Dance Dance Dance

mom, for whatever reason this video slightly reminded me of my performances I used to do for you on the back deck at 733 (mine were better, but I like this song :) My performances had alot more dancing too. I just needed a Kazoo, or did I have one to go along with my wand? I know I had the headband! :)

Keep praying

http://aclj.org/Tags/Youcef%20Nadarkhani

The link above is the latest information on Pastor Youcef. This blog has updates posted and the latest news report. Sounds like there is still no clear decision on the death sentence or jail time.  So let's keep praying for this man and his family!

Thankful for my freedoms in America

Please read the link below and pray for Pastor Youcef.  Reading this story makes me realize once again how blessed we are to live in country that currently has the freedom of religion. How awesome that Brian and I can openly express our Christian faith and have two Muslims living with us who also can express their faith with no fear of imprisonment or execution. Only in America...

http://aclj.org/iran/iran-upholds-christian-pastor-apostasy-conviction-execution-wednesday

Hooray! We didn't get eaten by Bears

Wow! Brian and I had one of the best weekends we can remember.  Every year Brian goes on a 4 day hike with some guys from church and always has an amazing time and comes home with great stories and pictures to share.  He always said he'd love to take me on a backpacking trip and so he did.  Thankfully Grandpa and Nana were still here to bless us with one more weekend of babysitting! :)  So we invited our friends, the Soehner's to join in the fun and off we went.  We hiked a total of 11 miles round trip and I'm glad because I'm not sure the blister on my heel could take much more.  We did alot of reading up on what the bear activity is like this time of year and that was probably unwise because I was pretty fearful that I'd end up getting attacked or eaten.  Sleeping that night was pretty rough and I kept waking up from horrible nightmares of wild animal attacks. I laid in my tent praying harder than I'v ever prayed and fearing for my life in a way I never had.  The next morning Johanna and I thought it'd be funny if we had had a video camera of our campsite that night to see what really happened while we lay in our tents sleeping. I know I heard hooves walking around our tent at one point (i'm sure it was just a deer, but at the time my imagination wouldn't let me believe it was just a deer.) Let's just say morning couldn't have come soon enough for me.

Here's some pics of our time....

The sign we saw coming in...didn't help with my already rising fear of bears as we began

and we're off

The weather was perfect and it was looking quite fall like the higher we climbed

First stop

Yummy MRE dinners

Hanging up our food bag far away from our campsite

snuggling in our bags

Such good friends

starting off on day 2

pumping our water, it broke the day had to leave, praise the Lord it didn't break the day before!

needless to say, we saw some beautiful views that can only be seen on foot

Lovin' the Nikon

My husband spoiled me with a new camera recently.  So now we can take fancy photos like this one (photo credit to Brian U.)  Although we have a new camera I'll probably still never be quite as good or creative as my sister Mrs. Kelli Campbell who is one of the most creative artistic people I know.  see for yourself  http://www.zinniapatchpictures.com/2011/09/beauty.html

Boogie Wipes

We're going through Klenex like we do milk around here, wish I had some boogie wipes.  Alot of runny noses and fussy children in the Ulrich household.
I'm not getting much of anything done, but I am listening to some good music. Check it out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc767UXztTI&feature=related

High Tea

Mom and I had a lovely afternoon at a tea room called "Taste and See". It comes from Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord is good." It's a tea room set up as a ministry to women coming out of shelters to help them get their feet back on the ground. It was so nice eating on our antique china and admiring all the beautiful tea pots they use. It was the best tea I have ever had! We sampled four different teas and enjoyed a four course lunch over 2 hours- DELISH!! Anyone in Spokane grab your girlfriend or mom and go! (Was wishing Lily P. or Kenna C. could have joined us :)

Homeschool Blindspots

Just read an article a friend posted on facebook called, "Homeschool Blindspots" by Reb Bradley.  Great points made about not getting caught up in creating our children to perform, but really its about reaching their hearts and accepting them for who they are not who we want them be.

http://www.joshharris.com/2011/09/homeschool_blindspots.php

It's a good read. He sums it up nicely with

"I am convinced that the most contagious parenting is living a heartfelt faith before your children. Fruitful interaction is not about what you do to your young people, but who you are with them. It's about having a real faith in God, and expressing it in a real relationship with a real person--not about methods and self-working principles. God intends that the side-effect of loving Jesus and enjoying the grace of the gospel will be that all people--including our children--will be touched by the Savior in us. I pray in Jesus' name that as you read these words you will experience the grace of God in a fresh and new way."

Grandad, Gracie and Joey too

This makes me laugh

A Hot but Fun Fair Day

C'mon folks, who doesn't love a good fair? complete with: 

Face Painting, or in Joey's case, Hand painting

Pig racing was really funny to watch  :)

Corn Dogs and fried food galore

Tractors

Train Rides

Rope making

some seriously cute smiles were made while at the fair

Some of the most beautiful Dhalia Flowers

Fat Preggo Pigs

honey making bees (might have brought home some huckleberry honey - yum!)

Yiayia leaves in a week and that already seems too soon.  Great day even though I didn't get that caramel covered apple I was searching for all day, let's be honest that was probably for the better good of me. And for being September in Spokane, WA it was seriously a little hot, 92 degrees (I'm not complaining, just saying). 

A reason to Smile!

With Grandad, YiaYia and Victoria in town, we are all smiling - alot! :)