Trip to Yellowstone

Isn't it comforting to know that Old Faithful is still faithful~she's doing her job, even in the face of adversity.  The polar ice caps may be melting and we're in the middle of a recession, but she still blows off steam, right on schedule~

The buffaloes are still roaming the range...

Nice people are still offering to take your picture

You can still experience the joy of a "new car"

And see a mama moose in the Teton's

And see views such as this...All is well in the world!

You know you're in Idaho when...

This is the view we saw driving down the main street in Pocatello ID! 

Mom: There's a Brahma Bull in that van

Natie: It almost looks real

Rachel: It is real!

How do you explain something like this?  You're in Idaho, that's all you need to know!

So that's not the real reason we were in Idaho this is why we went~

I'd drive anywhere to see those blue eyes and hear "Mommo!"

(More pic's and stories to follow)

Birthday thoughts

I've felt all these years that I wasn't really the one in charge~raising this girl, this "old soul" in a child's body. She was here to teach me a thing or two, and I have been so incredibly blessed to have her in my life. And so I share my thoughts of Rachel on this, her 24th birthday~

Was it me hanging on to her so tightly or her reluctance to come into this world that made my labor 36 hours long: Trying everything, walking the halls, even getting on my hands and knees trying to get her to turn the right way, desperately pushing to get this 9lb screaming dark-haired child into the light. Her gusto, patience, and tenacity were evident from the start. She started Kindergarten a year early 'cause she was ready to go..."just drop me off Mom", and she never looked back.

We've always put an extra candle on her cake in honor of her shared birthday with Grandad Brown, she's never minded, she's good that way~oh except for sharing her name~Rachel was known as Sissy for the first 3 or 4 years of her life, and then Natalie came along and Calvin called her Sissy, Rachel immediately let him know "She's not Sissy, I'm Sissy"!

Rachel's strength is a quiet one, and so much like her Dad, it's often hard to know what's going on inside of her. But in her quiet way her example of faith shines through and is a beacon to me, a reminder that there is more than the here and now. My hardest day as a mother was when I had to watch my child put her first-born son in his grave and my ability to protect her was gone, it was beyond my power. But I have learned from Rachel's example that the power we can rely on is the Lord's, He is our strength and where our happiness will come from. We are a forever family~and so glad to have Rachel LeeAnn as our daughter. Happy birthday Sissy!

Shhh, I'm Reading!

I've been catching up on my reading the past few weeks, and I have one I loved, one I didn't and one I can't decide whether to read or not.


I absolutely loved "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society". I had been eyeing this book for awhile wondering about that weird title, once I started reading I didn't want to stop. The story is told in letters, which at first I was skeptical about (I had just finished the next book which was in interview form and wanted a plain ol' narrative) but it flows seamlessly and the voice of the writers comes clearly through their letters. It was reminiscent of other book loves; Anne of Green Gables, and the Mitford series by Jan Karon because of the quirky characters that come alive through great writing. I found myself wanting to move to the isle of Guernsey and get to know these folks. The history of WW II is a bonus, with so many stories. I didn't know about the German occupation of this small island and the hardships the people had to face. I'm sad that the author Mary Anne Shaffer passed away last year and so we won't be able to enjoy any more of her stories.

Now "The Witch of Portobello" is a different story. I tried to like it and stayed with it till the end when I really wanted to quit (I'm loyal like that).
I felt like this was just a vehicle for the author's weird beliefs, he was preaching about his spiritualism and he didn't make me care about his characters at all. They were flat and I didn't care about them or the plot, if you could call it that.

I've had "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" on my shelf for the longest time and now I'm not sure if I want to wade into this one. I've read some reviews on Goodreads and most are not favorable~~so do I want to spend my precious time reading 562 pages of maybe? Have any of you read this one or heard about it? If so, let me know what you think!