Caleb's Parents Visit Oregon

Last week was such a great week!  Caleb's parents came for a visit for the week.  It was the perfect excuse to take a week off of work. :)  And, boy, did we have fun acting as tour guides!

The first day we went to the Colombia Rive Gorge.  We went up the Washington state side first, so that we could have a picnic at my favorite spot.  But first we pulled over at Cape Horn for a great view.

Then on to one of my most favorite places, Beacon Rock. :)  The most beautiful place ever.

Then we were on our way to the Oregon side to visit Bonneville Dam, which I hadn't been to since a field trip in 5th grade.  But Caleb wanted to see the 450 lb/70 yr old sturgeon, who is over 10 feet long. :)

Our final stop that day was Multnomah Falls.  I don't think you can ever go there too many times or get tired of it! In the picture below, Bob and Sheila are on the far right of the bridge.  :)

We ended up just hanging out in town the next day and relaxing.  But the day after that, we took them to Cannon Beach...and loved it! It was a perfect day!  Lunch at Mo's (oh, gotta love the clam chowder!), a walk on the beach, and then drove up to Ecola State Park for a good view.  And we stopped by a fruit stand on the way home to get some fresh marionberries and Logan berry jam! yumm!

The next day, Caleb took off with his dad and I took Sheila to Powell's Books.  Being the book lover that she is, she said it was better than Disneyland...and I know she meant it!  Next time she is here, I think we will need to take her there again, and make it an all day event.  And then, after Powell's, we had a fabulous lunch together.

It was such a great week of catching up and enjoying one another!  Hopefully we can plan another visit really soon!  We have such a great family.....

Our Attempt (and Failure) of Rescuing Mr. Squirrel

Just yesterday my client, Becky, walked in saying there was a cute little squirrel hiding out under my SUV.  And then I told her about how Caleb loves squirrels, despite the fact that he would kill them and make squirrel biscuits and gravy when he was young.  He only kills animals for food, because deep down he loves them.  In fact, just a couple years ago he accidentally locked himself out of our house trying to feed the squirrels outside.

Well, my husband's love for squirrels and animals was put to the test today.

 I was working on my client, Amanda's, hair and she noticed a little squirrel near the sidewalk that had a hurt leg and was having trouble walking.  So my co-worker, Adriana, and I stopped what we were doing and ran out to check out the sweet little squirrel.  It's leg was badly broken...and worse, its tail was totally mauled.  It was so sad watching it try to function.  It could walk enough that it wouldn't let us get too close, but hurt enough that you could just feel its pain as it tried, and failed, to climb the tree.  So we got nuts and threw some out to try to gain its trust...but didn't, and went back in to finish foiling.

But when Amanda was under the dryer, processing, I kept going out to check on the little guy and finally tried calling a few different organizations to see if they could come rescue the little guy. Once I found out the Audubon Society would do what they could, if we could get it out to them, Adriana took action.  That girl is a rockstar.  I would never attempt to catch it cause I was afraid of rabies, or germs...but she caught it with a towel!! And put it in a box with an air pocket!  Talk about talented and kind gal!

So....I texted my husband telling him we had a hurt squirrel.  And he called me right away saying we needed to help it and he could come take me to the Audubon Society.  He was so sweet.

Once he got to my salon, we jumped in his car, wild (broken) squirrel in a box on my lap, and took off.

When we got it there, the medic on staff took the box in a room, behind these windows we could look in on.  While I was filling out papers, Caleb saw it squirming and fighting the guy trying to break free.

But, Mr. Squirrel died. :(

Sad.  In the end, the man said that he probably died of internal damage cause he was badly bruised.  And he could tell he had had multiple encounters.  The squirrel had scar tissue on some part of his leg.  He said that he was probably hit by a car or attacked by prey weeks before.  Then it slowed him down, and today probably got hit badly.

Sad.

We did what we could.

So tonight, after our walk, we are going to go to the pet store and look at some cute little puppies that will soon get homes to make up for Mr. Squirrels death.

RIP Mr. Squirrel.....

A Nice Spring Day

Today was such a great day.  I spend most of the day out in the country with my friend Heather.  We spent the majority of our morning simply dreaming of our future and discussing the deep things of life.  It felt good....to just let my heart go...to dream and to talk about all that I would love to experience and see happen in and through our life.  I know God heard us as we talked, and I can't help but wonder what He is going to do.

Then, tonight I made our first dinner consisting of lettuce grown from our garden!  It has been so exciting to see how much our garden has been growing.  This is literally the first time in all my life I haven't killed something I have grown!  Not even joking! haha!

