8/17/26

 

Dear Family, Some weeks the blessings pile up and my heart warms tremendously. I am blessed by so many interactions!

               We are reevaluating all items in the house and donating or tossing as we unpack. One thing I had to get rid of was the scale in Seth’s bathroom. It did work but it was old and ugly. When I pulled out a new one for him Seth was not impressed. The advertisement inside said that you don’t even need Wi-Fi just cellular to have the numbers automatically added to an app on your phone. This brought up red flags for Seth. His specialty is security and that sounded like the exact opposite. When he brought up that this feature went against his morals we had to let the issue go. If he uses it, he uses it – moral standards or no.

               Adriel invited me to the Rockstar Open at the Portland Waterfront. When I asked if I could park at her place and go there with her, she said, “No that would be backtracking a half an hour for you. You are a big girl, and you can do hard things.” I felt empowered. Yes, I am a big girl. So, I figured it out myself and enjoyed a day of watching people skateboard – including Adriel. I was introduced to many people as, “My mom” and it was fun to see how many people greeted Adriel as the good friend she is.

               When a stranger exclaimed that I looked like the art behind me it was fun to have so much excitement. Adriel then said she should take a picture of us, and it was fun. One person even asked if I was Adriel’s sister and Adriel let him know I’m her mom. Later I mentioned it and she said he was flirting. Funny that a 17-year-old would go there but I’ll take it as a compliment, nonetheless.

               Youth group had its own fun times. Color war was amazing as usual and I loved the pictures. I even got one with Bobby and I to find out later Rich photobombed it – that made me laugh.

               Sunday school prayer requests included, “Cross country is starting up.” Bobby wants things in the form of a request, so he asked for more information. “Well, that people show up.” Bobby mentioned, “It's all on the shoulders of your team captain.” (This is because their captain is a relative and Bobby was teasing.) Another student had to pipe in with, “You don’t use your shoulders to run!”

               During lesson time we talked about Matthew 22:23-33. Read it to understand why this off hand comment was silly. “Sharing is caring.”

               May you also be good at sharing (just not like that). May your joy be full and may you find strength in knowing how truly loved you are 😊

 

Hugs,

 

 

Cristy

8/9/26

 

Dear Family,

               I feel blessed because now the cat has started choosing me to sit next to! This is a huge milestone!! This is possibly because Bobby has been gone a lot this summer. I don’t know, I don’t care, I’m just happy. Also, she brought in a present and this time it was dead. Thank goodness. She may have learned her lesson. Yay for cat 2.0. One who knows who loves her most and one who knows better presentation styles. Go kitty go!

Having a nasty cold has not been fun. Yet, I feel so blessed when a friend says, “Can I bring you anything” or when Hubby helps make my new favorite recipe for Salmon salad sandwich. It is nice to be babied a little but mostly I just want to be alone. It worked out that Bobby was gone hiking with friends.

Bobby said his friends all had lengthy conversations about staying safe and how much the spouses love each other etc. during the trip. I on the other hand didn’t mention staying safe at all. He was a little frustrated. When he mentioned it to me, I had to laugh. “You are the safest person I know. I never have to worry about you.” He then said, “I do dangerous things!” – a couple of times. I thought that was funny. Then he mentioned I should probably slow down, he felt like I was speeding.

 It was fun to have Bobby home. We had a date night and enjoyed chatting about our week. The new Pho Keizer is just as yummy as their other location. It was fun to eat out together.

My mom gave me a bag of clothes to look through when we visited them a couple of weeks ago. Getting new flooring meant I didn’t have time or energy to look through them till a couple of days ago. I have been enjoying wearing new to me clothes and even getting compliments on them. Variety sure is fun. I even wore a new dress to date night. I’m thankful for my mom 😊.

Adriel has been keeping me in the loop of her life, and I am blessed to know her. I enjoy chatting with her and am so glad she is willing to let me in on her joys and hardships.

