Theatre Under the Stars

A spontaneous decision turned our Saturday evening into a star - lit extravaganza of music and theatre.

The last time I attended the Caravan farm Theatre I was so disappointed in the seemingly inappropriate language and humour during the show; however last night's production was very fun and much less offensive.

The company was delightful, the acting was fabulous and the singing and music was stellar. There were banjos, violins and guitars and lots of laughs.

And there were snacks.

We were all over those snacks...

I wasn't allowed to take a picture of the show but this was the outdoor stage on the farm.

We were surrounded by forest, the night grew cool and the stars shone bright in the sky above. 

They're Moving On

I have wanted to get this grouping of dear ladies up here all summer but due to mom and dad's move and the whole ensuing kafuffle I have only now gotten around to it! 

(Plus I had groups of company in between, slowing the process down as well!)

This was the evening that worked for Daniel and Nicole so we rallied and got a little goodbye BBQ happening before my three kids move to the coast! 

I was delighted thAt Cori and her girls could come too and we had BBQ steak and potatoes and lots of salads with a yummy dessert from Grandma.

The weather was just right - still and warm so the visiting around the table went on for a long time.

I had so much fun with Cori's little girls, Olivia and Anika.

They are so sweet and just love jumping on my lap so we can do the Choo-choo train ride around the yard.

It wasn't long ago that Cori lived across the street as a small girl and now she is a beautiful capable momma of two little lovelies.

I feel so much love from Corinne and I know she'd like to come up here more so I need to do that.

Relationship is a big deal and it's so easy and fun to pour love into little people and enjoy the laughter and joy they give in return.

I also got a few minutes to visit with Daniel in my room before the party started.

The dogs wanted to be in on the action! 

Wind in my Sails

The slap of the waves against the boat and the wind billowing in the sails...

Pretty much a perfect August day to go sailing with my girl.

We've had so many smokey days this summer because of all of the wildfires burning away in our province, but the wind cleared the skies for our little lake adventure.

I love that Patrice has been trained to do this so that we can sneak out together on a sailboat and enjoy some time on the water.

Look at her leaning over me to show me how it's done!

Unfortunately I am confused with which ropes I'm supposed to be pulling, creating some stress for Patrice, but she would take over and get us going in the right direction so we could take advantage of the wind again.

Thankfully we did have wind this time!!

The waves created by other boats were lovely to go bouncing over and at times the boat would lean way over so I could reach out and touch the water beside me if I wanted to.

I love that there are programs out there allowing people with disabilities to access activities almost otherwise impossible to do.

I also got a few minutes with this dear friend and we enjoyed a decadent cinnamon cold drink while we caught up on some of our summer.

I pretty much look drunk with happiness...

I hardly get to see Sue anymore so the moments are precious.

She had to go and get snacks ready for all of our boys who were heading off on yet another Bachelor's Weekend before her eldest son's wedding.

Fun with the Fabulous Ford Family

Somewhere around the 10th of August the Ford's drove up and moved in for some summer fun.

They were here three years ago and the kids were excited to come to a familiar place and I was excited to see them and to enjoy their sweet company once again.

Family comes in all different packages and they feel like family now.

Rachel is simply a stellar human being.

She is the embodiment of kindness and pours out her life for others in so many beautiful ways.

Having lived in India for many years, she made some authentic delicious real chai for us one morning...

It was amazing.

The kids are over the top beautiful and fun to have around.

Not to mention incredibly talented.

For real.

They play together really, really well.

It was just poor little Isaac who got a bit restless when his two older brothers took off for a few days of summer camp.  He was rather lost without his built in playmates so Kenya was frequently called on to rescue him.

He would wander around the house yelling her name at great volume until she came to relieve him of his boredom.  

There was a funny app we were trying to use when we took this picture to swap our faces with each other.

As you can see I didn't get the app to work!  

 But someone else did get it to work when I tried it with Kenya.

We laughed so hard.

I think I got the better end of the deal with the amazing hair. 

 Lots of relaxing meals were eaten out on the back patio, often with a strange smokey haze surrounding us due to the many forest fires continuing to burn throughout the province. 

That didn't stop us from enjoying the beautiful warmth and fabulous company.

It was dear Becca, Rae's sister who lived with me three years ago who got me hosting this fun bunch.

I'm so grateful for this ever expanding body of Christ that feels like a big heavenly hug.

Even my family joined in one evening for some patio fun.

They did a bit of fund-raising while they were here and Kenya put together this amazing little poster to show people what they were needing.  

I was blown away by the beautiful house concert Chinua and Andrew put on.

Such incredible talent and music filling my home and pouring out the front door. 

It felt like thousands of people should have been there to enjoy the night, but only a small but privileged few came out.

We're just trusting God to provide for this dear family and for the beautiful work they do in Thailand to lead seekers to Jesus through Christ centred meditation and community.

Lots of good photo ops with this good looking bunch.

Of course, the setting is pretty sublime.

even when it's smokey...

But especially when it's not.

Kids with Kids

It was not so long ago that Daniel and Bradley were becoming friends in Kindergarten and a little note was sent to me in Daniels lunchbox launching a bunch of super special lifetime friendships.

Now Bradley has a little boy named James who is simply charming.

That little face and smile just won my heart.

To my great amazement, Bradley and his wife connected with me asking for a visit while they were in the Okanagan, so a patio breakfast was scheduled.

