Today's Post Brought to You by the Letter C

After some nerve-wracking negotiations, it looks like we will have a place to live on the other side of the continent. I thought it was interesting to note that we have a consistent pattern when it comes to places we've lived: they all start with the letter C.

Oh! But wait, you may say--you started out in Provo. The only  letter C we see is in CRAZY!

But play along folks...

                         Chicken Coop (see what I did there?)

                                           Clark County (the trailer house--I mean "mobile home")

Camas

Cabin

California

and now... Connecticut!

Who knows what's ahead for us...Colorado?
                                   Canada? 
                                   Constantinople? 

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Here are some of the bits and scraps from the last few weeks--left on the camera forgotten and getting close
to their expiration date. Some are a little iffy but most are still fresh enough to enjoy...

Well, the week came and went...we had our

Thanksgiving feast

We invited the missionaries because we were

short on feasters this year.

That's not a missionary, by the way.

I didn't get pictures of them so I

thought this was a good place to insert a picture of the turkey.

Mmmmm rolls...

The dog enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday

lolling about in the California sun.

He doesn't love his bath-- he tolerates it.

Shane went on an overnight hike and caught a fish...

He was quite pleased with his feat as he was the only

one there to catch one.

Sam helped me build a trebuchet for a

school project: Weapons of Elizabethean Times

Shane experienced dinner from start to finish:

(I'm sparing you the pictures of the beheading)

His Key of Liberty class butchered, plucked and

cooked a chicken.

Cat meets dog

You can see why she got the name "Ninja"

Gunner was impressed with her bravado.

They get along like...well...

cats and dogs.

Resolution

It's a new year. And as I look back on the past year, it's kind of a blur. But there are some things that stand out. It was certainly a year of changes for this gal, her guy, the 8 kids--even the two cats. Last year at this time we were living in a cabin, down by the river--in the rainy Northwest. Now we are living in a house, up in the hills--in sunny California. Last year we were jobless, this year we aren't. Last year we were trying to convince our kids that they would somehow survive a move from everything they had known their entire lives. This year they can't imagine living anywhere else. Last year I was in mourning; thinking of leaving behind friends and a calling I loved. This year I am grateful for new friends (and for modern technology to keep in touch with old and new friends!) and loving both callings in my new ward. Last year we were looking ahead to Spencer going on a mission, this year he is in the MTC studying the Hmong language. Last year we were full of gratitude for the tender mercies we were shown through all of the challenges we were going through (and the toughest ones had nothing to do with our employment situation). This year we look back and see the hand of the Lord in our lives in ways we didn't even realize at the time. Last year I placed my trust in the Lord and this year I see how He directed my path. Yes, life is good.

The Week That Was

The days are flying by and it seems like one week melds into the next.

We barely catch our breath between the days--with seminary starting in the wee hours of the morning and studying going late into the evening and the usual and sometimes unusual shenanigans going on in between.

But here's a little glimpse of this past week:Seth discovered a cool way to frost the center of a layer cake.

He froze the frosting on foil in the baking pan and then

just peeled it off and laid it on there. Move over Martha!

We moved furniture around...
...to make room for new carpet.
It replaces the grubby, dog hair version that was here when we moved in.

We moved more furniture around...

...to scrub the grubby concrete tile floors.

We saw the garden grow out of control in some places...

...and this pumpkin got huger.

I don't understand the big hoopla about zucchini being so easy to grow--

this is my zucchini spot in the garden: barren.

The pumpkin patch: not so barren.

And we wrapped up the week with a visitor--

the scorpion in Shayla's shower!

Kinda makes the bats seem cute and cuddly.

Too bad scorpion doesn't rhyme with "cats".

Oh, Say Can You See

These are just some of the many flags I see as I walk through our neighborhood.

Is it trite to say: "Freedom isn't free"?

Ask those whose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

I try not to take that for granted.

God Bless America

And...That's a Wrap

Goodbye BurgervilleAnd Top Burger too...

Goodbye Crown Park

We'll miss you.

Goodbye Camas Pool

Where we learned to swim

Goodbye old Camas High

and Fred Howe Gym

(yeah, no picture--that's another story)





Goodbye Prune Hill Chapel

Our Church on the Hill

So many good memories,

A book they could fill.

Farewell Shell Station

and "Dorky Socks" School

Where some of the Gale kids

Learned so many rules.

We lived here so long

We never thought the day would come

That we would move away

and call someplace else home.

But wherever we go

and whatever we do...

We'll keep close in our hearts,

Sweet memories of you.

Our State of Limbo Ends and a New State Beckons

House hunting long distance has been an adventure. Andy did the leg work ahead of time and narrowed down the possibilities. The possibilities came to exactly TWO. I flew to San Diego for a day and looked at the two. One had nine acres, the other had a postage stamp yard. The choice was easy. But it felt strange to make such a big decision with so few choices. It was a nice house with a few quirks and was short one bedroom. But we had to make it work so I resigned myself to look at the positives and get on with the move. This was the house:When we knew we were going to California, I had visions of a big garden that would produce year-round with the beautiful, sunny climate. My first priority upon entering the house was to walk through to the backyard and check the soil conditions. I was informed that the soil was crushed granite. So...I was going from cement-like clay in my Northwest garden to crushed rock. I am a resilient woman. I began to make plans for raised beds and imagined the many wheelbarrows of soil and manure I would be hauling up to our mountaintop fortress:
But I came home still feeling like it wasn't the home for us. I did not want to be ungrateful. I also kept thinking that maybe a family like ours had a home they would need to sell. And it would come on the market before our "get out of contract free" deadline came up. And that is exactly what happened! Just hours before the deadline. Andy went to see it with our realtor and sent me pictures taken with his cell phone:

This house was in the same area--the same ward. It has the same amazing views. But it has all the bedrooms we need for our four children at home. And room for the four that are away from home to come and visit. And any friends and relations that might want to come see us too.
(That's a guest apartment over the garage)


Oh, and it was priced lower.



