is setting...

...that's what I call a pretty good day!

{For those of you to whom the technical details matter: 

My new camera is a Nikon Coolpix L820 with a 30x optical zoom. 

I am very happy to have it!}

Small Town Girl - review

Small Town Girl by Ann H. Gabhart is a gripping love story set in, as you might assume from the title, a small American town during the early days of World War II. While it probably would be considered a romance novel, the story had a little more depth to it than your typical romance. I loved the characters and found the plot to be engaging and believable. Here's the publisher's synopsis:

In the autumn of 1941, rumors of war whisper through Rosey Corner. The town waits in anticipation as if holding its breath. But for Kate Merritt, it seems life is letting out a prolonged sigh. As Kate watches her sister marry the man Kate has loved since she was fifteen, her heart is silently breaking. And even the attentions of handsome best man Jay Tanner can’t draw her interest.
Then suddenly, Pearl Harbor changes everything. Kate’s friends are rushing to get married before the boys go off to war. The newspapers talk of women making airplanes and bombs. Everyone in town begins rolling bandages, planting victory gardens and collecting scrap metal. Kate finds herself drawn to Jay in surprising ways, and when he enlists she can hardly breathe worrying about him getting killed. Could she truly be in love with him? And if she is, will she ever see him again?

Thank you to Revell for providing me with a review copy.

Valentine Banquet

Our church had a Valentine dinner for married and engaged couples last night. It was a lot of fun. Each table was set for four couples. We enjoyed visiting with the other couples at our table and getting to know them better.

The young people had set up a "photo booth" and passed out our pictures at the end of the evening. I thought that was pretty cool.

The dinner was delicious. During dessert we enjoyed a mini-concert by a 4-piece string ensemble made up of four siblings who are all 16 and under. They are amazing musicians.

After dinner the pastor and his wife had planned some "activities." They asked for 3 couples to volunteer (or be volunteered). We did not volunteer... but some friends at our table volunteered us... and so we were drafted. We haven't been going to this church all that long, so it was kind embarrassing to be the center of attention like that.

Two tables were set up at the front of the room. One for the 3 ladies... the other for the 3 men. Each table had 6 incomplete projects... half were traditionally "women's work" and the other half "men's work." The projects included: pounding nails into a board, using a socket set to screw bolts into a board, putting batteries into a flashlight, separating egg whites, threading a needle, and folding a fitted sheet. Each person had to complete two of the projects (one "woman" project and one "man" project). My responsibility was to separate the eggs and put the batteries in the flashlight and turn it on. Easy-peasy. I was glad I didn't have to pound the nails. I'm sure they probably would not have gone in straight. And I'm not sure I would have known how to use the ratchet, though I probably could have eventually figured it out. Lyle's jobs included threading a needle (and tying a knot in the end) and pounding the nails. He later told me he was glad he didn't have to separate the eggs. The goal was to see which team could complete the tasks fastest. The women ended up winning but only because the men's flashlight didn't work, I think.

In any case, the three couples who participated each got a gift. Ours is a $10 gift card to Post Falls Coffee Company. I decided that was worth being drafted!

The next activity involved blindfolded men putting their faces in a bowl of whipped cream to eat the cherry at the bottom of the bowl. I was glad we weren't drafted for that one.

The evening wrapped up with an inspiring message on marriage by a special speaker. It was a fun way to spend Valentines Day evening with my sweetheart.

Vintage Valentines

 Vintage Valentines cards are so much fun. I think my favorites are from the mid-20th century. The artwork is so sweet, and the puns are so lame!

Here's a darling one I came across recently and "sent" to my husband, just because of the vintage car and trailer. I have no idea what the message means: "...I'd trailer all around." Is that supposed to be a pun for "trail her"? I dunno. But check out the license plate: "ME4U"! Too cute!

Here's another car-themed one that I saved. It's much more straight-forward in its message: "Let's go together!" Yes, let's!

Here's a patriotic Valentine... probably from World War II, wouldn't you think? I'm not sure. But look at the pun on "US"! With red, white, and blue stripes even. So creative!

