Favorite Things as of Late

1. Parenthood

 I totally love this show. If you haven't seen it, you have to watch it. I've been watching for a while but Netflix added the complete seasons, so I am now re-watching. It's great.

2. My sewing machine

 

Adam gave me this for my birthday in 2010 and I have used it, I believe, most days since then. I really love it and love sewing so much. It has been fun to make gifts for friends. I even made Rachel a t-shirt quilt for Christmas. Rachel and my mom now have the same machine.

3. Jesus Calling

 

I got this book for Christmas after it was all over my bloggy friends pages. So far, it's great.

4. My nook

 

I got this for my birthday this year from Adam. I get all my library books loaded directly on my nook now. So cool.

5. Browsing fabric websites.

I guess this goes along with sewing. My current favorite it Fabricworm. I'm embarrassed to say I could be on there for hours. And sometimes I am. :)

So there you have it. My current favorite things. It's a rainy day in Atlanta and I plan to relax all day long. I can't wait!!! My mom always says rain makes for a great day to stay home and catch up. I agree mom and I'm not leaving today. I love rainy days.

Costa Rica

Our family had a non-traditional Thanksgiving this year. We headed to Costa Rica! It was beautiful and so so fun. Rachel, Chris, Mom and Dad all got there on Wednesday. Adam and I came in on Thursday morning. The flight is so easy and we were there by 1 o'clock! We went straight to zipline. Dad had planned to be the photographer since he is crazy afraid of heights. Well, when he learned how long we were going to be gone, he reluctantly agreed to come. I think he was glad he did! He was hilariously hugging the trees on the platforms because those were the most scary part. Who am I kidding, I'm also afraid of heights! I'm so glad we did it though. Once mom figured out she didn't have to hold herself up to not fall, I think she enjoyed it too.

The beach was beautiful but very rocky. It was a short ride or 1 mile walk down from our hotel on a mountain.

One day we went to Manuel Antonio National park and saw lots of wildlife and a beautiful beach. The three toed sloth was Adam's favorite.

People apparently come from all over Costa Rica to our hotel to see the sunset. It was gorgeous!!

One of the major themes of our trip was food. We ate like royalty. I think we had seafood every single meal. Fine by us. Yum!

On the last morning we hiked down to the water with hopes of seeing wildlife early in the morning. We helped Rachel get on the bus for the airport at 6am then walked to the ocean with mom and dad. I really wanted to see a macaw and was so glad we finally did. Beautiful.

 

My mom was showing off her shell collection she left for other tourists to enjoy. :) It was a great trip! Thanks Mom and Dad for all the adventure you provide for us! Love you!

Grandpa

The last couple of months have been HARD. I lost my precious and most wonderful grandfather on November 18th. I have not felt like blogging or doing anything else for that matter lately. I am not a good writer, so I've been dreading this post for fear that I would not do him justice for the amazing man that he was. However, I feel like I can't blog about anything else until I honor him, so I'll do my best. I miss him. A lot. I was lucky enough to get to see him the weekend before we lost him. He had a bad stroke a week before so Rachel, Chris, and I all met in Fargo. We had lots of laughs and good times with him. There were also hard times. He was hurting. At one point I could literally hear him cry out to God. It was so hard but also so comforting to see his faith was so deeply etched in him that even when we was not really with us mentally, he still had God to comfort him. He had 95 wonderful years and 69 years of marriage. I know I'm blessed to have had that long with him. He was the stereotypical grandfather with always a lap to sit on or hug to give. He could fix anything and helped me build my 8th grade science project. I had to privilege of talking to him every Sunday night since my freshman year of college- 12 years. I'm so glad I got that. When we knew we were going to lose him, I made a list of my favorite things about him. Obviously, I could fill up pages and pages, but these are some of the highlights.
-always answering the phone "hello Sarah" when I called without caller ID
-since I was little, they read the devotional "Daily Bread" every day when they were able
-he was the cookie baker and grandma was the cookie maker
-walked into his house every time he left with "Hello house". It drove grandma crazy
-listening to "Night Sounds" radio program every night
-skilled jeweler and small business owner of Crown Jewels that my cousin now owns
-his big, loud laugh
-he lost his eyesight to macular degeneration years ago, so he had a watch with a button that told time. He always pressed it at inappropriate times like church or family convos. My cousin said it perfectly when she pointed out during his funeral that thing probably would have gone off had he been given the chance
-squeezed my hand tight
-going to Paradise guest ranch where he had a horse named "Bones" who ran him in to trees frequently and tried to get him off
-talented artist
-naming all his cars
-the motor home and all the fun times and trips when had in it and the licorice jar above the driver's seat
-"Be present at our table Lord" blessing
-loving baseball and especially his grand children's  games
-walking upstairs from the basement when I went to visit by myself and hearing "Great is Thy Faithfulness" on the radio
-he loved unconditionally and met anyone where they are

 

I love you so much Grandpa and miss you every single day. My life is forever changed for the better because of you.