Do you have a restaurant named after you?

Nope, I am not drawing your attention to the Oyster Bar. It is not a neon sign, but I thought it was RATHER IMPRESSIVE. My name! Wow! As a kid I never had a license plate, pencil, name card, necklace, or even a charm with my name on it. And here was a whole restaurant with my name on it! How cool is that. Please note how people are so used to tourists doing strange things that no one even really looks at the funny mid-western lady pointing up.

This restaurant is located in the Pike's Market area in Seattle, Washington. This picture is related to an earlier blog, but I could not find this picture at the time.

On my last visit to Seattle, my daughter and I ate at the Sabra cafe. The food was very good in this family owned friendly cafe - with a name like Sabra, it has to be good. (I may have stolen that tag line...)

Miscellaneous thoughts: "misc" boxes and Navidad

I have not been able to blog lately as we have moved again, and I have not been able to get to it.
We are getting better at gathering our stuff for temporary moves, but for the most part we just say, "it is in a box marked misc." Or, I go through the litany of ... in the house it was __, in the RV it was___, at the Laabs house it was ____, in the apartment it is - "probably in the storage unit in a box marked misc."

I am not complaining, it is just funny that paring down my belongings makes it harder to keep track of them than I thought it would be.

None of that has anything to with the photo of Dave and our lovely friend from Argentina, Adela Alvarez. She invited Dave to sing at their Christmas celebration. When he introduced songs, she translated in Spanish. There were stops and starts, lots of laughter. Dave is not used to pausing after each sentence.

Dave sang one of his favorite Christmas tunes, The Ten Commandments. Actually, it is not a Christmas tune at all, but Ramon Alvarez, Adela's husband, just loved that funny tune, so Dave sang it for the crowd.

The comforting realization for me that evening as we sang Silent Night, in Spanish, is that people of every nation worship Christ the King, the Lord of the Nations, who knows where everything is.

Flannel PJ's

What can I possibly add to describe this photo. We have been living with our friends three months and already my friend, Barb, and I dress alike... we have discovered we have five matching pairs of pants - hers are smaller, please note, I am sitting on the stool, she is standing. We have vowed not to dress alike, but these ugly pink flamingo, with airstream trailers, flannels were just too ugly to pass up. I guess as long as my eyes are closed they are okay, but I do not think I will be running to the mailbox in these babies!

Sometimes the weather chases you!

As Dave and I travel we hope to park our house (haRVey) at schools, churches, and campgrounds. Last March Dave was privileged to park at Zion Lutheran School in Everett, Washington for a month while he sang around the area. One day the grass was green and "Spring-like", the next day it snowed! HaRVey will keep us warm and toasty down to 10 degrees. Yes, this is the same exact spot from different angles in both shots. Whether snowing or not, this was a beautiful spot with wonderful people.

A friend of mine helped with my airfare so I could spend a few days with Dave while he was in Everett, at this very spot. He had been on the road for about eight weeks and I was glad to spend some time in my future home -and see Dave! This snowfall came after I left.

We are truly blessed to have friends, and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, who will share their space.

Your Name in Lights

Okay, well, it was lit at night. We were in Brainerd, Minnesota, in February. It does not sound as exciting as, say, your name in lights in Las Vegas, but as I said, it was lit at night. If you squint, you can see it there just between Allstate and the Sawmill Inn. But we thought it was cool. (Top billing, well, that is another blog.)

Apparently, the sign was effective as the concert was well-attended. Before singing we always pray for the people who will attend that the Holy Spirit will minister to them through the words and music. We pray that God will use us according to his will and for Dave that his words would be God's words of comfort for His dear people. That's our policy. Are you in good hands?

Christmas with the In-laws

Our Christmas 2007 was different from all Christmas' past. We were on our own as both of our kids now live in Seattle, Washington. Christmas Eve was spent with Janie Horn, a sister-in-law, her daughter, mom and dad, and a family friend. It was a delightful evening. Dave is pictured with Janie as they took a practice break on Christmas Eve. Christmas day Dave sang a few numbers during the worship service at St. Michael's in Bloomington. Janie and Dave got to play together for the first time.

Pike's Market

Before traveling to Seattle in 2006 I read a great book by Harry Paul called FISH! It was about business, but I liked the underlying story about relationships. The centerpiece of the book was the Pike Place Fish Company (or Market), where they pass the seafood through the air to each other, and sometimes to the customer. They have great fun and exemplify teamwork and shear joy in their work. Crowds gather. So, obviously I had to have my picture taken there.