tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879984349978922552024-02-19T09:10:46.763-08:00Braswell DaysTina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-14022356026916218752011-01-24T19:14:00.000-08:002011-01-24T19:14:48.078-08:00SNOW!<div style="text-align: center;">We have already had so much fun in the snow this winter season. And it started early - the week of Thanksgiving! It is such a thrill for this Houston-grown girl to live in a place that can so easily become a winter wonderland! Here are some pics around our house and at Logan Park, which offers some great sledding hills! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhZ6D4opwyeiBLDnUcMvRwfhD0npGC1V95IFqDa_Uwf-Io-kP1cNS25c5xt-6PE6_iMPevVXqT9BVR_s8KQjSdSjdlKofhm98cLHciqPfMrnzoruKepr0p5BKiJYrGvKAFOuEnyAu2m27/s1600/DSCN0331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhZ6D4opwyeiBLDnUcMvRwfhD0npGC1V95IFqDa_Uwf-Io-kP1cNS25c5xt-6PE6_iMPevVXqT9BVR_s8KQjSdSjdlKofhm98cLHciqPfMrnzoruKepr0p5BKiJYrGvKAFOuEnyAu2m27/s320/DSCN0331.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNXUNSfNWgaHQUDFGDrzeoRXfeEX7i9HfakM53KwQJBhyphenhyphen4M8Me26kuSyCzONC1TLLwVvAitWICqHh7eL7nZATpaIVObUe3C0o_b1qy0qr7OBvEFJ7XGqfjhjPuOBi5ZdExYgYwVsHuMXT/s1600/DSCN0328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNXUNSfNWgaHQUDFGDrzeoRXfeEX7i9HfakM53KwQJBhyphenhyphen4M8Me26kuSyCzONC1TLLwVvAitWICqHh7eL7nZATpaIVObUe3C0o_b1qy0qr7OBvEFJ7XGqfjhjPuOBi5ZdExYgYwVsHuMXT/s320/DSCN0328.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The girls were excited that our friends the Fullers were at the park too. Here they are with Shelby. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWU43Y77bQbO7c2XmUE5wFM9Lv69XoTYE-YzRSQsgANN9zp0b3M8cVbiY4KfsFs_yoprl5ijiKLKMN7Mjq34gdisZ3HWq7DFitP1U0pPm_VQQGBhm3vY1uZpYfJ7Tb69LAg-EcMTc5RzQe/s1600/DSCN0339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWU43Y77bQbO7c2XmUE5wFM9Lv69XoTYE-YzRSQsgANN9zp0b3M8cVbiY4KfsFs_yoprl5ijiKLKMN7Mjq34gdisZ3HWq7DFitP1U0pPm_VQQGBhm3vY1uZpYfJ7Tb69LAg-EcMTc5RzQe/s320/DSCN0339.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My little angels! :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfoHXOU6fWcecVgUf4drhkK4bMDaMSl0nzutNrlwVGiqlCGO1WEiVC3le0qQw3qaOXpMEzSWucI_wnjCbXouLYUWi_5QBCanvR7h9aCW3mU-j3Hm4uXZz7MRB_3yp0NYD6eEe_P_7ij1u/s1600/DSCN0349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfoHXOU6fWcecVgUf4drhkK4bMDaMSl0nzutNrlwVGiqlCGO1WEiVC3le0qQw3qaOXpMEzSWucI_wnjCbXouLYUWi_5QBCanvR7h9aCW3mU-j3Hm4uXZz7MRB_3yp0NYD6eEe_P_7ij1u/s320/DSCN0349.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Our second big snow came the week after Christmas! So we had to go back out for more sledding. Such a fun time! We also had a good family snowball fight. I think Hannah won. She got me good!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjABuE3p59R2kpHrQIGducega_ATwfTf9W5TyGI27yEjutVKAHCaafnTBbipS6lKv3qr2OUSHloOeU4-u76_tv5rtqn1IO6efDvQbwDEdnrd4PNXpLwBwwvJ9F5KcnE0HFdfYHdJ-dtys/s1600/DSCN0511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjABuE3p59R2kpHrQIGducega_ATwfTf9W5TyGI27yEjutVKAHCaafnTBbipS6lKv3qr2OUSHloOeU4-u76_tv5rtqn1IO6efDvQbwDEdnrd4PNXpLwBwwvJ9F5KcnE0HFdfYHdJ-dtys/s320/DSCN0511.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiI4-aWKzfcb9viJ8FJ2OguLbZbXeVhAGvQo-0nErWwMiVhTFl4n4UskEcRLRSj55O0eZAfTwiToVIMp45BqdCxR9XCmXpbhreDKvbOGW26Muoak-LllQiY439QG3Zk_a6hzk_GXqL0dmF/s1600/DSCN0512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiI4-aWKzfcb9viJ8FJ2OguLbZbXeVhAGvQo-0nErWwMiVhTFl4n4UskEcRLRSj55O0eZAfTwiToVIMp45BqdCxR9XCmXpbhreDKvbOGW26Muoak-LllQiY439QG3Zk_a6hzk_GXqL0dmF/s320/DSCN0512.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6BZx9mHs5J-H_B0GmeZi9k4TXs08wP3Cr1y5yGOi2EBDjATSJsh3SUHsBXPLfFvhih5qt-5F-lYCrlQNtdQ_sCDqq6NdF0d5nu26wW6KwuuwZyWL1Q2T-0uZmou-lPYaA-DNU_VH3vaJy/s1600/DSCN0517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6BZx9mHs5J-H_B0GmeZi9k4TXs08wP3Cr1y5yGOi2EBDjATSJsh3SUHsBXPLfFvhih5qt-5F-lYCrlQNtdQ_sCDqq6NdF0d5nu26wW6KwuuwZyWL1Q2T-0uZmou-lPYaA-DNU_VH3vaJy/s320/DSCN0517.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hannah found one of her classmates at the park and they worked to make their own little snowman. They soon demolished it by sending it sledding! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6V6Kd8HeepyEkDdDPozoKsljWCKlpdvHWQSJ9rc4OH3o601tBEXeFGahjzlN7FITH8X3ZKqpN73pJ4rKK_kFo2TzABH-CY-MNSLvaesl-4NFBc2HrdKa0VLjdAfnLuITlChzNXUIoF4kx/s1600/DSCN0523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6V6Kd8HeepyEkDdDPozoKsljWCKlpdvHWQSJ9rc4OH3o601tBEXeFGahjzlN7FITH8X3ZKqpN73pJ4rKK_kFo2TzABH-CY-MNSLvaesl-4NFBc2HrdKa0VLjdAfnLuITlChzNXUIoF4kx/s320/DSCN0523.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-28164529081632012182011-01-19T23:56:00.000-08:002011-01-19T23:56:11.073-08:00Happy Holidays!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our 2010 holidays were happy, despite the busy and sometimes chaotic air about the season. We have so much for which to be thankful and Thanksgiving just gives us one more reason to celebrate and express that. We recognize that God is the giver of all good things and feel so grateful to Him for His presence in our lives as well as all the extras! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br>
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The girls made Thanksgiving pumpkins. I stole this cute idea! They wrote, or had me write in Kaitlyn's case, one thing they were thankful for on each strip,and decorated them. These served as handy decorations for Thanksgiving Day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdfny5NkGmDAaFlOQx4Vaf4xGLf1k_rUKroOUxam00DIO0l586CXQw9yak4w7baTL3IxP4Ctu8xn3O_MYDDP13_J0iGPjewIlfSmA0ZKAqj1FAwZQJOsivMdVk1HD9BAVmBr_UMLweFd4/s1600/DSCN0364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdfny5NkGmDAaFlOQx4Vaf4xGLf1k_rUKroOUxam00DIO0l586CXQw9yak4w7baTL3IxP4Ctu8xn3O_MYDDP13_J0iGPjewIlfSmA0ZKAqj1FAwZQJOsivMdVk1HD9BAVmBr_UMLweFd4/s320/DSCN0364.jpg" width="320"></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hannah's thankful list: Life, Sun, Food, God, Friends, Family, Seattle, </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Home, Church, Kaitlyn, Snow, Birthdays</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kailtyn's thankful list: Toys, Colors, Pictures, Our house, Candy, Blankie, God,</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hands, Hannah, Me, Family, PJs. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://braswelldays.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-holidays.html#more">Read more »</a>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-386058857693422212011-01-08T21:54:00.000-08:002011-01-08T21:54:22.764-08:00Fall 2010 in SnapshotsSince I haven't posted much in the last few months I thought I'd cover some family highlights in photos...<br>
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Hannah spent a lot of time on her "big-girl" bike with her new-found ability to ride it. She shied away from it most of the summer, and then one day she decided to try it. I gave her a good push and off she went, as if she'd been doing it for weeks! <br>
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<a href="http://braswelldays.blogspot.com/2011/01/fall-2010-in-snapshots.html#more">Read more »</a>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-22451418209162748662011-01-07T11:11:00.005-08:002011-01-07T12:34:36.310-08:00What Year Is It?I'm struggling with how to begin the first blog post of 2011. I honestly can't believe we are already into a new year. I know people say that all the time. But as I look back at 2010 I feel like I just blinked from one major event to the next and here we are! I've felt at times as if I was just a feather being swept along by an uncontrollable wind. Okay, maybe sometimes it was more like a nice breeze, but last year went by faster for me than any other year of my life. Yet it was full of so many wonderful things...<br /><br />It was a turning-point year on a couple of different levels. First, our church, which began 2010 with the name Connect, turned a corner, we feel. The beginning of last year brought several new families who have grown and become an integral part of our ministry here. We have seen people express their commitments to Christ through changed lives, altered priorities and pursuits, as well as baptism. All types of people have stepped up to give of their time and resources to aid our ministry - volunteering, leading out, entering into small group community. And God gave us a new name! Connect became LifePoint in October. The name change represents a connection with a larger LifePoint community in other parts of the world, for the same purposes we had to begin with - to reach people with the gospel of Christ and plant new churches where they are most needed. It's been a breath-of-fresh-air-fruitful year after a couple of very trying and sometimes confusing & discouraging years. The Lord is so good and faithful through it all and we have been grateful for all that He has allowed and done in 2010. <br /><br />It was a turning-point year for me personally as well. Without getting into the nitty gritty, suffice it to say that our move to the Seattle area from Nashville, TN and the process of starting a church has not been all roses for me. During this time I have experienced some of my most difficult moments to date. Yet, somewhere in 2010 I began to realize just how much I love living here and began to embrace our lives here more than I had before. And, now I continue to cling to God's promise in Philippians, "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it." <br /><br />The year was also full of some fun travel for us as well as the joy of welcoming friends and family to our home as they traveled to the NW, some for the first time! Dale and I were able to be a part of a former student's wedding, which was such a wonderful time. Right after that we revisited our youth ministry days as we were a part of a week-long camp (Super Summer) while also getting to spend time with good friends. November found Dale and me in the Nashville, TN area again as we visited LifePoint's Smyrna campus. Not only did Dale have valuable time with the staff there, but we were able to be refreshed by wonderful time with old friends...and a little time to ourselves. It was great! <br /><br />Our summer was full of week after week of visitors, as well as our live-in and well-loved intern, Alanna! We gladly introduced everyone to as much of the NW as possible during the time they were here. Dale and I could probably get second jobs as tour guides... And anyone who would like to make use of this free service is welcome to come up! Just tell us at least a few weeks in advance. :) Our family took some needed vacation time while our friends the Shrums were here for a couple of weeks. We were able to do some camping during that time, which we love. The laughter and companionship the summer brought was definitely a highlight. <br /><br />The fall brought the adjustment to our oldest being a full-time 1st grader. We all made it and we are so proud of the little person she is becoming! Kaitlyn progressed in her swimming and had play dates aplenty. Before we new it the holidays were upon us along with all the accompanying festivities. I am grateful for 2010. Although I do pray that I will feel a little less blown about at the end of 2011 than I do now. I know it will be fast-paced, because that is the reality of our lives. But I will seek to cling more to Christ my Rock, who is the calm, steadying force in the midst of winds of change, circumstances, busy seasons... And I am aiming to post more to the blog soon, including pictures, as well as give it some much-needed updating! :)Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-8802414357321638922010-10-02T13:00:00.002-07:002010-10-02T16:30:03.666-07:0011 and CountingEleven years ago today I received my all-time favorite birthday present when I married Dale Braswell. Our romance began on the campus of Dallas Baptist University in the summer of 1997. To be honest, it took me quite by surprise. Dale and I had known each other for almost 3 years and had served together in a collegiate ministry that toured the state and took an occasional international trip, leading worship, and leading Disciple Now Weekends and camps for youth. He was our drummer and the "goof-ball" of the group, always winning the hearts of the junior high girls everywhere we went. :) <br /><br />It wasn't until we were paired up to teach together (for the first time in 3 years) at a camp held on the university campus, that I began to see a different side of Dale. Not that the side I had seen was bad - but I got a more complete picture of who he was - and I liked it! He was much more, and much deeper, than the comical drummer I had seen him as. We had a blast working together and playing pranks on each other during those 2 weeks. Then we went our separate ways for summer jobs. I thought about him a lot and had no idea he was thinking about me too. <br /><br />When classes began in the fall we found ourselves hanging out together with groups of mutual friends - movies, bowling, study breaks... I always seemed to end up riding in his car or sitting by him. I came to find out later he had orchestrated most of these events so he could hang out with me. I had no idea. As Homecoming events approached I was excited at the thought about going with him, but didn't really think he'd ask me. He had many friends who were girls and I thought I was just one of the many. <br /><br />But one day, as I was wondering about Homecoming, ironically enough, he strolls into the office of my on-campus job and nonchalantly asks me to go with him. I coolly said yes, and then when he left I did a little celebration dance in the privacy of the office. :) Then I calmed myself down, thinking, this still doesn't mean he really LIKES me. <br /><br />Well, after having a great time together at Homecoming, I still was left wondering, because it took him about 3 weeks to ask me out on an official date! I loved it. When he came to pick me up, instead of bringing flowers, he brought me a 6-pack of original Dr. Pepper - made with sugar cane from the headquarters. I love Dr. Pepper and loved his originality! We headed out to the Galleria, where we had ice cream at Marble Slab - BEFORE dinner - and then went ice skating. I applaud him for this part, because I was much better than him at it and he didn't seem to mind. :) On our way to a great Mexican food restaurant in Fort Worth (my fav!), we passed a Bungee Jump place and he suggested we stop there. Maybe he was thinking he should make up for his terrible skating by showing his bravery? So, on a whim, we rode the reverse bungee ride together where you get bounced up and around while you're sitting in seats side-by-side. It was really fun! And I'm glad that came BEFORE the Mexican food! <br /><br />In so many ways that first date reflects the life we've lived since... We haven't always done what was expected; Some of the places we've ended up were not on our radar initially; Life has bounced us around a bit, but we've been through it together, and it's always been an adventure! I can say that I sure am glad I gave that goofball a chance! :) He's still a goofball, but he's also passionate about the Lord and our family, a man of integrity, a man who genuinely cares about others, a man determined to live fully the life God has given him, for His glory. I still like what I see in him. In fact, I LOVE it!Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-40234666820683576632010-09-28T20:56:00.011-07:002010-09-28T21:19:35.096-07:00More Hiking!August was a month for hiking! This time, Daddy got to go with us. We hiked the scenic Franklin Falls trail that followed a creek for a little more than a mile all the way up to a beautiful waterfall. