~Ashley's Idaho Trip~

Recently I had the great opportunity to go to Idaho with our close friends the Kings. About 3 or so months ago, one of the King's closest family members lost their home due to a house fire. However, the Family of God gathered enough funds to rebuild! We were in Idaho to help in an ole' fashioned house raising! The men got a lot done in such a short amount of time~ Praise the Lord there were no serious injuries as the closest hospital was over 2 hrs away! A couple of the young men there did get chased by a bear however.. :O

Everyone worked from sunup till sundown. The Lord showed himself mightily in so many ways during that week.. many answered prayers..

I had never been away from my family for that long ( 1 1/2 weeks) and it really taught me to lean on Him and cry out to Him in times of loneliness. He really used that experience in my life to draw me closer to Himself and teach me that I am nothing without Him! ♥ It was very nice to catch up with everyone and the Lord really blessed our time together.. We had such sweet times of fellowship. Thank you Lord for your body of believers~

Me in my element!


Feeding the horses


Becca


The stairs


Raising a wall


The outdoor kitchen

Handsome Baby Matthew

Timmy and Joshua finding some frogs

Sisters in the LORD ♥

Doing the laundry~

Susanna and I

Me with the S girls... We have missed them so much since they moved to Idaho! :( It was so nice to spend time with them again. This is the family who we lived with in an oversized rambler for 1 1/2 years! We grew very close in that period of time.

Here is what the house looked like when we left! So much work done in so little time.

My trip to Idaho was a great experience. I am so glad that I got to go! However, I am quite happy to be home again. ♥

~

The Ballard Locks

During one of our recent trips to Seattle, we visited the Ballard Locks. The locks connect Lake Washington to the Puget Sound. Here is a definition of exactly what a lock does and is:

"A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the chamber itself (usually then called a caisson) that rises and falls. Locks are used to make a river more easily navigable, or to allow a canal to take a reasonably direct line across land that is not level."



The view from the Puget Sound side of the locks. This photo shows the fresh water of Lake Washington spilling into the sea waters of the Puget Sound








These ships are entering the locks from the Lake Washington side. The gate will be shut behind them and the level of the water will be lowered until they can enter the Sound.



Going Down!


Even Further..



Almost there now~



There they go, entering into the Puget Sound where they will travel under the Ballard Bridge which had to be raised in order for this very tall sailboat to pass..

The Ballard Bridge

Viewing the Locks

Rye spots a harbor seal

The fun 'Stairs' at the locks..

Our 4 middle stair-steps! ♥

Coming Down!

Another Shot of the Ballard Bridge which had been lowered once again in order for this Amtrak Train to pass over. What a fun day! (Even though we missed you Ash! Hurry home from Idaho)

...and MORE fishing!

John S., Ben B., Dad and the boys enjoy an early (and wet) morning at Plumber's Lake



Ryan's very close buddy John S.


The self taught fly fisherman. Looking good Rye!



Grant on a special date with Daddy at Chehalis River



The boys with Dad at Plumber's Lake




Ryan and Grant with best buddies John and David S. (they sure are gonna miss these guys!



Catch of the day


Our little fisherman

Fishing Season and trip to the Beaver Dam

Well it is that time of the year! And although Daddy doesn't have very much extra time right now.. getting ready to move to Belize and all, there have been a few special fishing trips here and there with the children. Daddy is so good about making time for the important things! These pics show some photos of the fishing at Battleground Lake, Plumber's Lake and also photos from the Beaver Pond trip.


Battleground Lake






Guess who caught the 'big one'?

Fish Fry

Mama, who shares her dislike of fish with daughter Mandy, is delighted that she did not have to cook on this night!






Pics from the Beaver Dam:
Ryan, who decided to do his end of the year report on beaver's, asked Daddy to take he and Grant to the 1 acre beaver dam and pond. They had such a wonderful time observing the beavers and their habitat as well as spending special time together ♥