I'm Baaack...

We returned from our wonderful family vacation Sunday night. As you may recall, we were blessed to be able to leave the heat of the Phoenix area to spend a week in the awesome Lake Tahoe area. It was beautiful and amazing and restful, not to mention cooler than we’re used to in the Valley of the Sun this time of year! To me, there really is something special about being surrounded by nature and I always feel closer to God when I am. We really enjoyed the friendly blue jay that frequently visited our balcony and occasionally came in our room. Though I must admit, the numerous “beware of bears” notices were a bit disconcerting.





This vacation was the first for our little Sweet Pea and the first for us with her. She is nearly a year old now and while it was definitely more work to vacation with a baby, it was also more special in lots of ways. It was a time of many firsts for her. For the first time she felt pine needles and rough tree bark, sat in grass, stood in a lake, had a couple of french fries, lay in a hammock (with Daddy, of course!), went down a slide, rode in a swing, and went on a bike ride.













We had a great time with her and I think she had lots of fun too. We were staying up at the northwest part of the lake, at the Olympic village, but Jeff’s father lives in Reno, so we were able to visit him too. We also went to Virginia City (the old west town) and had a good time there. One of the best parts though, was Sweet Pea getting to meet her 95-year old great-grandma. It really was a very special time. (So now she has met Jeff’s 95-year old grandma and my 87-year old grandma!)




Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay indefinitely. As usual, when it came time to leave, I didn’t want to come home. And yet I was so happy to get home. I’m an odd duck, I know. It was great to see our 4-legged family again and to sleep in our own beds. But, it was hard to leave such beauty, cool temperatures and relaxation. However, we came home feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and reconnected as a family again. In short, it was fantabulous!

Goin' on Vacation ~ Scrapblog

This is my last post for a little bit. We are going on vacation and will be gone until Sept. 1st. I will miss being here with you all, but am really excited about our trip. We are going to Lake Tahoe, where we will enjoy some R & R, cooler temperatures and lots of fun activities as well. While we didn't plan it this way, it's kind of cool that we will be staying in Olympic Village at Lake Tahoe, just as the Olympics in Beijing are wrapping up. I'll see you in September!

Vacation Time ~ Thankful Thursday

Well, here it is again - Thankful Thursday! I’m so happy to be able to offer up “Thanks” regularly for the many wonderful blessings I have, whether large or small, significant or mundane. I’d like to offer a special thank you to Iris at her blog, Sting My Heart for hosting this wonderful Meme. If you would like to participate or just read from more thankful hearts, pop on over to Thankful Thursday and join us.

I have been looking forward to the end of this week for some time now. We are leaving for vacation on Saturday. After the last couple of weeks, I’m looking forward to it even more. So, this week I’m thankful for:

~ A great vacation destination – Lake Tahoe.

~ A solid and comfortable vehicle to travel in.

~ Time spent in relaxation and enjoyment with my favorite people – Jeff and Reagan.

~ Somewhat lower gas prices.

~ Cooler temperatures and fun activities, along with beautiful surroundings.

And on another subject, I’m thankful for the comfort, support and prayers I’ve received from this wonderful blogging community, in relation to my miscarriage on Monday. I’m especially thankful to the Lord for the comfort, love and peace He has lavished on me.