Print Shop Kitchen ... Still in Process

Renovations for the print shop kitchen began in October 2009. While much has been done, there is still quite a bit left to do. As my work has slowed down a bit the last couple weeks, I have had time to continue the kitchen makeover.

I will give credit to the TV shows "This Old House" and "Ask This Old House" for giving me examples of how to do the work (it pays to watch TV sometimes!!!), as well as their website for excellent step-by-step instructions and videos for us novices.
Anyway, I patched drywall, created corners, primed, and painted the wall space above the sink. The next step is to build a frame of sorts for the window to hide the uneven drywall patching and create a sill (thank you, Mark, for the idea and drawings) for the tile to meet. Then tile the backsplash.
Today, I tackled wallpapering, with helpful instructions/demonstrations from Philip. Boy, was that a job! Don't think I'll volunteer to do that anytime soon, though I am sort of getting the hang of it (no pun intended).

Team Work

BLF Europe had the privilege of hosting Roald and Brad, producer and distributor (respectively) of the Manga Bible series. It was exciting to hear how the Lord is using their ministry all over the world. What a blessing to have a part in it! (Roald and Brad are standing 2nd and 3rd from the left.)

The Kodiak Experience

This afternoon I had the opportunity to ride in a Kodiak, the new state-of-the-art turbine-driven plane. Spokane Turbine Center was demonstrating the plane for pilots in the missionary aviation program at SDCC. The 25-minute ride out to the ocean and back was an incredible experience.


Fueling up

All of the passengers wore headsets

We flew out of Gillespie Field

Looking back at El Cajon

San Diego with the incoming marine layer

Glue Failure

I haven't been hiking in quite a few years, although owning a sturdy pair of boots. When I decided to go camping last week, I happily packed my boots, looking forward to traversing a few trails in the Sierras. Alas, the journey was cut short because of wornout glue. My cousins sacrificed a drawstring and shoelaces, but the boots still wouldn't hold together, and I ended up walking back to the car in my socks.

Baguette Find

I like shopping at Trader Joe's. One can find all sorts of "treasures" imported from other countries as well as good prices on normal, everyday food. My latest discovery, however, is Mini Baguettes from France. (They are located in the frozen section.) Wow, are they delicious! Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. It makes being here in San Diego a little easier.

Here's to Mrs. Squires

It's fun to be able watch my talented cousin perform. Heather is a wonderful actress--always stays in character, uses a variety of facial expressions, is a good dancer and singer, and you can tell she loves what she does. Last night I went to see her play Mrs. Squires in Music Man. She did a terrific job!

French Class

I did not grow up reading the newspaper. My grandmother kindly let us have copies of her already-read papers for school projects and newspaper drives. The sixth grade teacher provided newspapers for our current event projects. Beyond the occasional reading at my cousin's house when I'm bored, I generally stay away from this daily journal.

Ah, but then there's my French class. There are only four enrolled students. The professor has tried to have us do our exercises together in class, but three of the four want to work alone. So how is she forcing us to interact? One our regular homework assignments is to find a newspaper article from a French news website that we will share in class and discuss.

I still think that most news articles are uninteresting. Just like Americans, the French have eye-catching titles with not-so-intriguing information related to the titles. In any case, this experience is helping me get to know the French culture better because I'm reading about what's happening in the country--from school dropouts to pensionners needing to go back to work. Perhaps I will continue to peruse the periodicals when I return to France so I can have something pertinent to discuss with the locals.

My Nephew

John Paul is playing baseball this year. I got to take him to practice a few days ago and watch him play. The boys on his team are of various ages and abilities. JP does a good job at bat, and he's improving at fielding the ball.

Family, Friends, and Family Friends

I spent a few days back east visiting family, friends, and family friends. It has been nearly seven years since I've been to see my dad's first cousin, Porter, who lives in Nashville. Spent the afternoon visiting, getting up to date on the family, and discussing family history.While I was in town, spent the evening with friends Rob & Katrina. I worked with Rob when I was at Turning Point. Rob (with help from granddaughter Miranda) cooked a delicious meal of tartiflette, salad, bread, and apple pie.Mary is a dear friend of my family. Her parents were friends of my grandparents. Had another afternoon of visiting and catching up on family news with Mary and her sister Floss. The paintings on the wall were done by my great aunt.

Was It the Singing?

My family has a tradition of singing hymns when we're together for holiday celebrations. (Typically, we only break out the instruments at Thanksgiving or Christmas to join the voices.) Some of us were together on Easter, so we took out the hymnals for a few favorites. While lustily singing, "Up from the grave He arose ..." the ground trembled beneath us. I can't say that the earthquake we felt was like the one experienced 2000 years ago at the tomb, but the timing was really cool!
Cousins

Back in California

During the months I'm home, I am trying to get together with many of my supporters. Last weekend, I was able to participate in Walk for Thought, a fundraiser and awareness campaign for the Brain Injury Association. My friend Donna, whose son James has an acquired brain injury, organized the event at Mission Bay. Here's Donna hard at work. James is ready to go.
At the start line.
James receiving an award for his promotional skills.
It was nice to give back to someone who has given to me.

Wedding in France

I've helped with lots of weddings, but I rarely take pictures because I'm so busy. However, this time I made an exception because of the many hours I invested in helping to make this wedding take place. Bow-making is not on my list of skills, but I began to get the hang of it after making the first 8 or so. I made somewhere between 36 and 40 bows. My cousin is the experienced one with flower arranging. I have learned a few tips from her, enough to give me the confidence to create a flower arrangement for the gift table and sprays for the columns in the church. Thank you, Ruth!

Wintry Day

Here's the view from my window this morning. The snow continued to fall throughout the morning. The printshop parking lot and yard were covered.

More snow is expected tomorrow.

Catching Up with Friends

I've had a relaxing week--the best week of jury duty I've ever had! I actually enjoy the experience of going into the courtroom and being a part of the judicial process, performing my civic duty; however, I wasn't too disappointed that I never had to go in this time. This allowed me to take an afternoon and visit my former coworkers. And I got caught up on housework and errands.

Yesterday, I got to see friends from college who gathered for alumni activities. I'm thankful for the opportunity I had to catch up with people I haven't seen in nearly twenty years.