Exploring Springfield

Michael began the day with a meeting with his endorser. John is always fun to visit with and they had a lot to cover. LOL

 

The rest of us worked on school and lounged around.

 

I did a bit of research to see if there were any restaurants in the area with good reviews. I try not to dictate life for those around me - but I've got to say  - if you are a vegan traveling and the only option on every menu is a "veggie burger"  or iceberg salad without the cheese and meat - it gets old. ::grin::

 

Arielle and I found several restaurants that looked "likely" and seemed to have salads for us....but then we found Laughing Planet Cafe. It had good reviews, REAL food for vegans, vegetarians and omnivores....bowls, burritos, soup made from scratch, salads with all the good stuff.

 

We met Mom, Dad and BreAnne for lunch at the Laughing Planet. The dinos on the table were a fun

addition. I had really good vegan chili and a kale salad that was amazing. They even had nutritional yeast to shake on the chili. The men were happy with their Bubba Burrito and Grilled Chicken burritos.  Michael and I were happy to feed all six of us for $34 - and it was REAL food.

It was a cheerful place to eat. I'd love to run a place like this (or at least find one) with a Christian world view....but I ignored all the propaganda and enjoyed my God-given and blessed real food. 

We had hoped to visit a Victorian house after lunch - but it was closed. Dad went home, but Mom joined us for a trip to the Springfield Museum.  It's a small museum but it was interesting and gave me a new appreciation for Springfield. It was also free.

 

Stacia and Alex went on a bit of "hunt" through the museum with a sheet they had for kids....

 

See the Simpsons on the back wall -  they were befuddled as to WHY something like that would be on the wall - they were not in tune with their Springfield culture.


We left the museum and walked around to view some of the recent murals painted on various old stores. They've spent a lot of time renovating the area since we lived here.

And here it is - the star of downtown - the Simpson Mural. Contrary to all the rumors - it's THIS Springfield the creator of Simpsons had in mind when he created the series. He lived in this area. THIS is the only mural that he and his team have approved and collaborated with to create in any Springfield.  THIS is the REAL SPRINGFIELD. All that aside, I've never watched a full episode of the Simpsons. They're values and behaviors were not ones we wanted the Gherkins to imitate. LOL

Bre, Arielle, Nolan, Zander and Stacia with the Simpsons

 

Around this time Krista called. She was finished with work and wanted to meet up with us. She came downtown and we toured the ART MUSEUM in Springfield. Also free.  It was a fun spot. I could find a lot to do in this area if we lived here again. LOL  This exhibit sort of topped off the day....

 

It's a woman with a bee hive above her head and honey dripping off her face......yep...sort of abstract.

 

Take a closer look at the hive....those are FLIES....yes, she glued lots and lots of dead flies on her painting.....

We met up with BreZaak to attend the college's President's reception for graduates. We picked up Dakota afterwards and then headed to grab some dinner at 9:00 p.m.  Another late night - full day - and our hearts are full.

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

This is a great gift choice for the theologian or history buff in your life.

I've long been fascinated with World War 2 history and am familiar with Dietrich  Bonhoeffer. Having not finished the unabridged edition,  I jumped at the chance to review "Bonhoeffer Abridged: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, " by Eric Metaxas. This edition is very readable - unlike many abridged books.

"Bonhoeffer is a story of moral courage in the face of .. monstrous..... (Bonhoeffer) became one of the first to speak out against Hitler. As a double-agent, he joined the plot to assassinate the Führer, and was hanged in Flossenberg concentration camp at age 39. Since his death, Bonhoeffer has grown to be one of the most fascinating, complex figures of the 20th century."

This story moved me. I  have long asked,  "Where was the German church when Hitler rose to power?"  Metaxas answers that question well  while illustrating the life of Bonhoeffer. I was forced to consider the role Allied Politicians had in NOT supporting those trying to over-throw Hitler. We wanted to believe, "There is no such thing as a good German." Dietrich Bonhoeffer disproved this notion.  I found it fascinating to read about this time period from the German point of view. This book has it all - theology, tough questions and answers, moral dilemmas, intrigue,  an amazing amount of new facts to digest and even a bit of unexpected romance.  I highly recommend it to history buffs, theologians, Christians who wrestle with the role of faith in social/political issues, high school students studying World War 2....you won't regret this read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Choosing Joy! ©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

The Rest of the Day

We didn't spend our ENTIRE day shopping for dream homes......

