We took a trip to Washington state this summer to see friends. We had driven to WA once before, but this time I decided to do it as an airplane trip, to maximize the time we could spend there. We flew out of Long Beach, and I have found my new favorite airport! I loved the waiting area - a big, open air patio (this is also the baggage claim area) with a coffee/ice cream kiosk, umbrellas & tables. There was even a man sleeping on a bench in the sun! Probably not a good place during inclement weather, but in July, it was fantastic. And pick up & drop off is one lane at the curb. We arrived early for our flight, so the girls and I sat under an umbrella and they ate ice cream. The airport is under construction, so to get to your plane, you walk a really long way, outside under wooden breezeways. The girls really liked that you have to walk out onto the tarmac and go up a ramp or stairs to board the plane! Our first stop in Washington was in Yelm, to see our friends Jennifer & Bryan, and all of their children. They have cows, pigs, chickens, geese, a turkey, dogs, and a kitten. Add to that a trampoline, climber, a firepit for s'mores, and some woods, and you have kid paradise! My girls each had several playmates in the family, so they did not have to play with each other, and they were so busy and happy that I was able to visit with the adults. Abigail loved all of the animals there. Several times each day, she would ask to go to "the farm." Five-year-old Micah was always willing to take Abigail to collect eggs, touch the cows' noses, and look at the pigs. We were so blessed to be able to stay there at our friends' house, in their yurt. It is a 750 square foot dwelling, separate from the big house, that (although it is basically a permanent tent) has electricity, plumbing, heat (important even in the summer up in the Pacific northwest) and is snug & weather proof. Jennifer had arranged a reunion of most of our "team" from the volunteering trip to China in May 2011. It was terrific to see them again, and we feasted on tacos and other yummy stuff! We found a new favorite chip: Juanita's Gluten-Free tortilla chips. I am grateful that they are not sold here in southern California... Abigail and Micah are the same age, and were great friends during our trip. They did everything together. Both of my girls enjoyed riding in the cart, pulled by Bryan on the tractor!

I bought a new computer mid-summer, so I have to find the photos from camp before I can post them! I think they are on one of the six flashdrives in my purse.... But here are the Bushnell girls on our last evening at camp, out on the fairway before dinner. We were in a tent this summer, and as always, it was a truly blessed week. After we had been home about a week, Abigail surprised and delighted me by rattling off the memory verse, unprompted! Of course, Frances had been the first kid at camp to learn it, because there was a prize involved. Deuteronomy 6: 5-7 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength. These commandments I give to you today are to be upon your heart. Impress them upon your children, talk about them when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.