Sometimes I feel as if people are doing things out of duty or obligation and I made it clear that if they were too busy or whatever, things could be postponed or avoided... just to play it safe.

However, this was obviously not an "obligatory" visit and we had a REALLY great time together.

Early in their marriage, Brad & Shelby set aside time and money to invest in a School of Biblical Studies at YWAM - a very intensive time spent going through the Bible multiple times and learning to carefully study the Word.

I had joked with Brad to let me know when he was going to do this course because it was something I was also interested in but I did the WBH course instead.

Bradley has become a school teacher, but it's obvious that his teaching skills are being used in many other areas as well and they have become quite involved with their local church, even preaching at times. 

I loved hearing their hearts as they shared about their love for community and for the Scriptures.

Our common passion for the Word gave us so much to talk about and I was so impressed with their depth of character and how much fun we were able to have together.  

It was just so comfortable and natural.

What a gift.

It's so cool when the little people in your life grow up into these amazing adults that have so much to teach you.

I was so very blessed by this time with Barb's son and daughter-in-law and their sweet friendly boy James. 

Downtown with Kenya

My house is full of Fords (as in the missionary family) and I grabbed one of them who was eager for an outing, on my way out the door. 

There were papers to be picked up at the lawyers and banking to be done on behalf of Mom and Dad, so I invited Kenya to join me and we turned the errands into an adventure extraordinaire.

There is always an opportunity to turn the mundane into the glorious...

So we did just that.

Kenya has a sweet, engaging and very delightful personality.

She's eager to create fun, join in with a party or quietly enjoy herself.

These kids have learned to "go with the flow", having lived overseas for years.

They don't have "great expectations" and I heard very little whining or complaining from any of the kids the whole time they were staying here. (other than the littlest fellow who got bored when his two elder brothers were at camp)

Therefore the possibly to join me in running errands was an opportunity rather than a chore and we found the fun that was laying in wait for us! 

We promised ourselves a treat once the appointments had been accomplished which gave us the needed impetus to make three stops and wait in lines when needed.

The first stop was to purchase a blended coffee for me...

followed by a the downtown ice-cream shop for Kenya.

That long line was definitely worth it as a double chocolate mint, rocky road waffle cone was the reward. 

To our great wonder and joy the smoke cleared and we saw blue skies! 

On the way home we picked up some corn on the cob at a local farm and said hello to the cows. 

Suddenlies

These beautiful rhythms of life that I have observed for all of my life are about to change. 

Mom and Dad in their very ordered, 3 meals a day routine, eating their home made bread  and borscht, enjoying a snack from the plastic box of cookies and crumb cake and making their daily coffees...

Sunday lunches of delicious chicken and potatoes after church...

They have been struggling over the past while to keep up with life in the condo.

Well, it's been slow going for quite a few years now, but somehow still manageable.

However, since Mom's stroke in April and since Dad's bladder problems became more intense the whole "independent" scenario didn't seem sustainable anymore.

Us kids have been extremely eager for a long time to find a nice retirement spot where they could be served nice meals and where there would be entertainment provided to break up Mom's long days...

So at the end of May I broached the subject with Dad, once again, hoping that he would finally agree and just like that he said "YES"!! 

I was amazed, to say the least as there has been great resistance up to this point. 

That night I was on the phone with "The Village" putting them on a waiting list.

The wait was going to be 4-6 months but in 6 weeks later they were given a place.

It was one of those beautiful "suddenlies" when God sweeps in and re-arranges life for us.

The place would be available to move in on August 1st. 

So the packing began.

These beautiful spaces that have hosted many family meals over the past 10 years needed to be dismantled and boxed away. 

Vic and Marcia had just left Kelowna when we were given the phone call about the impending move so Patrice and I started doing as much as we could and I spent time going through boxes of cards and pictures, reading many of them aloud to Mom and Dad.

So very many years of memories...

Vic and Marcia arrived at the beginning of August and they began packing and dismantling in earnest. 

For 5 days they packed up the kitchen, bathrooms etc, making endless trips to the thrift store and helped settle mom and dad into their new spot. 

Papers were signed and a new chapter was begun at the Village.

It took awhile to get things moved over and to decide what would fit and what wasn't necessary anymore.

The meals haven't been stellar, but Dad isn't complaining and thankfully there is food prepared for them and served with a smile. 

Even pets are allowed in this friendly new place so Moose came to check things out.

We asked for a slightly larger room than was originally available and it was open for them just in time!  So now they have space for their giant bed and there is even a pretty view of the mountains and trees.

So this is their new spot... cozy (at least when the crazy air conditioning unit isn't blowing freezing air at them as it only seems to have an off and on switch).

We are figuring out the new routines and getting things organized so it feels like home for them again.

The whole move was very disruptive and upsetting for Dad and his health took a real dip for in the month of August.

The day I was taking them over to the new place Dad was walking towards my car with his cane and he started shaking so badly he nearly fell over.  Thankfully there was a man working nearby so I yelled at him to go and grab Dad.

Yikes... hard on everyone's nerves! 

It's hard to see how frail they have become and how taxing these big changes can be for the elderly, now matter how much you try to make sure they are not doing too much.

However here we are, starting over again with new routines around a new kitchen table. 

Occasionally we join them and they still come over for evenings up at my place so new rhythms are beginning. 

God is kind and good.

He is our Shepherd, leading us and guiding us even when it feels like we are dipping into a valley...