4P's for Lent and Celebrating Easter

With the season of Lent winding down, we celebrate the rebirth of Jesus.  Lent is always such a cleansing period, and Easter is a re-awakening.  Fortunately this year the weather also added an additional pop to the big day. 

We gathered with our sons, daughter-in-laws and favorite five year old for Mass Easter morning.  As Father shared the Homily I enjoyed hearing him share his personal moments of sacrifice and change during Lent. 

After church we met up at our home for a family meal.  Krieg invited an unexpected guest who was traveling from Portland, OR, relocating to Syracuse, NY.  We'd met RP two summers ago when he hosted a Rhino Lacrosse Camp in Boise.   Krieg was working at the camp after meeting RP and team over in Oregon.  Naturally we had to extend some Shaw Hospitality when they came to town. 

Holiday or not, the Shaw family table has no boundaries and all are welcome.  I think both Mike and I enjoyed how Krieg knew RP would be welcome without asking first.

Missing from our family gathering was our new parents and newest grandson.  With their work schedules and hockey season sneaking out of town with a nearly 2 month old baby wasn't on the agenda.  Besides they were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Chris' dad and Kathy, who were driving to Idaho from Michigan soon.

Cute Easter Bunny 

She loves being a Momma

After a meal with several new dishes, we took in some vitamin D and added some photographs to go with our Easter memories.  

Our Easter Family

With Brit

Tater got a fun Creationary Lego game.  Much like Pictionary but you have to build something out of Legos and have others guess...  My coordination with Legos is nil (ask my sons) and my recent attempt at building with my favorite five year old was an epic fail - and that was WITH the "map" so I abstained from the game.



Overlook the shaggy beard.  My hubby has accepted our son's Duck Dynasty beard challenge...  winner to be determined the last week of July at Kalaloch.  (Oh goodie...  April...  May...  June...  July...)

Krieg and RP

One of THOSE Days...

It seems every project I planned to work on went south. I wanted to paint in the bathroom but the walls needed to be prepped... I emptied cupboards and then Mike started the walls.

I thought I'd scan some photos - I have lots... And spent 3 hours getting two different laptops updated, printer software updated, and still no scanner. You would think with two options I could at least get ONE to work. I was assured awhile back "all you have to do..."

Just once I would love to sit down at the computer and NOT have to unplug a cord, add a cord, reboot a computer, and find there were a dozen other things to complicate matters.

I had hoped for a more productive weekend and some 'feel good' personal time. I will be working full time for three weeks in April and wanted to see progress.

I hate technology today. I'm going to turn off my phone, close the blinds and take a nap. Grrrrr...

4 P's for Lent

This weekend we went north with our favorite five year old.  I offered to babysit for the new parents so they might go out to celebrate St. Patricks Day.  They enthusiastically took up my completely selfless offer. 

Our DIL has been out of town and we've been sharing our favorite five year old with his other grands.  His Daddy's schooling was wrapping up and we were meeting him up north for the weekend.

It was a special weekend.  Time with oldest son, daughter, son-in-law, husband, and BOTH grandsons.  I felt great to be able to see everyone together (we did miss the newlyweds) and how special to spend such one-on-one time with both grandsons together.  The weekend fulfilled nearly all 4 P's for Lent.  Not sure about productivity but as I start out this new week I have paint for a bathroom project.

Our favorite five year old started out cautiously around the baby but it didn't take long for him to figure out he was really alright.  T is a great big cousin to little C.

He has already offered to share his Legos! Now that's some serious stuff.

Prayerful, Personal, Productive and Positive Week 4

Thursday, March 7th - Wednesday, March 13th
It's been a bit difficult this week to focus on the 4 P's for Lent.  Sometimes the noise from your life gets in the way and focus becomes difficult.  Instead I dove into work and tried to gain a new perspective on life around me. 

Day Light Savings occurred this weekend, ready or not.  Mostly not.  I will definitely enjoy the later sunset.  I just hope the extended daylight hours will infuse my senses and propel me into any form of activity at this point.  We didn't start out well.  Saturday night we stayed up late and watched four hours of Lincoln television shows on the DVR, well past the 2am time change. Needless to say noon seemed appropriate for rising from our slumber.

Sunday was tough.  It was nearly 3:30 pm before we finally shed our sleeping clothes and moved into forward motion. 

Somewhere during the day I started a little de-cluttering and cleaned decor items from top of the kitchen cabinets.

