DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WERE DOING 42 YEARS AGO TODAY?  Well…I do.  I remember it well.  It was the day I married my wonderful husband Dave.  And it was a God-thing!  A wonderful, blessed, God-thing.  I’m going to tell a little story that has absolutely nothing to do with my blog.  If you don’t want to hear about it just skip down to the next heading on this page.

In the summer of 1972 I broke off a relationship with a man I was in love with.  It was very painful for me.  I remember crying across my bed and saying to the Lord that if I was ever to get married He (God) would have to point him out to me because I was through dating. (You know…all the theatrics of the young).  Well fast forward to a few months later.  I meet the roommate of my cousin who attended college in Southern California.  She asked if I would come to her wedding if she married.  I didn’t really think she would ever get married so I said yes.  I lived in the San Francisco area at the time and we lived about 500 miles apart.  Well, wouldn’t you know it, I receive an invitation to an October wedding. I kept my word, and my friend and I drove 500 miles away to attend the wedding.  I stayed with my cousin who was the maid of honor.

The wedding happened and something else happened.  Dave ushered me to my seat. Hmmm…I thought.  Little did I know but he was “Hmmming…” too.  While the ceremony was taking place a thought came to my head, a very loud thought, “That is who you are going to marry”!  I took a double take on that thought and turned to look at that handsome man, standing over there in a line of about 8 or 9 ushers, sweating and looking uncomfortable.  Hmmmm…that’s who I am going to marry?  I questioned.  It was as if it was a voice outside of myself.  Well, I had earlier told the Lord that He would have to tell me who I was going to marry if I was ever to marry.  Was this the Lord telling me that now?  I actually remember hoping so.

One problem, I didn’t even get to meet him during the reception.  He was disappointed that he didn’t get to meet me so he left for home.  Remember, that we are in Southern California far away from where I lived.  Dave left and I left.  I went with my cousin to the Bride’s parents home after the reception for a private wedding party dinner.  I was hopeful of meeting that handsome man.  When I got there he wasn’t there.  Oh well, maybe he isn’t the man I was supposed to marry.  After all, if I’m going to marry him I at least had to meet him.

Well, back to Dave (that handsome young man), as he traveled down the LA freeway system something told him to turn around and go back.  He hesitated and had that feeling again.  He got off the freeway and decided to go to the Bridal dinner.  After all he was single and it was a free dinner!

About a half hour later he walked through the door.  MY KNIGHT IN SHINING TUXEDO!  He was surprised to see me there because he had no reason to know that I would be coming.  He had actually left because he hadn’t had a chance to meet me and was disappointed.  But there we were, our eyes locked, as if a “knowing” passed between us. (I totally made up that last sentence because it sounded like it was supposed to be there)!  He followed me around, we talked a little, flirted a lot, and he asked me out on a date two weeks away.  I said yes.

Well, it finally came time to say goodnight and go our separate ways.  He asked me for my address and I wrote it down.  I lived in Alameda at the time and when he looked at it he said, oh is that over by Pasadena?  I said no, it is by San Francisco.  He looked at me with bewilderment, looked at my cousin and asked her, “is she kidding”?  He looked back at me and I said “no, are you coming”.  There was a long silence in the air.  Then he looked at me and said, “Yes, I’ll be there”.  And he came.  And the rest his history.  We traveled by air up and down the coast of California for four months before he asked me to marry him.  We married 4 months later on June 23, 1973.  Before we married we had spent 23 days together when all our visits were totaled.  He stayed at the home of my friend’s parents when he came up and I stayed with his parents when I went to Anaheim.  It made for an interesting courtship.    And here we are, 42 years later and still in love!  I do think it was God that spoke to me that night at the wedding.  Dave was the best thing that ever happened to me.   HAPPY ANNIVERSARY HONEY.  I LOVE YOU.  AND I AM PROUD TO LET THE WORLD KNOW!