The cards above are ones I have come across on the internet and saved just because I like them. I also have a few that were among my Grandmother's scrapbook and letters that my mother saved and has let me archive. Here's one from 1934 that she received as a teenager from one of her Sunday School pupils:

It's actually a pop-up card. The lower part folds down and the other pieces then separate for a three-dimensional affect. Pretty elaborate for a little Sunday School boy! Wonder if he had a crush on her?

This one is from probably the late '50s or early '60s when my grandparents had young children at home. It's personalized! Towards the bottom of the heart on the left is a little penciled notation "Daddy" with an arrow pointing to the boy, and just above the heart on the right is the corresponding notation "Mother" with the arrow pointing to the girl.

It looks like Granddaddy's handwriting to me (but I have to admit, it's kinda hard to tell, being so small and light)... so I wonder if he chose it from a box of Valentines that one of the children had to give their classmates, and labeled it to give to Grandmother? It seems like something he would do. They called each other "Daddy" and "Mother" for as long as I remember... and for much further back than that, I'm sure.

Happy Valentines Day!

People Watching

Last Saturday afternoon Lyle and I had a little date at a coffee shop I had recently discovered and wanted to take him to. Coffee dates are perfect for the early dark evenings this time of year. We enjoyed relaxing on a cushy couch while we sipped our lattes, chatted, and played Words with Friends on our phones with each other. We also like to eavesdrop on other people's conversations. Can I admit that without seeming stalkerish?

On one side of us was a group of college-age kids discussing a worship service they were planning. In the seating area on the other side of us was a couple apparently on a date. Their conversation seemed to be of casual get-to-know-you topics and nervous chuckles. I couldn't see them from where I was sitting, but I was curious to know what they looked like. Without being too obvious (hopefully), I glanced over their way when I got up to go the restroom. Turns out they were a nice-looking, casually dressed 30-something couple. 

People watching and eavesdropping on strangers is just so interesting to me.

So this morning, we went out for breakfast. We tried a new-to-us place, a little cafe that a friend had recommended. It was several blocks from the coffee shop we went to last week.

Just as we were finishing our meal, I recognized a familiar face across the room. Where had I seen that guy before? Then I remembered: it was the guy at the coffee shop. I peered around Lyle to see if his lady friend was with him. Sure enough, she was! So they are still together a week later... and going out for breakfast.

I don't suppose I'll ever see them again to know how their romance turns out. 

I wonder how many people we cross paths with multiple times like that without ever noticing?

Celebrating 27 Years!

Lyle comes home for lunch every day, but my work schedule doesn't always allow for a lunch break, so more often than not the kids serve me lunch while I'm working. Lyle often eats in my office just to hang out with me for the few minutes he's home.

He walked in the other day and pointed to his framed senior picture which I keep in my office. "Whatever happened to that guy?" he asked. The picture is 30 years old and doesn't look much like him any more.

"That guy?" I feigned confusion. "I haven't seen him around in a long time."

He sprawled out on the floor for his after-lunch cat nap. I leaned down to kiss him. "But this guy. I love this guy way more than I ever loved that guy."

Mountain Sunset

Yesterday afternoon:

And so... yesterday evening...

 We found a spot along the road with a good view of the western sky...

 The sun was beginning to go down...

 Lyle gets tired of me taking his picture all the time... so let's try a self-portrait of the two of us together...

Um... yeah... let's try that again....

 This time I cut off the top of Lyle's head. Makes him look bald, he said.

 Okay, that's better.

 And Lyle thinks that's enough of that.

I know! Let's take a silhouette shot of our shadows. That's kinda romantic looking, isn't it?

Whoops! We're about the miss the sunset!

I officially declare this the perfect way to unwind after a stressful work week.

