EXTRAS INCLUDE? To some extent I really am using this blog as a journal. I think it's ok because everyone can choose what posts they want to read.

They are so precious. These are the children and this is my dream. No one knows how much time they have in this world, and for that reason I have felt for a very long time that God has been calling me to leave my comfort zone, take a leap of faith, and follow my dream. Sometimes I feel like selling everything and moving to a place far away and far different from what we call home. That place is Africa. The older I get the stronger that calling has become. It's not realistic to think that I could move to Africa, but sometimes dreams really do come true, right. I've been thinking that maybe I could go for a few months, and live my dream for a short period of time. I told my mom the other day that I had looked online at houses to rent in different parts of Uganda. She told me that she was going to have nightmares after I told her the part about the, "extras include." All I did was look and she gets all worried. I don't worry about it like she does , but I am her only child and I guess I would worry if one of my girls told me that they wanted to live in a country where people live a nightmare in the night and in the day. So what does the title of this post mean? When we look at a house to rent in our country the ad might say extras include: water, sewer and garbage. When you look at the ads for houses to rent in many parts of Africa you will see that the extras include; a phone line (it's very expensive to have a phone in most places) an alarm and an electric fence. I told my mom about it and she said, "why would you need an electric fence?" I told her that it was for reasons that most people here would never think about. She had absolutely no idea why you would need an electric fence, so I told her why. This paragraph pretty much sums it up. Forty-eight people were hacked to death near the town of Kitgum in the far north of Uganda. Local newspaper reports said elderly people were killed with machetes and spears, and babies were flung against trees. Ugandans were shocked by the brutality of the latest attack by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army. The LRA seeks to overthrow the Uganda Government and has inflicted brutal violence on the population in northern Uganda, including rape, kidnapping, torture, and murder. LRA forces also target local government officials and employees, international humanitarian convoys and local nongovernmental organization workers. It does scare me a little, but for me the benefits far outweigh the risk. On the site I was on it ranked each rental from 1 to 10 on security, and 1 to 10 on overall neighborhood. I thought that 7 out of 10 was pretty good for security, and that usually means you have an electric fence. The 8 and 9 out of 10's that I looked at also had a 24 hour security guard. I found several that were 1 out of 10 and every ad listed the house as being in a safe and secure area. 1 out of 10 does not spell safe and secure to me. I don't know how many people really know why an electric fence is needed in certain parts of Africa. What I do know is that we can all be thankful that when we are looking for a house to rent the ad says. "Extras include; water, sewer and garbage.

SUMMER READING PROGRAMS

You all know that I wouldn't normally take a picture of Christine at Build a Bear. I told her I was going to make a post about her reading programs and I wanted a picture. I do take pictures every year at the library ceremony though. Christine took part in three reading programs over the summer. This was her first summer reading for the Build a Bear program. You read six books and get a gift card and some stickers. The library program requires you to read at least fifteen hours over the summer. About the middle of August they have a recognition ceremony for all of the kids that participated. She got a free book and a certificate. The other program is through Barnes and Noble. She read eight books and got to pick out a new book to take home. Christine by the library water fountain with her book and certificate, and getting ready to shake hands with Mayor Mark Asmundson.

HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR HUSBAND?

Things like this never happen to me. A few weeks ago I got together with some of my friends to celebrate a friend that's moving this month. We talk about anything and everything when we're together. Most of us knew how Sabrena had met her husband, but a few didn't so she was telling them about it. I think it's the best story I've heard so far. Sabrena and a friend were driving to Seattle on I-5. Two guys pulled up next to her and motioned for her to pull over. Sounds a little scary right? It was daytime and the traffic was heavy so she wasn't worried about being kidnapped. So they pull over and Sphen starts talking to Sabrena. He asked her for her phone number and gave her his. He saw her on the freeway and decided that he was going to meet her. Great story huh! They got married years ago and they now have three daughters. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Just a retro picture of my mom and dad (1967) one year before I was born

My mom was 23, and my dad was 49. Yes, my dad was 26 years old when my mom was born. My dad lived in Clarkston and she was born in Clarkston. I told him once that he probably saw her in a store in her baby carrier. It's so weird thinking he could have seen her as a baby, and 18 years later started dating her. My grandmother and her six sisters told her that their marriage would never work because of the age gap. My mom was by my dad's side when he passed away thirty years after their wedding day. I have never seen a woman as strong and faithful as my mother. They made their marriage work, and I'm glad because that's why I'm here today. Age really does not matter if you are truly in love.

