Holy Roller Adventure

I've been on a hunt for a new car all year - hoping for something with all the safety features to help me stay alive and safe on the road as I get older with slower reaction time! 

I've tried out SO MANY models and most of them would have some sort of issue that didn't work well with the wheelchair situation.

There are so many variables that have to be "just right" including the height of the seat so the transfer in is as easy as possible as well as the size of the door and it needed to have a hatchback so I could easily get groceries etc. out of the trunk. 

 Daniel felt it would be good for me to get AWD and he suggested a Subaru.

After doing a bit of research, Patrice and I headed off to Penticton where they had a model that I was interested in.

We took Mom and Tante Hilda along for the outing and the day and scenery were just lovely.

We were still in the middle of a heat wave so the the weather was VERY HOT, but we had air conditioning so the 34 degree heat didn't affect us.

It was, however, too much for my lovely little car and the power would just dissipate and we would have to pull over  and rest before starting the car again to drive a bit further.

Mom was a little confused about the whole ordeal and was wanting to have her nap and Tante Hilda was praying up a storm every time the car would sputter out and die.

In hindsight, it wasn't the greatest idea to have a 94 and 90 year old along on this particular adventure, but we are family and this is the way we roll. 

Somehow we made it to the outskirts of Penticton where the dealership was and we parked under a nice shady tree to dispel some of the heat. 

I was happy to take advantage of my wonderful AA membership to get the car towed to a shop back in Kelowna so while we waited, Patrice and I tried out the Subaru we had come down to see giving us a nice taste of the zippy little powerhouse. 

Patrice loved the sports edition and we roared around town making sure it would live up to its reputation.  

Meanwhile Mom and Tante Hilda sat in the shade waiting for Elsie to come from Kelowna to rescue us.

This was obviously not ideal, but we are survivors and Tante Hilda sure knows how to make the best out of difficult situations.  She's had lots of experience and she knows how to choose joy. 

What a saint. 

Elsie is another saint who came to rescue us as quick as she could and we all crawled into her lovely air conditioned vehicle for the trip home. 

Having tried out the Subaru, I took the plunge and ordered a new model of the one we had tried out in Penticton.

The color options were very limited due to shortages during the pandemic, so I went with the white one and dubbed it Sir Lancelot, my Holy Roller!

I couldn't resist the fancy licence because it had Patrice's initials, some nice numbers AND a cross at the end!

Of course I had to look up a verse with those numbers and this is what I landed on.

"So awesome are you, O Yahweh, Lord God of Angel Armies!
    Where could we find anyone as glorious as you?
    Your faithfulness shines all around you!"

Psalm 89:8 TPT

Praying those Angel Armies will surround my Holy Roller and that the Lord's great faithfulness will continue to shine all around me this wonderful gift of a new car takes me into many adventures in the years to come. 

'

The complicated part is getting it all outfitted with hand controls and the wheelchair hoist so here I am posing in it  but unable to drive.

When Patrice went back to Surrey she took the car along since I had made an appointment down there to have the hand controls installed.

Thankfully I still have my little red car until all of the adaptations are complete.

So hard to believe this is actually happening.

Such a tremendous gift to be able to have a new set of wheels with all of the safety features! 

Cousins Complete

The star of the show arrived on Sunday morning...

Baby Roselyn, our newest addition to the Rempel clan was a little overwhelmed by the fanfare her arrival generated but she soon settled into the routine of being held and loved by everyone! 

Seeing these two cousins together again was pure delight...

As was this sweet vision of love and loveliness.  

The gals completely outdid themselves to create brunch fit for a King.

I was just there to admire and taste test!

(I also feel like my job in this family is to be the glue, to call this clan together and to call forth God's purposes in each of our lives! )

But back to the kitchen...

There was a flurry of activity and many hands made light work resulting in this table of delights!

Frenzy ensued as the men eagerly filled their plates!  

Thankfully there was plenty for all.

The rest of the pictures pretty much speak for themselves...

Food,

Roselyn,

FUN

and FELLOWSHIP!

Sweet Oma was the other star of the show who arrived a little late but had the honour of holding her fourth and youngest great-grandchild! 

From zero to ninety-four!  

Four generations held together by legacy and love. 

This patio has had plenty of fabulous gatherings, but this one was extra special in so many ways.

Company of Cousins

I enjoyed another spectacular invasion of extended family in July which just made my heart explode with happiness.

Here is my niece Becci and her sister-in-law, Maja (who also feels like family!) visiting on my bed.

They fill my home with so much energy and fun.

This younger crowd would be more likely to be traveling the world if they had the choice, but seeing as we have been apprehended by a world wide pandemic and certain doors have closed, my home has become the destination place for the second year in a row! 

When I heard they were coming I threw out the idea for a family reunion and everyone arranged their schedules to 

MAKE IT HAPPEN! 

