Rachel, This is for You!!!

So my niece, Rachel, "tagged" me to play a little blogging game and I promised I would write 8 random facts about myself on my blog. If I could think of anyone to "tag" I would, but no one I know blogs! (Get on that, would you?)

So, Rachel, (and whoever else might read this), here you go:

1. I am crazy about babies. To me there is no better feeling in the whole wide world than holding a baby (especially the teeny newborn kind). I have often thought it would be fun to be one of those people who volunteer in hospitals to hold the babies. I seriously have a way with them - they just relax in my arms. Needless to say, this is why I so look forward to grandchildren, because I definitely will NOT be having any more babies!

2. I love shopping! For me it's not about buying stuff, it's about the game of finding the best bargain ever! I shop all kinds of stores, including thrift stores, but I only buy something if it's a great deal. I think it's against my religion to buy anything at full price. I love finding gifts for people and I have a cupboard dedicated to fun little bargains I have found that I will give to someone on a special occasion.

3. I love spending time with my kids. Even though they are big people now, there's nothing better for me than having the whole fam together, listening to them interact, sharing what's going on in their lives, hearing about what they're thinking, enjoying the laughter. I'm eternally grateful for them and the fact that I still get to be a part of their lives. They're good people.

4. I am crazy about summer and hot weather! I would be perfectly happy to live somewhere where the temp was ALWAYS between 75-85 degrees. I think growing up in Montana gave me my fill of snow and cold, and I really don't enjoy it when we have it (maybe just a little on Christmas Eve.) To me, Maui is just a little piece of paradise that I can't get enough of. My dream would be to manage a small set of condos on Sugar Beach...

5. I don't like to cook. To me, it is the least fulfilling thing I do. You can spend HOURS making something fabulous, it's gone in 15 minutes and you have a mess to clean up. A personal chef would be on my list if I had unlimited funds - and worth every penny! I would take that over a housekeeper any day.

6. One of my favorite things is sleeping. I am an eight or nine hour a night girl and I just love laying amongst the blankets all warm and cozy. In winter I think I could easily hibernate with no problem. I am slow to wake up - usually it takes a couple cups of coffee - and I don't like to be rushed in the morning.

7. I don't like being surprised. Someone jumping out at me results in immediate anger for me. I don't like being the center of attention, and I am a planner, so I'd rather not be surprised, even in a nice way. Whitney surprised me once by coming home from Seattle for my birthday and just showing up at the restaurant where we were eating dinner. This resulted in me getting all emotional and drippy in the restaurant. This leads to number 8......

8. I cry easily. This has always frustrated me. I wear my emotions just under the surface and it doesn't take much for them to come out. I cry at movies, Hallmark commercials, and when someone else cries. I can tear up at the silliest things and wish I could figure out how to turn that off, but I never have figured it out. On the other hand, I laugh easily, too, so hopefully it balances out.

Well, this was probably more information that anyone needs or wants to know, but it was an interesting little exercise. Thanks, Rachel! Love ya!

Lake Day Getaway

Just a few pics of our Lake Coeur d'Alene excursion on Saturday. It was SOOOO relaxing and loads of fun. Keith and Travis decided owning a boat someday would be awesome. Personally, I really enjoy "borrowing" - all the fun and none of the headaches! Our hosts were Jake and Jolene and Joshua Blaze Balyeat. Jake is the Worship Coordinator at Timberview so we have gotten to know each other well due to working together. It's actually Jake's dad's yacht - Jake just gets to use it whenever he wants - nice!


CdA Resort from the water....

Whitney and Travis chill on the top deck....

Whitney and Blaze have some fun....

Jolene and Keith check out her new I-phone....

Employment Update

Just a quick blog to announce that Travis now has a full-time continuing contract with the Mead School District. He will be teaching 6th grade at Shiloh Elementary (the first house we owned in Spokane was nearby). This is very excellent as it's just what he wanted and we are very proud! Needless to say, things at the Franklin household are very upbeat! He and Whitney have been busy setting up his classroom and he has already had meetings to meet the staff and make plans for the upcoming school year. How great! They both start their new jobs right after Labor Day.