DRIVE IN THEATERS

The old drive in signs had so much more character. All the signs from the 50's were unique. I haven't been to the drive in in years. The last time we went Ashley was 3 years old. Our outdoor theater here in Bellingham has been closed for years. I was looking for the nearest one and found one in Everett. Christine has never been, so she's excited about going. She's been talking about all the blankets and pillows she's going to bring. I remember having so much fun at the the one in Soap Lake. We were so bad, loading kids in the trunk of the car to sneak them in. It closed about 14 years ago. I came across some pictures when I was looking for a theater nearby. It seems like it was just yesterday. If only I could remember what movies I saw there. Have a good day!

MARCH-2004 THE OLD HONDA.

I sent out an e-mail when we were in our car accident. Some replied telling me that they were so glad that we were all ok. This was God at work. Ashley was practicing her driving for drivers-ed. She had her permit and I had just picked her up from school to go driving. We had been driving for maybe five minutes. We stopped at an intersection and waited for oncoming traffic so we could turn left. None of us saw it coming, and I think that's a good thing. Knowing we were going to be hit in seconds and could do nothing about it would have made us so tense. The man driving the van didn't see that we had stopped. He was going 55 which is the speed limit, but being hit by a vehicle going 55 when you're at a stop is painful. He shoved us through the intersection but our car stayed in the same lane. If we had crossed lanes we would have been hit head on by oncoming traffic. The only way I can explain the hit, is the feeling you get when you fall on your back and get the wind knocked out of you. Ashley and I couldn't breath well and we had no idea what had just happened. After a few seconds we realized we had been hit. Christine was in the back seat and she was frantic. She just kept asking over and over "what's happening?" Right as I was turning around to check on her, the back windshield fell on her in hundreds on tiny pieces. Of course it was better than the old glass that broke into big sharp pieces. So Chirstine was covered in glass. The back of the two front seats went straight back and locked in a full reclining position, in other words, they broke. We all had back and neck pain. Within seconds Ashley got out of the car. She left the car running and it was still moving. You just can't think straight when things like that happen. I pulled the car over and got Christine out. I had to get the glass out of her clothing. The first thing Ashley said was, " mom, now how am I going to practice driving for my drivers test? I told her that that was the least of my worries. Everyone was ok, and that was all that mattered. Cars can be replaced. So here is the God at work part. Earlier that day I had taken Christine's booster seat out to wash it. The cover was still wet and we had to go get Ashley. I had her sit in the middle with just the lap belt because when she's in her booster seat she sits on the right or left where the shoulder belt is, and it didn't quite fit her unless she was in her booster seat. I really was trying to make this short. Anyway, had she been sitting in her booster seat on the drivers or passenger side her legs would have been crushed by the front seats. This was the only time she had ever been in the car without being in her seat. She was seven years old so I wasn't terribly worried about it. A couple of days after they had towed the car away we went down to get the things that were trapped in the trunk. Ashley took some of the broken tail light and some of the chipped off paint. She wanted to take the Honda emblem, but it was no longer in one piece. I asked her why she would want any of it. She said that she would miss the car and she wanted some keepsakes from it. Paint chips? She was hesitant to drive after the accident, but gradually she started feeling comfortable with it again. That was the first car accident that any of us had been in. I've been in several fender benders from others hitting me and sideswiped a couple of times, (once by a Suburban) it was not a pretty site. There has been one hit and run and I never did find out who did it. It wasn't long after the hit and run that we were in our accident, so I'm glad I didn't get it fixed. I have also had my car stolen before. It was an older Honda than this one. I didn't have any theft insurance so I was without a car. Stolen from a motel parking lot where you could leave your car for a certain amount of time while you were away on vacation. The lot was full of cars. I made it a point to park it under a light and still it was stolen. When we were looking for it in the lot, I saw right away that another car was in it's spot. I was hoping that the motel clerk had moved it, but I had a bad feeling about it. Clerk said nope, didn't move it. I asked him if he would look at the recording from his camera and let me know if he saw anything. The lot had 24 hour surveillance. Turns out the spot I parked in was out of range of the cameras. Of course it was reported to the police. About three months later after I had just gotten a new car the phone rang late one night. It was the Olympia police department and they said that they had my car. It had been parked in front of a rental house for the last three months and the neighbors got suspicious when the renters moved out and left the car. So they called the police to come and get it. It was towed home, and what a mess. I was just happy to have it back, but the condition it was in was pretty bad. I couldn't believe it had been found. The officer told me that he had removed handfuls of needles from the inside the trunk. He told me to be careful and to check every inch of the car before anyone got in it. People had been living in the car. I didn't find any needles, just some clothing and junk. They tore up the interior and took the cd player and wheels and put some junk wheels and tires on it. Parts were also missing from the motor. I'm guessing they sold the parts from the car to support their drug habbit. Well, that was a book. Anyway, I'm so thankful that we haven't been in any major accidents. I have friends that have been in some really ugly accidents and I can't imagine going through that.