The End

NOW FOR THE REST OF THE BLOG

The last full day before taking off for my home stretch.  I have a little less than 4,000 miles to go.  Actually it is about 1700 miles to go if I were to go the most direct route.  But direct I am not.  I have lots of little adventures planned, places to travel, more things to experience.  I worked at home all day preparing for my last jaunt.  I still had a lot of Airbnb places to schedule.  The last night on the road is still up in the air but that can wait.  The next 8 nights are all booked.  8 nights 7 places.  I will pack everything up for the last time tomorrow.  I have a little bag that I will take in each night that holds only that which I need.  My days will be full, my nights of sleeping taken seriously.  I must have proper sleep to drive so much alone.  I’ll try to write in my blog if I have a chance but don’t be surprised if I don’t make it every single night.  My sleep will be more important than my writing.

Back to today.  I stayed at home all day but something kept drawing me to go and have some prints made of something I have been giving to people.  I had run out and needed to have more done before I left this area.  So I went to the UPS store and had copies made.  And there was my divine appointment for the day.  I met Robin, the UPS proprietor and our talk ensued.  Robin is a believer but has not fellowshipped within a church for a long while and feels the draw and need to do so.  She opened my eyes to a lot of situations that are happening in the Coeur d’Alene area in regards to churches and fellowships with other believers.  She confirmed how I felt when I attended church on Sunday.  I won’t go into it now but I will say that I did not sense the joy of the Lord present in the worship time.  After spending a week in Redding where the main purpose of “church” is worship and praise (for a long long time) is a key central part of the service I just felt a lacking of spiritual joy.  She is frustrated and longing for that time of closeness and praise and communal worship unto the Lord.  I think we had a fruitful discussion and I was able to pray for both her and her worker right there in the UPS store.  It was awesome!  I see only one other person (2 counting her employee) during the whole day and God opens the door for me to bless them and to be blessed by them.  Perhaps as I write these little stories you may not see the significance in them and wonder what is so great about them.  There is so much said that I can’t say here because of time and space, but believe me, if one word I say is encouraging or opens someone’s eyes to a new and deeper longing for the Lord, it is worth it.  I call it a divine meeting.  A meeting that God orchestrated.  God often times orchestrates those meetings just for me, for the word I will hear and receive, or the lesson I need to learn from the conversation.  And, as I’ve said before, every day I am learning.  And I hope that part of that learning is learning to love God more and more each day and to know just how much He loves me.  I AM A CHILD OF GOD AND HE LOVES ME WITH A LOVE THAT PASSES ALL COMPREHENSION.  HE LOVES YOU THE SAME WAY!

I asked Robin what her wisdom was.  She was quick to respond.

Robin’s wisdom:  “Life is too short to worry about your house being clean or your kids growing up—you blink and you are there—enjoy life’s moments.”

I also talked to her employee who loves the Lord. Here is Krystal’s wisdom.

Krystal’s wisdom:  “I wish I had known when I was younger how important school is.”

Krystal is 21.

Before I left to go to the UPS store I ate some popcorn and had a lot of debris in my mouth from the kernels.  (An important fact to know).  I needed to rise my mouth.  I saw a bottle of water in a plastic bag and thought I would just use that.  I took two big mouth pulls of “water” into my mouth (now remember I was going to rise so had my throat closed) and I immediately realized I did not have water in my mouth.  I had two big swigs of Woolite laundrey detergent in my mouth.  I quickly went into the bathroom, spit it out and started rinsing my mouth over and over.  Oh my goodness it was gross!  I rinsed and rinsed and could not seem to get it all out.  I tried to gargle because some had settled in the back of my throat where I had it closed earlier.  I started gagging and the burning was bad.  I kept rinsing to dilute the substance that had made a thick soapy coating on all my membranes.  What kept me safe was the fact that I had intended my pulls of water into my mouth for rinsing rather than swallowing.  After I felt a little better I called poison control and they said I did the right thing but not to drink anything for a while.  I was to crunch on ice cubes to dilute the coating in my mouth and then should have something cold like a popsicle.  I asked it a McDonald’s soft serve would work the same and the person on the line said yes, but to have the ice chips first.  So that is what I did.  I was forced to go down to buy an ice cream cone.  What a prescription!  It seemed to work.  There is still a little burn spot in the back of my throat when I swallow but if I am not thinking about it there is no pain.  Now I just want all of you to know that it is sometimes hard to admit some of the things I do.  But oh well, I guess I’m just human.

