We are in Cliffton Colorado tonight. We were going to try and get a bit farther down the road but just like yesterday Joe started being distressed about 4:30 and started having chest pains and terrible headaches so we called it quits at 5:30. Here is the.... The scene outside our hotel room. We think it must be fake. It is probably a blow up like the pyrimid in "Despicable Me". Honestly though we saw some incredible scenery today going across I-70. More about that later after I get caught up.
So, last Saturday we visited with my neice Katrina a little more and then tearfully bade goodbye to my sister and brother in-law and Katy and headed up to my Aunt Dottie and Uncle Dons' in Marysville (just north of Everett, which is just north of Seattle.
That is my Aunt Dottie on the left. She and my uncle Don support us both financially and in prayer. Aunt Dottie is another one of those wonderful prayer warrior people. She also writes the most beautiful notes of encouragement. Just when I am feeling flattened or discouraged one of her notes shows up in the mail and just warms my heart all to pieces.My Aunt Gail is on the right. I have never been as close to her, mostly because she is very quite, but very very sweet. (Dottie is loud and verbose like me).
As I go through these pictures note the beautiful flowers and landscaping. That is my Uncle Don. He is amazing. This is Uncle Don and Uncle Larry, Aunt Lois and Brenna sitting in the back yard. Isn't it amazing what he did with a narrow lumpy lot?!
Joe had a wonderful time hanging with the guys and telling what Brenna described as Gorrilla hoo hoo stories. This is him and my three uncles, Larry, Richard and Don
I also got to know my new Aunt Lois a little bit on this visit. I had only met her a few other times at family gatherings but had never had a chance to talk to her. She is also very quite like my aunt Gail.
We had a wonderful barbeque and visit here and then went on up to Mt Vernon where we met my other best friend, other than my sister, Valerie and her new husband Craig. They are from Canada so we met at a hotel as we didn't have time or finances to get passports into Canada. Valerie and I were roommates in Bible Collage, 1977-1980. We were inseparable, to the point where people said they couldn't remember which was which. That is even funnier than you think as Val had long bright red ringlets at the time and my hair was in a huge loose afro. I am tall and loud and Val is medium and extremely feminine and giggly.. or she was then... giggly I mean. Anyway. We have remained soul sisters all our lives. It was so wonderful seeing each other again. we talked for 6 hours and thought it had only been an hour or two. We could have talked for a couple a more days easily.
This is only my second time meeting Craig. They have been married just a year and a half. He is really a neat guy. He used to be a pastor but now he is a psychologist and chaplain in prisons. What a ministry and the stories he told! He and Val also have a good bible study going in their home. He and Joe really hit it off too.
I told them they looked like they really must like each other in this picture. :-)
The next morning we said good by to Val and Craig and traveled south of Portland Or to see my brother Jef and his family. Jef and his wife Heather took us out to dinner with their two grown daughters Kendra and Kristina and then to their evening church service. What a rockin church! The band is led by a guy who used to play with Amy Grant. You can only imagine how great the band was. WOW! the preaching was awesome too.This is my baby full brother. He was born when I was 2 so he was my cute little baby brother that I showed off to everyone. It was very good seeing him again.
Again. I should have gotten two days on this but I am so tired. More tomorrow.
Thank you again for all your prayers
Love
Teri
So neat to be reading this... We are looking forward to seeing you. I'm so glad you had this time with your friends and family!
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