Missarrie

What is Marie up to

2011-03-07T10:05:00.001-08:00

What has Marie been doing since she closed the shop and is not working for the law firm? Many of you have asked. Well let me tell you I have been VERY busy.

Closing the Sub Shop had me extremely busy moving items either up to the First Bank Building (Mike's office) and/or to our home. While doing that I also was moving all of my office stuff from the law firm.

With the exception of a file cabinet at the law firm we were completely out of the Sub Shop and my office on February 28.

This is the beginning of what my house looked like on Monday Feb 21 after moving some items from the Sub Shop and office..........

Then on Monday February 28 everything is moved from the Sub Shop and Office. This is what our house looked like then...

The Kitchen/Family Room

The Dining Room/Living Room
Complete with my birthday balloons.

The Office...

complete with three towers, keyboards, printers, monitors, a scanner, and an extreme amount of office supplies. Note the empty wine glass.

After one week this is what I have accomplished....

The Kitchen/Family Room

Pantry actually organized!

The Dining Room/Living Room

The Study.......

I can actually find things in the storage closet.

What is next? I have a small box of papers that I have to go through and sort out. I have a few pictures to hang.

Then I will tackle the GARAGE....
THIS IS GOING TO TAKE LONGER THAN A WEEK!

2009-06-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

BENJAMIN DUANE JOHNSON

June 30 1999 - August 10, 1999

Your parents have not forgotten; you are forever in our hearts.

(I do not in any way mean to offend you Jerry, in speaking "for you" but rather simply acknowledge what I am certain about.)

2009-06-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

You are sorely missed.

2009-06-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

FIRST
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Usually I do all my shopping for the Sub Shop on Saturday. This past Saturday I was not able to get it all completed; I needed to put it off until Sunday.

Sunday, May 31, 2009:

8:00 a.m. we head out in the corvette for church. Blessings; God granted me another day of life; freedom to worship; and a beautiful day (there are more but that is a start).

11:00 a.m. we are home in our "cottage" and getting ready to drop off some yard debris and taking our boys, JoJo and Ritz along for a ride. Blessings; a roof over our heads; two dog that fill our lives with joy and laughter; and jobs.

12:30 p.m. we are back home to drop off the boys because it is too hot to take them on our trip to Costco and Winco. I decided not to change my clothes as I was wearing a full length summer dress and was feeling comfortable and cool. Blessings; we decided to leave the boys at home; that I did not change out of my cool dress (only draw back was its length, read on you will understand).

2:30 p.m. we have accomplished getting the shopping done and anticipate heading home after we drop the stuff off at the Shop. Blessings; I did not get the shopping done on Saturday; Mike and I got to spend some time together; we dropped off the yard debris first; and we went to the Shop when we did.

2:35 ish arrive at the Shop to unload, my first load is to head up front with fresh vegetables. What is that? WATER, on the floor coming from the men's restroom. "Oh no!" I shout, continuing to walk to the kitchen to put down the fresh vegetables. "OH MY!" WATER in the kitchen too, WATER in the dining area. I hear what sounds like a shower left on. Where is it coming from? Michael is only a few steps behind me, (he heard my "Oh's"), and did not notice the water until he was in the kitchen. "Where do we shut off the water? Nope that did not do it, sorry to say its not that one either, (all the while there is WATER, WATER, WATER, and more WATER) that's it you got it." Big deep breath, folks I am telling you we could have taken a shower under that hose that blew off the ice machine. Blessings (you ask?), YES there are blessings, it was clear clean water! Just water, cold water. Did I mention it was clear clean cold water. (It was super hot inside the shop and cool water felt good on the bare feet)

2:45 ish until 8:45 ish (yes six hours), for me it is off with the shoes (well that was the first think I did upon entering the kitchen), binder clip the full length dress up past the knees, call the ice machine repair service, and start (yes I had the same question). WHERE? For Michael, finish unloading the van (remember we just went shopping, milk, eggs, etc!), to his office to get the wet vac, and then emptying the cupboards and sanitizing a lot of containers, lids, and other miscellaneous items. Blessing; some friends were out for a drive and stopped to say hello which made us sit and relax for a bit; they even offered to help finish. (How do you think they knew we were almost done?)

It was a long day, we were both very hot, and tired. We did not get done with what we had planned to accomplish, God had a different plan. While it was irritating we made it a point to FIRST, COUNT OUR BLESSINGS; the negatives were masked, and covered with blessings.

2009-05-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

SORRY LADIES I FORGOT TO MENTION;

the beautiful flowers that you gave me for Mother's Day. See everyone, I told you I had a great Mother's Day!