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCKuq3AkYLYLMKJxNdX5qV0Z-KG2K74U5Z4YyEwqT5eImagmhfhg4Nmji32OpxQ2aeOsbZLWKHx7dXZnxSvS41YPRAYd7ovol19Rp5vRzBMbpLbeH4zEm5EPdl69vhV_VZDvuQ3CwPitK/s1600/March+25th+pics+444.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCKuq3AkYLYLMKJxNdX5qV0Z-KG2K74U5Z4YyEwqT5eImagmhfhg4Nmji32OpxQ2aeOsbZLWKHx7dXZnxSvS41YPRAYd7ovol19Rp5vRzBMbpLbeH4zEm5EPdl69vhV_VZDvuQ3CwPitK/s400/March+25th+pics+444.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522180795224558034" /></a> <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkkQ3WU3p_yKnISXpxzwoPJDK-QhGYpvuX01op-JCzvJ_vwdlo-ehrmB-BkT_4WUU8CaSPXf0_x5EQElpbbmdfeqdiadVTc8UpnRdgXULn7nbpMOie1XQbS0tvFWncQkGmKZiENut6cYC/s1600/March+25th+pics+452.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkkQ3WU3p_yKnISXpxzwoPJDK-QhGYpvuX01op-JCzvJ_vwdlo-ehrmB-BkT_4WUU8CaSPXf0_x5EQElpbbmdfeqdiadVTc8UpnRdgXULn7nbpMOie1XQbS0tvFWncQkGmKZiENut6cYC/s400/March+25th+pics+452.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522181041900861938" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFFDf16Nqu6PzkrSj3p_ZAhTs92E2ZpLYNfqRDPBCpLb0R5vqk8KJZCz30DKG-dVnElEqnJd3CfHIwG2uFuEewDfc37uun0CdSzpC4dk8XlyNfSdz951nM3NkLGu7IhAHdPxDasEWeJ_V/s1600/March+25th+pics+453.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFFDf16Nqu6PzkrSj3p_ZAhTs92E2ZpLYNfqRDPBCpLb0R5vqk8KJZCz30DKG-dVnElEqnJd3CfHIwG2uFuEewDfc37uun0CdSzpC4dk8XlyNfSdz951nM3NkLGu7IhAHdPxDasEWeJ_V/s400/March+25th+pics+453.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522181171406767826" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Sj4KFvgS4m7ie9lGYQvYOsCbZHltfSiMmFkabIUNEdyfhE_Z81BA4PNURZA9myyJyk6zztNnhbNN52_gMMd9CPkP09JF2JXan0TKXUzP86A3Fk6ih-CTzb-3vpzZwWARA_3n9oUPax0Y/s1600/March+25th+pics+456.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Sj4KFvgS4m7ie9lGYQvYOsCbZHltfSiMmFkabIUNEdyfhE_Z81BA4PNURZA9myyJyk6zztNnhbNN52_gMMd9CPkP09JF2JXan0TKXUzP86A3Fk6ih-CTzb-3vpzZwWARA_3n9oUPax0Y/s400/March+25th+pics+456.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522181398076133186" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The area around the falls was full of pools of water, perfect for playing in.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghZELCLocz_7GKQho-ds4dxUqyZWbm0z1XjpYo-t3KjPZFudWU7sZPIluezpQ2AedXbZv-bai2NDQXrUryzpYGMwHbBPBNmFYAG-g7s3L5fkwtwWgn_7iiyfFPud_43RaZLwCmtdcousE/s1600/March+25th+pics+465.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghZELCLocz_7GKQho-ds4dxUqyZWbm0z1XjpYo-t3KjPZFudWU7sZPIluezpQ2AedXbZv-bai2NDQXrUryzpYGMwHbBPBNmFYAG-g7s3L5fkwtwWgn_7iiyfFPud_43RaZLwCmtdcousE/s400/March+25th+pics+465.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522181605085650626" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And it was warm enough for the suits!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_2oT8XM6D-wAlvTWERj6j3DU_SbXHzkdlsj3S_B8JLzCMe7x7t15LoyurSxjN2LTxrPOQA9G5VSpwO_LpsxQPm8MUz30h2YprmUYulF8MobhCe4djoxE69bOPw8eDSDETK4CXGGpAJKU/s1600/March+25th+pics+490.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_2oT8XM6D-wAlvTWERj6j3DU_SbXHzkdlsj3S_B8JLzCMe7x7t15LoyurSxjN2LTxrPOQA9G5VSpwO_LpsxQPm8MUz30h2YprmUYulF8MobhCe4djoxE69bOPw8eDSDETK4CXGGpAJKU/s400/March+25th+pics+490.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522182332556192258" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I took my little climber with me and we scaled up about 25 feet of rock. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8e0Ny2bJDQGED62QRFEeMdShQMEDeINqWbK6kHaVv4K0xBTeQASmy_hQHHGa2Wg4vYS3zBGbszZPvPnCh4nepqH12A9EzxQZs_8H4EAy_iMAf8oa0HhDAHEOqj9ySIxfbxwKbPoZbIxo/s1600/March+25th+pics+487.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8e0Ny2bJDQGED62QRFEeMdShQMEDeINqWbK6kHaVv4K0xBTeQASmy_hQHHGa2Wg4vYS3zBGbszZPvPnCh4nepqH12A9EzxQZs_8H4EAy_iMAf8oa0HhDAHEOqj9ySIxfbxwKbPoZbIxo/s400/March+25th+pics+487.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522182679606380210" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A wonderfully satisfying day!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNdWJ-kaw_lyFSaQAHpCozT0IDjUJz8An1ia_Yt2vDWHSZ1ltnY2EepQlCImAOjB0TnNa__Vj-09poKIIWkgk9XblFZyxbZUKUmNkTj-ghr2mxCm-bd6wltSrMhEqmip3KkUCDuROQpe1/s1600/March+25th+pics+458.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNdWJ-kaw_lyFSaQAHpCozT0IDjUJz8An1ia_Yt2vDWHSZ1ltnY2EepQlCImAOjB0TnNa__Vj-09poKIIWkgk9XblFZyxbZUKUmNkTj-ghr2mxCm-bd6wltSrMhEqmip3KkUCDuROQpe1/s400/March+25th+pics+458.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522184232019518370" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nOAoVGZDWdAd2EQ83ox9SvQ3PT3zPvgZgkbLwcm092mbE2SjwW-doiJaIYk3UlO1a8VND6nqDkN6PdM1X5SdOWQz4BNEkul5OghktK3i0dIblwle3iUyE2zfwCa8_yn0naV3QK9zueGB/s1600/March+25th+pics+475.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nOAoVGZDWdAd2EQ83ox9SvQ3PT3zPvgZgkbLwcm092mbE2SjwW-doiJaIYk3UlO1a8VND6nqDkN6PdM1X5SdOWQz4BNEkul5OghktK3i0dIblwle3iUyE2zfwCa8_yn0naV3QK9zueGB/s400/March+25th+pics+475.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522184400997802210" /></a>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-4983609991301379152010-09-27T21:30:00.017-07:002010-09-27T22:39:47.739-07:00Hiking with FriendsThere's not much I'd rather do on a beautiful day here in the Pacific Northwest than go hiking. My friend Lori has been an avid hiker (and climber for that matter). So, since I aspire to be one we've been hanging out more and hiking with our kids. She's my resident expert on great family hikes! I love that my kids are having so much fun exploring the beauty of God's creation that is all around us! They have become real troopers on the trails - MOST of the time. Even Kaitlyn can handle almost a 2-mile round-trip hike on a good day.<br /><br />In August we hiked to the Ice Caves in the Cascade Range. Here's the little crew.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdd7H3NVibZ1R7akmMa68fvLCngqN9iLvEdONqYJx8GDjthDWlVeIZDFc1NzUI-GVyr7EYVyRdAEZJrOZJXZMZkLbSbONoEm1cXLKnh12GEZ3Ttqtb8797wupsl9sTHsvoc5AcTKcGGnb/s1600/IMG_3442.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdd7H3NVibZ1R7akmMa68fvLCngqN9iLvEdONqYJx8GDjthDWlVeIZDFc1NzUI-GVyr7EYVyRdAEZJrOZJXZMZkLbSbONoEm1cXLKnh12GEZ3Ttqtb8797wupsl9sTHsvoc5AcTKcGGnb/s400/IMG_3442.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521826929888614770" /></a> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The view as we cross a bridge over the stream.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzijebBi1qpxl8Cn3QlFDOPCOf6oErIla4rbDHAGu114YbhnYcPyyBH8RPHSZ-QGdEU3LawSG2zTjkoeRzacXzpPqMo61or__C9V_eWxoOkbNQlMSCVAr0zxz9QvjKH4RAN4RgSfFaSe8/s1600/IMG_3449.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzijebBi1qpxl8Cn3QlFDOPCOf6oErIla4rbDHAGu114YbhnYcPyyBH8RPHSZ-QGdEU3LawSG2zTjkoeRzacXzpPqMo61or__C9V_eWxoOkbNQlMSCVAr0zxz9QvjKH4RAN4RgSfFaSe8/s400/IMG_3449.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521827101034250066" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Trail buddies!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtySYuGnCJZLeVKwCZHh9XmMqvUGw9bwpvzDzqHgZYragRTzBi_O2kjc8zIETQsGAajIHkoc9hWPvPyvPIXs86wH0PGPd3WrwAMoBt0BZKJ7-S1jrWPEYcmiEIzBzNqJxnNUfFr9koDxIc/s1600/IMG_3454.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtySYuGnCJZLeVKwCZHh9XmMqvUGw9bwpvzDzqHgZYragRTzBi_O2kjc8zIETQsGAajIHkoc9hWPvPyvPIXs86wH0PGPd3WrwAMoBt0BZKJ7-S1jrWPEYcmiEIzBzNqJxnNUfFr9koDxIc/s400/IMG_3454.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521827648846940466" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The caves are formed as the snow & ice melt. By September these are completely gone. They are very unstable since they are constantly melting, so it's wise to keep your distance. So, we told the kids to go only as close as we let them go and definitely not to run inside the caves. Well they received an interesting lesson when we arrived at the foot of them to find adults inside the caves taking pictures. Hannah was very curious about it, and was intrigued to find out that just because an adult is doing something, doesn't mean it's wise. :) The fun effect about standing in front of the caves though was that it felt like standing in front of an open freezer. So refreshing on a warm day! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0baY7NoM8tQooH14CEoogU7EhNOR4aCPWdqvslYJnTJitGXz3kOmYBBwglMVN4FWD1djKrH_Eo7YsL9OBjSFMKl8mEcSVF0N_4ljScltLX2lukbnpWx9V298MIdnECHbRHtXo_ia43rsH/s1600/IMG_3464.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0baY7NoM8tQooH14CEoogU7EhNOR4aCPWdqvslYJnTJitGXz3kOmYBBwglMVN4FWD1djKrH_Eo7YsL9OBjSFMKl8mEcSVF0N_4ljScltLX2lukbnpWx9V298MIdnECHbRHtXo_ia43rsH/s400/IMG_3464.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521827950305302610" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The kids had fun climbing on all the rocks.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mLg7AxfcGuydN3RDAlaJMQ5YiYHB121Z6UKMmCihCxBMfPw5yCMFeProDP8G2D7dQ5EClxhwCnpKOG-q33PGLQ9gdjxze17rF2Kvu4H8LVtUOKzqel-OQA0gszW8DeqbZ8xL1LC4yfhZ/s1600/IMG_3473.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mLg7AxfcGuydN3RDAlaJMQ5YiYHB121Z6UKMmCihCxBMfPw5yCMFeProDP8G2D7dQ5EClxhwCnpKOG-q33PGLQ9gdjxze17rF2Kvu4H8LVtUOKzqel-OQA0gszW8DeqbZ8xL1LC4yfhZ/s400/IMG_3473.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521830492248224658" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Taking a break...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPu07oU0W_LnIgzBuJH99e50hON6STVx7Er0vj7_LR2F9i_l43oJ0hhG_AcmA9mL_gUtT-LKT4uRA7AGm5lYIKmk_4ppkFT5Wc7CXZVdPiGPGZ8d5r3-JharoIMxBt1neZQGlQK4zDL_u_/s1600/IMG_3477.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPu07oU0W_LnIgzBuJH99e50hON6STVx7Er0vj7_LR2F9i_l43oJ0hhG_AcmA9mL_gUtT-LKT4uRA7AGm5lYIKmk_4ppkFT5Wc7CXZVdPiGPGZ8d5r3-JharoIMxBt1neZQGlQK4zDL_u_/s400/IMG_3477.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521831295087549810" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I'm not sure why Kaitlyn is upset, but I'm guessing Jacob may have tried to take some of her snack. When it comes to her food, you just don't mess with Kaitlyn. Well, right now, you just don't mess with Kaitlyn period - she's 3!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwLvapQtIpz03zDPOQ8dvIA5E50x2nlCm-v_HRXaqMCgWL6Df79_JugCpY1TNBgIb4A4TTop_QffuFrlAPYhegJZjmDxVSZ2ao6SliWBo_daDe_UUmrBm5IHuooOzLQgO17r5h8HqhJrD/s1600/IMG_3487.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwLvapQtIpz03zDPOQ8dvIA5E50x2nlCm-v_HRXaqMCgWL6Df79_JugCpY1TNBgIb4A4TTop_QffuFrlAPYhegJZjmDxVSZ2ao6SliWBo_daDe_UUmrBm5IHuooOzLQgO17r5h8HqhJrD/s400/IMG_3487.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521831525112399650" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The veiws were amazing. And I especially loved the abundance of purple flowers - purple lupen I think they're called. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRrK7N_VYBA-WzZLS0D6q22qgI4T-FuiAOvXFPLyx8xPYIUxPqey5e8LND_tuuruNDQS5_tKexqcVuh_YMxW5CML_6Iqw6jw_VDIN-7hAteyRJg1d4OznMzDthkE2DDJstvvRUGr4aS6z/s1600/IMG_3472.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRrK7N_VYBA-WzZLS0D6q22qgI4T-FuiAOvXFPLyx8xPYIUxPqey5e8LND_tuuruNDQS5_tKexqcVuh_YMxW5CML_6Iqw6jw_VDIN-7hAteyRJg1d4OznMzDthkE2DDJstvvRUGr4aS6z/s400/IMG_3472.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521829963171093154" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPsAxbVJHibKvYmyCk-Dwe4m1rt90fKaT0MfU3zRgs-F-QVucCOMhL5PD_1qmh_KDRkQr9DoDsAMW1UQyQhZHck2qmGXVRduV9H08BIV88i5luwpx-pS4Q5bO83zLecEEwo_3-UxCpO_g/s1600/IMG_3493.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPsAxbVJHibKvYmyCk-Dwe4m1rt90fKaT0MfU3zRgs-F-QVucCOMhL5PD_1qmh_KDRkQr9DoDsAMW1UQyQhZHck2qmGXVRduV9H08BIV88i5luwpx-pS4Q5bO83zLecEEwo_3-UxCpO_g/s400/IMG_3493.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521832676141473858" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BAZ7zYULg8bHSjSSN3FEzPUK6rikgPpgt_zUZXzpGVJeB6Ztk0HToVRAnVkDEkKg3P3DH1PkEcExEc7SaJO_YHd43aeFeYzjbwQSRNevA-T0AqEaa7uzvVVPn80mRho27ca047YlyRjZ/s1600/IMG_3494.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BAZ7zYULg8bHSjSSN3FEzPUK6rikgPpgt_zUZXzpGVJeB6Ztk0HToVRAnVkDEkKg3P3DH1PkEcExEc7SaJO_YHd43aeFeYzjbwQSRNevA-T0AqEaa7uzvVVPn80mRho27ca047YlyRjZ/s400/IMG_3494.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521832809178388098" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Another great hike we went on was the Denny Creek trail that led to pools of mountain water fed by a waterfall. It was a perfect day for splashing around. No one minded the icy water. In fact it was quite refreshing! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAkGebcL8XabNEmeMPqhkxSPmgnWTvwvwtqQYFvQN-Fp2YlXLAGLc0kTRqyxzaVeXxEl6xKbqqz0I-9b9z1rRk-quDDfi_yQfunqIa2QRC8gEda6Be7Q_Fr3OgmiwspKV-OqYsXR_VRYw/s1600/DSC03100.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAkGebcL8XabNEmeMPqhkxSPmgnWTvwvwtqQYFvQN-Fp2YlXLAGLc0kTRqyxzaVeXxEl6xKbqqz0I-9b9z1rRk-quDDfi_yQfunqIa2QRC8gEda6Be7Q_Fr3OgmiwspKV-OqYsXR_VRYw/s400/DSC03100.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521833750549939170" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDkG_ho99PC1_3KRPRvDORJRJKipLK_HQ12j1jLfPrCCzwtw2EN8ZBbvEMI2eloKZ0r4RVqeF1BHdBl1AEMn_8hdqiYsBtQ5Pujmn7bneMfIEWPj8KQoKSAKk-TXp1jlLX-o3pQYo42j3/s1600/DSC03102.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDkG_ho99PC1_3KRPRvDORJRJKipLK_HQ12j1jLfPrCCzwtw2EN8ZBbvEMI2eloKZ0r4RVqeF1BHdBl1AEMn_8hdqiYsBtQ5Pujmn7bneMfIEWPj8KQoKSAKk-TXp1jlLX-o3pQYo42j3/s400/DSC03102.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521833967173762802" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCrZHkl4qYho4jsi0srru7L8DPLc5if3fEwJGG8KnGyOuRGjRKDgeAHSfLSFS_dkxIJgv1Fi5KPu49__DbjAFQL1eil9Tqu-CTIaM3fyHxuhJJ07IkvFAb32qXU_Ct3zHZzUzDYcB0iT0/s1600/DSC03106.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCrZHkl4qYho4jsi0srru7L8DPLc5if3fEwJGG8KnGyOuRGjRKDgeAHSfLSFS_dkxIJgv1Fi5KPu49__DbjAFQL1eil9Tqu-CTIaM3fyHxuhJJ07IkvFAb32qXU_Ct3zHZzUzDYcB0iT0/s400/DSC03106.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521834178154765618" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPraP-qLR3jWcHDJCLTFxp8Kjm1tmxfnKhIO_VlaUEsgV1ezUeu8OrTxaWfgw5xYlm0-rPIKgFtsV7iw13_cBVFb3aEgaCuXhF4VJm7GiW2x0FaJ2s3vN699EtXLGzY6VQPCQ0GFPH9rT/s1600/DSC03109.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPraP-qLR3jWcHDJCLTFxp8Kjm1tmxfnKhIO_VlaUEsgV1ezUeu8OrTxaWfgw5xYlm0-rPIKgFtsV7iw13_cBVFb3aEgaCuXhF4VJm7GiW2x0FaJ2s3vN699EtXLGzY6VQPCQ0GFPH9rT/s400/DSC03109.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521834299345266722" /></a>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-91337780052323948202010-09-22T15:42:00.002-07:002010-09-22T16:31:11.548-07:00Summer RevelationOne thing we did this summer was meet a lot of new people on mission teams who came to help out Connect Church in a variety of ways, and who brought much needed encouragement too! While visiting with one such team, one man asked me if there was anything I didn't like about living here. If he had asked me a couple of years ago, after we had only lived here a few short months, I could have given him a long list of things. But, he had me stumped for a minute. I stammered to find anything substantial to say. I could think of minor things, like having to drive 2 hours to get to a Chick-fil-a (which we've only done once) and no good Tex Mex (although we really didn't have that in TN either)... The only thing that was worth saying was the great distance we are away from our family and closest friends. I definitely don't like that part. Yet, even that group of people is scattered all over the globe, so there's no one place to go that would satisfy the desire to be closer to all of them - yet! :)<br /><br />So in that moment I began to realize something quite profound - just how much I love living here. I know... that's deep! But I had such a hard time adjusting to our move here that it was a great moment for me! I love living so near the mountains that I can see them in every direction on clear days and it not take long to drive to countless great hiking spots, or snow-sledding spots. I love living near the Puget Sound and many lakes, where we can go canoeing, kayaking, sailing and where we can see beautiful sunsets on the water. I love downtown Seattle - the market, the arts, the restaurants... I love having so many places on our to-explore list that we'll probably have to live here a lifetime to do them all. I love all the amazing camping spots. I love what God has called us to do here - to plant a church in a place of great spiritual need that will plant other churches, all for the purpose of bringing people to Him, the All-Satisfying Savior. I love the people He's brought to our church. I love our community and the fact that I can walk down the street or across the street to go to dinner, a play date, a ladies' night out, a birthday party... and the fact that being outside on a nice day means many kids to play with and conversations with friends.