Historical Fiction

The Dear America series, written for grades 5-9, is very popular with grade school children. Many of the diaries in the series date back to 1620 … 1777 … 1859 … 1864 … etc. But nothing prepared me for the discovery of one written about my generation. I am now HISTORICAL fiction!!!
“Where Have All The Flowers Gone? The Diary of Molly MacKenzie Flaherty” focuses on the time period between Christmas 1967 through May 1968. It is a time of war in Vietnam, unrest in the United States: hippies; demonstrations; the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy etc.
Suddenly I’m feeling very old!

Father's Day Fun

After church we enjoyed a Father's Day dinner at Friday's. Colin got to sit with the "big" guys -- his uncles, dad and grandpa.

I think Calleigh had a little too much celebrating for one day :)
Our final family destination -- a shopping trip to Woodburn. Our day was packed with so much JOY!

Calleigh's Family Dedication

Sunday was a special day for our family. We were not only celebrating Father's Day but Calleigh's Family dedication at Potter's Hands. What an awesome service -- nice to have Uncle Tim, Uncle Matt and Great-Grammy join us!

Family Day

Instead of our usual Memorial Day celebration at Sunriver, we enjoyed a family day at our house Monday. It was so nice to get everyone together for food, fun and fellowship. We enjoyed a build-your-own-taco buffet and once our dinner settled we walked up to the park. Colin loves to kick the soccer ball around with the guys and play on the equipment.

We even had time for a competitive round of Left-Center-Right, Sorry and Scrabble --
plus leisurely reading a good book out on the deck.
It was hard to see the day come to and end ... it was a little too quiet after everyone left ... loved spending the day with those we love :)

Memorial Day Weekend

It has been a tradition to go to Sunriver with our family for Memorial Day Weekend. But this year with Calleigh due so close to the holiday, we decided to take a year off. It's amazing how quiet the neighborhood is ... we feel like the only ones home! We have many projects to finish so we have not been bored : )


We have been working on our deck handrail and it took most of our Saturday to finish.
Today we're adding copper post tops giving it a completed look. The next phase will be the stairs. It will be nice to have some BBQs soon. I can almost smell the aroma of dinner cooking now : )

Goin' Digital

I finally picked up a copy of Creating Keepsakes, "Computer Tricks for Scrapbooking," and sat down Saturday morning with laptop and coffee in hand exploring Photoshop Elements. My next scrapbooking project was the Potter's Hands First Gathering. The first skill I worked on was resizing a photo and adding a frame. My favorite new tool was the curved journaling line, giving it a whimiscal touch and the circle text. These are all things that I really can't do by hand. It's the best of both worlds ... I can print out a partially completed page and then add papers, fibers, embellishments etc. for a great finished product. I have been using my computer as an additional scrapbooking tool for a couple of years ... using WordArt etc. but this will definitely make some changes in my scrapbooking style. I have a lot to learn but I'm taking it one step at a time.

Study Basket

At our Spring Women's Retreat our speaker encouraged us to get our Bible study "tools" organized in a basket. This gives portability with no more excuses in finding a quiet spot for devotions or study. So ... months have gone by and I just haven't been able to find the PERFECT basket ... too small ... too short ... too square. BUT last week I found THE perfect basket at Michaels with a bonus of 50% off : ) I love a bargain!
I've filled my basket with the following: NIV/Message Parallel Bible, study book, journal, pencil holder (with pencil, pen, highlighter and post-it-notes), index cards-spiral bound and notecards. I love all the organizational tools and products at the office supply stoes.

It's awesome ... instead of gathering everything up for Tuesday's Bible Study .. I can just carry this out to the car and be on my way. I'm also thinking how nice it will be to carry it out to our new deck during my summer break and have everything at hand. Only 19 more days ... but who's counting??? : )

Best Mother's Day Ever

We spent all day at the hospital yesterday awaiting the birth of baby Calleigh. She arrived at 3:30 p.m. weighing 7lbs 13oz. and 20 in. She's a beauty ... what a precious gift!


Big brother Colin did an awesome job during the 9 1/2 hour wait and enjoyed meeting his new sister!

