8/2/26

 

Dear Family,

 

               After 5 appointments we finally chose someone to re-floor our entire house. I’ll bring you along our journey simply because one day – you Salem friends might want to choose a flooring company as well.

               Here’s some background on my history with flooring companies. I have secret shopped one company about 5 times in the past. (I cannot remember the name of that company sadly). I know their training, what makes a good salesman and their technique. I do not secret shop anymore. Now that I have a full-time job I do not have time for that. On to the story.

               Tuesday of the second week of June I made three phone calls around 7:30 AM and made three appointments to meet with people who install flooring for a living. The next Monday the first person showed up on time. He took the time to establish a relationship with us (about ½ an hour) measured our house and gave us websites to pick out what colors we might want. He said he would need to order samples of things we liked so wasn’t able to give us a quote that night. I was disappointed that there was no quote.

               A couple of hours later our second appointment didn’t call or show. A couple of hours after that someone came, looked around a little and said the job was going to be too big for him. He had a recommendation and we thanked him for his time. It looked like out of three appointments we had our man – the only guy who wanted the job.

               We looked at the websites, picked 5 things we liked and told him to please order the flooring samples. He did and a couple of days later brought over a 2 ft x 2 ft x 2” square. I’m sure the actual flooring wouldn’t be that thick, but it was very impressive. He said the other samples were on their way.

               Three weeks later they still hadn’t come, and it was now July – a whole month had passed in my mind. After talking to a friend, “The slow pace he’s taking is indicative of how the entire job is going to go.” Yikes! So, I waited for her friend group to recommend someone so I could make another appointment or two because, in all reality, it’s good to have three quotes, not just three appointments for a job this big.

               While I was waiting for my friend’s group to give me a recommendation, I received a cold call from a nationwide company about, “Do you need any work done on your house?” I said yes and made an appointment for that company in the first or first week of July. How exciting. When this person came over, he spent about an hour and a half establishing a relationship. He played with our cat, listened to our stories and talked up his company highly. He said, “This is what we are going to do. We will move all your furniture, put tarps over it. Move it back and after we are done, we will do a deep clean of the entire house.” They would also even our floors up, replace up to 5 boards if they were damaged. Ahh, how refreshing. He then measured our house and prepared a quote that day. For only $28,000 we could have everything done for us.

               This is the most scared I have ever seen Bobby. Our guy called his manager and got the price down to $24, 000. Bobby went to get the mail and seemed to be in a bit of a panic. Our friend called his manager again and got the price down even more, to $22,000. Of course, the lower prices were only if we ordered today. I was grinning ear to ear. This is the treatment I expected. This was a great salesman. It would all get done in 2 weeks tops.

               We didn’t go with our first bid. We let the deal go and that was OK. We really did need three bids.

               My friend got a recommendation, and I made an appointment with JK Carpet center. They had done a good job for someone she knew. This person did not come on time. I called and he mentioned that he had got distracted on the sales floor, but he would be there in 10 minutes.

               When he arrived, he shook my hand, talked for less than 10 minutes, measured the house and was done 20 minutes later. He had brought several samples but none of them appealed to us. By now we had become somewhat attached to the one sample we had so asked for a quote on that for our floors. He said he would go back to the sales floor and make a quote for us. His way of doing things was, “You guys just put everything in the garage, we will pull your baseboards and put them back in, but we will cut out the wall so you will want to get someone to paint after we are done. Also, legally installers can replace toilets so you would have to hire a plumber to reinstall our toilets. He could do this job in 2-3 days tops. Goodness. He was in and out in 20 minutes. And he would have left our house in great need! Get a plumber, get painters ☹. He said it would be done in 2-3 days.

               When we received his quote a couple of days later (because he came July 3^rd) it was $12,000. But he would have left our house a wreck. We would have jumped on this offer if they had been opened after 4 PM on the 3^rd. We would have gone down to their store and picked something out, but God was saying no. We had to wait. And I did e-mail our initial guy (who was still waiting on more samples) to ask him a quote on the one sample he had left. A couple of days later he came back with $14,000. Bobby was at camp at that time, so I had to sit on it. Either way Willamette Vally Floorcovering Inc. would get his plumber friend to reinstall our toilets and wouldn’t leave our house needing to be painted.

