Of Birthdays......

Well, it is my first-born's 29th birthday today.  It sounds so cliche-ish to say that the years have flown, but it really is true.  They have.

What incredible blessing this child has brought me.  What lessons.  Frustrations. Tears.  Laughter. Incredible joy.  I would not trade a minute of it.  Though at times, I think I might have wanted to!  Such is the path of parenthood.

Probably many of  us have thought this: "It's my job as a parent to raise up this child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, teaching and training toward righteousness" (which it is, of course), and then have the realization somewhere along the road, "Whoa. Well, I guess I'm the one who's being raised, taught and trained!"

The Lord has used this precious child to teach me through the years, maturing me in ways I didn't know I needed.  When I was young, it was weeding out the immaturity & selfishiness in me (well, yes, it still happens now, too).   In following years it was honing patience.  And now it is as iron sharpening iron as she has matured in the Lord and become a sister and friend as well as daughter.

Thank You, Lord, for the privilege and blessing of being her mother.  Thank You.

Happy Birthday, Dear Jessie-Girl!  I love you.

Oh, Summer! Where Art Thou?

 ~
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.

~