There are so many beautiful places to see near our home. With work and Phil’s dissertation, we have not taken much time to explore the area. Having visitors gave us the perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy God’s beautiful creation that is all around us!

The first Saturday we drove down to Deception Pass, near Antacortes, WA, which is about 45 minutes south of Bellingham. Although the skies were grey, it was still very beautiful. We enjoyed walking along the shore, and Dad Gons found many beautiful rocks!

After church on Sunday, we drove up Mt. Baker Highway. (Mt. Baker is the beautiful snow-capped mountain that we are blessed to see outside our home everyday—at least the day’s it’s clear.) The drive was very beautiful, and there were many spots to pull off and take pictures. After we a couple of hours, we finally made it to the top. As we made our last stop before heading back down, we got back in the car—and the car wouldn’t start. The engine wouldn’t even turn over. We hadn’t seen too many other vehicles on the trip, so we knew we were in quite a predicament. It was early evening, starting to get dark and cool on the top of this mountain. The couple of cars that we did see, tried to jump us, but they didn’t have enough power.

Dad and Mom have AAA, so we gave them a jingle. They would be at least a couple of hours, but our options were pretty limited. Not too much longer after we placed our distressed call, a couple from Canada pulled up in their minivan and offered their assistance. This man “happened” to be a part-time mechanic and had tools in his car. After a few moments, we were on our way back down.

God was taking care of us. Not only did he send a well-qualified helper our way, the location that our car died was a blessing. We were stranded in a big parking lot of a chalet, but the previous stop we made, just a minute earlier, was right on the edge of the mountain. It was a massive drop-off with no guard rails, and the pull-off was only big enough for 1 vehicle!! We were so thankful for God’s kindness and protection.

During the week, we visited different parks around Bellingham (Sehome Hill Arboretum, Whatcom Falls Park, Boulevard Park, Maritime Heritage Park). We had such a fun, relaxing time of fellowship together.

We spent the next weekend in British Columbia. On Friday we went up to Grouse Mountain (right outside Vancouver). We had planned to spent some time in Vancouver afterward, but we ran out of time. That night we stayed at Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathy’s in Ladner. On Saturday we took a ferry to Victoria on Vancouver Island. This was the first time Phil and I had taken a ferry. The view on the way there and back was gorgeous. We enjoyed our time in the city and at the Butchart Gardens—a world renowned flower garden. It was beautiful!

Our time together went by so quickly, but we were thankful that they took time out of their busy schedules to visit us at our new home. We look forward to seeing the rest of the Gons family at Christmas.

See more pictures at our Picasa album.

On Saturday, we played tennis together in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and we really enjoyed ourselves. Unfortunately, we felt pretty exhausted when we finished. I had made dinner reservations to a nice restaurant for the evening. The restaurant was on the marina, and the view was beautiful. After dinner, we walked around for a bit on the boardwalk outside the restaurant. We just enjoyed a nice romantic date together. (We should have brought our cameras!) I am so thankful for my sweet, sweet husband. With each day the Lord gives us together, my love and adoration for Phil grows deeper and deeper. The Lord has blessed me more abundantly than I could imagine, and I pray the Lord graciously gives Phil many, many more years to serve Him!

See some pictures at our Picasa site.

SAN JUAN COUNTY-WESTERN WHATCOM COUNTY- SOUTHWEST INTERIOR- EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS-WESTERN SKAGIT COUNTY-EVERETT AND VICINITY- SEATTLE/BREMERTON AREA- TACOMA AREA-ADMIRALTY INLET AREA- HOOD CANAL AREA-LOWER CHEHALIS VALLEY AREA- OLYMPICS- EASTERN STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-WESTERN STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- NORTH COAST-CENTRAL COAST-WEST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES AND PASSES- WEST SLOPES CENTRAL CASCADES AND PASSES- 527 AM PDT FRI MAY 16 2008

…RECORD OR NEAR RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN WASHINGTON THROUGH SATURDAY…

STRONG…HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT COMBINED WITH LOW LEVEL OFFSHORE FLOW WILL RESULT IN MUCH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON THROUGH SATURDAY. HIGHS TODAY WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE UPPER 70S TO UPPER 80S…WITH SOME INLAND VALLEYS LIKELY CLIMBING INTO THE LOW 90S. THE FORECAST TEMPERATURE FOR QUILLAYUTE TODAY WAS 89 DEGREES. THIS WOULD BREAK THE OLD RECORD OF 86 DEGREES SET BACK IN 1985.

THE HOTTEST DAY ON THE PACIFIC COAST WILL BE TODAY…WHEREAS THE INTERIOR WILL WARM SEVERAL MORE DEGREES ON SATURDAY. EXPECT HIGHS ON THE COAST TO BE IN THE 70S ON SATURDAY WHILE THE INTERIOR WILL BE MAINLY IN THE LOWER 80S TO LOWER 90S. SOME LOCALES HOWEVER IN THE EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS AND CASCADE VALLEYS WILL HAVE TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S. THE PREDICTED HIGHS FOR SEA-TAC TODAY AND SATURDAY WERE 85 AND 88 DEGREES…RESPECTIVELY. THE RECORDS FOR TODAY AND SATURDAY ARE 84 AND 85 DEGREES… RESPECTIVELY.

ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE VERY TEMPTING TO JUMP INTO AREA LAKES AND RIVERS TO COOL OFF…IT WOULD NOT BE A WISE IDEA. WATER TEMPERATURES WERE STILL QUITE COLD OR IN THE 30S AND 40S. ALSO… RIVERS WERE RUNNING HIGH AND SWIFT DUE TO SPRING SNOW MELT. THUS JUMPING INTO AN AREA LAKE OR RIVER COULD LEAD TO DEATH BY HYPOTHERMIA OR DROWNING AS MUSCLES CRAMP UP FROM THE COLD.

DURING HOT SPELLS…DRINK PLENTY OF WATER…AVOID OVEREXERTION… LIMIT TIME SPENT IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT…AND CHECK UP ON ELDERLY RELATIVES OR NEIGHBORS. ALSO…PROTECT PETS FROM THE DANGERS OF HOT WEATHER. NEVER LEAVE THEM IN A PARKED CAR ON A HOT DAY.

FOR THOSE PLANNING ON TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE WEATHER BY HIKING IN THE MOUNTAINS…PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THERE IS AN AVALANCHE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE OLYMPICS AND CASCADES THROUGH SATURDAY. FOR MORE DETAILS…VISIT THE NORTHWEST WEATHER AND AVALANCHE CENTER WEB SITE AT WWW.NWAC.US.

EXPECT MUCH COOLER WEATHER ACROSS THE AREA ON SUNDAY DUE TO INCREASED ONSHORE FLOW.

Wow! Sounds severe, doesn’t it? It probably is worse than it sounds since most homes don’t have AC out here, and that includes us. We chose the condo that gets the most sunlight so we could survive the gloomy winters, but that means we get a lot of sun exposure in the summers. Yesterday it hit low 70s outside, but our condo really got warm—probably closer to 80. It made for an uncomfortable evening until the cool air from outside came in.

Anyway, I don’t do particularly well when I’m hot, so please pray for my wife.

O.k., Jon and Val—your turn!

Doesn’t Amy look great for just giving birth?!

Lyndsey Grace Greenawalt

Mark, the proud father

Clay and Makenna are happy to have a new sister!

The proud big brother

Makenna and her new baby sister

You can see more pictures at the Our 365 website.

Merry Christmas, Family and Friends!

We hope you are well and have had a wonderful year! As we look back on 2007, we can truly say that the Lord is “kind in all His works” (Ps 145:17).

We enjoyed several opportunities to spend time with our families over this past year. In May Shanna spent a week in MN. Phil wasn’t able to take off, so he stayed in Greenville. Shanna’s dad and Ryan met her at the airport in Minneapolis. She spent the first night with her dad and Kathy. Ryan and Erin came up from Kansas City, so Shanna enjoyed a nice brunch with the four of them. For the next few days, Shanna spent time with Curt and her mom; Ryan and Erin; and Chad, Sara, and their four (soon to be five) children. She also had some extra special time with her Grandma McShane, who had an appointment for an angioplasty at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester during Shanna’s visit. Shanna took advantage of the opportunity and went with her. They had a very nice time together. We’re thankful that she was able to come home that night and is doing well.

At the end of June, Dad and Mom Gons drove down to Greenville for a wedding—and to spend some time with us and Valerie and Jon. We had a very nice time and enjoyed having them stay with us again. At the end of July, we traveled up to Findlay, OH for Valerie and Jon’s wedding. It was a very short weekend with two full days of driving, but it was great to see everyone. In October we headed up to Winston-Salem, NC—where Jon and Valerie live—for a short weekend with them; Dad and Mom Gons; and Mark, Amy, and their two (soon to be three) children. Since we knew we wouldn’t be able to make it up for our scheduled Thanksgiving trip, we were glad that we could all get together.

The remainder of the year has been a whirlwind. We experienced our first major transition as a couple—leaving our home in Greenville, SC and driving across the country to settle in Bellingham, WA. Phil took a job with Logos Research Systems, Inc., the makers of Logos Bible Software (which he has loved using for the past few years). He is enjoying his new job.

Shanna had been working for Jackie for a little over three years and had grown close to her, Victoria, and Ruby (Jackie’s paralegal), so she was sad to leave them and her other great coworkers. She is really thankful that the Lord allowed their paths to cross. Shanna gained a variety of work experience as she assisted Jackie in the office in addition to her work as a nanny. Shanna has not found a new job yet, but she has a couple prospects that look promising—one with Windermere Real Estate as a receptionist and the other with Logos.

This year we spent Thanksgiving here instead of OH. We will be staying here for Christmas as well since Phil doesn’t have any vacation time yet. Even though we’re missing spending time with our families over the holidays, we are thankful that we had a couple of occasions to see Phil’s family and that Shanna was able to spend a week in MN. We were also glad to see some of Shanna’s family on our trip out here. We spent a day with Ryan, Erin, and their new baby, Olivia, in Kansas City; and the following day we met Shanna’s mom and Curt for lunch in South Dakota. Though they were brief stops, we were thankful for these opportunities.

