SARAH'S HUSBAND RETURNS FROM IRAQ
...AND...
ANOTHER GRANDSON IS BORN!

Jared arrived from Iraq on Sunday, August 23rd, around 11:00 a.m. He came close to missing their baby being born 'cause Sarah started having contractions the night before. (Her due date wasn't until August 29th!)




That afternoon Sarah & Jared tried to relax and enjoy finally being together again while Sarah continued to have contractions into the evening. They left for the hospital around 3:00 a.m.






Home from the hospital. All went well! Jared, Jr. was born on Monday, August 24th, at 4:32 pm! He weighed 7lbs, 15oz and was 22 inches long.

Just a few days old.

Two weeks old.





Sarah's brother Ben along with his wife, Marilyn, and son, Aaron were able to travel from Pennsylvania to see Sarah, Jared and their baby, Jared, Jr.






Though Aaron's only 9 months old he LOVES books! I couldn't believe it when I caught him doing this! Laying on his tummy and reading his book. How cute is that!




"Yah, I'm something; ain't I!"

Dave & I went to the Philippines!!

Hello!

If going to the Philippines isn't worth getting back to blogging...well, actually I do need to update our family pics too. Ben & Marilyn now have a 6 month old baby, Aaron David; Sarah & Jared are expecting a baby boy on August 29th; Justin & Amy had their third child, a boy, in January. We have been blessed with a growing family!

But for now, here's some pics I took on our missions trip in June. Dave & I are going to see if we can figure out how to post the newsletter we just completed so we can share our experience via my blog. And I'll get family pics up too. Till then, hope all is well with you all!

Now, where was I? (Lessons for the New Blogger)

It's been awhile since my last post, eh?! I figure you've started to think: another new blogger bites the dust . . . bags the blog . . . knuckles under the pressure. AARRGGHHH! I was so hoping to do better. But here's my NEW BLOGGER Lesson #1: Never - never ever - begin a post you can't finish. Why? Because it's no fun to come back to it and have no clue as to where you were going, how you got there, and how to get back!

So, for now it's just, "Hello, I'm still here!"

To those who sent a comment: THANKS SO MUCH! It was very fun to hear from you!

Back in Illinois

Where to start...

I returned from my two week visit to the great state of Washington on Sunday and as I sit at my computer today there's a bundle of emotions and a jumble of thoughts to sort through; feeling kind of drained and sad. Part of it must be from feeling like I was travelling between different worlds - different lives/lifetimes -during my visit. Why would I feel that way? Maybe because life since marriage has been a life of moving? Mmmm.

A glance at my Washington worlds: Flew into Pasco, lived there. Went to Richland, lived there & worked there. Went to Kennewick, lived there and the church we attended is there. Stayed in Prosser, lived there for three months with dear friends after our house sold sooner than expected. Went by the house we lived in before moving to Illinois, the trees are gone. Drove over the Cascade mountains to the west side of the state to see my sister, brother, and a friend who was a roommate waaay back. I skied on those mountains as a teenager and young adult; later took our kids inner-tubing there. Driving on I-90 took me through Bellevue, old stromping grounds from when we lived in Redmond; over the I-90 floating bridge onto Mercer Island, a place I loved to go as a child because it's where my favorite cousin lived in a house that was to me like one out of a magazine. Then onto I-5 through Seattle where I was born and raised, on this I could write a book. I was headed north, my first destination Edmonds where my brother lives. This took me past exits for Lake Forest Park-Lake City, lived in both. That evening I got back on I-5 headed south to my friend's house in Tacoma. This took me past the exit for Tukwila, lived there too.

OK, that's enough you say? But wait, there's more! More places in Washington?! Oh yes! Then there's Idaho and New Jersey. But I digress, must stick to what pertains to my recent trip.

However, I'm out of time for now so it'll have to be TO BE CONTINUED...

In the Beginning...

OK. So I'm at the home of some special friends who have four wonderful children whom I dearly love. The topic of starting a blog comes up. The third child, the older of the two boys, had recently started a blog and I innocently commented on how great it was that he had done so. So he says, you (meaning me) should start one. And I say, yeah, I've been meaning to; especially since moving 2,000 miles away from them and other friends and family a year ago. So he says very enthusiastically, I could help you!

I am given a seat in front of the family computer by this soon to be fourteen-year-old young man and watch as he whizzes through the creation of MY BLOG. Before I know it I have a blog with a nice little picture with kids and flowers and some of the basic info inserted PLUS links to some of my favorite blogs. Then he says, again very enthusiastically, that I should send a message to their, my former, pastor saying he should come check out my new blog! To my dismay he starts doing this very thing FOR ME while I am sputtering and spitting an equally enthusiastic, not yet! It's not ready! Wait until I've gotten a chance to tweak and polish, and, and... TOO LATE! It's done.

So, to my dear former pastor and any who may stumble upon this new blog of mine BEFORE I have a chance to tweak and polish:

Welcome to EVERYTHING'S ROSIE! I hope you'll visit again and if you do, hopefully you'll see a growing, flourishing blog that would not have been started if it hadn't been for my mentor, HUNTING FOR THE LIGHT.