Meetings

Today our meetings started with lunch at 11:30, so I got to sleep in -- though it's two hours earlier here in Iowa -- so I didn't really! Tomorrow and Saturday our meetings start at 8, which means up VERY EARLY.

We are meeting at Iowa Mennonite School which is right across the road from Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church where we had lunch. They are both out in the country, a good four to five miles from our motel in Kalona.

We were supposed to go on a hay ride tonight, but we had a pretty good thunderstorm this afternoon, so the roads were too muddy to go. We did drive out to another church, East Union Mennonite Church, where we had barbecued chicken and ribs for dinner.

Kalona, Iowa

For a change, I had a flight that didn't leave at the crack of dawn! We left the ranch about 9 and I was at the United desk by 10:30 for my 11:45 flight, which actually didn't leave until a little after noon as it didn't even arrive until 11:43...


We must have had a good tail wind, because we arrived a few minutes early in Denver. A good thing, because the United Express area is clear at the other side of the B concourse and down the stairs from where my flight from Spokane came in. I stopped at a Starbuck's stand on the way and got a Venti Caramel Lite Frappacino. I found my fellow Board member Tina at the gate, also waiting for the flight to Cedar Falls, Iowa and sipping on a Starbuck's.


It was only a couple hour flight from Denver to Iowa. As soon as we departed the plane, we were met by another Board member (Patty) and Shelley from the office who had also just got in. Mr. Boshart was there with his pickup to take us to the motel in Kalona, then took Tina and I downtown with him to get a hamburger as we hadn't had a chance to eat earlier.


Only the Executive Committee meets in the morning tomorrow, so the rest of us can be lazy until it's time to go to our lunch meeting.

Late Morning and a Trip to Town

Parked at the edge of Farrier Coulee, Auntie Violet seemed very happy this morning! I was happy too, since I got to sleep in.

There was a lot of bird activity and song this morning -- many, many Western Kingbirds flying around between the trees in the windbreak and the flat. I should have gotten out Forry's camera with the big lens as this fellow posed quite nicely for me for quite a long while --

Later this afternoon we headed into Ritzville and picked up the packet for the Executive Board meeting that Daughter Mary Mae had mailed. I checked while we were there to see if there was a Driver's License office in town, but was told there hadn't been one for almost five years... Both of our driver's licenses expired in May. We got extensions by snail mail, but we have to renew the licenses within 60 days of returning to the state of Washington. Guess we'll have to do it either in Moses Lake or Spokane.

Back to Eastern Washington!

Driving with the clouds in Oregon --

Until we found sunshine in eastern Washington. These are the bluffs along the Columbia River near Vantage --

We are back at the ranch in eastern Washington -- and my Internet connection is SLOW! We left Daughter Dawn's at a fairly decent hour this morning and ended up driving north to Hwy 18 and then took I 90 over Snoqualamie Pass. It was an incredibly "green" trip. All of the deciduous tree are leafing out and it was lush.

We went from cloudy skies and rain showers in Oregon to SUNSHINE once we crossed the mountains. It was almost seven when we got here, but this time of year it doesn't get dark until after nine, so we had plenty of time to hook up the electricity and water, put the jacks down and settle in.

Worn Out Tired Tonight

I think we are all worn and tired out tonight. Too many days and nights of activity and too many people! Even nice long naps after church didn't help much...


But first we went to the Thai place in Canby for lunch/dinner. Usually our rule of thumb at Oriental restaurants is to order one dish for each person and then eat family style. For a long time, we weren't including Grandson Micah in the count, figuring that he was small enough that he didn't eat enough to make a difference. Well, those days are long gone! I had sort of noticed it when we had been at PF Changs and again at the Thai restaurant last week. He definitely has to be counted -- otherwise we are all short! Today he wanted something with squid -- and then battled with his sister Kyra to pick it all out of the curry. I'm not sure the adults got any!


This afternoon Forry started loaded everything back into the Toad that we had taken out and used while we were here. I finished up the laundry and got it all put away. Tonight we played one more round of Hand and Foot -- had to let Forry and Daughter Dawn win one game, you know.

