:: Kekuli Bay ::

:: So we took it upon ourselves to plan a camping {yep, you heard right, camping...tents and all} with our two kids and our friends M&L and their two little girls ::

:: So off we go @ 6:00 am Thursday morning to hit Starbucks just to meet up outside of Abbotsford @ Tims for breaky and off we go on the great adventure! ::

:: We left rain and came upon lovely blue sky just before the tolls ::

:: And more blue just after the tolls, isn't it a beautiful thing!??! ::

:: Here are M&L trailing behind us ::

:: Then we hit the lakes, look at that water! ::

:: We landed at the campsite around 11:00 am and started setting up camp, all the kids were so patient while we set up the tents and unloaded for an hour or so ::

:: After we finished @ the campsite we were off to the park to fly the kit and play on the Playground ::

:: Here's Madelyne helping Uncle Paul ::

:: Here's Emma waiting for the kite to fly ::

:: There goes Jacob down to the railroad tracks, he is a lover of trains right now ::

:: Madelyne decided to join him ::

:: We headed down to the water to give our feet a rinse - it was beautiful water, so clear and clean...just my kind! ::

:: The babes loved playing with the rocks and splashing in and out of the water ::

:: What a beautiful view huh!?!!? ::

:: All of us got a lot of use out of the Playground ::

:: We had some clouds, some rain & some sun, but it was all worth the beautiful rainbows that appeared ::

:: More playing @ the Playground ::

:: I even got in on the slide action {& yes, I let Paul play around with my camera - just kidding;) }::

:: We hiked up to the look out and I caught this shot of the "B" Girls ::

:: A shot of the railroad tracks ::

:: Jacob goofing off by the water ::

:: See Cole's two little teeth buds on the bottom...they still have yet to break the skin! ::

:: Jacob & Paul enjoying the campfire ::

:: Jacob's first taste of S'mores ::

:: Jacob & I toasting a marshmallow ::

:: Madelyne climbing the fence at the back of our campsite ::

:: Madelyne getting some love from Jacob. Sometimes it looks like hugs other times it looks like a tackle...we never really know! ::

:: Cole in his trusty playpen. Thank the Lord for Playpens! ::

:: Cole playing in the pool Paul made for the kids - pretty much he just tried to eat the rocks ::

:: All the kids got baths in the lake, as did we but this is the only shot I got of Cole just after he was bathed. It wasn't a pretty site! ::

:: The hot stuff I was camping with...sans Matt, I don't know where he was at when this delish shot was taken ::

:: Paul & Freckles...um, I mean Me ::

:: Our site, look at that view! ::

:: Coley & Paul playing in the food tent ::

:: Matt & Emma enjoying some nacho chips after dinner - look at those baby blues! ::

:: Paul & I at our last campfire ::

:: Cole & Paul on our last day @ the lake ::

:: Jacob fast asleep on my lap @ the lake on the last day ::

:: Until next year we wave good by to the lake, the sun, the railroad tracks, and the great memories ::

:: I can't say that it was all rosy, we had our fair share of drama, it's tough to camp in tents with 4 kids under 4, especially when the weather doesn't always cooperate and I thought I read on the Kekuli Bay website that there was running water & electricity to each site. There wasn't. But all in all it was a wonderful vacation with great memories for us and our kids - Thanks M&L, if your up to it we'll see you up there next year! ::

:: I've Returned ::

:: We went away for one last escape from the norm ::


:: Now I'm back at it, laundry, folding, washing, organizing...it seems like Summer passed in a flash and now here we are almost two weeks away from Fall. It feels good. I like the the Fall, I like the organization of all of the events Fall brings. It is a little crazy, yet so am I. So it makes for a perfect combo ::

:: Be back later with more pictures from our Camping Adventure ::

:: Summertime - So FuN ::

:: I recently {finally} got a camera which if you remember was actually a Christmas gift from my parents. Yes, almost a whole year ago ::

:: I had my heart set on a certain camera and I was holding out for it to get down to a certain price...well that wasn't going to happen! So my girlfriend Lisa told me about this deal @ Costco.com in the States, that I just couldn't pass up! ::

:: This is my new baby ::




:: Plus I got an extra lens and a 2 mega bite card for an amazing deal -- all said + done it was $614.00 (that is for the whole camera, extra lens, card and shipping) :::: So that takes me to meeting up with my girlfriend Nickie. Nickie lives just outside Bellingham and if you know me, you know I'm down in Bellingham all the time...now don't ask me why it has taken me 6 years to catch up in person with Nickie, it's quite pathetic that we haven't made it more of a priority! ::

:: Nickie and I were friends throughout all of high school and had simply SO much fun together...So you can imagine what it was like to meet up again, just like old times and she is just as much fun {if not more fun!} than I remember! ::

