Our Little Ghost

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM HUTCH!!!

His original ewok costume didn't work out seeing as we shaved off all of his hair...so Hutch transformed into a GHOST.

So frightening!!

TRICK OR TREAT!!!

Hutch the Ghost with his pal, Rex the Pumpkin

Perhaps tonight's events are a sign that we have gone mad...for those who are concerned for our well-being and question our sanity, please come visit us. I'm sure a visit from friends and family would cure us right up! :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We are having a door decorating contest at work...That fine white liine at the bottom of my little farmscape is the fineprint.  "Some may not think this door represents Halloween, but as an Oregon girl, I'd like to remind you this is what our Halloweens look like."

Hutch is LOVING all of the fallen leaves. Now if we can just keep him from being a doggy mulcher...

The Halloween sky this morning.

As Requested

Mom, here is a photo of Jesse's beautiful long hair...your favorite! (He's not so cooperative when it comes to taking photos...)

Time for Photos!!!

We're back from our Oregon trip, and all I have to say is, THAT BABY IS ADORABLE!!!
I'll write more later...but because EVERYONE is bugging me to post photos, I figured you'd rather see rather than hear how it was. :)

I have to admit I tickled his little tummy in order to get some expression out of him.

Bathtime...or I guess more like Spongetime...Kelton doesn't like to be naked so this process was done QUICKLY

Holly is a WONDERFUL Mom. It was fun watching her.

Great Grandma Nelson counting toes.

Four Nelson Generations

Kelton with his grandpa.

We took family portraits

The Original Cookie Monster

Somebody was excited for hot-out-of-the-oven peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

Who Was Jesus?

Jesus—a man who has stirred up more conversation and curiosity than any other man who ever lived. If you GOOGLE him, the first six links are:

    Jesus—Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    How to Know God Personally Through Jesus Christ Right Now
    Welcome to Who is Jesus-Really?
    Jesus Christ-Biblical Answers About the Life of Christ
    Halloween Jesus Dress Up!
    Jesus Christ (@Jesus) on Twitter

If you GOOGLE Hillary Clinton or even Martin Luther, you find sites that display biographies and facts. But when it comes to Jesus, there is the hanging question: Who was He? As a side note, I sure didn’t know Jesus had a Twitter!

Yesterday, my boss was listing out items on his bucket list, and he mentioned that he wants to go anywhere in the world but Israel. Curious, I asked him why he wouldn’t want to explore his history, knowing he’s Jewish. His response: Pennsylvania has history and it’s much closer. So, me being the smart aleck I am said: Jefferson, Jesus…no difference at all. His retort: I’m Jewish, why would I care about Jesus?

His comment stung. “Why would I care about Jesus?” I can think of plenty of reasons we should care about Jesus, but sharing those with a non-believer is another story. And sharing those reasons with someone who thinks Jesus was a bad guy is a totally different story. That conversation challenged me.  Though I have accepted Christ into my life, do I keep my focus on this question? Do I take it further and ask, “How should I act in response to what Jesus did for me?” Thoughts to ponder…

Sleepy Time!!!

After running around with Jesse during every single commercial, Hutch was plum worm out and collapsed on our bed.

Forcing himself to look up after my persistent nagging to pose for a quick photo.

Farewell to Good Bye

A quick curbside hug and a smooch on the cheek is never enough to communicate the true emotion behind a farewell.  Even the words "good bye" hardly scratch the surface of the true meaning behind a send off.  Some folks refuse to utter the two words that mean an extended period of time apart, and others embrace them with tears or a lump in the throat.  For me, a good bye is a reminder of what we miss, once again.  It's an alarm clock that screeches, "time to move back, time to move back." 

Returning to our regularly scheduled life is comfortable, but it's not what I want.  I rather enjoy the randomness of company.  Spontaneous trips to Rita's Ice for custard, warm hikes through the countryside, exploring DC with new eyes, and the quiet evenings spent together at home.  Autumn hones into my inner love for family and friends, so when I get a small dose, I crave more.

The good news and the reason this morning's farewell wasn't as difficult as most is we are traveling to Oregon next week to meet Kelton and spend time with family! So, in my humble little opinion, I think it's okay to crave more...knowing there's an even bigger dose headed our way. :) 

Meet Kelton!

Holly had her baby boy on October 8th around 7am PST. He weighed 7 lbs 12 oz. and he was 21.5 inches long.  He's a happy, healthy baby. Kelton Nicholas Russell.
Here are some pics :)

While this little guy was being born, we were spending time with Jesse's mom, Donna.  We've roamed DC, trekked the countryside, and most importantly, we've RESTED. :) 

Manassas Battle Field

Mom & Son enjoying the gorgeous weather and chance to spend time together

Fall is upon us!

