I went to a wedding and came home to this;

a table filled with gifts that were a reminder of a sweet and special anniversary trip. A trip we took early so I could spend our anniversary at the wedding. Moments like these make me realize I possibly could be married to the most romantic man in the world. I am so thankful, our love and passion seem to grow stronger as we age, I do not take these last 26 years for granted at all.

The wedding was lovely, an amazing setting on the most perfect of days, a couple so strikingly beautiful and in love; my heart was so moved for them. I was so thankful they finally met; this bride had waited a long time for someone to love her. Her the little girl she was, the young woman that wondered if she'd ever have what Her soul longed for, the beauty she has become after years of being molded into Her.

There were things, just a couple, that bothered me this day. A bride who should've been gifted a wedding, instead she did it all on her own. The blood, sweat, tears and cash she put into it were evident, it was so perfect and so her, filled with grace, beauty, peace, yet simplicity and with a lot of fun. What a gift pinterest can be, it was a smashing beautiful success!

Secondly the gentleman who married them, he plugged his website, right there during the ceremony. It bothered me even more when I asked the Bride and Groom if he'd okayed it with them ahead of time; nope. Seriously this lacked so much class and "respect",  this instant of two souls committing, vowing, promising is between them and in my opinion a sacred moment. The sacrament of a wedding is serious and deep, a moment when time seems to stop as two hearts become one; website plugging does not belong.

On the other hand, said "preacher" did speak directly to the Bride (rather than referring her to his website...) expressing the importance of her showing respect for her husband. Please can I get an amen! He went on to explain how men are not women and what feeds them, nourishes them, helps them grow, etc. is to be shown respect, true respect.

I loved this so much because I have seen not only how true it is but how utterly important it is in a good marriage relationship. I wanted to reiterate this to the Bride, so I did (o: as she was sitting at our table. Another woman at table said, "yeah I need to get that website, I need that" my response, "no that is for husbands, not for us women", response "I know, I want see it so I can tell my husband, what it says", my final response, "it doesn't work that way."

Yes a man should be loving his wife, but that last thing he needs from his wife is to be told that. The first and last thing he needs from his wife is respect, he is a man. A man who is respected by his wife will soar. There are times every now and then when I verbalize to my husband the respect I have for him, I am blown away at what it means to him and does for him.

I do get that I am married to an amazing man, he is gifted beyond measure, his character and integrity never cease to impress me, the way he treats me and loves me is actually astounding. But there is a part of me that can not help but wonder, just maybe I am this "lucky" partly because of the way I have chosen to view our relationship. We each have responsibilities that are very different from one another, the more I focus on mine rather than his, the more blissful my married life seems to become.

It's what I want more than anything for my own children; other than to know the true Love of the Lord God, it's what I want for these two.

A life realizing that marriage is actually a fantastic gift filled with more than one can ever ask for or imagine, to be enjoyed and celebrated over and over. 

Wives, respect your husbands; in action, word and heart. It'll honor your man and you just might receive some sweet love in return.

James 1:27

There's a sadness within my soul
It's one I wish I didn't know
I'd like to say I don't understand
But truth I know every detail and imagined demand

The fear that grips is filled with pride, guilt and shame
Wishing there were less that knew my name
My head knows what each expects and desires
The gift of giving it blesses and inspires

We look for purpose and search for meaning
Hoping we sail through gleaming
Traveling to far off lands and strangers
Confronted with reality our soul finds anger
We plot, we plan, we give to help our fellow man

When all along within our blood
We see needs that each of us should
They were there before
Just behind the shy closed door

A place where helping is quite hard
No glory or praise as reward
The day is long and the air is sad
Why didn't I see we are all she had

Willing to give my life away
To those unknown because of cause
Dear Lord please help me next time to pause 

In my search of self fulfillment and need to feel whole
Recall truths to me I need to know
Please help me to look not quite so far
For you've shown that glory comes with a scar

