I turned in my key today...all done at LOFT. Not sure what to call it, I can't really call it retirement, because I only worked there 1 1/2 years, and of course it has no benefits, I can't call it maternity leave since I won't be going back, besides, I'm not pregnant, Jessi is, so I really can't call it much except quitting. I have soooo much coming up in my life in the next while. A ton of company, I LOVE company and I want to be around to spend time with them all, and Jessi will be here in 3 weeks for 3 weeks, a long weekend at the beach with John and Rachel, Emily and Joshua, a trip to LA to meet Dennis and Abby's baby when the arrive back from Korea, (still not sure WHEN that will happen, but know it will be this year), and then of course wanting to be around when Jessi has the baby later in the fall. Rachael, the store manager was always so perfect at making sure that I had off any day I requested, but after taking a look at my calendar for the next few months and beyond, I knew that there was no way that she would be able to work that kind of magic to give me all that time off and still have me be a manager. Nope. I had to let something go and work was the obvious choice. It was the only choice if I wanted to enjoy all the good things coming up. A month ago, when I realized I need to make some choices and I told John I thought I needed to quit, he said "But you LOVE your job!" and I did...it was fun, and I really loved it when I took on the manager role. (I wasn't the store manager, I was a manager on duty.) I will miss it, miss the ladies I worked with, miss the play money, miss the fantastic discount on clothes. It was always fun to help somebody find an outfit for an event, whether it be a wedding, job interview, concert, or even a funeral. Sometimes, they would see something I had on and say, "I want that!" Now, I have never considered myself a fashion type person, but it was a nice ego boost when somebody bought something because they liked how it looked on you.

I will laugh when I remember all the things we didn't like there too, the clients who would ask your advice but not believe your answer, like which color they should wear, and buy the opposite, what size looks best, but buy the bigger one anyway, picking up the clothes they left in a huge pile, clients who spent the whole time on the phone...even at the register while paying...kids EVERYWHERE, falling mannequins, the amount of theft, unbelievable!!! and the craziest thing that happened EVERY day...some of the women would be kind enough to hang the clothes back up...INSIDE OUT!...yes, on hangers inside out! What the heck? ...so many little things that some days are nothing and other days very annoying. But I will miss it all....well....maybe... in a few days.....maybe? Funny how much I loved it until I knew I was going to be done there.

Today was my last day. WOW! What a long day it was...I felt like I was just going through the motions, good thing nothing really important happened there today, I was in survival mode only. How can a clock move so slow? Especially that last hour...tick...tick...tick...tock! I was outta there!

and then guess what I did? I met John and my parents and Cyndi and Dan (Lindy had to work, or would have been there too) and we had a little 'retirement party'. Yep, some people will think up any reason to celebrate! That's ME!

I tried a new recipe last night that was so fantastic that I have to share it! Normally, even though I love to eat shrimp, I avoid cooking shrimp at home because I just can't seem to get it right and they taste terrible.

Well, last night, I got it right! Maybe it was just that I bought some better shrimp than I usually find. WINCO had some really nice jumbo wild shrimp. Don't know if it was because they were wild or jumbo or whatever it was, but they were so good!

The recipe is a soup, but since it was mostly brothy, I served it over rice. It has red curry paste, which I have never used, I thought it was going to be spicy, but it was not, only a medium curry flavor that didn't overpower the coconut milk. I have one more serving left for my lunch, I can't wait!


Here goes:

Coconut Shrimp Soup
3 cups chicken broth (I used 3 c water and 3 tea MSG free bouillon)
1 14-0z can unsweetened light coconut milk
1 tsp red curry paste
1 T fish sauce (I didn't have any, so I used oyster sauce)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tea minced garlic
1/2 tea salt
1 cup green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 scallions (green onions) sliced very thin
a sprig or two of fresh cilantro, chopped

1. In a medium pot over medium high heat, combine chicken broth, coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, ginger, garlic and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
2. Add green beans and cook 2 min. Add shrimp and 1/2 of scallions and cook until pink, about 5 min.
3.Put a cup of rice in bottom of bowl, pour soup over, top with the rest of the scallions and cilantro. Makes 3-4 servings.