So, despite smoke shrouding the valley, details were arranged by these two super-stars for food, fun and fellowship.

I love hosting and having the activity swirl about me but the actual shopping and meal prep is beyond me for this large of a crowd.  

Becci and Maja are masters of this kind of thing and it is a pleasure to watch them kick into gear and work together like a well oiled machine. 

So by Friday evening three more cousins arrived and the partying began in earnest with a patio breakfast the next morning. 

Lawn games and lots of laughter ensued with the pups weaving their way in and out, hoping to get some love.  

City Park was a great spot for a supper picnic and the weather was simply maaaarvelous! 

Thankfully the smoke dissipated for our evening festivities at the lakeside.

Tante Hilda is always game for a gathering and she happily joined in the fun. 

This precious bunch all in one place on a sunny summer evening was over the top wonderful.

Picnic fare was served with a flare! 

Capturing candid "cousin" moments was so heartwarming...

I'm always grateful for any opportunity for family bonds to be strengthened and enriched.

As natural as family is, one must work hard to make things actually happen - to get EVERYONE in on the action on some level.

So it was family with a few extras thrown in for good measure - I think that's the way God intended it.

He is a good Father who wants everyone to feel loved and included.

A beautiful end to a stellar day.

HEAT DOME in JULY

So the first half of July looked like this.

Clear skies and lots of heat. 

The grass turned crispy and yellow and we had to be diligent to keep the flowers watered so they would survive. 

There was  much heat in fact, that the trees were scorched and many spots in Canada were setting record high temperatures. 

It was something called a heat dome, but thankfully our air conditioning was working and we had a place to retreat if we began to melt. 

That didn't stop this little crowd from going for a hike to Angel Springs and having a BBQ on the back patio! 

Sweet Bethany introduced us to her beau and had to introduce herself to Oma quite a few times as well. 

Patrice was doing her two week stint here in Kelowna to help out with Mom and I was so touched, again and again to witness the kindness and patience with which she handled her Oma's care.

There are so many miracles to behold in life. 

Some are wild, wooly and spectacular, but this sweetness and the honour shown from a grand-daughter to her grandmother is a miracle on a whole other level.

Honour and faithfulness in the mundane is a very beautiful thing. 

God sees and is so pleased, I'm sure. 

The pups were given a salon treatment and came out looking several sizes smaller! 

...and so much cleaner.

Ladybug is still managing to get around but with her tumour on one foot and her back end not functioning properly she doesn't always make it up onto my bed which causes some degree of consternation.

She will pace around my bed trying to figure out how to get up and finally she will begin to shout for help if she can't make it on her own.

I have, on occasion, scooped her up with great difficulty but I don't think it's a particularly pleasant experience for her aging body.

Desperate times call for desperate measures!

She needed a sweater in her new shorn state to combat the cool air-conditioned indoor climate! 

My little darling doggie, living out her twilight years in comfort and extreme cuteness.

The picture below is somewhat noteworthy.

I was alone at home one day after Patrice had returned to the coast and Hannah was out on one of her adventures when I decided that I was tired of looking at a pile of laundry that needed to go downstairs.

I entered the elevator shaft with the laundry on my lap when suddenly the floor of the elevator crashed down about 6 or 8 inches when I wheeled onto and as a result I shot forward out of the wheelchair like a cannon.

It was quite providential that I had all that laundry on my lap to cushion the forward fall so I didn't break anything.

I weaselled my way around into a sitting position, managed to reach the button to get the elevator back to ground level and was grateful that the phone had also landed on the elevator floor.

There are always numerous things to be grateful for in almost any given situation! 

I called my neighbours and thankfully Terry and her daughter Kristy were gracious enough to come over and haul me back into my wheelchair. 

Not enough can be said for good neighbours! I've certainly been needing mine more frequently so thankfully I can rotate through them so all of the chores of helping me don't have to fall on any one of them.

These dear gals and I had a delicious  Butterfly evening at one of our favourite Thai dining spots. There was lots to discuss regarding the pandemic and how it's affected us all and lots of stories to share.  I can't remember why Lora couldn't be there but it might have had something to do with not feeling safe at the moment with the fluctuating restrictions and health precautions. 

It's been a challenging time for many, but thankfully my small life hasn't been too impacted at this point.

As you can see my backyard paradise patio keeps me entertained with wonderful guests, good food and even a game of Quirkle now and then! 

I've also had some fun redecorating my inner sanctuary with some large prints that I found while on a recent shopping trip to Vernon with Sue.

Amazing how inexpensive and delightful it can be to make a room feel new and exciting.

Vic and Marcia arrived just in time to help me get them up on the wall so my eyes can drink in these holiday scenes at a time in life when actual holidays away are not happening. 

So we have holidays at home!

Sadly, the smoke rolled in about the same time as Vic & Marcia, but we've learned to party on no matter what is happening around us as you can see by these bright, beautiful smiles!