5th grade love....

is this NOT the cutest thing you've EVER seen??
sam was So proud of this & with good reason. it is precious!
(max and jack made us sweet gifts too..i'll post those too.)

our crazy clan....

thanksgiving....

ya, ok, so i'm a little behind. still, i'm Thankful. Christmas day i finally uploaded all the Thanksgiving pics from my brothers camera. better late than never, right??
(thanks for a great day tim and lisa!)

homeless...

last night, we had the privilege of stepping into a world that was completely out of our comfort zone. my dear friend, kathy had a vision to collect blankets for the homeless. if you put a need out there, especially in this community, people step up. so, last night, after a wonderful dinner out (thanks wubbens) we hit the streets/back alleys/deep,dark woods/under bridges/in motor homes/in cars of bellingam with a group called 'salt on the streets'. they originated out of cornwall church. the couple from there has been doing this EVERY saturday night for the past 6 years. now THAT is being called. so, we, along with dale and kathy, kathy's sister shari and husband, derrick & 5 others spent about 5 hours out there. friends, i have never in my life seen such sadness. in my mind, homeless people somehow deserved to be where they are, right? well, last night, God opened my eyes to a whole world outside of my 'perfect little life'. many of these folks have no other choice. yes, some choose this life, and yes, maybe some even 'deserve' it but there were people out there who really where just down on their 'luck'. who am i to judge the reason they are there?? God simply calls us to take care of them. i have never seen a more thankful group of people! ALL of them, had pure gratitude for someone thinking of them on a cold night. 27 degrees to be exact. what an honor it was for me to have been able to serve them....it was a life-changing experience. i pray that i never turn my back again on these folks. they need us and we NEED to be SALT OF THE EARTH. everyone of them knew that we came in the name of Jesus and i pray that HIS name was honored. last night, as i crawled into my warm bed, with my electric blanket CRANKED up, my heart broke for those who don't have that luxury. it is my prayer, that not only in this Christmas season but throughout the WHOLE year, that you and i, make it our mission, to do something of significance in the life of someone who may otherwise not know HIM. That friends, is what really matters.