Last night it rained so hard that the sound of it woke me up. I could hear the rain hitting the windows and roof with a such force and I was so thankful to be snuggled in my warm bed. Waking to grey skies once again, I huddled in a blanket out on the front porch for a quiet time as I read the Word and prayed. Looking at the dismal weather, I tried to encourage myself with the old adage, "April showers bring May flowers." I do love flowers!

I've been itching to visit the Living Room coffee house in Marysville ever since I attended the IF: Gathering several weeks ago. You may remember that they catered this event for women held at Life Point church in Lake Stevens.

Heading for home after a wonderful birthday celebration day at Friday Harbor, followed by dinner in Anacortes, our friend and chauffeur, Rhonda, asked, "Want to take a little detour and catch the tulip fields in bloom?" We all said, "Yes!", thankful that we had dodged the rain forecast for the day. 

One of the things I love about living in the Northwest is the scenic beauty that is just outside your door...or just a short drive away. In what seems like no time at all, you can be on a ferry boat heading out in the San Juan Islands, enjoying the view with friends

Raising two sons, my life was full of boys playing in the mud, searching for fish in the creek and the lake, riding 4 wheelers, playing sports like soccer, basketball, baseball and football; swimming, skiing, and hiking, attending science and computer camps, engaging in lots of very physical play...life in constant motion.

Several years ago, at one of the clinics' summer barbecues, I tasted some cake pops that came from Jenny Cookies. Someone said she was a local Northwest self taught baker and Party planner who had made become very successful, even throwing birthday parties for the children of Tori Spelling in California.

Whenever I'm on my way to catch the Mukilteo ferry to go to Whidbey Island, I spot this coffee shop as I'm headed down the hill called the Red Cup Cafe. I make a mental note to drive over and have a cup of coffee sometime but I never do.  

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I spent a few hours shopping and eating lunch in Fairhaven, a part of Bellingham, WA. Not normally much of a shopper, he indulged my love for village havens since it was my birthday weekend...yep, he's a pretty good guy!

Years ago when our sons were very active toddlers,  my husband wanted to surprise me with a weekend excursion for my birthday in February. Asking some old friends of his who frequently enjoyed local getaways, a new Inn was recommended, on a spit of land up separating Drayton Harbor and Semiahmoo Bay...yep, The Inn at Semiahmoo.  

One of the best things that has come from working at a nearby medical clinic is the friendships with the staff I've had the pleasure to work with. Many that choose to work in the medical field are caring and giving, thus making them easy to love. Not long after joining the staff of the Endoscopy Department, one of the nurses, Annika, and I discovered that we shared a common love...baking!

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Sun Valley, Idaho, for the first time in my life. What a beautiful spot! As we were flying in with the mountains surrounding us like a halo, the sun poked through as if to say, "Welcome to SUN Valley!" 

After the crazy, warm, temperatures and sunshine of the last couple days, you could almost believe that winter might be over...sadly, I doubt it! But didn't that warm weather feel great...in January? Today, however, felt like winter was back, even though we are not getting loads of snow like the East coast. 

If you are a football or sports fan at all, you know that the Seattle Seahawks game yesterday with the Green Bay Packers was amazing...at least the last 4 minutes! The first half of the game for us here in the Seattle area was frankly hard to watch, since the Hawks didn't even get a first down until nearly 8 minutes into the second quarter.

Last night a friend and I went to see a live production of my favorite Disney movies of all time...Mary Poppins! The show was truly magical and so well done. I just love local theatre shows and am so thankful we have the delightful Everett Performing Arts Center nearby.

We made some progress on our loft cabin above the shop in Plain last week. If you know my husband, the builder, you know that he loves to attack a building project and work very hard (and quickly) to get it done. People are always amazed by what he can accomplish in a day on his job sites! Due to financial and time constraints, our loft cabin has been moving along slowwwwly.