Blogaversary...

Wow another year has gone by... it's my blogaversary again.  It started back in 2007 and I am sooo glad I have been able to keep it going (kind of).

I will be the first to admit the past two years have been the hardest.  I think I have been in survival mode.  Just one day at a time, and each day has brought blessings, so blog worthy, but yet again so personal, almost too personal to put into words.

And time, my time has just been devoted to living, not so much blogging about living, hey it takes time to upload photos and have quiet time to post.  

I have filled my quiet time with other really good things.  But I don't want to quit, I still want to blog, it just all about figuring out that balance for me.

Its good, its not perfect, but my heart is joyful and my mind is at peace with it all.

Happy Blogaversary to me!

And a big shout out to my SIL for helping to get me started, and showing me how to keep taking one step in front of the other.

By Small and Simple, great things really do come to pass.

Speaking of growth... A garden update.

Some accidental flowers made it in a side planter, and a few cilantro twigs surviving.

A ball squash plant, great leaves and flowers...

And a glimmer of hope of produce on the horizon.

Strawberries are blooming and putting off one or two strawberries a week, but the squirrels get to them quicker than I can.

Most of the pepper plants survivied, unlike the broccoli which we lost all of those seeds in the heat.

It hasn't taking much effort, just lots and lots and lots of patience.

Only tiny glimpses of peppers.

The flower buds look like they might turn to peppers, but will it happen before the frost?  That is the BIG question.

The tomato plants keep getting bigger, we tied up the ones that grew outside of the cages.   And their is some fruit, but again.... will it grow and turn color before frost.  I suppose there is still time.

I have just been ready.  For a while now.

I can't wait to see what these stripped ones turn out like.

I can say it's going great if you are happy with one cherry tomato a week.  I ate the first red one last week and this one is almost ready with two more behind it that should turn 4-5 days later at this rate.  

A salad it does not make... but they do taste better than anything you can buy in the store.

If you only want a taste.

The watermelon plants are alive, but that's really all I can report.

I started them from seeds too, so they are doing much much better than the broccoli so far!!

Can you say watermelon in December?

For my very first attempt, I am not dissappointed.

If I get anything out of it, it's already better than last year.

The wood chips on top are key, I have not had one weed to pull and it keeps the soil moist so Im not having to water every day even in 100 + heat.  I don't know if that's normal, but its nice for a beginner.

I will keep at it, and maybe by the time the missionary comes home we will have something more to show for it.

Oh yeah, we got his return date August 29th!!!!!

Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!

Beyond excited!!!!!!!!!

Now I gotta get a farmers tan!

This is a big event at my house!!!

The Strong Silent Mysterious Man finished the raised bed.

 

With lots of help from the BFF!!

That's why we call him the BFF.

(That and these two spend more time 

talking on the phone than most girls)

I tried to wait until Mothers day, but I had time off of work this week, so I got a few plants in.

Strawberries

And a couple different kinds of tomatoes.

And I added the burl wood... it's a work in progress, but this was a place to start.

I found some mulch in Black... I almost got kind of excited about mulch!  It just fit me so much better than brown or red.

I'm thinking the front boards should be adorned with some wood burning art....

Feeling a Northwest - y theme!

Thanks Honey for my raised garden bed!!

I love it!!  Next year I'll need two more pleeeese :)

Over the top Excitement!!!

After a long week of wondering why we didn't get an email from Elder Dayley.  And lots and lots of speculation.
And many more conversations telling ourselves, or rather telling MYSELF (let it be known, the strong silent mysterious man always had the faith) that all was well.

I went to work this Monday still waiting for an email.  
So anxious that the battery on my phone had gone from 100% to 38% by Noon.

So at 1pm I leave work, go to the hospital to drop off some pathology for the Doctor and I am inside the hospital when I get this email from the Missionary....

"Are you near a computer with skype"

With all the gump inside me, I hold back a scream!!  Then send a reply... " I WILL BE IN 2 minutes!!!"

I Clutch my phone with one hand and grab the lanyard around my neck with the other to keep it from smacking me in the face and I took off in a FULL SPRINT out of the hospital (apparently it's the one building you can run while wearing scrubs and people get OUT of your way).

I get into the car, and call My Strong Silent Mysterious Man... he is getting ready to leave for a job site, and we have this discussion.

Me:  Jacob just emailed asking if we were near skype.
SSMM:  Are you near  skype?
Me: No, but I am almost there, are you coming?
SSMM:  No, he probably just wants to test for the skype call this weekend.
Me:  It's Monday why would he be doing that so early? I bet something is wrong!
SSMM:  Well go find out what is going on, Im sure it's just about Mothers Day call.
Me:  You should come anyway!
SSMM:  I am working, you can handle this!!

By this time I am at the house.   Rush inside, throw the dogs outside so they don't get in my way.   And sign into skype.  I see Jacob signed on, but I wait for him to call me.

Video call comes in!!!  My heart is beating out of my chest!! 

Elder Dayley:  "Hola!"  

He tells me what time he will be calling on Saturday, we figure out what time that will be in Idaho. 

Then Dad walks through the front door!!

We had a great one minute video chat with him, my heart is still pounding!!!!

He looks exactly the same as the day he left... which means he has put back on all the weight he lost.  Yay!!  And he sounded soooo good.

He did show us a "fungus" he has on his arm, but he is sending the President's wife a photo today so she can confirm it is a common fungus they are getting there, and let him know what kind of medication to be putting on it!!  
"He said I got this in my first area, but just thought I got burned or something".
So hopefully it is very treatable.  Pray, pray, pray!!!

Quite an adrenaline rush, but what a great Monday, after a really long week without a letter from the Missionary, totally makes up for all that worry!!!