Wine Country

Well we are back. It was a wonderful trip. We stayed at the Petaluma Sheraton for our stay. We traveled all over the area. Wednesday when we got there we just drove around for a little bit and went to Sonoma for dinner at a little Thai restaurant. Thursday we went down to San Jose and went to the Winchester Mystery Mansion and took the tour. It was a very bizarre place but very beautiful. We we drove up Highway 1 for the afternoon and and had dinner at a restaurant called Lucas's on the coast and they served their own fresh fish they caught that day. Friday was San Francisco and out to Alcatraz. The tour of Alcatraz was really neat and the view from the island was great of downtown and the Golden Gate Bridge. We walked around Ghirradeli Square and Pier 39 and drove down Lumbard street. That night we went into downtown Petaluma and ate at Dempsey's. I really loved the place! They grow alot of their own produce and they are a brewery as well. Their rootbeer was great! Saturday we traveled through wine country and ate at an Italian market at Venesias's winery and we drove up to The Olive Press and Jacuzzi Winery; it was our favorite. I loved the wines at Jacuzzi, every single one we tasted was wonderful, they are not cheap so we bought one bottle but look forward to ordering more! The Olive Press was a really neat place to stop by as well, they grow alot of olives and make many different olive oils and blends. We brought back a bottle of one with crushed red peppers in it. We ate that night at Dempsey's again and it was just as good as the first time. I really liked the area. I really liked that at a lot of the restaurants they used fresh produce & meats that are local. I really wish we had more of that availability in Indiana. All in all it was a great vacation. We are not looking forward to going back to the real world.

The Winchester Mystery HouseThe Door to NowhereThe view of the vines

Alcatraz Island

Help! I've been locked up!

Lombard Street

A view from Highway 1

The Golden Gate

New Bags

My Sister-in Law Katie's Tote
My Friend Kelly's Chunky Tote

Dawn's Messenger Bag

Me Modeling the Messenger Bag

I sure hope Dawn likes her bag, its in the mail on Monday. I made it with two small pockets in the inside and one really big pocket in the middle. The straps are on the side and have metal rings to secure them. Different Pattern completely. I couldn't sleep Saturday night and so I finished the drawing of this one and then three other sketches; at least the sleepless night was productive.

Just an update...

Short post today. I have officially sent in the first part of the adoption paperwork. That is it. Won't post for a week or so since we will be on vacation but will post pics when we return.

The Refuge

Thursday nights is normally our Bible Study night, but yesterday instead we were blessed to go serve instead. It was wonderful being able to get out and do something for people in need. The Refuge is a place started by a man from our church and it is a food pantry first and foremost but it is becoming more than that. They have an additional area for clothing and household goods and volunteers help people get the groceries from their list and then they can go over to the clothing area to pick out what they would need. This place is really nice, it is set up like a department store almost with different sections to "shop" from. Of course when serving you feel much more blessed to be the one serving than it does to receive in my opinion. The people seeking services from The Refuge are just about anyone...someone down on their luck, single moms and even a few dads coming in to get clothing for their kids.
Nate mostly stayed in the upstairs area to sort through clothing and hang them to get them ready to take to the clothing racks. I was fortunate enough to get to talk to some of the people and help them with picking out their clothes and chat for a while. One lady coming in had her cousin and her two children with her; the cousin and children had just been kicked out of their mothers home with nothing in hand. One of the children was a 2 month old and they found some burp rags and you would have thought they had won the lottery. It was a pleasure to help them and help pick out items we take for granted and don't even think to be thankful for. It really made Nate & I want to go back more often than what our Bible Study is going to do. They really have a need for grunt work, hanging clothing, packing seasonal items, labeling things, stocking clothing and food, etc. I came home feeling full. Not happy, sad or proud, but greatfull and full. I forget how we are supposed to serve others in our community. I get so caught up in my life and trying to sort through it that I forget the others who are in need. We have been blessed with much and do share it willingly, since it is given to us in the first place to be stewards of. We are good stewards of the money God provides I believe, but I feel we are being called to be better stewards of our time. Giving two hours a week or so instead of two hours in front of a tv is so much better used by helping others in need. I hesitate to make plans during the week since I feel so tired and worn out by the end of the day. This was the case yesterday, I was exhausted when I got home from work but after coming back from the Refuge felt energized. My body was still tired but my heart was full and I could have worked another two hours or more. My goal is to do this more often and not let my life get in the way of helping.

"Do nothing out of selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." -Philippians 2:3-4

Sushi Rolls

Saturday I thought I'd try my hand at Sushi...here are the pics. I thought it turned out really well. I made them with cooked shrimp. I know its cooked but I am not a raw seafood person and I figured since we are in Indiana that fresh seafood would be hard to come by as well. It was really yummy though with shrimp.