Monday was officially National Napping Day.  We were very happy to oblige.  Our favorite five year old was delivered to our doorstep in the morning when his other grandparents headed off to work.  His dad is up north in school again and his mom joined her sister and brother-in-law on a trip to Las Vegas.  We are very happy to have him with us for a few days.  When I go back to work he will return for two more nights with his other grands and then head north with us Friday night.

One of Tate's favorite activities is making his own pizza for dinner.  I made up dough and had the toppings ready for preparation.  Auntie 'Rissa came for dinner and we were joined by Tio for sundaes.  Tate enjoyed hanging out with them.

Today we enjoyed sunshine and warm temperatures.  Tate asked to walk home from school so it gave me a reason to get outside when walking over to pick him up.  We stopped in the park to swing and climb around awhile.  Once home we decorated the porch and house with our Easter decorations.  Tate started some raking in the back yard while I made dinner.  Our big after dinner plans to make a train engine using the 'map' in his Lego magazine wasn't quite as successful as Drahma wasn't able to find the 1x4 flat pice with axles needed.  Papa joined us and was able to convince the Master Builder we could build with other parts - so far so good.  As our day winds down, our favorite five year old crashed hard.  I think he sets a good example!

Kindergarten Cop

As I was getting my escort to work this morning, and during our weekly Slug Bug game, we passed a older Boise Police car. They recently changed over to the sleek black Dodge Chargers.

Our favorite five year old told us he liked the black cars better because the lights were hidden. He went on to tell us he was going to drive the black cars on his job. I questioned what job he was talking about... And was informed that he was going to be a cop.

Papa asked him if he would want to stop in to see us and have a cup of coffee when he is a cop. I told him I would be sure to make cookies, to share, with his coffee.

I was quickly told in a very serious voice "coffee is fine but real cops eat doughnuts."

We giggled the rest of the way in to work...

Crazy Hat Day at school today

"Coast"ing thru the weekend...

Sometime the end of the year, our Texas family shared a Groupon featuring our favorite little piece of heaven on the Washington Coast. Imagine our surprise! Needless to say my interest was peaked and I signed on for our own Groupon updates, all the while keeping a close eye on that discounted weekend in heaven. The timing wasn't quite right. We had a new grand baby to meet. However, I did find a special for one of the other four Olympic National Park lodges which did work.

Fast forward... New year, new grand baby, new month and we were headed west after work. We've discovered a comfortable place to stay along the Columbia River just east of Portland. It fits perfect into our itinerary for leaving town after my Friday shift, provides a great night's sleep and puts us 'nearly' there for our morning departure.

Mt Hood was missing from view when we crossed the river from Oregon to Washington confirming the bleak forecast for the weekend's weather. No matter. It's part of the coastal charm. We packed music, books, deck of cards, rain gear AND wine!

We met up with our DIL and oldest granddaughter for lunch. Family news and catching up between bites. Debbie has always been such a good friend. Granddaughter Andrea is gorgeous, owns her own home, has a great job working for the State and SINGLE! Seriously she doesn't need her Gramma finding dates as she has a very nice gentleman in her life - but I'm just sayin'...

Our trip to the coast was met with patches of rain as we expected. Lake Quinault Lodge is 30 miles closer than Kalaloch but just as quaint. Its nestled about 2 miles off Hwy 101, in a small, sleepy community which I'm certain is buzzing in the summer months.We had a cozy fireplace room with a balcony overlooking the lake.

We made reservations for dinner as encouraged after we unpacked. We added our jackets and set out to explore the immediate area around the Lodge.

There are several trails in a variety of lengths. The weather was trying to clear. With my hubby's still gimpy ankle we didn't stray far. We scooted along the edge of the lake and found a small water fall as well as a nice camping area. There were several trails we want to explore this summer including the 4 mile nature trail.

We returned to the lodge, surprised to see it much fuller with folks playing cards & chess, putting together puzzles, reading by the main fireplace and socializing. We ordered a couple of adult beverages and followed suit.

Dinner at a table for two, looking out on the lake as the sun set over the mountains, was delicious. Mike had salmon and I had prime rib.

We focused on our weekend away from home but our children were on our minds.  As the day wound to an end we were back in the room enjoying a warm fire, hot shower and comfy bed.

Sunday morning we were greeted by sunshine on the lake as we started our morning with a vigorous hike before coffee after 10am. I can't recall the last time we both slept in that long. Coffee and homemade banana muffins in our room for breakfast and we headed out to explore.

