Thursday, October 17, 2013

Highlights From Oregon-Part II

On the first day home, a friend from my childhood came over to visit with her two daughters.  That was fun.  We haven't seen each other in over a decade.  She recently moved to the same town as my parents so it was convenient for her to come. 
On Saturday we went to a soccer game of a daughter of my sister's friend.  Pretty amazing soccer field out there underneath the mountains.  It was beautiful!
A couple of the spectators at the soccer game.
Saturday afternoon my sister, Joy, arrived from Washington!  She got to meet her niece, Bronwyn, for the first time.
Joy brought her daughter, Macy, so the little girl cousins got to spend some time together.  The above picture was taken Sunday morning at church.
Millie, with Auntie Joy.
Back at home, after church, we got some group pictures.
The original five of the John Asmussen family.
Macy lost her second top front tooth while they were there so Millie and Macy had matching teeth gaps.
So happy to be all together!  What a gift it was.
Aunt JoAnn with two of her nieces.
JoAnn, showing me her current crochet project, which will end up being a blanket.  Aren't the squares gorgeous?  She's so creative.
Visiting my dad at his office.
Another friend, this one from high school, was able to drop by briefly and it was such a blessing to see her again.  So fun!
Monday afternoon we had a peaceful time cutting out paper dolls and spending time with Grandpa Larry and Grandma Bethel (my dad's parents), who drove a couple of hours to be with us.
Grandpa Larry.
Playing Old Maid with Grandma Bethel.
We took a few more pictures on Tuesday morning before they headed back home.  It was so nice for the children to get to be with them.
My mom had the idea of taking a picture of our hands, four generations.
I love you Grandpa Larry and Grandma Bethel!  Thank you for coming!
An old friend of my mom's who is now a new friend of my sister, JoAnn, had us over to her house for a girls' night.  She made us the most beautiful dinner salads with an omelet with zucchini and emmantaler cheese.  It was amazing.  I enjoyed it thoroughly.
On Tuesday we were able to go see my faithful friend, Kathy.  She is the most encouraging and uplifting person. She cares for her mother full-time and is rehabilitating to functional mobility after having her feet in casts for the last couple of years.  It was wonderful to see her.  She's a trooper!
My sister downloaded some cute games onto her phone so that the girls could enjoy them.  And they did!
The night before heading home, Dad said we needed to have a popcorn night with a game of Sorry.  :-)
On the last day, we surprised Grammy by wearing the jumpers that she had made for the girls.  Aren't they adorable?  What a wonderful Grammy!
Whenever we drive over "the pass" on Mt. Hood, we usually stop at Government Camp to use the restroom.  We made our usual stop there as we journeyed to my sister's house in Washington where we would spend the night before flying out of the Portland airport the next morning.  Dad and the girls took a short walk at Government camp while I fed Bronwyn in the car.
When we got to my sister's there was a surprise waiting for us.  My brother-in-law, Kirk, had his tractor and wagon out and ready to take us for a ride!  This is an antique tractor that he has fixed up himself and he built the wagon.  He uses it in the fourth of July parade in their town and for numerous other events and holidays.  He even has a sleigh that he pulls behind it and he dresses up like Santa at Christmas time.

My sister and her daughter, my niece, Kendall.  :-)
Time to say good-bye.  At the airport.  Grammy realizes she hasn't done the toe game with Bronwyn yet.
And, finally, here is the picture I took to remember getting stuck in the Denver airport.  We killed some time in the family bathroom.  Counting it all joy.

Whew!  That was a long post.  Can you tell that we squeezed a lot into a week?  In the midst of all that, we took Mom to physical therapy and cooked meals and kept up with the girls.  Busy, but such a blessing to be able to do and see all that we did.  I'm so thankful.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Mom's House

I wanted to take the time to share with you the pictures I took on the first morning I spent at Mom's house.  I hope I can relate through these photographs and my words a little bit of what a wonderfully beautiful and welcoming atmosphere she has created in her home.  I couldn't help but soak it all in that first morning and pull out my camera to capture some of the "magic" of being home and being in her environment and the therapeutic beauty of it all. 
Above is the morning light in the "Seagull Room," where I stayed.
This is the other side of the room, including a framed pencil drawing that my great-grandmother drew and several other antiques from other family members.
This was the view out of my window. 
The girls started the day by getting into the hot tub with Grammy. 
Now you see them...
...now you don't!
The beautiful morning sun shining down on the garden path.
The garden!
Here are a couple of the shutters that my dad made for all the windows of the house.
Something I loved about her house was all of the cozy places that invited you to sit and enjoy the yard, some conversation or some solitude.  Here are several of them:
Table, for outdoor eating.
Bench, in the shade under the flowering trees.

This morning and just about every morning we went out to say good morning to the dahlias.  This time of year is when they are blooming and they are just so amazing!  Vibrant colors and huge blooms!
You can't believe how fresh they look in the morning.
We picked dahlia bouquets several times while I was there.  What a luxury to bring them inside and enjoy them whenever we wanted to.
This is the other side of the same bouquet. 
  Welcome to Oregon!  What a gorgeous first morning!