My heart became broken, messy and sad
I jumped too soon as an eager lad
Finding truth that lied within
The great assumption is my only sin

Thank you for the widow I can touch
The orphan who needs so very much
The strangers I love and care for too
But I need the life I live to come from You

 James 1:27 KJV
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

I went to Colorado

I have had a trip scheduled there for months for an Operation Christmas Child Conference, which ended up being a wonderful time and I grew to love and respect the non profit I am involved in even more than I already did. All I will say on this people; no matter who you are, what you believe, what your resources are... Next November pack at least one SHOEBOX, these small gifts are impacting our world for good, one child at a time. One more gift filled shoebox means one more hurting child (out of billions) touched with a message of love & hope. Remember that one person who said or did something for you as a child that you've never forgot; these shoeboxes not only do the same thing they are going to children in extreme situations therefore the message is heard and felt so much more deeply. Okay, done preaching.

It turned out to be even a sweeter deal since Laura moved to Steamboat in February, it was easy to alter my plans and stay a few days longer and fly up even deeper into the Rockies.

Flying 'up' is something else. The plane goes up & up but then on the descent it is a sharp nose dive down onto the airfield. I was a little taken back but looking out and seeing only mountains around us I realized, we are landing in the mountains.


It's that simple. I have lived on the edge of a mountain range for years (the Cascade) but I found the Rockies differed in the fact that they simply never seemed to end.


To say the Steamboat is beautiful is an understatement. It is a town that is the Mountain and is a true Ski Town. I had the luck of hitting it on the last day before 'Mud Season' began and the 'Mountain' was filled with festivities. We spent the early part of the day being entertained by a Pond Skim and enjoyed watching skiers dressed in wacky outfits attempting to make it across the pond successfully. It was very entertaining and we were delighted to learn in the next days' paper that "Captain Underpants" (a very young boy dressed in his cape & whities) took second place. He was by far the cutest competitor and did quite well on the pond!


We then decided to brave up the gondola in order to get another perspective into this lovely setting.


As you proceed up you fully see that this is a town that sits at the base of a mountain.

Since it was a very spring like day it almost made me wish I was on skies, swishing down the slopes. Which is a bit of a joke because I do live in Bend, OR and have not skied in years! But 70 degree weather and skiing seems like a concept I could not only handle but even enjoy, a lot!


You can even see Laura's apartment from here.


So that down there, that's Steamboat and all that around it; I am pretty sure those are the Rocky Mountains. Can you even imagine being a Wagon Trainer....


I have to get Chatty in here. I love this guy and I miss him. He has lived with me so much and at times I admit I wanted to shoot him (he's a bit insane). He is just so cute and I really love him and would never shoot him. I had so much fun just playing with him and walking him.


Hiking up to the 'Frozen Falls' even more beautiful. Studded with what I thought were maybe Birch and snow still deep, white and fresh along with perfect springlike weather.....




Chatham is not much of a mountain goat but he does try.


We could see that the spring melt was fast approaching, it made for an even more breathtaking setting.


Stefan who is 100% outdoor oriented, I am sure is contemplating, "How can I just spend the rest of my life, right here..."


So this is the falls that we were expecting to find completely frozen like they were the last time Laura had visited. What we found were these windows that the season had opened up. The falls roaring behind the frozen wall in full view. I was awestruck.




It saddened me when I loaded the pictures and saw that they did show the majesty of this snapshot of creation. The top 'window' was at least 30 feet tall if not 50. To say this place is a wonder seems trite, you are lucidly drawn in to sit and absorb.


My girl, who I adore.


Along with the boy & his dog who've drawn her to Colorado.


I missed some great photo oops on this next day. Laura and I decided to do some pretty cheesy\touristy type stuff that I failed to record in photos. Let's just say you've never painted pottery till you've done it with a hippie (who seemed quite stoned) and his kitty crawling all over your.... everything.