Seth continues to help in the garden, and I am so glad to see him growing, and serving in the booth at church. I think he does the slides/powerpoint/easyworship and in those 3 parts you just saw the evolution of church worship. Man, if you remember slide shows – you are old like me!

I enjoyed going to Sunday school this week and they will always be a fun group. Someone came in late and had a little trouble with the door. Bobby said, “It looks like you stumbled in through the door!” A youth mentioned, “Did you have too much coffee this morning?” And the person responded, “No, not enough coffee.”

Bobby announced that we will be having color wars again. One student said, “I have last years shirt still . . . unwashed! So, it still has all the color on it.” Their younger sister piped up, “I'm telling mooooom.” I had to laugh about that one. Boys and not doing laundry, it’s a thing. But really – we didn’t sweat in those shirts. There were water and colored powder involved. Well, I didn’t sweat – maybe they did.

Anyway, it begins! Youth group is starting up again!  Yay!!

May you be excited for your future and glad for your past. May you enjoy each day God has for you, and may you rejoice that you are so very, very loved.

 

Love and hugs, Cristy

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

5/17/26 Better late than never

It took me a while to figure out how to get pictures while having a new phone. Poor Bobby, he's been through the ringer on this one because His phone is the one we have used to get the best pictures. Thank you for your patience :-).

Dear Family

 

My sheltered past shows up and I miss it. Sometimes I say things to be funny but sometimes I’m just innocent and taken wrong. Let’s talk about the word consent. As in, please fill out this consent form to jump into our trampoline house, ski in our lodge etc. We give consent every time an app wants us to say that we read their terms and conditions, etc. It’s just something we do all the time.

               So, after dinner on Mother’s Day Bobby, Seth, Adriel and I visited the Portland Rose test gardens. One cute thing was that for a little bit we couldn’t find parking. A comment was, “Who would have thought that the rose gardens would be busy on Mother’s Day?” A cute fun quip – I don’t even know which of my adult children said it, but it did make me laugh.

               While there we smelled the roses and it was fun. We also saw several fat squirrels. I wanted to pet them. I did get close but never managed to rub any of their backs. The kids did say if I had been faster, I could have gotten one. I said, “No, I wanted the touch to be consensual.” This set them off for some reason. I just didn’t want to get bitten. And I wanted the squirrel to be OK with it. Later I mentioned the family’s reaction to a co-worker. After she explained that ‘consensual’ usually included “sensual” I was aghast. “Ewwww, I don’t feel that way about squirrels at all!” She had to laugh and say, “Well, I’m glad we cleared that up.” Thank goodness for kind coworkers who help me understand the cruel and horrid world around me.

               As part of our walking Adriel did tell a story about a 10-year-old giving a tattoo at the event she had recently gone to. She took a video because she knew the youngster was having a memorable moment. I thought that was funny. Permanent art – here we go.

               I enjoy telling Bobby’s dreams because they are so entertaining. I wake up before him, but when I come back in the room, I think it wakes him up and he’s bursting with the news. This one is an interesting one. Bobby was wrestling with Will Smith when Will knocked over some soapy water onto Bobbys brand new I-pad. This was quite disturbing to Bobby, but Will did not offer to help – he even said, “Sorry there’s nothing I can do” (Unlike his, “I will pay for that” in Men in Black 1.) That was it, Bobby is now a little bit perturbed with Will (Whom he will probably never meet) and about an I-pad that does not exist. Bobby doesn’t own one at all. Now you know.

               Back in the day when Bobby was in seminary, he would have a lot of books lying around. When the semester was over, they would simply exist – on his side of the bed. During the summer Bobby would go to camp three weeks at a time. I would pack his items up and put them under our house in storage. He would be a little upset but knew I wasn’t going to let him be gone for weeks and leave a mess. Bobby and Adriel would ask where things were and I would say, “Where it belongs” then when they asked where that was, I would say, “I don’t remember.” Usually this would motivate them to keep a cleaner room/area.

