Ocean Dreams Part I

Ocean Dreams.....doesn't that just sound poetic and lovely? It was the name of the vacation house I stayed at, along with my sister & cousin. It was a lovely place!



My sister & I had the bright idea of renting a cottage/house by the ocean this October, and inviting our cousin from Canada along to go with us. Actually, Michelle was pretty keen on the idea several months ago herself. This was something we have always wished we could do, but it has never worked out. To our great happiness, Michelle was able to spend over a week here in WA, so that gave us ample time to embark on our little getaway to the ocean.



Boy, did we ever have a nice time! The weather was almost perfect.... mostly sunny, very little wind ( very unusual for the ocean!) and an unsurpassed view of the ocean from the house.

I can't think of anything that went even remotely wrong while we were there. It was almost too perfect to be true. Unless it was the small supplies of towels or the scruffy, oddball caretaker that went along with the house......

But, yeah.....the house was very nice, not to mention very CLEAN...... something that I really appreciated! ( I once stayed at a motel that had a small ant hill in progress in the closet......but that's a whole other story....) It was decorated nicely with sea themed decorations and was well stocked with useful household items. My sister took the opportunity to be domestic, and made BBQ ribs while we were there, and they were just great!



The first night, we witnessed one of the most...... if not the prettiest sunsets.... I have ever seen! I sat on a huge piece of driftwood on the beach, taking pictures of it about every minute, to mark its progress. I was rather annoyed, though....someone decided that would be the ideal spot to play fetch with their dog. So, in some of my pictures....directly beneath the large, orange ball of sun, are some little black figures. Grrrrr!!! Fortunately, they left before it set completely!



It was truly an amazing sight, to watch it sink lower & lower, then disappear into the vast ocean......out of sight as if it had never been there. Truly something I will never forget!!

The sky afterwards was a sight to behold! As twilight appproached, the sky was an ever changing palette of colors, fascinating me with its dusky shades blues, purples, oranges and pinks. Pictures can never do justice to the real thing, but I sure took plenty!

Michelle & I were feverishly lighting candles while the sky was getting prettier. Angie thought we were nuts to be doing that while it was so pretty outside. I had to convince her that, no....we did not miss too much, and yes......we were candle fanatics & that's just what we do.......so what did you expect?! LOL



Later, we took a walk along the shore and saw the moon rise over the tree line. THAT was also very beautiful!! I was fervently wishing I had a really good camera to capture such a breath-taking scene, but alas...I did not. The pictures I did take, ended up looking so weird I deleted it instantly.



I don't know if was the combination of beauty, gladness of being away from it all, or simply because we were just plain moonstruck.....but we just had to dance around a bit on the sand! Of course, we laughed a lot, too as we made fools of ourselves ( at least it was dark) To say that we 30-something girls were having a very carefree & delightful evening would be an understatement!

Sizzlin' summer

I'm sitting here at the computer with a powerful little fan blasting at my face. Honestly, this hot weather is really getting to me. I've been pretty uncomfortable the past few days with it, but just today I really didn't know if I could take much more! I just HAVE to whine a bit here. It's my blog after all.....I can whine and complain if I want to! :-)

I have never perspired as much in my life as I have this past week. The sweat just runs down your face in little riverlets, and your eyes get all dry a lot, and your skin is perpetually hot. I hate this weather and hope, hope, HOPE with all my heart it ends soon! 103 is NOT good for any state, least of all WA! Today, I just about passed out from the heat at the gas station. Sounds wimpy, but I had just cleaned a 3 story house, was hungry, and the gas fumes were getting to me. I had to literally fight to stay conscious and prayed that I would not faint. I mean.... how embarrasssing to pass out while pumping gas! I could just imagine if it did happen, the concerned looks on people's faces as they stared down at my lifeless form, laying on the concrete. And knowing me, I would probably fall down in a ungraceful little heap, or something dumb like that. Those thoughts alone kept me from swooning. But I tell you, it was a struggle!

Fortunately, we do have a swimming pool in our yard. This little round slice of cool has kept me sane, and happy for the most part. My sister and I have spent many carefree moments splashing around in it. If only the bugs would stay out, all would be perfect. It's not very fun to be in there with assorted bugs & spider legs floating by you, let me tell you. Oh, and also the scent of sun baked dog poop isn't very nice. I guess that's what comes of having a dog poop anywhere she pleases on the lawn, and no one feeling energetic enough to scoop it up.

The Sleepless Night

You know, you can never tell what will happen to you in life. I never thought I'd be sitting outside in the freezing cold at 2 am with a little old lady in my care, desperately hoping she would decide to go back inside again. But, that's exactly what did happen......