<br /><br />I'm sure I could come up with a few more things I love about this place, but you get the idea. :) In so many ways I feel like I was made to live here, and that's a gift from God that I'm so grateful for!Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-32019263262985994962010-09-21T15:57:00.007-07:002010-09-22T15:42:01.638-07:00Went a Pickin'!Looks like I'll be playing a little catch up to finish out our summer fun, since I've gotten a little behind in my posting...<br /><br />This summer the girls and I began regular play dates with a group of kids and moms in and around our neighborhood. It's been so fun! We LOVE our neighborhood and are so thankful for all the friends we've made just living here. And glad there's an abundance of kids to play with too! <br /><br />One of our outings took us to Blueberry Blossom Farm in Snohomish where we picked blueberries... and ate them too! I'm amazed that we ended up with 6lbs to take home with all the munching going on! But they were just SO GOOD! And the kids had a blast!<br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWM_qiE_QKTZb-2voi8kWKS72o5OZIMVlbbCUQzYgl4HVrr7RgqH8OciJA4dR4oIfI2uXzROL8NrVO41O9NhwYxifaHK5Vf2UBe9Y00VSRaRibPEhqKdM18PtViDIbwM8V8gs-BkeWbpIM/s1600/IMG_3424.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWM_qiE_QKTZb-2voi8kWKS72o5OZIMVlbbCUQzYgl4HVrr7RgqH8OciJA4dR4oIfI2uXzROL8NrVO41O9NhwYxifaHK5Vf2UBe9Y00VSRaRibPEhqKdM18PtViDIbwM8V8gs-BkeWbpIM/s400/IMG_3424.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519870065795446386" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFZmRH3SsUI8MQHkffYu2RxWpkWP3W-jiG0QtCR7bWPt_Cuk0TK3_yGlkZdmo0qIKq0XYRaKN00s7Pg6C4na-f4QF9Vc7cMRpruDqjJBEIW4FdAGExre5HuDlVb1Luyuv2y6AP17QDvLk/s1600/IMG_3428.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFZmRH3SsUI8MQHkffYu2RxWpkWP3W-jiG0QtCR7bWPt_Cuk0TK3_yGlkZdmo0qIKq0XYRaKN00s7Pg6C4na-f4QF9Vc7cMRpruDqjJBEIW4FdAGExre5HuDlVb1Luyuv2y6AP17QDvLk/s400/IMG_3428.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519870180785004146" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClmrFe4nmz3vaOMRUvXN9VGZXKMJCKBvzHIsB9hmQxfhmWdbcW_HN7MMhK4vjp6nJTgOU493X_pMCp7J4zxgOc1i_afLqZX7bUcFJyTPtLycmqm0L66WeXHen1kTUORTHH00Pi-L0wxsq/s1600/IMG_3432.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClmrFe4nmz3vaOMRUvXN9VGZXKMJCKBvzHIsB9hmQxfhmWdbcW_HN7MMhK4vjp6nJTgOU493X_pMCp7J4zxgOc1i_afLqZX7bUcFJyTPtLycmqm0L66WeXHen1kTUORTHH00Pi-L0wxsq/s400/IMG_3432.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519870290513480754" /></a>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-76382448154617717432010-09-01T14:24:00.008-07:002010-09-01T22:30:33.609-07:00"I'm A First Grader!"These are the words Hannah has excitedly told our neighbors and everyone who called to ask her about her day today - the first day of First Grade! It came with great anticipation. The last week has been full of accumulating school supplies and needed clothing as well as many conversations. Once she realized she would be at school all day there was a barrage of questions about lunch and how that worked. She was very concerned about knowing exactly what to expect! And the two things she has consistently voiced when asked what she has been looking forward to about being in 1st grade are: 1) having 2 recesses and 2) getting to check 2 library books out each week. :) <br /><br />With Monday afternoon came the excitement of seeing which teacher she had and who would be in her class. I will say, going up to the school and looking at the postings brought back a flood of memories of doing the same thing YEARS ago and all that the start of a new year entailed. For a moment I wondered how I had arrived here with my own school-age child doing the same thing? Anyway, she was happy to see that several of her kindergarten friends would be in class with her. The sadness about those who were not in her class dissipated when I assured her that she'd see them at recess. <br /><br />Yesterday, she seemed a bit apprehensive as we walked back to the classroom to meet her teacher. She became her usual shy self, as she does in new situations and with new people. But by the time we left, she was asking if she could stay and go ahead and start school! <br /><br />This morning might have just as well been Christmas. She was up early, got herself dressed in the outfit she had picked out yesterday, brushed her teeth & hair AND made her bed - all before breakfast! And with no prompting from me! Usually we have devotions & prayer at the breakfast table and she prayed such a sweet prayer, asking God to help her have a wonderful day at school, to help her make the right choices and to help her obey her teacher. What a big girl she has suddenly become in my eyes! <br /><br />Here are a few pictures of our morning. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSa7Ik2vsZLsG8wfi9qX6xY83XAU1Z9flAUdMhru6_aUiwCs44UKT65lB2IQlGyfalujYgVSslhTEC8yCGwHco4Aq8rw0IVwkRuVaYmzngoUESCnMBkOwRNIHBKszkIcrqQQF9np1Ahyphenhyphen7f/s1600/March+25th+pics+507.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSa7Ik2vsZLsG8wfi9qX6xY83XAU1Z9flAUdMhru6_aUiwCs44UKT65lB2IQlGyfalujYgVSslhTEC8yCGwHco4Aq8rw0IVwkRuVaYmzngoUESCnMBkOwRNIHBKszkIcrqQQF9np1Ahyphenhyphen7f/s400/March+25th+pics+507.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512059822302353106" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXvkNCH8fDXDw6qOoZVHjBnZJ04x87nRyyLPk8KeY0Kd-BIhiyZqRW6ZtL3voEdFON2dzG270eptFmItF4k6hyphenhyphen46_HUL9b-5UZv4rSFUCIw97OjU45qzFLX8bjjicD5Im1AHdTzPs73kT/s1600/March+25th+pics+509.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXvkNCH8fDXDw6qOoZVHjBnZJ04x87nRyyLPk8KeY0Kd-BIhiyZqRW6ZtL3voEdFON2dzG270eptFmItF4k6hyphenhyphen46_HUL9b-5UZv4rSFUCIw97OjU45qzFLX8bjjicD5Im1AHdTzPs73kT/s400/March+25th+pics+509.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512059936770219986" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_CNYTBll7WB3VY-a0LcyLLUgJFoT4tIMaToMkY49YwhPszTaL0lYILM8ZTJvSEaK54EIFvWrjEcjhDvzAM1BGO6NleV5wOfU7VaGq_AdWE4ejVbFveIkFwLqHSTwysCG99wr_LIsPUZS/s1600/March+25th+pics+511.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_CNYTBll7WB3VY-a0LcyLLUgJFoT4tIMaToMkY49YwhPszTaL0lYILM8ZTJvSEaK54EIFvWrjEcjhDvzAM1BGO6NleV5wOfU7VaGq_AdWE4ejVbFveIkFwLqHSTwysCG99wr_LIsPUZS/s400/March+25th+pics+511.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512060140353285986" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />She was excited to get to sit by one of her friends from kindergarten.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SBN5bJQ6ReHwTyKxkS6xU_n0HvFiYEdsit8G6keJZ9gxsK4qlMQ6V8DEPw7yMBiw2dNwHhfN7wfWfDlFmTbuC5Rs4_NEmrO-NaUkZywzpz3ypWQrfp_jssd7qFiC0ADiuUYyJf6T7WPt/s1600/March+25th+pics+514.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SBN5bJQ6ReHwTyKxkS6xU_n0HvFiYEdsit8G6keJZ9gxsK4qlMQ6V8DEPw7yMBiw2dNwHhfN7wfWfDlFmTbuC5Rs4_NEmrO-NaUkZywzpz3ypWQrfp_jssd7qFiC0ADiuUYyJf6T7WPt/s400/March+25th+pics+514.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512060273059871202" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQD5zXJW6wjqVGm0EjoDDuTxSgaRjgpCHAzQHnf4s7s-r1MN4DY-6vjrWIeKeTxYoOCTMxGK7Sq93Gqbpnw1lRXaNh_XAGT_juU2HLB1gZZQrJO8W4-3A-V_pz2mv8NkNDaZBPl4eSYdmk/s1600/March+25th+pics+515.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQD5zXJW6wjqVGm0EjoDDuTxSgaRjgpCHAzQHnf4s7s-r1MN4DY-6vjrWIeKeTxYoOCTMxGK7Sq93Gqbpnw1lRXaNh_XAGT_juU2HLB1gZZQrJO8W4-3A-V_pz2mv8NkNDaZBPl4eSYdmk/s400/March+25th+pics+515.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512060385452566210" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I had a lump in my throat all morning, but somehow I managed not to cry! She seems so grown-up, and I marvel at how quickly these 6 years have flown. I guess I need to get used to that! I am so thankful for this little girl and look forward to seeing all the ways she will grow in the year ahead.Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-81653258393570681772010-08-29T15:53:00.012-07:002010-08-29T17:43:21.373-07:00Fun on the WaterOn my 35th birthday last year I made a vow to myself that this would be the year for trying new things. One of the things on my list I knew I wanted to do was kayaking. What better way to experience something new than to take some friends along! So, before the Shrums headed back to Nashville, we kayaked with Anacortes Kayak Tours, near the San Juan Islands, and we had a blast! I will definitely be doing this again! <br /><br />The guide didn't know quite what to do with our rambunctious group... Can you blame her?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEv7qdZ2EhyCFxLqirBazDaPSf2ZYl2X-lweS72bXOsjrlbJAaZ_qGOFKKyOkB8vgL4el19n6pGj6vCUE4eXkt1fIve-xJN0_A8pkw9sYEGE4CbXlojM3r7An0dhN2j86A_2HLVWEH7hAo/s1600/SD534655.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEv7qdZ2EhyCFxLqirBazDaPSf2ZYl2X-lweS72bXOsjrlbJAaZ_qGOFKKyOkB8vgL4el19n6pGj6vCUE4eXkt1fIve-xJN0_A8pkw9sYEGE4CbXlojM3r7An0dhN2j86A_2HLVWEH7hAo/s400/SD534655.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510987201750787890" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Here we are in action. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ywv39GrqbuZ1cSnKxIuIFN0t3K56VA08nnnzQJoUOjLPvGskfSzUlyXbpk6m9-TwHYjsuVQqTohr_wOZldco_EmU_3lp0fmqB6WL1eUK-I3tWvC97o1YfFvpRWnCERIrikN5lv0xxpqz/s1600/IMG_3397.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ywv39GrqbuZ1cSnKxIuIFN0t3K56VA08nnnzQJoUOjLPvGskfSzUlyXbpk6m9-TwHYjsuVQqTohr_wOZldco_EmU_3lp0fmqB6WL1eUK-I3tWvC97o1YfFvpRWnCERIrikN5lv0xxpqz/s400/IMG_3397.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510988930021002386" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8Ox9P_2QdB4sGUO88kAiJAw_J3cg0kzy5c30etRpMr-5TfAjHBhAtS0O0xwL8TPXrwD2Zl0ailNmc5Q3QxK7qk-JMKuaFkcCjAHHpx1uLASmqSkPUU1d_Q9vt-dVJn1rsFFhxXid-RJz/s1600/SD534659.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8Ox9P_2QdB4sGUO88kAiJAw_J3cg0kzy5c30etRpMr-5TfAjHBhAtS0O0xwL8TPXrwD2Zl0ailNmc5Q3QxK7qk-JMKuaFkcCjAHHpx1uLASmqSkPUU1d_Q9vt-dVJn1rsFFhxXid-RJz/s400/SD534659.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510989693696990482" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We spent close to 2 hours on the water and even rowed one kayak at a time into a cave. While we were out we got to see a lot of sea life. The coolest things were the 2 porpoises we watched for awhile, but we didn't get any pictures of them because as soon as they were coming out of the water, they were diving right back in. <br /><br />Here's Big I with a moon jellyfish.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yS5zMeP9kI9Mxw4qrLnN4feB7FPoNsfXkesPLdax2XDo8OOTYtX5WfUKV0wZ-WYHofkytnPoKUCscYZEYq9pGfkSqfIKyFFNLwMLeZdnacRRLLxBj8FRzC1QZg5rSjM3Xf-w8cRidNBO/s1600/SD534657.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yS5zMeP9kI9Mxw4qrLnN4feB7FPoNsfXkesPLdax2XDo8OOTYtX5WfUKV0wZ-WYHofkytnPoKUCscYZEYq9pGfkSqfIKyFFNLwMLeZdnacRRLLxBj8FRzC1QZg5rSjM3Xf-w8cRidNBO/s400/SD534657.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510991206799164850" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A giant purple starfish<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHgbWcNBNJI1uQkpkTb3vi_qOYMaa-OMfv07wOVLTxlK-8vFxHCd8Hgs62LvmVDtuVxZaLoVzhXZr3uX31xfl3ij5-U2L4N0CltLY05LTuzuZBme5obdyjWbqoCREhF2mVQ2ThPjPYalq/s1600/IMG_3396.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHgbWcNBNJI1uQkpkTb3vi_qOYMaa-OMfv07wOVLTxlK-8vFxHCd8Hgs62LvmVDtuVxZaLoVzhXZr3uX31xfl3ij5-U2L4N0CltLY05LTuzuZBme5obdyjWbqoCREhF2mVQ2ThPjPYalq/s400/IMG_3396.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510991388829075346" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A blue heron<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6oUjDhLfFQE802nRujQ0sjlJ8vUNt-9D8kQGb0WNFV2qsm-CvbpbR2hoydrtsYHa5YFEj1fNPAkKCrYTID_aWCf_2gzzJQzOdFIsaXJvgeCu6Gzey79ZuM7ub-jKMiaZNylIWG5LMMWU/s1600/SD534658.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6oUjDhLfFQE802nRujQ0sjlJ8vUNt-9D8kQGb0WNFV2qsm-CvbpbR2hoydrtsYHa5YFEj1fNPAkKCrYTID_aWCf_2gzzJQzOdFIsaXJvgeCu6Gzey79ZuM7ub-jKMiaZNylIWG5LMMWU/s400/SD534658.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510991822413435746" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />There is a TON of kelp in the Puget Sound waters. Our guide not only showed us that it is edible (and yes I did try a bite - why not? I wouldn't make a meal of it, but it wasn't that bad actually), she showed us how it can be made into a musical instrument. Here is Kevin giving the kelp horn a good blow. He looks like he came straight out of <span style="font-style:italic;">The Lord of the Rings</span> here!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBX-vpgpJT9g4KpzgA47-tgsZA96p_ltU0oBNUMylhkX6MYu9DaErYMLITKJlWSD10jO3VhdbARI3jcuriidPODwsbW6LEGAdCsVYwKJ1F9295mXWyk36_8WrYstl9X3e_Wh6tTsOOoWBx/s1600/SD534664.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBX-vpgpJT9g4KpzgA47-tgsZA96p_ltU0oBNUMylhkX6MYu9DaErYMLITKJlWSD10jO3VhdbARI3jcuriidPODwsbW6LEGAdCsVYwKJ1F9295mXWyk36_8WrYstl9X3e_Wh6tTsOOoWBx/s400/SD534664.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510993807888627602" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After our kayak adventure we stopped off at Deception Pass, one of our favorite spots, to see the beautiful scenery and climb on the rocks<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8_0NF8ZdAXqAbt5X6JQxfTALKsRN8u_g9F_MGOP8OBeT10MxNLBpOlVcnQEL45vMuI_p81-OBNU9A51Fz81BSIjzGmc7mZL2DYmkIeQoRci-wlFkgkF70lJ7_VmueJSmXygbgDjRYU0M/s1600/IMG_3416.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8_0NF8ZdAXqAbt5X6JQxfTALKsRN8u_g9F_MGOP8OBeT10MxNLBpOlVcnQEL45vMuI_p81-OBNU9A51Fz81BSIjzGmc7mZL2DYmkIeQoRci-wlFkgkF70lJ7_VmueJSmXygbgDjRYU0M/s400/IMG_3416.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510995138987609186" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOW9AYPcZ-GTHr2SrLvFrTKPhrgqhO7pBmdW_Fwn5x5lu6yFfoJY2l9RsLX2LcaFNdrvDQMg6djuOFb96JEmdRiqx_nUNfIQcBLa4Z8zaTf6l_nc0zR50PlUKlO71DI-peB2HPls1y1SYe/s1600/SD534666.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOW9AYPcZ-GTHr2SrLvFrTKPhrgqhO7pBmdW_Fwn5x5lu6yFfoJY2l9RsLX2LcaFNdrvDQMg6djuOFb96JEmdRiqx_nUNfIQcBLa4Z8zaTf6l_nc0zR50PlUKlO71DI-peB2HPls1y1SYe/s400/SD534666.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510995523529200722" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZALOSlyFFUIje_qmh_nqAjUQ5EXS_AHGdK68H5Yy_1CGxZor4Jyrv04c6mxNAyaKUssZxgqIf_9wAiDCwbslZblj6qYkKrt42R9EYSaKFX3BJpHvpqXR0KN7w0wQtXBS0Qm70ebmsGHt/s1600/IMG_3406.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZALOSlyFFUIje_qmh_nqAjUQ5EXS_AHGdK68H5Yy_1CGxZor4Jyrv04c6mxNAyaKUssZxgqIf_9wAiDCwbslZblj6qYkKrt42R9EYSaKFX3BJpHvpqXR0KN7w0wQtXBS0Qm70ebmsGHt/s400/IMG_3406.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510995662755332898" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Another exceptionally enjoyable day!Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-17673493309105801482010-08-25T22:26:00.015-07:002010-08-25T23:27:59.770-07:00Camping (Day 3): Pacific CoastWe stayed two nights at the rain forest and then packed up on the third day. We were only 40 miles from the Pacific Coast, so we had to pay it a visit on the way home. And, no we did not skip ahead to fall. This is Rialto Beach on a late July morning! