It Happened in a Blink

There's a new song playing on my favorite radio station these days.... "Blink."

It happens in a Blink

It happens in a Flash

It happens in the time it took to look back

I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time...

While the song has a much deeper meaning to it, I also feel like it describes our summer! I left you on May 18th with every intention of posting in a day or two about the rest of our trip, and here it is, August 27th... Where did the time go?

We really enjoyed our trip up the Alaskan Highway... not something you'd want to do everyday, but I will do it again one day! There were so many times that I couldn't help but think that Rick would love this so, one day, when we have time to really enjoy it I'll take him with me!! No words can describe the beauty and solitude of being "off the grid," yes, that means generators for electricity, no cell phone service, and absolute quietness (well except for Rian practicing his Guatemalan whistle in the back seat!) The pictures of our trip are scrolling in the slide show at the bottom of the page... they only half describe the amazing scenery!

We arrived home around the 21st of May, just in time to enjoy the most beautiful days we would see all summer, and then got back to the job of living 'normal life' again after being gone for 2 months. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, (and way less boring than a thousand words!) I'll just share the highlights of our summer that way instead of telling you all the gorey details....

Janna (in blue) and I held a bridal tea for our favorite Bride-to-Be, Katie (in pink). It was a wonderful day to honor her (picture with her mom and sister) and shower her with blessings (and gifts). She is such a special young lady!

Later that month, Katie's parents blessed us by taking us rafting & fishing on the Kenai River. The weather was cold and nasty, but the fellowship was warm and sunny for sure!

We ended the month of June by sending Rian to Washington State to spend a week with his Grandma. While he was there he got to watch his favorite team (the Seattle Mariners) play ball at Safeco Field. After a week there, Rian brought Phyllis back with him to enjoy another two weeks with here with the family....

The month of July brought weeks in a row of visitors...It was a bit crazy, but wonderful at the same time! The main attraction was spending time getting to know Gerad's girlfriend Sarah. Well, she was the main attraction for a few days, and then this little guy showed up with his parents.... and we all know who the main attraction was then!

Yes, our clan tends to do things a bit differently... so here is our best 'generations' picture.... sorry we missed the 3rd link in the chain, she may have been downstairs taking a nap.

The last thing we did before the kids left was to celebrate Rick's 50th birthday (just a few weeks early). It'll be official on Tuesday... a bonefide card carrying member of the AARP .... woo hoo...senior discounts at our favorite restaurants.... we can only hope!!!!

After a slight break (just enough time to change the sheets and restock the refrigerator), we had a short, but enjoyable, visit from Rick's brother Keith...

And last, but not least, we ended the month of July with what some call Redneck fishing... While I knew there was a bit more to it than putting your net into a clear river bed and pulling up a net full of fish, I could have never imagined this... We stuck to the 'safe' side (not so much mud!!!) and caught a handful of fish, but mostly enjoyed watching the people around us... like these characters next to us.... they were great fun, and so helpful!!!! And I'm sure they are normal people under normal circumstances.... but where fish are concerned.... that's another story!!!

There was so much more, ups and downs... A dear friend moved to town, more house transformation projects, surgery for my mom, surgery and on going cancer treaments for Rick's brother, more surgery for mom..., but through it all, the good and the bad, God's faithfulness shined through! (That's another post in itself!)

Things have slowed down quite a bit, at least for now. Gerad decided to go back to Arkansas to look for employment as a teacher. Rian and I are getting back into a much needed school routine and we even had a few days of absolutely gorgeous sunshine... (after a fairly miserable summer, weather wise). We have some amazing plans for the coming months... but that too, is another post... hopefully you won't have to wait 3 months to get it!