Whit, Travis, Keith and I are headed to Coeur d'Alene today for a little boat excursion on the Lake. We're so fortunate to have friends with access to yachts - much better than owning a little boat of our own (cuz that's the only kind we could afford, and I am not into rowing!). I am taking my camera, so hopefully I will have some pics to post soon. It will be fun to spend time with Whit and Trav and they have been so busy we haven't had a chance to hear many of the fun details about their vacation, new jobs, etc.

Alex is busy squeezing in as much friend time as he can before he leaves for Eastern. Some of his friends are already gone, but he manages to find someone to do things with all the time. He is currently without a roommate still as they assigned him a new one that was creepy (a senior who wanted to room with a freshman - weird!). Fortunately the housing department is pretty flexible, so maybe they will find him a new one. I told him if he keeps scaring them off, he will end up all alone. He said, "That's the idea!" Ha!

Tomorrow is Pastor Matt's last day at Timberview, so I know church will be all sad and drippy. There's a farewell open house in the evening, so nothing like stretching the whole affair out over all day. I made them a scrapbook on behalf of the congregation that will be presented at the open house. I refuse to give it to them myself, because I get all soppy and emotional, so someone else will have to do it. I really detest good-byes and generally refuse to say them, so I'll just say "See ya later" and hope that will suffice.

Well, off to our little jaunt. More later.

Go Gonzaga!

As I may have mentioned in past blogs, we are big fans of Gonzaga basketball. It gets us through the winter. Now we have another reason to love Gonzaga University. Whitney is now a full time employee! I think her official title is something like: Stewardship Event Specialist (or something like that). Anyway, regardless of the title, she will be planning events like Donor luncheons, VIP gatherings, and such. This is the PERFECT job for her. She even gets to do scrapbooks and invitations! I'm so jealous - would someone please pay me a pile of money a year to craft?!?! Well, I'm sure there is a little more to it than that......

Anyway, she is very excited to move on from her job at Beacon Hill Events to BIGGER and BETTER G.U. This is the kind of job she was hoping to find to truly put her degree and experience to work. Many, many perks come with the job and everyone in her department has been there a bazillion years, so it must be a great place to work. I suppose it would be asking a lot for her to get us a line on some basketball tickets since every game is sold out......

Oh, and here's an update on my July 18 post: Alex did get registered for classes and got his finanical aid figured out. The fact that he had a room was great, but they assigned him a girl for a roommate!!! Aren't these people supposed to be educated?!!? Needless to say, Alex called the housing department and assured them that while he didn't have an issue with having a girl for a roommate, his parents had a problem with it! (Just a little!!!!!) Anyway, now they are supposed to find him a new roommate of the appropriate gender. If they can't he will have a double room to himself, which he would not be unhappy about. Sheeesh!!!

I finally have my computer back, but haven't transferred over all of my pics. Here are a few I have been promising:

1. Whit and Trav's house (interior). This was their 4th of July gathering. Yes, Gram, that is the table you gave as a housewarming gift. It's kind of buried in this pic, but it is lovely - thanks!

2. Here is our day at Lake Pend Orielle with our friends Doug and Jean Silver and Anita Swanson. Yes, we did get to drive the yacht.....a little. The water was glorious and yes, I did get in! (Though there is no photo to prove it.)

3. Sisters Weekend - Goldsmith's B&B in Missoula

Footloose and....

I'm hanging by myself this weekend. I knew it was coming. Keith had to go to San Antonio for business, Alex was planning a trip to the lake with friends. Whit is working and I'm pretty sure Travis isn't into hanging out with his mother-in-law as much as he loves me - ha, ha! Gail is camping for the weekend with her fam. Anyway, I digress. But, in light of all of this advance warning, I tried to plan a few things for me, myself and I to do so I wouldn't feel all lonely and pathetic.

So here are my big plans: a little trip to Michaels, a little crafting, some housework, catching up on some movies, a walk or two...well, that uses a few hours. I do have to water Keith's flowers and Gail's, too.. Maybe a long, hot bubble bath and if the sun shines, I may get a little deck time. Hmmm....well, that may get me through til Saturday evening. Then there's church on Sunday and more flower watering.....

The funny thing about all this is that it was only a few short years ago that I would kill for a couple days to myself. I would rejoice in having the remote without any competition and to not have any plans at all. I keep telling myself I will adjust to all this quiet time and get to know myself again, but I do feel rather silly carrying on conversations with the dog just to have someone to talk to. Oh well, at least she pretends to listen.