Tom and I helped celebrate the opening

of the new Jack Block, public park today.

Yes, we were quite adventurous.



 This beach had been polluted and

people were banded from it's shores.

It took twenty years to clean up this beach.

 Today, it's beautiful and ready for

summer pleasures, of all kinds.

 They even handed out free coffee.

Well, this is Seattle!

 On the way over to West Seattle, we came upon this,

while driving across the floating bridge.

These are runners in the Rock'n' Roll Marathon.

Check out the video on this site.

 It's quiet a moving story.

Pies, Thirty, Mustaches - What?

Stay with me.

With a title like this, it needs more explaining...

But first let me show what I made.

Pie Pops!

Hence the Pie part of the title.

Easy, decorative and fun to eat.

 For more instructions, visit this blog.

Now for the Mustache & Thirty part of this title.

Our son turned 30 years old.

Stephanie threw Todd a Mustache Party.

Everyone was to wear a mustache.

If you didn't have one, there was a wide variety of

homemade felt mustaches available.

 Not everyone was willing to tape on a mustache.

If you look closely, you can see Ila in the front sack, on Kimmy.

There was a roasted Pig.

I couldn't even look at it.

It still had it's teeth!!!

 There was even a band,

with plenty of room to dance.

 Todd and Stephanie

No birthday cake for Todd.

He wanted pie instead.

My contribution to the party were pies.

Total of seven pies.

Plus, plenty of Pie Pops for everyone.

 Happy Birthday Todd!

Another first

Tom and I went for our first bike ride of the season.

 And it is Tom's first ride since his knee replacement.

Ah, the neighborhood Starbucks.

Cheers!

 Here's to the new knee

and

here's to a lot more bike rides

And the Winner Is...



Princess Margaret



Despite the gloomy weather,

my roses are trying to come out.

This is the first bud to open.

That means it won't be long for the rest of them.

Now, if we could just get a little more sunshine.



Love!



It's A Race!

Pink Peace

 Every year I watch, anticipate and wait some more,

 to see which rose is the

first one to open up.

Princess Margaret

I do believe this one just might be the

first one in my Rose Garden

to expose herself.

I usually have my first cutting by now.

 Our cold and wet weather has put us back about a month.

Saying Good-by Isn't Easy

Today was a very hard day at work for me.
It was the last day for the Seniors at school. Each year I say it's hard to let go and let them fly.
This year is no exception. It was difficult, to say the least. Lots of tears for them and me.

You see, this year I was having trouble knowing if this (working at this school), was where I was suppose to be. Did God want me to stay or did he have something else in mind? I have struggled all year.

Let me go back to Fall, when school started.  I'm assigned students to help me, by working in my small Attendance Office. School counselors assign these students to me. I never request or refuse a student. God gives me students, who He knows, needs to be there. They are there for a reason.

There are six periods in a day. That's two students each period. A total of 12 students that come in everyday. Twelve different personalities to deal with, along with doing my own fast pace job.  We really get to know each other, very intimately. I know their lives in detail. Sometimes, more then I want to know.

With that said, this year I ended up with one student who returned from Rehab.
One student who is pregnant and living on her own (and has two jobs).
Two students were runaways but have returned home.
One student couldn't get to school on time and had to drop his class.
Another student had to drop her class because she was failing it.
Two of my students, this is their second year with me.
These are just some of the students that I see each day.

We have grown to know and respect each other. I listened to all their daily chatter and tried to make them feel important and needed. During my time with them, I would give my advice, tell stories to assist in their decisions, make them laugh, feed them (I have a drawer full of snacks and drinks), help them with homework, quiz them for tests and give then what I describe as, Life Lessons. I call these students "my kids" and they love that. My office is a safe place for them and they know it.

Like any relationship there are milestones. With these students you could feel it, see it and today I knew it.
They knew they were leaving the nest and were on their own. No more safety net, no more security, no more "mothering". It hit them hard! My job was done.

Now, back to my questioning my job and decision to be where I am.
I was given a letter from one of my "kids". She had been with me for two years. In her letter she told me that I was the reason she was still alive and she credited me, for helping her, staying in school. I was blown away! Me? Was that what I really read?
I had given her lots of attention and shown her lots of love but I didn't realize the importance of those moments.
Another student (the one from Rehab) thanked me for being there for him! Wow!
Each Senior left my office by giving me a hug. Not just a hug but a HUG!
I was left with their tears on my shoulder.

Is God telling me something? Am I suppose to be here? Can I do this another year?
Yes, yes, and yes!

So good-by...
Vanessa; You will be a great mother and will do well at college because you are smart and capable.
Josh; please remember what I told you, YOU are special. Please stay clean.
Genna; my little helper. I will miss you very much.
Greg; I am so proud of you! You are the first one in your family to graduate from High School. You did it!
Alicia; You blew me away! Yes, now we can go out for that cup of coffee.

The rest of you, well... I will see you next year!

Passing It On



The Family Silver,

plus all the odds and ends

that I have collected

over the years.

It's all polished and ready to give

to Todd & Stephanie for their

4th Wedding Anniversary.

 

Happy Anniversary
Todd & Stephanie