Came back to the house and Brian and Tracy and daughters were here.  We had a dinner of leftovers from the fridge and we still have leftovers.  We ate very well and I enjoyed the times I cooked.  I have had such a good time getting to know my nephew as an adult.  I love all my nieces and nephews but it is difficult to have close relationships with each of them because we all live so far away.  This week had brought a new closer relationship with Brian that I shall always cherish.  Ericka and her daughter Lilly are also part of the wonderful time I have had.  Ericka is such a special little lady.  I have truly been blessed to be in her company and to get to know her daughter in a special way at such an early age.  It will be fun to watch Lilly grow and mature through the years and she will always have a special place in my heart.  She is a very special, amazing little girl.  I am so grateful for the generosity of Brian in gifting the time to us to stay in his rental house.  He rents his house out by the night and it is a great venture for him.  A lot of work but good returns.

Brian works for FIRST RESPONSE FIRE RESCUE.  After he left the house he was called to report to a fire in Medford Oregon.  It is a 10 hour drive and he and a group of other men from this area will be heading out in the morning.  He works with the first response rescue, providing equipment, personnel, and fire retardant.  WOW, we were so fortunate to have had him present with us this entire week.  This time of the year Brian is out fighting the fires that rage across the U. S.  He is only home for short periods.  I miss him already.

So the end of the day has come.  Everyone is still talking to me and I am still writing.  So I guess I will close and hope that I will be back tomorrow evening.  Nine days and counting.  I don’t dare come home early.  I want Dave to have plenty of time to have the dishes done.

Good night.

BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES

By Kathleen Martens

June 23, 2015

Day is done

Week gone by.

I must leave

Time to cry.

But instead I

A smile I chose

These beautiful memories

I will not lose.

But tuck away

Deep in my heart

Separated in time

Memories won’t part.

I am doing something novel this day.  It is only 4:16 p.m. as I start this blog and the day is not over yet.  Who knows what could happen between now and nightfall.  It has been extremely peaceful due to lack of people around me.  Just Mr. David S. and that his been hit and miss as he is in and out.  I have not gone out into the world yet today but today God brought the world to me.

Ericka and Lilly went to play with cousins and I decided to try and get the rest of my reservations booked for my return home.  I am waiting now to find out if I have one or two days in Billings as a guest of Brian’s friends who live there.  Then I can complete the bookings.

While sitting here minding my own business someone knocked at my door.  David S. was out on a bicycle ride so I was all alone.  I cautiously peered out between the cracks in the living room drapes and saw a tall, well dressed young man standing on the porch, a comfortable space away from the door.  Not exactly what I wanted, someone knocking at my door but my heart quickened and I knew this person had come on this porch for some reason.  That reason was to hear the words I said to him.  I didn’t know that then, or even expect it.  Actually, I had no clue that I would even be talking to him other than to find out what he wanted.

The man at the door was James.  He was representing Edward Jones Investment.  After hearing what he had to say I told him my situation was temporary in the home and that I didn’t live in the area.  And so we started talking.  One thing led to another and the discussion of my trip came up, thus the discussion about asking him about his wisdom.  I picked up my phone, put it on record and he spoke his wisdom into my phone before I even knew what he was going to say.

James’ wisdom: “My wisdom is not to settle.  Don’t settle with things you are not happy with. Don’t settle, just keep going and keep trying new things, seeing new places as my new friend here is and I think that is where the enjoyment of life comes from.”