I can't believe I ate the whole thing!

really...
except for those tiny slivers I shaved off for John and Rachel and Emily and Joshua...

the rest was all MINE...

a whole cake...

BUT!..It was MY BIRTHDAY!!!!...

time to hit the road...

I took a photo class last Sunday. It was so much fun! I can't believe that after all these years of taking pictures, I really don't know that much about how to really use the camera. I am finally learning how to use all those settings. Sunday we started out in the studio for some basic info, then headed to the Chinese Gardens and finished up at the waterfront. She had specific things she assigned us to do and we have to send her our assignment photos and she will critique them for us. I am especially happy with what I learned about night photography. Did you know that the hour before and after sunrise/set that the pictures you take will have a blue sky? It is called, believe it or not, BLUE HOUR. It was dark and cloudy when I took the photo above, but looks like it was mostly clear and blue sky. There were storm clouds up there and it even dropped a few drops of rain on us as we were leaving. I feel like a whole new world has been opened up to me and can't wait to take more.

Wishing you the Blessings that God has planned for you this Easter!

GONE FISHING

It is Spring Break here. So while John sr. and Rachel had to go to work, John and the kids and I went to their top secret fishing hole for some fishing . John packed up a picnic lunch and we headed out to our undisclosed destination, he patiently stopped every now and then for me to take a picture as we went. You can see that the water level was down, when it is full, it is almost up to where the pipe is and all that bare ground is under water. Usually by now they have let water back out of the dam, but since it was my first time there, I didn't know the difference and I thought it was beautiful. Not sure if you can see the bottom left hand photo, but there was a field of Canadian Geese he stopped to let me take pictures of...I didn't notice until I got home to see them on the computer that even better than the geese are two deer in the background! Double click on the picture to see them larger.

John loves to fish, he liked to fish when he was a kid, he fished in high school and he has made sure his kids learn to fish too. After our drive to the fishing hole, he wasted no time unloading his gear and getting the hook in the water...then sat down to wait it out. Everyone knew as soon as they got a glimpse of the water level that it was not going to be a successful day, but that didn't stop John from trying. They have learned from experience that when the water is this low it is going to be a picnic only day. It didn't keep us from having a great time anyway...it was warm and just relaxing to be out there.

While her Dad went right to getting the poles set up, Emily went right to lunch...and then found the perfect rock to wait for a fish to bite.

Joshua waited out the time doing what he loves to do...climbing rocks, throwing rocks, collecting rocks and would you believe he really thought he could roll that huge rock into the water?

John brought along his BB gun that

he got for Christmas when he was in the 5th grade. Everyone got a chance to shoot it. I'm happy to see that some kids just don't outgrow certain things.

On the way back, John took a detour so that I could take some pictures of

a covered bridge.

It was an awesome day!!!

I lead a class at the Red Cross on Tuesday night. It is about 45 minutes from home. Class was over just after 8, earlier than predicted and I was heading home on Hwy 84 when I started hearing a strange noise. It got louder and louder...I realized it must be my car and so I headed over to the side and then it dawned on me that it must be a flat...so I pulled off the exit right ahead of me. I would have expected the car to be hard to drive and the tire to flop around, but it was just fine, except for the noise it was making. I found the flattest spot I could to pull over and call John. I was moved from being one who was teaching others to help to being THE ONE who needed help! I didn't like it at all! I didn't think John should come all the way in to help me, and knew that I could get it done be before State Farm sent somebody, so I just went for it. I opened the trunk, pulled the spare out...first time it has been out of the car, in fact...read the directions by the light of my headlights on how to use the jack and started cranking, all the while hoping somebody would take mercy and stop to help me...I managed to get the car all the way jacked up and was working on how to get the hubcap off to get to the lug nuts when finally help came!!! My hero was a Roto Rooter man on his way home from work. Jeff was his name. He even came equipped with fancy signs he put up in the road to get the cars to move over a lane! OK...so by looking at the picture, where would you have tried to get the hubcap off? I had been trying and trying right there by the tire...good thing Jeff my RR man stopped...the hubcap is that tiny little disk with the dots on it! He popped it off in seconds. I could have been there for hours and never gotten it off if I had continued where I was working. Oh well, maybe I would have figured it out. In just minutes Jeff had the lug nuts off, I gave him the spare and he replaced the lug nuts, tightening them all up, tossed the flat tire in the trunk and waited for me to pull away before he removed the signs he had set up for me. What a guy!

