So this is what I've been up to lately.

Hi all my sweet friends. Let me say first that I've missed you all. I've missed reading your blogs, writting to you all, doing my online studies, and the encouragment I get from reading your thoughts and stories of how God is working in your lives. If you would have told me I'd be a part of the blogging world just 2 years ago, I would have laughed. Well God works in mysterious ways. So this post has a ton of pictures.

So we start with my friends the frogs. They came to me for a scrapbook circle journal of sorts. For those of you who are not into the scrapbook world and forums (my other virtual life) this is where you join a group and send albums and other items around and have people either scrap on a subject in your album, or like this one take the idea of a flat stanely and send frogs around the states and take pictures with them.

Meet Jumps and Hopps. They came to us just in time for Palm Sunday and Easter. They are also from a family of Christians so they were excited to spend Easter in worship. So they got to save their Palms from Palm Sunday.

Then of course they had to go with us to celebrate the Resurection and join our church family for our traditional pancake breakfast.

Then for a little vacation we went up to Cambridge Park, to visit my Father in Law, and we took Brinn gold panning. This man is one of the top Gold Panners in California, and he teaches kids to Gold Pan. He's been on several tv shows, and was super sweet. We are at Sutter's mill. Brinn did get some gold, but she also got a bunch of Garnets too.

This is myself, Brett's dad "Luecker", Brett and Brinn and the Gold panning store.

The store is right along the American River. Did I forget to mention that Hops and Jumps got to go Gold Panning too at the American River. They really love being near the water. For those of you who don't remember your California History. The American River and Sutter's Mill is the sight where John Marshall discovered Gold in California, and that started the Gold Rush, and opened up the Mill for logging.

So that was April, along with Brett's birthday and the event of moving the home theater which I blogged about previously. Then May ramped up with something it seems on a weekly basis. On May 4th my cousin Darcy came home for a visit from Florida. We grew up together 2 blocks away from each other for awhile, and went to school together from 2nd grade through 8th grade. The last time I saw her Brinn was about 3 months old.

We met up in Redwood City with our other cousins. The 4 of us in the picture were the 4 youngest grandkids. We hadn't all been together for easily 1991 at the same time. We use to all see each other pretty regularly as kids. So from left to right is me, my cousing Hugh, Darcy, and Deanna. Deanna and Hugh are brother and sister, and even though he's the biggest he's the youngest. Us 3 girls were all born in 1964, and Hugh in 1966.

This is a picture of some more cousins. Hugh's new wife Michelle, Hugh, me, Laura (Hugh and Deanna's sister) Darcy, my older brother Paul, Deanna who is holding her two younger daughter's and the little boy is her grandson. The girl next to Darcy is her daughter Natalie who just finished her 1st year of collage, and of course you all know my Brinn.

Oh yes to complitcate matters we decided that next day after the reunion, to repaint our living room. That was an all day Saturday event. So here are the before paint pictures, but after the theater was moved into the living room.

The room with the purple in it, that's my scraproom/craft room. Suppose to be a dinning room, but oh well.

Now the after. We now have dark brown ultra suede curtains up over the windows too.

The wall with the screen is a dark choclate brown. We are really happy with the way it turned out. And as an added bonus it matches our dog.

The brown blends well with my purple walls, and I know have green curtains over the windows in my scrapbook room. That match the accent color in my room. It's my favorite color combo.

Then as a side note. The weekend before and the Sunday after we painted my niece Amy came over and we worked on her Senior Year scrapbook. It was the 3rd weekend we dedicated to it, and we still have more to go. It's turning out awesome and I get to live vicarously through her. We seem to get more creative between the hours of midnight at 2 am. We also have great talks. I told her I wouldn't put this picture on Facebook, but I didn't say anything about my blog. hehe.

Well let's not forget Mother's day. So this is mother's day. We drove up to San Ramon, and had chinese food with my mom, sister and her family, and my sister inlaw and brother. My other brother was with his mother in law. He saw mom in the morning.

