|
||||
RSSBack Issue: May, 2008Giving Thanks…for bread and beans…Posted May 29th, 2008 by Jen in family life, religion18 Comments »
Giving thanks today. Iris at Sting My Heart hosts the Thankful Thursday meme, and I thought I’d participate. I actually desperately need to participate today. Forgetting to give thanks to God for His many blessings is a paved road to bitterness, depression, anger, hopelessness, and despair. I’d rather not go there. So, today, I thank the Lord for…. ……the breadmaker my mother-in-law gave me almost 12 years ago, so I could make a fresh loaf this morning, as we are out of bread (dough only cycle is a lifesaver)…. ….the left-over beans and hotdogs from Connie’s BBQ, which she kindly sent home with us, so we could have a nice dinner last night, as we are out of everything…. ….the bag of coffee from Jane, from Christmas, stuffed in the back of the cupboard, discovered in the nick of time this morning, so I could have a nice cuppa joe to start my day, as we are also out of coffee…. ….an email this morning from my sister, Julia, asking me about a creation science children’s show, encouraging because I need to know I’m not alone in this journey…. ….an email this morning from my friend, Julie, inviting our family and a few others on a hike to the Camp Sherman fish hatchery, encouraging because I need fellowship with other believers…. ….the New Hope Church (in Hawaii) website, which has the daily Life Journal reading, so I can keep to a good schedule of Bible reading, as I will die a slow death otherwise…. ….a new family I just met on the side of the road (who randomly stopped to watch Chuck’s cannon shoot), who also homeschool and are also Christians, and live out our way in the country, encouraging because even though I haven’t called the wife yet, just knowing they are there, 5 or 10 minutes away, brings hope…. What are you thankful for today? Technorati Tags: Christianity, relationships, Thankful Thursday Can you see me?Posted by Jen in blog stuff10 Comments » Apparently, from what I’ve heard lately, folks with Internet Explorer 7 can’t see me. At least, not right away. It sounds like they are met with a blank yellowish screen and only upon scrolling waaaay down does my blog appear. Could you please give me some blog feedback? My husband/tech guy/designer extraordinaire will be working on my site this weekend, and any feedback you give will help him troubleshoot the problem. The browser we use is Safari (the world’s best browser according to Mac-geeks like my husband) and Diary of 1 looks just beautiful with this application. SO, if you’ve stopped by here, would kindly tell me: 1. What browser (and version) do you use? (For example, IE-7, Firefox, Safari). If you have NO idea what I’m talking about, read this. 2. What do you first see when you go to www.diaryof1.com? You should see something like this:
3. Are there any other annoying things (not looking for critiques of my writing, people!) that you’ve noticed? Thanks for your help!!
Technorati Tags: blog feedback, blogging, troubleshooting The Farmer’s WifePosted May 26th, 2008 by Jen in family life, features, the ranch17 Comments »
In the high desert of Central Oregon lies one small valley, so green and fertile that one forgets for a moment which side of the Cascades this is. The fields are grassy, the elk wander down from the hills to graze with the cattle, and the verdant hills rise up to meet the juniper and sage which overlay the bluffs, the only visible reminders that this is, indeed, the desert. It’s here in the heart of the Lone Pine Valley that I caught up with Connie Hegele, who, with her husband and sons, owns the Walking H Ranch. Connie has three grown children and one daughter-in-law, and in a rare situation by today’s standards, has her entire family working, in some capacity, in the family business. Businesses, I should say. The Hegeles also own American Sprinklers, in operation since 1975, and Lone Pine Clydesdales, now the second largest breeder in Oregon. One of her sons, Travis, runs SAR, an environmental consulting corporation.The Hegeles also own commercial property in Portland as well as Central Oregon. Connie and her husband, Chuck, are both native Oregonians, and I would be hard pressed to find another family that so well represents the pioneer spirit for which Oregon is famous. Had they lived in the 1840s, I’m sure they would have been blazing the Oregon Trail. Here in the Lone Pine Valley, the Walking H Ranch sits on 277 beautiful acres, and they farm 106 irrigated acres. Connie’s boys are in full charge of the farm, and I see this as the mark of a wise woman, that her children continue her work and are themselves productive citizens. Growing up on a farm with milk cows, horses, and goats, Connie is no stranger to farm life. She spent her childhood summers at her granddad’s 100,000 acre ranch in Burns, rounding up cattle and cutting hay to load on the wagons still pulled by draft horses. Connie always loved those draft horses, and for her birthday about a dozen years ago, Chuck gave her a little black Clydesdale, and the rest is history. For their 36th anniversary four years ago, he gave her (they actually gave each other) a pair of buffalo, so we’ll see where that goes! Connie is a woman who seems to be everywhere at once, and it was hard for me to pull this post together. Her work is often