Good Gifts Only

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"Dear Lord, for all the gifts that we never see clearly or understand much or appreciate hardly at all, bless You."  Brian Doyle

Thank You for that.  Another reminder of good gifts.  Everything from Your hand is intended for my benefit.  Nothing is a bad gift.  Nothing.  So please help me to always say "Thank You" -- for everything -- no matter what it looks like, because You only give good gifts and You are incapable of making a mistake with my life.

Peace.  Awesome.

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Oh, Summer! Where Art Thou?

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The summer of 2010 will be remembered by me in two ways.  As the summer that wasn't.  And as the hardest time I have ever gone through.

For me, summer is a recharging time that readies me for the coming grey and wet months of the northwest.  This summer we had very few warm days, it rained through June, the garden never really happened because of my focus being on my dad while he was here, and what was planted never really grew.  We had one "sheet only" night all summer, and that only for about 4 hours before the blanket was back over me.  I had hopes of a warm fall, but it's not looking that way right now.

My dad being here for 6 weeks was a growing time for me.  And very hard.  The hardest thing I have ever done.  Suffice it to say, God knows.  Period.

So, here are some highlights of the blessings God gave in the midst of the Summer of 2010:

  


The cake I was privileged to make for Dale's nephew's wedding which was on the day of my last post.  :-)  Jessie saved it for me by decorating with all the beautiful flowers!

A wonderful day-trip to the beach with some of my favorite people.  I needed the day away.  It was awesome.

Another beautiful wedding for another of Dale's nephews.  It was an absolutely stunning day in Portland.  I had so much fun photographing the day.

It was held in Cathedral Park under the St. John's Bridge.  Amazing, isn't it?

A BUNCH OF FUN CONCERTS!

At the Strawberry Festival

 At the Cascade Country Cook-Off.

Amazing Day!!!

At the Fair.....

Still at the Fair

At the Garlic Fest......

.....And I caught Dale laughing.

He had recently learned how good the band sounds

and it is written all over his face.  I love it.

Two of my favorite MacInnis men.

And.....Xander's 3rd birthday party,

for which I was delighted to make this cake.

He asked for vanilla and green.  So, then.

So, after three months of silence, there you have an encapsulation of my summer.  Now I'm working on  putting together a blog/website for the beginnings of a candid portraiture business that I hope to launch this fall with an ad for school pictures for the families in our homeschooling community.  We'll see where that road takes us.

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