Last Wednesday, I did an overnight shift at an assisted living facility. I was told to be sure and not let this certain elderly lady go out the door. In fact, according to her son I was to strong-arm her into NOT going out if she came out of her room during the night. I though....hey, this couldn't be all that bad. If she comes out of her room, fine...... all I have to do is distract her and efficiently help her back to her room. So I prepared myself for a long night ahead with several cups of strong coffee & an assortment of magazines. I also had some very interesting chats with 2 other caregivers there. One of them told me so much about her life, I felt rather uncomfortable! For some reason.....people like to talk to me. I guess it's because I really try to be a good listener. But really....I can do without some of the personal info.......

I was doing swimmingly there until about 1 am. Then, I heard the clacking of the elderly lady's walker coming down the hallway. I took a deep breath, then went to meet her. I asked her if she needed any help. She did NOT need help, she said. She just wanted to catch the bus, and would I please move out of her way?? I tried changing her mind with other suggestions but to no avail. She not only refused to go back, but started to get very angry with me, threatening to scream really loud if I did not move my myself out of her way. It kind of surprised me, because most elderly people will usually do what you suggest, even if they don't want to. You can usually distract them by using some sort of clever phsycology. But I maybe I'm just not used to dealing with this sort of thing like some people. I haven't been a caregiver that long.

To make a long story short, I spent a good deal of time that night outside, in the cold with her. I could not get her to go back in the building for the life of me, and neither could the other caregiver. No amount of coaxing helped, she was so paranoid and thought she was being tricked. I felt very annoyed with her, yet sorry, too. She was so confused and looked so miserable. I couldn't help but wonder what type of life she led as a younger woman.
This may sound bad, but I was hoping the sprinkler might come on in the flower bed behind the bench she was sitting on and shock her into moving! But, of course it didn't. At one point, I couldn't help but laugh inwardly thinking about the situation & wondering what God thought as He saw me sitting there shivering pitifully......


Needless to say, I was so tired from the night, having not even got one wink of sleep, that I could barely function. The worse part was, I had to go do my regular house cleaning job I do every Thursday, sleep or nor sleep. So, that was really awful. While I was there.....the vacuum cleaner quit working and I had to take it apart 2 times to see why the roller brush wasn't moving. But, in the end..... I did get it fixed!! I have to admit I squeezed out a few tears of self pity over all that! It just wasn't my day....

I think I've caught up on my sleep now. It's amazing how lack of sleep can really throw you for a loop, and make you feel like a lifeless glob of goo.

I just love this picture I took of my cousin, Megan! We found a log on the beach at Dungeness with two holes in it....one at each end. I thought, what a great picture this would be, and Megan willingly posed for me. ;-)

Though He slay me.

I can't believe how quickly summer is going! Before we know it.....it will be fall time again. Then Christmas. The other day, I mentioned to someone that Christmas was about 6 months away & I was met by a scowl and a " how can you say such a thing, Lana!" I guess some people would rather not think such morbid thoughts. I, on the other hand am already looking forward to fall time and Christmas! Not that I want summer to just zip by & be only a fleeting memory, but I so love that time of year. There's nothing more fun & cozy about a warm, crackling fire in the woodstove, an apple pie candle burning and curling up with a good book. And a cat on your lap, too.....which makes it even more cozy!

Ok, so I'll move on to other things. No more sentimentalizing ( is that a word?) is going to be done here today about fall time.....

I'm so amazed and comforted by God's love today. Today, it hit me very strongly in church while we were singing, that God does love me, and is for me. Some of you may say that is just a given fact, that we should always know and be aware of His love. Well, I do know He loves me, but sometimes I wonder how He can. I've failed Him so much, chosen to do my own thing, and cheated Him of my time with Him. Still....he graciously forgives, forgets and never holds it against me! Even when I'm so mistrustful, stumbling around in the darkness of my own foolish despair......He is there to help me. I have been through a very dark time in my life of late, barely hanging on and wishing for the sun to shine again. Yet, I have always known that He IS there, no matter how hopeless the circumstances may be. He is looking on with love and if only I'll trust Him completely....He will not only see me through, but bring me through these trials with a victorious shout!

I am DETERMINED to get all I can out of this, to stop struggling, murmuring and wishing for it to end. I am convinced that when I am still.... then and only then.... will He bring my trials to an end. Oh, it may not be instantly, it may even last much longer than I want it to....but He has promised that He WILL deliver me, so I know He will when the time is right! "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him". Job 13:15