Treasured Tokens Thursday

Since I was in Oregon, I didn't get a chance to sit and blog, although I did get to do some Facebooking. But here are a couple of treasures. I had both girls' handprints done for both grandparents and they still have them. Actually, my step-mom was cleaning out her things and asked if the girls would like their handprints back. I gave Danielle hers and Liz is letting me keep hers. They are such little treasures because it reminds me of how small their hands were at ages 6 and 4.

Those little hands that gripped my finger while I held them in my arms as babies. Hands that held mine when they first started to walk. The hands that played in the dirt. The fingers that formed play-doh into animals or whatever their little hearts desired. The hands that gripped their favorite dollies/stuffed animals tightly when they went to bed. Danielle's hands holding a bat as she played softball. Liz's hands gripping the uneven bars in gymnastics. Danielle now mixing and serving others their coffees (I like my freebies). Liz serving those who are learning or relearning speech with sign. And both hands adorned with beautiful engagement/wedding rings from their loved one. They grow so quickly and I miss those little hands.  

Danielle

Well, I wanted to share about our Danielle and had pictures all over the place. Even though we aren't in our own home right now, for some reason I had a stash of pictures I could scan and that were already in our files. So here goes. I'll try to make it short. But how do you put 24 years into one blog with only a few pictures?

February 22, 1985, 7:25 PM...What a joy to finally have my Danielle. Even though Dan didn't want another "Danny" in the family, I was able to convince him that she should be Danielle...even if people did call her "Dani". I like it. Anyway, what a day. You don't have to read all the details.

The week before I had some Braxton Hicks contractions, which I never had with my first daughter. So, another week and the due date was coming up. I kept looking for it, but nothing. Then Dan and I decided to go for a walk. WHAM!!! We barely got out of the door and I had a contraction that was hard enough to stop and breathe with. We got out the gate and down the walkway for just a short distance and I had another contraction. OWWW!!! So, we headed right back indoors and I called the hospital. I told them what happened and the advice was that I wait at least till an hour was up and then call back if I'm still having contractions. WHILE we were talking, BAM, another one! So, I'm breathing...and breathing...and breathing... The nurse asks if I'm still having a contraction and I can barely say yes, so she said, "maybe you'd better come in." I get in there - they check me - 7cm..."Call the midwife, get things ready, we're having a baby!" Not long after that, this 6 lb. 10 oz., 21" long baby enters the world...total time might have been a little over an hour.

Big sister, Elizabeth, came in and saw her and said, "Baby." Little did she know, this "Baby" was coming home with us.Danielle has been a joy and a challenge - she knows it. But she has a fun and silly side:

Then there was her athletic side - my little Tiger:

Then there was the "sisterly" side - the girls had some rough times during the years, but when Liz was getting married, Danielle realized Liz was going away and at the rehearsal, as Liz was coming down the aisle, Danielle started crying and said, "Take her back!" She does love her big sister.

After graduating from SLO High, she took a couple of years off of school. Then she decided to go to Cuesta for two years and reached a goal she couldn't believe she would. Since high school, she has wanted to live in Oregon and her goal was to go there after her two years at Cuesta. As the time neared, it didn't seem real. Then she realized she did it...she moved to OR and enrolled in the University of Oregon and is continuing school and hopes to finish with a degree in Women's Gender studies with a minor in Psychology in Spring '10. So far she is doing well. She is also working at Starbuck's a few hours a week.

I am so proud of her and her accomplishments, especially trying to get out on her own so far away. If you go back to a blog I wrote awhile back, you know it was hard for me - harder than I thought it would be. I miss her so much, but I know that God is with her and will never leave her. And now that we will be living in LA, she will be able to get to us easier - flying directly to LAX.

Heavenly Father, you do such great things. I thank you so much for Danielle. I thank you that through the years you were there for us as we tried to raise her for your kingdom. I ask that you would continue to give us wisdom for as long as she needs us, even though she is so far away. I pray that you would continue to pursue her and show her how much you love her - so much more than we could ever love her. Protect her and keep her safe. I pray she would look to you for guidance and would draw nearer to you. Thank you for this wonderful gift you have given us and for the comfort of knowing you are always there for her when we can't be. In Jesus' name...Amen.

Treasured Tokens Thursday

I thought I would try doing a theme thing and pick a day that I would blog about something or someone special. I came up with the idea of taking something I own - a picture, a charm, a gift - and tell why it's special. I don't know why I chose Thursday to write about it, but then I had to come up with "T" words to describe what I was blogging about. Treasure is to regard or treat as precious; cherish. A token is an object of value. So I came up with Treasured Tokens Thursday. I may forget to post until I make it a habit, and I'm going on vacation next week to visit my engaged daughter in Oregon. Yay!!! Hope I can be more creative with my blog now.

So here is my first treasure - a picture that I snapped of a t-shirt 

that was created after the death of a very special person - TJ Ramler.

I have it hanging with some other treasures that I'll share in the future.

Friends of ours lost their son in a tragic accident at Hume Lake quite a few years ago. We'd known TJ for a few years through working with the youth group at Grace Church, SLO. He loved the Lord, loved the youth (he became a youth adviser after he graduated) and loved surfing. After his passing, this design was created, I believe, by the Grace Youth and transferred to t-shirts. "See Ya Forever" was something TJ said all the time. I hope he doesn't mind that I sign off on my emails and sometimes my cards and letters with his words. It reminds me of him and the fact that we will see each other again - FOREVER! And it's my way of saying I'll see you forever, too. I may not see you again on earth because of distance, but there will be a time we will stand face to face together in our Lord's presence.

Walking the Neighborhood

After doing Hula Abs and Buns (stop laughing - it hurt, believe it or not), I decided to walk around the neighborhood, several blocks, and take shots of some fun things.

Just outside my door - looks like spring is around the corner.

 

 There are always interesting styles of landscaping and plants to see.

 

 Ready for Valentine's Day and President's Day

 The walking/biking path where all sorts of people come out. Bikers, people walking dogs, moms pushing their babies in strollers, and people walking and taking pictures (that would be me). And I didn't notice the solar panels till today, and I noticed they were lighting up the walkway already.
Maybe Dan and I will take a walk at night just to see how well they work.

One of the neighborhood schools. Takes up a whole block - I walked around the whole thing and found a couple of fun things. The Clothes and Shoes drop-off unit can be found all over the place. Makes it handy to just walk some things there rather than driving to any other thrift store. And the Live Well Kids banner is from the place I have been volunteering, Beach Cities Health District. They have many schools involved with planting gardens and learning about nutrition and exercise. BCHD was very instrumental in getting Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach (Beach Cities) voted as "Vitality City". AND if you check out the Vitality City website, you will see the best sellers, "Blue Zones" and "Thrive" (the book where San Luis Obispo is highlighted as the happiest place in America). I feel kind of special, being involved with a great place like BCHD. I've had to quit my volunteering till we get another car or I find a way to get there (bus or riding my bike, maybe).

 

 My neighbor is also ready for Valentine's Day. Guess I have to hang my banner outside now.