Our Strange weather

What a nutty summer weather wise this has been. Thunder and lightening storms, hail, wind, and sun. Sometimes all at the same time too! David spent his last day at swimming lessons in the rain. (No lightening of course). The rest of us Mom's were under the tarp! Later it was raining and sunshine at the same time. So I went rainbow hunting and wasn't disappointed. It was HUGE! Spread over 4 of my neighbors houses. And a double one too.

What an incredible night!

This is Noemi Ban. This is what she looked like at age 21, just before she and her family were forced to enter the Jewish consentration camps at the hands of the Nazi's in Auchwitz. Tabitha, Amber and I had the privledge to listen to her speak tonight and share her story.

Noemi Ban, a Bellingham resident travels all over the US to share her story. She talks about losing her "dear ones" (her Mother, Grandmother, younger sister and 6 month old brother). Her Father was taken away before they were and she didn't know that he survived until years after the occupation had ended and she was reunited with him. Noemi talks about her experience in details and shares truthful feelings and events from her heart. She talks about the boxcars with 85 people in a 6' x 12' space with buckets for water and human waste, the "showers" & shaving, the 6 room barracks that had 100 people per room, the "soup" that she HAD to drink that stopped her monthly cycle and proved to do damage to many women years later. (Her blessing to be able to have 2 sons). She talked about not drinking for 4 months and how she LOVES water. She shared the blessings that were given to her with good friends that literally saved her life and the blessing of potato peels. She shares the story and courage of how she and 11 other women were forced to make bombs and their subsequent escape. The man who sentenced her family to the gas chambers and created the "soup" was none other than the infamous nazi war criminal, Dr. Joseph Mengala.

It was an amazing night and one not soon to be forgotten. If you ever have the opportunity to hear Noemi Ban, don't miss it. Do everything in your power to see her. You will never regret it. To hear, first hand a part of history, believe it or not, that some people don't believe ever happened (and that makes this mild mannered, peaceful woman, very angry) is a lifetime event. Noemi Ban LOVES life!

We were SO honored to be there tonight. And very pleased that she took pictures with us.

We all made promises to go home and drink an ice cold glass of water and enjoy it to it's fullest. Yummy!

L-O-V-E ~ Love. It's otter love!

Okay, anyone who knows Bear in the Big Blue House knows how to sing that song. Hope you have a relaxing Saturday just like this one. Take time to relax, hold hands and take a nap!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epUk3T2Kfno

With Rob having just come home (at 12:45 AM) from being in Florida for 6 days I'm hoping for some of this for all of us.

FINALLY!!!

Woohoo!! We are FINALLY out of school! Is David happy or what?! Despite the rain ~ our summer has begun. It has been so difficult not to "check out" this past week. But Amber's teacher's made sure that she didn't. Poor thing had 2-200 point tests, and a project due yesterday, and another project due today. But now we're done! We celebrated by going to Mallard's for some of their homemade ice cream. Tabitha happened to be with us and joined in the celebration. She's been out of school for 2 weeks already. The picture is blurry because these hyper little things just would NOT sit still. Oh well! That's half the fun.

Off to stay up late and sleep in tomorrow!

Just because!

This just makes me smile! And want to be like the "spa duck" ~ at the spa!!! Ummm, the thoughts of a 90 minute swedish massage. I can honestly say though, I've never had cucumbers on my eyes.

Our new Grandbaby ...

...IS A GIRL!!!!!

We are so totally seeing pink! In fact, Grandma (can't get used to that thought) did some shopping today and scored some massive sales. Love it when that happens. Gymboree is my favorite place to shop during their annual sale. I got $165 worth of clothes for only $50!!! I'm doin' a happy dance. And Grandpa is just as excited. Since he's in Florida he went to the Disney Store and got 2 really cute things. Not telling since Jessica reads my blog :O)

So I have to show you some pictures of our sweet little Elizabeth Nicole.We can already tell that she has Jessica's gorgeous cheekbones and chin and Robert's tall forehead and nose. Both R & J have big beautiful eyes. Let hope she gets Robert's eye lashes!
Love this foot :O)
Thanks for indulging this first time Grandparent!