And then I knew I had words for James.  I shared my love and life and joy and peace with James.  He was so kind and considerate and listened so patiently.  I shared about my love for Jesus and how he could know him too and how to ask Christ into his life.  I actually felt led to give him a poem I wrote a few years ago about “God of the Scriptures” and gift him with a “Jesus Calling” book by Sarah Young.  He received them and said something that touched my heart.  He said I was his last call for the day because of the words I spoke he had to leave and reflect and think about what I told him.  I may never see James again on this side of eternity but I do hope that I will see him in heaven.  I will be waiting for him.  James is a person, who to me, is just waiting for God to happen to him.  Just by looking at him, hearing him speak, seeing his demeanor, hearing his wisdom, he has so much potential and so much value to God.  God is just waiting for him to open the door of his heart to let him in.  I asked James If I could pray over him and he accepted my offer.  I really do pray that God will bless him.

James was very helpful in pointing out places of interest to me on the map (which I brought out to the front porch).  We had a very nice conversation and I am so amazed how, when I chose not to go out, God just brought me the one he wanted me to share with.  It was such a privilege to be able to share my love for the Lord with James.  Thank you James for your receptive heart.  And all along he knew that I was leaving town and not a potential client.  Maybe that means he was really sincere in listening.

James’ wisdom was very intriguing to me.  As a writer who wants to know “the rest of the story” I could not help but wonder the root of where that wisdom came from.

Plans have changed.  We were planning to go out to eat tonight but instead of (as David S. said to Brian: “oh, you want to eat at home rather than take the traveling zoo?”) eating out David and I are going to pick up the order at the “Whitehouse Grill” and take it over to Brian’s house.  I ordered   The most popular item:  THE MIXED GRILL: Grilled Chilean Sea Bass, Tiger Prawns, Curry chicken placed over our house rice and served with garlic green beans.  Plus we ordered:  Shepherd salad with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, Kalamata olives, onions, tossed in our Greek vinaigrette topped with Feta cheese.

I’m down to my last nine days and one pair of pants.  I might as well have those tiger prawns!

I think I will close this blog for the night even though the day is not done.  In a nutshell, we plan to pick up the food, take it to Brian’s place, eat it, pick cherries, eventually come back here and get to bed too late with too many calories sleeping within us.  Sounds like a good rest of the day to me!

Woke up without an alarm!  That is always the beginning of a good day.  Prepared for church and left for the 8:30 a.m. service.  I attended REAL LIFE MINISTRIES.  They have three Sunday morning services, 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 a.m and two Thursday p.m. services.  Fast quick and right on time.   And that was with communion!  The church is having a month long series on investing in the youth of today.  The young people preached and led worship service.  The worship was beautifully done but very short.  The people were very friendly.  I met someone there and it was like God fulfilling another little desire I had expressed in my thoughts yesterday.  In order to explain I must go back and touch on something that happened on Friday.

If you read Friday’s blog you may remember that my car has a mind of its own and it took me to the HUGE-MEGA-SALE!  It was a happening place.  Lots of people and lots of items being sold.  Well, today at church I was leaving the first service and I saw a sign up for ushers needed for communion and for taking the offering.  I thought, why not, no one will even suspect that this is my first and only day of being here.  I signed up and had a two minutes instruction plan given to me.  There are many sections and four ushers per section.  Two start at the front and two start at the back.  I was at the back starting position.  I took two trays of rectangular plastic trays with a center area of about 2X3 inches for the “bread”.  The trays are light and easy for my hands.  I watch my opposing usher and I give my two trays to the two rows in front of the two back rows, as she had given hers to the first two back rows.  Then I go back, take the two trays when they get to my side and carry the two trays forward.  Communion is passed out in about 3 minutes or less with the entire facility handled this way.  Signing up for communion automatically positioned me as the offering usher.  The buckets, (literal buckets) were in all different colors.  They looked like children’s plastic sand buckets but without the handle.  Offering was taken in the same procedure as the communion.  Like I said before…very efficient and quick!