Looking forward to many more to come.

2009-05-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

ICING ON THE CAKE
WITH A CHERRY ON TOP

Some of you who see me on facebook know that I had a wonderful Mother's Day. It started Saturday evening; dinner with my daughter and favorite son-in-law, Alyse and Robert. Sunday I awoke with a very nice card from the boys (Mike, Ritz and JoJo). After church we headed to Salem to have dinner with Mike's sister, brother-in-law, mom and dad; Chinese food at Lum Yiens. We visited with all of them for a while before heading back to Lake Oswego to have dinner with my mom and dad at the new restaurant, Lake Oswego Grill. We had been there previously with friends and enjoyed it as much the second time (for those of you living in the Portland area it is located in the former Chili's). Then we headed home for a relaxing evening; we needed to get up early to begin our week. When I arrived home from work(s) I went to the mail box and got "ICING ON THE CAKE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP."

Thank you all for a wonderful day. I am blessed and continue to count my many blessings.

2009-05-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

FOR ALL YOU MOTHERS
(and others)

If you would like a good laugh watch this three minute video.

You will all be able to relate….

You all have one, know one, or live with one.

2009-05-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

TO ALL MOMS; SOON TO BE MOMS; or LONGING TO BE MOMS

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

My boss sent me this email a few weeks ago and I put it aside for sharing this weekend. It was titled "Moms come in all sizes".

Have a wonderful time Sunday celebrating your Mother's Day.

2009-04-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have already seen this child in other videos; I thought this was too cute to not pass along. I also was able to figure out how to upload it from YouTube (we will see if it worked).

I admit, I had to try a second time.

2009-04-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

Do not get too excited......

I am not sure where I am finding the time to blog again in less than a week; might have something to do with the fact that Michael is buried in tax preparation. During his time away into the late evenings and early morning I have had time to do a little digi scrap booking. With my two puppies at my feet I am able to enjoy my time as a "tax widow".

Here is a short video of the beach trip I took with friends in November 2008, and March 2009. As you will see I still have some things to touch up. (I need to find a day that I can go to Michelle's house and get a lesson on Elements 7)

I Sure did have a great time with all of you! Looking forward to October or November 2009.

2009-04-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

Awwwww Spring

I have always enjoyed Spring; everything is coming out of hibernation. Many flowers and trees are blooming, daffodils and tulips are blooming, and trees are budding with new growth. The sun comes out more often and it is a little bit warmer. I love to be able to work in the yard and get my hands in the dirt.

Sunday we were able to celebrate Palm Sunday in our new church building; we have been meeting at Rosemont Middle School for 8 1/2 years. We have been committed to help in the "early morning" to set up. We did not have to be there at the crack of dawn, although we did not sleep in, we were able to go to church very relaxed and not feel rushed. We even took the corvette.

When we arrived home we took the "boys" for a walk and I commented that I needed to go back out to take some pictures. So I did. I would like to share them with you.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter.

2009-03-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

For those of you who follow my blog, I cannot believe it has been almost three months since I last made an entry; my only "excuse", I have been busy. (Sometimes I wonder if anyone really cares, or reads this blog; my daddy does.) (OK enough with the pity party)

Last weekend I took Friday off and go for a weekend trip to the coast with five other ladies. We try to "get out of Dodge" about two times a year. We had the pleasure of having a "first timer" with us. Deloris you gave us a lot of laughs, I look forward to many more mini vacations with you. (Debbie thanks again for the use of the condo; I never meant what I said about inviting someone new.) I drove down by myself which gave me the opportunity on the way home to stop a couple of times and get a few pictures. I will post them for you later. I am waiting for my friend to send me some of her pictures to post all at once.

The weather was beautiful on Saturday. I spent a good amount of time on the beach at low tide searching for treasures. I found a few. I finally had to get back inside as it was getting colder and the wind picked up. At my age my hips were sore from stooping down for so long, I sure did pay for it Sunday.

This week I have been preparing for an Arbitration. I got 186 pages of exhibits emailed to me at 2:00 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. yesterday, for me to organize and label for a 9:00 a.m. arbitration today. For those of you who do not know the normal process, usually the opposing party prints, labels, divides, etc. the discovery and "snail mails" it several days before. This discovery was requested three months ago. ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. Well it is over now and the matter is being heard right now.

So there are my two excuses for the past two weeks, do not know what to tell you about the other 7 or 8 weeks but I am sure I could come up with a lot of excuses.

I enjoy looking at all the blogs of others; helps me keep up with some of the news.

