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!

Once again, our air conditioner stopped working this morning. After Dave got home from golf, he reset the breaker and it started working again. Now it is cool inside our house again. What will tomorrow bring? When we lived in Camas a few years ago, we didn't have air conditioning and we collected a supply of fans. Those fans are coming in handy during this heat wave.

Have any of you seen the new HBO series "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency"? I've only seen two episodes when HBO was running a preview weekend, but I have read most of the books and enjoyed seeing the characters and scenes of Botswana come alive on the screen. I just finished reading the newest book in this series by Alexander McCall Smith, which was Tea Time for the Traditionally Built. It was a quick, heart-warming read. I like books that give me a glimpse into another culture.

What can I say? It's hot, hot, hot. Last evening we quickly realized that our air conditioning (heat pump) had stopped putting out cold air. Dave solved the problem by removing the old air filter and then replacing it with a new one today. Now the air works great, in fact, I have been cold all day, as long as I stay inside.

The first of my 3 meetings got cancelled, so I'm using the time to catch up on laundry from our trip. That is a big job, but it always feels good to get the motorhome all ready for its next trip. We have two more short trips planned. In mid-August, a weekend trip to Yakima for Dave to go to a state football referee conference, and at the end of September, a 3-night mid-week stay at one of our favorite state parks, Cape Disappointment. Yes, a trip in September! That's unusual for us because it's prime football season. Dave was able to carve out a few free days in order for us to make one last fall trip to the beach.

It's 12:45 pm now, and our thermometer reads 100 degrees. It's humid, too. Way too hot! Dave got the lawn mowed this morning at 7:30 and we got our exercising done inside while watching House Hunters. It makes the time pass more quickly. Now that we have a treadmill AND an exercise bike, we can both exercise at the same time and then switch machines.

We got home from vacation just in time to experience a heat wave in Vancouver, 100+ degrees. The heat is supposed to last for a few days and may set a record last set 30 years ago. Of course, our air conditioning (heat pump) was not on while we were gone, so our house was very warm. We went out for dinner at Round Table Pizza (pizza for Dave, salad for me) because we didn't feel like cooking. This weather is way too hot for me! Dave needs to mow the lawn but he'll have to try and do it early tomorrow morning while it's still relatively cool. What a way to end our vacation! Reality is setting in--I have 3 back-to-back meetings tomorrow.