Along with lots of fun shopping for Laura for a new outfit or two for her upcoming 21st birthday, we ended our afternoon in the tranquility of natural hot springs.


What a cool place, 7 miles into the mountains, pools arranged off the river and springs so as the temps are controlled from cool, to enjoyable, to bearable, to hot!


You can feel the springs coming up from below here and there and oh man, it's warm! And this is my gorgeous Laura getting her body temp to adjust.


I had to get a shot of this on our way back down, being someone who lives in a modern home and who is married to an amazing designer I have grown to appreciate architecture quite a lot. This my friends is amazingly someone's house (I googled it). Really stunning and huge in an unbelievable setting.


Another shot I had to get; Laura tells me this guy is everywhere as you drive across the country but I've never seen him. I would've loved to get on that saddle and get a shot but I try not to be overly dorky.


She is so so beautiful and her heart is even more so than that amazing smile. My daughters what a blessing they are to my soul and as a mother I could not be more proud.


I will end with this, the foodie that I am. We got a bit obsessed with an Italian restaurant in town and ended our week with yet another meal there. This is my favorite dish on the planet, Spaghetti Bolognese and other than Juri's and mine (who I learned from him) this was the most delicious I have ever had! Yummy.


Thank you Colorado for having sunshine when I was there and being home to my baby girl 'for now', you are not a bad place.

Water

It has been such an honor for us to work with this client, to know and understand the inner workings of what a "foundation" actually is and to see the good that they are contributing to society. We are blessed to know the people of The Annenberg Foundation and are so excited, yet nervous when we get invited to an 'event' if we are able to attend, we do. We have a deep respect for the people of this foundation and want them to know that, and how thankful we are for the work that they provide for BrandNav.

Last week was the latest opening for The Annenberg Space for Photography. It is a wonderful museum that is dedicated to photography. Bill had the extreme honor of being chosen to create the brand identity for the museum which in turn has brought forth continued work, assignments and branding projects from them as the exhibits change quarterly. We were able to attend the previous opening night 'Sport'. It was quite intimidating watching a Red Carpet (knowing full well you do not belong) mingling with athletes and the photographers who made them look good in the pages of Sports Illustrated. We were both really nervous and had a hard time relaxing and absorbing it all for the joy and fun that it simply was.

So being invited back for 'Water' last week we felt more prepared and excited to enjoy the evening for what it was. This particular exhibit is filled with caution and meaning on the significance of this natural resource in "Our Thirsty World". You can learn more about it by attending the Space yourself or pick up the most recent issue of National Geographic, many of the stories and photos are included there.

We got into LA early in the day in hopes that I would spend the day at the pool while Bill worked. Well lousy weather and a sponsored event very unlike the one we which were attending (which is an entire other blog that I will not be doing) scrapped my day at the pool, instead I spent a day at a nice LA Salon getting my bleached, ruined hair back into shape and health! Before this though we were able to steal away for a nice lunch and refreshing glass of wine. While walking to lunch we were delighted to see some of the marketing pieces BrandNav had created for the event.





Hair done and a run for Bill we headed across the street to go enjoy the party.


The Annenberg Foundation occupies part of this building, the view being the Hollywood sign and because of one of the other occupants it's not uncommon to run into the likes of Renee Zellweger on her way to the powder room.

The Space for Photography sits directly behind 2000 Avenue of the Stars.

Upon arriving we were quickly welcomed by friends, introduced to new faces, introduced to the National Geographic Team who personally thanked Bill for keeping and understanding the 'integrity of their brand'. It was humbling to be there and yet so fun. Spending a half hour or so absorbing the meaning, story and depth of the photos; we were intensely touched by the message of this exhibit. We ventured into the center to hear the speeches, presentation and introduction by the leaders and the Nat Geo CEO. This was followed by a moving film with each of the photographers represented sharing the thoughts behind their assignment.

