My Heart Is Full

So, I mentioned in my last post (I think) that I was attending the SEACWR this weekend. Please don't make me spell it out again...refer to previous posts if you've forgotten what that is. :) Anyway, it was a very blessed time. RoseAnne Coleman from TN was our speaker. What's the deal with TN lately?? I'm either meeting someone from there or sending someone to live there. Is God trying to tell me something?? Seriously! I just got used to the idea of being stuck on the island.... At any rate, I have posted RoseAnne's website to the right along with Lysa and Kevin. If any of you have a chance to go see her or attend her Bible Study in Brentwood, TN...DO IT! She is amazing. What a woman...I am humbled. I think (imho) she is one of the best speakers we have had. She had us rolling from the get go...and who doesn't need a good, old-fashioned, belly laugh in the day and age we live in?!? And she sings, too! She even writes her own stuff!! I bought her CD along with a book she had available. I guess that makes me a "groupie" but I don't care. I would follow her anywhere. :) She's DA BOMB! But it was more than just "great speaking" and good laughter...it was a true "kindred spirit" kind of experience and God spoke LOUDLY through her. What a gift she's been given...two gifts, actually. Speaking AND singing. I can't help but be a tiny bit jealous! :)

So, besides that I also bit the bullet and did something I've been wanting to do forever and just kept hesitating for whatever reason. Just a quick note...RoseAnne partnerships with World Vision and there was a table at the retreat. I'm sure you see where this is headed! I could NOT resist any longer sponsoring one of these very needy children. I chose a girl...she's in Ethiopia and she'll be 7 on March 12th. My heart is full. I can't wait to get letters and info on her to hear how she's doing. I feel like I have a daughter!!! PTL!!! Maybe this is why I only had 1 child. There are SO many kids out there that need help. But I won't get on my soapbox here...I'll spare you for now. :)

After the retreat, I drove out to see how Margie is doing. I took them a Chicken-Pot-Pie so they don't have to worry about dinner for at least 2 nights. She's still waiting for the stone to pass but she's doing better pain-wise. Keep praying for her!

Tomorrow will be a full day so I'd better get off of here and do some dishes. Hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

Love and Hugs~ Nan

So Much For Spring

I think the Crocus are confused. I think they may have gotten a little ahead of themselves and are now wishing they could bury their pretty, little buds right back into the frozen ground! I certainly wouldn't blame them. It was lightly snowing (as expected) when I left the house this morning. Oh Yay. It is really windy and cold today with an overcast sky. I wonder if and when we'll see the sun again. We've gotten really spoiled the last two weeks with sunshine...no rain really to speak of. Ho-Hum. In a rain forest...we kind of come to depend on the rain so I shouldn't complain. I guess the electric company is going to have to turn the "diesels" on b/c of the lack of the "liquid sunshine"...whatever that means.

Anyway, it's Friday. Sigh! This has been a somewhat crazy week...or at least it feels that way for some reason and I'm tired today. I am glad the weekend is almost here. Tonight is the beginning of the SEACWR (Southeast Alaska Christian Women's Retreat) up at Holy Name. My friend, Misty, is meeting me there. I am excited to hear what the speaker (and God!) has to say...it's always a good time. It's fun to see ladies from other churches that you don't normally get a chance to visit with. So, that will be tonight and most of Saturday. I may leave a little early, tho, depending on how it's going. I have a friend laid up with a kidney stone...I want to take her and the hubs a chicken-pot-pie so they have one less meal to worry about. Pray for Margie and that the stone will pass quickly! I think she's pretty miserable right now. Thanks!

That's all I got for now! Have a great weekend, Y'all!! More later....Much Love, Nan

Spring Has Sprung

Look what was peeking out of the flower garden this morning! I was so shocked as it's been SO cold. We are supposed to get more snow starting tomorrow but hopefully it won't kill the Crocus. I got so excited when I saw them. They are such a reminder that spring is almost here! And...daylight saving's time is a week from Sunday so I'm doing the happy dance about that.

Hope you are all having a good week! Hugs, Nan

SeaLions

Yep...those brown nubs sticking out of the water are the Sealions that have been hanging around out front the last few weeks. It's awesome to watch them play! We are SO fortunate to be right on the water. (This pic was zoomed in of course, otherwise you wouldn't be able to see them as well.) They are very curious creatures we've noticed. The other day a little girl and her daddy were down on the beach and the SeaLions were coming way up out of the water, kind of sticking their necks out so to speak to get a good look at what was going on. They did the same thing when kayakers went by recently. Don't know if I'd want to be in a kayak and have one of those beasts come up to me! They are bigger then you realize!

Here's video of them!

And here's Damion, our neighbor and Jake's buddy, watching them! :)

Hot Water Update....

