TOO much to BLOG about (our last two weeks!)

We got home from Oregon and jumped right back into "SUMMER"! The kids went to Word of Life Ranch and Mike and I had a week long date! We picked up the kids and jumped right into Kasey's birthday week! That involved a trip to Yankee stadium to see our team slaughter the Twins. Wednesday, we had a few of Kasey's friends over for an all day ski day out on the lake but that got rained out so we ended up going to a Pottery shop to create "works of art". The girls had a great time. We had a sleepover and sent everyone packin' by 11 so that we could get to Kasey's one request: seeing a ballet. I got tickets to the New York City Ballet performing in Saratoga. It was really nice and Kasey seemed to enjoy every minute. Today, we just had the day to pack and tomorrow we're off for Candlewood for a week. Here's some pictures:

OREGON 2008!

"Oregon", for my family, is the most special place on earth. It is a place where are hearts are at rest, where we find that rare "peace" from our crazy schedules, yet it also is a place that exposes us. It's "raw" yet refined. What makes it so precious are the people. Wynne and Linton Whittles are, unquestionably, our spiritual mentors, and have been for years, though we don't often call it that. They know us well enough to challenge our thinking, yet are gentle enough to guide us right back to scripture. What I most treasure is that our girls treasure "Oregon" as much as Michael and I do. No matter what the topic, we are always confronted with scripture and challenged in ways that we typically never anticipate. It might come in a sermon, or one of the bible studies that Linton teachers. Sometimes it comes in a reaction to something status quo in our lives that we suddenly feel uncomfortable about in light of the Word. It's hard to explain. All that I know is that year after year we come home with a renewed spirit, a new focus, and a new determination to be more serious and intentional about our Christian lives. Yet, year after year, we're discouraged with our two steps forward and one step back... yet, we're still applauded for the advancement of that one step. I so hope to someday be as much of an encouragement to someone as Wynne and Linton have been to Michael and me. I hope to distribute "grace" like the grace apportioned to us out there and I hope to reflect Christ like He is displayed to us by the Whittles family. Now, everybody knows why Kasey's middle name is "Whittles".

Here's a picture of Linton & Wynne

The "last day family picture"

Still Our Little Girls...

Kasey, Rachie, Grubber, Rebekah, Krissy and Jordan... "cousins"...

Mike and his girls...

Kasey and her little pixie!

Our Anual Trip to "La Tea Da", A Tillamook Tea House...

Our Tea Party thanks for Kristin and her "Tiny Treats" book, complete with Wynne's wedding Lemoges Dishes! It was lovely!

The Hummer that we cruised in all week thanks to Budget Rental! We took this baby on the beach a few times!

Four monkey's on a rope!

Wynne and Me



My favorite photo spot on Cape Kiwanda...

Mike got this pic while out salmon fishing in the Pacific...







Here's a video of Kasey on Uncle Linton's 200 foot zip line! Mike whipped her and she hit the tree at the end! Ouch!