So next day, I head into Les Schwab to get new tires...I looked around for somebody who may have taken the Red Cross CPR class as I was handed a bill for almost $900 for 4 new tires and an alignment!!!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!! Sunday, Lindy and I did the Shamrock Walk in Portland...there were thousands there doing different races, 3.5 mile stride, an 8K run, a half marathon, etc. We did the 3.5 mile stride. Everyone showed up in some sort of green...and some went all out...green tutus, green tights, green hair, wigs and hats of all sizes...it was pretty festive. We had to get up at the crack of dawn to make the MAX to take us downtown to the waterfront. Add on that it was Spring AHEAD time on the clocks...it was pitch black when we left. Oh well, it was so much fun! With our maiden name being McCool, we had to take part, right?

We spent a long weekend with Dennis and Abby last weekend at their place in Winnetka, California. We flew in on Saturday, Abby's parent's, Lanie and Terry, were there when we arrived from the airport and had Abby's salsa and Dennis' BBQ steaks and chicken for dinner. The next day we went to Oxnard for an 80th birthday for a family friend. MaryJane has been Cleo's friend since they were little girls and we were so happy to have been invited to the party. It was so fancy! Almost like a wedding except we sang 'Happy Birthday' instead of hearing vows. We spent Monday with Dennis and Abby around town, then back to Oxnard and spent the day with Bob and Cleo and Jimmy. Wednesday, Dennis went in to work, while we were still in bed, we met him for breakfast, (you should have seen the crepe and pancake choices!) and then Abby had the duty of occupying us until Dennis got off work. She took us for a drive through the canyon, ending up at the ocean and we walked around in the tide pools. A PERFECT place for me! I have some fantastic pictures of pelicans, seagulls, sea stars (my new name for them, thanks to Abby), shells, mussels, waves, sand, you name it! A really really nice day, then we had dinner out and were dropped off at the airport. Heading back to PDX, we had to stop in San Francisco...well, as our plane was coming in for a landing, the wheels were down, then suddenly, we heard them go back up and the plane started rising up, the captain came on and said that he had lost visual with the airport and we had to circle. It seemed perfectly clear out to us, maybe just a little cloud or two, but anyway, we landed and then waited and waited at the gate. Finally the captain came back on and said we were waiting for somebody to bring the ramp way over to the plane. In the meantime, we missed our connection!!! So we got to spend the night at an airport hotel and made it home the next morning. In spite of that we had a really really great get away.

Happy belated Valentine's Day! John's two sisters and one nephew spent a 4 day weekend with us. Mary and Danny drove over from Fruitland, Idaho and met up with Martha, who drove up here from Port Orford. We have not seen each other in a couple of years, so it was a nice meeting up point for everyone, especially us, since we didn't go anywhere, but got to enjoy seeing them. We went shopping, I bought some clothes that were not LOFT for the first time since I went to work for LOFT a year and a half ago. I am normally not a shopper, which was part of the reason people were amazed when I announced I got a job there. Going from not shopping, to being in a store for hours at a time was kinda strange for me when I first started. Anyway, we went shopping and out for lunch and did more shopping two days in a row! We had long visits in our pjs while we drank coffee in the mornings and topped it off with an excellent dinner out to Tad's on Valentine's Day. Actually, we kinda forgot it was Valentine's when we decided it would be nice to all go out for dinner. We showed up with no reservation, but only had to wait a tiny bit and had a fantastic table by the window to see the river as the sun set. On the drive there, we were treated to a beautiful vivid double rainbow! Danny was riding up front with John driving and so I tossed Danny the camera and he snapped off a couple shots while John kept on driving.

I've been back to my outdoor workouts...going for walks outside is so much better than the treadmill...for one thing...once you are half-way out there...you have to finish...you can't just hop off the machine and go do something else. I have not been taking my camera with me because there just isn't that much to take pictures of this time of year. But the other day...there in the middle of the road was the cutest little salamander! I was so much wishing for my camera...but then I realized I DO have a camera with me...my cell phone! I pulled it out and got some shots...not too bad for a cell phone, huh?

