Thankful

This morning I put on a sweater that used to belong to my grandmother. I probably only wear it once or twice a year at the most. About ten minutes after I put it on, I realized that today was November 23rd...her birthday. Coincidence?

Kellen was motivated to go to church today for the first time in a long time. He passed out programs with his dad and greeted people as they came in. There was a new family sitting in the row in front of us. They had a beautiful 19 year old daughter with long, flowing brown hair...and Down syndrome. She and Kellen shook hands for about five minutes with smiles on their faces. Could this be love at first sight?

During the sermon our pastor was mentioning how he misses the kind of hugs his three sons gave him when they were young. Afterwards, he came over to say hello and Kellen gave him a big hug and didn't let go for quite some time. You haven't been hugged until you have been hugged by Kellen. I think it meant a lot to our pastor and it certainly warmed my heart.

Thanksgiving is a few days away and I am thankful.

Girls Get Out of the House on a Friday Night - Tacoma Version

First stop, we found the church where my great-grandparents Nels and Petra Johnsen were married in 1909. It used to be a Norwegian church, now...it's not.


Next, we went to one of my favorite neighborhoods for dinner at The Spar.




Then, we went for a short walk through Old Town. No, these aren't my great-grandparents. D.Q. likes fish...and apparently, men who catch them.



This is Job Carr hanging out at Tully's Coffee. He was one of the earliest settlers in Tacoma.



Then, there was sunset at Browns Point.



Some advice

What We'd Like to See

Now that the Reimers have joined the 21st century and have high-speed internet...YouTube is much more fun. Oh...the...things...that are on YouTube...but that's for another day. How about what we'd like to see?

D.Q. and I were at a rock concert this weekend held at our church. We were talking about how we'd love to have the concert on video so we could enjoy it later. All of a sudden...an idea was born.

We could create ThouTube!

A YouTube...with Hip Hope music.

Okay...now don't everybody run out and steal our idea.

What would you like to see?

Church

Have you ever heard the term Bedside Baptist?

Me: I didn't see you at services this morning
You: You're right, I was at Bedside Baptist

(for those who didn't get it...that means you slept in)

Many people attend Bedside Baptist on Sundays. They probably have the largest congregation of all. I've also heard people say that often their "church" on Sunday morning is hiking in the mountains. I see the truth in that...is there a better place to worship God then in the midst of his awesome creation?

This morning I was heading to the bathroom to take a shower before getting ready for church. Kellen was coming down the hall the other way with a smile on his face and stopped to give me a huge hug. As he rocked me back and forth he said, "I love you. My Mama's PRECIOUS."

Sweet Husband came upon the scene and said, "There's your church right there."

He's never been so right.

Orcas Island, Washington

Emmanuel Episcopal Church built 1885

Way to Go! (no pun intended)

Kellen hasn't been able to go to school at all this week, but we are hanging in there. The weather has been beautiful this week which somehow helps. Today my mom came over to stay with him so I could go to work.

One of the greatest hazards of commuting as far as I do is the issue of the occasional bathroom emergency. Today was one of those days. Even though I had used the restroom before I left home, the coffee kicked in while I was still on the freeway. You know how sometimes you have to go to the bathroom and you can ignore it for a long time until you finally get around to taking care of business? Other times you can go from 0 to 60 in a minute? Today I went from not having to go to the bathroom to REALLY having to go to the bathroom in about a minute.

I'm on the freeway about 15 minutes from my office and traffic is slow. I AM DYING! I am sure that I am going to pee my pants and have to ask my co-worker to buy me some new jeans at Old Navy. I am picturing the shame, the embarrassment. I am pulling into the carpool lane and stepping on the gas, trying to exit the freeway as quickly as possible. Why it matters if I pee my pants on the freeway or off the freeway, I do not know.

As I exit the freeway I see a church off to the left. I pass this church every day on my way to work and I've often noticed that there are a couple of load/unload spaces where I often see parents taking their kids out of their carseats. Perhaps the church has a daycare? It is one of the few churches in the middle of downtown Seattle. It occurs to me that this would be a perfect place to pull over. A church would definitely have a restroom or two, right? I pull into the 3 minute load/unload spot and park my car. I run in and frantically search until I find a restroom. If anyone notices me, wild-eyed, they don't give me a second glance or say a word. I am a bit concerned that it is this easy to walk into a church with a daycare in downtown Seattle and use a restroom without anyone noticing me. Maybe the homeless use this restroom all the time? Maybe the church considers it part of their ministry? Do I care? No. I am just praising the Lord in the heavens above that this church has free parking in front and a bathroom inside.

I swear if there had been a collection plate outside that restroom door today...well let's just say it would have been their lucky day.

Hanalei, Hawaii

Wai'oli Hui'ia Church

Marysville, Montana

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church 1886
Methodist Episcopal Church of Marysville. Built in 1886. My great-grandparents who were both immigrants from Norway, were married here in 1895. Abandoned in 1939, the church was near the point of collapse when it was bought in 1967 by John and Margaret Hollow of Helena. In the years since, the family has lovingly restored the church and many of it's furnishings to their original simple grace.
My great-grandparents wedding picture, May 7, 1895

Oysterville, Washington

The Oysterville Church was built in 1892.

Kellen's Top Ten Reasons to Like Our New Church

10. The guy who rides in on his Harley calls me "bro".

9. The church doesn't haven't any stairs to walk up or down.

8. The band is loud enough that no one can hear me sing off-key. They changed some of the words of one of my favorite songs, Hallelujah from the Shrek movie and they play it on Sunday mornings.

7. The church is in the community where I live - even my school bus driver goes there.

6. I know the pastors and they know me.

5. The band made a CD of the songs they sing on Sunday mornings. I have listened to the CD so much that now I know the words and can sing along on Sundays with everyone else.

4. I get to be a greeter on Sundays and everyone is getting to know me. I almost have my own fan club now (most of them are the older ladies).

3. There is a casual, informal atmosphere. If I need to go to the restroom during the service, no one cares.

2. Before the service starts, they play a short movie clip or cartoon on the big screen. It really draws my attention. Sometimes even during the sermon they will show a quick movie clip to illustrate a point. All very cool.

1. Every Sunday they have donuts with sprinkles.