The following two quotes were found at a website that I discovered today: http://firstimportance.org/

“The Law is for the proud and the Gospel for the brokenhearted.”
- Martin Luther, quoted on monergism.com

God requires two things of us: punishment for our sins and perfection in our lives. Our sins must be punished, and our lives must be righteous. But we cannot bear our own punishment, and we cannot provide our own righteousness. Therefore, God, out of His immeasurable love for us, provided his own Son to do both. Christ bears our punishment, and Christ performs our righteousness. And When we receive Christ, all of his punishment and all of his righteousness is counted as ours.”
- John Piper, This Momentary Marriage (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2009), 46.

Here is Jeff and Tracey Kasten's new website: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jeffkasten
They are keeping everyone posted about Jeff's progress through this website. Tracey recently added photos of their family to the website. Jeff's brain surgery is on Monday at Stanford. Our prayers are with you, Jeff!

Well, summer is winding down and Dave's football schedule is ramping up. He officiated at scrimmages last night and tonight, and is evaluating some officials tomorrow afternoon. While he was gone I got caught up on watching some DVDs. I am still enjoying the series "House of Eliott" that I mentioned before. It's about two sisters who open a clothing design business in London in the early 20th century. Very interesting to see the clothing and hairstyles from that time period, as well as the change from horse and buggies to automobiles, etc.

I have been exercising inside during the last week, so I haven't gone for any more interesting bike rides. We were hoping to take our bikes to the beach next weekend, but the forecast is for rain, so that plan may not work.

I am reading an excellent new fiction book, The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton. It is an interesting saga about a young girl who was abandoned on a ship headed for Austrailia in 1913. By using back flashes and forward flashes through the years, her story is told in a style that reminds me of some of the Dickens books. I have read 1/4 of the book, so I hope the rest of the book is a satisfying read.

Another 10 miles on my bike! I've ridden more than 75 miles on my bike since the odometer was installed two months ago. Today's ride was the easiest since I don't kow when...probably about 3 or 4 years ago. Even the small inclines didn't bother me at all and I used to huff and puff up those little hills. It's been almost four months since my surgery and I feel way better than I did even a month ago. The chest discomfort that I used to feel at night has almost totally disappeared. Now if the neighbor's dog would just stop barking!

I would like to request prayers for our friend, Jeff Kasten, who was just diagnosed with two malignant stage 4 brain tumors. He has a wife, Tracey, and 3 young children. He will be travelling to Stanford for a consult on August 28 and surgery is scheduled for August 31.

The weather today was absolutely fabulous! After we exercised, Dave and I drove to Battle Ground to visit the new library there. As always with libraries, I found books to borrow, including a More-With-Less cookbook that I read this afternoon. It's a Mennonite cookbook and was interesting to read, whether or not I ever try out any of the recipes. We also went to the Battle Ground Farmer's Market which was being held next to the library.

This afternoon we went to Oregon on a search for Diet Code Red soda pop. For some reason, it's not available in Washington, except at Jonathan's Fred Meyer store in Bellingham. We had good luck and found a few cases at the Target store on Glisan. It was even on sale.

Dave helped out a couple of clients today and found a quick fix for their fiscal reporting woes. Now before it gets dark he's doing some yard work.

Are you ready for another earring story? Today was six weeks after I had my ears pierced. That meant that I could take out the original earrings that I have been wearing day and night. I was looking forward to wearing one of the 3 new pairs that I had purchased at Crater Lake. First, I had trouble getting the nuts off the posts of the new ones. Then I couldn't get the old earrings out of my ears. I tried to get Dave to help me but he said his fingers were too big. So I waited until I was having coffee with my friends, Jackie and Diane, at Barnes and Noble this afternoon. Diane was able to get my old earrings out, and I was able to put one of the new pairs in. I still have to keep earrings in, even at night, for six months total. What an ordeal! But it's totally worth it, because the new earrings (emerald-colored blue) look very snazzy.

I had CASA court this afternoon. At first I didn't get a chance to speak, but then our case was called back in and I got to put in my two cents worth. The outcome of both sessions was good. Now I remember why I signed up to do this kind of work!

Congratulations to Jonathan! He passed the panel interview portion of the Washington State Patrol application. Later this week he will be scheduled to take a polygraph, which means he gets to drive back down to Tumwater from Bellingham again. After the polygraph comes the background check, which can take up to six months. We are proud of you, Jonathan!

Today was Dave's annual checkup for his lung cancer. It's been 4 years since the removal of one of his lobes. We went to the Portland VA Hospital for the checkup and he got another good checkup and a clean bill of health. Today he had an x-ray and a CT scan, but next year he just needs to get an x-ray after next year (if all is well) he only needs to be checked every other year. He has had a few problems when he's at a high altitude (like Crater Lake) and it was recommended that he take an aspirin a day for a few days before and during the visit to high altitudes. This is important because we want to go to some national parks next year which are at high altitudes. Praise God that the cancer has not come back!

We are back home again tonight after our trip to Yakima. I went for a nine mile bike ride this morning while Dave was at his football meeting. Dave won a shirt for scoring the highest on his football certification test. We had a good trip. It's good to be home, but I'm sad that the trip is over. We have only one more trip planned now that football season is almost upon us. We are going to Cape Disappointment State Park for three nights at the end of September.

Another 10 mile bike ride this afternoon! For a while it was looking doubtful about even going for a ride. I waited for Dave to get back from his morning conference, and then it was too hot. And I didn't feel well after lunch. But about 4:30 it had cooled off a little and I felt a lot better after eating a snack, so we went for a ride. We rode to the west on the Yakima Greenway this time and it was a very nice ride. We had to ride 3 miles on the east part in order to get our ten miles done. We felt so good after the ride!

