Our State Fair...

"... is a great state fair,

Don't miss it, don't even be late!!"

State Fair
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Yep - our state fair is a great state fair - one of the highlights of the summer! This year, we were able to volunteer a little bit and help out behind the scenes - a great experience!! We had a fun weekend. Hope you enjoy the pictures!!

Abby bakes for her entry!

Smiles!

We get ready to go! Yippee!

Our friend, Claire B., shows Aspen, a lovely Jersey.

Boy and calf. =) Aren't they a cute pair? (calf is only 5 weeks old!!)

Our friend, Luke B.'s adorable little calf, Bessie. I think the judge likes her! =)

Once again, performing arts was our main thing. =) We spent Thursday morning, Friday afternoon, and Saturday afternoon doing the three "stages" of performing.

I played a piano solo of "The Love of God." One of my all-time favorite hymns. =)

The first day was auditions and passed without mishap. The second day, however, when I got up to play, I notcied something was wrong with the keyboard. I couldn't play like I normally could - it felt weird and sounded weirder. Turned out there was a problem. Well, someone had used the keyboard from the previous day down on another stage and forgotten to return it. So I was playing on a reserve keyboard... which, unfortunately, did not have weighted keys. If you play piano, you'll know what I mean by that... if not... (Weighted keys are necessary for playing classical music, as they reproduce the feel of a real piano's tension. Non weighted keys are lighter, as all they do is transmit electric currents. So there's a totally different feel.) After Mom talked to the superinendent, she talked to the judges... who must have forgiven my "horrid" performance and gave me a blue ribbon anyway! (actally, I and my family were the only ones who noticed any difference, since they'd heard it played every day for... a while!)

Sarah and I did a piano duet called "The Grand Finale." It was lots of fun!

And we came away on Saturday afternoon with a Grand Champion ribbon for my solo... and Reserve Champion for Sarah and my duet! Wow!

Some of the lovely flower arrangements.

Sarah and her GRAND CHAMPION eggs - for the SECOND YEAR IN A ROW!!!!!!!! Way to go, Sarah!!! Woo-hoo!!

Ta-da!

Abby and her blue-ribbon poster.

Sarah tries to make friends...

In which Sarah's friend proves to be slightly more obliging than Roberta's...

Love at first sight!

The lineup.

Observers.

"... When I grow up..." =)

I think Abby enjoyed her ice cream...

Oh, yeah, baby!

Hey... you want my ice cream? Well, ya can't have it!

Art.

What summer event is complete without ice cream, smiles, and pictures of cute girls?!

Come back later, ya'all!!

Abby's Baptism!

On Sunday, August 16, Dad baptized his last daughter, Abby Joy, in Kelso Lake, Idaho!! Our church held an outside service on the shore of the lake, and afterwards, Abby, two other young ladies, and two other young men were baptized by their fathers. It was great!

One of the families from our church has a cabin on the lake, and they wre gracious enough to share it with the church that day! Before the service, we'd had a barbeque, and afterwards, we went kayaking and swimming in the lake. It was a day of wonderful memories that we'll think about for years to come!

Abby and Dad.

Hooray!

Dad, Abby, and Mom.

I remembered when I was baptized by Dad with my sisters, Roberta and Sarah, in the ocean off the coast of Guam in 2003. =) That was a great experience - I don't know how many people can say that they were baptized in the Indian Ocean! So far, all of us, except Joe, have been baptized in a natural body of water. =) We were teasing Joe and saying that he'll have to be re-baptized in our creek! :D But I don't think the type of water really matters as long as your heart is right. :)

Update on Joe

I know you'll all be really glad to hear that Joe went diving yesterday!! His instructor told him that his infection was healing well and had already gotten better enough... so he could dive! He was really excited about that.

They're diving in canals in South Florida, so it's not the best diving water (not to mention the least safe...) so you can pray that he'll not only be successful in his training but also be a help to the team and enjoy the time he has down there. And you can pray that God will keep the alligators busy with other things... Just kidding! There are alligators down there, yes, but so far, no one has seen any. Thankfully!!

Here's a picture of the ALERT men singing in a church in Galveston, Texas - where the men were about two weeks ago, helping clean up after a recent hurricane. Since this is the last picture on the memory card Joe sent home, there won't be any more pictures until he gets home (which is less than two weeks away!!)

Ta-ta for now!

p.s. - Joe is on the very far left. =)

To the Coast!!

Hey, all!! I've finally narrowed my selection of photos from our trip from 558 to about thirty. =) So here they are! I hope you enjoy the post and pictures. Have a great day!

Our first stop was at Cascadian Farms - part of the large organic corporation that sells organic products nationwide. We love to stop at their cute little blueberry farm here to enjoy the gardens and get a blueberry treat!!

So many pretty faces! (both flowery and little girl-ish!)

I really like these flowers - they were so pretty! Did you know that they get echinatia out of thes flowers, which are called coneflowers? Echinatia is a medicinal herb that strengthens immune systems. (among other things.)

Roberta smiles. =)

Lovely flowers. (yes, I know - MORE lovely flowers!)

Abby enjoys the traditional blueberry snack.

Art.

The brave explorers at Deception Pass.

Bridge to nothingness.... Just kidding!!

Deception Pass - which sounds rather ominous but is, in reality, very beautiful. Even on a cloudy day.

Looking down... down... down...

Sarah and Hannah - after bravely crossing the high suspension bridge on foot with Mom and Roberta!

The workings.

Soon afterward, we board a ferry to take us to the Olympic Peninsula. While we wait for the ferry to arrive, we take a short walk and see some photogenic sights, which, of course, we have to photograph. =)

A quiet beach.

Mom and Abby.

A butterfly shell.

Do you see the seagull? =)

Everyone inside the ferry probably thought I was nuts for taking this picture! It would look from the inside like I was taking a picture through the window - which I wasn't. =) The reflection looked neat!