Field Trip!!

There are plenty of things that are terrifying when you move BIG - like from Canada to Texas like some crazy people do. For instance, we have no credit in the US even though both of us have an excellent credit rating. That means no one will give us a credit card ... even though they give clueless teenagers credit cards. So we are having to use a training wheel credit card where we have a $500 limit but they have $500 they are holding. It's ridiculous. Now we wait as we build credit, I guess. 

Also still waiting on immigration. We've had to get a lawyer for that and keep waiting until something shows up in the mail telling us what we're to do next. 

I also may have to sacrifice my hairstylist license. Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation doesn't know what to do with an Ontario license and I can't seem to get a straight answer if there's anything I can do about it. Common sense seems to not play much of a factor - I've been doing hair for 23 years, graduated from a US state school, have held three different state licenses, and most recently ran my own business. But because my current active license is from out of country, this seems to be the only thing they care about. I've very sad about this and I'm not really sure if there's anything I can do about it. 

On the upside, it's like Christmas everyday to see what plant or flower is going to pop up next in the landscaping. I don't think I've ever been so excited about nature.

Remember the summer I tried to welcome nature into our postage stamp sized Ottawa backyard only to have it overrun by nesting birds, raccoons, and squirrels? There was NOT enough room for us and nature to cohabitate in our yard. Now with an acre and a half, nature is a welcomed friend (except for the snakes, fire ants, moles, armadillos .... you get the point). 

Purple and white irises started coming up already a month ago. I was surprised then when recently the purple/white combo irises started blooming last week! 

The prettiest gold flowers popped up by our front door a few weeks ago and they are so cheery!!! 

Keep in mind we moved in during the hottest part of the summer last July. Move in day was 106 F. We have a sprinkler system but it's hard for even that to keep up with such hot and dry conditions. So a lot of the plants/flowers didn't even start to perk up until the fall when it was back down to the 70's/80's F. And of course the spring bloomers were already done by the time we moved in so I completely missed them. 

We have these beautiful climbers covering a little gazebo and the colors are amazing!!!

I should clarify that spring here in Texas is like summer as we've known it. It's t-shirts, shorts, flip-flops kinda weather. So when I refer to summer in Texas, I'll be adding another 20 degrees onto the temp. For me that's even too hot to wear t-shirts and shorts. I pretty much wear tanks and dresses in an attempt to keep circulation going. Having said that if I plan on being inside a store at all, I'll need a sweater to throw on because they keep it freezing everywhere! 

Back to nature.

I have a berry garden, ya'll. I'm pretty excited. My plan is to try not to mess them up by doing too much so I'm just sticking to weeding the area and praying for them. 

Just waiting for these pretties to ripen up. I LOVE blueberries. Those flowers are fixin' to be blackberries. Oh, yeah!

Since this is in a fenced in area to keep away the deer, Zanna also wanted to plant some tomatoes. So far we've counted 30 tomatoes growing on our 6 plants. 

Speaking of keeping the deer out, they're cute when they're not eating your stuff ...

We've counted anywhere from 25-30 deer that roam the neighborhood. 

There's an arbor for the entrance into the berry patch and roses that are climbing their way up!! 

There's also another bush of this variety outside the back door and I've been able to cut flowers to bring in for months. They smell amazing!!! 

I've got some hydrangea bushes that are on the verge of exploding!!

I've managed to kill all the potted plants the previous owner left on the screened in back porch. Wayne's currently doing triage on some of them that seemed to have maintained some sign of life but that's not the point. The point is ... this particular pot that was left outside since we've moved in - all through the heat of summer, and more heat of fall, the cool temps of winter and a handful of storms - has managed to survive and thrive!!

I don't even know how it's possible for it to be doing so well after I've neglected it so much. Maybe that's my problem - I'm trying to hard;)

Speaking of my porch ... allow me to introduce you to my favourite spot in the house.