Remind you of anything???  Perhaps Lewis and Clark?

Stonewall Jackson

My camera lost its juice (my fault since I didn't check the battery before leaving), so I'm sorry these are all quick snapshots made with my phone.  Happy Tuesday!

Awww, Friday

Classical music, homemade banana bread, two dozen birds, and open windows.  What do all of these have in common?  It's my work environment today!!  I'm working from home to spend more time with Donna, and I just have to say, "I could get used to this!"  I have busted out more little uninterrupted tasks this morning than I've been able to do all week. 

The two dozen birds are on my porch by the way...didn't want you to think we'd gone crazy and added to our already crazy parakeet.

And for those who are keeping tabs on Holly...last I heard she is in labor, but the contractions aren't close enough apart to be at the hospital.  Her doctor projects she'll have a baby by the end of today!  We're so excited for Holly and Kent, and we're thankful God blesses us with such wonderful gifts.  You know if I receive a photo, I'll post it! :)

Hello, Thursday. My, You're Looking Fallish Today.

Another sneek preview of photo session...

Words Are Not Enough

“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” -Ralph Nichols

I am a talker. Holly’s childhood nickname for me was JabberLips, and my incessant ability to make a song out of every road sign and billboard we passed proved her to be correct. My mouth is like a festering volcano—the urge to spill words bubbles up to the surface until the control gives way and thoughts bursts out sans control or care. And though I’m considered a young woman now, I must confess I still struggle with my desire to talk, talk, talk.

In various conversations and sermons, the topic of listening has emerged. Back in July, it was said that to be a good listener, we must turn ourselves off. What? Turn my thoughts off and STOP talking? No! Obviously that one stuck with me. And then, in late August, this thing called listening came up again. This time I thought I’m a pretty good listener, even if I do like to talk. I’m just good at both. As you can see, my imperious ability to reason with myself was struggling to come up with an adequate excuse. By the third and fourth occurrence of communication popping up in conversations, I could no longer convince myself I was a good listener. I’m a firm believer that God uses people in our lives to speak to us, and I believe He’s been telling me something (practically hitting me over the head with it). I need to be a better listener.

Words are not enough. When a friend is hurting, she does not need advice from me. When a coworker is disgruntled about work ethic, he does not require my opinion or experience. They need to be understood. While I have one mouth—I have two ears. Perhaps there’s a reason for that!

In the first ten verses of Proverbs 1, listening or gaining wisdom is mentioned six times. Obviously it’s important for understanding wisdom and instruction, so it can be equally important for understanding those around us. Here’s to turning ourselves off and genuinely listening to those who are both easy and difficult to love. Now, please excuse me, there’s someone here who needs to talk to me about something. :)

Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar?

Call me crazy, but there is no better reason to bake up a storm than in anticipation of company.  Jesse's mom arrives tomorrow, and both Jesse and I feel like we've been waiting for this week to come for months.  The linens are clean (I wish I could say they were pressed, but I'm not Suzie Homemaker), meals are planned, goodies are baked and stored snugly in cookie jars, and the clock is ticking.

She'll be here for a week, but I'm sure those days are going to fly. So, I've already made the decision to take each moment in as if we were on slow-motion.  Too often I get sucked into the planning and the clock-watching, and I miss what's actually happening.  Not this time.

As I was organizing this weekend, it hit me that she will be coming alone this time.  Two summers ago, both she and Jesse's dad visited us, and we all had a wonderful time.  But this time, he's not going to be there.  Jesse found me sitting in the chair, hugging a pillow, with tears rolling down my face.  Poor Jesse has to deal with this emotional mess called ME.  Missing Gary comes in waves.  It's always there, but when high tide hits, I become overwhelmed with the hole he left behind.  Who is to fill it? Do we just allow it to stay gaping open?  We are going to miss having him along with us this next week, and we are praying that this time is a blessing to the three of us.  It will be absolutely wonderful to see Donna and get to spend time with her.  Can't wait to love on her big time!

Ending the Week

Weekends--two days, free of corporate life, catching up on chores, and relaxing as much as possible.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  I LOVE weekends.  Here are some snapshots into our two days...

Thanks to our friends, Danny & Laura Yang, we had a wonderful start to our weekend.  We traveled out to the Manassas Battlefields for a windy and semi-wet photo shoot.  The whole morning was filled with laughter--lots of fun. 

High School Youth Group!!

Hutch officially has to wear his sweater in the morning...Forty Degrees is TOO cold for little pups.