Shut Out the World

Have you ever had one of those weeks that by the end of the week you just can't take any more stimulation? Well, that's the week we've all had. And what really threw me over the edge was my trip into Bellingham. The nuts were out en mass and 2 of them almost crashed into me ~ literally. These people had no knowledge on how to drive in a roundabout. OIY! What was supposed to be a little "retail therapy" turned into me saying "AAARRRRGGGGGHHH! I want to go home!"

When the kids were little/early teens every once in a while we would have what I called a "Shut Out the World Party". We turn off the phones, close up the front end of the house (so it doesn't look like we're home), get in our jammies and we play games, watch movies, spread the blanket on the carpet and pig out. Major decompress! The tradition is that we make homemade pizza and calzones, have ice cream and TONS of fun.

Skittles! The pig out snack for the night. I love these colors. Rob thought I really had lost it. I'm mean, hello? I'm taking a picture of Skittles! When Robert learned we were having our shut out the world party he called and asked if he & Jessica could come over. They needed one too. Even though they slept through the majority of the movies, it was obvious to this Mom that THAT was exactly what they needed. They came previewing their new t-shirts for Robert's band, Robotronica.

LOVE 'EM! WANT ONE!

GOTTA HAVE ONE!

So for those of you who called or wondered why we weren't at the church activity last night ~ we went into seclusion!

PS - A Rick update - This man is such a fighter and obviously God has plans for him and work he needs to finish. He was moved out of ICU into Acute care. He is communicating with Kay, albeit single words. But he knows who she is, where he is, and is still trying to comprehend what happened. This is such an incredible miracle. Still a long road ahead but great strides and progress the past 2 days.

Answered Prayers but still a long road

Whew! What a long week it's been. So long I actually have to think about what day it is ~ Thursday! Well, Rick is showing slow and steady progress. If you've checked Kay's blog (link on the right) you know that Rick was able to have surgery on Tuesday. Rick's new arm is courtesy of LOTS of metal. We may just start calling him the bionic man with all that hardware he'll be flexing the rest of his life. This morning the pressure gauge (lovingly called the turkey timer) was removed from his head. They continue to wean him off the heavy sedation but of course he still needs pain meds and will continue to sleep. I mean the man does have a massive head injury. Not to mention the cracked pelvis. Sleep = healing. (Sidebar - FYI Rick was NEVER in a coma as some rumors have been spread). Hopes are to completely remove the ventilator today. Continued prayers and answers to those prayers are being witnessed everyday. Kay was accepted into housing across the street from the hospital for $5 a day! What a blessing as those medical bills continue to mount. And this leads to my next paragraph.

It's always so difficult to address money in a way that it doesn't come across as greedy or begging for money. Please know we are only doing this out of love and concern for long term needs. There has been a medical fund set up for anyone wanting to donate. In lieu of flowers (which Kay can be allergic to) please consider other alternatives. Here's the information for this particular alternative.

The Rick VanderVeen Medical Account
Peoples Bank
1-800-584-8859 toll free
360-354-4044 - in Whatcom County

Thanks to all for your love, prayers and concern. Please be respectful of Kay and not bombard her down at the hosptial. Rick's her priority. Trust me, she will need many of us after she brings Rick home from the hospital. There will be many opportunities to visit and give support. If any information is needed please call me or Cathy Mergel as we are fielding phone calls and organizing things for Kay as much as possible.

Remember to appreciate your loved ones ~ just the way they are! Life is good no matter the "station". Enjoy the journey, the process, family, friends and love.

What a weekend!

I can honestly say this weekend has run the emotional spectrum. Friday my dear friend (whom many of you know), Kay VanderVeen, her husband, Rick was involved in a terrible accident. He fell from the roof of a house he was preping to move on Saturday (he's a house mover by trade and own's his business). We have latered discovered that he did not fall onto his truck, he fell straight on to the cement! His injuries are severe. He has cracks in his skull, open fractures in his arm and a cracked pelvis. Rick has had many miracles!

