Merry Christmas

Love, Josh and Karlee

Even though snow was fiercely falling from the sky this morning at 7:30 when I got out of bed, school in Milton-Freewater was still scheduled for a 3-hour delay. No cancellation...are you kidding me? Well, I drove through the blizzard and made it to work. During the 4 1/2 hours I was there a foot of snow managed to accumulate on my car. Bad call on not cancelling school...I think so. I was very happy to arrive safely back at home around 3:40. Once home I decided to take some photos before dark. Now, I leave you with some photos from today while I wait for my wonderful husband to get home.

Our house under massive amounts of glorious fluffy white snow. The fire hydrant in front of our house.

A beautiful shot of a perfect stranger's house and trees.

Our fence...artistic, right?

Christmas and snow should always work hand in hand!

And this one is from last night when Josh crashed out...I couldn't resist.

First Snow!

Today was a glorious day! It snowed all day long in Walla Walla! We now have 4 inches at our house and are expecting more in the days to come! Thank you Lord!

On the Snake River

Josh returned yesterday from a 3-day fishing trip on the Snake River with my dad. They had an incredible time catching beautiful Stealhead fish and eating huge hearty meals. I missed him way too much, but I made it through. Here are a few pictures from his man trip. This is the boat they fished off of; they are now scheming on how they can possibly own one of these $170,000 boats.
Josh had the pleasure of riding up front with Travis, the fishing guide.
This is one of the fish Josh caught. It's a beauty! My dad caught some big ones too!
A beautiful shot of Hell's Canyon.

Dad and mom, Josh thanks you for the trip. Mommy, I thank you for keeping me company while they were gone; and daddy, I thank you for returning my Joshua to me!

Christmas Tree Excursion 2008

This year's Christmas tree hunt was much different than last year's. Last year it was twenty-something degrees and snowing in the mountains; not to mention the deep snow covering the ground. Here's a little flashback...

This year it was fifty-ish degrees, sunny and beautiful in the mountains but there wasn't even a trace of snow. We navigated off-road a little more this year than last year, hiking up a very promising-looking hill. Despite the lack of snow we still managed to find the perfect tree!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year! When is it not? We were able to spend time with many people we love! We missed those we didn't get to see over the holiday, but hope to see many others at Christmas! On Thanksgiving day we had a luscious Chicken Tortilla Soup lunch!
Followed by a delectable apple pie!
We walked to the park with the other Stricklands, the Spedicks, and the Kimmel.
Ellie wore the adorable hat that we bought for Hannah when she was Ellie's age!
Ellie was fascinated by the trees and by...
Her Papa, Uncle, Joe and Chris playing football. (Josh managed to somehow stain his entire left pant leg, by the way...that's how hard core it was!)
The beautiful Thanksgiving Day sunset!
Aunt Sue, me and Josh at Aunt Barb's house for Thanksgiving dinner. (It was delicious, by the way!)
Papa Lou, Cousin Amanda, Mommy, and Aunt Barb.
Grandma June, Cousin Riley, and Uncle Bill.
And there's all of us...I won't dare name everyone again now that you are all acquainted.
Josh and I after dinner with the parents in the Old Mill District on Friday night.
My lovely friend Tara Jean and I after a delightful morning of crepes and conversation!

That is all, my friends, as far as pictures go. We did get to see more friends and family. I got to do a lot of Christmas shopping and Josh golfed with my dad. It was all in all a great Thanksgiving weekend!

Shotguns

On Sunday afternoon we decided to go out into the country and shoot clay pigeons. It was fun, but my right shoulder/armpit zone hated it! It had been about a year since I'd been kicked by a shotgun! Josh hit every pigeon, and I am going to leave it up to you to guess how many I hit. And no, the number is not zero! Now Josh can hardly wait to go out again. I'm gonna need some pit padding next time for sure!

Out in the country

Fall evenings are delightful!

Some Thoughts

Is prayer enough to save a nation?
What about faith?
What about repentance?

Is financial stability enough to heal a nation?
What about protecting the innocent?
What about defending the sanctity of marriage?

Is man to be glorified for blessing our nation?
What about the blood of Jesus Christ?
What about the Word on which this nation was established?

Should we be teaching our children to be prideful?
What about humility?
What about considering others above ourselves?

Do we really want to be a consumer society?
What about giving?
Isn’t it more blessed to give than to receive?

Should we be supporting businesses in our society
That are promoting perversity?
Not if we ever want to see purity rise up as the standard.

Do we really want to blend in with modern culture?
If we choose to be concerned with pleasing man,
Then we are no longer a servant of Christ.

Is our nation beyond salvation?
Not if the church is willing to be changed,
Desiring to truly love God and to hate sin.

For God says, “if My people who are called by My name
Humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and
Turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and HEAL THEIR LAND.”

Beautiful Bend

Last weekend my wonderful mom and I had a fall photo shoot while Josh and my dad played golf. We love visiting Bend! However, we do miss visiting those of you who have moved away!





Awww!

Pumpkin Carving Madness!

And here it is....







For those of you who are unsure about who our friends are....Kristin, Jenni and Chris....they are super fun! Thanks to those of you who have been praying that God would provide friends!