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspl2lLchQjnb6vk4tD2_h-GIo4la6BuNj5XTP_Y4aEb24JrxXnrAyZdSPcvgWP-NIBz7CYAZa66uJzcJHP3lo_U2fuadxjdC-CYXIfTY_C3PNh7IYmbS_NhhxiQxmrwZ84XA6tHukdhDm/s1600/IMG_3383.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspl2lLchQjnb6vk4tD2_h-GIo4la6BuNj5XTP_Y4aEb24JrxXnrAyZdSPcvgWP-NIBz7CYAZa66uJzcJHP3lo_U2fuadxjdC-CYXIfTY_C3PNh7IYmbS_NhhxiQxmrwZ84XA6tHukdhDm/s400/IMG_3383.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509586387991132498" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5JVNqO8T2hm6ODJrXDMKj6XfqugRydOUcsCR_ElCdiRcSaoNa7krMJtX243vVN0Sksaxih4smh9MyPKOvV7Ig9RJcUVlVmbDxQ8Xxeeu3bW-nPC8ga3Q3O12aVcQB-3KWrpblpAz0UNx/s1600/IMG_3384.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5JVNqO8T2hm6ODJrXDMKj6XfqugRydOUcsCR_ElCdiRcSaoNa7krMJtX243vVN0Sksaxih4smh9MyPKOvV7Ig9RJcUVlVmbDxQ8Xxeeu3bW-nPC8ga3Q3O12aVcQB-3KWrpblpAz0UNx/s400/IMG_3384.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509587373395456338" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The temp was probably in the upper 50's/low 60's that morning and it's always windy on the coast. And the wind and the water is always cold, especially when there is no sun to take off the edge. <br /><br />I think these people, however, were a little confused. They had their swimsuits on and were diving & playing in the water as if they were in Destin, FL! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gloJkiRvhpNphkg9eX1iIEa0wIzoLVuucS3cu_wfwby2Ge5mnc-kp9uwvkCRCEvaBgECpU9Hoi3nOf-DMTSlHTeE5-9MNkt7J27sAaD3J27WnAj0S1GZGO5pB2LPVCCFZ1PeACW9ZX8L/s1600/SD534649.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gloJkiRvhpNphkg9eX1iIEa0wIzoLVuucS3cu_wfwby2Ge5mnc-kp9uwvkCRCEvaBgECpU9Hoi3nOf-DMTSlHTeE5-9MNkt7J27sAaD3J27WnAj0S1GZGO5pB2LPVCCFZ1PeACW9ZX8L/s400/SD534649.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509587665988167058" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We were quite comfortable in our multiple layers! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuBzbNOJ0ijLtSj_ZpxRr070mUBWsi9rRhNzhYmxO-OkO5-G3c1iqtxN4CfmO6-eApNUIEmmXy6CiyGnn0s9RFn2uupB82AqudV5WlK1kF8qtAHzhCra69Xzk2aPuJ0U490ABNslcw0hd/s1600/IMG_3370.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuBzbNOJ0ijLtSj_ZpxRr070mUBWsi9rRhNzhYmxO-OkO5-G3c1iqtxN4CfmO6-eApNUIEmmXy6CiyGnn0s9RFn2uupB82AqudV5WlK1kF8qtAHzhCra69Xzk2aPuJ0U490ABNslcw0hd/s400/IMG_3370.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509588748986737490" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The amazing amount of driftwood on the shore can easily provide hours of entertainment... Here's Hannah drumming.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3r4DTM3nh7vDWEx4kfa0RjASoDueX_ehcAZfCogzKY5-o7dHtGj4kHiBdUj-Z81G2plX7uhJkbiPerdMRLSUkzO8jUyWkJMr0puXQ8j2BZWvUK-jlqOcFOOgoS1jrlATRZ8lIDAuaD8iN/s1600/IMG_3364.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3r4DTM3nh7vDWEx4kfa0RjASoDueX_ehcAZfCogzKY5-o7dHtGj4kHiBdUj-Z81G2plX7uhJkbiPerdMRLSUkzO8jUyWkJMr0puXQ8j2BZWvUK-jlqOcFOOgoS1jrlATRZ8lIDAuaD8iN/s400/IMG_3364.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509590532142821938" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The guys batted a few rocks out into the waves.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxINU5gZ2IYl_aURNIiete5uzGO5TBdS5K5QtFlUaJh8rc4xxXA7kU2kBV6wIfAipizkXvr1JTjP3AMZdNzK7NIsc8-3HWmn05oG8rxPkXr-2uxjVC08PwjqY4sgZrLOT0uF1_02bkq94f/s1600/IMG_3369.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxINU5gZ2IYl_aURNIiete5uzGO5TBdS5K5QtFlUaJh8rc4xxXA7kU2kBV6wIfAipizkXvr1JTjP3AMZdNzK7NIsc8-3HWmn05oG8rxPkXr-2uxjVC08PwjqY4sgZrLOT0uF1_02bkq94f/s400/IMG_3369.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509589801417809490" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We found Fred Flinstone...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinu-IgQIGV0El_lsYUQLyq6yyKcb-JmCGqR1SvJNT6-bfh06Rk0hG927F9wllo8KAVS_8VyzfdFGqmb1mmNRt-0CcfY5P_w9WurT9pp4_GVxBN2eCUSjzcxGZQYDG0X8KIG6wo20hC13BV/s1600/IMG_3367.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinu-IgQIGV0El_lsYUQLyq6yyKcb-JmCGqR1SvJNT6-bfh06Rk0hG927F9wllo8KAVS_8VyzfdFGqmb1mmNRt-0CcfY5P_w9WurT9pp4_GVxBN2eCUSjzcxGZQYDG0X8KIG6wo20hC13BV/s400/IMG_3367.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509590720292155170" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />... a hair dryer...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpVbSZXDd8xrKkK3CL_buBzfVoPY2jlSXf1cdRYjlloPnV-i-FZlNtgCXz54uv-MILCHHNCDU-1MKWUySTdyFix90qsKYy3pJaHj_HRa04Gk4_115TrrLB8A83jSfbO5j0APLIfEa5bTo/s1600/IMG_3373.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpVbSZXDd8xrKkK3CL_buBzfVoPY2jlSXf1cdRYjlloPnV-i-FZlNtgCXz54uv-MILCHHNCDU-1MKWUySTdyFix90qsKYy3pJaHj_HRa04Gk4_115TrrLB8A83jSfbO5j0APLIfEa5bTo/s400/IMG_3373.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509591192098123714" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />... and a giant slingshot!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZkQnVOwxDyZPJGaGi2WkHOqC-VCyZ6huAiY4sHslEs0ZuzGjy9Bfm5SAFAUpD9y3h_mi4h0zjXwCQ5Hn3RMJb-wV-4k4oAUGaE753KyX1ma1rRjTsOcDEUghrhridma9rYYlmFvtGvb1/s1600/IMG_3372.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZkQnVOwxDyZPJGaGi2WkHOqC-VCyZ6huAiY4sHslEs0ZuzGjy9Bfm5SAFAUpD9y3h_mi4h0zjXwCQ5Hn3RMJb-wV-4k4oAUGaE753KyX1ma1rRjTsOcDEUghrhridma9rYYlmFvtGvb1/s400/IMG_3372.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509590993589302722" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And, as is the custom on beaches up here, Hannah found a fort to play in.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAg7TOQVmf4o1wdZZfciDsNEv2u3O0CzSHrAyWvq5XkxNRcDpQeNBPt6HstmwkaZWmWOdH2jfTCP5EFV11ZdQhWTCwj7cYr8SMdmMPHD1f39puo-oIywEDyhV-bsM83CC8Whg3w-zaDc69/s1600/IMG_3374.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAg7TOQVmf4o1wdZZfciDsNEv2u3O0CzSHrAyWvq5XkxNRcDpQeNBPt6HstmwkaZWmWOdH2jfTCP5EFV11ZdQhWTCwj7cYr8SMdmMPHD1f39puo-oIywEDyhV-bsM83CC8Whg3w-zaDc69/s400/IMG_3374.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509591726840410338" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In the distance is the town of LaPush, where we went to eat lunch, before making the nearly 4-hr drive home. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSi1ab4Yem-h8j08jWhkrPhauuDw4qXtEH4Qtbiin8b9_7C-v3Ieifk-WoGRyL2cbjvQhcZzcJLZ_nb5EMbNTiD1ACFxd7RFf-s6aN8Z4Z0E-oBYpBLxFEYskXE_Y-Z_RUroFamhm2bSWd/s1600/IMG_3359.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSi1ab4Yem-h8j08jWhkrPhauuDw4qXtEH4Qtbiin8b9_7C-v3Ieifk-WoGRyL2cbjvQhcZzcJLZ_nb5EMbNTiD1ACFxd7RFf-s6aN8Z4Z0E-oBYpBLxFEYskXE_Y-Z_RUroFamhm2bSWd/s400/IMG_3359.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509592340384912978" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Here's a sign you don't see in the south! Poor little tsunami guy. It just doesn't look like he's going to make it. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0FYGCaGyE3nNED6qy0uwl-ROsvUK5GsazawAlR_usdRn8-0KQndab48Dukv4higaicKMdxq83BEqowI2iUC025mZS6qDIkTAXVBY1V26IVkxduNHIvpMJXK1E-dQh_pUFyGZrRW2o8BR/s1600/SD534654.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0FYGCaGyE3nNED6qy0uwl-ROsvUK5GsazawAlR_usdRn8-0KQndab48Dukv4higaicKMdxq83BEqowI2iUC025mZS6qDIkTAXVBY1V26IVkxduNHIvpMJXK1E-dQh_pUFyGZrRW2o8BR/s400/SD534654.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509593092487750146" /></a>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-5817682051461774012010-08-24T22:24:00.019-07:002010-08-25T12:34:06.073-07:00Camping (Day 2): In the River & Through the Woods, Exploring We Must Go!Our camping trip was full of exploration. And, wow, did we have a lot of beautiful territory to do that in! We decided to walk a trail called the "Hall of Mosses". It should have only taken an hour, but with our 2 kids, I'm sure we at least doubled that. <br /><br />Here they are climbing in the background. Hannah, especially, wanted to scale every large climbable tree we happened upon, and in a rain forest, there are a lot of those! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXbE-Ld6maqvkE_7m3zvUvbjqO10NVrXRRtLmKjNaosW5Q-qwplVINRzYF_IQ3gyEvQA1HRcoqKtike6TaEAp7dkryvXP1Kz5qCs72mXcRlvQ81wteTAeQY7Y-1E6HCI5eP-Dqwoa9PKM/s1600/IMG_3298.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXbE-Ld6maqvkE_7m3zvUvbjqO10NVrXRRtLmKjNaosW5Q-qwplVINRzYF_IQ3gyEvQA1HRcoqKtike6TaEAp7dkryvXP1Kz5qCs72mXcRlvQ81wteTAeQY7Y-1E6HCI5eP-Dqwoa9PKM/s400/IMG_3298.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509221064068410178" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQO5ypYc50jQ8N_VyWUK5wud6Y_PGQtAtbHZV4WhXtYf7f5cjkkb1tCfu_E96WFHCKMrF7oAYc1D_d9JOK_GR0HMTPzIAzy6RjAO64Kt2-Q-sj0uouVAacUJEuqJxKprm74AA9E_iboHb/s1600/IMG_3291.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQO5ypYc50jQ8N_VyWUK5wud6Y_PGQtAtbHZV4WhXtYf7f5cjkkb1tCfu_E96WFHCKMrF7oAYc1D_d9JOK_GR0HMTPzIAzy6RjAO64Kt2-Q-sj0uouVAacUJEuqJxKprm74AA9E_iboHb/s400/IMG_3291.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509222581067650850" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWq0WfdPx0HkMgDlWJBDx2FcGXI40G9CAN9VkIjFb-p1D0zcixPAmywXvL7pSh9T0gkyuQEvYkSo5SEjnBWeERoYy6YK6zQT2_-10xJ-pkSlR8PUXFD32LqcMTEAHrSJ27y275QP1velLm/s1600/SD534640.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWq0WfdPx0HkMgDlWJBDx2FcGXI40G9CAN9VkIjFb-p1D0zcixPAmywXvL7pSh9T0gkyuQEvYkSo5SEjnBWeERoYy6YK6zQT2_-10xJ-pkSlR8PUXFD32LqcMTEAHrSJ27y275QP1velLm/s400/SD534640.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509420588173009826" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />When we saw this tree Hannah exclaimed that it looked like a dinosaur - a pteranodon to be exact - and we all agreed.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlhPtLQAiyHGWxdpjdlhXQtpt4ZqaMZoLzfM7r9cPmL-hVe9YVV9PYhYLgIGIjEefVbG70ZVa5PhylQbPFv-o0jI7ZOjSWeVdUat2OxsOToQ8N9hyX45Y4Wz49dgUeWdxK1mC9gb8NfB2/s1600/IMG_3281.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlhPtLQAiyHGWxdpjdlhXQtpt4ZqaMZoLzfM7r9cPmL-hVe9YVV9PYhYLgIGIjEefVbG70ZVa5PhylQbPFv-o0jI7ZOjSWeVdUat2OxsOToQ8N9hyX45Y4Wz49dgUeWdxK1mC9gb8NfB2/s400/IMG_3281.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509420958024162258" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Isaac amusing us with his moss beard.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRl8Z7519nRKeBQ6W2I2x1vQYjc4wSjta6hkxMewOX4BjkFauCrdBl95XQT1m-UNjwHavvH04r6YJz35szsxoMO-x76KwD7iZAh7dFaSppfqXrjG8aPEAeWaizEtFeVEFEaxQLy8hdfe3t/s1600/SD534646.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRl8Z7519nRKeBQ6W2I2x1vQYjc4wSjta6hkxMewOX4BjkFauCrdBl95XQT1m-UNjwHavvH04r6YJz35szsxoMO-x76KwD7iZAh7dFaSppfqXrjG8aPEAeWaizEtFeVEFEaxQLy8hdfe3t/s400/SD534646.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509422754771823042" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The rain forest offered us amazingly old & huge trees of all shapes that we climbed on, over & through as well as ferns the size of people. We walked on logs over a clear pond where Hannah tried earnestly to catch a tadpole. After all that adventure we needed a break, so Kaitlyn napped and we refueled on campfire-roasted hot dogs for lunch. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLvNcimJ170vEgujOJxeRoQ9BIguG0RjxP0kTx2k3mJgnRL_uS4xAbHDQMaAWS5sLP_t_LT5uubImNACeFs9qCd9AhcijHzXPEG2hSkMa49DGQix9vtqHtPKeGfe4Z17n11cCAUuoUTT1/s1600/IMG_3307.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLvNcimJ170vEgujOJxeRoQ9BIguG0RjxP0kTx2k3mJgnRL_uS4xAbHDQMaAWS5sLP_t_LT5uubImNACeFs9qCd9AhcijHzXPEG2hSkMa49DGQix9vtqHtPKeGfe4Z17n11cCAUuoUTT1/s400/IMG_3307.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509423274724489186" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After lunch we decided to explore the Hoh River, which was a short walk from our campsite. The girls had a blast playing in the icy water...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Eptd9w42wNSPwMFYLI8OFcTOvCiBk-1TTH-oo73tfB_1SSXozAmTLuFo4StQwlzvwH2r_iYzv04z7fizSzRXgwUTG29IDXNuTh3OFGgo8Hzlntk8EwdBmutP9ieUunUHKRs_SbnE0hvz/s1600/IMG_3312.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Eptd9w42wNSPwMFYLI8OFcTOvCiBk-1TTH-oo73tfB_1SSXozAmTLuFo4StQwlzvwH2r_iYzv04z7fizSzRXgwUTG29IDXNuTh3OFGgo8Hzlntk8EwdBmutP9ieUunUHKRs_SbnE0hvz/s400/IMG_3312.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509424822957482066" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6-esKOZds6WIzyVWimZg6bzcZ_8OYT868Wj4qSqZWJO24Xt0fHN5NVBBSQjnTrnKYN9I6WlyxxGd8x-kOn7CjvKBKPiwTYeBJMjSuz88I_DS_eYoniHJCoveFIqNt4xla26ppnnBuEZP/s1600/IMG_3318.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6-esKOZds6WIzyVWimZg6bzcZ_8OYT868Wj4qSqZWJO24Xt0fHN5NVBBSQjnTrnKYN9I6WlyxxGd8x-kOn7CjvKBKPiwTYeBJMjSuz88I_DS_eYoniHJCoveFIqNt4xla26ppnnBuEZP/s400/IMG_3318.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509425259337699378" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />... and so did the adults. Janet & I didn't let the guys have all the fun, I just wasn't about to post pictures of us dunking our heads in! But, it was extremely refreshing!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmIs-udy_YaLCs1z3z7nj7lLLxeVO8VXu-zsUlj546izHMgebq4lzWRDsO9pxI36GHfh3qiw0I3DJ5C3-TZQ22zXZ_9ADwdKjvbqCS-XM1wZH-IUo9kXjSAuuQkvAnmai3ask6fZKFlZx/s1600/IMG_3321.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmIs-udy_YaLCs1z3z7nj7lLLxeVO8VXu-zsUlj546izHMgebq4lzWRDsO9pxI36GHfh3qiw0I3DJ5C3-TZQ22zXZ_9ADwdKjvbqCS-XM1wZH-IUo9kXjSAuuQkvAnmai3ask6fZKFlZx/s400/IMG_3321.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509425659676616274" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />One thing about camping - you can't be afraid to get dirty, and thankfully our girls have no problem with that! There was so much mud on Kaitlyn's pants they just came right off of her!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXvZMuVRn76VEefopTCbEhqcCQtQSvc-ZZ0Kqu0Izf3oVjwb-99mOtWQvkgiPi5WaWpuhKB3h4ny51g_dE5ZwDcWY_2qM3dlNC_IT4YEdIram9cR52fzcnMRfHMMBw2nWcfysJElO51V_/s1600/IMG_3335.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXvZMuVRn76VEefopTCbEhqcCQtQSvc-ZZ0Kqu0Izf3oVjwb-99mOtWQvkgiPi5WaWpuhKB3h4ny51g_dE5ZwDcWY_2qM3dlNC_IT4YEdIram9cR52fzcnMRfHMMBw2nWcfysJElO51V_/s400/IMG_3335.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509430818569749682" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_oez-0iE5nkPr_Z3nuGkCfLWxw9V8X2jz9HjQgj6OgzyrtdwvS8cyYBszSu_Dkd70RnPFA-541ExZQGWTutPNehNidADoQ5KGREfj-6jdm2cbC1CWiEfn-bOzCHuyIApP0swccMQ-ml3/s1600/IMG_3339.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_oez-0iE5nkPr_Z3nuGkCfLWxw9V8X2jz9HjQgj6OgzyrtdwvS8cyYBszSu_Dkd70RnPFA-541ExZQGWTutPNehNidADoQ5KGREfj-6jdm2cbC1CWiEfn-bOzCHuyIApP0swccMQ-ml3/s400/IMG_3339.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509431290846473474" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBI8i8BILilTp0bvtjLZMgyfRGF1RkD90yiTpwyVflUeH_HJxlWvOnb-eOvCuSFf7NwQYv7j7oPmHgU_jUKJlaNatwmjZKHySyoLmiTgciPped6EfOYNyndDiGKgpijAwLML3m4_6pDKzs/s1600/IMG_3340.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBI8i8BILilTp0bvtjLZMgyfRGF1RkD90yiTpwyVflUeH_HJxlWvOnb-eOvCuSFf7NwQYv7j7oPmHgU_jUKJlaNatwmjZKHySyoLmiTgciPped6EfOYNyndDiGKgpijAwLML3m4_6pDKzs/s400/IMG_3340.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509431434577007666" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />One great thing about our afternoon at the river was the herd of elk that was sunbathing down the bank aways. We all kept our eye on each other while we were out there! You might have to click on the picture to get a better view of them. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue4ayXKS6685siw7DCgpyykN1G2csoY4qs46VdOd0vm6VNcjFkmamvQpjQU2qIJmpxxC8TXDdRVwUdlGYEr-x2Tjhxf_UjcY5O31eucKVoSw-ltmFK1AgpKn0uR15-WKu-PwPUOdyyZj_/s1600/IMG_3313.