Until next blog. . .

2009-01-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

CONTINUED THANKS

In my study Wednesday we were enlightened with an object lesson. The object was a pair of ordinary eye glasses. The question was how do these eye glasses reflect the Glory of God? I am changing it a bit to say what things can I be thankful for because of my glasses?

The lenses are made out of glass (at least some are) and glass is made of sand, someone had to figure out that if you heat the sand it melts and becomes glass. Sand is nontransparent but when you melt it it becomes transparent. Over 30% of the world consists of sand. Who created the sand?

Then there is the fact that once the glass is created we are blessed with doctors who can tell us what lenses we will need in order for us to see clearer.

Add to that the person who creates the lenses for you in order for you to see clearer.

The frames fit over your ears (the ones you hear with), and rests on your nose (you have the sense of smell), and holds the lenses that give you clearer vision so you can read.

This is a condensed version of the 10 minute lesson that was shared with us. It caused me to think that something as simple as a pair of glasses can cause me to be thankful for a numerous amount of things such as:

Sand; inventors; creators; doctors; my eyes (sight); my nose; my ears; ability to read; teachers that taught me to read; and clearer vision.

I can see clearer now the reason I should give thanks in everything I have.

This is only a few of the things that I can be thankful for because of a pair of glasses.

2009-01-14T21:24:00.000-08:00

CONTINUED THANKS

I have been very busy at work and unable to get my thanks in so I logged on this evening after I returned from our small group meeting.

My Daddy: I want to thank you Daddy from the bottom of my heart for your unconditional love. You have been there for me and always knows when I need you to stop in and just say "hi, how are things going?" While I miss my Mom very much; I am very blessed to have a wonderful "step"-Mom; she is beautiful from the inside out. I love you Daddy, I love you Mom.

My Big Sister: While we are not in contact I think of my sister often and I am thankful for her. Marcia thank you for all the times that you were there when I needed you. For being supportive during some of the most difficult times in my life. I know I do not say it enough and want you to know that I love you very much.

My Big Brother: Mark, thank you for your words of wisdom when I needed them. Thank you for putting up with me during your "dates" (it should be recognized that he dated my best friend). I remember all the times that you dragged me along with you. I am sure that I got in the way many times. I love you.

Again I would like to know what you are thankful for. For those of you who have shared thanks, for those of you who have not; I would love to hear from you.

2009-01-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

Thankful for:

Freedom; I believe that the word itself is self explanatory.

Grace; something you get that you do not deserve; unconditional; giving without expecting anything back.

Committed employees; since we "let go" of one of our employees in early August, I have not had one "early morning, I am sick, I can't make it to work" telephone call. (By early morning I mean 4:30 am)

2009-01-10T17:49:00.000-08:00

If you read my previous post you will remember I emphasized that my "goal" was to post daily. I had three things in mind for Friday but I was so busy at work that I did not get any time to blog; and that is the reason for my first "thankful" today:

1. I am so thankful to have a job. With 1 out of every 12 people being unemployed it is a blessing to have a job I can go to each day.

2. My sencond blessing goes hand in hand with number 1; not only do I have a job, I enjoy going to work each day because I have a boss that is caring, understanding, patient, and all around a wonderful guy. (Some of you that used to work with him in the same office know what I am talking about.)

3. Today I am thankful that it did not rain; not that I have any reason to worry about flooding, but I know that many lives have been effected by the rain. (Better yet it is not snow or freezing rain.)

Thanks to those of you that have responded. I love hearing from you. I probably will not do an entry on Sunday. Have a great weekend.

THE ECONOMY

2009-01-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

Emmy's Aunt Michell is posting updates on her blog as often as she gets any updates. You can access that by clicking on "Michelle" under "MY BLOG LIST".

Thank you dear friends for praying for Emmy, the doctors, nurses, and family.

2008-10-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

I got these pictures from Jen's blog and used scrapblog to create this page. I do not know how well this is going to work but I wanted to share these pictures with you. Is she not the cutest baby! I hope I can get more creative and use this more often.

Hope you are having a great week so far.

Hugs and Kisses to you Emily.

2008-10-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

The Sandpiper
by Robert Peterson

She was six years old when I first met her on the beach near where I live.
I drive to this beach, a distance of three or four miles, whenever the world
begins to close in on me. She was building a sand castle or something
and looked up, her eyes as blue as the sea.

'Hello,' she said.

I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to bother with a small child.

'I'm building,' she said.

'I see that. What is it?' I asked, not really caring.

'Oh, I don't know, I just like the feel of sand.'