               That last paragraph was background for this story. I keep winter/summer clothes under the house and rotate them from storage as the seasons pass. I had gotten my summer clothes out when it was warmer weather, but shorts were going a little too far, so I left my sweaters in the closet and put my shorts in a box in the garage for later. Well, we had even warmer weather last week, so I went looking in the garage for a box with my shorts. Nothing. . . I went under the house and found nothing. Friday night Bobby was gone so I tore up our bedroom looking for my shorts. Did I decide I never wanted to wear shorts again? Did I put them under the bed? Above our closet? In the gest room? Nope, none of those. Saturday morning Bobby mentioned he knew where they were! “Where?” I asked. He said, “Where they belong”. Ha ha. So, I went under the house again this week and looked in random boxes. They were in a box labeled “Valentines & St. Patrick’s day decorations.” Oh yeah, I was going to take the shorts out before I put that box under the house. Sigh – wonders never cease. But now I have a lot of shorts – yay!!

               On to youth group fun. Bobby has taken to the field for games, and it was a normal occurrence for him to say, “Ok, last point wins.” What made me chuckle is when another leader said aside to me, “That still could take all night.” Bobby controls things by being an active participant though and it didn’t last too long after that.

               Youth Sunday was a blast. It wasn’t filled with as much bouncing like they normally do (Bobby included) I attribute this to no doughnuts that morning. They were a much calmer crowd and presented themselves well. Only one person looked scared and harried after being aggressively greeted. I’m calling that a win. I loved the testimony, the greeters, ushers, announcements and sermon. Yay for an active youth group.

               If you are Bobby’s Facebook friend, I’m sure he will be sharing pictures of the Youth Sunday soon.

               Love and hugs to you 😊

 

 

Cristy

5/10/26

 

Dear family,

               As I read over my notes from youth group I get to smile all over again. Bobby mentioned a person who was strong in the faith that he knows. “His name is Linus. And no – he’s not names after Charlie brown.” One youth was quite invested and sad about this, “Dang it!” Then Bobby said, “He’s older than Charlie Brown. This brought a common, “Ohhhhh” from the crowd. They found that fascinating.

               The above illustration was lost on both groups. When Bobby asked, “What does that picture remind you of.” Most people said, “A fart?” Oh dear – apparently people aren’t gag sprayed by friends or clowns with fake flowers any more. If you want to revive this tradition, please do it on Youth Sunday. They might get a kick out of it next week.

               Seth wanted more lasagna, so it was fun to have him be part of the thawing process for one of the three that we made a while back. It thawed well and he cooked it while I was at work. Yum! We still have some to eat.

               Bobby mentioned he would take over the raspberry row when I said I was going to tear it out. He has successfully taken over mowing the lawn. I am glad for that. It’s not in my head space. The raspberries are still there though – I try to walk that path. I’m guessing he does look at it and is fine with how it is doing. Me mentioning it means he’s winning somehow. The only way for me to “Win” at letting go is to forget they exist. Just like a game the high schoolers asked me if I wanted to play. You must forget the game. And if you remember then say, “Oh I remembered” and you lose – but then everyone you say it to will loose also because they will remember. I won for that night (so did everyone else???) but today – by writing about it – I Just lost. LOL.

               My coworker has informed me that I sometimes look like the eagle on the Muppets. Apparently saying that makes it funny when I scowl. And – it is, don’t ask me if I’m pregnant – I’ll give you that look too. I’m too old for making babies even if that’s where I pack my fat.

               Sunday school prayer requests were delightful simply because our youth impulsively say the most interesting things. One student asked us to pray for his grandma’s flight. Bobby asked where she was going and another student had a follow up question, “To heaven?” Umm – hopefully not – that’s apparently what we are praying about now (and no – she was going to visit her dad).

               Another student was praying that their healing process would go smoothly. His friend asked, “Do your legs work yet,” and “No” was the answer – for now.

               When Bobby asked for prayer about the sermon he will be doing for youth Sunday next week I gave him an encouraging word, “You can do it!” His answer was, “I have to.”