behind-the-scenes, and all the details that seem to magically come together are because of her untiring efforts. Let me just give you a snapshot of one of her days this weekend. If you had happened to be driving by, you would have been invited, too. Later that evening, at my table sat four strangers - a man who had been motoring by on his Harley the week before and noticed Chuck’s cannon (he builds cannons and I’ll need an entire post just to fill you in on Chuck). Chuck showed the man his shop and gave him the full tour, along with an invitation to the Memorial Day weekend party. Here he was, and he’d brought his wife and son and daughter-in-law. I heard him comment, “These are the friendliest bunch of people I’ve ever met.” At the next table over, I noticed one of the Hegeles’ farm workers and his family. Behind them sat an old couple that Connie’s son, Rocky, had sold cattle to years ago. And Connie feeds them all. “Growing up on Granddad’s ranch, they always did that,” she said. There are the nuts and bolts of what Connie does for the family business: she does the books, the bulk of the paperwork, running supplies, bidding projects, handling phone calls, showing their real estate in Portland and here. Then there are the intangibles, the truly significant features that can’t be defined in a job description: she has raised children who love and respect her and stick around to work in the family businesses, she has taken in other kids who’ve temporarily lost their way or are in need, she labors side by side with her husband, supporting him in all things, she is back and forth to Portland caring for her ailing mother, she is generous and hospitable even to the undeserving.
I presented a few questions for Connie to answer for my readers, and her responses are short - because as you know, the farm wife barely has a moment to sit - but sensible. Jen: The culture of the family farm is dying, and your family is one of the only ones I personally know that is making it work. In the truest sense of a “family farm,” the family and the farm are inseparable - what does this look like in your family?
And I should add here that I see this with the Hegele family - whether the project is renovating an old schoolhouse or raising horses, I see this unity - whether it’s Connie’s daughter, Candy, picking out the new paint for the school or her daughter-in-law Alisha helping a mare give birth, they are all working toward the same goals. Jen: One of the unfortunate casualties of modern agriculture is that a family can hardly make a living on the farm anymore. How does your family overcome this economic reality?
This would explain all those other businesses - it’s extremely difficult these days for individual families to make a living solely on a farm income. Jen: We talked a bit about a husband and wife working together in the family business, as you and I both do. And we’ve both heard the comments about “I could never do that.” What makes this partnership work for you and Chuck?
Jen: I’m impressed with the fact that your grown children are so involved in what you do, especially in a modern culture where families are, more often than not, scattered or estranged from one another. What advice would you give to a young family regarding ways to build community and a culture of “togetherness” within the family unit?
Great advice, thanks Connie! I hope you’ve enjoyed this visit to the country; stop in and say hello.
Technorati Tags: Clydesdales, American Sprinklers, Central Oregon, country, Lone Pine Valley, farming in Oregon, family business, family life Why do you love the blogging?Posted May 23rd, 2008 by Jen in blog stuff, humor21 Comments » Aloha, it’s Friday!! I’ve been so very busy, excuse me if I haven’t been out a’visitin’ in my usual way. Everything has collided this time of year, from our building project to spring projects and work duties and beyond. I think most of us are in the same boat!
Here’s a few reasons from this week why I think blogs are great: Number 1:
The lovely, talented, kind, and generous Heather at An Untraditional Home painted this watercolor portrait of my children, which I was able to give my husband for his birthday on Monday of this week. Heather does commissioned work, and even though she lives in Pennsylvania and I live in Oregon, this was no problemo! I emailed her this photo:
And voila! My husband was incredibly pleased, and my 6 year old daughter was absolutely amazed: Mommy, how did you find a painting of children that look just like us?! Heather’s art site is Elasah.com, and she just started offering art lessons online for your children (and you!). We’ll be giving this a try, so keep an eye out for really disproportionate drawings of the human body being posted here. Number 2:
Reason No. 2 that I love the blogs is this delightful springtime package of goodies I received in the mail yesterday from that charming Tennessee gal Sarah at Small World. (In the interest of full disclosure, that chocolate box is already empty.) You know those fun contests that bloggers occasionally run? Well, I actually won something -Thanks, SmallWorld! Why do you love blogging? p.s. Here are some of the themes I’m seeing in your responses: community, encouragement, education, a forum for self-expression and self-exploration, entertainment, a place of connection with family…good stuff, good stuff.