So, I literally just gathered some different random toppings from my kitchen and this is what I came up with....cucumbers, blueberries, walnuts (that I sauteed a little), coconut chicken with a balsamic vinaigrette I made with balsamic, oil, cumin, sea salt, and pepper.  Yummmmm....  I love random salads.

Awe, life is good...its been a simply perfect Spring day....

A Page Has Turned

Two nights ago, Caleb and I were talking about what we were like when we were little kids.  We laughed so hard recalling memories.  Most of my stories he responded by saying, "Oh you are so sweet."  And most of the stories he shared with me, I responded, "Did you ever tell your Mom and Dad?"  And we would laugh as he said, "I don't know.  But they would probably laugh now..."  Haha!  He seemed like an adorable and funny kid....much like he is now, only much bigger now.  I have always said every man is a little boy in a big boy's body....it has proven true in my life! haha!

But, as we talked, we really just wished that we had known each other at that point in our lives, when we were young. Caleb said, "I think we would have really liked each other even then."  Oh, that would have been so special.

It was interesting as we shared.  We are obviously older now and have both experienced so much life....both in different ways.  And as we talked about our paths of growing up, I was struck with the thought that we both have had stories that have really lead us to God, and as a result, to each other.  He was a young boy who wanted to be a strong man with purpose.  I was a young girl that wanted to love big and feel safe.  We both had obstacles along the way that resulted in some pretty heavy heartbreak. But in the end, those things led us to God, brokenness and all....and years later, those same things would guide our hearts to one another, to compliment and strengthen and build up where the other was lacking.

Our lives before we knew each other really did prepare us for our life together.  The things Caleb endured and experienced made him the man he is today.  And the same is true of me as well.  And as we walked into our future together, when we got married, it was beautiful.

And now, a couple years later, it still is.....and more.  I have been listening to a song by Bebo Norman called "A Page Has Turned."  It makes me tear up.  (I think all the events of this last winter are still catching up to me....I cry even watching Biggest Loser reruns!)  The lyrics read....

A page is turned by the wind to a boy in curly grin 

With a world to conquer at the age of ten 

But as history unfolds and the storybook is told 

He finds salvation but not at the hands of man

And the God of second chance 

Picked him up and He let him dance 

Through a world that is not kind 

And all this time, preparing him, the one 

To hold him up when he comes undone 

Beneath the storm, beneath the sun 

And now a man, here you stand 

Your day has come

A page is turned in this world to reveal a little girl 

With a heart that's bigger, as it is unfurled 

By the language in her soul, that's teaching her to grow 

With a careful cover of love that will not fail

And the God of second chance 

Picked her up and He let her dance 

Through a world that isn't kind 

And all this time, preparing her the one 

To hold her up when she comes undone 

Beneath the storm, beneath the sun 

And grown up tall, here you are 

Your day has come

Beneath the air of autumn, she took him by his hand 

And warm within the ardor, she took his heart instead 

And high upon the mountain, he asked her for her hand 

Just for her hand

A page is turned in this life, he's making her his wife 

And there is no secret to the source of this much life 

When the grace that falls like rain is washing them again 

Just a chance to somehow rise above this land

Where the God of second chance 

Will pick them up and he'll let them dance 

Through a world that is not kind 

And all this time, they're sharing with the one 

That holds them up when they come undone 

Beneath the storm, beneath the sun 

And once again, here you stand 

And once again, here you stand 

Your day has come

I know that some have felt bad for us....that all we have endured began only a handful of months into our married life.  But my response to that is, no need to feel bad.  True, I wish that my husband would not have had to suffer at all.  However, I wish everybody could experience a deep love.  We both knew going into our marriage that life was hard because we had experienced it before, only before we didn't have each other.  Once we got married, we had each other to help each other along the way...to help each other in the places that have had hurt before.  

When I met Caleb, and saw all his good, and also his imperfections, all I can say is much of my mental "list" of what I was looking for in a guy went out the window.  What I recognized in him was the Spirit of God, Who was also in me.  And God pulled our hearts together.  And now that we are married, it is actually quite the same as when we were dating.  God's Spirit is the one who works making us more and more united in love and one.  His Spirit is working in my husband, and He is working in me.  The grace that brought us together will guide us through the ups and downs ahead.  And we can stand together, through the ups and downs of life, side-by-side, hand-in-hand, confidently.  Because God has been good to us, during each season of our lives.  But, in particular, during this season....where God's love for us is partly expressed through the life the other.  

God has been good.  And He is restoring the broken places.....and it is more beautiful than before....in a world that is unkind, Caleb and I are hand-in-hand facing this life together.