The other thing that has been so fun is discovering new birds! We seriously need some binoculars and a field guide to the local birds. The cardinals here seem to prefer being lower to the ground. They've been known to suddenly fly in front of my windshield as I'm driving along the backroads to get home. I've suggested they might want to fly higher but for whatever reason they favor lower altitudes around here. 

There are also bluebirds, bluejays, orioles, and my favourite - scissor tail birds! 

Their tail moves like scissors and when they fly it looks like the craziest thing!!! Sometimes these birds will be sitting in the middle of the road and wait until the very last minute to move. It's like they have a death wish but whatever. 

Moving such a drastic distance has really brought out the variety of nature and how creative God is! Add to that the benefit of living in the country and the sounds are different - we can hear the natural world around us instead of the manmade noise. It's lovely! 

These little guys hang out right outside our community gate. The turtles love to sun themselves on the logs and we drive by them and slow or stop to check them out. Some of them stack themselves 2-3 turtles high to all fit and the bottom rung doesn't seem to mind. When they suddenly catch wind that we're staring at them they all topple off and back into the water. 

Don't even get me started on the wildflowers around here. We managed to see some bluebonnets back in March when we were in Hill Country but they were just starting out and we were really too early for the full effect. Around here we had some amazing colors of our own and right now it seems that the current wildflower is Queen Ann's Lace if I'm to guess. I suppose I need a field guide on wildflowers too! They also have wisteria trees that from a distance reminded me of lilac trees.  And the dogwood trees were amazing when they were in bloom. 

It's strawberry picking time so we'll need to schedule a trip out to the field this week. I can't wait for the peaches around here to start!! 

Thanks for taking a field trip around the house with me. Come see for yourself sometime and we can sit on the porch with a margarita and listen to the birds:) 

Not Your Teenager's Spring Break

My Mom and Dad rented a house in Hill Country for the month of March. As they've done in the past, they share the rental with friends and bring their Harleys with them to take advantage of the beautiful scenery and weather. 

Not only was it a spring break for my retired parents but it was spring break for Will from college. He was home for a couple weeks in March and so we took part of a week to go visit Oma and Opa and explore a different part of Texas. 

No trip in Texas is complete without a stop at Buc-ees. This is a rest stop on drugs. Their logo is a spunky beaver highlighted on billboards and t-shirts all over the state. They have enough gas pumps per car and the cleanest and roomiest restroom stalls for everyone. It's a sight to behold and an experience to be had.

Our first full day of the trip was spent in San Antonio. The kids had never been before so we knew we should include a trip to the Alamo!

Will rolled his eyes and complained that too much learning was being expected from him. Mom kept wandering off the trail of the self guided tour and we'd find her looking confused and searching for landmarks she was no where near. I kept trying to remind everyone that we're supposed to remember the Alamo and in order to that we should probably pay attention to what we're expected to remember. We finally just went to lunch. 

The weather was misty on and off and overcast but we still managed a stroll on the Riverwalk. This was enjoyable to all!

The next day we ventured off to Fredericksburg, TX. We enjoyed wandering in and out of shops and strolling the main street with fellow tourists. We stopped for lunch at a German restaurant and met up with some friends.

Later that day we met up with Brent and Chantal and kids who were also staying in the area for their spring break. We enjoyed a taste testing at a local winery.

That night got pretty wild. There was beer, live music, and roosters. Welcome to Luckenbach, TX. 

Our last day in Hill Country turned out to be a beautiful sunny day! This was perfect since the guys were planning a ride on their bikes. Wayne was in heaven riding my Dad's beast of a motorcycle and he even managed to get sunburned on his wrists and hands. 

Meanwhile the ladies enjoyed shopping and exploring in Boerne. We cozied up to the locals;)

Our last evening was spent partying - retirement style. Apparently all the teenagers were drinking and half naked somewhere in South Padre, but the retirees were drinking, grilling meat, and two - stepping in Bandera at the 11th Street Cowboy Bar. 

The idea is that on Wednesday nights the place is open for business. They provide the live music, beer and wine, and sides of salad, baked potato and roll. You bring your meat. They provide the grills and seasonings. You can bring in anything they don't provide. The place was jammed packed and we were grateful the guys came early to get us a picnic table! 