Kennedy 40

What an awesome day ... our 40-year grade school reunion turned out great. It was fun decorating the room with memorabilia -- I kept so many things from my childhood ... even had my 8th-grade graduation dress on display ... a yellow polka-dot tent dress. Anyone remember those?!?!
We met in Mrs. Stanley's second grade classroom (our school is now a McMenamins.) What fun -- to watch each person walk through the door ... many squeals and hugs. Some were surprises -- we didn't know if they were going to attend or not. One of the nicest surprises was our 8th grade teacher and his wife. As a new teacher, we were his first class and we attended his wedding the summer following our graduation. They brought pictures of us posing with the bride and groom, decorating their car, etc. Many fun memories!

With only a few hours available we reminisced about old school stories and classmates, took a group photo, toured our school building and shared where life has taken us over the last 40 years.
It was fun reconnecting with old friends and classmates. We definitely want to do this again. Maybe in 2009 ... The Summer of 42.

Formal Night

(Pictured with Greg & Ronda)
One of the highlights of the cruise was Formal Night. How often do we get to dress up, enjoy a nice dinner and good company? We were blessed to share a dining table with a nice Christian family from California and our wait staff was awesome. It made our dining experience so enjoyable!
I would like to start saving for a Mediterranean Cruise to celebrate our 35th anniversary. I have always dreamed of going to Italy : )

Cruisin ...

I never thought I would enjoy a cruise. ... I tend to get motion sick and it always seemed like a crowded, confining vacation.
But once we were on board, we were "hooked." In my mind I could not imagine the massive size and elegance of the ship before boarding. We spent the first afternoon just exploring every area -- inside and out.
We cruised down to San Diego the first night and arrived to strong winds canceling many of the port activities. After missing the Catalina stop we enjoyed a Sea Day and relief from swells and seasickness. I was so thankful I had a prescription patch to wear ... never got seasick. To describe how rough the swells were ... I had to hold on to the hand bar in the shower to keep my balance ... the boat was rocking and rolling! Many of our fellow cruisers were too sick to come to dinner that evening and the staff was kept busy cleaning the carpets etc.
This 4-day cruise was a good endurance test! We definitely want to go again ...

Santa Catalina is A-waitin' for Me ...

Twenty-six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin' for me
Santa Catalina, the island of romance
Romance, romance, romance ........
Hmmmmm ... that's right ... it will still be a-waiting for me ....
We booked a 4-day cruise over Spring Break with the intention of seeing Catalina Island. We tried to work it in to our 30th Anniversary vacation in 2004 but it didn't work out. I thought this would be a sure thing BUT due to weather conditions it was canceled. What a disappointment! In talking to cruise staff, the Catalina stop has never been canceled in the 3 years they've been onboard! With the rough seas, even as disappointing as it was, I wouldn't have wanted to get in one of the transports : 0 Safety first!
Well ... I'm thinking ... perhaps we now have an excuse to cruise again ... third times a charm?!?!?!

Family Reunion

Before setting sail we joined our southern California family members for breakfast in San Pedro. We enjoyed 3 short hours of catching up on several years of life ... some we haven't seen in nearly 2 decades! What an awesome bon voyage ... surrounded by those we love.

Spring Break Road Trip

Life has been moving at a whirlwind pace since we returned from our cruise.
We hit the road as soon as school let out the Friday before Spring Break and headed down I-5 south in a rented van, passports in hand (a long story !), suitcases packed and much anticipation of a new adventure. It has been years since we've enjoyed a road trip together. Except for the high gas prices, it was a fun and relaxing vacation.
Since most of our past travels to California have always been in the summer, it was nice to see the terrain during the spring. All of those golden hills were lush green and the temperatures were mildly pleasant.
As we traveled to the Bay area we felt carefree listening to a book on tape ... I "knit-and purled" the miles away trying to get Calleigh's baby blanket completed before we returned home.