Miracle #1 ~ He is alive!
Miracle # 2 ~ He is not paralyzed!
Miracle # 3 ~ The swelling stopped in his brain to the point that there was not a need for the surgery to place a bolt in his skull!

Right now it is anticipated that Rick will be in the hospital for 2 months. That doesn't include rebah or physical therapy. This will be a long recovery road. Kay has asked that myself, Cathy Mergel and her daughter Tami Davis be the contact people for updates and questions. As you can imagine Kay is exhausted. Kay will also be posting updates on her blog. You'll find a link for herblog under my links ont he right. Continued prayers are greatly appreciated and always needed.

On the other end of the spectrum, our other dear friends, (many of you know them as well) The Graham family, gave us the tremendous honor to participate in the homecoming for Lieutenant Colonel Scot Graham from his 14 month tour in Iraq. We had SO much fun making posters and with the help of a sweet next door neighbor, we decorated the outside of their house as well as the surrounding neighbors' houses. We had over 15 posters. The neighborhood looked great! We were also honored to join the family at the airport. I have to admit my heart was beating and so excited for Terri. The most touching thing happened so fast that if you weren't watching you would have missed it. His son Jason (in the Marines) saluted his Father. Oh my! It was so touching and beautiful to see. Thank you Graham family for letting us be a part of your happiness. It was a priviledge to be there.
The Graham Family
Brandon, Jason, Emily (Jason's wife), Terri, & Scot

Billboard #1 songs in History

My friend (and Amber's youth leader at church) Courtney had this on her blog so I "stole" it from her because it was fun. Ever been curious to know what the #1 song was when you were born or on your wedding day? It's amazing what you can find on the internet and what people have time to do.
http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

Here's what our family ended up with:
Amy's b-day: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by The Tokens
Never heard of the group but LOVE the song especially when sung by The Nylons. Anyone remember when the Barrett family did this song for the church talent show? A memory never to be forgotten!
Rob's b-day: "I Can't Stop Loving You" Ray Charles
Not a clue about the song but at least I know of the artist.
Our wedding day: "We are the World" by USA for Africa
How can anyone forget that video! Wasn't it playing 24/7 on MTV in '85?
Robert's b-day: "Shout" by Tears for Fears
Tabitha's bday: "Faith" by George Michael
Amber's b-day: "Jump" by Kris Kross
Not a clue from me on this one
David's b-day: "Un-Break my Heart" Toni Braxton
LOVE it!

Speaking of music, that's what we've been doing for the past 2 nights. Tabitha has had her end of quarter concerts both Tuesday & Wednesday nights. They were great as usual. Makes for a late night since the concerts don't even start until 8:00 pm. We didn't even get home last night until 10. David had a difficult time getting up this morning. Yes, he LOVES to sleep! This is a photo from Tuesday nights Chamber music concert. Her flute choir performed. Tabitha's in the front row on the left. She is playing an Alto flute. Last quarter she played the "big boy" ~ the Bass flute. (The curved one in the picture on the front row.)
And just an FYI - Tabitha has officially been accepted into Western's Music Department (http://www.wwu.edu/). A TREMENDOUS accomplishment! Hooray for Tabitha! Now to get scholarships!

Our Homegrown Parade!

Gorgeous weather ~ The perfect day for Lynden's Farmer's Day Parade! We've been doing this parade since 1998 when Robert was in 7th grade. Once Tabitha became a 7th grader we've always had 2 kids in this parade. This is the first year since those early days that we only have 1 child in the parade! Does that mean our little family is growning up? YIKES!
My guys catching some rays before the parade started. Well, that and I had to find the right setting on my camera for photos! It was too bright for Mr. David to open his eyes. He forgot to bring his shades!

I thought this was SO cool! There is someone representing every war since WWII in this color guard. The respect and applause this group of men received was amazing.

Gotta love the "Lynden Float"!

Amber carrying the WA State flag. She plays the Bassoon and that is one instrument that you just can't march with. Having sat through our fair share of parades we were doin' a happy dance that the band was at the beginning of the parade (entry #29) and could make an early exit and walk with the band to the end of the parade route.

Our after the Farmer's Day Parade tradition ~ Ice Cream at Edaleen Dairy!