Sadly, very quickly into the film Bill suddenly felt extremely ill. They only thing he could think of was to get out of there NOW and that he needed a drink of water! Having no idea what was going on I quickly followed him out and he just kept saying, "I am so thirsty". Within a minute we were outside sitting, with him trying to sort out the way he felt. Then boom, GONE. Eyes and mouth wide open, head back, sweat pouring from him and no pulse that I could find. I was in utter shock. mainly because I could not find a pulse and I immediately thought, "He is 52 now, my dad passed at 54, that's it. I am in LA away from anyone I really know and my husband just died." Thankfully someone we did know saw thew whole thing and had the sense to phone 911. They were there in a few minutes and right before they arrived Bill suddenly RETURNED! And of course all he wanted was water; but the ambulance had said when they called, "when he comes to, do not give him any water." Oh the irony.....

So we spent the next hour on an ambulance. Bill refused to go to the hospital saying he felt FINE, yeah right... Arguing with the EMT's over and over, me knowing all along he was thinking of our horrible health insurance (which will not change at all with the new ideas and plans) and what this would cost! They finally decided he was stable enough to return to our hotel, so they drove us across the street and escorted us in. For this I was so embarrassed because of the before mentioned event (the party had gone on all day and by evening was a complete atrocity) at the same time we were thankful for our hero's who seemed genuinely concerned for Bill and I. Since Ambulances do not carry water, they wanted to make sure he got some into his system right away!

So our evening of glamour was cut very short, I spent my night worrying if he was breathing or not. And no, we have not got him into the doctor yet to find out what on earth went wrong. He was feeling 100% normal in 24 hours and we are thinking maybe he is hypoglycemic or something similar. We will find out.

In the meantime we are trying to make sure that he is drinking enough water yet being careful to not abuse this precious natural resource that we so take for granted.

The evil of Facebook

Well life actually has began to settle here in the new Chiaravalle home; once I managed to get taxes somewhat settled √ (I am VP of finance for a small design firm in Central Oregon you know), ship young daughter of to CO for a new life )o: √, winter escape running from reality √, finally having a home that is pretty much furnished √. (You know I had previously referred to our new home as one very similar to Fred & Wilma's. Yes it does have a modern feel but at the same time with dark grey stone floors, light grey empty walls and few places to rest you body it had a bit of a cave like feel. So having people over \ ie. a life was not really an option.) Well all these √'s marked off and it's time to get a life, now that we are very settled.

Bill & I are both quiet people, not outgoing, introverted, shy.... whatever; it's simply our make up. At the same time we love friends and interesting people so very much that one of our very favorite things to do is entertain. So waa hoo, we finally get to do that once again and for that we are quite thankful.

First on the list is so blog worthy that it may take way too many words to say why, but I will try. (o:

A few years ago when we were well into living is Sisters, Bill gets this call from his High School chum Jeff. Backstory is Jeff & Bill had grown apart over life and time at the same time I quickly noticed a pretty deep yet quiet respect for one another. So Jeff calls and he is in Central Oregon looking for a retirement home so we invite he & Marji (wife) over since low and behold they are in our area. We had a great time, one of those times where you are just, "wow, that was so fun and special and we really like these people." Fast track years later, they did buy that home (bravo for them before things got crazy here), rented it out and once Jeff was able to retire and they could sell there house in Bay Area, bam, here they are, 20 miles away! In this rural area, that my friends is practically neighbors. Jeff had let Bill know they were here around the holidays. My thought was, "are you kidding.... have people over.... yes I know I have this great kitchen and all but really, Brontasaures Burgers are really all I could serve!" Seriously it was like A CAVE.

So of course, Jeff & Marji were first on my list to have over in what I hope is the beginning of many fun times together. It was a great evening. I love to cook for friends, I love to get to know people and try and figure out why they are who they are and I love sharing my home and husband with people I enjoy. We ate and talked and drank (a little, not too much, they are not quite the wine lovers as Bill & I and they had to drive) and talked and argued (a bit) and laughed and had the delight of getting to know one another on a deeper level.

