Wayne & Connie living life: December 2008

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Our home this Christmas 2008

Our new family of 5 ready for Santa to visit. Stockings hung by the chimney with care.

Christmas snow

Over 12 inches of snow and still snowing. Wayne is building an igloo in the Cul-de-sac. Four adults can sit inside of this. The picture is from the higher location and doesn't show it's true height.

The picnic table is a little cold.

The igloo in it's early stage. A few days ago. It's now twice this size.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

I continued to get out into the Cascades for hiking when time permitted. The road and lake are Hiway 20 and Diablo and the location of Colonial Creek Campground (1200'). I hiked up Ruby Mt (7400', to the left of the road and lake), and out along Panther Creek. The other picture is at the top of Sourdough Mt in the same area.

North Cascades Vacation, Bike Ride

In the first week of September, we took a vacation across the northern tier of Washington State, Highway 20. I rode my bike most of the way, ~400 miles in 5 days, from Winthrop to Tonasket, to Kettle Falls, to Sullivan Lake/Metaline Falls, to Newport, and then finishing in Colfax via Highway 27.

Lucas at WSU

Our Cougar Lucas!
He is a junior at Washington State University majoring in Civil Engineering.
He lives in an apartment this year with 3 other guys. They have to cook and clean all by themselves. Their moms were so worried about them that they each showed up with a full set of dishes and pots and pans. They are doing just fine.
This summer Lucas had a engineering intern job at the City of Redmond. At one point he says he was lead intern. One of his projects was keeping tabs on the painting of the inside of a huge water tank. Another project was inventorying street lights. Yes, he actually had to walk to each light in Redmond and write down the inventory number. Apparently there had been enough recent acquisitions that no one knew who owned the street lights.
We kept Lucas busy this summer helping dig out 2 huge tree stumps.
We miss him while he's at school. Our nest feels really empty without him home.

Connie makes career change

I left my Director of Women's Ministry position in April 2008 at Bear Creek Community Church. I had enjoyed it for 3 years. Working with women was a blessing in my life. We had been at Bear Creek for about 17 years. We are now attending Washington Cathedral. A church just down the hill from our home.
In September I started school at Lake Washington Technical College in the Social & Human Services Certificate program. This will prepare me to be a case manager in an agency at some point in the future (hopefully done this summer). I look forward to helping people someplace in the world. I love going to school and learning all about SHSV.
I spent a lot of time working in the yard this summer and going shopping for my next dress I needed for the next wedding or shower I went to.
I am on Facebook, so make me your friend if you are on there. My e-mail is conniekragt@live.com
Let's keep in touch! Connie