Dad and BreAnne met us for lunch. 

After lunch, Michael and the boys went out for more shopping.

Mom and Dad chose to go home.

Bre, the girls and I went and did 90% of our Christmas shopping. It's fairly easy if you limit your shopping to one or two gifts per person. ::snort::  Krista called when she got off work and joined us.

Michael called and said they were heading to BreZaak's apartment. We joined them. We eventually decided dinner was in order so headed for the food court in Valley River Mall. After everyone had their dinner of choice we hunted for a few more things we wanted to purchase.

It was too late at that point for anything besides coming home to bed. Tomorrow's another day.

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Recreational Monsters

We slept in a bit, got up, did breakfast, some did school and I worked on Daniel, and then we headed over to my parents.  Dad wasn't there. Mom had just scrubbed some spots on her floor with gasoline and the smell was STRONG. We needed to leave quick before migraines set in for the weekend.  We grabbed Mom and headed to Junction City to look at RV's.

This one was all dolled up for a Duck Road Trip....but we wouldn't really fit in it....but we'd represent! 

My word......we are thinking this through carefully. We plan to live in our trailer - or a new beast.  We need living space and storage space....the trailer can't be used to full storage capacity as it constantly blows tires. The van is getting tired of hauling the trailer over mountains. BUT IT IS PAID FOR...and we could live "ok" on retirement pay alone in it....we think.

Michael has been researching Recreational Monsters Vehicles. He likes to research.  He found a model with bunks which would sleep us all comfortably, have a diesel engine, bigger motor, more storage and would allow for him to drive at night while we slept....or for us to visit the rest room while he drives.

We had an extra day in OR - and there are no states sales taxes here - so we looked. The used ones are much more reasonable. We would sell our trailer and van. We are just exploring. This is what we found.

This was my favorite - 

 Stacia wasn't so sure of bunks in a closet - but there were bunks.

 

The kids like the toy hauler the best - Canyon Star



 

This one was AMAZING. It's built by an Amish company in Indiana and the workmanship is stunning. It's also 6x the price of the others. With a price tag of 750K we could buy several houses for the price of one RV....and Michael pointed out it would be the uninsured motorist driving a $300 car who would run into us. LOL



 

THIS would make this so livable.....

 

Note the black screen to the right...at the push of a button it rises from behind the couch. At the push of another button all the black screens cover the windshield and windows. AND this one has an outside wide screen TV too - camping in the 21st century?

 

Arielle wholeheartedly approved this model - but there's no where for the kids to SLEEP

 

I do like this feature and would like to explore doing something like this in our trailer - though it may not be able to handle the weight. THIS would make living in an RV much easier. LOL

 

At the end of the day we'd probably have to finance about 100K and that really doesn't set well with these Ramsey hearts.....but dreaming and researching is always fun to do.

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Racing the Storm

We left immediately after PWOC to race the storm to OR for Izaak's graduation. The base is closing down. There will be no work on Thursday. The base Christmas Party, ALS graduation and more - all off or postponed.....

This is to be a once in a decade (or century - depending on who you talk to) storm.  I've heard 3- 5 inches of water and 60 mph winds. The rain doesn't seem to be a big fear or a huge deal...but bridges could go out (some did last week), roads could flood (some did last week).....I just find it odd to see all the sand bags.  The concern seems to be the wind - again as one who grew up in a land of typhoons and recently lived in Northern Japan - I'm not overly worried. We brought in our nativity, patio furniture and such. We moved trash cans. If a tree or power line comes down - it will be fixed. But the mania is quite interesting to watch.  Some media personalities seem over-the-top panicked....most I met on-base were simply glad to have the advance notice to  prepare...they could be isolated from the commissary and off-base...so it is always nice to know in advance. Power outages seem to be the norm on base...and they were cut off with a day of heavy rain last week...