               Bobby came home for a couple of days, and we signed the quote from the Willamette company.

               Meanwhile Seth and I packed up our personal belongings and put them in the garage. Seth has helped with boxes. The furniture can be moved by Tony and his team.

               That journey culminated in something I don’t blame the builders for necessarily, but this has been hard. I have no clue what I expected but here’s what happened. Day 1 Tony and his team took out all flooring. Boom, it was done fast. Day 2 they had to bring in underlayment because the upstairs bathrooms were ¾ an inch taller than the rest of the upstairs (due to carpet vs. laminate). Dust was flying. The house was a jumble of furniture, but things were happening. Day 3 some of the flooring was being laid in a couple of rooms. Saturday and Sunday they took off and that is good. Monday our master bathroom became full of furniture and closet doors. Some flooring was laid in all bedrooms. My bedroom door also came off. By Thursday I had come home, cleaned and dusted, only to come home to a dusty house once again every single day. I asked if he wouldn’t mind trying the windows closed and the AC on to see if we could have less dust (because I am allergic to dust mites). I also asked if they could prioritize putting my bedroom door back on because the cat was happily sleeping with me and I’m allergic to her. He gladly complied.

               When I mentioned my requests to Adriel she called me a Karen!

               Thursday and Friday the house was still dusty but at least it was colder. By Friday I had a terrible cold and took Saturday and Sunday off from volunteering. I have been sleeping more and may even take tomorrow off from work. The project is almost done.

               Just the stairs are left. They were back ordered.

               But It’s taken a toll on my body. I’m not OK and I cried in Bobby’s arms because I couldn’t find our vacuum cleaner. He told me how nice our house looks and I said, “I don’t want it anymore. I’m tired of the dust.” He just laughed. It will be over soon.

               And now I know why people don’t buy fixer uppers. I can not handle the sawing, hammering and man sounds. I’m not good at coming home to a dusty house.

               Yet I know this is a blessing to. I’ll heal. This cold will not end in death. The house will be finished – just the stairs and some caulking are left. Sigh I have first world problems. In other countries people have war, famine and earth quakes. It’s good to read things from Voice of the Martyrs, Open Doors, and Samaritan’s purse to put things into perspective. I just hate feeling so wimpy.

               And I have been trying to hold off on sending this out till the project is done but I haven’t written in a while and it’s time.

               May God be praised in hard times and easy. May His glory shine even when I do not. May our cracked jars pour forth even when we are at our whit’s end.

               Meanwhile I did get to visit my sister two Fridays ago and the Leng family last weekend. Those were good times filled with love, laughter and fun. I enjoy family very much and was glad to see everyone. I’ve just been too flustered to write about it. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

               Hugs,

 

Cristy

And I leave you with a picture of the cat, on a paper bag. Because she thought that would be comfortable.

Actually, this brings up how she reacted to the floors being redone.  It was traumatizing to our cat. She was totally spooked by all the furniture being moved.  I brought her inside to show her where her food was that first night. She looked at it, thought about going under some furniture the beelined for the cat door. She was shaking 

 

By morning she was inside. Possibly the thunderstorm was worse than a rearranged house. Seth said that when she came in, she was drenched. Poor thing.

7/12/26

 

Dear family,

 

               I am working on an entry about a background project but I’m not quite ready to reveal that whole story quite yet. For now, I would like to entertain you with some funny stories about Sunday school, friends and family.

               While Bobby was gone at another week of camp I had some friends over. I work with a great group and was glad to spend some extra time with them. They met another friend of mine and I enjoyed one comment the best. We were talking about how important it is to raise our children well. One spouse lectured though so their child said to her, “Instead of telling dad, can’t you just beat me with a whip like they do in books?”

               Bobby was thankful I took the above picture of his favorite flowers. He likes lilies because they have such vibrant colors.

               Seth has been moving boxes for me and even washed the outside windows. I am so grateful that he helps around the house. I appreciate him very much.

