The Shine Family

The Shine Family
GO PAC GO!!!!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Happy, happy birthday, babies!


We started last Saturday with the Cherry Festival at Green Bluff. Green Bluff is a small community of 35 farms, just outside of Spokane. All the farms collaborate about 6 times a year for these huge festivals, full of hay rides, contests, music, food etc. You could spend all weekend just going from farm to farm, picking fruit and vegetables, wine tasting, and enjoying the beauty. This weekend was the last of the Cherry Festival and, since we were going into Spokane anyway to pick up Lolo (Ja`el's grandpa Shine), we thought we would stop for a bit.
We found a beautiful lavendar farm that was very reminiscent of Provence.
Here are some beautiful cherries.
Jon's 29th birthday was Tuesday and in celebration we all (about 20-24 people!) headed to Western Pleasure Guest Ranch for an amazing steak dinner. We were the only party there, (other than about 5 darling 11 year olds who were there for horse camp) so we had the run of the place. And I am in love! The stables, the cabins, the lodge, the setting! If I cannot own it myself, I will just have to make it my local hangout. (Jon has already agreed that Ja`el and I can take mother/ daughter English riding lessons once Munchie is old enough. hm...I wonder if he remembers that!!)

Jon being serenaded on the violin for his birthday.

And the Thursday, my sweet little baby Ja`el turned 2 years old. Although I would like to say "I cannot believe it has been so long", my heart is so full from these past 2+ years that it feels like I have loved her for eternity. She is such a delight to love and everyday is a new adventure. Here are some pics from the special day:
Here are some of her accomplishments from the last year.
1. speaks in near full sentences. (I say "near" because, although she has all the big words down, she has yet to learn the little ones. Instead, she uses "placeholders". For example, she will say "Tristan na na car na na packpack" Translation: Tristan has a car on his backpack.)
2. can count from 1 to 10.
3. knows all her primary colors and then some.
4. knows most of the shapes.
5. knows alot of animal names and sounds. The one's she doesnt know, she makes up.
6. has really good pitch (She may have inherited her daddy's perfect pitch.)
7. runs, jumps (with both feet), skips, hops, dances and twirls. Sometimes all at the same time.
8. just slept through the night for the first time ever 2 weeks ago. Mind you, she hasnt done it since, but I havent lost hope!

What a year!! I so look forward to the many blessings the Lord has in store for us in the future.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Yellowstone!!!


After the week we had, we all needed a vacation. Jon had been furiously working on the front deck that he was replacing, while I was managing Ja`el and finishing our landscaping project. We wanted everything to be perfect and beautiful when Grammy came to visit. And so it was and we got the delighted response that we desired when she arrived on Saturday evening. Then, Sunday came. A few weeks prior, I discovered some sort of leak in one of our basement bedrooms. We had about 3 contractors out in 2 weeks to see what they thought the matter was, but nothing. Finally, a family friend, who is also a contractor, came out that Sunday and thought he had figured out the problem and it would only take a few hours work to remedy the problem. Then, Jon started digging. I am not exactly sure what compelled him to dig (one thought brought me back to King's Tommyknockers) But thank the Lord he didbecause, oh no. Lets just say Jon found himself knee deep in you-know-what with a broken septic pipe. AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! So, the week before we were to leave on our grand trip to Yellowstone (which we had been planning and looking forward to for 6 months), we couldnt use the water (or toilets), therefore couldnt stay in our home. There was still ALL the packing to be done; Jon was having issues with a vendor at work and had to work late; everything seemed to be working against us. "If we could just get out of town" I said to Jon, "I think we will be alright". I knew the Lord had something wonderful planned for us with this vacation, and someone was trying to ruin it.

And wonderful it was. We met our dear friends, Mike and Traci and their daughter Hattie, just outside of Yellowstone that evening and the blessings were just poured onto us from then on out. I didnt know how much I missed having my spiritual "kindred spirit" near me again and began to feel centered and focused again just after one day. Our week was full of laughter and prayers, wildflowers and bears, and everything of which our haggered souls needed. Oh, there were plenty of opportunities to choose a bad attitude (ie: LOTS of rain, Ja`el getting the 12 hour vommitting flu, realizing that we had left behind all the diapers we needed for the trip back in Sandpoint, etc), but we, by grace, "chose God" instead. And we were so blessed because of it.
I wont get too much into the details of our trip (who like a boaster ;)) but here are some pics instead.


Jon slaying the brookies outside our camp

(also where they saw a young grizzly every day for 3 days straight!)
Our good friend Rick Linden happened to be in the park and we got to see him again.(Jon hadn't seen him since he was 14!) These two were two peas in a pod! Best Friends instantly.

All of us at Canyon Falls

As we drove the 12 hours home (mind you, it is only supposed to take 7/8 ish, but alas, roadwork) we had peace and rest. A week later, we still have workmen in and out of our house, but the house no longer smells like an outhouse!