That sounds good, I thought, and slipped off my shoes.

A sandpiper glided by.

'That's a joy,' the child said.

'It's a what?'

'It's a joy. My mama says sandpipers come to bring us joy.'

The bird went gliding down the beach. Good-bye joy, I muttered to myself,
hello pain, and turned to walk on. I was depressed, my life seemed
completely out of balance.

'What's your name?' She wouldn't give up.

'Robert,' I answered. 'I'm Robert Peterson.'

'Mine's Wendy... I'm six.'

'Hi, Wendy'

She giggled. 'You're funny,' she said.

In spite of my gloom, I laughed too and walked on.

Her musical giggle followed me.

'Come again, Mr. P,' she called. 'We'll have another happy day.'

The next few days consisted of a group of unruly Boy Scouts, PTA meetings,
and an ailing mother.

The sun was shining one morning as I took my hands out
of the dishwater. I need a sandpiper, I said to myself, gathering up my coat.

The ever-changing balm of the seashore awaited me. The breeze was
chilly but I strode along, trying to recapture the serenity I needed.

'Hello, Mr. P,' she said. 'Do you want to play?'

'What did you have in mind?' I asked, with a twinge of annoyance.

'I don't know. You say.'

'How about charades?' I asked sarcastically.

The tinkling laughter burst forth again. 'I don't know what that is.'

'Then let's just walk.'

Looking at her, I noticed the delicate fairness of her face.
'Where do you live?' I asked.

'Over there.' She pointed toward a row of summer cottages.

Strange, I thought, in winter.

'Where do you go to school?'

'I don't go to school. Mommy says we're on vacation.'

She chattered little girl talk as we strolled up the beach, but my mind was
on other things. When I left for home, Wendy said it had been a happy day.
Feeling surprisingly better, I smiled at her and agreed.

Three weeks later, I rushed to my beach in a state of near panic. I was in no
mood to even greet Wendy. I thought I saw her mother on the porch and felt
like demanding she keep her child at home.

'Look, if you don't mind,' I said crossly when Wendy caught up with me, 'I'd
rather be alone today.' She seemed unusually pale and out of breath.

'Why?' she asked.

I turned to her and shouted, 'Because my mother died!' and thought,
My God, why was I saying this to a little child?

'Oh,' she said quietly, 'then this is a bad day.'

'Yes,' I said, 'and yesterday and the day before and -- oh, go away!'

'Did it hurt?' she inquired.

'Did what hurt?' I was exasperated with her, with myself.

'When she died?'

'Of course it hurt!' I snapped, misunderstanding,
wrapped up in myself. I strode off.

A month or so after that, when I next went to the beach, she wasn't there.
Feeling guilty, ashamed, and admitting to myself I missed her, I went up
to the cottage after my walk and knocked at the door. A drawn looking
young woman with honey-colored hair opened the door.

'Hello,' I said, 'I'm Robert Peterson. I missed your little girl today
and wondered where she was.'

'Oh yes, Mr. Peterson, please come in. Wendy spoke of you so much
I'm afraid I allowed her to bother you. If she was a nuisance,
please, accept my apologies.'

'Not at all -- she's a delightful child.' I said, suddenly realizing
that I meant what I had just said.

'Wendy died last week, Mr. Peterson. She had leukemia.
Maybe she didn't tell you.'

Struck dumb, I groped for a chair. I had to catch my breath.

'She loved this beach, so when she asked to come, we couldn't say no.
She seemed so much better here and had a lot of what she called happy days.
But the last few weeks, she declined rapidly...' Her voice faltered, 'She left
something for you, if only I can find it. Could you wait a moment while I look?'

I nodded stupidly, my mind racing for something to say to this lovely young
woman. She handed me a smeared envelope with 'MR. P' printed in bold
childish letters. Inside was a drawing in bright crayon hues -- a yellow beach,
a blue sea, and a brown bird. Underneath was carefully printed:

A SANDPIPER TO BRING YOU JOY.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and a heart that had almost forgotten to love
opened wide. I took Wendy's mother in my arms. 'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry,
I'm so sorry,' I uttered over and over, and we wept together. The precious little
picture is framed now and hangs in my study. Six words -- one for each year
of her life -- that speak to me of harmony, courage, and undemanding love.

A gift from a child with sea blue eyes and hair the color of sand
-- who taught me the gift of love.

NOTE: This is a true story sent out by Robert Peterson. It happened over 20
years ago and the incident changed his life forever. It serves as a reminder
to all of us that we need to take time to enjoy living and life and each other.

The price of hating other human beings is loving oneself less.

