Today marked the end of the first trimester at our school. It was also the end of the month and time to celebrate November birthdays. The school had a 'tie day' to encourage school spirit. We of course rocked out at our now infamous IMA monthly party. The down side of this academic milestone is that I will be spending most of this weekend working on report cards.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Thanksgiving 2007
We enjoyed a family holiday with both the Eides and Bulthuis' We are fortunate to have so much family in Lynden. Jenny's family also came up to Lynden, so they joined us for the Eide turkey dinner on Thursday. Markus brought an SPU friend, Scott, from Colorado who joined us as well. Mike and Marti hosted the feast which included oyster stuffing for the hearty Norwegians. Instead of shopping on 'Black Friday,' we enjoyed a walk at Boulevard Park in the sunshine. In the evening, we celebrated with the Bulthuis' at Doug and Pam's. Jack and Sue were up with Aaron and Jen, and Ellen spent the week with mom. It was good catching up and celebrating God's goodness. We also visited with Anna and girls who came up from from Tacoma, and longtime friends, Frank and Cynthia. On Sunday morning we visited 'Vintage 242' Bjorn and Jenny's church that meets in a movie theater in Abbotsford. The church is part of the Acts 29 church planting network, and Bjorn and Jenny are very involved in serving - Jenny with children's ministry, and Bjorn with music, AV and developing the web site. It was great to visit with so many family and friends.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Qwest Field at last
Yesterday was my first visit to Qwest Field. Markus and I joined about forty people from Harper Church at the Seahawks/Bears game. We felt fortunate to catch the Hawks on a good day! From the nosebleed section, you can't see the game as well, but the atmosphere is great. To help add to the 12th man noise, I found myself belting out any kind of strange cry that my vocal chords could produce. The intensity in the stadium is so much higher on defense than on offense. The cheer over a completed pass is dwarfed by response to a false start. The crowd acts like they are an active participant of the defense (which they are!) My favorite play of the game was when kicker Josh Brown tackled the ominous Devin Hester. I don't suppose I'll get a chance to go to another game soon, so I'll cherish the feelings as I cheer on the Seahawks from my couch.
Monday, November 12, 2007
a new 'getaway' destination
Every fall, Esther and I like to do a weekend getaway. We often go to Leavenworth or the Oregon coast. Last minute reserving insured that the bavarian village would not host our outing. Turning our attention to the coast, we were reminded that some Portland friends had recommended lodging in Astoria. With some reservation we booked a room at the Hotel Elliot, a renovated hotel that looked inviting. We were pleasantly surprised by our stay in the historic city. The town seems to be on the upswing, with galleries and boutiques slowly taking over abandoned buildings. We thoroughly enjoyed the dining options. Since the weather was nice on Saturday, we went up to the Astoria Column, which overlooks the whole northwest tip of Oregon. It was great! I enjoyed the Columbia River Maritime Museum as well. Astoria is close to Seaside and Canon Beach, so we were able to catch the coastal thing before returning home.
Monday, November 05, 2007
27 and still going strong
I faced a choice this month of whether or not to fix the brakes on the Datsun. Because of some unique features, brake replacement is a little more costly than most. After some hesitation, I went ahead and replaced the brakes. My father bought the 1980 200SX new and was quite proud of it. When he moved to a minivan a few years later, he passed it on to the Bishops. Jack kept exceptional care of it as it cycled through all three of their children: Aaron, Sarah and Rebekah. Jack gave the car to Markus, who used it for three years, and now it is under Calvin's 'protection.' My dad would be proud to know that his 'Datsun' has passed through five grandchildren.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Lynden visit
We spent Friday night and Saturday in Lynden. One of the purposes of the quick trip was to see Bjorn and Jenny's Halloween decorations before they took them down. They had quite an event on Wednesday night. We wished we could have been there. Another reason we made the trip was to say good bye to nephew Zach who left Saturday for Colorado. He will work at the ski resort in Brekenridge for the winter. With Kelsea in Hawaii and Zach leaving for the winter, John and Kay were feeling a heavy dose of desertion. We were also able to spend a little time with my mom, taking her to an apple orchard to pick up some cider and other goodies. This afternoon, we went with Calvin and the DeLacys to a college fair in Seattle. Calvin has some new schools to scope out now.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
The Blake Island Challenge
Someday I'm going to organize a race that starts at Southworth beach. Contestants must padddle over to Blake Island. Once on the island, they must run the perimeter trail, and then paddle back to Southworth. This afternoon, Esther and I completed a gentler version. We canoed to Blake, hike around it, and canoed back. We did it in just under two and half hours. The canoe trip takes about a half hour each way depending on current and wind. The 4.5 mile perimeter trail took us an hour and a half. It was a great Sunday afternoon couple activity. Maybe we could make a couple's race!