Ulysses S. Grant's Home Tour

While in Iowa, for Janelle's wedding, we decided to take a little trip over to Galena, Illinois.  It was the one thing that Caleb wanted to do when we were in that area of the country.  It is only a half hour from Dubuque so we made a quick little drive over there.  This was a treat for Caleb, being the Civil War buff that he is, to be able to tour Ulysses S. Grant's house.

It was actually a lot more interesting than I thought it would be! There was so much furniture that was originally in the house...and I love old things!  For instance, their dining room was brought all the way to the White House during his presidency (during the time in our country when the President needed to furnish his own wing of the White House out of his own salary.)

There were two things I wanted to do while on our trip.  First, show Caleb where I went to college (which is where the ceremony took place).  But the second was to walk the streets of Main St. in Galena.  It brought me back to my college days.  And it was so relaxing to walk the streets of an area that seemed to be built a hundred years ago.

It was a great day.  We will definitely want to go back when we visit Janelle and JJ.  And hopefully Caleb will be on a less restricted diet, because there were some really great restaurants that we would want to try! :)

Much Like Grandma's Applesauce

After I sadly went and said 'goodbye' to my sweet grandma, after she was diagnosed with cancer, I realized something awful....I hadn't asked her for her applesauce and blackberry pie recipes!!  So, what did I do?  I texted my cousin who was with her at that time and asked her to get it from her.  The problem was grandma made everything without a recipe.   (Now that I am older, I see where I get it from...)  She said to make applesauce you just put water in a bunch of apples and let it cook and then mash it up with some sugar and cinnamon.  Well, at the time, I figured "yeah right it is that easy....I don't even know how much to put in of anything."  So, figuring nothing compared to Grandma's applesauce, I didn't even attempt it...until last night.

We had dinner with some friends, Carl and Laurie Ralston, the founders of Remember Nhu the night before.  Laurie had made us the amazing dinner, that was impressively Caleb-diet approved.  And in it, she included homemade applesauce!  And it was sooooo good.

So last night I decided to try it, since she said it was so easy.  And it turned out great! And to be honest, it was healthier than Grandma's.

Literally, all I did was cut four large (peeled) apples, added just under a cup of water, and throw them in a crock pot for about 2 hours.   By then, they were softened up and my spoon literally mashed them! It was sooo easy!!!  They tasted great!  I didn't even have to add sugar or cinnamon....although sometimes that may be a nice treat.  I used Jazz apples.  The night before, Laurie used Gala...I think I liked that better.  And she also mentioned you can use Jonathan.  My friend Jana also mentioned Gravenstein.  Oh, and when I looked online, you can also do this stove top and it is quick....like 15-20 minutes with a lid over your cover.  But I wanted the smell through the house longer from the crock pot. :)  The only thing that would have made it easier was if I had an apple peeler instead of a regular one...that took the most time.

Well, I had enough people asking how I did it, so I thought I would blog about it.  Although it does feel funny blogging about something so simple.  I will definitely do this again!!  And during the fall, while it is apple season here, I may just attempt to can them too!  (Thanks to Barbara who gave me so many mason jars!!)

Awe, I miss Grandma.  Somehow I have to figure out how she made her blackberry pie now.....

Janelle's Own Fairytale

I am sitting here listening to Taylor Swift's song called "Today Was A Fairytale" over and over and over, in my usual style.  As the song plays, I have the window open, sun is shining outside, as I wait for Caleb to get home from work....and I am tearing up with joy thinking back to Janelle and JJ's wedding this last weekend.  In one word, it was simply perfect.  

In a way I wish that I would have had my camera on me the day of the wedding so I could post more pictures today, but I left that to the photographer (who is amazing, I might add!).  Instead, I just enjoyed the day and I can say, thinking back to it, that this last Saturday was one of the most meaningful days of my life.  I was (I am) so proud of who my baby sister has become.

As the chelo and violin played, and she walked down the pathway (it was an outdoor wedding) with my dad,  I couldn't help but cry.  Even Caleb said he almost got choked up.  Janelle was so beautiful.  The night was beautiful.  It all was amazing.  And as I looked at my aunts, who look so much like mom, I cried cause I just know Mom would have been so proud.  I wonder if she was able to witness it with us.

So that leaves me with memories tonight....that all make me cry of happiness.

So as I listen to this song, I think back to the moment they were pronounced husband and wife and they kissed, and the birds sang their songs overhead, and this song was played as they walked out.  Everybody waved their mini flags and it was picture perfect.

I can't wait to get the photos from Rebekah, the photographer.  Until then, here are two of  my favorite pictures of the day.

And just to throw some other pictures out there, here are some others from earlier in the weekend.

This weekend was Janelle's own fairytale...and how amazing to know this is just the beginning for her and JJ!