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A Glimpse Into Our Trip to Bosnia

Here's the stage where Bob & Terry played at the Coffee Bar in Mostar

If you haven't had a chance to see some of my (favorite) pictures culled from the several thousand from Bosnia, they are up on Facebook.  You can see them here without signing up for FB.  

They don't include many of the sponsored kids' pictures or the couple of days we spent in Croatia and Amsterdam.  I'll post those in separate albums later.

They also don't include photos of Dan and Julie and kids (our missionary family) in Bosnia.  For security reasons they have asked that I not post photos online with their last name, so just to be safe, I'm posting their photos on a private page.

The old city of Mostar was truly a step back in time. The beauty of the StariMost Bridge was spectacular from most any vantage point.

There's more to come about this amazing trip!

The Magical Dalmatian Coast of Croatia

Sorry that I haven't had time to post more about our trip to Bosnia.  We're home and getting re-acclimated to our sleeping schedules and "real" lives.

These are a few shots from our first stop in Podstrana to catch our breath from the long flight.  It's on the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia along the Adriatic Sea.

In the meantime, here's a link with some more photos (but still not the whole trip).  They're on my Facebook page, but you don't have to sign up to see them here.

This last photo is from a little town called Omis, in Croatia.  I loved the architecture there!

We did a lot of walking on our trip, which was wonderful.  The weather was great everywhere we went!

Quick Overview of our Bosnia Trip so far...

Our trip has gone smoothly, as far as logistics. Bob's head cold has been the biggest hurdle for their performances. Most people can't tell that he's having issues, but for those of us who know what the songs should sound like, we can tell that he's struggling at times.

Please be praying for him especially the next few days. We leave today for Sarajevo and the guys will be performing either at churches or another venue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.  He will need a strong voice to make it through those times.

Terry's harmonica and mandolin have been a big hit with everyone.

Funny note! Not that I want to perpetuate this stereotype, but I think it's hilarious that several Bosnians have also recognized the similarity between Bob and Terry and Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets. This seems to reveal itself most often in their dry sense of humor when they're performing. The Bosnians weren't going to tell us, but it kind of slipped out at lunch the other day. Apparently they were laughing about it when the guys were performing at the Coffee Bar the other night. I love it!

Sorry I don't have time to share more, but we're heading out to Sarajevo in a few minutes.

Happy Birthday to my favorite guy in all the world!

Terry's birthday was yesterday!  It's not that I forgot his birthday, it's just that I forgot to create a post in advance about it and we've been so busy that I didn't have time in the last few days.

That doesn't make him any less special or less loved. I'm so blessed that God gave him to me over 30 years ago.  I wouldn't want to share this life and it's adventures with anyone else.

Here are just a few highlights of the fun we've had this past year... what a great year it's been and now we're heading for Bosnia in the next few days!  Can't wait.

 Steamboat Springs, Colorado in August

 Disneyland in September

 Randy Thompson Christmas Concert in December 

Dave Argentati Concert in December

Terry & Bob played several places around town this year

 Flagstaff Snow Day in January

Suns Game in April 

My updated "cottage" furniture!

I'm so excited about the transformations that are taking place around my house lately.

Ever since we moved to Arizona 6 years ago, my goal has been to create a coastal cottage atmosphere in my Southwest desert home.  You may think that's crazy and out of place, but my heart just feels at home in the cozy comfort of pale blues, greens and lots of white.  I love the unpretentious air of painted furniture, yard sale finds, slipcovers and piles of throw pillows.  I want my guests to feel like they can kick off their shoes and put their feet up from the moment they walk in the door.

My inspiration comes from the cottage that my aunt owns on the shores of Lake Erie near Vermilion, Ohio.  This precious place is where we spent countless happy-go-lucky days swimming, spitting watermelon seeds and searching for Easter eggs.  It's a source of joy in my memory bank and I long to create the same atmosphere in my home even though we're miles and miles from the nearest lake.