Friday, October 26, 2007
new light fixtures
For the last two years, Esther and I have been casually looking for some light fixtures that would fit our 'hearth room.' We found some this week at Home Depot, and I installed them last night. They definitely match the decor better than the seventies' white globes. It's that inside project time of the year again.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Goodbye Bowser
He was a good dog. He had to be to survive his delinqent owners. As gentle as a dove; the only time that I ever heard him growl in twelve years was when another dog bit him in the mouth. He was a Basset with a hyper streak, not the mellow sedate creature of stereotypes. His tail twirled like a helicopter prop when he was on a track. Stubborn as a mule; he followed his whimsical nose rather than his master's voice. Bowser witnessed the growing up of three boys into men. He shared the family's affection with a succession of three cats. He transitioned as well as any of us in the move to a different house. But it was time to say good-bye to our canine friend. He was going blind and his back hips could not keep up with his eager spirit. We just couldn't justify making him suffer through another cold, wet winter in the potting shed. Today I brought him to the Humane Society for a long nap! Thanks Bowser, you are the only dog that could live out your days in the Bulthuis family.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
cleaning Blue Wing
One of the costs of mooring a boat in the Puget Sound is the clean up when you haul it out. This past weekend I pulled 'Blue Wing' out of the water. I borrowed Tim's pressure washer, and spent an hour after work cleaning the scum off the bottom. This was the first year that I used a pressure washer. The growth came right off the part that had bottom paint. The sides were a different story. Well, it's clean enough to store for the winter.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Family Day at the Shipyard
For twenty years I have worked with them, played with them, worshipped with them, and taught their children; but their work world is as foreigh to me as the streets of Paris. "Code &, Radcon, 290, 457" are an alien language that my closest friends toss around. You can't live in Kitsap County without rubbing shoulders with shipyard employees, whose world is surrounded by fences and is filled with security codes and regulaions. Today, Esther and I stepped into their world and got a glimpse. Our good friends, Tom and Peggy Gilliard invited us to a kind of 'open house.' We had to be cleared ahead of time to be on the list of guests. This kind of thing does not happen very often, so we jumped at the chance. We obviously couldn't take a camera. Aside from seeing where Tom and Peggy worked (in the same building), the highlight was boarding the nuclear submarine USS Alabama. We waitied in line a long time, but it was worth it. To crawl through a working nuclear sub, the most lethal machinery on the planet, is a little intimidating. It was great having Tom as a personal tour guide, as he was stationed on a nuclear sub for four years, and teaches nuclear safety to shipyard engineers. I have a little more understanding now of the world in which so many of my friends work. Thanks, Tom and Peg!