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue4ayXKS6685siw7DCgpyykN1G2csoY4qs46VdOd0vm6VNcjFkmamvQpjQU2qIJmpxxC8TXDdRVwUdlGYEr-x2Tjhxf_UjcY5O31eucKVoSw-ltmFK1AgpKn0uR15-WKu-PwPUOdyyZj_/s400/IMG_3313.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509431916060417890" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbo3tGPk0URQgMfqXQ9c0XnrOinjT9kUlqGTiWeT-PDbHVXBrB6u5GHGF0dsMPrgiB1MUp_cEAPDbWiAQy04BLqR55NaVOkoKuC7KUWqIj9j3gWTYiIQDmc98GC4cQY681MSNJ-SHgOS-1/s1600/IMG_3337.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbo3tGPk0URQgMfqXQ9c0XnrOinjT9kUlqGTiWeT-PDbHVXBrB6u5GHGF0dsMPrgiB1MUp_cEAPDbWiAQy04BLqR55NaVOkoKuC7KUWqIj9j3gWTYiIQDmc98GC4cQY681MSNJ-SHgOS-1/s400/IMG_3337.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509432455034969378" /></a>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-53434899210189215492010-08-20T21:15:00.013-07:002010-08-20T23:27:32.916-07:00Camping (Day 1): Crabs, Elk & Deer Oh My!We really enjoy camping, so we were excited to share some camping adventures with the Shrums while they were here. We took a ferry over to the Olympic Peninsula and camped in the Olympic National Forest. Half the fun was the journey there though! We passed through the lovely town of Sequim (pronounced Squim), where there are fields and fields of lavender. You could smell their wonderful fragrance just by rolling down the windows. I wouldn't mind living here...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRWQwi05w0Pou-oJh0MgqWBXc5rLyI4rFDWVIL-xnhgumHog68ezVF6jyA_fNXjzDgaOo8YY28S-shoW0lXiIyt9qg0WxI5T6p7QWmG5VMiWLtdusZyi2P-biJ5QEV58jOTmLm2Qg7ymE/s1600/IMG_3257.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRWQwi05w0Pou-oJh0MgqWBXc5rLyI4rFDWVIL-xnhgumHog68ezVF6jyA_fNXjzDgaOo8YY28S-shoW0lXiIyt9qg0WxI5T6p7QWmG5VMiWLtdusZyi2P-biJ5QEV58jOTmLm2Qg7ymE/s400/IMG_3257.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507724001872453746" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The drive was beautiful with the Olympic Mountains to our left and a body of water known as the Strait of Juan de Fuca to our right. It connects the Pacific Ocean with the Puget Sound and on the other side of it is Canada, which we could see in the distance. We found an out-of-the-way lunch spot right on the water overlooking Canada called 3 Crabs. The food was great, but it made us kind of crabby... I blame my dad for my corny sense of humor! Oh well, it's all I got! Had to get a picture of this sign:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RV3QQEN8mLJHY8sZlGTKXRyS-l6uFdUpC4jnyFvuDlRLtucWj1Z3GoKceX1M1IQZlydILZIP2zfKpU0OI-ms_DGuILnTzpXYc-90hjDavDwCqDzHYnMOzL6ZWP8CrM4RQXmw8COLV2oa/s1600/SD534609.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RV3QQEN8mLJHY8sZlGTKXRyS-l6uFdUpC4jnyFvuDlRLtucWj1Z3GoKceX1M1IQZlydILZIP2zfKpU0OI-ms_DGuILnTzpXYc-90hjDavDwCqDzHYnMOzL6ZWP8CrM4RQXmw8COLV2oa/s400/SD534609.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507725518324989266" /></a> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Funny: "Sorry, if you're not a crab, or crabby maybe :), you can't park here." Irony: ONLY for "3 Crabs" - as if there were a lot of other reasons to go down a long dirt road in the middle of nowhere, the only destination being this restaurant. "Sorry, if you meant to go to McDonald's 50 miles in the opposite direction, you can't park here." Thanks, sign, for giving us some good laughs! <br /><br />Part of our journey led us along Lake Crescent, the most sparkling crystal-blue lake I think I've ever seen. The picture doesn't do it justice. It was stunning. <br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9LCgss1O-MH6NUCMcFXXhnYOw2RH9HPxaBcd8rv3wFyQaH9xYvE31R03b0WTZZkt11WXAVwNywQg2k8u02UY7gl2YrWsnja-YWQn4r0RQ9rkfOxlYmWUfVaRbq13tplyjCdU7vilv4gl/s1600/SD534619.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9LCgss1O-MH6NUCMcFXXhnYOw2RH9HPxaBcd8rv3wFyQaH9xYvE31R03b0WTZZkt11WXAVwNywQg2k8u02UY7gl2YrWsnja-YWQn4r0RQ9rkfOxlYmWUfVaRbq13tplyjCdU7vilv4gl/s400/SD534619.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507728165062177970" /></a> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I'll include this for any Twilight fans... or non-fans. Forks was the last town we went through before our turn-off to the campground. Yes, we were in "vampire" country. And, oh my, has Forks gotten in on all the hype! On one of the guys' trips out for ice they spoke to a store employee that said there are people from other countries traveling to Forks just to take their Twilight Tours. Aside from some pretty scenery, there is absolutely nothing out here! And it's not even like they're traveling to some historical setting. It's not real. Hard to believe what some people will do. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-rj3vULuts3Ve7oxZPgfOguHaq9YfwhhlABZRwptjxGv1p9iwXsEfBKmg0WYtWg6lIKmbPm-hqc-zz8TNo22RpMg2tUZ9vCh3JoTzh2sQ50nSUZpeHTAWN173H0CKm1EfkUCtUyOfGAr/s1600/IMG_3261.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-rj3vULuts3Ve7oxZPgfOguHaq9YfwhhlABZRwptjxGv1p9iwXsEfBKmg0WYtWg6lIKmbPm-hqc-zz8TNo22RpMg2tUZ9vCh3JoTzh2sQ50nSUZpeHTAWN173H0CKm1EfkUCtUyOfGAr/s400/IMG_3261.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507729004041123570" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Several hours after departing from home, we finally arrived at the Hoh Rain Forest campground. It had been a fun day, but the girls especially were ready to be at our final destination! At our brief stop at the ranger station to pay our park fee we read about the danger in getting too close to the elk, which apparently were there in abundance. A distance of less than 100 feet could cause them to charge. With that in mind, before we could even begin unloading our vehicle at our campsite, Mr. Elk came sauntering up. Most of us cautiously got back in the car, while Kevin captured some great pictures, as he passed slowly through our site. It was exciting to see one this close. The girls still haven't stopped talking about the elk they got to see! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mVdp4sqznyrwrQxDQPPtF2gH5hNY0haIDNCLPngRz3VfczT4Z4k8z65egh08l_An0l9ap5iFrvn_4i5gdXBc-74rUUeF6b0Uyr8yG0LtzWnF1Q1GfSpnvkM_3D54qB5Df8N8_FOrgH0p/s1600/SD534625.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mVdp4sqznyrwrQxDQPPtF2gH5hNY0haIDNCLPngRz3VfczT4Z4k8z65egh08l_An0l9ap5iFrvn_4i5gdXBc-74rUUeF6b0Uyr8yG0LtzWnF1Q1GfSpnvkM_3D54qB5Df8N8_FOrgH0p/s400/SD534625.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507740362950595394" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />As we put up the tents and prepared for dinner, this deer joined us. Our trip had only just begun and we were excited to have already had these visitors! (I was fine as long as I didn't think about the possibility of something bigger and not-so-cuddly coming around at night!)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7wV4pMbleCg4_EDX8i-YWCahd_1ge27KG_KYt4FN1c-FaxyOQ-ZkAzeYZbRmAGFI7Liuz5kbhDs3fc4j8Y_sGTRXiKgk7478LKzoU74WHuOctoJBcWAinaEXmkv_ksLHqHC05nr9j8kR/s1600/SD534630.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7wV4pMbleCg4_EDX8i-YWCahd_1ge27KG_KYt4FN1c-FaxyOQ-ZkAzeYZbRmAGFI7Liuz5kbhDs3fc4j8Y_sGTRXiKgk7478LKzoU74WHuOctoJBcWAinaEXmkv_ksLHqHC05nr9j8kR/s400/SD534630.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507741893341421794" /></a><br /><<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />There's just something about food cooked over a campfire that tastes so good! (Especially when it involves marshmallows, chocolate & graham crackers - got to be my favorite part of camping!)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1RfuksHXJo1sFe89mIj5PeFMgASH3Gs14Aun4TPNk-7u5sy9-3Ipu7m61MNAh5MTGJ6sXKtvzqjSBsxZvHuJLJM2_GEH3Mw7dy8j2Vm8HJJ6uE6ZHn0-TGU3qSfP1zWshAI6ariWwajb/s1600/IMG_3264.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1RfuksHXJo1sFe89mIj5PeFMgASH3Gs14Aun4TPNk-7u5sy9-3Ipu7m61MNAh5MTGJ6sXKtvzqjSBsxZvHuJLJM2_GEH3Mw7dy8j2Vm8HJJ6uE6ZHn0-TGU3qSfP1zWshAI6ariWwajb/s400/IMG_3264.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507742279656122706" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVUQSBs-9ia3OiPAnFDT08rtqbx554bcRgVzGa6aZYbWViZjX7gxTPdjh-m4Xs8F88_tSQeq6ln52c3hRHB3mE2zo_IiaEp6c8x53mKERxS_vWFUakCKQFccRmonOYz7BHO7iQuiMYHnd/s1600/SD534628.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVUQSBs-9ia3OiPAnFDT08rtqbx554bcRgVzGa6aZYbWViZjX7gxTPdjh-m4Xs8F88_tSQeq6ln52c3hRHB3mE2zo_IiaEp6c8x53mKERxS_vWFUakCKQFccRmonOYz7BHO7iQuiMYHnd/s400/SD534628.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507742583722786242" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And the girls haven't been quite this excited to go to "bed" in a long time! It was sweet listening in from outside the tent as they talked & giggled before falling asleep, which they did do - eventually. Good memories I hope they'll keep with them!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjms1oYYZ9gew3s568nyEK6lIAbRSOPtH1xvDmm_1fLb-P-9sv1rdpfV-45F5KwffeBPV5xCwiaw-Yit_GDlyaKKMKIPJ2NWIK5ulSqeYuLCQ7lqEu1DithXBBGm__ZtBQB_e8PwGmoGCuL/s1600/IMG_3347.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjms1oYYZ9gew3s568nyEK6lIAbRSOPtH1xvDmm_1fLb-P-9sv1rdpfV-45F5KwffeBPV5xCwiaw-Yit_GDlyaKKMKIPJ2NWIK5ulSqeYuLCQ7lqEu1DithXBBGm__ZtBQB_e8PwGmoGCuL/s400/IMG_3347.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507742935511006034" /></a>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-17411375542113745612010-08-14T14:35:00.000-07:002010-08-14T16:35:31.203-07:00The MountainSeattle is surrounded by mountains - the Olympic Mountain Range to the west and the Cascades to the east. But everyone in Seattle knows which mountain is "the" mountain and that's Mt. Rainier. Standing at 14,410 feet, Mt. Rainier is the largest active volcano in the continental U.S. It's peak is covered by more glaciers than any other mountain in the U.S. as well. So, we had to take the Shrums to see it! <br /><br />Check out this picnic spot!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbPlQbCQbfDqvWca1A_spsWnMMhyphenhyphenHZxOuEvefr6Jw6qN_daBXu3f7uEbjYuwGpB_ltnzshfOetREEi5MypYFXHJvH0b03qwQbc3s9HTIm-Fymng9VUmH7gSY4xTE5ymIGMZfkmhvVBcC-/s1600/IMG_3147.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbPlQbCQbfDqvWca1A_spsWnMMhyphenhyphenHZxOuEvefr6Jw6qN_daBXu3f7uEbjYuwGpB_ltnzshfOetREEi5MypYFXHJvH0b03qwQbc3s9HTIm-Fymng9VUmH7gSY4xTE5ymIGMZfkmhvVBcC-/s400/IMG_3147.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505407137225003346" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Hannah & Kaitlyn took a quick break from our group snow-ball fight. Hannah sure was vicious with the snow! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUw11tA03iWAdIQPaZEiMmSc1-4wRnKFEPo464hFDtuzgK6EXleGgFF22wFU-Mh195a6PYryBkbNPst-XBhB9UwXjwkCDn3A3OIagAIKOnhrbm7KnpOBi_B_9Jxy5HTFxeLpbBGSQzmnUp/s1600/IMG_3148.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUw11tA03iWAdIQPaZEiMmSc1-4wRnKFEPo464hFDtuzgK6EXleGgFF22wFU-Mh195a6PYryBkbNPst-XBhB9UwXjwkCDn3A3OIagAIKOnhrbm7KnpOBi_B_9Jxy5HTFxeLpbBGSQzmnUp/s400/IMG_3148.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505407334273806690" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We found access to this stream on one of the trails we hiked. It was so refreshing to stick our feet in the ice-cold water!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ppvoKJj9vLvtS_7F5CWEf4fjxNFO2OIevqWsvXKOjQpRe5obTh4xZAZaV1NRrOmHG_L8eW-_Z3kI1c7NmnXxcmTVvD8wwDkFx9QgwK33kueO_D3pBq0hs9W-TBUah4Cdxr78YmkdYMZX/s1600/IMG_3162.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ppvoKJj9vLvtS_7F5CWEf4fjxNFO2OIevqWsvXKOjQpRe5obTh4xZAZaV1NRrOmHG_L8eW-_Z3kI1c7NmnXxcmTVvD8wwDkFx9QgwK33kueO_D3pBq0hs9W-TBUah4Cdxr78YmkdYMZX/s400/IMG_3162.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505407655295183474" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Hannah got a bit carried away - oh, but what fun she had!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDRmTvblghgBy73ET1ksp9Bwg2ByA__yBuOh2ctJ-63Wsuf4JrETxrKedVmGx7SXIVgsvyxWQ-IiuT1s_SLQv14vHHbSxWieHlqLthyESScMjEoefdmJO1eoP5T48dWT_bv-SHMMdCyds/s1600/IMG_3167.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDRmTvblghgBy73ET1ksp9Bwg2ByA__yBuOh2ctJ-63Wsuf4JrETxrKedVmGx7SXIVgsvyxWQ-IiuT1s_SLQv14vHHbSxWieHlqLthyESScMjEoefdmJO1eoP5T48dWT_bv-SHMMdCyds/s400/IMG_3167.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505408247451370530" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Here we all are at Paradise Point.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMT0WGafZ_X5Xww5JCbhRzUKPNbuuph2Tc6wKo4hpuCytJrcCz-sAEL3bBSMW2J146fX_tKyVc6poz9IalpwzQZNLL8xa-LqesTaKLwCEXVaaeo1KY36DXw3atcRhjuD-ISWvxxkjqyPcK/s1600/SD534565.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMT0WGafZ_X5Xww5JCbhRzUKPNbuuph2Tc6wKo4hpuCytJrcCz-sAEL3bBSMW2J146fX_tKyVc6poz9IalpwzQZNLL8xa-LqesTaKLwCEXVaaeo1KY36DXw3atcRhjuD-ISWvxxkjqyPcK/s400/SD534565.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505408846884872386" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9bB1CPgE_5uvZWbFzNkImoDp_3ipV1jdhyXCQHJZQoDnigP-J-zFw9W16pwKyeGc1YyhFamvDCjIB0ZJu3sGYpKk-_jfv_bkLrjSHPKOWT00d51WaWUDfedjjCC2DMHE9z10aC2q1Hl8/s1600/IMG_3212.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9bB1CPgE_5uvZWbFzNkImoDp_3ipV1jdhyXCQHJZQoDnigP-J-zFw9W16pwKyeGc1YyhFamvDCjIB0ZJu3sGYpKk-_jfv_bkLrjSHPKOWT00d51WaWUDfedjjCC2DMHE9z10aC2q1Hl8/s400/IMG_3212.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505409336120306018" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Little Hop-Along with her Daddy crossing over the waterfall seen in the previous picture.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EeXV2tk_tpsR_9RQdII9fWfefL5Gi3GORtaFPyI6Fq2tAqEKYDiOg7RtXciX7lSE5lRX8DjYxWekruPyFD27mFnzdtAdqPdGKATR8q_kIMEhZmngOQDlnxehdAvvodvg8BzL209Qsmby/s1600/IMG_3220.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EeXV2tk_tpsR_9RQdII9fWfefL5Gi3GORtaFPyI6Fq2tAqEKYDiOg7RtXciX7lSE5lRX8DjYxWekruPyFD27mFnzdtAdqPdGKATR8q_kIMEhZmngOQDlnxehdAvvodvg8BzL209Qsmby/s400/IMG_3220.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505409658013159858" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6yHaOOQqt5tuV1cO53HX7BrR9BAw5cHIDrN6dwLxD0qrxoTn7v862mCIKoJowQx52whFHCqfGfKtnxwvs6VL_Om5DplAvAQgImbFFJdFVzD9xnBGj1MlD1Ucr5ew3IKKynOuQuiSi9w7/s1600/SD534578.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6yHaOOQqt5tuV1cO53HX7BrR9BAw5cHIDrN6dwLxD0qrxoTn7v862mCIKoJowQx52whFHCqfGfKtnxwvs6VL_Om5DplAvAQgImbFFJdFVzD9xnBGj1MlD1Ucr5ew3IKKynOuQuiSi9w7/s400/SD534578.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505410669210937922" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsR7Jx6QgH0iR9p6yproArGlrkpBDNy7tuOZv9TlKqV4AMp4QhL9X6kzqFS9XwZ5TTMa-w7TK8Mdq_VJ7tn7uRZyCuStxb49QNJ9dJ9HFz6-M8Zrb5koAT9vnzK8xOX1RyepWZLAsqG-V/s1600/SD534560.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsR7Jx6QgH0iR9p6yproArGlrkpBDNy7tuOZv9TlKqV4AMp4QhL9X6kzqFS9XwZ5TTMa-w7TK8Mdq_VJ7tn7uRZyCuStxb49QNJ9dJ9HFz6-M8Zrb5koAT9vnzK8xOX1RyepWZLAsqG-V/s400/SD534560.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505411192576871554" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A deer almost joined us on our second picnic of the day...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6AaZU5A3vuq1W1zCoS7E7277sDn3u5iZ9P0K7uA8kZUA6K23MCkQ87sh0StFpyH0jP7fuRJd8R5V_WdO69HX5Ls9xhSOnl6iz0NEDm92oZj5dzJUhR1KuNQQoW7eeAM1N-5s8zzHAnbz/s1600/SD534591.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6AaZU5A3vuq1W1zCoS7E7277sDn3u5iZ9P0K7uA8kZUA6K23MCkQ87sh0StFpyH0jP7fuRJd8R5V_WdO69HX5Ls9xhSOnl6iz0NEDm92oZj5dzJUhR1KuNQQoW7eeAM1N-5s8zzHAnbz/s400/SD534591.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505411711104260882" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />... along with a silver fox!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5KNOTsk-cGqX7xIkb2P-UtwTFiUmnXI1CASB7as4SYgUXiQbU88jxAgNDhTdFPg65PL3PszO8CZhK3eDeHYU3nAaE99u1JNxNc1FKwqKtqxBWbD7ylHFAYpGmLe9MkEDRLGQEL2z3FYt/s1600/SD534594.