Technorati Tags: aloha friday The ArtistPosted May 21st, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, family life, features, religion8 Comments » My kids were picking up old tin cans on the other side of her field. I watched with some admiration how the owner of the field, a strong, determined looking woman, was quickly moving pipes to irrigate the field for her cattle. I had seen her before on a tractor pulling a plow, and before that digging trenches. An Oregon farm woman, not an unusual sight around here. What I didn’t know was that she was just as accomplished with a paintbrush and oils as she was in handling the workings of an 80 acre ranch. This was Pixie Gullickson, and she’s just as cute and sprightly as her name sounds. I think she’s such a fine artist at least in part because of her full engagement in life and her many interests. She must have a third lens through which she views the world, picking up on the intricacies of nature and the handiwork of the Creator, and before this ever hits the canvas, it comes forth from her heart, gathering expression and spirit as it goes.
I love how Pixie painted this Indian woman in a canoe, which painting hangs regally above her bed, as if on watch through the night. It’s an enormous painting with bold and confident color, and I didn’t even fit it all in here. Her father was half Choctaw, and Pixie’s Native American heritage is evident in much of her work. Scattered throughout her home are many Indian artifacts, arrowhead displays, beads, feathers, leather work. These two paintings I found in her studio, one of a warrior and one of her father: I was able to get Pixie to sit still long enough to answer a few questions for you (a difficult task, I can assure you, as this woman never seems to stop), and I’m sure you’ll enjoy this interview. Jen: What are your earliest memories of art? Was this a childhood interest? Was it a hobby, an artistic outlet, a therapeutic thing?
Jen: Are you self-taught, or have you had any art training?
Jen: What advice would you give to other budding artists regarding how to further their skills?
Jen: I know you work in several mediums, but what is your favorite artistic expression?
Jen: You are very giving and generous; however, you have earned money from your art. How did you begin to establish art as a career, and what advice would you give to a starving artist trying to make his/her way?
Jen: Art can be a powerful tool for ministry. Can you share a testimony about some way that your art has been used to touch someone’s place of need with the love of God?
Thank you, Pixie! Technorati Tags: art ministry, art, nail art, murals, art education, murals, Central Oregon Happy Monday…Posted May 19th, 2008 by Jen in family life8 Comments » A quick little check-in here! If you were wondering, I’ve moved my friend Pixie’s “feature” story until Wednesday, May 21. She’s been out of town, celebrating her fabulous 50th! I’ve been busy and had company as well…and today is my husband’s birthday, so my family is further wrapped up in festivities. I look forward to telling you about Pixie, though. My next two feature ladies (Pixie and Connie) are amazing women who really embody the pioneer spirit that Oregon women are known for. Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Hunter, the Pinewood Derby Dad, the Swimmer, the Father, the Teacher, the Husband, and everything else you are to us.
Technorati Tags: birthday, children, family life Imaginary friend, anyone?Posted May 16th, 2008 by Jen in family life, humor15 Comments »
When we’re done checking out our books at the library, JoJo loves to read with “statue girl” who appears to be permanently attached to this child-sized bench in the foyer. I might catch a snatch of conversation, and JoJo sits real close and just enjoys the company of her bronzed friend. My Aloha Friday question for this lovely May day is this:
I faintly remember having imaginary conversations with little friends, but the friends were usually people I actually knew. Then again, I think I had some imaginary friendships with characters I loved from my favorite books. I distinctly remember my dear stuffed animals, who I set around my bed every night as I told them to be on watch while I slept. Have you seen the Jimmy Stewart movie Harvey (1950)? He plays Elwood P. Dowd, a lovable guy with an imaginary pal who happens to be a six-foot-three rabbit. Can you top that?
Technorati Tags: aloha friday, imaginary friend, childhood memories, children Meanwhile, back at the ranchPosted May 13th, 2008 by Jen in carnivals, family life, the ranch11 Comments » Would you like to see what we’ve been up to at the ranch? The outside is nearly done, save for some dormers, the porch, and landscaping. Here’s the view from the east side.
