counting BLESSINGS

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sitting here snuggled up under a fleece blanket with my fuzzy warm socks on, listening to the rain fall outside... fall is here. just this afternoon it arrived with its crisp air, chilly breeze and, of course, rain. good ol' northwest rain. this morning i was greeted by an amazing sunrise over the cascade mountains. it's a good place to be, enjoying God's country & counting your blessings.

sunday we enjoyed a fabulous family day at church & with some friends. you know those friends you have that are seriously "like family". those people you're truly thankful for everyday. (still adding up those blessings.) when we got home, i still needed my picture of the day. good thing i've got such a handsome subject loitering around. lucky me!

saturday was STAN day! the big party i've had in the works for weeks. with big signs hung on the side of the house, jars filled with khaki foods, custom fortune cookies, and a bunch of pulled pork... we welcomed a bunch of our friends over to celebrate stan the man. with his last 6 weeks having been so busy, it was fun to see him share his stories with everyone. he's one pretty amazing guy, that one. just blows me away with all he can do & does do. (more blessings to add up). there are more party decor pictures here and here.

friday was stan's birthday. he worked & spent the rest of the day with the family. with another deployment coming up in the not too distant future, it sure is nice to have these perfect little moments together at home. life can be hard on a lot of different levels, our life is full of blessings and sprinkled with hardships. guess it's just one of those times when you can let it build you up or tear you down. the times apart just make you savor all the more your times together. each little moment grows in significance when there are 10 more you're going to miss. so for those trials that bring us together as a family, i am thankful. (i'm definitely having one of those count-your-blessings days. so very thankful for all that God's graciously allowed me to be a part of.)

it was fun to surprise stan with a big manly power tool when he got home from work on friday. i "parked" it in his spot in the garage, then watched his reaction through the window as he pulled up. priceless! he's been wanting this particular bit of manhood for as long as we've been married. just made it that much more fun to see the look on his face. ahhhh, all in all, a wonderful weekend of getting to send a little spoiling stan's way. he's one amazing man... and one of my biggest blessings.

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