I successfully returned with two partial trays of leftover communion cups and crackers to pick up my buckets.  A lady came up to me and reminded me that she had met me on Friday at her garage sale.  You remember, the HUGE-MEGA-SALE!  Then I really looked at her and realized who she was.  I so much had wanted to return to her sale on Saturday but if you read yesterday’s blog you’ll know that was impossible to do.  Well, I had a lot of questions I had wanted to ask and asked her if we could talk after the offering was taken.  When we were finished with offering we walked to the foyer and had a good time talking.  She had mentioned on Friday that the items of the sale were from a storage unit auction that she and her husband had purchased. I asked her if I could ask questions.  She gave me permission to ask and permission to tell her story on my blog.

This is the story of Melissa.  After the service I was introduced to her husband but I have forgotten his name.  Sorry Melissa.  Melissa and her husband are hoping to be able to move from town to a place that has some acreage so they can have more freedom of allowing their children to have places to play, have chickens, a large garden and live closer in harmony to nature.  I could feel her passion and desire for this as she spoke to me.  She touched briefly on how her life had become so out of control, she used drugs, was not living a godly life and was in a difficult position of life.  Though she was raised in a church she didn’t really feel she had a relationship with Jesus.  She made a new commitment to God and now is living a life she never dreamed of.  She has a four year old son and a daughter due in September.  This investment in the auction could mean a great deal to her and her husband and their hopes and goals.

She shared with me that she had taken the storage unit for $2700 and had to figure in about $300 to pay the taxes on it plus an additional $200 to rent a U-Haul truck and trailer.  She had 48 hours to remove the items from the large storage unit or she would have to pay $500 for rental fees.  So making haste was the underlying priority.  It took one U-Haul truck, one pickup truck and one trailer to empty it out.  It completely filled their garage from floor to ceiling.  I saw what was still in the garage when I was there and it appeared there was more in than out.  They were constantly unpacking.  She indicated that they financially broke even this weekend and now the rest was for their real estate investments.  There were a lot of things that would be sold in other ways than the garage sale because they were more valuable collectable items.  There were several different collections and nice furniture.  We had a short prayer and I told her that I felt this had been a divine meeting.  She agreed.  I then asked her for her wisdom.

Melissa’s words of wisdom: “Everything roots back to the Lord.  If you have a relationship with the Lord everything will prosper. There are so many opportunities out there.  When opportunities arise go for them, grab them.  You never know what life journey you will go on.  You may just live out your dreams.   LIVE**LOVE**LEARN!  Yes, live, love, and remember, everything all goes back to the Lord.”

An amazing story.  Thank you Melissa.  Melissa then told me that yes it was indeed a “divine meeting”.  Then she tells me her name is Melissa Divine.  How sweet that name is!  I left knowing that my hopes in meeting her again had come true and now I have heard part of her story.

I went to my borrowed home, prepared a snack and left for some shopping.  While there I had opportunity to meet a young lady and talk to her.  I asked about a large tattoo that went across her back and asked about the skull and its significance.  She told me the skull represents a dark time in her life and the wings coming out from it represented hope and her new freedom of flying away from all the bad.  Her life was now on an upward road and things were better.  Sheree is 24 years old.

Sheree’s words of wisdom:  “Just keep going in life and never give up and be around positive people.”

I asked Sheree if I could pray for her.  She excitedly and positively said yes she would like that.  I feel so honored to be able to pray for strangers and know that God is hearing these prayer and perhaps starting a greater work in the lives of those I meet.

Her wisdom came without hesitation.  I could tell that Sheree has had quite a journey.  I am proud of you Sheree for being such a positive young woman regardless of what you have faced and battled in the past.  I shall continue to pray for you to be strong and to come to know the Lord in a closer and deeper way.

I then went to a wonderful place to eat.  There was a young man working behind the counter cooking my chicken.  I asked him what wisdom he has learned.  His quick response was so straight forward and immediate that I knew it was a lesson he had learned recently and meant with sincerity.  This young man is 19 and his name is Sam.

Here is Sam’s wisdom:  “The most important thing in life to to be honest with yourself.  I just graduated from high school and when you are in high school you try to act the coolest, trying to act like someone you are not.  That is not important.  When you want true friendships and people to truly love you, you have to be yourself and act on the strong impulses that you know are true and not what may seem logically true or fashionably true, but what is true to yourself and the person you want to be.  Always be honest in everything you say and do.”

