Biking

Last month my uncle gave Uche a bike. So, I borrowed my sister's bike and we've been trying to bike regularly. I've decided I really like to ride around on bikes- you're getting exercise, but you're having fun too! That's how I like to exercise. The other day we spent an hour on the Sacramento River Trail. At one point my legs were burning and I thought my lungs would explode, but then we made it to the top we got to come down. That was fun. Now we're looking for a bike for me, so we can do a lot of biking.

Trip & pictures

I've been wanting to post about our trip up north, so here it finally is! When the plans for a Multnomah reunion were being made we decided we'd not only go for that, but we'd also take a whole week and do the whole Pacific Northwest.
I went up a few days early to visit with friends, and Uche flew up to Seattle to meet me. Actually that was a great way to do it as I spent the days without Uche talking A LOT to my girl friends- he's glad he missed that!!
Uche and I went to Vancouver, B.C. for the day, so now Uche has been to Canada. We also spent a couple hours downtown Seattle. It was a definite whirl wind trip and we packed in as many visits with friends as possible! We enjoyed the Multnomah reunion. It was great for me to see old friends and Uche enjoyed meeting new people there.
It was great catching up with my friends in the NW. I don't get to see them very often, so we had a lot of catching up to do! As I get older and move around a lot, I really appreciate the friends I've made over the years. It's great to meet new people, but having history with someone is irreplaceable.
All in all it was a great trip, and I slept the whole way home cause I was so exhausted!!! Here's a few pics to enjoy...

So, I can't remember the name of this elephant at the Portland Zoo, but elephants are huge. Going to zoos always makes me appreciate God's creativity in his creation. I don't think I could've though up an elephant in a million years; all he did was say let there be elephants!

These poor little monkeys (or chimps, or whatever they were...) look how I felt. A Californian in the Northwest. We're all a little chilly all the time, and we're all looking for friends to huddle.

This self-portrait was taken by Shelby. Nice. We know how to have a good time! Actually, anytime spent with Shelbs is a good time!

Vancouver, B.C. This was taken from Stanley Park.

Fortunately there lots of tourists around to help take pics.

We set the camera up on the rock post for a timed picture, not bad, huh?

This was taken from the other side of Stanley Park.

Uche really like this bridge. It's the Lions Gate Bridge.

It reminded us of the Golden Gate, just green.

Music + Brownie= FUN

Uche and I went out tonight for a night on the town. We enjoyed some fun live music and a brownie sundae at a restaurant by the river. We sat outside in the patio area while enjoying the music and watching the crowd.

If you didn't already know, Redding has the world famous Sundial Glass Bridge. Yes, we're very proud... The restaurant sits at the end of the bridge. It's a great setting for a cool evening.

As we left the restaurant we ran into my aunt and uncle who were babysitting my niece and nephew. The kids were having a great time running around.

It was just a cool evening! Here's a picture of this world famous bridge! If you come visit us we'll take you there.

It's been too hot to blog. I realize I do this inside where it is cooler than outdoors, but by the time I get home I'm exhausted from the heat, and I just want to sit under the cooler and read. Fortunately, it's getting cooler. It got up to 117 (47C) last week and this week it'll get down to 100 (37C). YAY! My poor husband has been working outside in the crazy weather, so I'm glad it's getting cooler!!

We were able to see two different firework shows for the 4th of July. We were invited to a couple different parties by different people from church. We had a great time at both parties. I'm glad we have friends who have great views of fireworks!! Uche got to join the kids for a paddle boat ride on the lake.

4 years and counting

Saturday we celebrated our anniversary. Unbelievably, four years have gone since we got married. It's flown by! We look forward to the day we celebrate 44 years!

One of the many things I've learned through these years of infertility is that all the good things we have are blessings from God. I see Uche this way. God was not obligated to bring a husband to me, or even to bring one as wonderful as Uche. Even though most people end up getting married and having children, I know this is not always the case. Just because that's the way life most often turns out for people, I recognize now that even those things we expect to happen are special gifts from God. I'm so grateful for the blessing of my husband, and I want to always remember he is a gift to me. God didn't have to do this for me, but He did and I'm sooooo grateful. Thank you Lord!!

So, here's some pictures to show you how we spent the day. Our yard needed some serious work. So, Uche mowed and cleaned up and I worked in our garden. We're growing tomatoes, habanero chili peppers (for Uche), cucumbers and zucchini. It's gotten off to a rocky start. I don't think I have a green thumb, but nothing has died recently. So maybe I have a mint thumb, at least a pale green one.

Then we watched 24 for a couple hours. We love that show! We pulled ourselves away from 24 and went to dinner. The restaurant overlooks Shasta Lake so we enjoyed the view from our window table and ate good food. It was a nice anniversary.