A Two-Day Adventure

A few weeks ago I was trying to think of what to get Lyle for his birthday. Anything he really needs or wants (that I could afford) he usually buys for himself. He's been working way too hard lately, so I thought of a weekend getaway instead of a gift. First, I was trying to think of somewhere nearby... I mean, we do live in a resort area, so it wouldn't be hard to find a cozy little bed-and-breakfast or something. But no, he would actually rather drive to relax, than sit around doing nothing. So I started thinking further afield. How far could we go in one day, and then turn around and come home the next day? Well, the coast, of course!

I planned a route in my mind to head down to the Columbia River Gorge, over to Portland, and then visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I picked out a cute little coastal motel for the night, and then decided to let him plan an alternate route home.

Before I made reservations, I thought I better check with him to make sure he would enjoy it. His immediate response: "Sounds good to me!"

Shortly after that he sent me the above map. So that's our itinerary for this weekend. I don't know where we'll be when, but it's sure to be an adventure. I think I've figured out how to blog from my phone, so I'm going to try doing mini-posts along the way.

The Summer I was 16

The summer I was 16 I almost met my future husband. It happened like this:

 Every four years our denomination held a General Convention. This was where the preachers and important laymen in the church got together and took care of church business. For us teenagers, it was a chance to socialize with other young people with similar church background.

This was a good fifteen years before the internet went mainstream, and well before practically everybody carried a phone around in their pockets. So we wrote letters. With a stamp. Mailed at the post office. And waited a week or more for a reply. Hard to imagine, isn't it? I had several friends I wrote to regularly, including my aunt Rachel (who was 18 that summer and had just graduated from high school), and my friend, Denise (who was also 16).

That was the year for our General Convention and we girls were eagerly looking forward to it. Mostly with the hopes of finding a boyfriend, though we didn't admit that out loud to very many people. Rachel already had her eye on a guy she had got acquainted with the previous fall, but I wasn't sure exactly who to be interested in.

My family lived in Ohio at the time, and the convention was in Wichita, Kansas. We had borrowed a pop-up camper to stay in on the campgrounds. As we were setting up, I noticed a young man sitting behind the wheel of the little car parked by the trailer in the next camp site. I didn't know who he was. Dad was out socializing and when he came back he told us that was "Brother Cook, the general treasurer, from California" next door.

"I bet that Cook boy likes to drive," was my first impression. I wondered how old he was. He never was in the group of young people we hung out with, so I didn't think too much more about him. I was too busy running around with Denise, having a good time speculating about boys.

Rachel and "Mr. Romantic Porch" quickly hit it off so I didn't see too much of her. And by the end of the week one of the other boys had asked to sit with Denise.

 No one seemed very interested in me. I was too tall, kinda geeky with over-size glasses, and probably not the most brilliant conversationalist. I figured I would probably never get married. It was quite depressing.

And then, on the very last day, as I walked across the campground... that Cook boy winked at me! In that instant I knew that was the man I was going to marry.

That was 30 years ago this summer. And here we are... living happily ever after!

Except that part about the wink? That never happened. He was very reserved and, being from California, didn't know any of the other young people, which is why he wasn't part of the group I hung out with. Of course I had no way of knowing that I had been eyeing my future husband all week.

"That Cook boy" never even knew I existed until the next spring. He doesn't remember seeing me in Wichita the summer of 1982.

But the happily ever after part? That part is true!

The Junkyard

Anywhere he goes, I'm happy to tag along. And sometimes we end up in the most interesting places. This morning he agreed to take me garage-saling... but he also "invited" me to go to Pull'n'Save with him afterwards. [Pull'n'Save is like a morgue for cars and trucks who have died but still have useful organs that can be transplanted. Just where I always wanted to spend a hot summer afternoon.]

To my disappointment we didn't find much at the garage sales. That's just the way it goes sometimes. As we headed to the junkyard I asked him, "Are you sure they'll let me go back there with you, since I have on a skirt and sandals?"

"Well, they might look at you funny," he told me. Yeah. That's what I wanted to hear. "What'd you wear sandals for, anyway?"

"Um. Because it's summer?" Seriously? He had to ask? I always wear sandals in the summer. That is, when I'm not going barefoot. But I don't go barefoot to "town."

