Good friends, good food, good... trees?

Hey there...

Thanks to everyone who has prayed for us, sent a comment or e-mail or card... even phoned us... (I have been on the phone way too much - but each call has been a blessing... well - not 'each' call - but you know, in general!?) This week seems a bit less foggy... still hard, and sad, and emotional at the drop of a hat... we are well aware that we will not simply move on from this... that we will not 'get over' it or get back to life as usual... Kevin was so much a part of that 'life as usual'... Dave nor I have really ever lost anyone that we were super close to. We have both lost grandparents, great grandparents, other distant relatives... some other people we have known - but not someone who was so involved in our lives and hearts. So - losing Kevin (especially for Dave) is like losing a sibling. It will take time. I will say, however, even at the roughest moments, we have felt the prayers. God promises us that He is our Comforter... there is no emotion or thought or feeling that we are dealing with that He has not dealt with already... and He promises to be strong in our weaknesses... well - here ya go, Lord...

Pray for us on Saturday please... Dave is giving the eulogy. He hasn't yet written anything out. I am praying he will... it will just be easier... and if for whatever reason he is unable to get through it - I or someone else can step in and read for him. I know Dave is thinking about how to best minister to Kev's family... and I love that about him... but I also want him to have the freedom to really be there and be present himself as well!

We have been blessed by all of our friends and family... one thing that this has reminded us of is that none of us are promised tomorrow. We stay in a state of thankfulness and counting our blessings all the time... and yet, life gets busy... and we put off getting together or planning time to spend together 'on purpose' Nothing like a tragedy to get your priorities back in line, huh?

I had the honor and pleasure of meeting my client for lunch on Tuesday. I have now completed two 12x albums for her... one of her Guatemala trip, and most recently, the Italy trip album. This is also the client whose son Gary had ALS. Yes, I said had... he passed away a couple of months ago. We have grown rather close through the past year or two and talk often. Losing Gary was difficult... we had prayed for so long and had seen God answer in so many ways... but not in the main way we were hoping for. At one point, (remember - I told you in the last post that I am a bit crazy?) ...anyway - at one point I was praying for his healing the day that he died, and I felt that God spoke to my heart and said, "Karri, in order for Resurrection to happen, there is gonna have to be deaths." So - when Gary died, and I prayed for resurrection - well, I was a bit discouraged that we didn't see the resurrection. (Imagine my frustration after praying over Kevin... !?!) Still... I know that I am called to pray this way... and I know that if I DON'T - then I won't ever see it happen. I may not anyway - but if I don't at least pray for it, I can't expect it to happen!? Anyway - I drove to Ellensburg and met Joyce for lunch... I brought with me her finished Italy album... what an honor and joy to watch her page through it! With my business, I don't always get to watch the client see the completed project in person... so to watch her joy and pleasure with it blessed me so much! (I forgot to ask her permission to post some layouts though... I have e-mailed her and once she gives me the go ahead, I will post a few here!) We had a great lunch... good friends, good food, good conversation... we talked about a ton of things and it was just nice to be out of town and to think of other things!? On the way home, I was blessed to take in all the fall colors and changing trees... it's not normally a drive that I enjoy as far as the scenery... but God blessed me with a gorgeous day and I was able to really drink it in!

We are in the process of re-planning a weekend getaway... it was originally scheduled for this weekend and that obviously wasn't going to work out... Dave is looking for a place for the first weekend of November... I told him last night that I was fine with not going... the Beelers will be here and we don't need to go but he interrupted me and said that HE needed to go... oops?! There I was thinking of myself... assuming he was planning it for me, when he is in desperate need of a change of scenery!? So, we may just go for one night... we are hoping to still have time to visit with you Chuck! We may leave Friday morning and come back Saturday afternoon... maybe we can do coffee Friday morning... or dinner on Saturday night... or both?! Oh - and while it will PALE in comparison to Archivers I KNOW (I am SO planning to head your way in the Spring!), we have a new LSS opening that weekend here!? Could be fun!?!?!?

I have been working on a digi-book of our Pt Angeles trip. I know, I know?! See - I PRINTED all my 200 photo's to scrap in real life... but what I really wanted was a landscape 8.5x11 album and couldn't FIND one... so then I noticed that I could maybe do it digitally and have it printed by Shutterfly into a bound hardback book...?! So - I am giving that a go and we'll see how it works out?! I may end up still actually scrapping them... but?! We'll see?! So - here are a few pages of that album so far:

Janice is coming over to scrap with me tomorrow... I will work on Thanksgiving Placecards and Christmas cards I think... maybe alter something?! We'll see?! Now, I am off to reheat the yummy meatloaf and potatoes I made for dinner last night... Mmmm - comfort food! Someone mentioned something to me... or I read it somewhere?... about pumpkins?! I guess it is pumpkin season... I wonder what all I could make using pumpkins?! tee hee!?

Scrap On!

~Karri~