Life is so complicated, the hustle and bustle of everyday traumas
can make us lose focus about what is truly important
or what is only a momentary setback or crisis.

This week, be sure to give your loved ones an extra hug, and by all means,
take a moment... even if it is only ten seconds, to stop and smell the roses.

May God Bless everyone who receives this! There are NO coincidences!

Everything that happens to us happens for a reason. Never brush aside
anyone as insignificant. Who knows what they can teach us?

I wish for you, a sandpiper.

2008-10-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ritz and JoJo Update

Note in this very short video that JoJo has a very messy hair-do and is ready to be clipped. The hair on his tail is long and matted. So we headed off to the beauty school to have them give him a new look. Since his tail was so matted we thought it best to go ahead and have them clip it down very short. As I mentioned note how it looks in the video.

Although I knew that a dog could be embarrassed when they were clipped too short; little did I know that it would be so traumatic for JoJo. We did this over two weeks ago and he is just getting back to "normal". He could not get from sitting on the bed to sitting on the sofa fast enough. We had to carry him outside and close the door behind us to get him to go potty; when he finished he would run for the door to get back inside and up on the sofa.

He looked so pretty but so sad too. Notice the tail. Usually it is curled up into a tight coil. I have not been able to capture a picture of it yet. When I do I will post it; it really does look funny.

Over the past two weeks we have made a significant amount of headway. He is going outside, is enjoying his walks, and plays with his brother Ritz as in the clip above.

What a joy they both have brought to our lives.

I cannot just let JoJo have all the show. This picture is the last weekend in September; we took the boys for a ride in the corvette. Ritz loves to sit in the middle and keep an eye on everything. JoJo on the other hand is comfortable just relaxing in my lap.

Note the tight grip that we have to keep on Ritz, even when in the car. He really does not like me taking pictures of him. What a funny dog!

2008-10-07T09:47:00.001-07:00

Mike and I had the joy of celebrating with my brother and his lovely bride, Linda, their marriage vows and reception. I did not get a lot of pictures but I thought I would share the few that I did get. We had a great time.

Linda, all I can say is I hope you can put up with him; welcome to the family.

For those of you that I have not seen in such a long time it was great seeing you again.

2008-09-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

LITTLE DID I KNOW

The quote that I posted:

Be who you are and say what you feel; because those who mind don't matter; and those who matter don't mind.

hit home this week. Something from the past crept into my "now" and I had to remember that who I am and what I say does not matter to those who do not matter; and therefore what is said (or was said) by those who do not matter, I do not need to mind.

So for now; for those of you who matter, have a great weekend.

2008-09-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

TODAY'S QUOTE

Be who you are and say what you feel

because those who mind don't matter

and those who matter don't mind.

Dr. Seuss

2008-08-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

THE LORD IS A SHIELD

Monday, August 18, Mike and I had the dreaded task of having to terminate one of our employees at the Tigard Sub Shop. While this employee has many good qualities there were things that they were doing that were in conflict with the operations of our shop.

Upon the termination (completely unexpected from the employee) we received an email making derogatory statements about all the other employees (but for one). We had a one-on-one conversation with each employee allowing them to explain the statements that was made about them. Friday the employee that had nothing said about them personally in the email quit.

Saturday everyone seemed so relaxed and ready to "start fresh", without accusations and drama. A part of me wants "revenge".

Monday August 25, Mike was told by a homeless person in Tigard that there were "flyers" on some businesses in downtown Tigard stating to not work/not eat unsanitary, and drug dealing is occurring at the TIGARD SUB SHOP. Now I am really angry and I want to make "trouble" for this person. I know this is not right; but it is what I am feeling. I have so many different directions that I could go with the information that I have.

Marie, STOP, Pray!!!! Pray!!!! Pray!!! not only for her but for yourself.

I arrive back at my office; this is my daily bible reading scripture that was there for me to read:

Psalm 3: THE LORD IS A SHIELD

(Trust in God under Adversity)

O LORD, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
many are saying to me,
"There is no help for you in God." Selah

But you, O LORD, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
I cry aloud to the LORD,
and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah

I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
I am not afraid of ten thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

Rise up, O LORD!
Deliver me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
Deliverance belongs to the LORD;
may your blessing be on your people! Selah

As a side note one of our customers said today "think of it as free advertising, your name is out there and it cost you nothing."

Please pray for our shop, our attitudes, our employees, and former employees.

2008-08-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

Mike and Ritz are getting some much needed rest. The boys are a delight to have; we cannot wait to get home and spend time with them after work.