               Adriel continues to be a lovely lunch companion when I call her. She’s working on being healthier and so am I. I have just been diagnosed with pre-diabetes sooooo as soon as my bad food runs out I’ll have to switch over to healthier food. Hopefully I can reverse this and avoid having to take medication. I am already half-way there 😊(with getting rid of the old food – most of it Seth will eat anyway – precious cereal ☹).

               OK. Sunday school shenanigans – I believe we are an easy audience and also we as a group are highly entertaining. Last week the group was so small Bobby mentioned he might have to take the 3 boys out for a treat. When Rich and I showed up though – the car would be too full. This brought great consternation – there was much, “You promised” and “But you said.”  Sadly, last week no treats were to be had.

               This week there was consternation, but this time about something different. “My brother is going to be a camp counselor this coming week?! Will he be alone?” “You never went to minicamp did you?” We assured this student that their older sibling, as an almost 10th grader – would not be alone with grade-schoolers under their wing. There was visible relief as this person said, “Phew.” Either way both wanted to make that they do a good job part of their prayer requests.

               A bit later, out came, do you know about Aidangelo? We had never heard of this. The person was pretending to be asleep. There was some heckling. Bobby mentioned that although there weren’t treats last week, he brought doughnuts this week. Much excitement abounded. Said person came out of their coma! Everyone was excited to have the treat, but the question still lingered. What is Aidangelo? Said person needed to use the restroom and took their leave. . . now their sibling had the floor. Apparently, the mentioned person would wear a mask and become another person. While being “Aidangelo” they would only do this once a day. They would invade their sibling’s space, beat them up and then leave. It only happened once a day, but it was with great regularity. Said person came back. The victim slouched in their seat, spent, from telling the tale.

               We truly didn’t know what to believe. Our friend didn’t look bruised, beaten or too abused. More, amused?? So, we asked, “What’s this we hear?” Tales were told, “They came at midnight once.” Details were divulged, “I was in my tent.” But either way, it wasn’t really their sibling – it was just Aidangelo who did all this. One person took notes – they created a made-up name for themselves – next they only need a mask. The future is mysterious. Will siblings be OK after this? Who knows.

               Bobby did mention that although he likes it that we share page numbers of the passage in the Bible we are reading he might ask us to bring our own bibles. This prompted a student to ask his friend across the room. “What page are we on?”

               Well, I didn’t think I had much to write but here we are. God’s blessings are abundant. May you also feel this way and believe He’s the best. Love and hugs,

 

Cristy

*Fake names were used to protect the guilty.

6/28/26

 

Dear Family,

 

               God gave blessings although last week was not super eventful.

               Seth helped with yard work. It might be an hour and a half of bother for him but for me it’s a life saver. I noticed I’m moving much slower these days and although I am also doing yard work – he’s much faster, better and stronger than me. I am truly blessed by his help.

               Adriel answering the phone any time I call is always a blessing. I enjoy her willingness to share her life stories and am thrilled by her love.

               Bobby went to camp for a week and I’m glad he’s back. He told stories of joy and shared pictures and videos of people enjoying themselves. One phenomenon is that our Sunday school kids come on time often. This is 9:30 AM and I don’t think their parents even come that early. The church is pretty empty except a couple of rooms. Ours is a rowdy, fun loving group and there is joking, clapping and loving banter. My favorite this week was when one student wanted a favor so looked over and said, “You’re like a brother to me, please.” The thing is – they are brothers so that cracked me up.

               Also they have a song about standing under a tree when it gets wet that they can all sing – whenever Bobby complains about rain they start singing, “Under a tree, under a tree, under it’s shelter that’s where”  . . . I don’t know the words but they do. Such a fun group.

               May you enjoy each interaction God gives you and the beauty that surrounds us.  Love and hugs,

 

Cristy

6-21-26

 Dear Family,

               A lot has happened since I last wrote. The youth group had our end of the school year bash, and I thought it was fun that Bobby was exclaiming how much he loved his job. That’s always good.

               Bobby also lead music a last Sunday while Greg is on Sabbatical. That was neat and fun to watch.

               School is out for Seth, so he has been helping in the garden and that is huge. I borrowed two green bins from our neighbors for the greens haul last week. I appreciate his ability to follow directions, strength and willingness to help.

