Joyful Journey

I was just trying to kill a couple hours while at the airport waiting for my connecting flight. I had eaten some dinner and still had over an hour before I needed to be at the gate and so I decided to check out the stores. Of course, seeing the baby section in one of them, I decided to see what was there. I got a big laugh over one of the products. It was called a "Peepee Teepee," designed to shield the individual changing the diaper of a little boy. From day one Judah had been spraying everyone who dared to change his diaper. I seriously considered purchasing this item, but at 5 of these little teepees for $12, I just couldn't justify the cost for less than an 1/8th of a yard of fabric. I wandered through the other stores in the terminal and then decided to go back and have a look. The 5 teepees were in a sealed package, so I was limited in how closely I could examine them, but it did not seem that complicated of an idea. After arriving at Dawn & Steven's, w...

I'm not sure it gets any better than this. Being a grandmother is a wonder and a blessing. I enjoyed almost two weeks in Spokane, helping out with Judah. I truly savored every moment, enjoying..... watching my daughter-in-law love on my first grandson.... being a part of their growing family... peeking in on him while he's asleep.... watching my son care for his son.... enjoying as Judah "participated" in family game time..... helping begin his homeschooling (well, I guess you could say we were jumping the gun a bit).... being grateful for digital cameras so that I could snap photos to my heart's content... helping him with his first true bath... watching Grandpa enjoy his eldest grandson... and holding and playing with my first grandson. What's funny is my favorite times were those that you couldn't photograph, because they were in the middle of the night after Judah had been fed. I loved being able to change him and soothe him back down until time f...

Have you ever noticed how one thing leads to another? When we moved home I decided that I wanted to focus on some home re-organization before I jumped back into teaching or tutoring. There had been two different families living in our home while we were in Switzerland, both kids had gotten married and therefore permanently moved out and two grandchildren were on the way. That many life changes made for some changes in our home. But in that process, one thing seemed to lead to another. As I was moving some of the boxes of things that Steven was leaving at our home, I realized that some of the boxes were in poor shape. A couple were close to falling apart and one did not have a lid. We had a number of new boxes because of the move, and so I transferred some of his things to new boxes. In one of the boxes I found a framed cross-stitch that I had made when he was an infant. It was done in primary colors and had cars, trucks and trains as a part of the design. His name was stitched ...

I think this blog is going to take a whole new direction. I started it mainly as a way to record our adventures in Switzerland, both as a record for us as well as a vehicle to share with family and friends. But I have found, much to my surprise, that I am greatly enjoying this avenue by which to document our lives and my thoughts along this journey we call life. I have enjoyed scrapbooking for quite a few years, and this in many ways, is simply a different way to scrapbook. Maybe it is also now that I am no longer homeschooling, I am looking for an outlet in which to share my thoughts and feelings as I journey, something that just happens naturally when you homeschool. Of course, we are no longer in Switzerland, so I'm not apt to have many more photos of the Alps. At least not until we head back for a vacation. Anyone want a personal tour guide? We know some great spots and we'd love to head back and show you some wonderful Swiss Wanderwege (hiking trails)! Thimsen Hiking. H...