Summer Plans

Seeing how it is almost July! YIKES! 

It's already Summer and I still can't wrap my head around it!

Blooms from Mom's Garden :)

I thought I would write down some Summer plans:

• BERRY PICKING with my Dad. 
• Camping  at least twice in August :)  
• Visiting our friends in Seattle in July
• Learning to take a Sabbath (more on that on a future post...)
• Taking Piper to the beach for the first time!  I can't wait!
• Tim changing jobs (we are asking for God to step in as we take a leap of faith)
• I get to see my college friends Natalie & Katie
• Probably go on a hike or two.
• Buy a hammock... and snuggle around.
• Read some good books
• Find a new TV series on Netflix to watch all the way through in a weekend (Do you do that too?)
• and full time work... boo!  But, it pays the bills :)

Driving past Multnomah Falls last week :)

My friend from college, Krysta, said in her blog she is going to try to do something fun and something productive each day.  I'm hoping to, as well! What a good idea... less expectations mean more spontaneous excitement :) 

I hope we can just enjoy ourselves during the coming season... we've had a LOT of changes this year!

What are your summer-y ideas?

Cheers!

2012... a year in review :)

Whew!  This year went like a flash!

In JANUARY...

•  we went to Juneau to visit Tim's Aunt, Uncle & cousins :)  SO fun!  We ate delicious food from Aunt Becky, trecked around the snow with Johnny and Emily and has many games of Settler's with all the cousins.  I was feeling under the weather, and had my first panic attack on a plane, but it was such a memorable trip to ALASKA with the family!
• LEAVENWORTH in the snow!  We stayed at our favorite bed and breakfast, and found out that cross-country skiing isn't for sissies (like me).  Lots of time in the hottub, drinking beer, eating fondue :) 

In FEBRUARY

• We has a birthday party for my mom and she cried while we sang happy birthday :)
• We surprised Sally (the mother-in-love) with a party Kurkinen style at Joe & Asena's

In MAY...

• I celebrated a QUARTER CENTURY! With a FABULOUS birthday made special by my hubby :)
• We lost sweet Grandpa K.  

In JUNE...

• Tim started his position at Portland Parks :)  

In JULY...

• We had a fun celebration in Corbett on the 4th
• Phil & Megs welcomes Adam into the Kurkinen family!  
• Stephen & Christy came from Taiwan with their two girls (and one was on her way) and their exchange students.  It was SO fun to see them for a whole month.  I hope they come back next year!
• We went to Seattle and visited Jenna from nursing school and just fooled around for a couple days.

In AUGUST...

• Tim & I celebrated our third anniversary!  And went camping for the first time just the two of us :)  Cascadia was gorgeous!
• I went on a camping trip with Natalie and Katie... it was hot.  
• We got to take a Kurkinen picture with ALL of us!!  
• We went to Family Camp at Twin Rocks :)  Beautiful weather and lots of memories.

In OCTOBER..

• Tim turned 27!
• We went to our first couple's retreat!  And it was AMAZING!
• Stephen & Christy welcomed Joanna to the Kurkinen family - 12 grandkiddos in all now.

In NOVEMBER...

• Piper completed our family.... we just can't get enough of that crazy guy.
• We went to Seattle for a day and saw Lauren & Brant
• We has Thanksgiving at 

In DECEMBER..

• I had our regular Christmas get-together with the girls of Turd Ferguson in downtown Seattle.  We made some hilarious memories and traded jammies :)
• We celebrated Christmas at the Blodgett's after I worked Christmas Eve.  

There is so much to look forward to in 2013: Day shift. Tim will have some extra time with me, trips to the beach house we love, trips to Seattle to visit friends, celebrating 3 of our parents turning 60!, and more surprises to com, I'm certain.  It's fun to look back and see the blessings amidst the moments of trial.  