This is mom with 3 of her 4 kids. Myself, my sister Phyllis, and my brother Paul. I should have photoshoped my brother Gary in.

Of course me and Brinn. And then one of the 3 of us. It's a mircle when I can get a picture of Brett outside without his sunglasses on.

For mother's day Brinn took me to build a bear. She made me a bear. It was so cute she kept saying things like "What bear do you want, think about an outfit for her mommy, and don't forget to pick her name"

So now my bear Honeypie is married to Brett's bear (she made him 3 father's day ago) Beary Bonds, and they sit in the living room by the theater equipment. Aren't they the cutest couple.

The next night, Brinn made dinner with Brett's help for me. They bbq'd chicken and made veggies and potatoes. Brinn made the center piece out of her monkey collection. This was a combo mother's day and act of service she was challenged to do by her teacher on Family Nights at church.

Saturday May 16th was mine and Brett's 6 year wedding anniversary. Brinn spent the day and night with our friends and we went t Monteray Bay for the day. Brett saw a guy with a big beast of a camera, and asked him to take a picture of the two of us. The guy gave me a mini lesson on setting my camera for being outside, and took this picture of us. His name was Eddie, such a nice guy.

We also took Nakita to the beach with us. It was her first time at the ocean. She decided that salt water is not very good when you are thirsty.

Nakita has issues when it comes to other dogs, so Brett just picks her up when she gets crazy, and she mellows out. She really is such an odd dog.

Oh yes and my new haircut. The other celebration for me that weekend was it was my 10 year rebirthday. On May 17th, 1999 I surrendered my all to God and have been completely in love with Jesus ever since. It was a special day. We actually celebrated communion at church that day (which is usually the first of Sunday of the month) because we are going through the book of Mark, and had come upon the section of the last supper. We had extra worship time, and it was like God planned it as a reminder for all He's brought me through, and all He rescued me from. It was an awesome time.

Now this lovely couple is my cousin Hugh and his wife Michelle. They were in the earlier reunion pictures. They had their wedding on May 23rd. So much fun and so beautiful. I sadly don't have the picture of them ridding off on his Harley together, but there is one of Brinn standing by it at the end. Hugh and Michelle actually got married in December when we found out that his mom, my Aunt Sylvia only had a couple of weeks to live. They had a private ceremony (which I was blessed to be apart of) so my Aunt could see her baby boy get married. Michelle is the proud wearer now of my Grandmother's wedding ring. We are so happy to have her as part of our family.

This is Brett and I at the wedding.

My cousin Deanna and I dancing. She was a bridesmaid at the wedding.

Of course the 3 of us at the wedding.

The cousins from my Mom, and my Aunt Sylvia. Just the first branch and not even all of them. We have a huge family, and it's growing and growing. Most of us still live in the area too. Sadly none of us have a house big enough to hold us all.

This is my big sister Phyllis.

This is my immediate family. Starting in the front my sister in law Jill who's married to my brother Gary, then you have my sister Phyllis across from her is my sister in law Janice, and then next is my brother in law Don and across from him my brother Paul.

And last but not least is Brinn standing in front of my cousins Harley, yes she rode it with her wedding dress on. I have to get a picture from them on this. Don't you love the helmet with the vail. So much fun.

So these are the highlights of the last couple months. We also had other things going on as well. Brett and I started taking a class at church called the "The Call" it's to help you find how God wants to use you and the things in your life to reach people and build the kingdom. It's been interesting, and time consuming.

We are also gearing up for summer, June comes with end of school, Brinn's birthday, this year my niece's HS Graduation, VBS, and Brinn getting ready to go off to summer camp for a week for the first time. (please keep her in your prayers as she knows no one who's going). This weekend it's off to San Ramon to watch my niece's senior class take over the church service at their church, and then lunch with my mom.

So I'll say good night for now, I'm off to a Women's Dessert for church. Been saving all my weight watchers points for tonight. YUMMY.

Be blessed my friends. I'm going to try and make the rounds to read and catch up with you all.

Love,

Carol