THANK YOU RANDY !!!!

So how do you like my new banner? My dear friend Linda was my inspiration because her banner is so cool. Her husband Randy (pictured here) offered to help me do a banner for my blog. He put together one of my photos with the title, then showed me how to upload it. He even edited the license plate so it's not the original one. Read it closely. I just love it!

I saw this old couple driving down the Arizona highway in that awesome Studebaker and just had to get a picture. I'm thinking that could be Terry and I someday...it's such a picture of happiness to me...still having adventures even when we're older and "grayer".

Stay tuned...I look forward to changing my banner periodically as I get inspired. Thanks Randy, for taking the time to show me how you did it.

More treats from the Beach House:

Wow! I've been so lax in my blogging...just too much going on and not enough energy at the end of the day. Today I was able to spend the day at home, so I got caught up on a few things around the house as well as email and reading my regular bloggers. Now I'm more motivated to post.

This time I'll share a few more of my favorite photos from the beach house. It was such a fun place with little treasures all around as you'll see from these shots. Sandy is a great decorator. She's made the beach house beautiful, inviting, comfortable and fun!

I just love the fly swatter clock. Isn't it adorable? The fly is the second hand, so it's constantly moving.

The hula girl lamp is perfect for southern California and the frog prince fountain sits at the corner of the jacuzzi. How fun is that!

The two other shots are from the guys practice times. What a treat to be able to listen to them play all those oldies for hours.

Getaway weekend:
As you may remember, we just returned from the Leadership Catalyst Getaway at Bo's Cafe weekend. It's a 4-day marriage retreat that's hosted by LCI twice a year and I get the privilege of helping with the planning.

The first two photos give an idea of what the meeting room looked like. Check out the cool surfboards! It's hard to really get the feel for the place without being there.
This time it was in Carlsbad, California at the Four Seasons Aviara resort and each time we host the event, we get very positive feedback from the couples that are there. The teaching is amazing (I don't teach, so I can say that.) and we have so much fun creating the atmosphere of a casual beach cafe called "Bo's Cafe", a safe and comfortable place to be. It's a lot of work, but worth every minute of it. And the cool part is that we even get some time to relax in the middle of the weekend. That really helps me to recharge for the rest of the event.

For this trip the support team was privileged to stay some of the time at the beach house of a dear friend, Lee and his wife, Sandy. It's a beautiful, comfortable and welcoming home, perfect for a casual group like ours. Unfortunately, Sandy was out of town, but Lee came down and hung out with us for a while on Friday night. (I've known Lee since we were both in high school many years ago, but somehow he doesn't look any older. How did he do that?) What a treat to be able to catch up a little on his family and life. He also sat in with the guys while they were practicing for their performance the next night. They did a bunch of oldies, Beatles, etc. They all had a blast playing and singing the old tunes. The photo of the 3 guys with guitars is left to right, Rand, Lee and Randy. The other one is Terry with his mandolin.

I've included some other favorite photos too...

Can you tell that Linda was having a good time? Great smile, huh? Check out her blog for more photos and stories from the trip.

Check out the amazing dessert that Rand & Michelle made for us! It was puff pastry with little Snicker's bars inside, then drizzled with chocolate & caramel. Wow!

Michelle's stocking feet and the coffee mug just looked so cute together, and were the perfect picture of our relaxation at the beach house. See how the colors match perfectly?

And what's better than dinner with friends; homemade soups and stew, fresh rosemary bread and that delicious dessert! Mmmmmarvelous! I love that I can use my remote control on my camera to get a picture with all of us once in a while.

We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends that are humble servants who give of their time, talents, gifts and resources to minister to others. We're honored to call them our friends.

To top it off God provided a gorgeous Del Mar sunset with surfers and all.

MIA and other tidbits:

Sorry my posts have been so sporadic lately. The big semi-annual 4-day fund-raising retreat that our ministry, (Leadership Catalyst) does, is coming up this week and I've been waist deep in prep, planning, and "putting out fires". The event will be held at the Four Seasons Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, CA, just north of San Diego and quite near the recent fires in So Cal. Fortunately, the resort was unaffected, except for having to close a few outdoor amenities, like the pools and golf course, for a few days because of smoke, ash and poor air quality. They're all good to go for our event and we're looking forward to being there. Terry and I and 2 other couples will be leaving on Weds to drive over, get a good night's sleep and start on setup on Thursday morning. The event goes from Thursday evening thru noon Sunday, so we'll be busy during most of that time with a few breaks here and there. Of course, I'll post more pics after the event in a week or so after we catch ou.

Also went to Savers (thrift store) yesterday looking for some props & decor for the event. The theme is the setting of a fictitious Southern California beach cafe called Bo's Cafe. I found 3 fun beach hats and 2 white baskets for a steal. One was this picnic basket lined with blue and aqua striped fabric plus 4 cloth napkins and a tablecloth all with the same fabric, 4 plastic plates and 4 sets of heavy plasticware all for $3.99! Great deal, huh? It was a little knicked and scratched so I spray painted it a medium blue color. I still need to wash the liner. The only piece that doesn't come out is the lining on the lid, but it seems to be in pretty good shape. It will be a great addition to our beach decor for the event. Take a look.

Also went to Terry's mom's in Prescott last Sunday with Amy & Andrew and enjoyed a little birthday celebration with her. Went to dinner at The Rose restaurant in the evening. Nice place, very small, so we were lucky to get in without reservations.

And just in case I don't get time to wish them a happy anniversary on Tuesday (the night before we leave for the event)...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY AMY & ANDREW!!!! CONGRATULATIONS on 2 wonderful years together. It's hard to believe that two years ago this week we were preparing flowers in the backyard, wrapping yarn around your cinnamon sticks and apple cider packages, prepping for the rehearsal lunch and the wedding. What a beautiful wedding it was and now you seem to be enjoying life and love and your time together. Keep on pursuing your dreams. We're proud of who you are and what God is doing with your lives. We love spending time with you both and we look forward to many precious years to come.

Check out this website for tips and tricks on healthy eating. I haven't had time to dive deep into it, but it was recommended to us by a nurse/dietician. The person who writes it isn't a medical professional, but consults with them on what she posts.

Great layout and fun "I Dream of Jeanie-like" graphics too.

It's easy to remember too. www.HungryGirl.com