All that to say the storm is due to begin tonight and last through Thursday. It could be worse on the passes and so we left early to get over the passes before the storm does whatever it will do.

We realized we were driving into the storm - but if this is ALL the storm that hits Beale it will be light. There was fog, heavy rain...but totally doable....

We now find ourselves in Springfield. We met up with Krista, Mom and Dad and Will, Sherri and Andrew. We'll enjoy a few days here and head back home in time for another busy week next week.

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

M & Ms (Moms and Mentors)

 

Stacia and I started our day baking bread and rolls. We like the TASTE but the height leaves much to be desired. We'll try this recipe again next week...with my normal technique instead of the technique in this book. LOL

 

We did school, packed.....and then we prepared for M & Ms (Moms and Mentors).  We weren't sure who would show up when we scheduled the event. In the end we had 3 moms and myself and a houseful of kids. Great fun! We set up a time and location to continue meeting. We decided to spend our first three months reading through Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sallie Clarkson.....

 

Here at the start of a new "mentor group" - it's natural my heart kept remembering dear gals from Misawa. Three of us who met weekly and worked through Ephesians with nothing but our Bibles and our journals, two of us who met and read Desperate together, four of us who met weekly in my first "mentor group." Good memories and I'm excited to see what memories develop in this  group as well. 

 

Today was a beginning.....Ah - just what I envisioned when I set out the Fisher Price set 

Arielle likes the singing angel

They took a picture of me taking a picture of them.....

 Stacia enjoyed reading to a couch full of kids

While the kids played we discussed how we wanted to move forward....and I snapped some photos

Arielle's happy

 Then we moved on to the part the kids had been waiting for....

 

We decorated cookies.....

 

and did some of this....

And this.... 

 

 And this....

 

And this...

 

At the end of the day - Arielle vacuumed up the sugary table.  

I had just enough time to get to base and facilitate week 2 of Daniel..... it took the FULL two hours.....trying to wrap my mind around how we are going to make this fit in 1 hour and 15 min tomorrow morning.  LOL  

It's been a full day - a great day!

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Cookies, Children and Colons?

A busy day trying to "get a jump start" on the week.

I caught up on laundry, prepped for Bible studies, got announcements and bulletin inputs in,  did a bit of admin stuff for the studies I'm facilitating, answered emails, posted things for various ministry pages....and BAKED COOKIES! Why would I choose to bake cookies on a day dedicated to getting a good start to the week?

 

Because this happens at our house tomorrow

 

These two were a lot of help....of course....well.....

I thought we could buy the "new" cookie dough that comes in flat sheets...all you have to do is cut them out....but Stacia said, "But making cookies with you is so much fun."

All-righty!

Then I thought we could just do some nice round ones...but again...you know....Christmas Cookies are the thing...and we did make some fun memories.  We ended up making 2 pounds of butter worth of cookies. LOL  I think the last 4 doz were drop cookies.



We did take time to play today too. I didn't, after all, totally lose my grandma card. We played with these sweet little ones and their mom.

 

 

Stacia and I ran to the store for more butter. Arielle and Nolan had Japanese lessons. I got to spend a bit of time chatting with their teacher and a mutual friend at the end of the lesson.

 

We made more cookies.

 

I found out we are going to Izaak's graduation a day earlier than expected due to the in-coming storm.

 

The clinic called. "Maam you came up as one who has not had a colonoscopy. Are you interested in pursuing that."

 

Shoot - NO!!!! 

 

I was hoping to fly under the radar a bit longer...but when you hit the big 5.0 in the military it's NASTY. I suspect I will have to do this and it really did not make my day.

 

Arielle requested Yumm Bowls for dinner. I complied; I did add Chicken Fajita meat for the meat eaters in the group.

 

We were a total hymn fail during our Advent circle. We don't know "Take My Life, O Lord, Renew".....so we sang Silent Night again. We'll know Silent Night really well by the end of this season. ::snort::

 



That's a wrap. The buzzer went off and the uniform is done....I'm going to BED...at 8:20 p.m. Yes, I am.

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...