               Our little family hasn’t gone to Portland yet, so Mother’s day is still ongoing. It’s a much easier day when the kids are grown. Bobby is mowing the lawn. Seth stayed home still a little sick with a cold. When he saw what they had the men do (sing up front to the ladies) he was glad he stayed home.

                I anticipate a lovely reunion with Adriel – it will be fun seeing her 😊. May you also feel joy when you get to visit with loved ones. May your time with family and friends give you delight 😊 Warmly,

 

 

Cristy

5/3/26

 

Dear Family,

 

               I’m so thankful for fun friends, pretty flowers, cats in general and our cat specifically, but most of all I’m thankful for you – those who care to listen and enjoy the treasures God gives us. May you find strength in knowing how very, very much you are appreciated and loved 😊.

                I continually enjoy the fun things our youth say. Sometimes they are so invested in filling out Bobby’s blanks it comes out as a whine, “Bobby, I was just going to say that!” There is a bit of glory – kudos if you will - when we figure out what the blank was going to be before Bobby says it. If Bobby beats us to the punch it’s a sad moment. He gave our youth a chance after that. “Sorry, what’s the next blank?” The whining continued. “I don’t knowwwww.” Such a mournful evening for this tender heart.

               Bobby mentioned, “I have a youth room update.” Someone said, “Did it flood again?” Thank goodness it did not. Repairs are underway, yay!!

               The middle school group also has some fun incidents. This is an age when smells seem to erupt out of people and we are not talking about good smells. This was evidenced after they were playing games a bit. Either way social distancing really helps. When Bobby mentioned that God uses earth as his footstool a teen had to say, “Ooof! The smell of that would kill people.” Yes, feet can smell very bad.

               I had to laugh about the difference between my two grown adults. I texted both of them and asked if we could take them out to dinner for mothers day. Our sweet daughters response was, “Of course, it’s your day, we can do whatever you want.” Our practical son had a question, “What time?” When I told him he said he would have to cancel his Sunday evening plans with friends. In the end, if he’s healthy Seth will join us, yay.

               May you delight in those you know – that they can be family and still be so different from each other. May you enjoy everyone you encounter 😊 May your life be full because God loves you so much 😊.

 

Hugs,

 

Cristy

4/26/26

 

Dear Family,

 

               I may never lose the delight I feel when I hear funny words, irony or a well-timed joke. I believe this is what I live for. I mean – of course to delight in God and the people He has given us, right? I think anyone can be hilarious. OK I’ll illustrate some older ladies this week. One made a mess and another told her she needed to clean it up. Then a third chimed in and mentioned they didn’t have fruit flies until this person started being closer to them. Oh, this infuriated my friend, so she started cleaning her area with fervor. She made some angry sounds and I interceded with, “Fight, fight, fight, fight.” The mess was cleaned, the people were appeased and all was good natured fun. When I told Bobby the story later on, he said, “Why would you egg those old ladies on?” I’ll admit – the story does make me sound bad but there was light hearted fun in the midst. You have to know your audience.

               Middle school group was also enjoyable. Bobby mentioned how we are to be molded to resemble Jesus. He was talking about ice cube trays and how it might spill because it’s full, but he gets it in the freezer OK. One student was aghast. “It’s my job to do that and I DON’T spill.” Well, now we know.

               The High Schoolers didn’t say much that was funny but they sure were fun when it came to a game. Hands on heads and walk in a circle. Grab a cup when the music stops. It’s much harder than it sounds – kind of like musical chairs and they loved it. How fun.

               In Sunday School the ice breaker was, “What is one thing on your bucket list?” Three people mentioned they would like to take a trip to various places. Next someone wanted to go to, “Malaysia”, This person’s brother had to quip that his sister, “Wants to meet hot Malaysian guys.” Several girls including the person who had this wish, were instantly not OK. Some of these tweens are not ready for anything like that!

               One person seemed stuck, “Bobby then asked them where they might want to go and I was not OK with this. “Bucket lists do not have to be about going somewhere. Maybe this person wants to become a famous artist or have five kids.” Rich came in at just that moment and was confused. Someone piped up with, “You are Just in time for Bobby’s great news!” Bobby had to say, “Cristy wants 5 kids! Yay, we are adopting!” Heavens to Betsy NO – I was simply suggesting that’s what someone else might have as a goal. I’m quite happy with being an almost empty nester.