So, Channel Electric was here today. All the dude did was replace the breaker that we had turned off the other night and VIOLA...we have hot water again! Easy fix...YAY!! I am so relieved. Funny how much you take certain things for granted. As for my slippers...I need to go see if they are still soaked. Not much I can do other than keep them over the heat register until they dry out. One thing's for certain...I am going to bed EARLY tonight! LOL!! (I always say that and it never happens.) Anywhoooo...

Night, Y'all. Thanks for checking in. Love and Hugs~ Nan XOX

P.S. I know it's the end of February but I am still planning on posting some pics from Christmas. Just in case any of y'all are wondering. Better late than never, right??? Peace, Out!!

You Know You Are Tired When...

...you wear your slippers into the shower. UGH!!!!! Yep...that's me. Letting my mind wander to the point of not even realizing I still had my slippers on this morning as I stepped into the shower. Now...I don't even have a good excuse for being so tired which makes it even funnier that this happened. :) And it wasn't like I just stepped in and immediately realized what I'd done...OH NO!! Cuz that would be TOO easy, right?? Nope...they were soaking wet by the time I figured it out. (In case you are wondering...I wear Acorn slippers in case any of you are aware of what those are. They are heavy and thick...kind of like wearing sheep on my feet.) Sigh. Another example of not living in the moment and letting my mind wander. I am blaming it on the fact that we still don't have hot water and we are having to shower downstairs in the B&B. My mind was focused on wondering what the electrician was going to say when he finally made it out to check things out today. Hence, not remembering what I was doing.

Speaking of not having hot water...Sigh. We are on day three and I'm getting irritable. I'm already tired of boiling water to do dishes. I am TRYING REALLY HARD to just be grateful that we have water at all and can flush the toilet and all that business. So, I will continue to do that...focus on being grateful for the little things. Grateful that the B&B downstairs is empty and we can walk down to shower. Grateful that we have running water at all. Grateful that even tho we've had a long stretch of sunshine we will NOT be ordering water like a lot of people probably are about now. Gratefullness...a virtue I'm quickly learning. Patience on the other hand...that's another story. This one I will go to my grave working on.

Anyway, no other news to report at this time. It's Wednesday. It's SUNNY!! It's still cold as all get out. The days are getting longer, however, which brings much joy to my heart. I woke early yesterday, around 6:15am, and the sun was already coming up. Whew! Another Ketchikan winter almost behind me. Another thing to be grateful for. :)

Love and Hugs~ Nan

Another Day In Paradise...What???

I don't know WHAT is going on but it is sunny AGAIN today. I think we've had over a week of nice weather (if you don't count the small drizzle we had on Saturday.) I'm serious...it's been sunshine and blue skies for I don't even know how long!! Yay!!! And it's supposed to stay clear all this week. Wow!! This is just too wonderful for words. I don't know what we did to deserve it but I am LOVING IT for now....It even warmed up to like 40 degrees yesterday and was just lovely. Nice!! :)

Friday night brought some excitement to our place. I was awoken (awakened?) at 3am to a very strange sound I've never heard before. Tony had fallen asleep on the couch in the other room so he was oblivious to what was happening. I quickly figured out that the sound was coming from the "breaker box" which happens to be in our bedroom...weird, I know. The best way I can describe it is it sounded like something was "shorting out". I was horrified!!! This is NOT something we are capable of dealing with and our landlords are in Mexico. So, I wake my sleepy and disoriented hubs and tell him what's going on. I wandered out to the couch in the living room and zonked right out...good thing Tony didn't get electrocuted or catch the house on fire!!! LOL!! Anyway, to make a long story short...he tried shutting off different breakers (which were now getting HOT to the touch!!) until he found one he thought was the right one. The sound stopped and we haven't had any further "issues". However, the breaker he turned off goes to the hot water tank. Yep...you guessed it...NO HOT WATER!!!! I can live with that...at least we have heat and electricity to run everything else. Thankfully, the B&B downstairs is vacant so I took my little behind down there this a.m. and took a nice, hot shower! PTL!!!! So, I guess our landlord left a message with the "electric people" and we are hoping they are coming sooner rather than later to fix our problem...whatever it might be. I'm just thankful, too, we didn't end up with a fire or something, which is a big worry of mine. I'm now sleeping with a fire extinguisher next to my bed. :) Paranoid...that's ME!

Had a nice PartyLite party on Saturday night. It was fun. We had lots of yummy vittles and polished off some "beverages" and had a good time. PartyLite is candles for those of you that don't know. I wound up earning LOTS of free stuff so I am EXCITED!! I have such nice friends who help support my "habit". LOL!!! Thanks to all of you...you know who you are.

Sunday left me tuckered out after the whole getting ready and having the party so it was uneventful. We went out for dinner since we don't have hot water to do dishes...sounded like a good excuse to ME!! Oceanview was yummy!!

Sigh...that's it for now. Nothing exciting, I know. Sorry!!! No news is good news, tho. Right???

Bye for now~ Nan XOX