One of the most compelling parts of the evening was when I told Jeff, "I can not believe YOU are not on Facebook!" He respectivly let me know why.

He reminded me how he was a follower of my blog and as a result of that a follower of all the blogs that our family once authored. Then sadly, ka zam, they all ended. He let me know how he was freaking out, wondering, "WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED WITH HEIDI"S HIGH RISK PREGNANCY." I sulkingly admitted he was right, it took well over a year for Josiah to be born in the blog world. I also ashamedly admitted how much Facebook had taken away from my own blog.... Oh time. I promised Jeff I would try harder, but then it's been weeks since we had them over.....

So what is this about; I don't know if I know. Facebook has brought a few of my best friends back into my life which is something I have dreamed of for years, at the same time obviously it has taken away from my writing, sharing and stories on a deeper level. I will keep trying.

As for Jeff and Marji;


We look so forward to getting together with them again, but next time it'll be their style. Horses and all. They are way better Oregonians than Bill and I and are truly, "living the life" that this place has to offer, ranch and all. I have a feeling that blog will have some beautiful photos of their life. But as for us two misfits who are sure they were made for 'City Life" and have tried to create that in their own home. It was so nice to rekindle and deepen a friendship I so am thankful for simple friends.

As few as they may be those there are, they are dear.

Honolulu, HI

I admit, getting away this time of year has become a bit of a habit. I easily use Valentine's Day as an excuse and then blend that right into Bill's upcoming birthday; along with the usual dreadful winter weather these seem reason enough. It usually takes till early January for me to become a wee mad and seek out a warm place to visit to bring the sanity back into my being.

This winter I really hoped for something new; honing my search into remote Caribbean or maybe way down into Mexico someplace along the gulf. The options looked promising with bargains galore but then there is, the flight. Being self employed with adult children comes with the blessing of being able to leave any time you'd like. It also comes with the difficulty of taking no more than 7 days off at a time. Cool Caribbean\Gulf of Mexico, 2 days fly time each way.... )o: So Hawaii it was. Cheap short flights and bargain hotels made the choice that much easier. We've been to Maui a few times and decided to try something completely different. Having a friend who lived in Honolulu for years helped give an idea of what to anticipate and where to eat! (Something Bill & I enjoy probably a little too much).

Since I have such a struggle finding the time to blog, I am cramming this 5 day get away into one. So be prepared, it's long. You may want to take 5 days to read it!

Our first day we did not even take the camera out. I think we were both just so happy to be away from work the first thing on our mind was pool; which is where we spent the entire day. Reading, swimming, walking the beach, eating, people watching, sunning our souls... Simply glorious.

Day 2 we were ready for adventure and headed out. With my notes from our friend we headed out to:


After a country drive through the hills (hey I know they are mountains to them but living in the Cascade Mountain Range they seem more like hills to me) our first destination was the town of Haleiwa. Beachy, cool, total surfer town. I am convinced if Heidi, Joe & Josiah lived in Hawaii this is where they would live; it felt very them.

Of course we had to stop and wait in line for the famous Shave Ice. It was good but to cold to enjoy. We were having some tropical winter weather... Who knew... winter...

Signs of the 'feel' of this town.

We did have the best Mexican food we've ever tasted here. If you go, I say stop, it's super! I am trying to figure out how to open one in Bend, OR.

We then proceeded to drive around the Island; looking for some of the famous big surf in hopes of finding surfers on top of it. It was really quite windy and seemed maybe not the best conditions; awesome to watch though. We stopped at lots of beaches along our beautiful drive.

Did I mention this was a kind of food\road trip.....

She taught me how to cut them, I have always wondered.......

The next goal; a shrimp truck.

I was not satisfied with any truck; the aroma needed to be decent too.