Sunday, October 07, 2007
leaders hike
Every year, we take the leaders in our classroom on a hike. These students have proved themselves responsible, so we give them leadership in the class. With 51 students, we need a little help! The leaders assist in keeping their table on task. Because of the weather this fall, we decided to take them to the Dungeness Spit rather than Mt. Townsend. Taking advantage of 'the Olympic rainshadow,' we didn't get a drop of rain. There were 13 students and six adults on the hike. One group made it all the way to the lighthouse (5 miles each way) The other group (which I was with) took a more leisurely pace and made it about half-way. After waiting a while for the lighthouse group to return, I sent the group ahead to the Sequim swimming pool while I waited for the other group. As the hours passed, I found a warm spot in the sand and took a nap. On wakening from my snooze, I glanced at the water and took a double take as a male orca with it's tall straight dorsal fin surfaced and submerged. I kept watching as it repeatedly surfaced, sometimes spouting. There was no one to share this with as I was all alone on the beach. I wondered if anyone would believe me. Fortunately, the group coming back from the lighthouse had seen him too; as well as a female and some younger ones. We joined the earlier group at the rec center and enjoyed the warm pools.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
mexico mission report
Today in church the youth group gave a report to the church about the mssion they took to Mexico in July. I'm not sure why the report came two months after the trip, but it was encouraging to hear about the mission. Calvin was one of the youth who gave a testimony to our church about the trip. The youth helped a small church in Tijuana. They conducted a vacation bible school, a sports minisrty and a women's ministry, as well as conducting nightly evangelistic meetings. Calvin was on the children's ministry team. The first day there were seven kids; but by Friday, there were fifty-two kids. The Harper youth were able to boost the awareness of the church in the community and some ninety people made commitments by the week's end. Our church youth were humbled by witnessing God's blessing on their work.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
ready for another year at SPU
On Saturday we brought Markus over to start his second year at Seattle Pacific University. He has the same room, but a different roommate. Clinton is a friend of last year who is from Redding, CA. We trust that Markus will have another great year. The good-bye was a lot easier this year as Markus has lots of friends in the dorm already. We immediately feel his absence in our home however, and we are adjusting to life with just the three of us.
Friday, September 21, 2007
a more recent wedding
Check out the awesome photos of the wedding on Jenny's flickr. These are the wedding photographer's photos. The photographer was Rhonda Fast, a friend from their church. Just click on the photo and it should bring you to Jenny's flickr.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Thirty years ago
Thirty years ago two children embarked on an adventure into the great unknown. With two years of college under their belt, they spent their honeymoon checking out prospective colleges on the west coast. Finding none to their very finicky needs, they enrolled in a midwest college, and worked the fall quarter. The young man kept his hammer swinging and the young lady facilitated the serving of fine cuisine at a Mr. Steak. The 500 sq. ft. studio apartment provided all the space that this newlywed couple needed. Thirty years has brought numerous adventures and many, many blessings. If they are fortunate, good health and more adventures will bring them another thirty years.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
The Boating Bulthuis'
Bjorn and Jenny made a quick trip to Southworth for the day. They were hoping for a nice sail. Unfortunately, the wind did not cooperate; so we made the best of the situation. The whole family piled in the boat for a picnic lunch on Blake Island and a hike on the trails. After a leisurely log lunch we followed the very long and windy 'red trail' though the island. I think that it is longer than the perimeter trail!
Sunday, September 09, 2007
taking on tennis
When we named our first son Bjorn, somewhere in the back of my mind was the anticipation that maybe someday he would take to the court like his namesake (re: Bjorn Borg) Little did I suspect that his younger brother would take up the racket. Calvin has joined the South Kitsap High School tennis team. He is enjoying his initiation to the organized sport. The school year got off to a good start this week. We are trying to enjoy the sunny weekend.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Bjorn and Jenny's new house
Bjorn and Jenny are renting a house in Lynden for the year. They moved off of the Eide compound and into a small older house in town. On Saturday we helped them move in. They are thrilled. The house has two bedrooms on the main floor in addition to a small basement and 'a hobbit house' on the second floor. They have already made the house feel comfortable. Esther, Markus and Calvin all slept over on the maiden evening.
Friday, August 31, 2007
week of meetings
What do teachers do the week before students arrive? One would assume that these diligent instructors are busy making bulletin boards, photocopying worksheets, planning lessons, and making name tags. A teacher has to find time to do these wonderful things, but not in the nine to five the week before school. No, the fare for the week is meetings, meetings, meetings. Meetings to pump us up to go teach. Meetings to decide who has bus duty when and when do my students have lunch. Meetings to decide how we will collectively help our students do well in reading and math. Meetings to learn how to use the new science kits. I could go on, but you are already bored, and that is from just thinking about what the meetings are about. I am anxious for next week to start, and the real action to begin.
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