Looking back -- enjoying the snow and these kids!

 Our elf has been so fun! The kids race to see where he is every morning. He has stepped up his game since last year. ;-)

 We learned of an old friends passing yesterday. Ed Stevens was "finer than frog hair" on any day! That was his saying and my oh my that man would ALWAYS greet you with a smile!

Our days in Boardman were sweeter because he was there.
In 2001 we made a big, sort of scary, move to move to Boardman, Oregon. We had built a beautiful home in Moses Lake, on the lake. I had just graduated with my teaching degree. Life was so good. Vance put in for a job in Boardman, Oregon. Milky Way/LTI was starting an operation there. Vance put in to manage it. He got the job! I remember calling my mom, feeling excited! I was not sure why I was excited. I had friends in Moses Lake, we loved our new home and I really liked the school district, but I knew Vance was up for a change. And I suppose it seemed time for an adventure.
My mom died two weeks later. Everything was shook up. Vance found us a house in Boardman. A fixer upper on some acreage. He stayed at a motel there for a couple of weeks and worked as the closing of our house took place. I was in Moses Lake, in a daze. Ed and Vance had been driving truck for Milky Way in Moses Lake. Ed told Vance he wanted to move to Boardman, if Vance would hire him. And so he did. He lived down the road from us, he and his wife Chris.

Ed was one of the first to meet Merit as a brand new baby. Ed and Chris threw us a baby shower after Merit was born. Ed was a great guy to work with. He was a stand up guy.

I learned five things from that move
1) A house is just a house. Big or small, beautiful wood floors or shag carpet... it takes its people to make it a home.
2) Good friends are one of God's richest blessings.
3) When you move to a town where you no NO one, right after one of your favorite people on earth dies, it is good to dig deep to find the joy. And it is pretty cool when a friend decides to follow you there.
4) People die. Every single one of us will die. So, we best know where we are going when we do.
5) Maybe I just learned 4 things

I am thankful that we knew Ed. He was a bright light. His cheer and friendly spirit were contagious.
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 Our home in Boardman, we loved living in the country!

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My chickens have not been loving the snow. I have been bribing them to come out with treats.

Hazel loves to help me in the kitchen.

These two! Buddies!!