Late night rambling or should I say early morning.

I am planning on making an "all about Ashley and Nicole post." It's the gathering of the pictures that takes the most time. I think it's safe to say that all of you parents out there have at one time or another felt overwhelmed with parenthood. When you have kids you're on the job 24/7. I have been really bad about getting my girls to help out. They really don't think they should have to do anything. It's my own fault for letting them get away with it for so many years. Christine thinks she should be getting more allowance. Hmmmmmm, maybe she needs to do something to earn it. They have it so easy. The other day she was asking me why her dad has more modern things. She says they have a dishwasher and a dryer and it's so much easier at dad's because they don't worry about saving money by not using certain appliances. I don't use the dishwasher because it doesn't get the dishes clean, and it doesn't bother me to wash them by hand. The dryer that died doesn't need to be replaced. It's not difficult to hang clothes on the line, but Christine complains about it when I ask her to do it. She thinks I shouldn't be so worried about saving money. Our power bill is outrageous, so I think it's a good thing to conserve. I guess when she's older she will understand more about cutting costs. I told her that the reason her dad doesn't worry about those things as much as I do is simple, he has more money. O.K. where did all of that come from? I did say that I ramble on. Oh yeah, we even wash our clothes in the creek. I'm kidding :) Everyone have a good day.

Random pictures-click on each picture to read the text. Some of the newer posts are on this page mixed in with the older ones.

Most of the posts on our blog are about things that I wouldn't e-mail anyone about. I guess that's what a blog is for. I do feel like I'm turning our blog into a journal. Everyone probably enjoys the pictures, but my short and not so short stories are probably boring to most. Maybe all the posts should be about current events and not about the past. You guys can leave me a comment on that.

OLD PICTURES FROM MY DAD'S SIDE- CLICK TO ENLARGE

I Made copies of these old pictures about 8 years ago. I know my mom has more pictures, I just need to ask her. The picture of the camera is the one that was used to take the pictures of my dad when he was little. This camera came out in 1916, two years before my dad was born. It belonged to my grandmother Josephine and yes I was named after her. I'm wandering again, but I never liked my name growing up. It wasn't until I was an adult that I decided I did like it, and I really do. I think it's special being named after your grandmother. There is only one person that has ever told me that they didn't like my name and that was my ex-husband. O.K. back to the camera. When we went to my mom's in April she found the camera in a box and asked me if I wanted it. I love it. I'm planning to get some film for it and try it out. The film is expensive though and the developing is even more expensive. One roll of film gives you 8 pictures and I know the first time I will get some crummy ones. I just haven't been able to bring myself to spend that much money to experiment. Growing up in South Dakota. My dad was one of 13 children. My grandmother had 14, but one baby passed away very young. If that baby had been born today, I'm almost certain it would have lived. I'm wandering a little here, but it makes me think about my girls and how thankful I am that I was able to have them at a hospital. If I had tried to have them at home, they would not be here today. I had excellent doctors when Christine was born and the technology is amazing. I have hundreds of things to be thankful for, this is just one of them. I have so many stories about my dad's side of the family. When my dad was in his 60's he wrote about his life growing up in South Dakota. I need to get a copy of that from my mom. I don't have any pictures of my grandmother Josephine, and my dad and mom never had any to show me. First picture is of the basketball team. My dad is the one sitting, holding the ball. He was the captain of the basketball team. He was a Senior here in 1936. I love their shorts! Click on the picture to see their sweet hair styles. The pictures of the little boy with the little girl standing and sitting on the porch are of my dad when he was 3 and his cousin in 1921. He was 2 years old in the picture of him in the dress on the trike. Doesn't he make a cute little girl. The little boy with the woman standing behind him is my dad when he was 2 and one of his older sisters Hattie. Posing as a tough guy with his hat and vest on when he was 11. Notice that you can see nothing for miles and miles except hard, dry, dirt. The picture of the two elderly people are my great grandparents Tom and Harriet Harrison in 1923. Yes I know my great grandmother doesn't look like a woman. The two pictures of my dad with the guns, dressed up as a bandito were taken when he was 4. You rarely see little boys playing with toy guns anymore. When my dad was 4 they didn't have toy guns to play with, they had to play with the real thing. A picture of my dad with one of their hogs. A picture of him feeding the chickens. Their cattle brand is on the side of their shed. The last picture is of my grandfather George Felton on the right with his brother Tom in 1893. I know I am always saying that time goes by too fast, but I look at these pictures and it is so hard to believe that my dad has been gone for 11 years now.