Workshop at Zion

We've spent last evening and most of the day today at Zion Mennonite Church, the church where our son-in-law Todd is pastor. Zion sponsored a workshop on Dealing with Church Conflict presented by the Lombard Peace Center. There were 65-70 people in attendance which is pretty remarkable considering this is the first day of sunshine in the last three weeks.


Todd in his office at Zion --


Zion Mennonite Church --


After spending all that time on pretty serious stuff, we decided that tonight we needed to do something entirely mindless and fun. So this evening, Daughter Dawn, Forry and I went to see Sex and the City Two while Todd and the two youngest grands went to see Robin Hood.

Sisters and Cousins and Daughters

One of the nicest things that happened this week was members of our family who came to help us celebrate Daughter Dawn's graduation. My Cousin Cathy, my Sister Roxy and my Daughter Mary Mae had a good giggle together sitting on the couch in Auntie Violet --

Can't you just tell by looking at them that they're all related?

It was VERY special having Sister Roxy here. She's always been a pretty special person -- even though when my parents brought her home from the hospital just before Christmas, my Dad told us she was our ONLY Christmas present!

Roxy and her husband Rich live in Olympia, Washington. She retired this year after 30 years as a nurse at St. Peter's Hospital there.

What do a Lap Robe, a Hot Stone Massage, a Choir Concert and a Card Game Have in Common?

A lap robe, a hot stone massage, a choir concert and a game of Hand and Foot -- all part of a VERY busy day today! The Zion Mission Society ladies had asked me soon after we arrived here to make sure that Daughter Dawn got to their meeting this month. It was their last meeting of the spring. Dawn was excited about going. What with school, she's been able to get to very few meetings. What she didn't know, was that they had been planning a surprise for her -- a lovely tied lap robe!

After lunch with the ladies, I went back to Auntie Violet to get Forry and we went into Woodburn for the rest of our birthday/anniversary present from our daughters. We went to The Spa at Wellspring for massages. Forry had a Swedish massage while I had a hot stone one. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon! They started you off with a foot soak and a hot neck wrap in a quiet room, then proceeded to the massage rooms. I was a little nervous about having the massage following my back surgery last fall, but the therapist was very cautious and careful -- he said he could feel exactly where the rods were. Forry and I were both pretty mellow when we got back home.

We finished off the day by attending Grand daughter Havela's choir concert at Canby High School. She sings in the Freshman Woman's Choir -- and they were awesome! Havela is the black-haired one in the middle --

After we got back from the concert (in the 19th day of rain!). we played a round of Hand and Foot with Dawn and Todd. Todd and I have a long-standing tradition of beating the socks off of Dawn and Forry and we upheld it well tonight...

At the Canby Pool

It rained HARD all night last night! The weatherman said on TV tonight that it was now 18 consecutive days with measurable rain! It was still raining when we got up this morning and it made for a lazy day. I took a nap after breakfast and another one after lunch, curled up in my afghan on the couch. Of course, it may just be that with so much going on and so much company that we are all worn out?


Our twelve-year old Granddaughter Kyra is a novice on the Canby Swim Team. She asked if I would come watch practice this afternoon. It may have been rainy and chilly outside, but it was warm in the covered building. I was able to take my sweater off for the first time today.




As a novice, Ky hasn't gone to any swim meets yet, but she sure enjoys swimming. Their coach works them hard. She swam laps for an hour -- 2 1/2 miles worth!

Graduation Day!

The day of graduation finally came! Oregon Health & Science University's School of Nursing's Class of 2010 held their graduation ceremonies today at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland. Our Daughter Dawn is one of the proud graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. It's been 21 years since we watched her graduate the first time with degrees in International Development and Agriculture from Bethel College in Kansas. A lot has happened since then: marriage; six years in development work with Mennonite Central Committee in Bolivia; homes in Dayton, Washington, Elkhart, Indiana, and Hubbard, Oregon; three children...

Dawn with her diploma, her new nursing pin, her Sigma Theta Tau purple and white honor cords and her golden cords for graduating Magna Cum Laude --

One very happy family: Son-in-law Todd, Daughter Dawn, Grandaughters Kyra and Havela and Grandson Micah --

In case you haven't noticed, I'm VERY proud of her!