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5KNOTsk-cGqX7xIkb2P-UtwTFiUmnXI1CASB7as4SYgUXiQbU88jxAgNDhTdFPg65PL3PszO8CZhK3eDeHYU3nAaE99u1JNxNc1FKwqKtqxBWbD7ylHFAYpGmLe9MkEDRLGQEL2z3FYt/s400/SD534594.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505411985421764530" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />What a fun day we had playing on the mountain!Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-8632654757076291632010-08-13T19:29:00.002-07:002010-08-13T21:31:03.740-07:00Seattle By Air!When the Shrums were in town we had the opportunity to give them an amazing surprise - a 40-minute flight over the Seattle area in 4-seater planes. (I'm not too good with technical names!) We knew we wanted to do something special for them and had a connection with one of the pilots who is known for his generosity in taking people up. We had recently been blessed unexpectedly and we wanted to pass it on! So, up we went!<br /><br />The really fun part was that they had no idea what we were doing until we arrived at the airfield. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQw7qD6OPlawTCxRXNNcHFf93kp1imUsNjeeyxiQcz_B19LWJPz3wRfDJ_gtpUktcDb58IBbfbW7cDaleFDsbAO51Kdyc89n4ZGhFbR6hoKzPENyb-8irnxD4c7b22mxdvXlt16gRSca-/s1600/IMG_3081.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQw7qD6OPlawTCxRXNNcHFf93kp1imUsNjeeyxiQcz_B19LWJPz3wRfDJ_gtpUktcDb58IBbfbW7cDaleFDsbAO51Kdyc89n4ZGhFbR6hoKzPENyb-8irnxD4c7b22mxdvXlt16gRSca-/s400/IMG_3081.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504007319847151938" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The ladies rode in one...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT94bbVFRvjVWOPQpBAP2YxGYFPxASlMx24S8VEZQuIpFAqD1HF_NXxRq93Mfo_eSutY0a0IkKWLDSPeHn7WH7a2TLIJyVTp3AXK4ZHpPNwKgYVPzbuZGzjHqNnTlW0-bqoU55QIoB-typ/s1600/IMG_3082.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT94bbVFRvjVWOPQpBAP2YxGYFPxASlMx24S8VEZQuIpFAqD1HF_NXxRq93Mfo_eSutY0a0IkKWLDSPeHn7WH7a2TLIJyVTp3AXK4ZHpPNwKgYVPzbuZGzjHqNnTlW0-bqoU55QIoB-typ/s400/IMG_3082.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504007504319340162" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82u0BPjqCgc_HfwVNRaZn3cRn-K19W7NODheoJfH5OXGYJj80whll2RbSmeu-WLDwbVZwElC-K5JODAyktY3RHeOZfUtHACkyy3EMz6WDlKmNkitDtJPtsbDSX54u4GlxhfEVaJqwUBVa/s1600/IMG_3083.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82u0BPjqCgc_HfwVNRaZn3cRn-K19W7NODheoJfH5OXGYJj80whll2RbSmeu-WLDwbVZwElC-K5JODAyktY3RHeOZfUtHACkyy3EMz6WDlKmNkitDtJPtsbDSX54u4GlxhfEVaJqwUBVa/s400/IMG_3083.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504007630439368146" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />... and the guys rode in the other. Except Kevin actually flew the plane! Their pilot is an instructor, so he let Kevin take it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSRB3EZpK9kqleHe8oHbh-41y48v056a6vEMXnS7cte5s5BZMcJfQHPNTF4yLI2RXs0ZUX_8UTSe7xqXkGGe2psPyZ2az_naYeIiJbhrZQO0glETntFE3iqPESWuWqo1dlHTkNzaboJkD/s1600/SD534459.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSRB3EZpK9kqleHe8oHbh-41y48v056a6vEMXnS7cte5s5BZMcJfQHPNTF4yLI2RXs0ZUX_8UTSe7xqXkGGe2psPyZ2az_naYeIiJbhrZQO0glETntFE3iqPESWuWqo1dlHTkNzaboJkD/s400/SD534459.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504008235180553346" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Maybe these 2 aren't too sure about that... Actually, he apparently did a great job and even landed the plane!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFpREDiffkagTUUruT6HxF0-AslbysyivKykpzRIcep0ddzeUjuhFvAtRo0edYs5NvG3lS3qIkoYwtNK-DSbrfu4rxIdRlhutqWOPXKb9LcKalHM-sODn0FvuQF8sYXyDzivDLhnUzwLP/s1600/SD534475.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFpREDiffkagTUUruT6HxF0-AslbysyivKykpzRIcep0ddzeUjuhFvAtRo0edYs5NvG3lS3qIkoYwtNK-DSbrfu4rxIdRlhutqWOPXKb9LcKalHM-sODn0FvuQF8sYXyDzivDLhnUzwLP/s400/SD534475.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504008477177856514" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It was my first time in a plane this small, so I was a little nervous. But I loved every second of it. The views were amazing! And another really fun thing was Tara & Alanna were at a Mariners' game that night and we flew right over the stadium. They even saw one of our planes! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHH5ZH2HH8FTC3qINYBWaE7En_tOw0oSkbkVZbhxYnPw8teiIZB0O1Nzzcp3bdpBXf_EZue_jWZZr_w7jOaYziMos0oICtl3mLbumo8i1iXCNMDt-_SYy_weTKESljN5W7kM_GNLibCo6/s1600/IMG_3093.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHH5ZH2HH8FTC3qINYBWaE7En_tOw0oSkbkVZbhxYnPw8teiIZB0O1Nzzcp3bdpBXf_EZue_jWZZr_w7jOaYziMos0oICtl3mLbumo8i1iXCNMDt-_SYy_weTKESljN5W7kM_GNLibCo6/s400/IMG_3093.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504009782762069682" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26a8Q7m3_G48c-_-1hMAILPQebPX339bIZDo2hsuIk5pOPYzy385xI3FJrwMxn9T8IaXAI81O-n2kCQcX9rr0u5gQRiW_GZ8e8PVXtQvyQnDh6OAC4Lssek4TRwmF9qR0C3QkYjBoC49J/s1600/IMG_3096.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26a8Q7m3_G48c-_-1hMAILPQebPX339bIZDo2hsuIk5pOPYzy385xI3FJrwMxn9T8IaXAI81O-n2kCQcX9rr0u5gQRiW_GZ8e8PVXtQvyQnDh6OAC4Lssek4TRwmF9qR0C3QkYjBoC49J/s400/IMG_3096.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504010502721584738" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8n1vFjwMTy_FfJlGJEm8-XoTWE4Vc7I8u_bSvQ6-f23yfy4QFM_8ZZALIWc79_Ev7O9_aR4TBfPlvYiUSJzYDyM4aWhHh9wtEisk6f71tahj7RnBeAcNNvxegBtKThNkdDXQbW6H9lU36/s1600/IMG_3103.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8n1vFjwMTy_FfJlGJEm8-XoTWE4Vc7I8u_bSvQ6-f23yfy4QFM_8ZZALIWc79_Ev7O9_aR4TBfPlvYiUSJzYDyM4aWhHh9wtEisk6f71tahj7RnBeAcNNvxegBtKThNkdDXQbW6H9lU36/s400/IMG_3103.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504010669282648354" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyoQGn_XS1Xz7dmIm7fosuKBuciI_uf0TM68fp8_bPB077WekAi81bHxeS7zT_lUqlqYgSlz0wNDR1p-CDxYyhm-qJ5BS8gzcXzfy-E0KcpzYbzqQDsiYJFLsuqbk90snjTTBQpyJPIIQ/s1600/SD534496.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyoQGn_XS1Xz7dmIm7fosuKBuciI_uf0TM68fp8_bPB077WekAi81bHxeS7zT_lUqlqYgSlz0wNDR1p-CDxYyhm-qJ5BS8gzcXzfy-E0KcpzYbzqQDsiYJFLsuqbk90snjTTBQpyJPIIQ/s400/SD534496.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504010856919603122" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3ev9R1Ywi57U2pFkDURcKvy3Oi0qVIy2pMDrEX6wpruhP67aXt8ChsMNY0B76li7Dj2nH_RFb0zwu7vJVbxqA3k5NHLirNrULgMhYcsMmo_cVqk837ehC_FZnLwo5fZXA07CguDyjk85/s1600/IMG_3105.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3ev9R1Ywi57U2pFkDURcKvy3Oi0qVIy2pMDrEX6wpruhP67aXt8ChsMNY0B76li7Dj2nH_RFb0zwu7vJVbxqA3k5NHLirNrULgMhYcsMmo_cVqk837ehC_FZnLwo5fZXA07CguDyjk85/s400/IMG_3105.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504011423206122882" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeuJ7uzdBfsa2UHlFZb0mJDM43jWyzgDVPSLdZ9amip9euJrkWEF88-adhNxNcEbULRVDmcqatSmKhaJhtgWSkGHD3ByYC5PG_J4eAjwJC91eXxuOht2PG_eCcIMdtbi9l9zLZm2PN6M2Y/s1600/IMG_3109.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeuJ7uzdBfsa2UHlFZb0mJDM43jWyzgDVPSLdZ9amip9euJrkWEF88-adhNxNcEbULRVDmcqatSmKhaJhtgWSkGHD3ByYC5PG_J4eAjwJC91eXxuOht2PG_eCcIMdtbi9l9zLZm2PN6M2Y/s400/IMG_3109.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504011591428135218" /></a>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-67108282909514767072010-08-10T11:54:00.004-07:002010-08-10T12:31:42.606-07:00Completely His<span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">"The Lord searches all the earth for people who have given themselves completely to Him. He wants to make them strong." <br />2 Chronicles 16:9</span></span><br /><br />During my Bible reading this morning this verse stood out to me. It comes after many accounts of God's people going into battle against enemies who are usually bigger & stronger than they. When they fight in their own strength, having turned away from God, they lose. When they depend on the Lord, trusting that He is fighting for them, they win... every time. <br /><br />We have battles to fight in life and in our faith. God doesn't say that when we love Him then the battles go away. He desires to make us strong. Then, when the battles are won, we have no one else to thank and praise for that but Him. When the Israelites gained victory over armies that were twice & three times their size, they knew the Lord had fought for them and they gave Him the glory. <br /><br />Giving ourselves entirely to God for His purposes allows us to see and do things that are far bigger than us. He WANTS to make us strong when we COMPLETELY surrender to Him. <br /><br />His strength helps us to forsake the things that we hold dear, yet hinder us.<br /> <br />His strength helps us give to those in need when we feel we need that money or time for ourselves. <br /><br />His strength helps us go to foreign and difficult places to spread His glory, even when it doesn't make sense to the world.<br /><br />His strength helps us forgive the unforgivable.<br /><br />His strength helps us endure trials and testing we never thought we could handle.<br /><br />His strength helps us conquer deeply-rooted sins.<br /><br />His strength helps us love sacrificially.<br /><br />His strength helps us trust in His provision. <br /><br />His strength makes the impossible possible.<br /><br />His strength lifts up the weak, the poor, the needy and does mighty and glorious things through them...<br /><br />If we will only abandon ourselves completely to Him, His strength can be ours and we can live the most exciting life there is, watching Him do great and glorious things right before our eyes!Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-12879342575971987582010-08-08T19:41:00.003-07:002010-08-08T23:04:33.831-07:00"I Can't"I love God. I mean, I really LOVE Him. Today has been a tough day. Actually the last 8 days have been emotionally draining for a variety of reasons. Add to that a difficult season of parenting, which has been heightened this week, and you get a worn out momma. <br /><br />Where does loving God come into the picture? Well, because He saw me lose it today and He lovingly and gently guided me back to some solid ground. I just love how He works! I think our interaction today might have been similar to when my 3-yr old has a melt-down and all I can do is leave her alone to have it and then once she's calm she sits in my lap and hugs me for awhile. This time I was the 3-yr old. Thanks to my husband, who is equally as worn out as me, I had some much needed quiet time to myself this evening. I knew where I needed to go - God's Word. And He didn't waste time in leading me to what I needed to hear. <br /><br />1 Peter 5:6 - 11 says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, <span style="font-weight:bold;">casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.</span> Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen."<br /><br />At first all I thought I needed was to be reminded of the fact that He cares for me, so therefore I should cast my cares on Him. But this verse is couched in the middle of some other important stuff, and not by coincidence. First of all, humility is involved. In order to really cast our anxieties on God, we must say, "I can't." I can't carry my burdens myself. I can't work them out in my own strength. I can't dwell on them... Oops. I realized that in many ways I had been doing all of the above, not only with my own personal burdens, but also with the burdens of others. <br /><br />Secondly, I don't know that I had ever really correlated casting my cares on Christ with resisting Satan. But today I saw that my lack of humility this week had left me defenseless against the enemy today. When I neglect to cast my cares upon Christ, it affects my ability to be alert to the enemy's schemes and to resist him. Now I know better. <br /><br />What I love most about God is that for all of this showing me how I had blown it this week, it made me feel so much better! And that is because He's the "God of all grace" who is always seeking to "restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish" His children. Love Him.Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-27383777299607548412010-08-06T17:45:00.021-07:002010-08-06T19:57:59.654-07:00Downtown Seatle at It's BestOne of our favorite things to do with people who visit Seattle is give them a taste of our great city, so of course we had to give our most recent guests the "grand tour". Downtown has so many wonderful things to see and do. I know I've posted many pictures of downtown over the months we've been here, but I just can't resist posting more. It's just so fun... and pretty too! <br /><br />You can't come to Seattle without going to Pike Place Market. So, we drove downtown, parked and walked there via Post Alley, which is famous for it's Bubblegum Wall. This picture shows only a small portion of the entire wall that has been literally decorated with peoples' gum. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8XKQyIvRveY8HxYX_3zfMNQF2-29fDeZgxPVdPm0TVRpn90fuX1gfiBWOSWUSpWyGqYHfvZANuoDvIDMAg41s9GbIKTd-8legrLNcGoY4oCSl9BSKRvtwxtiMiFFMZxpButRZCTve9np/s1600/IMG_3035.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8XKQyIvRveY8HxYX_3zfMNQF2-29fDeZgxPVdPm0TVRpn90fuX1gfiBWOSWUSpWyGqYHfvZANuoDvIDMAg41s9GbIKTd-8legrLNcGoY4oCSl9BSKRvtwxtiMiFFMZxpButRZCTve9np/s400/IMG_3035.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502464942994050706" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Pike Place has become one of my favorite places. It is full of fresh produce from vendors who generously hand out free samples, knowing that when you've tasted the sweetest, juiciest peach you've ever had you WILL buy it! They also have all sorts of unique, hand-made gifts, beautiful fresh flowers and a variety of ethnic fare to excite your taste buds. For people who like food, like me, it's a heavenly place!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofG1q5ZAzEjh2wZFce3HifkRvD21phyphenhyphensd93uihptr5GfL4p-ilxL0_luuNBpIpdbNUf6EtvC97dvVOhaiv7sFCvn2uDbHdvYZmp0ZvrQjkr_hGzOcoauCfvnOYrEEl6Yl6-oC02mv_Aoq/s1600/SD534397.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofG1q5ZAzEjh2wZFce3HifkRvD21phyphenhyphensd93uihptr5GfL4p-ilxL0_luuNBpIpdbNUf6EtvC97dvVOhaiv7sFCvn2uDbHdvYZmp0ZvrQjkr_hGzOcoauCfvnOYrEEl6Yl6-oC02mv_Aoq/s400/SD534397.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502466603008805490" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It's also the home of the first Starbucks. And there really is one on every corner in Seattle... and sometimes two. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6msauL-vpEbQc4I68qbcli6eOv5co6gL9Ie5Fg-9et4EBDh4xIvF5_Xn3xcuwUAqiICtgurKwHyccZ4ul8trtup_7GGrMMfGjUD_JUNdUqzaggxVOBtUxCWHJDXnl5-oS_VJ9rRSVKfJC/s1600/SD534374.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6msauL-vpEbQc4I68qbcli6eOv5co6gL9Ie5Fg-9et4EBDh4xIvF5_Xn3xcuwUAqiICtgurKwHyccZ4ul8trtup_7GGrMMfGjUD_JUNdUqzaggxVOBtUxCWHJDXnl5-oS_VJ9rRSVKfJC/s400/SD534374.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502467091805390946" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The greater Seattle area has been widely influenced by Native Americans. In fact Seattle was the name of an Indian Chief. Some other fun city and county names we are still learning how to pronounce: Snohomish, Skykomish, Puyallup, Tacoma, Tulalip... just to name a few.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMpIDvqf_5www5ITU6bu-2L8dSgPqkrhYKoaVOe9xB7eP5hosrowH-8QQDfg-kLNvPUGezdvDVEA27s7ehWgXreP1lztqKJja1suwG51n9x-6K0qlrpVaMQ9gGmPI8C6ZFlzFIqRZcikj/s1600/SD534375.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMpIDvqf_5www5ITU6bu-2L8dSgPqkrhYKoaVOe9xB7eP5hosrowH-8QQDfg-kLNvPUGezdvDVEA27s7ehWgXreP1lztqKJja1suwG51n9x-6K0qlrpVaMQ9gGmPI8C6ZFlzFIqRZcikj/s400/SD534375.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502468804431882994" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This looked like an inviting spot, so we grabbed some Russian Piroshkis and had a lovely picnic by the pole. My "little sis" & her friend, who she was touring, even found us for a bit. :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUZapXQQj7B_38u23UnHhj0sEC3Z-kI6OiAqSBTFl8e5cdAPS_O4G4_HPmxPfd7JcMGDzsYoPaN1Fa9laOcMKWWPaBmItByEeoVZv1z78jl7XysZk9qqXgeZecGorlgQADqLm4-LbpwIJ/s1600/SD534383.