:: Nickie is also my "mailbox pimp" see why we got together is because I shipped my camera to her address, what a great excuse to get together, drink some fabulous coffee, do some shopping and talk, talk, talk! Seriously I don't think we stopped talking the whole time! ::

:: Thanks Nick for the great visit & for showing me around Trader Joe's and your secret shopping places...my bank account won't be the same! ::

:: You are truly a life-long friend and for that I am so thankful! ::

:: I'm off to do some gardening as it seems like our weather here has taken a turn for Fall already...I'm sad to see Summer go, but oh how I LoVe Fall! ::

:: An Afternoon Visit - Fort Casey ::

:: Well we just made it on the ferry by a mere few minutes and were on our way to the other side of the water where Fort Casey resides ::

:: It was a beautiful day and we were looking forward to enjoying the open space, warm sea breeze and amazing view from the Fort ::

:: I caught this shot of Paul & Cole just after we boarded the ferry - seriously he is such a sweet child! ::

:: The view as we were leaving Port Townsend ::

:: Another view of Port Townsend ::

:: Cole and I enjoying the fresh sea air and watching the waves go by ::

:: Cole enjoying some much needed freedom after not crawling for three days due to the rain and conditions @ the campsite ::

:: Jacob & Paul playing with the Frisbee ::

:: Our happy little soul, Cole ::

:: A sign @ Fort Casey ::

:: The view from inside a look out tower ::

:: The open field between the barracks & the batteries {the beds where the men resided and the guns basically ;) } ::

:: The boys and one of the guns ::

:: The view to Port Townsend ::

:: Camping - Port Townsend ::

:: A couple weekends ago we headed down South across the border, over the water and ended up @ Port Townsend, WA ::

:: This is a place that Paul has gone camping with his family since he was a wee babe. Paul and I hadn't been back to PT for at least 5 years, so it was due time that we headed out on a camping adventure to PT ::



:: We camped with 3 families: {1} Paul's Parents & brother, Jamie ::

:: {2} Paul Sister & her family: Michael, Jennifer & Victoria ::



:: {3} Forever friends of the family from Oregon: John, Steph, James & Colleen ::

:: Isn't it just the most dreamy setting? ::

:: Do you remember the movie "An Officer & a Gentleman"? This is location the movie was shot at. The campground is located right in an old Fort from WWII called Fort Warden ::

:: Here we are with our boys @ the beach...too bad this was really the only sun we saw for three days of camping! ::

:: Enter the town of Port Townsend ::

:: As we were driving into Port Townsend I remembered the first time I came with Paul & his family camping, it was the summer of 1998 and about 6 weeks after we started dating. I didn't realize it until this trip that this is the place I fell in love with Paul at. It's not very often that you can actually remember the moment you felt that yes, this is love...so it was so amazing that I realized that Port Townsend was the place that I knew it was right and he was the one my heart loved ::

:: We enjoyed lots of time at the beach and running about at the Fort and watching Jacob run through and around the places that Paul had when he was a toddler like Jacob. It was truly surreal for him ::

:: Here is the whole crew less Cole & I - plus Paul's other cousins that were at a different site @ the campground while we were there ::

:: Nanna & Cole just hanging out ::

:: Uncle Jamie teaching Jacob all about the sea life ::

:: Wild beach (as named by Paul's family) ::

:: The view of the campsite from the top of the Fort, our site is on the far right with the gaggle of tents between the two trees ::

:: It's so neat to walk around the Fort and just imagine what it would have been like to actually have been there when it was a working Fort ::

:: My boys enjoying the beach ::

:: I don't know what this building is or what it was previously but it's located at the top of the bluff overlooking the ocean and as soon as you drive off the ferry it's the first building you see ::

:: We had a wonderful time and look forward to making it our family tradition as well. See ya'll back there next year! ::

{:: We also visited Fort Casey while we were there and the weather was amazing - Post to come sometime this afternoon after all of my chores are done around here ::}

:: I'm Here ::

:: We are doing well and looking forward to seeing how God's plan plays out in our lives ::



:: So thank you again, your prayers have not gone unheard ::

:: We will now return to normal broadcasting ::

:: Today's Quote ::

:: "To despair is to turn your back on God" ::
:: Mrs. Cuthbert ~ Anne of Green Gables ::

:: Our home is going through a dry spell of sorts. Times just are not going our way. I know that this too shall pass and that our trust is in the maker of heaven & earth and so we have nothing to fear, however it's hard not to feel down about the place we are in right now ::

:: I am SURE things will be better soon and the sun will shine again on our little family, but as of right now if I could ask you to pray. Pray these trials pass quickly and that we understand the full reason we have had to be challenged in this way ::