Blissfully rainy day

Awake, my soul, to joyful lays,

And sing thy great Redeemer's praise;

He justly claims a song from me--

His loving-kindness, O how free!

He saw me ruined by the fall,

Yet loved me not-with-standing all;

He saved me from my lost estate--

His loving-kindness, O how great!

Tho num'rous hosts of mighty foes,

Tho earth and hell my way oppose,

He safely leads my soul along--

His loving-kindness, O how strong!

When trouble, like a gloomy cloud,

Has gathered thick and thundered loud,

He near my soul has always stood--

His loving-kindness, O how good!

We are given so many spiritual gifts by our Father in this life.  How truly freeing!  How very good!  

And as if that weren't enough, God gave me an extra gift this past weekend of a delightful day of hard rain and thunderstorms!  Two of my favorite types of weather continued on for one whole day.  It was so wonderful that it was terribly distracting.  All I could think of was looking out at it or going out to be in it.  After sitting cozily inside (which is one thing I love about this weather), I could no longer resist going outside to hear the thunder more clearly and get soaked by the drops falling from the sky (my other favorite thing about this weather).  I am thankful for my sister and mom who were (almost) as excited as me about the weather, and gave in to my pleas to take a walk.  Putting on our cozy coats for the first time in a long time, we hurried outside.  

Then I wondered...is there anything quite like being dripping from a good rain?  Is there something that compares to getting soaked through and coming home to cozy pajamas and a warm mug of tea?  This is pretty hard to beat!  It was a great "advertisement" for the coming fall, which I am so excited about.

Raindrops falling from the roof!!!!

And the road is wet!  From rain!

*Can't stop admiring the clouds*

Mom, Tirzah, and me: glad to be wet again!

Isn't the cloudy background calming?!

Puddles!  puddles!

So maybe I get a little over-excited about little things like rain, but there's nothing like a dark cloud to brighten up your day!  10 things I love about the rain:

1. All stresses suddenly start to fade

2. The sound on the metal roof that says "Yes, it's still raining."

3. Mud

4. Puddles where raindrops make bubbles

5. Full gutters that leak over into loud splashes

6. The excuse to be cozy (lazy)

7. The reason for a calming cup of tea/hot chocolate/coffee

8. Running outside and coming back with drippy hair that turns curly

9. The dark, numerous clouds that bring the rain

10. The thrill and excitement that comes with it

Weekend of birthdays

Last weekend we celebrated the birthdays of 2 of my nieces.  Being their last weekend here on their 2 week visit as well, we spent a few days celebrating.  It may have been a crazy few days of constantly doing something, but getting to go to the opera, enjoy time with family, eat lots of sugar at a tea party, and do some short hikes was fun and memorable!

I'm pretty sure this was my first time walking across a bridge over the road like this.

There was a great view of the space needle from McCaw Hall

Johannah's first time to see the space needle!!

Front of McCaw Hall

A very unique chandelier in the opera house,
which looked more like it belonged in a science museum.
Complete with plastic water bottles, ladders, and tape measures!

Our group of friends/family who joined us for the opera Nabucco

How we make ice cream=hand cranked and 5 minute shifts

Ashnah was prepared for anything with the pinata.

Uncle Caleb got the last hit and sent all the candy flying

Eve and Emma, the birthday girls

Cousins ready to enjoy a tea party!

Tirzah and me

Sisters picture!  Keren, Sarah, me, and Tirzah
(and there always seems to be a mysterious foot protruding from Sarah's side...)

Age order.

Until next time...

What are friends for if not to help you up when you fall, 

to wipe your tears when you cry,

to laugh with you when you rejoice,

and to sing for you when you've lost your voice?

Shared joy is double joy.

Shared sorrow is half a sorrow.

Ema Burt has only been gone for 2 days, and I'm wondering how I'm supposed to spend my time and what I will do without her for the rest of the year!  As August 3rd, the Burt family's departure date, neared we had to make the most of our last few days.  Not that we weren't already having Ema over as much as possible, but we made sure to keep it up even during the last weekend.  We were so glad that Ema was willing to put up with us so often and kept her schedule semi-open for the high demands we put on her.  Last weekend, while trying to ignore the fact that she was leaving very soon, she joined us for a trip to the waterfall and then another long drive to a different beach the following day.  

Against our wishes, we got up at 4 am to drive the Burts to the airport, which made me feel like a traitor by enabling them to leave...but it was wonderful to spend their last few hours in Washington together.  

Sometimes I'm in shock that I've only known Ema for 2 years.  It feels like we've been friends for ages, and we never have trouble picking up where it was left.  I was missing out on so much in the previous 15 years!  I'm going to miss our laughs, tears, jokes, games, sleepovers, and well, everything!  Ema, I have no doubt that God put you (and your family) into my life with perfect timing.  More memories to follow in the future...

Rocky Brook waterfall, Brinnon WA

Jonathan

The water felt surprisingly good, so a few went swimming.

Me, Ema, and Tirzah

2 of my best friends.  Tirzah and Ema are just some of the best,
and if you don't know them, you're missing out on a lot.

Josie is the best with all the babies!

Mom and Josie

Family picture!  (of those of us who were there.)

Auntie Tirzah and Jonathan.

My little toothpick boy, Judah

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A lake we stopped at on the way to Rialto Beach

One of the loveliest, clearest lakes I've ever seen.

We were really tempted to jump in.

Sisters!  (or might as well be)

The waves at Rialto Beach were as cold as they were lovely.

Lots of yucky...whatever this is on the beach.

Eve, the flying...bat?

Ema seems to get all the babies of our family to stay in line.

Emma, Judah, Jonathan, and Eve.

You have no idea how hard getting a family picture is...

Judah, Emma, Eve, Jonathan, Sarah, and Jon

Judah got some unidentified black marks on his face.
If nothing else, it was pretty cute.

"I am part dog and must chew on sticks for the benefit of my teeth."

There has to be something cool somewhere out there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The amazing Burt family!  So glad I get to call them friends.

At the airport, spending our last few minutes together
at some unrealistic hour of the morning.
Ema, me, Tirzah, and Johannah

Taking our last looks at the Burt family...

Ahh, nothing like ending a sad goodbye with being unsure of where the van was parked.

So many times I think of you,

and I experience all over again 

the special times we've had.

I remember a laugh we shared, and a smile;

I remember the love and support you offered,

and I feel thankful.

I think about how important friendships are

in a world where everything else seems so uncertain,

and I know I am truly blessed!

Good friends like you are a rare treasure.

It is a gift to have you as mine!!