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUZapXQQj7B_38u23UnHhj0sEC3Z-kI6OiAqSBTFl8e5cdAPS_O4G4_HPmxPfd7JcMGDzsYoPaN1Fa9laOcMKWWPaBmItByEeoVZv1z78jl7XysZk9qqXgeZecGorlgQADqLm4-LbpwIJ/s400/SD534383.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502470631731566114" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />You wouldn't know by looking at her, but Kaitlyn enjoys most anything edible. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xVOCVpCDM7-j53qd2jw0_Amyk3gMNQf5p9VWgZQGaSDzvDf_sLnT67mjRXcFs4jMEJ9U-iRYBQHwat8mphJVzoVEKkQ16MoGsL70hZIHH4PgAY-0cdLh-6nZaYFIvS4DcptYKTBz9E4F/s1600/IMG_3050.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xVOCVpCDM7-j53qd2jw0_Amyk3gMNQf5p9VWgZQGaSDzvDf_sLnT67mjRXcFs4jMEJ9U-iRYBQHwat8mphJVzoVEKkQ16MoGsL70hZIHH4PgAY-0cdLh-6nZaYFIvS4DcptYKTBz9E4F/s400/IMG_3050.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502470887347820050" /></a> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We hiked up the hill to Westcenter Mall to ride the monorail over to Seattle Center, home of the infamous Space Needle, along with a variety of museums, Key Arena, & interesting people. Hannah & Kaitlyn, excited to be on the monorail. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdw8GqaFitL9rGpDFFlcKEHqloBX-AHdJTilIhZfqWg4QFY8ocObFYyMvsoZqTt45jC8-pj7OCYlKDM12PdI6UBcJLp-Jb9NXOHyxWgCzf2suza75GpPyAi4R3HX91ItG0LKJ0KpKrPw4/s1600/IMG_3054.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdw8GqaFitL9rGpDFFlcKEHqloBX-AHdJTilIhZfqWg4QFY8ocObFYyMvsoZqTt45jC8-pj7OCYlKDM12PdI6UBcJLp-Jb9NXOHyxWgCzf2suza75GpPyAi4R3HX91ItG0LKJ0KpKrPw4/s400/IMG_3054.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502471235846701858" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Here's a glimpse of what there is to see at Seattle Center:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHFaTmdpdUPqYsPvGmbxi-smV6Ng4_ZHB5mTDF_aAgTKfmpklrPITI_e9BrNAQET3itT5DjTuyhyphenhyphenwK6e1fWkREkAbOIcVukBSx2M6wpR_PQaIqQrh1uTvDVVQOm9bnjuBDqAS2vQfbu-m/s1600/IMG_3055.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHFaTmdpdUPqYsPvGmbxi-smV6Ng4_ZHB5mTDF_aAgTKfmpklrPITI_e9BrNAQET3itT5DjTuyhyphenhyphenwK6e1fWkREkAbOIcVukBSx2M6wpR_PQaIqQrh1uTvDVVQOm9bnjuBDqAS2vQfbu-m/s400/IMG_3055.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502472416891713794" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ksWvu8itBuYbUTqBcOpOF6CDKOJSOhSnFdNFYYwm_wScDVPLjlUvcwr_B4caOryMN6Cf75nttqtO4y43AGvk1RS3sQNOoN5mmreMdbW1wq8FmSvFBt2ooaPEabL-cQdje41dY_O6gTcU/s1600/SD534392.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ksWvu8itBuYbUTqBcOpOF6CDKOJSOhSnFdNFYYwm_wScDVPLjlUvcwr_B4caOryMN6Cf75nttqtO4y43AGvk1RS3sQNOoN5mmreMdbW1wq8FmSvFBt2ooaPEabL-cQdje41dY_O6gTcU/s400/SD534392.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502472600201214066" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaAd5dtxOOWGehtBf9l-YM4u00mCfcrfyi4_OeAakSgi0V8P8vbJf3Mh9f-zrJf9G2rzc0kQ738hv_WRUF4HzJUzoNh5DsQkGkNYtGgTtsoEXTKBpG7K0rbVyUvewThFKWJItznjZZjR0/s1600/SD534393.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaAd5dtxOOWGehtBf9l-YM4u00mCfcrfyi4_OeAakSgi0V8P8vbJf3Mh9f-zrJf9G2rzc0kQ738hv_WRUF4HzJUzoNh5DsQkGkNYtGgTtsoEXTKBpG7K0rbVyUvewThFKWJItznjZZjR0/s400/SD534393.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502472812774902642" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6KpW-AvHkMyjGYyM7QtGAdid0koAbHxoH5lKJ5f5SjN-N1brVQiupTRgEAbn2blrh2gwww5gJiW5mAAGnuWaV-Hnsmq9ARV77wdCjFpfH8T_y4cazAC2Fxtc38kkhXch869rg6WrJtqX/s1600/SD534394.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6KpW-AvHkMyjGYyM7QtGAdid0koAbHxoH5lKJ5f5SjN-N1brVQiupTRgEAbn2blrh2gwww5gJiW5mAAGnuWaV-Hnsmq9ARV77wdCjFpfH8T_y4cazAC2Fxtc38kkhXch869rg6WrJtqX/s400/SD534394.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502472960112309314" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />So much to see & do! Yet, somehow Kaitlyn managed to get in a nap. Who wouldn't find Daddy's shoulder comfy?!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzMoSeULp4o_AGk-gb5sflFG25SwyAHA9baejHW8oaajMFMGlZT1WpzC314Ue702gyvstj15szRMZ-vL1Tzhmp_AK9UUROAQXkUQE4iHnBXLVl5YcsBk96NUhXOCjmv7nDhl8O2vhUJko/s1600/IMG_3057.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzMoSeULp4o_AGk-gb5sflFG25SwyAHA9baejHW8oaajMFMGlZT1WpzC314Ue702gyvstj15szRMZ-vL1Tzhmp_AK9UUROAQXkUQE4iHnBXLVl5YcsBk96NUhXOCjmv7nDhl8O2vhUJko/s400/IMG_3057.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502488044922153202" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We walked on to the Bainbridge Island Ferry for a fun ride across the Sound so we could capture this must-see view of the city. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0M9teq16HMPaNKbmUD3oZd9HLJvksU2Z4BobH-WejphGHPeKgA3J1FL-2IkklHK5gFaUvpRPHkWUrrbX86KRI-_fxFEexFV4UvqWJM2NlJfULIQJBwnboPrCrX0Ll1TaCAqqnlGm0Rkf1/s1600/IMG_3060.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0M9teq16HMPaNKbmUD3oZd9HLJvksU2Z4BobH-WejphGHPeKgA3J1FL-2IkklHK5gFaUvpRPHkWUrrbX86KRI-_fxFEexFV4UvqWJM2NlJfULIQJBwnboPrCrX0Ll1TaCAqqnlGm0Rkf1/s400/IMG_3060.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502489042769750082" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Isaac approved.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyomqta1AKxyT4oQiiuM_e6LF3KjvnnNGGdvYqK28SrTuIhGc0szR5GKtf5obg-bUzuiQY5MGbKcKVYVyi3THl3XZJEOFsTxpAhRwSYJ0O-uhBlTS_o2puiPP_IRRFFn8V0qL3SYb9U-LF/s1600/SD534423.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyomqta1AKxyT4oQiiuM_e6LF3KjvnnNGGdvYqK28SrTuIhGc0szR5GKtf5obg-bUzuiQY5MGbKcKVYVyi3THl3XZJEOFsTxpAhRwSYJ0O-uhBlTS_o2puiPP_IRRFFn8V0qL3SYb9U-LF/s400/SD534423.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502489617209457714" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This is one of our favorite spots to eat downtown and is a Seattle staple. This is where many a seagull have benefited from our left-overs!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHf7a99oBpInzdnn_yUt62S3T5iT9YcUOkUKH3KjdOu4fLTmye-9rkDj0PpFH29CUMeqhVnm9rAKm4XeCFt4wa4wzhskmXcxI5BWUehXu_jHzb9F5F4hFyUZARaOT2BtiRC16F2QXI4Ht/s1600/SD534432.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHf7a99oBpInzdnn_yUt62S3T5iT9YcUOkUKH3KjdOu4fLTmye-9rkDj0PpFH29CUMeqhVnm9rAKm4XeCFt4wa4wzhskmXcxI5BWUehXu_jHzb9F5F4hFyUZARaOT2BtiRC16F2QXI4Ht/s400/SD534432.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502490792786586546" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Again, Kaitlyn eagerly awaits more food. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3UAiLUxDniKknITFReS8DD4jsxCaIiaPdy0caijDLUOPdZ_BOZOhXCIEpCDg0HI5FUTgnqEfqw9FfulxmsHKlCksFYTLtqnMY6NvSneN_ouPIyxZVfYZNTJ4_ZJ2M_bNG00ZdnE0fecm/s1600/SD534429.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3UAiLUxDniKknITFReS8DD4jsxCaIiaPdy0caijDLUOPdZ_BOZOhXCIEpCDg0HI5FUTgnqEfqw9FfulxmsHKlCksFYTLtqnMY6NvSneN_ouPIyxZVfYZNTJ4_ZJ2M_bNG00ZdnE0fecm/s400/SD534429.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502491286175740402" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We called it a day, along with the moon, at Kerry Park. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfbHMr9P_ElYEJabkrAeqqwzEccAnGnI5QYiAHGOdc2fAhdNV2UG9pU6sUeM2UVqV0RqvY-82QRwyoABh3Cx5hGk_HLzttAOvEhS-m-jxtzwQEgdxKtHatIm3spIfi2ryl5Atm-uRU0rSx/s1600/IMG_3071.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfbHMr9P_ElYEJabkrAeqqwzEccAnGnI5QYiAHGOdc2fAhdNV2UG9pU6sUeM2UVqV0RqvY-82QRwyoABh3Cx5hGk_HLzttAOvEhS-m-jxtzwQEgdxKtHatIm3spIfi2ryl5Atm-uRU0rSx/s400/IMG_3071.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502493100517482146" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We all agreed that it had been a beautifully fun day!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIQ2Q5lRAt9k8o3P0AvTZiDAsbUgDLC8tWmUeXj3JyMGUnYR-dNsVXVRvH3WsQpaMkvMYEsR22lffGlE1D-7Dcxu238XGxjebbYC9bvqHBrR4WhJ7DICbgVKBxSRfJDEVk8TqYgKGPFCI/s1600/SD534440.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIQ2Q5lRAt9k8o3P0AvTZiDAsbUgDLC8tWmUeXj3JyMGUnYR-dNsVXVRvH3WsQpaMkvMYEsR22lffGlE1D-7Dcxu238XGxjebbYC9bvqHBrR4WhJ7DICbgVKBxSRfJDEVk8TqYgKGPFCI/s400/SD534440.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502495866770245090" /></a>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-20690496815844757462010-07-31T21:07:00.005-07:002010-08-01T21:58:10.413-07:00Times of RefreshmentPhilemon 1:20 "I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ." (Paul to his friend Philemon)<br /><br />Although we are physically spent from a summer of non-stop going, our hearts have been deeply encouraged and our spirits revived, especially over the course of the last couple of weeks. And I thank God for that. He knows us in and out and is so good to refresh us in deeply personal ways. <br /><br />This time, it came in the form of a visit from some dear friends from Nashville, Kevin, Janet & Isaac Shrum. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lO0gWMywYNMO1xZb8nOgq_VQx9k8mQJdoIYWcG6SLZdgab_BXeI7tftfeBPEvGWR1FtJKT_-Dsg2UqvQAG0YUE-N57XUwVRuLTC2gu-OqIwz68kyActoViN747ixEeTmI6U3_khJCUAN/s1600/IMG_3065.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lO0gWMywYNMO1xZb8nOgq_VQx9k8mQJdoIYWcG6SLZdgab_BXeI7tftfeBPEvGWR1FtJKT_-Dsg2UqvQAG0YUE-N57XUwVRuLTC2gu-OqIwz68kyActoViN747ixEeTmI6U3_khJCUAN/s400/IMG_3065.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500626172221054594" /></a> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />These are friends who we love deeply but don't get to see very often. They came with a need to be refreshed, yet their presence and friendship offered that gift to us. I think it's an amazing thing when God connects people in such a way that they can encourage one another in the Lord in very meaningful ways, building each other up to serve Him more faithfully and more passionately. It's a perfect picture of the body of Christ at work and that's what happened in & out of our home through everything from eating together & playing basketball, to taking on new adventures & laughing until it hurt, to sharing hearts & praying together. God is amazing, extravagant in His care of us, fun... I love the life He's given us and the many wonderful people He allows us to live it with, both near & far. And I'm especially grateful for this time of refreshment with the Shrums. Stay tuned for pics! :)Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-85252916456748202992010-07-31T21:00:00.002-07:002010-07-31T21:06:17.802-07:00What Happened?So, I go on my blog today and my background is gone and the text has become invisible. Have lots I want to post in the up and coming days, but you'll have to bear with me as I figure out this thing. You may see some crazy stuff for awhile - the combination of me not being blog-design savvy and not having a lot of time to spend on it right now. If anyone wants to come to my rescue and give me some design tips, let me know! Thanks! :)Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-13536617595236851632010-07-03T21:14:00.009-07:002010-07-03T22:14:42.009-07:00Good Times on the RoadWhat do you get when you have non-stop 90-100 -degree heat, a view of a tractor out of your hotel window, an overnight stay in the Twilight Zone, a week spent with teenagers, and 9 days of very little sleep? If you're with the right people you get a stinking good time! And we were with the right people. :) <br /><br />Dale and I recently took a little vacation. It was a vacation to us - no kids, no cooking, little responsibility, much laughter and catching up with old friends. We first flew to the grand city of Fayetteville, AR, where we really did have an awesome hotel suite despite a lovely view of a tractor from our window. Only in AR! I can say that because my dad is from AR, and I spent many summers there as a child. :) One of our former youth, Patrick, asked Dale to be one of the officiating ministers in his wedding, and we were so glad it worked out for us to be there. And this girl was pumped about spending a couple of days by the pool soaking in some sun, which is exactly what I did. That plus time with dear friends made for a very refreshing weekend! <br /><br />Here we are all done up!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAz1v6B4TZjXzdNPy0-Rzljzat3OFgW49zVXzxN1YTVbRSo0psfWQaK6NUG5StBgbvJyKDcE2i3dA08hpgCQ2vmjqfxCRgOQ67jsHPCjgFTaZ0hCgLp7ljkAQiHtJBcuPne44UoWSGVxR/s1600/IMG_2916.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAz1v6B4TZjXzdNPy0-Rzljzat3OFgW49zVXzxN1YTVbRSo0psfWQaK6NUG5StBgbvJyKDcE2i3dA08hpgCQ2vmjqfxCRgOQ67jsHPCjgFTaZ0hCgLp7ljkAQiHtJBcuPne44UoWSGVxR/s320/IMG_2916.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489900354445967778" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />My good friend Janet just wants to be like me! ;) Actually everyone else just wanted to be like us. I bet there were 10 women all in black & white print at this wedding! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP77GHLweMeyP0Yh8HzZNQAQYN6WUOluYvf8yC5VcMTAz22klaqKG3Z8akTLhAp9QWS9vH9OuzGgr3jXE_tjWfbpeEfV0Rmr6GymQr-JGDKPtklYqruC_WW_Mb-RRAtO83IsS2bGoNmsU2/s1600/IMG_2918.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP77GHLweMeyP0Yh8HzZNQAQYN6WUOluYvf8yC5VcMTAz22klaqKG3Z8akTLhAp9QWS9vH9OuzGgr3jXE_tjWfbpeEfV0Rmr6GymQr-JGDKPtklYqruC_WW_Mb-RRAtO83IsS2bGoNmsU2/s320/IMG_2918.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489900611783212370" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Sat. night after the wedding we began our roadtrip back to the Nashville, TN area with Kevin, Janet & Isaac Shrum & Alanna. The reason? Super Summer 2010! This is a youth camp we had been involved with for several years when we lived in Nashville and Dale had been asked to come back to be a part of the leadership. But, before we got there, we had to stop overnight to sleep for a few hours. Our stopping point - because it was midnight & we were exhausted - was the thriving metropolis of Loanoke, AR. They actually had a variety of inexpensive lodging options, some not too shabby. You'd think we could have gotten rooms at just about any of them. Nope. There were no rooms in the inns... except for the Economy Inn. All I'll say is that it was several steps down from EconoLodge. And, honestly, I love to camp in the woods and can sleep just about anywhere. But this place was straight out of the 1970's and the room the guys stayed in probably hadn't been used since! I tried not to touch the sheets as much as possible and prayed against bedbugs! The rest of our experience will just live in the memories of those of us who were there...<br /><br />Super Summer was a blast as we got to relive our youth ministry days, spend time with former youth and great friends, and get 5 days of solid biblical teaching & awesome worship. Our cups were filled! <br /><br />You just had to be there to understand why we are wearing camo togas! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYVNkqOVTZnjjyfY-htd82aVpNgpp9MVPeu0DgS-y_XOQjt73HqPKHD3OOlPGNMtbXKZx0-OTU3Ec759SvR3KO4LtCJseZlYljXkJio3yqVk3D3_sWGDb6v95Np7bDk7wjgdMVerc6djm/s1600/IMG_2923.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYVNkqOVTZnjjyfY-htd82aVpNgpp9MVPeu0DgS-y_XOQjt73HqPKHD3OOlPGNMtbXKZx0-OTU3Ec759SvR3KO4LtCJseZlYljXkJio3yqVk3D3_sWGDb6v95Np7bDk7wjgdMVerc6djm/s320/IMG_2923.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489902052825382354" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The past & current youth ministers of IBC on dueling horns. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj880sbCIDm-wGvtRKdVKLSFcSW4OpZO7xqW7zirjg7VH8GB0tPbnj1vNoufOeq1icuz10syL3utuCZYjpQQEBbNaKfyjHxWjPxP5cWLU2vGBWWRiRp2EAHvtRS6I3iyz2g-EXyQ-bMmQ-A/s1600/IMG_2927.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj880sbCIDm-wGvtRKdVKLSFcSW4OpZO7xqW7zirjg7VH8GB0tPbnj1vNoufOeq1icuz10syL3utuCZYjpQQEBbNaKfyjHxWjPxP5cWLU2vGBWWRiRp2EAHvtRS6I3iyz2g-EXyQ-bMmQ-A/s320/IMG_2927.