A Season of Reunions ... UNILIT

I came home from work today to find a voicemail about a UNILIT reunion in June. WOW ... it has been 30 years since working there and haven't seen most of my fellow workers since leaving a month before Brian was born.
UNILIT, United Literature, was a Christian book supplier between bookstores and publishers and had five branches across the US. I worked in Inventory Control for 3 years. During that time it sold to Tyndale House Publishers and years later sold to Spring Arbor. I've always wondered what my fellow coworkers ended up doing in the years following.
The odd thing ... for some reason today a memory from UNILIT was brought to mind ... my bosses first daughter was born on May 7th while I worked there ... I was wondering about their family after all these years ... and then I check my voicemail to find info about the reunion! Wow!
I've always thought it would be fun to have a reunion with these former coworkers. It will be fun to see who shows up ... I'm really looking forward to it.

As Time Goes By

We loved our first apartment in NE Portland as a newly married couple in 1974. It was a one-level end unit in an older apartment complex. It included such amenities as a fireplace, utility room for a washer and dryer, two bedrooms, hardwood floors and a carport. It felt more like a small house and we enjoyed many happy memories during the year and half we lived there.
After taking pictures of the Adams demolition earlier this month we drove by our "first home" to find each apartment unit now for sale with a starting price of $139, 900! Wow ... never would have imagined that as part of the real estate market!!!
How times have changed ...

Earth Day 1970

. . . on April 22, 1970, Earth Day was held, one of the most remarkable happenings in the history of democracy. . . " -American Heritage Magazine, October 1993

Do you remember what you did on the first "Earth Day" in 1970?
We had school-wide student participation at our high school with various activities planned. Our school was divided into 4 "houses" and I remember one group held a burial for a car engine. Thinking back .... hmmm .... not sure how earth-conscious it was to bury that in the ground! I wonder if they've unearthed it during the demolition.
My Gen Ed class planned a protest against the automobile. We rode our bikes side-by-side blocking 33rd Drive to Marine Drive. Cars couldn't get past us and the drivers were extremely unhappy. The police ended up coming and used bullhorns to instruct us to move off the road. Personality-wise, I am not the protester type so this was my first and last involvement in this kind of activity!
How did Walt spend his first earth day???? Getting his driver's license!
Seriously, I think we've come a long way in making an effort to become more "green" and we need to continue to educate ourselves in ways we can each make a difference.
To read more on the history of this event check out this site: http://earthday.envirolink.org/history.html

Adams, You WERE The Very Best

That was then ...








This is now ....

A few weeks ago we were heading out to the airport to pick up our rental car for our spring break cruise and our jaws dropped as we drove by our old high school! We've read newspaper articles and heard rumors about the demolition but since we no longer live in the neighborhood we were not aware of a this scheduled event.
How very sad ... so many memories ... so many dreams, plans, friendships made ... now the last high school built in the Portland Public School District lies in rubble. I wish there had been some kind of alumni "farewell" and a time of closure.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for this property.
As our school song went. "Adams, you are the very best. Adams, better than all the rest ....." Goodbye!

Kennedy Grade School

On Saturday the 28th our 8th-grade class from Kennedy Grade School will gather together for our 40-year reunion. Now that just doesn't seem possible! We will be meeting in the Community Room, which was my second grade classroom in 1960-61. I'm so thankful that our building has been restored. What a beautiful job the McMenamin brothers did ... transforming it from a neighborhood eyesore into a warm and inviting gathering place.
We continue to search for our old classmates hoping to have as many attend as possible. If you know of anyone from the class of '67, please let them know. It will be a fun day of old stories and for many attending, decades of things to catch up on.
Looking forward to it!

A Wonderful Surprise

This is the first year I haven't been able to find my favorite Easter treat ... Hershey's Eggs. I looked through several stores including Target, Fred Meyer and Walgreens. I finally gave up but it just wasn't the same without those yummy chocolately treats. After checking the CandyBlog I found posts from other sad Hershey Egg fans who were also having problems finding them in their area. I guess I was not alone ... Hopefully more stores will carry them next year.
Much to my surprise Tuesday -- Loretta dropped by Bible study with a bag she found at her Walgreens -- just for me!
Much joy to be celebrated. Thank you. Loretta for thinking of me : )