"Where I'm From"

I am from fresh mown grass, from QuelQues Fleurs and home town parades.
I am from the old white farmhouse on the small hill overlooking the Territorial Days grounds.
I am from the lilac trees, the alfalfa hay piled high in the barn.
I am from family chores and fun in the outdoors, from Teal and WC and my sisters three.
I am from the crazy and surprising, horseback riding and barrel racing.
From being told I was found in a garbage can and someone had poured catsup on my head to make me have red hair. (The only truth to this is yes, I’m a redhead).
I am from Adventism. A historically rich and fascinating denomination, we believe in the Bible as God’s word to His people.
I'm from Hamilton, MT. with ornery sisters who delighted in torturing me. From wishing I was really an Ingall's with Ma, Pa and Laura. From homemade bread and strawberry rhubarb pie.
From the mother with 13 siblings, who shared a bed with four sisters…some of which pee’d the bed, the father who was the family clown and always has to be right, and the sisters who don’t see each other or spend time together even though they know they should.
From the old hinged box in my living room where the family pictures are so old they have turned yellow. Pictures of those I can't even name. The china hutch that holds the family Bible which dates back to 1863, with locks of ancestor’s hair and pieces of a dress that somebody wore the last time their loved ones saw them. Names like Elliot that I never even knew yet named my son the same. This is where I'm from.


Where are YOU from?? http://www.swva.net/fred1st/wif.htm The template is on this site. It's a fun little poem to write about your history. A great way to take yourself back in time and remember a few things you may have allowed yourself to forget.

Enjoying the misty morning!

On the jet boat havin fun! Woo Hoo!

I just got these pics to upload. Blogger was giving me a bit of trouble for a few days. But here are some pics from our annual camp out. It was a fun time as usual! Remarkably, we even got a little sunburnt!

Drubek

Annual camping trip

Over Memorial Day weekend, we spent our annual camping trip down by Bandon, Oregon. The weather was somewhat warm (the air was chilly, though) and we all had a great time. This time we left the tent at home and tested out a yurt. It was GREAT being able to roll in after dark and not worry about setting up a tent! Upon checkout, it was also a treat to break camp and not have a tent to clean out, take down and try to fit back into that bag! (Somehow the tent always seems bigger than the bag!)
We took a jet boat ride on the Rogue, seeing a lot of wildlife (several Bald Eagles, deer, fish, many different types of birds, sea lions, Harbor seals, etc). The kids had some fun play time on the beach and of course, we all enjoyed s'mores around the campfire.

Drubek

HOME STUDY HAS ARRIVED

YES!!! Our home study has FINALLY arrived in the mail and I will be sending it off to the USCIS Yakima field office in the morning. This document alone feels like I've just given birth! We have waited an unusually long time for it to be completed. WHEW.
So, the REAL waiting begins... =)

Drubek

Homestudy draft

Well, it's finally ready...the homestudy draft! Mike sent it last night and after I reviewed it, there were a few things that needed revising or just plain changed. But, I was pleased overall. Since I don't know what a homestudy document should look like, it seemed pretty good to me!
Fingers crossed that we'll be able to send it off to USCIS in a week or (all fingers crossed) sooner!

Drubek

My Mothers Day Weekend

I thought I'd share our crazy mothers day weekend with you...
First of all, before I share a few of the gruesome details, I will point out the lovely parts. My precious family treated me to a wonderful brunch, a little shopping trip to pick out new picture frames and wall decor (something I've wanted to do for quite awhile) and dinner. I also recieved a hanging basket with petunia's (one of my favorite flowers) and four other mini pots of petunias to plant in front of the garage.
But now, for the gory details:
1) the drivers side lock broke on my "new" car (new to me, but the dear old soul is 25!) and we ended up driving home from Portland with the key stuck in the door. Friendly people driving past us would courteously point this fact out. (We got the car Sat. night so she is very new to me...and no, she is not converted to run on veggie oil...yet)!
2) Andrew took WD40, lithium grease and a huge pair of pliers (normally used by plumbers!) to get the key out of the lock, which is now definitely broken. (He swears this is not his fault!)
3) Wiping off the WD40 from the lock so it wouldn't drip down the paint, Andrew accidentally dropped the gigantic pliers on to my near perfect 25 y/o car, denting and removing the chrome off a small section of the door.
4)During this time, at some point, Andrew is quite frazzled and loses our only ignition key SOMEWHERE in our driveway. It is now dusk. I'm pretty sure we both were praying quite hard. Ten minutes later he finds it over in front of the garage. WHEW!!!
5)By this time we are quite literally wondering if we should have bought this car. But, I'm going to chalk it up to the devil trying to ruin our mama's day weekend!
6)Andrew left for work at 6am today and I eventually get up and start my morning outside chores. Goats were fed and dogs let out. That's almost the extent of our little farm now. The dogs disappeared down towards the ravine, which is more like a 300 ft. cliff down to the creek. Delta comes back when called but Hugo does not. This is very unusual. (it's usually the other way around).
7)Hugo fel over the cliff and I could not locate him. I loaded the kiddo's up in the truck and head out towards the other side of the creek so I can get a better view of our property from down below. We eventually spot Hugo perched about half way down the cliff side, apparently holding on with both paws for dear life. Whining and barking in confusion.
8)Now, trying to get a 170 lb. dog (who just might be injured) up a the side of a cliff is quite an endeavor, but I'm a big girl and for some, this might just be downright comical. It requires the grace and sheer footing of a mountain goat! Neither of which I am capable of.
9)Well, needless to say, I got within about 30 ft. of Hugo and he was able to come to me. He is sore and limping a little, but otherwise no worse for the wear. Dumb dog! (Some of you may recall a similar situation I was in a few years back...involving our dog, Delilah, who fell into a six foot hole. Yep, I got her out, too. Never mind the fire department! Just call me for all your pet saving needs!
10)Andrew's car has a mouse problem as well as the back brakes are overheating. A pipe on our water heater has a leak and we are still working on getting our floors finished.
All this excitement! What could be better than adding two little faces to the fun?
We are not deterred. The kids made it to school a little late today but I don't think they minded.

I've painted quite the redneck picture for y'all, haven't I? Well, I'm sure it'll only get better. So, from our little redneck backwoods country livin home to yours,
I'm fixin to hit the hay (that's 'go to bed' for you city folk!) I don't know if any of this post makes sense. I'm exhausted and my back aches! (I wonder why! =)
Nightie nite...

=D Drubek

Well, our dossier is ready except for the HS, which is supposed to be ready for review by the end of this week. Then we will send everything off to Yakima, where the USCIS office is. They take however many months to review and approve and then we're in the lovely wait game.
I'm still remaining optimistic that we'll travel by next February. Reality is that we have no control and we just need to have patience. (Ok, for those of you who know us both, STOP LAUGHTING NOW!)
I am so tired. I'm pretty sure I've begun to nest, too. Ok, well, maybe it is actually lack of sleep (staying up late looking for a more 'fuel efficient, yet roomy" vehicle.) Since I am not quite willing to become a mini-van mama, the search is a little difficult. I think we have narrowed our search and somehow "veggie oil conversion" keeps coming up in Andrew's conversations. Ever the do it yourselfer, this topic has great appeal to him. (Blech! I like burritos but I don't want to smell like one after driving around town all day!)

Drubek