               When it came time for my bucket list item I mentioned I would like to meet our sponsor children in person in Africa. Bobby mentioned he would like to meet the sheep named after him. Rich had to say, “Sorry, the sheep has already been eaten.”

               I love some conversations and that one was hilarious. May you also delight in those you get to interact with. May your times with friends, family and volunteer opportunities bring you great joy.

               I am blessed to interact with so many great people. Let me know, what is on your bucket list? Hugs,

 

Cristy

4/19/26

 

Dear family,

               I feel so blessed again and again to have you in my life. My church, relatives, and friendships are truly a blessing. Your impact on me is great and I feel thankful. Each season has its beauty, hardships and joys. Spring can bring excitement for new life, the joy of seeing perennials and hardy plants come back is expected but still a surprise. Oh that’s where you ended up at. Oh, now there are two of you! How fun.

               Weeds also grow in this weather. How many years of angst I have cried about this. So far this year I have only had a grumpy hangry morning about weeds. No tears this time. Bobby came out to help find a tool I had lost in two steps time. Literally – I pruned a bush, two steps away I dug up some weeds from the vinca minor and poof – the pruner disappeared. How frustrating! Thank goodness Bobby is good at finding things. It didn’t take long – he just had to listen to about 3 or 4 sentences of complaints. “The weeds are taking over our garden (no, the world) and my life is over etc”. Then poof, there the pruners were, laying on top of the vinca minor. Sigh, Bobby agreed we could poison everything. We don’t need vinca minor at all. This was a viable choice. But my body only lets me do 15 min of yard work a day and it was time to go inside.

               Tuesday night Bobby asked the middle schoolers what they thought a picture was. The only guess was a, “VHS thing?” – our youngsters may never know what a cassette tape is – and that’s OK. Using a pencil on those was rough. Although, purposefully taking the string out just for fun, was entertaining. Hopefully no one will die from some odd chemical that came out while we did that.

               Yet I digress 😉. The lesson had a fill in the blank that included who people think Jesus is today, “Prophet, historical figure, - - - - - teacher, crazy lunatic.” The guess for this blank did include a “math” teacher. Although they did get it right eventually (moral) one person did say, “Math makes the most sense.” No, I don’t think Jesus came to earth to teach math. Sorry professors and other math teachers – Morals are more important to God. Prove me wrong if you think otherwise.

               The high school group was also fun. Bobby found a creative way to say, “Don’t talk while I am talking,” Bobby said, “We really love your tongue, but please keep it in your mouth.”

What really warmed my heart to overflowing with tears was the Sunday school presentation from one of our high schoolers and his mother about their school mission trip to Guatemala. Hearing about God working, man, He really is at work all around us – their stories – the mom was like, “OK, guys, you gotta stop crying.” How can we help it? Those are happy tears.

               And then the baptism service, two of our youth were baptized by Bobby – such tall young men! And I couldn’t believe my ears, they are 12 and 13 – so young, so tall, so spiritually mature. How fun to watch as their faith grows, is tested and matures. I am so blessed to be part of that. Yet, we will have to help them as the weeds grow around them too.

               Thursday after work I went to do my 15 min. of yard work. Bobby helped and even grabbed a bunch of weeds out of the vinca minor with the statement, “I don’t want you to have to kill the vinca minor.” I felt very cared for. We reminisced that the original vinca minor came from his dad’s old place. I mentioned we could give dad some back but Bobby said he’s in a different climate so probably wouldn’t want any he has to water (in the Bend area). It was still a blessing though – having some help.

               May God bless you with help when you need it, a hand when you are down and a boot when that would be appropriate. God knows our hearts, our wills and our ways. May we find peace in knowing Him and doing His will.