The other day we thought we could let them try to go from the house to the van; we discovered that is not going to work. Ritz is just too fast and JoJo follows him. The only reason Mike was able to catch him was because he decided he needed to relieve himself at a bush. God was watching over them.

Last night I got home early and was doing something in the office. I had been home for nearly an hour when out of the corner of my eye I noticed JoJo across the street. By the time I realized he was out Ritz discovered his way out too (the front door did not get shut completely). Trying to stay calm (I am home by myself in high heeled shoes), I go outside and call JoJo hoping that Ritz will follow. From our prior experience if I call Ritz, JoJo just follows him and Ritz just runs! Well JoJo came to me. I quickly grab him and put him in the house. Ritz has not yet bolted away, with any luck he will just run around the neighborhood. Calling him calmly; I can hear his tags as he sprints through the neighborhood; then suddenly gone, down the street, my heart sinks. Do I go after him in the car, yes best idea. Grab the keys and cell phone. I drive around the block; I have no idea what direction he has gone. He could be up to Boones Ferry by now. I have called Mike and he is on his way home immediately; I continue driving slowly around the block calling for Ritz. I decide I should not be driving in the condition I am in as I am crying and shaking so bad that it is not safe for me to be on the road. I turn into our cul-de-sac; wait I think I hear whistling; hummmm I also hear the sound of tags on a collar. The neighbors emerge from their house and have a biscuit; "will he come to a treat?" I am in disbelief that he has even found his way home. He is off to the backyard. I calmly wait to see if he will come to the biscuit (he is not at all food aggressive), well not the biscuit, but to my surprise he does come to me. Tears streaming down my face we make the introductions to the neighbors who have not yet met our boys.

We are seriously considering an invisible fence. I will be sure to deadbolt the front door when I get home from this point forward.

Hope your week is going well.

2008-08-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hi there everyone; my name is RITZ. I am 4 years old, and weigh 12.4 lbs. I am a little underweight but I am sure I will gain some weight soon. I am a mixture of Chihuahua, and possibly Greyhound or Whippett, maybe Mini Pin (Doberman Pinscher), and last but not least Beagle.

I adopted my family a couple of days ago but my mom did not get her new camera until yesterday. I guess her old one broke. Whew, she cannot blame me, I was not around.

I do not have a lot to tell you about myself as I have kept that a bit of a secret (mom and dad think I probably escaped). I was housed at one shelter and then for some reason I went to the Oregon Humane Society (where I only had to stay for a few hours) when my mom and dad came by my pad; took my paperwork to review; and summons me to the "get acquainted" area. I just knew that I would be there new companion. How could you not love this mug. Note the "M" on the top of my head, I mean mom and dad being Mike and Marie Marr, it was meant to be.

I will let you in on a little secret; I am fast, and great at getting through very small places to get "away" to explore. Dad let me go out in the back yard to do my business the first night I was home; he found himself chasing me down the street at 12:30 a.m. in his rob. It was so funny. That will probably be the last time I get away with that.

I will be sure to share with you other fun stuff that we do but for now I need to do what a dog needs to do.

My name is JOJO. I am 10 months old, and weigh 12.5 lbs. I am a Shih Tzu/Bichon Frise and am as soft as can be.

While my brother Ritz says he adopted mom and dad so did I. We will not let Ritz know that I was the "pick of the litter". Mom and Dad came out to see me on Monday, August 4th and found that two other people already had put me on "hold". Mom was so sad, I just knew her heart was broken. I tried to tell her to be patient and if God intended for us to be a part of each others lives he would make it work. You see Ritz was not here at the shelter yet so mom had to be patient and wait for his arrival; dad was strong and patient. They went home empty handed; and a little heartbroken. Dad tells me that they hardly talked on the way home. Mom probably would have cried. I am certain when she got home to the "empty" house she cried a little (maybe a lot).

On Wednesday, August 6th, at Noon, mom looked up online to see if I had been adopted; I was waiting for her and dad to come and get me, I knew they needed me; the "hold" was void at 12:30 p.m. Mom called Oregon Humane Society at 12:35 p.m. and put a "four hour hold" on me!!!!!! The only thing that was remaining was to meet my brother Ritz. We got along just fine. Stick around me bro I will teach you not to be so shy and timid.

My brother does not know how blessed we are; but he will catch on. I have some work to do with potty training; after all I am only 10 months old. Good thing mom and dad are patient.

We have found our forever home. You should see mom and dad; they are so happy. They miss Nike and he will forever be a special part of their lives; we get to be there for them now.

Have a great weekend everyone; woof woof.