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489902817716846962" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I knew these kids when they were born! My good friend Saundra drove to the camp to meet me for an afternoon of catching up. Hannah was a little jealous that I got to see her old buddies and she didn't, but I brought back this picture just for her. :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyhrF7LzdQah84H66jJE6jftEtaFuExJVBnNCSp-c6g2xch00GNH4MFclPqAIXN_NqLzmV8YzJftgMVb2NqtWDi67GMiFrueBk4pQuy1lyfkotPtbG-yscJ0WzYS0OxbYih2s3PB_Cb_T/s1600/IMG_2928.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyhrF7LzdQah84H66jJE6jftEtaFuExJVBnNCSp-c6g2xch00GNH4MFclPqAIXN_NqLzmV8YzJftgMVb2NqtWDi67GMiFrueBk4pQuy1lyfkotPtbG-yscJ0WzYS0OxbYih2s3PB_Cb_T/s320/IMG_2928.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489914274997147218" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Janet & Sarah, two of my favorite people!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha56Z2rNU6DcvXxJY9pnEG5mbTB2YTHhlISjNV1IHJUpTT5oC82QEDtTKeRNTJNhz4wWUcW6Ldyb0r-qciaKCXPE6MGdmS20EBVaYMaY6D3bCDxMJPoBMhNv8bPYAXVM9XBHeRUBG-rNjA/s1600/IMG_2931.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha56Z2rNU6DcvXxJY9pnEG5mbTB2YTHhlISjNV1IHJUpTT5oC82QEDtTKeRNTJNhz4wWUcW6Ldyb0r-qciaKCXPE6MGdmS20EBVaYMaY6D3bCDxMJPoBMhNv8bPYAXVM9XBHeRUBG-rNjA/s320/IMG_2931.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489903376349216082" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Dale with our good friends at Las Maracas, an old Nashville favorite. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7EUEgd5zEHI2OY4kjP1HHMll-WAz4xbojOqyfB8nnf0nl1zTJlH97xccfh1-7G6UUne3d4FWljDOIyDZZQjEqDQqWf8XgesAuKI-J1GT_ofo63Rl_y_TCY6FKMlQ4OV8agdibzjoVn41/s1600/IMG_2938.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7EUEgd5zEHI2OY4kjP1HHMll-WAz4xbojOqyfB8nnf0nl1zTJlH97xccfh1-7G6UUne3d4FWljDOIyDZZQjEqDQqWf8XgesAuKI-J1GT_ofo63Rl_y_TCY6FKMlQ4OV8agdibzjoVn41/s320/IMG_2938.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489903999202874354" /></a>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-43000503213268747642010-06-17T10:30:00.011-07:002010-06-17T10:54:13.826-07:00Goodbye Kindergarten!Last Friday Hannah had her kindergarten program at school. I first want to say that we are so proud of the little person she is becoming! She has worked well, obeyed her teacher well & befriended her classmates well. She's ready for 1st grade, whether I am or not! <br /><br />The week prior to the performance, she informed us she would not be singing. Although, she has quite the personality around people she knows, she has never been one to enjoy being up in front of an audience. So, we tried to encourage her to sing, without success. Then, the day before the performance when I picked her up from school, she announced that she would be singing! I was happily surprised. And she did it! She sang and kazooed her little heart out - with eyes locked on me the entire time! I guess that was her way of blocking out the audience! We were so proud of her for overcoming her fear!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXQ4CMuZcMWvsRrOyaLNIJXJjkVdKfuRH7aOVncQIiSO_fPtWt4WJLSuM6NAlMcP2ddXNcE2RigD70qRC3U8iHbScB3DPhpUj97f_efFuTU0xDdq4dQ-Hvog8mY2XxGFQIKEhblhtcRlk/s1600/IMG_2807.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXQ4CMuZcMWvsRrOyaLNIJXJjkVdKfuRH7aOVncQIiSO_fPtWt4WJLSuM6NAlMcP2ddXNcE2RigD70qRC3U8iHbScB3DPhpUj97f_efFuTU0xDdq4dQ-Hvog8mY2XxGFQIKEhblhtcRlk/s320/IMG_2807.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483799386589042114" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPV-WIT5VFM36GwZdmq7ceFNoz302r3mfRysOadi1k0xIaq8YrOJ3LdWF0qkTbplw1rFwjwmzqmzDt-V-q5KVywMMi1ZRV1QOSEjfzjq1as9FvCYoC05AJ8-tfYawFN9hyphenhyphen-8GQxyDidUbh/s1600/IMG_2813.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPV-WIT5VFM36GwZdmq7ceFNoz302r3mfRysOadi1k0xIaq8YrOJ3LdWF0qkTbplw1rFwjwmzqmzDt-V-q5KVywMMi1ZRV1QOSEjfzjq1as9FvCYoC05AJ8-tfYawFN9hyphenhyphen-8GQxyDidUbh/s320/IMG_2813.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483799575918233986" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After the program we went to her classroom to enjoy refreshments,which the kids eagerly served the parents. Hannah showed us some of her projects & we watched a picture presentation Hannah's teacher had put together of the entire school year. I had managed to hold in my tears until then! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwizGX4CmRNQSbGa4xOyK0bFQsH_3IE_5NnN43yw4ZDObugGTQEhg4RvwNFNH2IZIt99DUCWKlGAXQ0kVk8ylV-iEfEOenEDTXFN0IwFUr62E6GTIYVkNuc5idyLRXdV1Vs6yfvh8FiGo/s1600/IMG_2817.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwizGX4CmRNQSbGa4xOyK0bFQsH_3IE_5NnN43yw4ZDObugGTQEhg4RvwNFNH2IZIt99DUCWKlGAXQ0kVk8ylV-iEfEOenEDTXFN0IwFUr62E6GTIYVkNuc5idyLRXdV1Vs6yfvh8FiGo/s320/IMG_2817.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483799881351562914" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSnc7wlzz4LA3DpidXpMrkRXaQXkQ20c4gUZbFe963Gw8PVWKWsgawvFp-Oui77c3WFt72AzIkULWPViZZ2vYer6-LHu9iZgUwZ7EewjdmkW42FyS_Vf3lrKT8ALyCK18G8uvnrT8w6qa/s1600/IMG_2819.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSnc7wlzz4LA3DpidXpMrkRXaQXkQ20c4gUZbFe963Gw8PVWKWsgawvFp-Oui77c3WFt72AzIkULWPViZZ2vYer6-LHu9iZgUwZ7EewjdmkW42FyS_Vf3lrKT8ALyCK18G8uvnrT8w6qa/s320/IMG_2819.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483800444775500706" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Hannah showing Kaitlyn what it was like to be "co-teacher", which she looked forward to every time it was her turn. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWSHaQBucAiDPzjfxblf3o2_Gw5IG4-kVCzb4OLvnIKF-4fwT4hEyEv18wBzg9xKXgPPUcVukXLvFtg8574NDIL5VZf_desRivQX0OIdT5QgYHRTzQwUJgtvrp7DwQUhwjvH1vcpvPNv_/s1600/IMG_2827.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWSHaQBucAiDPzjfxblf3o2_Gw5IG4-kVCzb4OLvnIKF-4fwT4hEyEv18wBzg9xKXgPPUcVukXLvFtg8574NDIL5VZf_desRivQX0OIdT5QgYHRTzQwUJgtvrp7DwQUhwjvH1vcpvPNv_/s320/IMG_2827.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483800569148305106" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Hannah loves her teacher!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDS3uJhowukplto_k7-nOtDQcUOP6UtWaHEdur3cYtzloE603wbXUv-PzRLF8dmzkdNfw7-UCM5YrHjkS5lJ3IHOdoRMLVuxe0NdjJts0vBd-4fEBc4NQDg12STE3OU5bbJGg8cFvzDry5/s1600/IMG_2825.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDS3uJhowukplto_k7-nOtDQcUOP6UtWaHEdur3cYtzloE603wbXUv-PzRLF8dmzkdNfw7-UCM5YrHjkS5lJ3IHOdoRMLVuxe0NdjJts0vBd-4fEBc4NQDg12STE3OU5bbJGg8cFvzDry5/s320/IMG_2825.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483800786637258290" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvXqip59vG6nCIvZVcqumC7xrBiXMRCdY4XH2jnfmw72ul25Ce2EqFWt8KRMziVQa5KJSEkdBk6qQ3GVYeYdGPcmv5mTNc-mekYcpu_0zJfM6XQQBJZTohdOdK1saMOM48oZ95YsQIp5h/s1600/IMG_2830.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvXqip59vG6nCIvZVcqumC7xrBiXMRCdY4XH2jnfmw72ul25Ce2EqFWt8KRMziVQa5KJSEkdBk6qQ3GVYeYdGPcmv5mTNc-mekYcpu_0zJfM6XQQBJZTohdOdK1saMOM48oZ95YsQIp5h/s320/IMG_2830.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483801086370755970" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8D7UpJ-C5p89gM_hVOOKrGz_wEQ0Nz0HEKDPVaZkkYyMj3c7K_foTsdl8tv5RWqxM_QUA77xD3YGSEWBCU87TDwtz9fHuzPPHDNaWj8ixoZofNAmPyxUfC6v4Rf78nXe6RDPHD_LyKPKY/s1600/IMG_2833.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8D7UpJ-C5p89gM_hVOOKrGz_wEQ0Nz0HEKDPVaZkkYyMj3c7K_foTsdl8tv5RWqxM_QUA77xD3YGSEWBCU87TDwtz9fHuzPPHDNaWj8ixoZofNAmPyxUfC6v4Rf78nXe6RDPHD_LyKPKY/s320/IMG_2833.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483801203463130466" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakQUKccEGodDT8afT0-vD9gyBrQo5F_BbBxuNEPxxYt1rvxNDDiuYeiYGU_yT1SzUdhN4I3ZJ4ZGMF-2KW54vKjf6KUujU9vPEkSbnZvNABuG_jUFy_Jb05EBXL5CzFHFkZdZPTfVE3mB/s1600/IMG_2834.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakQUKccEGodDT8afT0-vD9gyBrQo5F_BbBxuNEPxxYt1rvxNDDiuYeiYGU_yT1SzUdhN4I3ZJ4ZGMF-2KW54vKjf6KUujU9vPEkSbnZvNABuG_jUFy_Jb05EBXL5CzFHFkZdZPTfVE3mB/s320/IMG_2834.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483801296367000690" /></a>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-15892918558979827862010-06-14T21:21:00.013-07:002010-06-14T21:52:22.313-07:00Miss Aweena!As I mentioned in an earlier post, we have a friend living with us for the summer, and she has quickly stolen the hearts of my two little girls! Alanna is her name. Kaitlyn pronunciation: "Aweena" :) She is from Nashville, TN, and has never been to Seattle before moving here a few weeks ago. We have had a lot of fun showing her some of the sights of Seattle and just hanging out at home. <br /><br />A couple of weeks ago we gave her the Downtown-in-a-Day tour. We began at Pike's Place and listened to the live entertainment outside of the first Starbucks. Check out that steel bass! They sounded really good.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmG9WPg2GkCtH7NxXOL86B3L3sgcTTznPcEWFfxKhKt4vWmlDqOq2jZ4J4HXGEhXEgg8e6xlGnNJJYVogxO0_j0hnhxlS-YusOfRpytlTwm0OGjd0jAg9IBcSvma2S2qVIBTspkQaylaCd/s1600/IMG_2737.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmG9WPg2GkCtH7NxXOL86B3L3sgcTTznPcEWFfxKhKt4vWmlDqOq2jZ4J4HXGEhXEgg8e6xlGnNJJYVogxO0_j0hnhxlS-YusOfRpytlTwm0OGjd0jAg9IBcSvma2S2qVIBTspkQaylaCd/s320/IMG_2737.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482851834515379938" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />For lunch we had to introduce her to Ivar's. Ivar's fish & chips is one of our favorites, and feeding the seagulls a few leftovers is a tradition that must be upheld.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyyMAmmQETfRD92VFoKMC4IYnn4C_II2tbDxOWgT-64vJdkNJ3HppjLhfXkYV9WAtzuwAyerqLK-SEfj8PvffgJevR0O1oxCLLiuBmy_mo88G14RGDKyDuIBDOgoIyB4HPIH6UoHAN788/s1600/IMG_2745.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyyMAmmQETfRD92VFoKMC4IYnn4C_II2tbDxOWgT-64vJdkNJ3HppjLhfXkYV9WAtzuwAyerqLK-SEfj8PvffgJevR0O1oxCLLiuBmy_mo88G14RGDKyDuIBDOgoIyB4HPIH6UoHAN788/s320/IMG_2745.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482852336879045394" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We took the Bainbridge Island ferry. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQ_DtJBe__-7gH9rsp0w-q3jW9E13m_d1KPgVoOM3XkPrKXq20H53nnQ5O6sRXTCP3tXejjaYw24QuOpmMk2Ly-3tfcZaRFtgnYWwjOXuZy68IDsJVl23unR4cjlppKCwVVGSF23fIHAy/s1600/IMG_2753.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQ_DtJBe__-7gH9rsp0w-q3jW9E13m_d1KPgVoOM3XkPrKXq20H53nnQ5O6sRXTCP3tXejjaYw24QuOpmMk2Ly-3tfcZaRFtgnYWwjOXuZy68IDsJVl23unR4cjlppKCwVVGSF23fIHAy/s320/IMG_2753.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482853194374000706" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The one picture I talked Alanna into posing for. :) <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTn-k3yzjoGgnTH8V3GIbriQiOZJ10692n0J383CI4So92VWasutSrmj9WrMaf2pgFmI1u6tTxL35NMr9UBUEAPac2_IHUG1qPNjx-HF1d0kQBUiJNT7e_Hn_qyoxvlLm5Ss_0DUlrmGqd/s1600/IMG_2754.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTn-k3yzjoGgnTH8V3GIbriQiOZJ10692n0J383CI4So92VWasutSrmj9WrMaf2pgFmI1u6tTxL35NMr9UBUEAPac2_IHUG1qPNjx-HF1d0kQBUiJNT7e_Hn_qyoxvlLm5Ss_0DUlrmGqd/s320/IMG_2754.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482853678976653170" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The skyline & cruise ship<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCW8RfY7B_P4Wmhxyj0Sb0eSM_I5BqZ92n8j6nbrXWllOicnysrl1S_SQTYZZtviNCYnbe1xVM-AFDXNfeyGtEa1QYkOs8Rm4uTX0AFuALMOdvgbgSgbtOmeRXkEQU7N6yvX4iEvymao7m/s1600/IMG_2759.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCW8RfY7B_P4Wmhxyj0Sb0eSM_I5BqZ92n8j6nbrXWllOicnysrl1S_SQTYZZtviNCYnbe1xVM-AFDXNfeyGtEa1QYkOs8Rm4uTX0AFuALMOdvgbgSgbtOmeRXkEQU7N6yvX4iEvymao7m/s320/IMG_2759.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482853963437123330" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />On Bainbridge Island we headed to a bakery some friends had told us about. The girls were very pleased with their cookies. And I tried a first - a lavender sugar cookie that was surprisingly yummy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9kxcPyHeJWUfYZqljkolfIh9LhcM6GYXB_XRPZ6Fipsc2mQuTgeLqR45KQZ_477ZYKFkSE-xIOYdjapxPpJRy9psQL4dWzpTP6xvhkgO47DNG3Grg7-KNjyTJwPKnmAsOLAkdWNJNfv0/s1600/IMG_2761.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9kxcPyHeJWUfYZqljkolfIh9LhcM6GYXB_XRPZ6Fipsc2mQuTgeLqR45KQZ_477ZYKFkSE-xIOYdjapxPpJRy9psQL4dWzpTP6xvhkgO47DNG3Grg7-KNjyTJwPKnmAsOLAkdWNJNfv0/s320/IMG_2761.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482854364747023826" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Couldn't resist this one! Kaitlyn discovered the rings at a playground we found. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKn_L0U7hoylg81_1S2J78WV9jErEmIHqPPCi_o6dienIgItnK5XcO-krCXxozCZ-HtM2ba1EsdI4TXaoDScAdawPfhQLPmoywiLttg7khrq__X98lyZ9Ke_uVyAkxJX1nTOMkO7HKXNyj/s1600/IMG_2762.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKn_L0U7hoylg81_1S2J78WV9jErEmIHqPPCi_o6dienIgItnK5XcO-krCXxozCZ-HtM2ba1EsdI4TXaoDScAdawPfhQLPmoywiLttg7khrq__X98lyZ9Ke_uVyAkxJX1nTOMkO7HKXNyj/s320/IMG_2762.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482856366698650194" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Alanna's main job this summer is intern for Connect Church. But in her free time, she loves to bake. It works out nicely, because I love to eat! :) Kaitlyn was super excited and felt like such a big girl to get to help Miss Aweena bake her famous brookies. Translation: chocolate chip cookie & brownie goodness<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DFNGVoEv6RUdnHXdQKTS2G5fDVd8Vt9uP8XM5fKXCP8hQpE7onpyk8jHk_tSghMaSxH_SjwR8DGxBlK6SKP_YtlQ7kLZJJw7Hcjku-aNsPNYYbwltxZHhanpiy3GTBUToh7VGtmZHRuz/s1600/IMG_2763.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DFNGVoEv6RUdnHXdQKTS2G5fDVd8Vt9uP8XM5fKXCP8hQpE7onpyk8jHk_tSghMaSxH_SjwR8DGxBlK6SKP_YtlQ7kLZJJw7Hcjku-aNsPNYYbwltxZHhanpiy3GTBUToh7VGtmZHRuz/s320/IMG_2763.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482856852689603458" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictDZg6zkOvplfNULBCRgg9WvseELLiYOZ3q1m1mBo3JaflwKuNv2EDwMFd5lwk_4OJEUj8EQnJ1L9SQg_9hyphenhyphenKAMQczJXXlbIFFVXmjZiSVNfJ4IdJJWu7BhxZ0-4yexuczirWWS0XJPmK/s1600/IMG_2764.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictDZg6zkOvplfNULBCRgg9WvseELLiYOZ3q1m1mBo3JaflwKuNv2EDwMFd5lwk_4OJEUj8EQnJ1L9SQg_9hyphenhyphenKAMQczJXXlbIFFVXmjZiSVNfJ4IdJJWu7BhxZ0-4yexuczirWWS0XJPmK/s320/IMG_2764.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482857442689667122" /></a>Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1987998434997892255.post-18194681524120953132010-06-11T22:50:00.003-07:002010-06-11T23:02:02.611-07:00Enjoying the PresentThis time last year Hannah couldn't wait to be 5. Her birthday is in 2 weeks, so she's spent the last few months longing to be 6. It's gotten really bad. Yesterday she came home from school and began to cry because one of the boys in her class announced that he was turning 6 today. "It's not fair!" she cried. I couldn't believe how hard she was taking this news! With a summer birthday, she is one of the youngest in her class, so I guess the months of watching others turn 6 had really gotten to her. Wow! <br /><br />So, I sat with my daughter and tried to explain the importance of being happy in the moment we are in, at the age we are, wherever we are. I told her if we were always wishing for something in the future, we'd miss out on all the wonderful things about the present. Such deep discussions for an almost-6-yr-old! <br /><br />In light of this, I was quite surprised tonight when she asked me to rock her before going to bed. We haven't rocked since the early days of 5. :) I didn't mind. I just enjoyed the present!Tina Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08598128722500231777noreply@blogger.com1