               Love and hugs,

 

 

Cristy

4/13/26

 

Dear Family,

I must admit a disturbing conversation I had with Seth on the way to Portland. I asked him to promise to never get a mullet hair cut. Seth refused. He wants autonomy for this simple act. I still feel a little nauseated thinking about it.

Celebrating is fun and can be dangerous. Bobby Seth and I enjoyed going to Portland to celebrate Adriel turning 25 and graduating from college. She thought turning 25 was a huge deal. College – meh, she’s just glad it’s over and the diploma came in the mail. I remember feeling the same way. It was funny.

The danger started when Adriel wanted to get food from a restaurant and then sit on a pier. I started applying sun screen after we ordered and before we left. I asked Seth, “Do you see any white on me?” and pointed to my skin. Seth was not impressed, “Mom, you are white, I don’t think I can help you with this one.” I smiled and took some more sun screen and smeared it on my neck without rubbing it in. “How about any white like that?” Seth replied, “Oh.” He looked more analytically and then, “No, I don’t see any, you are good.”

I believe Adriel was sharing a favorite, special place with us. Boy was it scary. We walked past many people who don’t have homes and several who were bathing in a water fountain. We went down a narrow ramp to a pier that was broken in several places. It was a beautiful view as long as we didn’t look behind us to those poor people – humans – who are unfortunate. I was very glad to get back to Adriel’s apartment before sundown.

               While in Adriel’s apartment one thing we entrusted Adriel with were her medical records. Interestingly she went through the documents page by page and reminisced about each incident. “Oh, this is when I bit the dentist.” Immunizations had a comment from me, “The look of betrayal in your baby eyes was so traumatic dad had to take you to the rest of your immunizations. Seth’s were also all handled by dad.” Adriel even mentioned, “So that’s how much it cost to have a baby back then.” She looked at prices, events and then commented how fortunate she is to have such a small file. She used to look through medical records as a paralegal for insurance. It sure was interesting to go through them all again. It was like reliving her life. Frame by medical frame.

               The next day was middle school group. Bobby spoke about how Onesiphorus found Paul in Rome and how it isn’t easy to find people in new places. This brought up a story about how he found my Uncle in Italy while we were there on vacation. One student thought that was very creepy. Bobby had to mention he did know the name of the building they were staying at so that helped. The student insisted on their first take – still creepy that Bobby found a person – stalker like.

               Since we were talking about Italy a story of how my desire to be frugal, my lack of the language and my desperation led to a misunderstanding. I wanted water from the tap. I didn’t want to pay $3 for a bottle. The waiter did not understand. Finally I mentioned, “Toilet water?” That only brought a huge look of horror on the waiters face. Bottled water it was. Sigh. Our youth enjoyed that story.

               The game time was fun as well. “Will you be my friend?” “No, all my friends . . . . wear black, have crocks on. . . and my favorite . . . all my friends aren’t as cool as Rich.” We all knew to jump up and grab a new seat – it was unanimous and fun.

               The high school group was also enjoyable. When Bobby asked, “Does anyone know where Ephesus is?” One person shouted out, “Japan!”

               Later when Bobby mentioned we were going to talk about “Onesiphorus.” Someone said, “I love that name, I’m going to call my kid that!” Another countered with chagrin, “No, you can’t name your kid that! Everyone will nickname them ‘Onsie!’”

               And a favorite of mine – the fill in the blank. The answers came rapid fire for this one, “Onesiphorus visited Rome while Paul was i_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.” The firs answer seemed right to me “Incarcerated” but it didn’t fit. Next was, “In jail” but that’s two words. Imprisoned was the right word. l

               It’s really fun to watch people grow. Today Seth took some time out to cook lasagna with me. He wanted to get a ruler out and do precise measurements. He was OK with my – pouring ½ of this and 1/6^th of that. He would do it differently though – but since we were cooking together (and we already know he likes my lasagna) he was fine with my ways. If he does this alone though – he will do it more precisely.

               I’m so thankful for friends and family. Thank you for your love and interest. May God’s words always be a gentle guide for your actions and words. Hugs,

 

Cristy