2008-07-21T13:22:00.001-07:00

2008-07-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

Our beloved companion, Nike, was diagnosed with bone cancer and on Friday, July 19, 2008 we had to make the difficult decision; allowing Nike peace with no more pain and suffering. Michael called to make the arrangements and we spent several hours with him, allowing him to have all of his favorite treats like hamburger, ice cream and watermelon. The veterinarian came to the house as we were not comfortable taking Nike to the clinic where he would be stressed. (This was the second hardest thing I have had to do in my life; but I would not have done it any other way.) To all of you who knew Nike we share our sad news.

Moving In

2008-07-11T19:39:00.001-07:00

2008-07-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

Permits Please

You guessed it; we still do not have one. I do have a few pictures that I took when we first moved in; which seems like months ago. I will not belong the details of all the items on the punch list that is keeping us from obtaining an occupancy permit as it is rather boring. We are on a daily alert for when a city car cruses the area; we are to turn off our monitors and act as though we a "unpacking" boxes. I will update you with the changes hopefully in a few day.

2008-06-17T14:04:00.001-07:00

MOVING IN WITHOUT AN OCCUPANCY PERMIT

I bet that you are tired of hearing about “The Move”; but that is all I have been doing lately. So here is a little update:

FRIDAY We moved from our two week suite to our "permanent" office which was not as easy as one had lead us to believe it would have been (some would say it builds character). We had working restrooms but not all electrical outlets were working. Guess who's were not; if you said mine you are wrong; if you guessed Pat's you score. After working for Pat as many years as I have now I have gotten to know what pushes his buttons. I knew this would be one of them. To add to the difficulty our electrical inspector did not give us a "pass" for the final electrical inspection. Long story short, the day was a total loss.

SATURDAY Our IT guy came to help us set up our computers. I had most everything we needed but it was not all on site. I had to make a trip to our "storage unit" (otherwise know as the vault in Mike's building) to get our DSL Router and cables. With not having but one electrical outlet in Pat's office (and that one being controlled by the light switch) we got everything working and then shut down for the electrical inspection in Monday.

MONDAY I walked into the same mess that I left on Saturday. We had non working outlets again; inspector would not pass the final inspection and we were in a holding pattern again. You can only imagine Pat's demeanor; he stayed long enough for me to draft a Motion and Order and correspondence to the opposing counsel and headed out. Maybe we will get a passing electrical tomorrow so Kevin can go down to the City of Tigard and apply for a temporary occupancy permit. I had to make the return of my desk from being on my left side to putting it on my right side or I would be in a corner. I stayed until 9:00 p.m. trying to get my desk taken apart and put back together in anticipation of being able to get stuff put away and in place Tuesday morning.

TUESDAY You guessed it, well maybe not; we did pass our final electrical inspection BUT we do not have an occupancy permit! We cannot unpack boxes, put our desks in place, or make anything look like we are working here. To top that off it could be for a month or more that we will be in this condition.

I will send you pictures of how we are living in a couple of days when I find the cord for my camera. I know it is around here somewhere. Or maybe it is in one of the ten boxes that are in my van. Then again maybe it is in a box that is down at storage. Well maybe I will not be able to send you pictures. I will give it a try.

So while you are all slaving at your organized office’s (small as they may be), count your blessings . . . you are not moving to an office without an occupancy permit.

I HOPE ONE AND ALL A GREAT WEEK!

2008-06-09T16:02:00.000-07:00

MOVING AGAIN

Although the new office space that we are moving into does not have carpet; neither bathroom is finished (not even a toilet); doors are not stained (not a big deal); some painting still needs to be done; and we are moving large furniture Wednesday (that is in two days!), then we are moving everything else on Friday. Some of us are trying to figure out what our fearless leader (the owner of the building, Kevin Luby) is on. Pat, my boss thinks he is hallucinating. Keep me in your prayers, I will need them to keep calm, cool and collected.

If you get a chance, and want to have a good laugh, read my daughter-in-law's entry today. Click the link Johnson-and-Johnsons; I had a great laugh!

Is summer ever going to get here? Any thoughts.

2008-06-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

SURVIVED THE MOVE . . .

They have shown me that they can survive without me down at the Shop. The girls kept the shop very well organized while I was at my other job; moving our office across the parking lot for a temporary time (two weeks) until we move again to our final spot. I think the second move will be much easier as we will have movers.

We got the word that they will be coming in on Wednesday to move all the bookshelves, desks, chairs, and file cabinets. Then on Friday they are going to move boxes and computers. We will be at the new office unloading boxes as they move the final things.