Inside, we’ve been busy, busy. Drywall and texture is now complete, and tomorrow we begin painting. We spent the morning finalizing our interior colors (mostly earthy tones, some yellows, browns). We’re doing it ourselves, and the rest of today will find me and the kids pulling up paper from the floor and sweeping/vacuuming all the dust, in preparation for tomorrow. Here is my husband’s grand office last week (since been textured and primed):
It’s not all work and no play. The kids run around and find so many interesting things to do for a break. Like climbing trees: ….catching lizards…. We hope to be moved in to our new place in a few months. It’s been about three years since we first embarked on this project, so you can imagine how ready we are to be done, how excited we are to be “home,” how exhausted we are. :-) Learning in the Great Outdoors Technorati Tags: blog carnival, Central Oregon, country, family life, building a house, outdoor play, outdoors Making MusicPosted May 11th, 2008 by Jen in education, features, music12 Comments »
Julie teaches private piano lessons, and she was kind enough to answer some questions for my blog readers. She is in high demand and has a waiting list for after-school hours, but for homeschooled students who can fill in earlier school hours, you’re in luck! Julie and her husband, Cory O’Neill, run Joyful Noise Music Studios in Redmond, Oregon, and between the two of them, offer a wide range of piano and guitar classes. A side note on Cory: coming up is his fabulous summer guitar camp for beginning and intermediate students, June 16-20. Classes are for 9 - 14 year old beginners, 15 year old - adult beginners, and then an intermediate class. Class includes 5 hours of instruction, CD with all the music and a binder with all the music. Held at Redmond Music Supply. For more information, contact the O’Neills at corynjulie[at]gmail[dot]com. I asked Julie to include some details here on her little bro, David Klinkenberg, who, if you haven’t heard, is the most amazing fiddle player ever, and shares his sister’s really awesome, silly sense of humor. I can’t remember when I’ve been to a concert and seen such a dynamic connection between a performer and his audience. Jen: How did you get started with teaching private piano lessons?
Jen: You and your husband are both involved in music ministry and music education; with your children, are you able to trade off the childcare and the teaching and cover for each other, or how does this work?
Jen: I’d love for you to share a little bit of your latest adventure with touring with your brother, David Klinkenberg. I’m a big fan of his (and yours) and want to make sure my readers get a chance to hear about this piece of your life.
Jen: It’s neat how both you and your brother are such musical talents, and I know your brother started really young. What advice would you give to parents of young children who don’t have a lot of money to spend on private lessons but still want their kids to get a music education?
Jen: You have many interests besides music. You’re an avid runner and you also like to write, educate people on health issues, do photography and quilting, and you’re a soccer mom, among other things. How do you find balance?
Didn’t you just love this time with Julie? If you’re lucky enough to live in Central Oregon, and have kids, you may want to explore the possibility of music lessons with Joyful Noise Music Studios. If you’re a stay-at-home mom with musical talent, and have been wondering how to bring in additional income, I hope you’ve been inspired to take the leap and start teaching. And I’ll be sure to let you know if Julie and David are coming to a town near you.
Technorati Tags: Central Oregon, guitar camp, Kindermusik, David Klinkenberg, piano lessons, music education, music Magnum Opus: Happy Mother’s DayPosted May 10th, 2008 by Jen in family life, parenting17 Comments » HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, all you moms, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, god-mothers, and lovers of little ones!! My husband captured this sweet moment with my littlest a few weeks ago. For Mother’s Day, I’d like to repost a tiny piece I wrote over a year ago, and in fact it was only the second post on this blog. Since I had about one reader at the time, you probably didn’t notice this:
These are some of the greatest lines of literature I’ve read on the subject of motherhood and parenting. Now, I just have four, not 514, but those four are absolutely the finest things I have ever made. I couldn’t state my calling any better than Charlotte, and her words are more inspiring than any parenting book I’ve read. Technorati Tags: Mother’s Day, Charlotte’s Web, magnum opus, motherhood Happy 60th IsraelPosted May 8th, 2008 by Jen in politics/world news6 Comments »
May 8, 1948, Israel declared its independence. On May 14, Israel celebrates its official Independence Day. I support Israel. Visit the Israel @ 60 information headquarters for events in Washington, D.C. and around the country. Technorati Tags: Israel Independence, Israel Breakfast al frescoPosted May 7th, 2008 by Jen in family life, parenting11 Comments »