We are full of gratitude for God’s bountiful blessings to us every step of the way this year, but we are especially grateful this Christmas as we reflect upon the “immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:7).

Love,

Phil & Shanna

1. Jon and Val had a beautiful wedding at the end of July. The wedding was in Findlay, OH, so Phil and I enjoyed a (too) brief time with the Gons side of the family.

2. On September 13th, Ryan and Erin had their first baby—Olivia Marie Prigge! She is such a beautiful babydoll!!

3. A few weeks ago, Phil and I (with the help of some very kind friends) packed up all of our earthly belongings in a Penske truck and drove across the country to live in Bellingham, WA. There is so much I could say, but I’ll take the easy way out and let you read Phil’s wonderfully detailed post and check out our pictures.

So, here we are now in the very Northwest part of the country—practically in Canada—and adjusting to our new lives. Please pray for us as we try to find a new church home, sell our condo in Greenville, and as I look for a job. We are so grateful for God’s goodness and faithfulness to us. His loving, wise sovereignty gives us confidence to eagerly anticipate this new season in our lives. Don’t forget, family and friends are ALWAYS welcome!!

We strolled along the historical streets, admired some cool, old architecture, and were once again awed by the power and beauty of the ocean. We enjoyed a nice walk and Frisbee at Folly Beach one evening. We also toured Magnolia Plantation (with a petting zoo ), Drayton Hall, and the Calhoun Mansion. It was so wonderful to just relax and be with each other.

I am so thankful for the husband God gave me. Phil is godly, loving, patient, wise, helpful, encouraging, selfless, sweet, understanding, compassionate, and does his best to emulate God’s love for His church like no one I have ever seen before. I am truly blessed to have Phil as my leader, life long partner, and best friend. I pray the Lord gives us many, many, many, many more years together to increase our love for Him and each other!

You can see more pictures from our trip at our PicasaWeb site.

Ryan, Erin, and I drove down to Granada/Fairmont that afternoon, where we spent the rest of our time. That night we joined Mom, Curt, Grandma, Chad, Sara, Caleb, Rachel, Seth, and Megan at Godfather’s Pizza for some good food, fun, and fellowship. On Wednesday, we spent some time at Chad and Sara’s home. The kids are getting so big, and it is so exciting to see them develop not only physically and emotionally, but also spiritually. We attended Calvary Baptist for the Wed. night prayer meeting. It is always enjoyable to catch up with friends and families from the church I attended during my high school years. Thursday was a fun day for all out at the farm. We (Ryan and Chad, actually) grilled some hot dogs and steaks. It was the first time Ryan grilled, but he did a terrific job! Mom made some salads and desserts, and Grandma brought out some of her famous potato salad. The food was delicious!!

After the cookout, Ryan, Erin, and I went bowling. It was a lot of fun, but I forgot what a pathetic bowler I am! I’ll refrain from sharing scores, but I got schooled by a 6-month pregnant woman, and of course my bro. Despite my sad attempt at bowling, I loved spending time with Ryan and Erin. I am so grateful for the wife God blessed Ryan with. Erin is such a great girl! They have a wonderful relationship and are so adorable together! (The three of us also got to play with an Aerobie Pro Ring quite a bit, but it was pretty windy so it ended up on the roof and in trees a few times!)

My Grandma and I were able to spend the day together on Friday. She had an angiogram scheduled at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, MN. Our day depended on what they would discover during the angiogram. There was the possibility of putting in stents and keeping her overnight, scheduling a time for open heart surgery, or letting her go home that night if things looked okay. When they took her, they left me with the impression that they would most likely put stents in and keep her overnight. We prayed together before she went into the procedure. After several hours of wondering how she was, I was informed that they were going to allow her to come home that night. That was such a blessing. We had fun together and I was so thankful that I was able to spend some one-on-one time with her.

After Grandma and I returned to Fairmont around 8 pm, I stopped over to the Flohrs’ home. Michelle is a childhood friend, and I hadn’t seen her in a couple of years. It was fun to see her and her family–as well as their house that they have done quite a bit of renovation on. (It looks great!)

On Saturday, I was able to spend some time alone with Mom. We took our usual trip to Mankato (which has a better selection of stores). We always enjoy those special “mother-daughter” times. I spent the night with the Prigges on Sunday evening, and Chad drove me up to the Minneapolis airport on Monday. Thanks to everyone for their gracious hospitality!

I arrived at the Greenville airport around 3 and met my sweet, adorable husband that I missed so much!! We went out to eat at Carrabba’s (a delicious Italian restaurant) and were able to share the events of our week.

The week flew by quickly, and I enjoyed every minute I was able to spend with my family. Phil and I are both eagerly anticipating our Christmas vacation in MN.

You can see some pictures from my trip at our PicasaWeb site.