We had such a fun time visiting this different part of Texas and we really enjoyed our spring break with my mom and dad. It was wonderful to be able to include Will and we made lots of fun family  memories. 

Confirmation Day!

We are so proud of our girl! Last week we celebrated her confirmation. She was the lone confirmand and answered all the questions by herself while wearing a microphone headset. Talk about pressure! She not only took the year long class (with her dad several times a week to shorten it to a year) seriously, but she worked hard to be prepared for the examination at church.  

I felt really torn about the occasion. It felt weird not being at Divine Word where she was baptized and grew up around our church family there. I know they would have been excited for her and would have celebrated with us. 

On the other hand, our Grace church family has fallen in love with her! They were so excited to share in this special day. They even went so far as to take all the Lenten purple down and put up all the red (gasp!! - in the middle of Lent!) so we could focus on confirmation and what it means. 

Her confirmation verse was 1 John 3:1, How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 

Because confirmation is intrinsically linked to our baptism, I really wanted to bring elements from her baptism into the celebration of the day. It helped to bridge the distance of Divine Word by including this aspect. 

Gabriele had made this banner for her for her baptism and it hung in her room for years over her bed. It's been tucked away in the cedar chest lately but it felt like an old friend was celebrating with us! 

Ellen has made the cross-stitch commemorating her baptism and I set this out next to the picture of that special day. Though no one from Divine Word was physically present that day, it felt like they were celebrating with us. 

I had help decorating the fellowship hall. My mom and dad were in town so mom was able to help a lot with the preparations both at church and at home.

Grace member, Kathie, was eager to put her special touches on the decor and brought in beautiful spring blooms of the season - dogwood, wild flowers, and azaleas. 

Zanna had her own cheerleaders with her that day - cousin Claire and friend Brooklyn. They helped her relax and have some fun!

We also had another reason to celebrate on that day. My parents became members of Grace!

The three of them were able to take their vows together. And in case you're wondering, my parents still live up north and don't intend to move anywhere at least at this point. This is something they wanted to do for their own reasons. 

As previously mentioned, the Halldo family was represented by cousin Claire and Uncle Brent. We appreciated the effort they made to come the night before and camp in pouring rain so they could attend for the day.

The dress she wore was actually my confirmation dress back in 1989. My godmother sewed it for the occasion. Since then my sister and my cousin have worn it for their confirmations! 

We had neighbors and friends and church family come to the service to support her. The music included many of our family favourite hymns, My Hope is Built on Nothing Less (my confirmation hymn), God's Word is Our Great Heritage (requested by her), I am Jesus' Little Lamb, There Is a Higher Throne, The Lamb, and Go, My Children, with My Blessing (my high school graduation class hymn).

We celebrated with cake afterwards in the beautifully decorated fellowship area.

Afterwards we invited everyone out to our place for lunch. Mom helped me with making salads, set up, etc the day before and it made entertaining so much easier! Wayne picked up BBQ brisket the day before to add the Texas touch. 

Her godparents couldn't be here but again, I included their past gifts and memories made from their hands making it feel like they were included in the day. I had her baptism gown that her godmother, Karen, had made on display along with a handmade book filled with artistic thoughts and prayers based on the church year. 

It had been raining all weekend and I was disappointed that it would keep our open house IN the house. But God is good and the rain lifted long enough for people to enjoy the screened in porch and the picnic table outside.  Thank you, Lord! 

It was such a special day and we made so many wonderful memories. We have so much to be thankful for: 

*First and foremost faith in Jesus given to Hosanna as a baby in the waters of Baptism and her continued spiritual growth and understanding of Christian doctrine as she's matured and been taught. 

*The friends and church family that supported her in her Christian upbringing back in Ottawa

*The new friends and church family that have willingly stepped up to continue encouraging this young lady and loving her with their support, friendship, and prayers

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare to make no other claim, but wholly lean on Jesus name. On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand. 

CW 382