So we settled for the 'famous' one, along with almost all of the other tourists. It proved good except Bill wanted the super spicy (the sign said NO REFUNDS...) too hot for my tastes but the shrimp was really good.

The drive was so lovely.

With lush tropical scenery the entire way.

We ended the day with a dinner at Roy's. The reputation is well deserved. It was a fantastic dinner.


Next day we decided to make our way up the 'mountain' we had been admiring from out hotel room.

It's a fun hike\walk and even halfway up you have views that birds enjoy.

The old bunkers along with the caves were a humble reminder of why the path was originally built.

It is not in our nature to be there and think of looking for enemy invasion, another time I suppose... For me it's simply absorbing the beauty of creation.

Taking a rest before we head to the top. It's only 760 feet up but at times seemed a steep climb.

If you have never been to Hawaii, you can see right here one of the many reasons it is so special; clear blue water.

Feeling on top of the world, well almost.....

Now we could view our hotel room from Diamond Head, yep it's that speck right there, past the pink one and up some. (o:

Yes this 'hike' was built by the military, a few years back....

Heading back into town we grabbed a quick shot of Waikiki Beach, a happening place.

We decided to end the day at the Tapas Bar at our hotel.

So we could absorb some more of this.



Waking up we made the wise choice to spend our day here.

We both loved it so much and barely noticed the day of rain because our hearts and minds were so filled with history and meaning instead.

Our destination the Arizona Memorial; the USS Missouri sits nearby as she did December 7, 1941.

The rusted equipment you see are actual parts of the Arizona, that is how shallow she is buried.

It is a place of reverence. I couldn't get myself to take pictures of the memorial it's self, it just did not feel right. There are 1177 men buried here.

After almost 70 years, her oil still leeks.

They call it her Black Tears.

On our way back to shore we decided we wanted to spend our entire day here. Simply to honor the military along with Bill's dad and my brother in law who both severed in the Navy. We thought it would be interesting to learn about the world they lived in at one time.

Pearl Harbor continues to be a working base. We got to spy a sub coming back into port.

Next the USS Bowfin. Wow, what a machine!

I find it pretty amazing what man has built.

Bill was for sure playing sailor by this time, trying to get a grasp on the life that Chuck once had.

I started getting nervous that he would get in trouble for playing with everything... I tend to be a rule follower.

Seriously, there is nothing to shoot at!
Thank God.

Now for our delve into the world that Bill's dad once lived in. The USS Missouri. She was HUGE, SO SO HUGE! Bill made me salute.... I am not even sure if that is okay if you are not military.... (A rule follower...) I obliged deciding since my dad served in the Army it would be safe.

Still playing....... I told him he needed to take the sweater off his neck to be more believable; he wouldn't listen. Children......
(o:

Seriously large guns. This is one dangerous battleship!

And right here on this exact spot, the end of World War II. In my opinion once sweet place to step my feet. I love history.

At the end of the day the rain had moved on and during a warm afternoon walk along the beach we found what we thought would be the perfect spot for dinner. It ended up being an exquisite hotel adjacent to ours.

The setting was better than perfect and the food fabulous. We even worked in a factor of fun with the fact that our waiter had just returned from a 2 week vacation in Bend! Go figure...... He seems found of...... snow..... whatever!

Upon our exit i just about lost Bill, for his other dream girl was parked out front. I really did have to tear him away and he made me take this picture! I admit it was gorgeous.



We ended the week as we began, the weather was finally clear and the air was warm, we spent our day lounging in the tropics. We decided to have drinks by the pool at the end of the day.

That way Bill could hop in on a whim and get in just one more swim!

It was not easy saying goodbye to this glorious view although home is alway the better place.



This my friends is why I steal this man away. He works so hard and is so focused 100% of the time; because of him I am blessed beyond anything I've ever imagined. He is my favorite person in this world and when he is away from the office he is able to smile like this and let go a tiny bit. For that and the warm air it's so worth it!