Mondays are for Hiking

Talk about a gorgeous day! The hike was worth the gorgeous view.

Devin has Mondays off, and he was chomping at the bit to go

DO something, so Keith and Devin and I drove up to Larrabee

and did the hike just across the road.

There's a great rock at the lookout point. A nice place to

relax and enjoy the view.

Diane gave me this great headband for my birthday, cuz my
little ears are sensitive and always seem to get cold. Thanks Diane
it worked great! It was a cool windy day, but my ears stayed
toasty warm!



Devin was checking out the steep drop off just past the fence.
Wow, it's nearly straight down.

I just love being in the woods. It revives my spirit. And a

good brisk walk revives my body. We're so lucky to

have all this beauty around us!

Diane's Bridal Shower

So, the groom-to-be doesn't usually show up at the Bridal Shower,

but Dennis couldn't be kept away! He made a big

entrance right at the end of the evening.

After all, who could resist seeing their beautiful fiancee

wearing such a lovely bonnet? This amazing creation was put

together by Victoria. I love the pearl initial S for Struck.

Diane opened her many gifts in record time and just for the record,

Diane broke one ribbon!

Here we are, all gathered in Jennifer Wixom's home playing

some games. Lani was the lucky girl that night,

she won every prize!

We enjoyed a wonderful meal of chicken salad, fruit salad, homemade

rolls, delicious sugar cookies decorated special for the

occasion, and of course, a cake for the "Love Ducks". Diane and Dennis had to play the newlywed game, and were
instructed by Jennifer that if they didn't answer most,
if not all of the questions right,the wedding was off!
And you know, they actually did a great job.
All of their prepared answers were for naught, the questions
were much trickier than expected, like, what are the names of
Dennis' roommates? What would you name a baby boy? How about
a baby girl? What is the latest you have stayed out on a date?
Who is more likely to stay calm in a crisis? Which one of
you would fix a problem with the car? What were the first words
Dennis said to Diane? and other tough questions like that. All in all, it was a really fun evening. I think
the women enjoyed getting to know Dennis a little bit,
and Diane was definitely "showered" with gifts!

I just love updating the house!

So Katie, here it is...the new granite countertop.

What do you think?

Thanks for the nice white towels, they are so fluffy,

I love them. They look great in the bathroom.

Why I love Valentines Day...

Maybe it's because my maiden

name is Hart. I've always been

partial to anything in a heart

shape. So obviously, Valentine's

Day feels a little bit like my very

own special holiday...designed just

for me! I love chocolate, and flowers

and cards and jewelry, so the whole

idea of Valentines Day is pretty perfect!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

My Happy Birthday

I love these flowers! Victoria gave them to me for
my birthday. Perfect way to warm up a room on a
cold winter day. They're so cheerful!
Besides flowers, I had phone calls from the girls,
and a couple of renditions of Happy Birthday sung
to me throughout the day. Katie and Josh by phone, very nice, and
then my three boys, you know, Devin, Eric and Andre. They sang
to me in the kitchen before church and with some encouragement
from Keith threw a little choreography into it. Also very nice.
Top it all off with yummy dinner and a delicious chocolate cake, and you
have the recipe for a great birthday! Thanks everyone.

Christmas with the Schenk's

A little montage of some picture memories during the Christmas season!