10 miles! My doctors and cardio rehab nurses would be proud of me. That's how many miles we biked today in Yakima. The fabulous greenway path is easy to get to from the Trailer Inns RV Park where we're staying. The first five miles were easy, but the return five were much harder as the wind hit us and it was slightly uphill the whole way back. But I made it back after some grumbling.

Yesterday we stayed overnight at Taidnapam, which is a Tacoma Power Park. It is a nice park which was built in 1994. Our site had full hookups, and was a pull-thru site, but it was the darkest site we've ever stayed in. The rain started in the early evening and it was still raining when we left at 9:40 this morning. We took Highway 12 east after we got off of I-5 north and it took us exactly 2 1/2 hours to get to Taidnapam from home. It is located about 5 miles east of Morton and then another 4 miles or so to the park.

Today we drove to Yakima, our final destination. Dave registered for the referee conference and then we went out for dinner at Outback since he didn't want to eat the convention dinner. He has a session tonight at 9 pm and a session on Saturday and Sunday morning. It got even more windy here as the afternoon went on and we had to take the RV awning down. Now the wind seems to have calmed down a bit.

The wifi at this park isn't working, so I'm at the park office using a hard-wired modem connection. Grumble, grumble, but at least I am able to connnect!

I had a late, long lunch with my friend Sandy today at Sweet Tomatoes. The visit was great, but now I need to go pick up a prescription at Walmart and then get the rest of the packing done for our trip to Yakima. That's one disadvantage about RV trips--we have to think ahead about food as well as clothes.

Yesterday it rained and this morning it rained some too, and also this afternoon. We haven't had rain for a while, so it was a welcome change. Dave didn't have to go to his golf marshal job this morning because they weren't busy because of the rain.

My warfarin numbers came up a little short this time, probably because I've been getting more exercise. I have to increase my pills just a little bit but I was assured by the person that helps me manage it by phone that exercise is a good thing. Rats, can't use it for an excuse to slow down. I have to get it tested again in two weeks.

Chez Jose restaurant in Portland had really good food. We didn't have any trouble finding the place once we went the right direction. Driving in the rain in rush hour traffic was interesting. That's why we usually stay on our side of the river! It was fun meeting Tim and Kiersten there for dinner. I had a yummy beef taco with a side salad in place of the rice and beans. I don't think I overate or ate too unhealthy. The place was very busy and very noisy, so it was a little hard to talk. A fun experience, especially since we don't usually go to Mexican restaurants. (Dave had a hamburger and fries.)

I just came home from an appointment with Dr. Angel, the cardiologist. He gave me a thumbs up on my new baseline echocardigram. I won't need to get annual echos any longer, just on an as needed basis. I complained to him about hair loss and fatigue, so he sent me to the lab for a check on my blood count and my thyroid. I also had to get a Pro-Time lab test done on my coumadin level. He said that use of coumadin can cause hair loss. He said that I can gradually stop taking the beta-blocker Metoprolol. I'll need to monitor my blood pressure and email him if it goes up after stopping the small dose of Metoprolol that I'm on.

Tonight we are going to take Tim and Kiersten out to dinner to celebrate Tim's birthday. Tim chose Chez Jose in Portland.

Happy birthday to our son, Tim. He is 27 today! And Jonathan's news is that he completed the initial six-hour testing for the Washington State Patrol and passed! He has an interview with them in Tumwater on August 18.

Just returned home from a Portland Festival Symphony concert in the park. We always enjoy these annual concerts which take place on the first three weekends in August. Last weekend was too hot to attend the concert. Tonight was just right, even a bit cool. We stopped at Subway first so that we could eat while we listened. We also stopped at Camping World so that Dave could buy a new strap for our RV awning. Now he gets to figure out how to attach it.

Today is the anniversary of "Gotcha Day". Twenty years ago today we added Jonathan to our family after picking him up at the San Francisco Airport after his flight from Korea. He turned four months old the day after we got him. He was one frightened baby after that long flight. He cried when I held him, and stopped crying when Dave held him, but still wasn't happy. When we finally got into our rented mini-van in the airport parking lot, Jonathan was placed in his car seat next to Tim, who turned seven two days after "Gotcha Day". Tim made faces at Jonathan and interacted with him and finally Jonathan began to relax and smile. We are so proud and happy at the men that Jonathan and Tim have grown into.

Yesterday Dave and I went to the Japanese Tea Garden at Washington Park in Portland. We had never been there before. Our idea was to combine visiting the Garden with our walk. We enjoyed the Garden but finished the walk way too soon.

It was so cool there that I had to stop at the Rose Garden gift shop and buy a jacket. Yesterday's high was lower than the low on those record-setting hot days that we had. The cool weather is a nice change, but now it feels like summer is almost over.

Today was another busy Tuesday. I had a doctor's appointment in the morning, a CASA meeting at DSHS in the early afternoon, and my weekly Starbucks afternoon with my friends. My original CASA case has finally been dismissed with a happy ending of the mom regaining custody of her child. My other case has been going over two years also and I've had a hard time getting back into the swing of things since my surgery. In that case, there are several worries and concerns which weigh on my mind and heart. I pray for wisdom to act in the best interest of the children.

After a very warm weekend, we had a respite overnight last night. We were able to turn OFF our air conditioning and the house was a very pleasant temperature for sleeping. But this morning, we had to turn the air conditioning back on. Dave was able to get the lawn mowed and the yard work done before it got too hot. Now we just finished our exercise. We take turns using the treadmill and exercise bike while we watch TV together--this works well. Some day I hope to go back outside and get some exercise, but not today!