So, it's with that in mind that I've been dreaming of painting some of the furniture that I've had for many years.  The pieces were acquired in a different era, when darker colors filled my home.  Now, even though I love the pieces, they needed a face-lift.  It's been on my To-Do list for years, but because of the time involved, it never quite rose to the top of my priorities for one reason or another.

That's why I was thrilled when my sister, Sharon told me that she and her boyfriend, Craig were starting a business of refinishing furniture.  Craig has been doing furniture refinishing for many years, so it was a natural progression to open his own shop.  These are the pieces I had them start with, for me.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a "before" photo of this cabinet, but this little slice from another photo gives you an idea of the original colors.  The body was a forest green and the top was a deep red.  Terry bought the piece (with beautiful hand carved wood front) for me years ago when I pointed it out at a craft fair.  In recent years I was using it to store VHS video tapes, so it was a bit outdated, both inside and out.  I still love it, but wanted a lighter version.

The other pieces were 2 vintage school chairs that I picked up at a swap meet in Ohio.

I decided on a palette of pale colors that can be moved throughout the house when I feel like mixing things up, which I often do.

The cabinet sports two subtle tones of sage green and the chairs are a pale buttery yellow.  An added bonus is their use of eco-friendly paints, stains and materials.  Low-VOC paint, etc.

Of course, Craig did a gorgeous and thorough job on the inside of the cabinet as well.  When I re-loaded the cabinet I updated the contents too, with some of my placemats and napkins, so it's more practical and user friendly since it sits in the dining room.

If you need any furniture painted or refinished, or are looking for some gorgeous pieces that they've already "Re-imagined" check them out.  Below is a link to their Facebook page and contact info as well.  They can also re-create new pieces from a combination of partially damaged old pieces.  Check out their pics on their FB page.

Re-Imagine Fine Furnishings

Call Sharon or Craig at 480 343 1189

Furniture Re-Imagined from a green perspective with Eco-friendly products and upcycle quality furniture for your home.

Re-created, Refinished, Re-purposed, Recycled, and Re-imagined.

Follow my blog and keep an eye out for my post about the other pieces that they're working on for me.  I have "before" photos of the next pieces. I'll also be showing the transformation of the living room with my new white sofa slipcover.   Hope to see you again soon!

Flying over the Grand Canyon

This is what the sky looked like when we took off from Boise.  It was cloudy and windy, but the takeoff was as smooth as silk.  Phil and Mark are great pilots!

On the way home we flew over the Grand Canyon.  Isn't it gorgeous from 40,000 feet?

Private flight to Boise, Idaho

Some of you may have seen my note on Facebook about my unexpected trip to Boise for work.  My boss asked me if I could go today and tomorrow to do some training for a new project that we're working on.

Imagine my surprise when I find out that we're going in his private plane!  Turns out that he and his wife and another couple need to go to Montana, so they decided to drop me and my cohort off in Boise on the way.  So, about 8:30 this morning I arrived at the Scottsdale airport and drove right up to this plane.  They drove my car away to hold until we get back and I climbed aboard (after a few pics).  Crazy, huh?

Part of the fun of this trip was seeing my friends, Phil the pilot (and Mark his co-pilot).  I hadn't seen them in a while.  I've never had the privilege of riding in the plane before, so this was a REAL treat!

This is what it looks like on the inside.  There are 6 seats, plus 2 for the pilots.  Very comfy and everything you need, like cup holders, pull up tables, electrical outlets, etc.  After about a 2 hour flight, we arrived in Boise and they brought our rental car right to us. 

We spent the afternoon learning and gathering information for the project.

This is the view from our hotel window.  There are snow capped mountains in the background.  The temperature right now is 47 degrees and it's windy with a chance of showers (as you can probably tell).  Tomorrow the sky's supposed to clear up a bit, but the high is still only forecast for 56.  I don't mind though because it's just one more day that it won't be hot.

Tomorrow we go back for more training, then we'll meet up with the others and the plane late afternoon or early evening to fly back home.

What a fun trip and I can see why people that can afford it, go this way.  It's so much less stressful than fighting the crowds at the big airports.