love from home

We had my parents here visiting for the weekend... it was such a remedy given my last post;  I have been missing family & friends and community back home.  Now that the dust has settled from moving boxes, it has felt like the honeymoon phase is over.  Yet I say that, knowing God has us here for a good reason and there is much to be excited about & endless ways to be thankful.  We just haven't met many people yet...  and it's not for not trying.  We have some very dear neighbors.  Our closest "friends" here are the landscape guy who comes once a week per the owner's request, and an 86 year old dear & hilarious neighbor, Calvin, who lives on the street above us & we visit him regularly.  When we're at the grocery store - when Jack & Maggie see other car carts with kids, they literally scream, "KIDS!!" and want to go race after them to say hi.  The town has been hit really hard - unemployment (we've been told by the locals) is around 20%.  Most jobs come from the lumberyards and timber industry... families are making it on next to nothing and there's just a wave of depression here among the utter beauty of the landscape.  (It really is a strange pairing...a heavenly place tainted with a layer of oppression and economic darkness.)  We've been told not to take offense if we don't meet people - it's a "prickly" place (common adjective we hear) and people like to stick to themselves.  We haven't given up hope - ha, not even close! - but I think the reality has just hit that we are far removed from amazing community we've been blessed by, and getting nestled into lives here, may take a long time or just may not happen at all and we need to continue to trust God.  I'll be diligent to pray God would use us where He has us.  However that may look.

Back to my folks' visiting... ahh, my dear Mom & Dad.  I sure love them to pieces!  Rainy weather kept things low key, but it was still sweet to have them here --- and the kids adore them & miss them like crazy, too.  Logan tried to eat a dying wasp that was walking on the ground and got stung on the tongue.  Yeah, ouch is right.  Ken had to hold the poor little guy back while I pulled the stinger & tail end out with tweezers.  It got swollen & red, but he was fine & we still ventured to the coast for fun browsing in old town Florence.

After driving 10 hours to get here, within 5 minutes of walking through the door, they were playing badminton with the kids in the kitchen.  That's how they roll. ;)

Mags loves her Papa

Papa & Jack looking out at the drizzly coast.

Fresh fish for lunch at the chowder house

Picking out salt water taffy.

Loges always loved to sleep on Grandma's shoulders.

Mom & Dad with the kids in Florence, OR.

This custom bus cracked us up; back bumper said, "I used to break for hallucinations, now I drive right through 'em."  Oregon doesn't get it's stereotype for grass-roots & hippies for no reason. ;)

See this little circular hydrant area in the driveway?...that the kids play in all the time?

We discovered all those random webs in there are home to black widows!!

Closer...  and there are a bunch.  They love the rocks in the front yard.  We've seen at least half a dozen.

Jammy time in the morn... sure love these three!!! :)