It’s that time of year; I’ll have syrup and sunshine on my pancakes, please. Technorati Tags: breakfast al fresco, outdoors, children The Crazy Way We Met: it all started on the road to Catalina IslandPosted May 5th, 2008 by Jen in family life24 Comments » “The Crazy Way We Met” is the topic for this month’s Marriage Monday group writing project at Chrysalis. I was on a long and torturous bus trip from Eugene, Oregon down to Catalina Island, California, with dozens of junior high youth group kids for their spring break church camp. This was my first big activity as a youth leader in this church, and it would seem I only landed there because I had nothing better to do. The youth pastor was driving, and called me up for a chat. I barely knew him or any of the other leaders at this point, so this was probably a follow up to my criminal history check. :-) Okay, not really, this church actually does a good job of screening its youth workers. But I may have appeared to be a bit of a basket case. I had just quit law school, which had been my goal my entire life, and was about to run away to France, where I had already committed to be an au pair for a French family in Besançon with four lovely children. So, the pastor says, “Jen, where do you see yourself in say, ten years?” I honestly couldn’t see beyond this head-numbing bus ride, and said as much. “I have no idea…maybe somewhere in France? I don’t know, but probably not Oregon.” I was only in Oregon for law school, and now I had no reason to be here. However, “something” caused the pastor to make a pretty bold statement, which I will never in my life forget:
Yep, the very first time I ever heard my husband’s name was this crazy youth pastor telling me I would marry this unknown person. Being the intensely curious person that I am, I immediately began asking, “Who is C.T.?!” It turned out that C.T. had been working with the youth group for a while, but then moved up to Portland to take a job with IBM. Lucky for me, his little cousin Kelly was in 7th or 8th grade at the time and was on this very trip on this very bus. She must have overheard my baffled question of “Who is C.T.?” and was more than eager to tell me what a COOL cousin she had! Not two months later, I met C.T. His department at IBM folded, he left for a month long surf trip to Baja, and then with nothing more exciting to do, returned to Eugene. On a Wednesday night, outside the Jr. High youth building, I stood with a few of the kids and watched a hot guy stride across the parking lot in our general direction. I had never seen so much as a photograph of the guy, but I instantly knew this was him. Less than a year later he asked me to be his wife, and we were married after the briefest 4-month engagement. How my pastor could have seen any scratch of compatibility is a wonder. I was a studious, bookish type, he was a surfer with a rebellious streak. But, we both loved the Lord passionately, had a knack for youth work, and little did I know at the time (much less the first few years of marriage), but I couldn’t have hoped for a better soul-mate and best friend for life. Here I am, not in France, but beautiful Oregon, now married to C.T. for going on 12 years, raising four of our own lovely children. The moral of the story: God is good. He knows better than you. He truly has a unique plan for your life. Sometimes He chooses to speak a prophetic word through a crazy youth pastor, so be listening.
Technorati Tags: dating, relationships, Catalina Island, Eugene, Oregon, marriage The BakerPosted May 4th, 2008 by Jen in family life, features, health/cooking/food5 Comments »
Welcome to Buffy’s kitchen, where she bakes about 3,000 cookies a week and makes a nice addition to her family’s income. As long as I’ve known Buffy, she’s always loved cookies and cookie dough, so when she told me she was thinking about starting a home cookie business, it seemed a perfect fit. Being a full-time mom with three little cookie monsters in tow, she still manages to keep things running smoothly, but with the irresistible aroma of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies constantly drifting from her home, I don’t know how she keeps the entire neighborhood from invading the kitchen. My first thought, actually, was “it’s so simple!” What is any more basic and American than baking and selling cookies? My local grocery store has about 100 varieties of cookies to choose from, attesting to our national past-time of cookie snacking! But there is always room for a good homemade product, and Buffy has found a smart niche. She has one corporate client, a large jewelry store chain with stores in Oregon, California, Idaho, and Washington, which give the cookies away as gifts to their customers. Again, this adds to the simplicity of Buffy’s business model, and streamlines the process into a successful enterprise. I wanted to share a few words from Buffy, especially because the topic of women in business is near and dear to me. I run a business with my husband, and many of my friends and readers are women who are home taking care of their children - I so often hear these ladies commenting about their desire for a home-based business to add to the family earnings, so here is Buffy sharing a bit of her experience: Jen: How did you decide to choose the cookie/baking business?
Jen: What are the greatest benefits and greatest challenges of having your own small business, and how does this business fit into family life?
Jen: Tell me about one particular hurdle you had to overcome.