Pat has been in the office this week and is doing well. Thank you all for your kind thoughts, prayers, plants, and cards. It was a difficult week for Pat; it is good to have him back at the office. He is settling in and getting back to the routine.

My daughter Alyse has been teaching 5th grade for three years now. Her plan was to teach 4th grade next year with the possibility of "looping" the following year. This would allow her to have the same students for two years. Well the Lord had a different plan; instead she will be moving completely in a different direction. He principal asked if she would consider teaching 1st grade next year. With the faith that God would direct her path she put it back into the principals' hands and said she would be willing to teach the class where she was needed the most; the end result is that she will be teaching 1st grade next year. I am excited for her; she will have a whole new set of challenges.

I called my son the other night to see how everything was going and I got to say goodnight to Emily. I got a coooo (I am sure I heard her say "I love grandma.") She has got her first tooth. I am hoping that they get a picture of her showing it off soon. If I do I will be sure to pass it along.

This picture is of her and her friend Oliver

they sure do grow up fast.

2008-05-27T17:59:00.000-07:00

A VERY SAD DAY.....

For those of you who do not know, I have been working for an attorney, Pat Furrer, for 8.5 years. Today I have sad news; his wife lost the battle to cancer. She passed away early this morning with her family beside her. Debra fought to conquer the battle, her outlook was always positive, seldom did she ever complain; even in the end she apologized to Pat for putting him through this. Please keep Pat's family in your prayers over the next few weeks as they go through their grieving; and especially for Pat. To make things a little more complicated, we are moving our office across the parking lot on May 30, for two weeks, then again on June 13, to our new location.

I feel as though it is raining hard and the umbrella has several holes. I am not drowning just getting a little wet. Every good garden needs a little rain. Mine is getting a good soaking.

2008-05-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

LETTING YOU KNOW AS PROMISED

Since I will not be here over the weekend I thought I would make good on my promise; dinner at Sayler's Old Country Kitchen last night was wonderful. I ate way too much. We should have a girls night out there sometime in the near future.

I hope that you all have a great weekend. I will send another update next week.

KEEP COOL

2008-05-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

I WILL LET YOU KNOW TOMORROW

Alyse called me this morning to see if we were still on for dinner tonight. I had a suggestion figured out! Amazing, I actually picked a place (with help from Michael). Alyse asked if I wanted to know what her idea was; of course I said yes. She said she did not know that Sayer's Old Country Kitchen was still in existence and thought I would enjoy going there. I told her that I knew that the original was still operating, and YES that would be fun. They make great onion rings, and delicious steaks.

So I will let you know tomorrow what a great dinner we had.

For all of you here in Oregon; stay cool today and tomorrow.

2008-05-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

I HAD A WONDERFUL MOTHER'S DAY

My daughter Alyse called to make arrangements to come over; I ended up so tired and she had a busy day that we made plans to have dinner Thursday night together. I am suppose to choose a place. Today is Wednesday and I have not come up with any ideas. I was thinking that we should try something new; but then what if we do not like it. Decisions, decisions, I have never been able to make a decision.

On Sunday afternoon we went to my folks to visit for a little while before going down to Salem to have dinner with Mikes folks. We went to their favorite Chinese restaurant, Lum Yens, it was very busy and very noisy. We went back to Mike and Sue's house for dessert. Sue made an angel food cake with whipped cream frosting with crushed butterfingers. I heard it was yummy, I just could not eat another bite of anything.

Monday I received a nice card in the mail from Brian. He indicated that I was welcome to come down to visit again sometime. I sure do miss Emily and would love to hop a plane and go see her. I have to wait for a little while though; Michael says that he gets to go on a vacation first. I know if I pressed the issue he would let me.

I have not shared a picture of Emily with you so I am sending one today. This is not a recent photo but it is my favorite.

2008-05-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

Why is it; just when you think you have it all in place, it hits you right between the eyes. The Tigard Sub Shop team has been humming along pretty good. We have four gals (plus the one attending college) on the payroll right now who work well as a team. I have been going in and getting a lot of things done and not having to be a backup person or fill in.

Today I was preparing my shopping list and one of the gals came in to tell me that she is giving her two week notice. She is having a second interview tomorrow and will know for sure what her schedule will be. Believe it or not I am letting the Lord work this out; I am not going to stress about it as I know God will see that we are covered. This may be just what He had in mind to allow room for our college student for the summer.

I have to tell you it has been a long time coming for me to take a deep breath; step back; say a prayer; allow God to work in my life; and look forward to GOD TAKING CONTROL.