It is so interesting to hear the wisdom of the young.  Sam, if you ever read this blog know that there is an absolute truth and that truth is Jesus, the son of God.

After I left the mall in downtown Coeur d’Alene I drove up second hand street.  I call it that because there are so many resale shops on it.  Being Sunday I found only two open but only shopped at one.  It was half price off all books!  Oh what a deal!  How could I pass that up?  When I found out that information I went back and bought a few more, mostly to give away.  When I told the cashier that, (a man that looked a bit like Santa Clause with a long white braid), he gave me a big price cut.  That was even a better deal!  Maybe he really was Santa Clause.  I wish I had taken his picture.  I didn’t think of it at the time.  Oh well, can’t remember everything.

When I arrived back at home base I could not get into the house.  My code would not work.  So I called everyone I knew that could help and no one answered.  So what is there to do in a crisis when you can’t get in, you need to use the restroom, and you have food in your iced bag?  That’s right!  You eat.  So I did.  And it was good!  Then I got the call.  Everyone was 45 minutes to 1 hour away.  So I had to go shopping again.  This time closer and to only one place.  And it was good.  They had a restroom!

Home again and everyone comes over and the men BBQ’d and Ericka and I concocted side dishes from leftovers.  It was delicious!  I could learn to live like this except I soon would not fit into the clothes I brought with me.  I’m already having a bit of trouble buttoning my britches!  PRINCETON CLUB HERE I COME!

It is 10:05 and I shall plow my way through to the bed in my messy room.  Hope it all fits back in my car.  What a mushrooming mess I have.  Oh well, I’ll not think about that now.  I’ll think about that tomorrow.  Now is for sleeping!

Good night everyone.  I had an awesome day.  Hope yours was too.

Uh Oh!  I have one more story to tell before I go to bed.  I called Dave on his birthday and it reminded me of the story I am going to tell.

Several years ago I would go away on some weekends to speak at women’s retreats.  I would be gone from Friday until Sunday afternoon.  One particular weekend I told Dave I should be home by 5:00 p.m.  Well I came in the back garage door at 3:00 p.m.  I hear Courtland running lickity split down the stairs saying in a harried, hushed voice, “Dad, dad, mom’s home!”  I then see Dave walking up the stairs.  I walk into the kitchen view and notice the sink and counter are PILED WITH DIRTY DISHES!  My eyebrows shoot up and I look at Dave and he looks at me.  He says: “Oh I thought you would be home at 5:00”.  I said, “Yes, that’s right.  I’ll be back at 5:00”.  I turned around without another word, walked back to my car and drove away (probably went shopping).  I came back at five.  The kitchen was spotless, the house was picked up and all was well.  I later asked him if this is what they did every weekend when I went away.  He admitted that yes it was.  They don’t do any dishes until just before I come home and then they all rush around and get the whole house back in order just before I arrive.  Hmmm…You see, there is a rule at my house that no dirty dishes are ever parked in the sink because then you can’t wash your hands and use the sink for the other uses it has.

Back to the conversation from Dave’s birthday call.  I asked him how the house was.  I was wondering if there were dirty dishes in the sink.  He tells me that he guesses he better start now getting things back in order because since I’ve been gone so long it might take him a couple of weeks to do it instead of a couple of hours.  Oh well…just hope there are no rings in the toilet.  However, I just made sure that he knew when I would be there.  I won’t dare come home early.

Goodnight again.