It is also a bit less desolate.

The kitchen is roomier and more big family friendly.

The pool looks inviting.

So, come and see us.

Our Town Again

So, here's the house we built next. It probably looks strangely familiar. That's because Andy liked the design of the front that he did on the other house so much, he repeated it here.

This was only six blocks from our last home. But this place had more room around it. It was a little over an acre and had protected greenspace behind it--which included a little creek and lots of trees.

During the building process, I spent a lot of time going back and forth from our other house to here and always dragged Shane along with me. He didn't enjoy it because he had to stay out of the way of the workers and listen to boring adult talk as we discussed tile and carpet and plumbing and blah, blah, blah. When we finally moved in, Shane was not happy. In the middle of the night our first night, he woke me up and said, "I want to go home now."

I said, "You are home, we live here now."

"NO we don't! Our house has a white door. This is not my house. Take me HOME!"

A few days later I was doing laundry and he walked in and started crying, "What did you do with our washer? This is not our washer!!"

Eventually he resigned himself to the fact that we were staying.

Before we got the landscaping in, the backyard was a muddy mess. After a snowstorm, Siara and her friend, Sumner, decided to go for a walk in the forest. Unfortunately, he sank into the mud and couldn't get out. Siara tried to pull him up and out but he sank deeper. We were about to call the fire department when he finally heaved himself out of his boots and snowpants and up on to solid ground. We found the boots the next summer when the ground dried out.

Scott spent his last year of high school here and left for BYU and then his mission from here. Siara also graduated and left for BYU. Then Shanna graduated and left for BYU. Then Spencer never went to high school but he left for BYU while we were living here.

I loved gardening here and spent a lot of time out in the garden. The kids couldn't help but gravitate out there too. We planted pumpkins and strawberries which they loved. We also planted tomatoes and squash which they didn't love.

We had hawks nesting in our trees and it was so fun to see the babies learn to fly and then grow up and build their own nests. Eventually we had a pretty healthy hawk population. They helped the cats keep the mouse population down.

We started homeschooling here and this became the lab for many interesting experiments. Some of them very loud. This was also the testing facility for many flying contraptions. Seth and Spencer built rockets, hot air balloons and various planes...with various methods of getting them off the ground. Spencer built a GIANT trebuchet which was used for launching pumpkins into the forest.

We were surprised when this house sold so quickly. We thought we would have more time there. But it was fun while it lasted and we moved from there to the little cabin we are enjoying now.

Next: A few favorite places around town.

Our Town

This is the next installment in our "Farewell to Camas" series. Here you see the first house we bought--well the first house that didn't have wheels.

It is appropriate that it was pouring rain when we were out taking pictures...sure gonna miss that Northwest moisture!

Anyone who knows Andy knows that when we lived here, the walls and driveway were spotlessly clean thanks to his connection with pressure washers, and his constant hard work.

He also went to great lengths to make sure all the planters had nice plants and flowers in them. When we first moved in, I was about five months along with Shanna, and Scott and Siara were running around. Our neighbor across the street (who still lives there BTW) came over to tell me:

"How does your son stand up? His head is so big I expect him to fall over!" in a lovely German accent.

That was a nice welcome to the neighborhood. But, as we got to know her and her family, we realized that though she could be blunt, she was a wonderful neighbor and her daughter Antje babysat for us and our kids loved her. Antje gave Shanna her nickname: Nunny.

Note the VERY steep driveway. The kids adapted quickly and eventually would ride their bikes down it and also had fun coasting down it in the wagon. Siara and Shanna each crashed into the tree down the street after picking up too much speed coming down the driveway. Just minor injuries but major drama.

It kept me in good condition as our van would not fit in the garage and I had to carry every baby, diaper bag, car seat and all groceries from the curb, up the driveway, up two sets of stairs and into the house.

Andy completely remodeled that place. It had the brown and gold shag carpet and avocado green kitchen of the seventies. He moved walls, gutted bathrooms and put on a huge addition to the back. Then he completely excavated the backyard and terraced it. Through it all, the kids had a blast playing in the construction mess. Scott earned money for his used bike by hauling debris to a huge dumpster down at the curb. Spencer stepped on nails every time I turned around. Good thing he had that tetanus shot. Seth fell out the backdoor after the steps had been jackhammered away. He just jumped up and started playing in the debris.

I continued to run a daycare here. Don't worry, that was before the major renovations began! I let the kids ride their trikes and big wheels in the big basement. Another favorite activity was putting the napping mattress on the stairs and bouncing and sliding down it.

After Shanna, four more babies came home to this house. We have pictures here of baby blessing days and baptism days. We had many fun birthday parties here--everything from Pirates to Princesses. And many memorable Thanksgivings and Christmas'. We also hosted a lot of ward activities and business dinners and parties and Joy School graduations.

But mostly we just lived here. It was our home for a long time and we have many sweet memories of that time and place.

Any memories you would like to add?

Up the street: The Cracking Spot--basically a place to play in the dirt

Down the street: Savannah and Tori's house--good friends and partners in mischief.

How 'bout "Don't cross Fargo"?