A friend in 'Deed'

What is a true friend?  There a many definitions, by many different people.  Some say a friend is always there when you need them.  Others would say a friend listens when you really need to vent.  Then there's the friend that tells you like it is, when you need to hear it, even if you don't want to hear it. 

I have lots of different kinds of friends, and it's really special knowing that because I can call on a different friend for a different reason.  It allows me respect the best in my friends, and not expect something of them that I know (or suspect) they're not willing to give.   I like friends that have those same considerate (some would say low) expectations of me. 

There are really two ways of looking at your friends.  You can expect everything of them, and wear them out like a pair of  favorite socks that are always the first ones you pull out of the drawer, wear them around the house, even sneak outside with just them on, inconsiderate of the damage you're doing to them.  Or, you can pull them out for both regular and special occasions, not every day, so as to not wear them out, but knowing the smile they bring to your face whenever you see them is that special smile just for those socks.  Yah, you're thinking, okay, is she talking about socks now or friends?

I think that's all I have to say, except this- I had a friend stop by unannounced today.  Well, kind of unannouced.  She told me a earlier this week she'd have a surprise for me in a couple of days, but I didn't know how it would be delivered, or when.  And the big deal is, this is a friend who just doesn't stop by unannounced.  Some people are uncomfortable with that, and they just don't do it, even if they've been told 'stop by', as I have done with this friend several times.  So I was a little surprised when I opened the door and it was her.  And she was bearing a surprise in her hand, thoughtful, cutely packaged, just for me.  Even in the midst of this crud I've been fighting for over 5 weeks, it cheered me up as you can't even imagine.  So I think our friendship has grown, with the whole showing up at the door thing, and I like it.

And I hope that friend likes reading this post, especially when she finds out that the reason it took me so long to get to the door after the 4th time (or was it 5th) she'd knocked was because I was sitting on my feet at the computer playing the 'What Drives Edward' contest at the Volvo website - trying for about the 15th time to wind my way through the red-hooded Italian crowd to save Edward.  When I tried to get up, my left foot was so asleep that I couldn't step on it- I tried and just about sprained it...so I had to crawl to the living room on all fours....(yah, like a DOG!') and then carefully stand up and act normal when I opened the door.

"It is better to be in chains with friends , than to be in a garden with strangers."

-Persian Proverb

Shelby's presentation on Hungary

I'm glad that's over!

Shelby's fourth grade class all did presentations on a country that part of their family heritage is from.  Yesterday was her turn so I went in and took a couple of pictures.  She said she was nervous but she seemed very calm about it!  She even answered a few questions of the teacher and class.  The most interesting part of the presentation was when she talked about how her great-grandfather, John Heineck stowed away on a ship coming to America.  He never went through Ellis Island so he was technically here illegally, but it's thanks to him that the rest of us have grown up as free Americans.

Halloween 2009

Out trick or treating downtown Lebanon...it was a big crowd and it poured part of the time...but luckily we were mostly under awnings during the rain.  Here's our favorite stop...Bi-Rite...Mark makes a perfect Frankenstein and Kathy his perfect bride!

I'm having fun with my digital scrapbooking!

I am having SO MUCH FUN with my digital scrapbooking software from Creative Memories - Storybook Creator Plus 3.0

As you can see, the creative possibilities are endless...all without dragging out ANYTHING!   I still cling to my need to touch paper, scissors, stickers and tools, but I have to admit, digital creativity is allowing me to do things with my photos and scrapbook layouts that I never dreamed of.

Less is More

So last Sunday, (not THIS Sunday, but last Sunday) we had a great Adult Sunday School.  I missed Adult Sunday School this week to watch the toddlers in the nursery.   Now, I'm not the most adept at recall, but I do remember this.  We talked about selfishness, and how sometimes that can create our own stress and stress to those around us.  Our sunday school leader said that he often is rushing the family around trying to get ready to go somewhere, yet if he'd just gotten out of bed and done a few things a little earlier, things would go so much more smoothly and it would alleviate so much stress on him and the 4 little munchkins (and wife) he's trying to rush around to get out of the house.

When I heard that, I thought 'God, that is so me!'  I made a pledge right then to try and make a change to be less selfish.  Less snuggling back down into the covers at 6:30 when the alarm goes off and I hit snooze every 7 minutes until 6:50. Less pretending that I don't hear Scott at 6:30 getting dressed, opening and closing drawers, the closet, muttering at the cat to get out of his way.  Less grumbling at the kids for the third or fourth time that we have to get dressed NOW or we're going to be late....Less stressing the kids out when they're enjoying talking to each other during breakfast ( I mean, what am I thinking we don't have time to talk to each other during breakfast???) Less talking through doors that 'you HAVE to get off the potty NOW or we're going to be late!'  Less blame about whose fault it is when we pull out of the driveway at 8:07 instead of 7:55.   Less guilt that I'm quickly dropping the kids off at school to walk in (quickly, of course, and some times I even roll down the passenger window to remind Tristan, 'Walk Quickly BUD!) without me, when I know they love for me to walk them to their cubbies, get a kiss and a hug and a wish for a great day at school.