Jen: What do you see for the future?
Jen: I know the “family business” runs in your family (and your husband’s family). Do you think your background was helpful in giving you the courage/motivation to step out and do this?
I also like Buffy’s attitude of “as long as it’s working.” I wouldn’t stick with an idea for the sake of principle if you’re hating it and it’s more trouble than it’s worth. That being said, there is work to be done and there will be difficult seasons in all things. A young mother has the extra burden of working her business in with the often overwhelming task of raising children. However, it’s good to look at the family business as a teaching tool, and it’s a marvelous way to train your young ones in so many life skills, financial skills, and relational skills. Well, as the Cookie Monster says, “C is for cookie, it’s good enough for me; oh cookie cookie cookie starts with C.” And as for my dear friend’s cookies…these are such a delicious treat that you might have to go buy yourself a new piece of jewelry just to get your hands on one of Buffy’s cookies! Technorati Tags: baking, cooking, cookies, home-based business, family business, women in business Even My Dog Has a Blankie!Posted May 2nd, 2008 by Jen in carnivals, family life, humor20 Comments »
My Aloha Friday Question is this:
From the loveable Linus eternally dragging his blanket to that maddening Maggie Simpson sucking on her pacifier with every breath, a child’s need for a comfort item seems to be universal. What sort of character were you? If you can’t remember or think you had no special comfort thing, what about your own children? Me, I had a bottle. I actually have no memory of being attached to my bottle; I only know from old photographs showing in stark black and white my chubby little hands clutching what must have been my soothing object. Plus, my big sister says so.
Technorati Tags: aloha friday, baby bottle, blankie, childhood attachment, family life, Linus, pacifier, dog |
Search
Categories
arts & crafts
blog stuff
book reviews
carnivals
china
education
germany
family life
features
france/french
general
giveaways
health/cooking/food
history
holidays
humor
music
parenting
persecuted church
poetry
politics/world news
product review
religion
science
sports
the office
the ranch
Recent Posts
Still here.
Peace Like a River
When sleeping on the living room floor felt like camping
Olympics open, Russia invades Georgia, I get breakfast in bed.
Summertime Recipes From the Family Cookbook
Blog Perks
WFW: He grants sleep to those he loves.
The Homesteading Carnival: The Tiny Edition (#59)
Parents Rights
Ms. Gilbert, 1975
Blogroll
A Thousand Words
A True Believer
Ambleside Online
An Island Life
An Untraditional Home
Bending the Twigs
Blind Pig & The Acorn
Boomer in the Pew
Chasing the Wind
Chrysalis
Coffee Mom
Consent of the Governed
Demand Debate
Dishpan Dribble
Dr. Sanity
Educating Germany
French Word-A-Day
Funki Planet
Heart of the Matter
Homeschool Radio Shows
Learning As We Go Homeschool
Life Nurturing Education
Marriage Monday
Meditations and Confessions of a Homemaker
MooBee Farm
Mrs. D’s Multiplication Lapbook
No Fighting, No Biting!
Our Seven Qtpies
Peace Hill Press
Pebble Chaser
Postcard from Provence
Pounding the Pavement
Principled Discovery
Pseudo-Polymath
Rapp Family Aixtreme Life
Rocks In My Dryer
Rouge-Bleu
Sandier Pastures
Shore Stories
Simple Pleasures
Small World
Sprittibee
Susan Wise Bauer
TeamMASCOT
The Baldwin Project
The Bonny Glen
The Parenting Diaries
The Thomas Institute
Timberdoodle
Timothy Moms
Under His Construction
RSS Feeds
RSS 1.0
RSS 2.0
ATOM
|
|||
I met Julie at a church women’s retreat a few months after moving to Central Oregon. I’d seen her leading worship on several occasions, and thought somebody should turn up the mike. I was thrilled when we ended up rooming together at the retreat. That first night was the typical stay-up-half-the-night-talking-women’s-thing. It seems like I’ve known Julie forever, but I guess it’s only been about 3 1/2 years! This is a picture of us last summer at Drake Park in Bend, catching up while our kids played with the ducks.
I’ve sat in Buffy’s kitchen many a time (and never want to leave), and truly, her cookie business is just another extension of her gift of hospitality. She loves baking and is an excellent hostess. This is important to mention, because my advice for those of you considering a business is to choose a venture that you have a passion for or a natural interest in. Be willing to make adjustments, as Buffy has done, but try to stick to your vision.