               Adriel answered the phone on a Tuesday during our lunch break. It was good to talk to her for a little bit, but when she said, “I enjoy chatting with you, but why did you call me on a Tuesday?” I hurriedly exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, I love you but if it’s Tuesday I have to call my mom, bye.” She may have chuckled after that hasty departure, but she was right – I call Adriel’s Grandma on Tuesdays.

               Wednesday my bicycle basket was falling off. I stopped by Ace to get another screw for it and that worked temporarily (5 minutes) because the hole is stripped. When I got home Bobby confirmed what I was hoping. It was time to get a new bicycle. I didn’t sleep well with all the excitement. The possibilities were endless – but my major concern – a giant basket!

               Thursday, I went to my favorite bicycle store Northwest Hub and donated our ‘back up’ bicycle. I then looked around for the biggest basket and there were tricycles with a basket on the back and one on the front. How exciting! The shop people wanted me to try it out a bit before buying and I did. I happily and excitedly drove off with my used purchase. I then noticed I had traded a race car for a semi-truck. Tricycles do not maneuver well. I also noticed that it was much heavier, I was not going that fast. But on the bridge God took control. My backpack and the basket fell off. Oh dear. I turned around and let them know what had happened. Several people swarmed, and yes, the basket had not been installed correctly. They were very kind and pointed me out to a street bicycle that was my size. Although they didn’t have a basket for me, Amazon did and I am very excited to try it out next week. Yay for great transportation that saves us money in gas and parking.

               Camps begin tomorrow so Bobby headed up tonight (Yes, father’s day – every year). Bobby and I assembled something special for a night game Saturday night as he’s the games director this week. I will miss him but am glad he is doing this for God and glad he enjoys what he does. Yay!

                May you also enjoy the work God has for you. May you follow His direction and if you are dead wrong but excited about your bad choice may God make something fall off so you notice – yup – I need to do a 180.

 

Love and hugs,

 

Cristy

6/8/26

 

Dear family,

 

               I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to be home. I may be behind in tasks, but at least I can get them done here. Vacations have long been a bane to my existence. When I was 15, my parents took me to Hawaii, and I said, “It’s crowded here, I want to go home.” They just laughed it off, and I was fine. At the age of 13, I remember telling my dad, I never want to go to Disneyland with you ever again. He responded with, “I never want to take you again.” And that was that.

               This latest trip was confirmation that any trip we take will probably be for Bobby’s sake. I really do not enjoy being away from home for long periods of time. Funniest thing – Bobby’s favorite part of the trip was a 5-hour Catamaran tour of various mountain peaks from the water – some snorkeling and yummy food. I enjoyed myself for about 2 hours. After that, I was at the back of the boat emptying my stomach. I’ve never been that motion sick before, and the effects still linger even today. I’m generally a bit queasy in the mornings now. Blegh.

               I am thankful that Bobby understands we are different people and let me stay in the hotel room the next day, the entire day. I’m not at his Energizer Bunny level of living life to the fullest. Wednesday night, I even went to bed at 6 PM Hawaiian time – I was so done.

               We did have fun experiences. I enjoyed zip lining, tubing tunnels, some nice walks, and the cats we met. I still prefer cereal, sandwiches, or McDonald's to any other foods. At least it’s safe (I hope).

               So, yes, Adriel called me, “Seth” and I’ll take it. I like his, “Seattle is enough culture shock for me.” At this moment, the only place I would like to go (next year) would be Canada to visit my relatives there. I don’t care about viewing places – I can see those pictures on my computer screen. People I love, on the other hand. I miss them, their hugs, and some great chats. I haven’t seen my Canadian family in years.

               Coming home to be with church family is like putting on an old, soft favorite sweater in the wintertime. I appreciate our youth, our kids, and our church family. I enjoy prayer requests, digging into God’s word, and asking Him for help with real-world problems. This is home, this is real, this is where I belong.

