Fall Fun

As the evening temperatures continue to fall, along with all the leaves, it is time to post pictures of the past several weeks.  

Most of the time I suppress the fact that Lydia is a senior this year, but every now and then something reminds me of this fact.  Decorating her senior locker board was one of those times.

On Labor Day Seth had cross-country practice followed by a fun ice cream outing with his team in the downtown area. After we dropped him off, Russ, Lydia, and I decided to hike around the foothills near downtown until he was finished.  Zoe loves the foothills!

We spent 1-2 days cleaning decades of trash out of a home and outbuildings, stripping carpet, and cleaning up a yard to get it ready for the owners to use as a rental.  Kind of a long story of how we got involved in this project, but suffice it to say we pray that the work will be used as a witness for the church.

Seth and Lydia had been helping an elderly couple with yard work through the summer.  Although the gentleman passed away from a stroke late summer, his wife continued to reach out to them for help with her yard and landscaping.  One Saturday this fall while working for her, Seth was stung by a bee/wasp.  It swelled so much it was weeping fluid, so we took a quick trip to urgent care on a Sunday afternoon.  Thankfully, it healed on its own after several days of antihistamines. 

The church council dinner was held at a member's residence out in the rural Boise/Kuna area in late September.  The fall sunset was so beautiful!  We don't often get to see this much sky from our home in Boise.

Someone from the church gave me a recipe for Scripture cake as an idea to print in our church newsletter, the Cloverdale Courier.  Looking up the passages to figure out the ingredients was kind of fun.  I decided to try the cake out before printing the recipe in the Courier.  It turned out so yummy!  Seth helped me with a photoshoot so we could feature an enticing, delicious cake with the recipe.

 This little guy lived with us for a few days while his mom had a baby.  His parents do not have family in the area, and we were more than happy to help out.  Seth and Lydia agreed that Russ and I will be very doting grandparents!  We loved having this little charmer around.

Earlier in October, Seth was at a cross-country dinner at a fellow teammate's home in rural Eagle during the Goose Fire--a large brush fire in the area started by young kids and fireworks.  I think it ended up burning about 450 acres.  This picture was taken from his friend's home.

The senior high youth group hiked the Jump Creek trail to the falls a few weeks ago.  The trail isn't very long or difficult, but they enjoyed getting off the trail, climbing the rocks, and exploring caves.  Some even ventured to take a dip in the water under the falls.  Did I mention it was 48 degrees that morning?!?  Only about 1/3 of our youth group was able to attend, but we still had a great time!

Seth and Lydia are at the tippy-top

After taking a year off due to COVID-19, we were so excited for the Reformation Boise Conference 2021.  Dr. Terry Johnson and Dr. Robert Godfrey spoke on the theme of "Worship."  We were blessed by the messages and the fellowship with other believers in the Valley.  The first few pictures are just a snapshot of how much work goes into putting this conference together.  We are assembling registration packets and categorizing and pricing books for the conference.  So thankful for the many volunteers!

Homecoming 2021!  Seth decided to attend with friends--no date.  Lydia enjoyed going with her good friend Bryce.

Homecoming dress up--pink out.  Got to admire a guy who can wear pink with confidence.

Decades day--60s/70s for Lydia and 80s for Seth

Love these goofs!

And finally...the 2021 cross-country season.  We haven't had a cross-country runner since Caleb ran his senior year of high school.  Seth wasn't thrilled to be running but knew it would be good training for track, which he enjoys much more.  

And also a picture of the handsome starter at Cole Valley's home meet...