Some days are so packed with activity that yesterday actually seems to be two or three days ago. I asked Dave S.  a while ago if this was really the same day that started out this morning.  We were up and out of here early to tackle Tubbs Hill.  Here is a little excerpt continuing from where I left off last night from the web page:

“Tubbs Hill and the City of Coeur d’Alene were once part of the vast 4 million-acre territory claimed by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. The Coeur d’Alene’s were a semi-nomadic tribe with an estimated population of 3,000 to 4,000 people. They refer to themselves as Schitsu’umsh, meaning “Discovered People”, and acquired the name Coeur d’Alene from French Canadian trappers. According to one popular story, the trappers attempted to trade for valuable furs with insignificant items. The Native Americans were shrewd traders and stated that the trappers had hearts as small as the point of an awl. Accepting the retort, the trappers called the tribe Coeur d’Alene or “Heart of the Awl.”

Well, you don’t walk too fast with a two year old in tow.  She tired quickly and would only progress reluctantly.  Daddy Brian did a lot of carrying.  It was a challenging, rocky course, but with many wonderful lookout points of interest.  It was worth it to go to the downtown area of CDA early today.  Not only did we enjoy our two hour hike in the cool of the morning but we also had opportunity to get great parking spots for the Car d’Alene.  And boy did they ever have some beautiful old classics.  I especially enjoy the ones I remember from my own childhood.  I didn’t take many photos but I did include a 1954 Chevy similar to the one we owned when I was a child.  We had that car for many many years.

After the hike we all went to the children’s climbing park and I enjoyed everything the kids enjoyed.  Especially the kiddy slides.  The spiral was my favorite.  We were there until lunch time.  I had a date with 9 year old Ashton and we went strolling to lunch.  He chose to eat at a Bakery and we had some great food!  Afterward we headed on foot to the Car show which was just one block away.  Ashton and I spent most of the afternoon there eating Kettle corn.  We finally met up again with all the other people in our group.  We had to take three cars because of all the children’s car seats (3). Two cars full, which included mine, went to Costco.  Afterward my car stopped at another store and we finished getting our last items needed to prepare tacos for the dinner meal.  We have been hosting the meal here most nights as a way to say thank you to Brian and Tracy for allowing us to stay in their rental home at no charge for 8 nights.  With 5 in their family and 4 of us that is a big dinner each night!  It has been great to cook in a kitchen that just belongs to the guests (us)!  But it still feels like it is not my kitchen.  Everyone is great in chipping in to either help in prep or do clean-up.  I have done the cooking.  So far I have had no complaints so until I do I’ll just keep trying to come up with some interesting and delicious food.

After dinner, I was still eating, there were guest that came knocking at the door.  They were neighbors who recognized Brian and Tracy were over and they came over to visit.  Brian and Tracy formerly lived in this house.  There were four who came in so that made 13.  Two of which were babies.  THERE WAS A LOT OF NOISE!

I needed to get a reservation for the Wednesday I am leaving so I set up my computer on the kitchen table adjacent to the open living room.  One or two babies crying, (loudly), five adults talking loudly in the living room, and Ericka and I having a conversation in the adjacent kitchen, it sounded like bedlam.  Plus Sam and Buddy (the dogs) scampering under feet as they wanted to play fetch.  They even brought their own slimy ball.  Everything was cleaned up by David S. and Ericka as I just sat here hunting and pecking at keys and studying maps.  I never leave anything out on the table when I am finished and put it all away in my bedroom when I am finished working!  And long about now I wonder if I will finish tonight or fall asleep and fall off my chair.  Seriously, that was what I was thinking.

Much has been left out of today due to fatigue setting in.  More sleepy that fatiguing but it causes me to be unable to stay a wake.

I  just wonder how it took such a long day to do all I did today!  It will soon be tomorrow, so must close.  Be certain you to view the photos.

One last thing.  Ashton and I were in a toy store Pig Pickles and I met a young lady named Katherine.  Katherine is 19 years old and here is her wisdom: “Value things in life that don’t go away.  Value your family. Invest your time in them.  Find that one thing in your life that gives you meaning and for me that is living my faith because that is what I have invested my time in because it is the one things that isn’t going to go away. Find that one thing in your life that has meaning and invest in it.”  

Good night.  It is 12:05 a.m.  I’m off to bed via the dryer to take out my washed and dried clothes that just buzzed me.  Now it really isn’t just one day because now it is tomorrow!