A Visit to GG's

I've just spent the last weekend in Luseland visiting my 93 year old Gram (she'll be 94 on Nov. 5th). It was wonderful to see her reaction to pictures and videos of our little Chiara Nicole.

Look at that smile!! She thinks Chiara is QUITE clever.

We then drove out to the old homestead. It was great to be there with her.

My Uncle Dan wanted a picture of her in the oat field right beside the yard. So, here you go, Uncle Dan!!

I went to stand out there, too. It was REALLY tall!

I asked my mom once about why Ebenezer was so important. I think it means "Thus far has the Lord helped us." or something like that. This was on top of the barn for many years on the farm, but has since graduated to the grass by the storage shed.

Another highlight. . .Aunt Mary invited us over for Tea (She's the one in the middle). She survived a hurricane in Haiti by sitting under the dining room table, and putting a mattress on the top of it. Talk about scary times! But what delightful history to pass on to the next generations! It was nice to be in a small group like that.

An Unexpected Dinner Date

On Sunday morning, I got a phone call and was requested to work a trip flying to Zurich, Switzerland. I was ECSTATIC!! You see, my sister and her family were arriving in Zurich on Monday, a mere 1/2 hour before I was due to land! With a little finagling, I was able to see them at the airport, and then spend the afternoon with them at mom and dad's house. And, while Chiara took a nap, I went for a walk in mom's garden. Look at these beautiful flowers!

Poor Chiara wasn't excited to be awake when we woke her up from her afternoon nap. . .

. . .but she soon cheered up with the joy of being outside in a yard!

Proof we were all together! (Ben is sitting right outside this pic. . .I'm more gracious with him than I am the others when it comes to picture taking!)

Now, ask Chiara if SHE'S happy to be at Opa and Oma's house!!!

Goin' Home for the Day

There's nothin' like a little walk in the woods to clear the head. I got to go home on a layover in ZRH. It was only for a few hours, but it was worth it to me. Not only did I get a bunch of hugs from friends and family that I surprised by showing up at church, I got to walk through my beloved forest. With my dad. Eatin' fresh apples off the trees from the local orchard. Quality.

9/11

You know, working for one of the airlines that actually lost people in those planes that day kind of brings it close to home. I have heard colleagues' stories from this day, and its pretty incredible, from being stuck all over the world until they knew what was happening, to being on the first flight that left the ground after clearance was given. Whatever the case, it changed lives. A lot of people turned to God.

I just hope some of those turns weren't temporary.

A Couple More. . .For the Grandparents' Sake

A couple more cute movies I shot of Chiara Nicole, star extraordinaire of our family.

SUMMA'-TIME!!!!

So, I had a layover in Tampa, FL, and this was the view from my window in my hotel.

THEN, when I got home, I purchased a watermelon, HOPING that I would finally get the hang of picking out a good one. It sure sounded hollow to me when I knocked on it!

MMMMMMMM!!!!! It was delightful!!! The first watermelon I've ever picked out that actually tasted like I knew what I was doing when I knocked on all those other ones!

In fact, it was so good, I made up a smoothie recipe for it!

2 cups of watermelon (blend to a puree)

3-4 handfuls of ice

1/4-1/2 cups of milk (depending on how juicy the watermelon is)

1-2 tsp honey (depening on how sweet the watermelon is)

Blend until smooth, and enjoy!!!!! :o ) Next time, I might add some blueberries, just to mix it up a bit!

The Land of Palm Trees

I had a long layover in LAX this weekend, and was pleased to be in the State I lived in for 2 years of my life. Love those palm trees.

The hotel I stayed at was within walking distance of the ocean (less than a mile), and Venice Beach. It was breathtaking.

I don't know if you've watched the news in CA recently, but there's a bush fire burning near where I was. This is the huge mushroom-like cloud coming from that area, and you could see a layer of smoke over the ocean. Not fun. Two firemen already lost their lives.

I was actually in the town of "Marina Del Ray", and found a delightful path walking along the marina back to my hotel. My only thought was if I owned one of these boats, "SHOOT! I forgot where I parked!!"

There were also some clever names, of course. My favorite: Recovery Room. I bet it belonged to a Dr.!! :o ) I also got to see my friend, J'aime, but we forgot to take a picture. Oh, well. Maybe next time.