So last week, I started making an effort to banish my morning selfishness.  It worked almost every day (yah I slipped up one morning, I'm new to this okay?).  When I thought about how much nicer the mornings were, more time to see Scott grumble at the kitty, more time to talk, more time to listen to talking, more time to go potty in peace, more time to walk nicely into school and give each child a hug and and a kiss, knowing that neither child was stressed about classing having started without them, I think God wasn't working in a mysterious way, just working on me.

So no time spent hitting the snooze button, no time pretending that I'm still asleep, no time stressing out my family, no time stressing out myself.  Yep, working on me.

Twilight Weekly Spotlight series on ReelzChannel

Quileute ties to Twilight featured on Internet video channel


The Quileute Nation and the tribe's ties to the Twilight story are being spotlighted this week by the ReelzChannel, which provides cable broadcasts nationwide on Twilight. Four online videos are being featured. The shows are hosted by ReelzChannel's resident Twilight expert and correspondent Naibe Reynoso, Twilight Weekly: Spotlight offers all the latest info on Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and the fandom surrounding them.

Delivery from the Forks Forest

So I can't remember if I mentioned that during our trip to Forks, Washington, we went to the park where there were a bunch of Forks and Twilight related vendors set up.   My favorite vendor (and Tristan's too!) was the Forks Forest.  They are a local family, Tena, the grandmother, and her grandson who makes beautiful glass blown beads.  Tena then has created a beautiful line of Twilight inspired jewlery using the beads.   I couldn't make up my mind which necklace or bracelet was my favorite so I asked her to put my favorite bead together with the key size and tag that I liked.   It arrived in the mail last week, along with a pair of earrings as as special gift!  I'm so excited and I'll definitely be wearing my necklace to the opening of New Moon.  

In the meantime, Scott is chomping at the bit (or should I say the fishing line....) because Jim, who runs the hostel we stayed at just south of Forks, has e-mailed him several times letting him know the steelhead are running on the Sol Duc.   I'm ready to go back! 

A surprise from Forks!

You will never guess what happened! My daughter Shelby won the drawing at Sully's Drive In from Bella's birthday weekend! A box arrived in the mail on Monday addressed to her, with a return address from Forks, but no name. We thought, "did she forget something at the place we stayed and they're mailing it back?"

But no, inside we were ECSTATIC to find the Twilight Board Game, and a personal note from Bruce Guckenberg, the owner of Sully's Drive In.

We sat right down after dinner Monday night and played until bedtime.  It is a pretty fun game, you draw cards, answer trivia questions or do story challenges, and you try to manuever around the board and collect 8 scene cards.  Whoever collects the 8 scene cards first wins the game .....I won!

Here is a picture of Shelby just after she opened the package, and one later of us playing the game...be good to me and we might invite you over for a game!

An experience at Twilight

At Sulley's Restaurant

We took our picture with Bella's truck at the park, did a tour of the Forks High School, took a  picture at Dr. Cullen's parking spot at the Hospital, drove by the Police Department...One of the things 'the family' had a little confusion with was that the things we were seeing weren't in the movie....I had to keep reminding them...now this is where Bella was in the REAL story - the BOOK, they just weren't able to film here, but this is the REAL PLACE....etc.

We stopped at every booth at Tillicum Park. Tristan was mesmerized by a local young man creating glass beads, inspired by Twilight...His grandmother was selling the beads made into necklaces with little metal charms that say 'forks' or hearts that have B & E on them, with keys and just very cool eclectic style to them. I couldn't decide on one, but I found a bead that I loved and am having them rework the stuff on it with a Forks tag and a key that I liked. They're going to mail it to me. I'm also going to order a couple of the small beads for Tristan and Shelby to make their own bracelets with.  check it out at www.theforksforest.etsy.com   

My favorite store is 'Dazzled by Twilight' - every single thing in the store is Twilight stuff, including the window displays of Emmett and Rosalies wedding, Rosalies Wedding dress and veil, Jaspers Union soldier outfit from the civil war, and a certain 'baby vampire with a bottle of red liquid...The ambiance inside is amazing - trees, water, and a gazebo with lights for a 'prom' photo -op. In the back is  black light room where everything glows.  Also in the back are several cases displaying the owners prized possessions - autographed photos posters, and one of a kind collectibles from her experiences with the Twilight crew.   