Everyone should have a blog

I just wanted to tell all of you that having a blog instead of sending pictures to everyone through e-mail is so nice. Two of my friends started a blog after they saw mine and now I know more about what's going on with their families. I think it would be great if all of my women friends and relatives made one, and as for all of my guy friends and family, they could ask their wives to make one. It's sooooo easy to do. That's it, no pictures with this post. Everyone have a good day!

All about Christine-I know I have sent some of these pictures (ones from last summer) to some of you already.

I'm getting better at this blogging thing. No more posting individual pictures. About the pictures. The car (on the way home from grandma's) and swimsuit pictures are from last summer. Trying out her wood burning skills. The bracelet, necklace and mosaic stone that she made to enter in the fair. Yep, she has chores to do, hanging clothes. Making her bracelet. The owl picture she drew this year. One of the art galleries chose her picture to display along with some of the other pictures from other elementary schools. She still likes to play with her busy beads. This years school picture. Cruising down the driveway- 12 months. Black and white picture- 11 months. Christine still makes me feel needed. When they get older they don't think that they need mom or dad anymore, except when they want something, which is most of the time. Ashley was around 15 years old before she could go to sleep without me tucking her in and giving her a kiss goodnight. If I went to bed before she did, she would call me from her room to come tuck her in and give her a kiss. O.k. back to Chirstine. Over the years Christine has taken lessons in gymnastics, swimming, dance, horse riding, violin and has been in several clubs. Kinyobi club was fun for the girls. It was an eight week program that taught the kids how to read, write and speak in Japanese. They played games and other fun stuff. I learned a lot about the Japanese people. Japanese students from Western came and volunteered their time to help the kids and answer their questions. She has been in our rabbit 4-H club (Carrot Critters) for four years. She has one rabbit and one cat. She keeps me busy that's for sure. I started writing in a journal a few days before Christine was born and have continued through the years. I wanted to share some of the cute things she has said when she was younger, under 5 years old. I wrote this a few days ago and it mysteriously disappeared. I'll shorten it up which means you'll have to excuse the grammer. One day when she was 3 she came to me in the shower. She asked me if she could have some chocolate milk. I told her to wait until I got out of the shower and I would get her some. She said that it was ok, she could get it herself and she ran out of the bathroom. I was thinking about how I was going to have to mop the floor and give her a bath because the milk jug was full and there was no way she could pour it herself without pouring it on herself. I hurried up and went to the kitchen. She was standing in front of the refrigerator with the door open looking at the milk. I asked her what she was doing. She said " mommy I need to know what milk is from the right cow?" She asked me because she drinks 2% and the rest of us drink 1%. I explained to her that her milk was the one with the blue cap. We were leaving my mother and father-n-laws one night and I told Christine to look at the moon. It was just a sliver shining brightly. She looked at me and asked, "mommy did someone eat the moon?" At the farmers market I was knocking on some watermelons to find a good one. She started patting them along with me. I explained to her why you knock on them and what they should sound like if they're good. Later that day she came to me and lifted her shirt up and started patting her tummy. She said, "look mommy it smells like a watermelon." I said, "you mean it sounds like a watermelon." No she said it smells like one. This is just one of the cute things toddlers do. She brought me some dandelions and a fuzzy leaf and told me that it was my prize for pushing her in the swing. One morning we were taking Ashley to school. There was frost all over the ground and Christine said, "look mommy there's frosting on the ground." She would have loved that. The girls were playing with their pokemon toys. Christine told Ashley that her pokemon had three names. Ashley said, "my foot." Christine very seriously looked at her and said, "well my eye." In the pool one day Christine said to me, "look mommy that bug can walk on water just like God." It was a fly struggling to get out of the water. We were outside and she was looking at the slugs on the ground. She said, "mommy slugs have long eyes." She held her fingers up to her head like antennas. There was a spider on the radio in the bathroom. Christine had me stand between her and the spider while she went to the bathroom. I did it a couple of times and then I told her that the spider was friendly. After that, every time she went to the bathroom she would say hello and talk to him a bit. One morning I was getting out of the shower and she had put her spider toy next to the friendly spider on the radio. When she came in, I asked her why she had put it there, even though I knew why she had. She said, "mommy the friendly spider needs a friend." Having a heart for even the littlest creatures. That's my girl.