Naturally we had to stop at Beach 2 to visit Nan and Papo. It's also a good spot to recall memories of Uncle Ric and Rex. . As we approached the beach I watched a bald eagle landing where the snow run off blended into the ocean. It wasn't long after we were joined by a circling female 'balden' eagle (a Tate-ism).

From Beach 2 we headed for the closed campgrounds. The Or-Ida Shaws are returning for their 9th year this summer. Despite the winter storm debris we were able to walk thru and check out our adjoining sites reserved in January. I think we have some good sites. Plenty of room for the WA-Shaws too!

We did some further 'research' on the beaches with a cup of coffee. The sunshine was warm but the wind was brisk.

We circled Lake Quinault on the way back to the Lodge, exploring some graveled, narrow, terrain with muddy roadsides that dropped severely on the passenger side of the vehicle.

Dinner and drinks back at the Lodge. A new choice for dessert... Bananas foster. Ok so I'm not a banana connoisseur. Once in awhile a nearly green banana with cereal is consumed. This was a walnut tuille... A bowl which looked like burned sugar. It held ice cream, sliced banana and a caramel sauce. The combination was different odd not my favorite. Honestly except for banana splits or banana pudding how does banana end up in a dessert, let alone an overpriced splurge. I kept thinking "this is a dessert that would be created in an Iron Chef competition where the chefs learn bananas are the mystery ingredient". (Comment attributed to the time spent recently with our daughter as I've never watched those shows before...)

But despite the bananas we enjoyed our meal and the weekend in total.

The sunshine carried us home. Our departure was acknowledged by Mt. Rainer, Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood, all standing tall and white against a brilliant blue sky.

We stopped at Centralia Deli and picked up lunch to share with our oldest grandson, his wife and our two adorable GREAT granddaughters. How blessed are we?!  They moved from San Diego to Seattle this year and we finally met our beautiful Greats.  It was great to catch up with Adam and Alexis as well. 

Prayerful, Productive, Positive and Personal Week 3

Thursday, February 28th
I wish I could say I've held myself to task but honestly today was just another day at work. Steady. Projects. No complaints. No productivity either. I'm thankful February is a short month. I know folks who have stepped up their work out challenge or added a creative task to their days this month... Me, you ask? Nope. Like a named Chinese New Year, I've declared today as the official end of the month of The Slug. You should see my 'To Do' list for March!

We hit the road tomorrow after work. My bag is packed, and the rest (camera, deck of cards, iPod, book and wine!) is organized on the table for loading.

Friday, March 1st
It's a good time to reflect as we drive along the Columbia River gorge. The stars shine brightly in the sky. The river is a vast span of darkness across to the other side where a long train stretches out across the landscape. A good reminder of the season we are honoring. Be prayerful. Be productive. Stay positive and remember to be true to your own person.

Saturday, March 2nd.
Sometimes a day starts out with a bright outlook and in the blink of an eye (or the ding of a text) your entire life changes. It's how you handle the changes that can make or break you. Of course this is 50 plus years of heartache, anxiety and experience speaking. I looked for the positive. Sometimes excuses are just that - excuses. Ask for forgiveness. Move forward with as much trust as one can muster. Toss aside anything being put in your way that is meant to cause more pain. Work with what you have control over. And pray.

Sunday, March 4th.
We enjoyed God's creativeness today. Our personal day. The beauty of the vast ocean. The majestic bald eagles soaring over head. Moments of contemplation and prayer on the beach in memory of our family who have passed on.

Monday, March 5th.
Wondering how our family is and anxious to speak to every one again. Being out of range was a test in trusting prayer for guidance. We stopped to share a meal with our oldest grandson, his wife and meet our two sweet great granddaughters! How's that for a positively personal day!

Tuesday, March 6th.
Today wasn't much more than a restful day. Productivity took place though not volumns. Laundry is caught up.  Bags unpacked. House organized again.  Even made soup for dinner.  Spent the morning with our favorite five year old. He has a cold.  And the way I feel right now I'd say he's sharing again.  Oh well.  If I got a few germs while cuddling with him on the sofa so.be.it.  It was my personal moment!

Wednesday, March 7th.
Back to work which means productivity at it's finest...  (stop giggling). Had a great morning relaxing with our favorite five year old before going in to work. 

Public Service Announcement

I don't care what has happened - don't mess with my family. Not my Grands, not my Children nor their Spouses, not my Husband. Be very careful when you are toes to the line.

Mistakes are made. We wish choices could be undone. No one is perfect. I can only pray there is a learned lesson once and for all.

Apparently it needs to be said - DON'T deliberately set out to hurt any of my family. It's childish and unproductive.

End of PSA.