My life is a journey...I never know who or what I will meet just around the next bend that will give my life experience!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Billy's Playground...


There is a beach not far from where we live in Lincoln City, Oregon, that we call "Billy's Playground." It isn't your typical white sand beach, stretching for miles, or even a shorter version that you can walk on and play in the sand. This particular beach has a boat-load of logs that have washed ashore and planted themselves in a multitude of configurations that have Billy's name on them.

For as long as I can remember, Billy has been a climber. And if there is anything to climb on anywhere within a 50 foot perimeter of where he is, he will climb on it! This is why he loves this beach so much.


We took Billy and his new friend, Rachel (from Iowa) and his friends, Holt and Natalie to Billy's beach for an afternoon in the sun. It was a great day and everyone enjoyed the beach, the water, the walking, and the "playing on the logs."


Billy can make a teeter-totter out of a 50 foot long log, resting on top of another one; he can climb to the top of a planted log in the sand and stand straight up. I have learned, as his mother, not to watch the hard parts. I don't want to see him fall! Amazingly enough, he never seems to!
















Our next adventure was a hike to Drift Creek Falls where we found an abundance of trees and fallen logs for Billy to climb on. He's an amazing kid!

Every where we turned, there was Billy, climbing!







I wouldn't trade a day with Billy for all the luxuries in the world. He makes the grandest adventure out of nothing at all! Nature provides his playground, and he is eager to explore every facet of it. He is my Peter Pan!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Some of Life's Simple Journeys...


Somewhere between my age of discovery and my age of pseudo-wisdom, my #1 baby girl grew up and became a woman. Her journey took her from the cradle, through elementary learning and on into the learning that only life can provide. She began a dream through her college studies of becoming an Interior Designer and worked tirelessly for 3 1/2 years toward that goal.

Then, Cupid stepped in, drew back two arrows, aimed them very carefully at two hearts and Kim and Ken fell in love. Marriage and family became her new dream. Kim and Ken raised 4 beautiful children, sent them all to college (except for Scott, who will leave this fall for BYU-Hawaii) and then returned to her original dream.


On July 25, 2010, Kim graduated from The Interior Design Institute in Irvine, California with her Bachelor's Degree in Interior Design. It was a perfect day and this mother cried tears of pride as I watched my daughter walk across the stage to receive her degree. I thought of her dad, and how proud he would have been to witness this moment.
Kim's journey has been one of many rewards. She has persevered both in the raising of an amazing family and also in never letting go of the dream that consumed her all those years ago. Her words to me, after the graduation ceremony was over, were, "I'm not finished yet, Mom! I want to go on for my Master's Degree!"

That's my girl! And definitely her father's girl! It wouldn't surprise me if she went all the way to PhD, just like her Dad. Gotta' love and respect that girl.