Friday's Letters

Dear Jesus:  We trust in you. You are real to us.

Dear Michael:  I am sorry for what you are going through...I wish I could fix it for you.

Dear Cam:  Thank you for fixing my computer twice this past week.

Dear Jar:  I cannot believe that you are 15 years old next week.

Dear Me:  I have not been enjoying the heat this summer. I am looking forward to cooler weather. I hate saying that though, because that means summer is over.

Dear Lily:  You are so cute. It is so funny how you curl up right next to me in the early morning hours.

Dear Zena:  You were not happy at all that Dad was outside working last night, and he did not bring you outside with him.

Dear Cookbooks:  I hate to cook, but I love to read cookbooks. I got a huge stack from the Library.

Dear Friday Night:  We have some special things planned tonight for Jar's birthday week.

Dear Jar's Birthday:  We celebrate a week-long birthday week. We already did some special things, and we have more things planned.

Dear Cam's Car:  Cam is having so much fun driving you. He wants to take you everywhere...even when it is really hot outside. (there is no air conditioning)

Dear Mom:  We look forward to doing some things with you this month...before school starts again.

Dear Duck Dynasty: You were so funny last night. I can't wait to watch the "before there was Duck Dynasty" episodes.

Dear Weather:  I have loved the somewhat cooler weather these past couple of days...it sure makes for better sleeping.

Dear Last Comic Standing:  We were so glad that Rod Man won. He so much deserved it.

Dear God's Not Dead:  This was seriously one of the best movies we have seen this year. We all truly enjoyed it...and the music was awesome!

Dear Red Robin:  Your burgers and fries are the best. The boys and I had fun together as part of Jar's birthday celebration week.

Movie: God's Not Dead

We watched God's Not Dead when we were on vacation last weekend. We loved it. There were so many things we loved; we want to watch it again, because I am sure there are many things that we missed. There is talk of a second movie...I sure hope so.



One of our favorite groups is Newsboys. Whenever they come to our area, we will go to see them. Here is the song "God's Not Dead" as played in the movie. It is one of my favorites.

Song: What I Know

This song is for you, Michael. I know you are under a lot of stress...and I am sorry for that. I know last night was a rough night for you.

I pray that God reveals himself to you...to us. Always remember: "God is real. He will never let you go. God is always a breath away." Listen closely to the words...they are so moving. I raised my hands on this one.



This song was on God's Not Dead.

Death of Robin Williams

I cannot believe that Robin Williams is dead. I thought that he was one of the funniest actors of this time. I loved him in Mrs. Doubtfire, Aladdin, Flubber, and of course, Dead Poets Society. He will certainly be missed...there are not many funny people out there like this. We need more comedy in our lives.

Beach Camping Trip: Day 1

Well, we headed to the coast on Wednesday, August 6th. It was a beautiful drive. On the way there, we stopped at Tillamook Cheese Factory. We took a quick self-tour, tasted some cheese, and ate some lunch. We split sandwiches and got some ice cream for the road. Michael and Jar split a turkey club, and Cam and I split a BLT. Michael got chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream; Cam got white chocolate raspberry ice cream; and Jar and I split white chocolate raspberry and expresso mocha ice cream.

Here is the food that I packed for our trip:

Here is the Tillamook Cheese Factory:

Here is what we purchased at the Tillamook store:

A sign that we are almost there...literally a sign:

We are finally at the campground...

Here is our campsite. It is perfect.

I took some photos of Jar while we were waiting to go to the beach.

And then we headed to the beach...

I am always looking for heart shaped rocks whenever I go to the beach. I found one this time as well.

When we got back to the campsite, we just hung out. Michael, Cam, and I read outside. Jar stayed inside with Lily.

It was a fun first day. We watched God's Not Dead, and we really liked it a lot.

Dad's 69th birthday

It is so hard to believe that Dad is no longer here. Today is his birthday...he was not even sick his last birthday. Usually I would get him a casual t-shirt for his birthday...one he could wear to work at Lowe's.

It has been 8 1/2 months since he died. It still is so hard to believe. Mom and Dad had a birthday within 6 days of each other, so I know this month is especially difficult for her.

Five on Friday

This was a good week. It was really hot though. We got a lot done...mostly on Cam's car.

Here are my Five on Friday:

O N E:
     Lily got her hair cut on Monday.

T W O:
     Jar had on Orthodontist appointment this week. It was a really quick one.

T H R E E:

     We had to do a big run to Costco. We stock up on toilet paper and frozen fruit.

source

F O U R:

    We had to do the title on Cam's car and driver's license renewals today. Fortunately, there was not a long line.

F I V E:

     Our driveway is piled with cars. It looks like a small car lot.

Friday's Letters

Dear Jesus:  Thank you for helping us with all we got done this past week.

Dear Michael:  It would be so great if you drove those 30 minutes to work everyday.

Dear Cam:  You had so much fun driving "your" car today.

Dear Jar:  I can't wait to see your LEGO creation for the new contest.

Dear Me:  The heat is really getting to me. As I get older, it is harder to tolerate.

Dear Lily:  You got your hair cut this week. You are so cute...and I am sure much cooler.

Dear Zena:  It has been so hot for you this week. Cam has sprayed you and your kennel down every afternoon.

Dear Laundry:  I need to do you today...but I am going to wait until next week.

Dear Friday Night:  I think that we will relax and catch up on our shows tonight. We may do Little Caesar's Pizza.

Dear Saturday:  I am not really sure what the plan for tomorrow is. We need to clean the garage.

Dear Cam's Car:  You ride so smooth. Cam loves you.

Dear Mom:  We plan to meet you for lunch next week. It is neat that you only have to work a couple of hours today.

Dear The Quest: You look like such an awesome show. I hope that we can watch it all as a family.

Dear Weather:  It has been so hot here. I don't want to rush September, but I am looking forward to cooler weather.

Dear Bear Grylls:  I can't wait to watch your new show. It will be awesome to see celebrities in this situation.

Dear Cooking:  It has just been way too hot to do any cooking...nothing even sounds good.