"So... back them looking at me funny... should I wait out in the car for you?"

"Well, I might need you to hold something for me. And I don't care if they look at you funny," was his reply.

All righty then.

A few months ago he had taken our daughter along, and they carded her to make sure she was over 18 before they would let her go back in the salvage yard. She didn't have her driver's license along, so they quizzed her as to what year she was born... and finally, reluctantly, took her word for it that she was actually 19. Funny they didn't card me today. I'm sure I don't look a day over 16.

 As we headed out across the lot, I whipped out my handy phone camera and starting snapping pictures.

"What are you taking pictures for?" he wanted to know.

"Because I'm a blogger, of course," I reminded him.

He just rolled his eyes.

He tried to show me the kind of mirror he was looking for.

"Kinda like this. But not," he explains. "It needs a little slidey bar across the top here."

 So I toddled along looking at mirrors on trucks. This guy's mirrors are already gone... but doesn't he look like quite a character? 'Mater's cousin, maybe. I like him.

 This is what an engine looks like that caught on fire. I wonder if there really is something salvageable there. Must be, or they wouldn't keep it there, I guess.

 I like this little old lady, too. I bet she could tell some stories of when her kids were young and she shuttled 'em around to school and soccer practice and scouts. Her kids are probably about my age or older now, since she's a 1970 model. These long ol' station wagons were what moms drove in the era before mini vans.

It was a lot of fun, visiting the junkyard. Not something I would want to do every day. Or even every week. Still, hanging out with my guy is always fun. Like a date. Only better, 'cause I get to go home with him, too.

But we didn't find the mirror he was looking for. Too bad.

The Power of Words

Yesterday morning my husband injured his hand at work. He got his finger caught in a paper clamp and pretty much crushed it. Long story short, he ended up having surgery on it in the afternoon to try to save it, and so we spent most of the day in the waiting room. Not what he or I either one had planned for the day, but life's adventures do sometimes throw us a curve ball.

Finally they called us back to the pre-op area. After taking care of all the preliminaries they put some sort of solution into his IV and told us that he probably wouldn't remember much of anything after that. Sometimes people get a little loopy as they go under anesthesia so I was hoping he might do or say something goofy that I could tease him about later. (Obviously, this was not a life-threatening injury or I wouldn't have been so blithe.) Much to my disappointment he didn't act drunk or anything.

As they were about to wheel him away the nurse told me, "You can hug him or kiss him or whatever would be appropriate." :-) So I leaned down to give him a quick kiss... on the lips, mind you! ...and he kissed me back-- this is important to the story. I murmured, "I love you," and patted his shoulder as I went back to the waiting room.

When his surgery was over I was curious to see how his memory was affected. "Do you remember me kissing you?" I asked him.

"You didn't kiss me!" he protested.

"I most certainly did!" I insisted.

"Nuh-uh. You said, 'I love you,' but you didn't kiss me!"

So that was my funny story to tell the kids of what happened when Dad was under the influence of anesthesia.

I thought it was interesting, though, that he remembered the words but not the kiss. Just goes to show that sometimes words do speak louder than action.

P.S. I do have pictures of his injury-- that he took while waiting to the see the doctor initially-- but I decided you probably wouldn't want to see them. You're welcome.

Lilac Days

Often I find myself thinking...

... "Life couldn't possibly get any busier." And then it does.
... "Surely my responsibilities will lighten up soon." But they never do.
... "When I get caught up I'll have time for all the other things I want to do." Instead I just get further behind.

It seems like a vicious cycle. In the meantime, life goes on. The sun is shining and the lilacs are blooming outside my window. My children just keep growing up.

I don't want the important things in life to pass me by because I was too busy to appreciate them.

So today, I'm going to soak in the sun for a few moments, and inhale the fragrance of the lilacs. I will spend time listening to the things my children want to talk about. And I will hold hands with my husband every chance I get. I will appreciate the strong work ethic he has and try not to mind the excessive hours he has had to work lately.

No matter what... life is sure an adventure!