So on the drive home from Seattle, we stopped into the Portland airport and picked up Jessi! I'll try to make a long story short...Friday night, she called us after our dinner with Dennis and said that she had reached her limit there and felt like it was time to come here and try to get well. After a few phone calls back and forth, she insisted that we continue with our plans, she would have a couple days to get packed up and say goodbye to Ariel for a while and then on Monday, she would fly in. John and Rachel and the kids were to pick her up that night and then take her to the doctor on Tue morning. We were due back in on Tue night. All was figured out. But when her plane was about to land in Atlanta, it circled for 1 1/2 hours and she missed her connecting flight! She had to get a hotel for the night and the soonest flight they could get her on the next day was at 5 pm!!! Poor girl was so sick. Throwing up and so weak she could not walk. She even had to have a wheelchair escort her around through customs! It was a pretty rough night for her, but she made it through and we picked her up from the airport on our way home from Seattle on Tuesday. John had rescheduled her doctor visit from Tue to Wed morn. We had her in there by 7 am. The doctor listened to her heart, asked about her symptoms and said the only place she belonged was in a hospital. By 8 am we had her admitted. She spent 3 days there and is finally back here at home with me. She has an inflamed stomach caused by the H.pylori bacteria. The specialist she has said it is the worst case he has ever seen. She has lost 13 pounds from not being able to eat or keep anything down. The medicine she needs has to be directly in the stomach to work, so they had to make up a special concoction that made her throat and stomach numb in order to keep her from throwing it back up. She had a pretty rough time getting it down. She is now able to eat bird sized meals and is not throwing up. The pain is subsiding, but she still has some pretty rough times. Hopefully, it will all be over and she will be back to normal soon. I've got pretty mixed feelings about her coming back...of course I wanted her here, but sure wish it was under better circumstances to have her here.

It has been a busy week here. It all started out with a drive to Seattle to meet up with Dennis and Abby. They flew up from LA to go on an Alaskan cruise for their anniversary. We met them at the airport and went to the Palisades Restaurant for an awesome dinner. The next morning we drove them to the ship dock and said goodbye, then we headed to the ferry and took our car over to Victoria to celebrate our 35th anniversary. We stayed at the famous Empress Hotel. If you ever get the chance I suggest you stay there. It was a beautiful place. When I reserved the room, they said that we would get a street view room, but were so surprised to have a harbor view...check out the pictures of the view. It has a gorgeous pool and fantastic restaurants. We went to Butchart Gardens and walked around the city. We had three days there and took the ferry back.

Jessi and her FIVE ulcers made it home from the hospital yesterday. Thanks for your prayers and concern this past week. Now let's get her well!

There is a Calla Lily in the front yard. The other day as I was passing by it, I heard a buzzing noise. I stopped to investigate and there inside one of them was a battle going on between a bee and a spider. Of course I made a run back into the house for the camera! I took a couple of pictures and later on came back to see what was going on...by that time the bee was dead and being pushed out of the flower to wherever the spider stores his food. Since then, I have kept a watch and that spider stays in that same flower. When I go out there, he is waiting in the bottom and if I put my finger near the flower, he rushes up to see what is coming. His white color is the perfect camouflage for unsuspecting insects that dare to stop in. (don't forget you can double click on the picture to get a closer look)

I can't believe it! My sister-in-law, Mary was here with her daughter Jennifer and Jennifer's husband Josh and the grandkids, Hailee and Conner. Well, that is not what I can't believe, what is so unbelievable is that I didn't get one shot of them! We had our cameras out and took tons of pictures...of flowers and water drops and 'stuff', but I didn't get one with any of us in it. Here is the closest I got to a picture of anybody...a baby grasshopper that landed on Josh. We had a really nice visit. They stopped in on their way to the beach, stayed the night and then Mary and Hailee came back and stayed a couple more nights on their way back to Idaho. It is always so good to catch up. It is amazing how we can go so long without talking, but just pick up where we left off on the last visit, as if time didn't even pass by.

They are ready! Finally, the strawberries are ready to eat! This is the best they have been since I planted them. Last summer, I was thinking that I would pull them all and replant, but they are beautiful this year. I'm glad I waited. So guess what I am having for breakfast? Yep...strawberry shortcake!

This is such an amazing discovery to me! I went to a baby shower on Sunday night. They served cupcakes, tons of colors and flavors. I love cake and it was so hard to decide which to try. But here is what is so amazing. They were made without eggs or oil. All she does is take any flavor cake mix and add a can of diet soda. You can make all kinds of flavors...chocolate and cherry coke...white with orange soda...or lemon...you name it. She got pretty creative with them. Then she put on nonfat whip and a fruit or just a simple glaze or powdered sugar. They are so good, you can not tell the difference. Of course, I had to try quite a few of the flavors. They were all so good!

Her recipe is a Weight Watcher recipe and each cupcake was only 3 points. Great if you are into Weight Watchers. And for those on a low cholesterol type diet, awesome too, no eggs or oil. Not so good for a diabetic, since it still has the sugar. I'm not any of these, but I made some yesterday.

Anyway, just thought I would pass it on.