               May you also feel loved, appreciated, and cozy where you live. Much love,

 

 

Cristy

5/31/26

Dear family,

 

               What fun our youth are. The teens in middle school are delightful to be around and I still enjoy their sweet fellowship as they grow older. The high school group this week had some interesting things to say. After reading Hebrews 10:24-25 Bobby asked, “Does anyone know what exhort means?” No one did but someone mentioned, “I know what extort means, is that similar?”

               Game time had some fun and excitement. We all formed a circle with two blind folded youth in the middle. One blind folded student was to be the catcher with a pool noodle for catching while the other was the hunted who every 5 seconds was supposed to bang on the large metal bowl with their pool noodle and run around evading. I took several fun pictures, and this one is my favorite.

               The next night was High school group. One highschooler said, “Yeah, shut up Jarrod.” Loud enough for everyone to react with concern about using nice words. Bobby sighed and said, “It's ok they graduated” The rude one then replied, “Yeah, we are adults now.”

               I feel very blessed not only that Seth is taking care of the house and cat while we are gone but . . . and this is a big one. Seth enjoys being alone and wants nothing else than that for his Birthday. All that worrying years ago that I would have my baby on the same day as our anniversary for nothing. I understand his desire to be alone. I also enjoy “My” time. I’m very glad he doesn’t feel neglected. Unlike our cat, she will be mad at us when we get back from our anniversary trip. I’ll have to keep her out of our bedroom because last time we went on a trip, she peed on me to show her anger.

               Bobby planned a lovely trip for us, and we even met the cutest set of 18-month-old twins on the flight. Our families helped each other pass the time and the parents were thankful. How fun.

               Bobby is always up for adventure. I am blessed to be pushed to get out more. I have enjoyed this trip already and my favorite event today was before we sat down at a restaurant the waitress asked, “You OK with cats?” She pointed to a yellow tabby sitting near our seats. I said I loved them and we sat down. Of course, the cat chose Bobby and proceeded to walk onto Bobby’s lap which is just like it is at home. How fun. Bobby pretended he didn’t like the attention, but I saw him smile. It’s fun to be chosen.

               When God puts adventure in your path may you embrace it with open arms. May you find strength in knowing Him and joy in the people you meet.  Love and hugs, Cristy

5/25/26

 

Dear family,

               I’m so glad for whimsy. Our youth are fun, being included is special. When the middle school group prays many of them continue their school practice of holding pinkies and it’s very sweet when a pinky is extended to me. Then at the end there is an almost secret handshake style of ending. A fist to the left palm then to the other person’s right palm. Simple, not too hard to learn – but super fun, nevertheless. I am honored to take part in a tradition that dates back (I do not know how long) at Western Christian.

               I must also admit I truly enjoyed the games during youth group. Bobby had pool noodles, 6 small party cups per person, a cat face mask and Mission Impossible music. Whimsy and laughing at the audaciousness of it all. The students circled. Where they able to get a cup without being whacked? Well, for the most part yes. Was it fun to do and watch? Definitely.

               The high school girls didn’t get into the game much because they were busy making hair decorations. It was fun when it was time to go. They became very focused on finishing for their friend. How sweet.

               Adriel was delightful on the phone. She is recovering from a trip with late nights, excited encouraging yelling and the sort. Adriel is like her dad. She knows how to have fun, and I am glad for her.

               Sunday school had some great interactions. When Bobby told the youth we will be gone next Sunday and they would miss us one person said, “Weeeeelll” and I thought that was funny. They might or may not miss us. The group is wonderful either way. When I announced our trip was to celebrate a 30-year marriage they clapped and that was fun.

               There is a white board in the Sunday school room and a person drew this bean room. I don’t quite know what it represents but everyone had questions. My favorite question was. “Which one do you think I am?” A friend said, “I'm thinking maybe the small pea.” For some reason, this seemed to be the funniest thing any of us had heard in a long while. I enjoy laughter.

               May you also delight in laughing. May the time you spend with people be filled with joy and fun. May some whimsy also come your way and may you enjoy it. If you want to find some just watch the YouTube Video “Just for laughs head massage” video. It’s less than two minutes and makes me belly laugh (Free Head Massages in the Mall.. or so you Think!).

 

Love and hugs,

 

Cristy