After dinner, we went down to First Beach, and there was already a bonfire going...we thought we'd have to wait for sunset, but before long here comes Mark, the Quileute storyteller, with a gal who's head of the reservation school, and Tinsel Corey, who plays Emily in 'New Moon'!! After the storytelling Tinsel was available for autographs and pictures....I didn't have $20 cash to pay for an autograph so we got a picture with her - at least something. All the proceeds from her autographs and photos go directly to the reservation school. She also spent some time at the school talking to the kids and giving some acting advice/lessons. If we hadn't had dinner early, we wouldn't have been down to the beach on time to hear the stories and see her.  Amazing how things worked out.  Storytelling is a very sacred tradition with the people, so they ask that no one video tape or take pictures during the storytelling.   These activities also 'break the circle' the strength and vision that the storytelling circle create.  I did take one picture of Mark (ya ya, I ran back to the car for my New Moon book, and didn't hear the part about no pictures, so someone told me and I stopped - but no I'm not deleting the picture!), but it won't be posted here, out of respect for their wishes.  It'll be in my scrapbook, along with the picture of me and the kids with Tinsel.

LaPush

Tinsel Corey!

Sunday, on the way home, we stopped at Kalama High School and took pictures where the movie was actually filmed....all the scenes at the school in the movie are here, we even walked up the hill in the back of the school as if we were going into the woods like Bella and Edward and they thought that was really fun. Kalama is really charming (steep) early 1900's houses on hills and lots of beautiful views. I can see why they filmed there, but it was one of the few places actually in Washington where they filmed. Apparently it was to expensive with the sales tax in WA...and Twilight was done on a pretty small budget.

Not a volvo or

This is where Bella walked!                              a vampire    . but he's one in a million!

We plan on visiting few more of the movie locations in Carver, St Helens and Cannon Beach. I've never done anything like this before -but it is really fun!  If you want to see any of the movie sights, or travel to the REAL FORKS, check outForks Chamber of Commerce and Twilight film locations.

Zoo Trip

We had a great trip to the zoo last Sunday. It was a comfortable day, not to hot, not too cold. We got a later start than we intended to, but it all worked out well. We also treated the kids to Olive Garden for dinner (they've always wanted to go there, but OUCH!) so we headed home from Lake Oswego about 7;30 with full tummys and memories of a happy day. We didn't really take a big vacation this summer, expenses with the car, Scott had surgery on his right thumb, etc. but all in all it's been a pretty great summer.

I'm also working on my camera skills. I'm excited to be participating in a Creative Memories webinar about 'those buttons on your camera', and learning more about aperture, ISO, composition, etc...stuff that I've read about in my camera manual but I still just don't get! So hopefully you'll see some better pictures AFTER the September 1st webinar. In the meantime, here's a few pictures that I'm proud of from our zoo trip.

"Surfin' " USA

Sometimes we have a hard time
talking Dad into getting into the pool, yet whenever it happens, he usually

comes up with some creative way of entertaining the kids in a new, inventive way. Friday night, I heard yelling from the back yard. I went to the back door to find Tristan talking (yelling) that I HAD to come watch him in the pool with Dad, and this is what they showed me! Shelby had a harder time standing up, so I was lucky to get a shot of her up at all, but it's interesting where the sunflash on the photo showed up, covering Scott just enough to make it look like she's really surfing!

Boys of Summer

For love of the game? Well, I think so, but looking at some of these pictures, you would think playing baseball was torture. Tristan keeps telling me he loves it....okay, okay. Most of the last game of the year was grumpy, arm-folded, pouting, grumpy attitude. But by the end of the game somebody mentioned it was snack time, and then there was sprinting across the field! Go figure.

Joya Awards

I was proud to learn earlier this year that my daughter, Shelby received the Optimist Student of the Month Award at Riverview School. She and 8 other students from Riverview received their awards, recognition and congratulations from many community leaders at the Joya Awards on May 18th. Optimist students have a history of becoming successful leaders in their community and in their lives.

Tristan would like to become an Optimist winner too. He commented at one point during the awards night 'I'll never get to be an optimist!'.....trust me it's difficult to explain to a 7 year old how saying that statement makes it so true! We'll keep working on our boy. :)

The link is posted so you can see the list of all the students, from all the Lebanon area schools who received Optimist Awards this year.

http://http//www.lebanon-express.com/articles/2009/06/04/news/local/local66.txt

Family Project

Scott and I have been wanting to build a play structure in our yard for the past couple of years. Unfortunately house renovations have always gotten in the way. So, we have made a commitment to get this done this summer before the kids get too old to even enjoy a play structure! So we started it last weekend, and of course the kids get to help. They've helped with almost everything as we've renovated the house, running for tools (well, not actually running - but hurrying) holding flashlights, handing us screws or nails, and even using the hammer and drills a few times. So Shelby and Tristan were pretty excited to put their renovation experience to good use helping with the fort. And of course we had a couple of spectators very interested in what we were up to outside.