Easter Cancelled!

I know, sad, isn't it!?

Someone sent this to Bill on Easter morning.  

 I'm glad he didn't show it to any small children.

 I say THANK GOD there is

more to Easter than the Easter bunny and eggs!

What we celebrate on Easter Sunday is the resurrection of Jesus Christ who rose from the dead for you and me. He made the one and only sacrifice for our sins. Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believes in me, though he were dead in sin, yet shall he live." John 11:25.


Jesus truly is alive and promises, "Because I live, you shall live also." John 14:19.


Only through him can we have eternal life. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6.

What I love about Easter is that it is full of HOPE!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade- kept in heaven for you.."  I Peter 1:3-4

Yay!!!!

So....that being said, bring on the sweet, soft, adorable
bunnies and chicks and jelly beans and colored eggs! ;)

HaPpY EaSteR!!!



It's a jungle out there!

WOW!  It's been over a month since I looked at this blog.  I feel a lot has gone on in my world since.  I got our Christmas tree taken down and put away, for real.  It appears spring might be coming, not here yet, but coming!  Glory Hallelujah!!  My kids are growing up for pete's sake and making big people choices and it doesn't seem to matter if I am ready for it or not or even a part of it or not, uffdah!?  I left the country for two weeks and decided to come back!  Or at least the plane ticket had been purchased for me to come back, not sure I wanted to.  I am realizing more and more what is important in life and what is not so important, though it is still hard to pursue the important and not be distracted by all the rest of the "stuff".  Getting out of your own little bubble and seeing how life works for people in another part of the world gives you a different perspective and way of looking at things.  I am incredibly grateful for this experience!

Leanne and I spent 13 days with a group of 14 other teens and adults in Ecuador on a missions trip.  Our main purpose was to encourage and support the several missionaries who live and work there by helping them with needed projects.  I have a new appreciation for those who choose full-time ministry, especially in cultures so different from what they are accustomed to.  It takes a real commitment and steadfastness and quite often self-sacrifice.  Not sure I would have the patience and perseverance for that over the long haul. 

I was sooo glad that I could share the experience with Leanne and know it was an amazing time for her, eye-opening and heart tugging.  I hope that it has changed her too and that she will treasure the memories and the impressions made on her for years to come.

Because I have already spent oodles of time getting photos of our trip into an album on Facebook, instead of posting them all again here I am inviting you to check out the album:

https://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=826219797&aid=296759

I don't think you have to be my "friend" to see them but if so I would be glad to accept you as my friend :)  I hope it works even if you are not a facebooker but let me know if it doesn't.



~~from me to you~~

A belated wish..............

And from all the Oakeses...........
(click to enlarge)



To Packer Land and back.....

It was risky, but we ventured into Wisconsin during Super Bowl

weekend.  We survived.  Actually, we had a great time.  We went

to Leanne's Show Choir competition and bummer but I didn't get

any photos because they don't let you use flash photography during

the competitions.  Each group's show is only about 20 minutes long

but they pack an amazing amount of music and talent and energy into

that 20 minutes.  Incredible!

 Friday night we hung out with our friends, the Mills, who are now

Wisconsinites and enjoyed catching up with them.  I miss them.

Brian stayed the weekend with Lane doing guy stuff like airsoft

gun wars and video games and who knows what else.

 Bill and I stayed with brother Dave and sis-in-law Chris, who were

great hosts, and it was really nice to catch up with them too. 

Bill and Dave discovered a common interest and completely

exhausted the topic or maybe just scratched the surface,

I'm not sure. !?

 We enjoyed a cozy fire in the fireplace and a glass of their home-

made Elderberry wine.  It was very good.

 I was very happy when on the way out of Eau Claire we made a wrong

turn and had to drive several miles on a county road.  Barns every few

feet, I loved it!!  Wisconsin is beautiful.

And all those Packer Backers, I guess they're not so bad either.

I'm trying to be happy for them.

~here's to Isabelle~

Isabelle, the cat.  Friendliest cat ever.  She is a Maine Coon

and Leanne bought her with most of her own money from the

Humane Society after we found her former cat, Sissy, all stiff

under a pile of wood one day. 

Leanne taking a nap on the patio with Isabelle.

Isabelle lived at our house for quite a few years but disappeared this

last fall and we haven't seen her since. :(

 I think Isabelle grew up a house cat but she had to stay outside

at our house.  Every chance she had she would try to come in,

it only took her a minute to get comfy in this chair before I had

to throw her out again.

I think R.J. misses her the most.  They were BFF.

They shared. 

 They fought played.

The posed.

Now look left.

Now look apart.

Now look at me.

A few years ago we had a renter in our apartment who also really

liked Isabelle.  So much so that he offered a couple hundred dollars

for her.  He would have taken her with him back to Pennsylvania.

Leanne carefully considered the offer but decided no, she wanted

to keep her cat.  I was proud of her.

She might be regretting that decision now.



Canadianz, curlerz and more curlerz....

We enjoyed having zome of Landon'z friendz from Canada

here lazt weekend.  They didn't even zay eh.  Nice boyz.

 They had great time talking philozophy, bowling, drinking

coffee, eating zwedish pancakez, taking zaunaz, and a friendly

game of global domination.  (Yez, that iz my Chriztmaz tree
ztill up on January 24, zo what.)

On Zaturday, Bill and I took a road trip to Grand Rapidz, MN.

Brian's Team Epic curled in the Itazca Junior Bonzpiel there.

They were undefeated until the lazt game and took

2nd place, winning the zilver medal! :) Good job boyz!!

To celebrate we went to Zorbaz for pizza.  We zat on an actual

pontoon!  The table waz HUGE!  The pizza waz good.

 We might have a Zorbaz coming to Bemidji if the city and

county can agree on a 2 a.m. bar clozing.  We'll zee about that.

Itz Zhow Choir Zeazon for Leanne and that meanz lotz of

curlerz in the hair to make the Zhow Choir Do.

All I wanted waz a nice pic of the do but zhe wouldn't cooperate. 

Zhe was tired after four perfomancez thiz weekend at the Dinner Zhow.

Here'z a little better one without the do.

Here'z the 2011 La Voce Ballo choir.   

A couple shotz from lazt year.

More picturez to come from thiz yearz zhow!

Truffle Tragedy

Do you want to hear a sad story? 

I have had a $20 gift certificate for Chocolate's Plus

burning a hole in my purse for a few weeks.  I finally

got there yesterday and spent several minutes drooling on

the glass case and picking out which truffles and treats I

wanted as the gal put them in a big box for me.  I shared

a couple with Bill on the way home just so you don't think

I am too stingy.  However, I did not want anyone else in the

house to know I had chocolate, so I hid them in my

bedroom on the bottom shelf of my bedside table.

When I got home from work today I was so looking forward

to enjoying a truffle.  AAaacck! The box was on the floor,

and the little brown papers were scattered around!?! 

R.J.! :-[

The dog ate my truffles!  !BAD DOG!

I was mad.  If I wasn't such a nice, well-mannered

person I would have used expletives and maybe even

kicked the dog.  I was mad.

I'll be he didn't even enjoy them.

And he didn't get sick either, not yet anyway.

He should at least feel bad, real bad.  But no,

he seems fine.  And I am truffleless.
Waaa!

P.S. A little plug for Chocolate's Plus...

it is owned by Bill's cousin's wife, Janel, and they

have some great stuff there!

 http://www.chocplus.com/