I also have to tell about the most fantastic dinner I made the other night. Well, fantastic to me...John was not impressed. Chicken Pot Pie...it is awesome! I am so glad he was not thrilled with it because that gave me plenty of left-overs. I had some for breakfast yesterday even and then had it again for dinner last night. There are two more servings left and I can't wait to have them!

Just in case you want to try it, here is the recipe:

CHICKEN POT PIE
Filling:
1/4 cup butter
2 3/4 cups chicken broth (I use water and bouillon to make my own)
1/2 tea. pepper
1/2 tea salt
1/3 cup flour
a chicken breast or two, cooked and diced up (depends on how much chicken you want in it)
1 10 oz. package frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 cup chopped celery
one large potato, diced up

Pastry:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
3/4 tea salt
4-5 T. cold water

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat, add the flour, stirring until smooth. Cook a minute stirring constantly. Gradually add the broth, using a wire whisk and cook over medium heat stirring continually until the mixture is thick and bubbly. Stir in the salt and pepper, chicken and vegetables. Pour into a 12x8x2 inch baking dish. In a bowl, combine flour and salt, cut in butter until it resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle in the cold water and mix until just moistened. Shape into a ball and then roll out into a rectangle to fit the top of the baking dish. Place over the mixture and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

I prepared it all in the morning before I went to work, covered it with a towell and then when I got home, it was sitting there all ready to bake.

OK! Time to go have breakfast...mmm...pot pie, here I come...hope there is time for a workout when I'm done.

Today we went to watch Joshua play basketball. It was a fantastic show...complete with darkened gymnasium and a tunnel with smoke coming from it as each player's name was announced and he ran out, taking a lap of the gym, slapping hands of everyone lining the walls in anticipation of a great game.

I am so impressed with what a great player he is. He really knows where he should be and what to do. He is so fast and is a great shooter...look how high he jumps to make the basket!!!You can see how even his coach is excited! After the game, we all went to a room where the team gathered for some wrap-up words from the coach. Joshua was given an award for the most Christ-like player...well, I didn't even know Jesus played basketball...but if He did, then Joshua did a good job imitating how Jesus would have played, he is not a ball hog, makes sure that if he sees somebody else in a better position he passes it on, he encourages other players and is always looking for ways to improve the game. I am proud of him!

Emily has found her own way to get through the game...her new passion...TEXTING! Go Emily!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY!!!!!!

 





I never get tired of waking up to this!!!

Well, it has been a week of questions. Hello? an earthquake? a tusnami may be on its way? are you OK? when is the next flight OUT of there? how far are the mountains? how many can you fit in your car? do you know for SURE that it is not going to happen? moving on to...how can we help Haiti?

So many people have asked what can they do...most know that they can not do anything on their own, but they still want to help, they want to help NOW and know that the money is ALL going directly to the Haitians...after repeated questions of how can they get money to her, after calling her bank and mine to try to set up accounts, Jessi decided the fastest and easiest way was to set up a Paypal link on her blog site (link to her blog is to the left of this article). The response has been amazing! I don't know if she wants me to publish the amount received so far, but she and Ariel went into Santiago last Saturday and loaded up a truck with all the things they know that can be used NOW. A group of people from her church that actually know people right there in the earthquake torn areas have already been there and back and will be headed down with another load on Thursday. They know how to get it there safely and how to deliver it directly into the hands of those in desperate need of it. They will continue to make deliveries as long as the need is there and there are supplies that they can deliver.

James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

She wants to go so badly, but also knows that the risks are so high right now. She has assured me that unless she has a group to go with that she would not just hop on over there on her own. Right now, after calling the hospitals, she has been told that there is no place for her to stay, food and water are scarce and that she is more of a liability. She knows no French or Creole. So even though she has the nursing skills ready and willing, she is staying put. In the meantime, the organization that she works for, Kids Alive has been asked to take on 50 children orphaned by the earthquake. It is just a temporary need, they will take in the kids for 6 months while the Haitian branch of Kids Alive builds a place to house them back in Haiti. So for now, she is content with knowing that there are needs right there that she can help with, giving love to the little kids...ages 3-8, who have seen so much already that we can barely imagine...and with being a go between for getting supplies into the hands and mouths that need it so much. Thanks so much for your love and prayers!