Family Reunion

On August 7th my sweet mother-in-law, Sally, planned to get all of her boys and all of their families together for a Kurkinen Family Reunion.  Just the immediate family.  IT was so much fun!  

Stephen is back from Taiwan with Christy and their kiddos until the end of the month.  And David came back for a couple weeks from Australia.  

I'm blessed to be a part of such a loving family.  It was hilarious and SO fun :)

Dale (Dad) with all seven: Andrew, Sam, Joe, Steve, Phil, Tim (he's mine!) and David

The Wives (not in order): Helane, Me, Megan, Sigh, Christy and Asena

Grandma and Grandpa with all 11 Grandkids (and there is another due in December).  

Grandpa Dale and Bethany 

The Kurkinen 9 :)

Dancing!

Stephen and Christy dancing :)

The youngest 3 

Married 40 years this year!

Telling stories

More Dancing

Caed the wonder boy!

Uncle David finally meets Annabelle and Adam!  (And Bethany, Mikaela and Caed).  He's been in Australia for 2.5 years and Kurkinens make 5 babies fast ;)

Simplifying!

It feels SO good to go through my things and P-U-R-G-E ourselves of "stuff!"

I've been reading this blog by a mom who is simplifying her home: theyearofless.blogspot.com
 It's inspiring!

Also reading the book The Best of Cheapskate Monthly by Mary Hunt which you can find here.

These are fabulous resources!

I am trying to live with less things to bog me down, steal my attention and keep me from feeling freer and like I can have joy without acquiring things.

I even got rid of my Facebook and got a brand new one with only family and a handful of close friends so I won't be on there very much because there isn't much to look at.  I made it boring on purpose :)

Last week I went through most of what we had and got rid of many items I realized we didn't use.

My rules:

• Toss books we don't open and most likely never will (even if I bought it because "I've always wanted to read that") 
• Get rid of "extra" things: yoga mat I never use, clothes I never wear, shoes I never put on 

•  Get rid of things I can use now on the Internet: Dictionary, A Bible with 4 different verisons, Thesaurus

Tim even spent time getting rid of video games he doesn't use (and sold them to a game trader to buy himself a new X-box controller).  I'm SO proud of him!

And in the process, our church raised about $500 in a yard sale for Laundry Love to support families who need laundry done for free.

Ahhhh.... now go get rid of your stuff & tell yourself you'll be happier and more satisfied with life if you just have LESS!

And we're off!

I've been under the weather... somehow deleted my last blog in my brain fog and am swimming in thoughts like:
"It's summer I need to take advantage of it!"
"Ew...my shower floors are turning colors.  I wonder if Tim could clean them?"
and..
"Rest up before work.  It's okay to sit on the couch and read or watch netflix or just have another nap. You work all flippin' night and sleep during the sunny hours."

So.  I need to get a bit of a routine.

My routine on the blog will be:

• Things I'm thankful for experiencing currently or in the past

• Things I am looking forward to

• Things I know about God and my relationship with Him

I write this blog mostly for me and also knowing that I will have one reader out there: Ms. Podunk Princess herself!  You can follow her at podunkprincess.wordpress.com  :)  Her name is Katie.  She is a bosom friend.  A kindred spirit.  She gets me.  

So here goes!

I'm thankful....

• that I just cleaned my kitchen
• the book Bittersweet and what a blessing it's been for me
• valium while I feel claustrophobic in my own body due to unending amounts of nasal congestion
• my husband and his many advantages

I'm looking forward to...

• camping with my girlfriends!!!  We need friend time.
• seeing Katie next week
• catching up with Lauren this Sunday
• camping with Tim for our anniversary
• paying off our Subaru by October (Lord willing)
• not being congested.  is tomorrow too soon?
• going to Family Camp
• going to a marriage seminar
• going to San Diego in October
• going on hikes

I guess I have more going on than I realized.  

I believe God is forever guiding me.  Thank you, Jesus.

We're off on another 2 days of work and a stretch off!

See you on the flip side!