THE HOPKINS CLAN

The Hopkins clan and their families are all represented in the above slideshow. My brother and his family flew out from Wisconsin and enjoyed being here for over a week. My sister and her family drove up from California the Sunday before Christmas. Our family drove down from Moses Lake, Washington the Saturday before Christmas, giving Dale a day or so to visit with everyone before returning to work due to schedule conflicts at work. Sixteen of us enjoyed close quarters for a week, visiting, playing, laughing, eating, and creating memories. Thanks to mom and dad who literally planned and saved their pennies to help make this all happen. It will be a memory to cherish for the rest of our lives.

FAMIY GATHERING

December 23rd brought together four generations of family for fun, dinner, games, singing, photos, and lots of visiting. My grandmother who is 94, was unable to eat that evening and sat in awe of all 42 members of her family represented in one room during these few short hours. Several members were missing, including my husband. Had they all been present, the number would have grown to 50. In another year there could possibly be three more added to our clan. I sat amazed at the amount of family I have and how close we really all are even though much time lapses between our visits. Had my grandfather been present, it would have been his and grandmother's 72nd anniversary. As my mom reminded everyone, grandpa would have sat there and said, "Martha, look at what we started." In our day and age when so many families do not get along or they are scattered many directions, we all felt blessed to know the ties that exist still continue to be tied tight.

MT. HOOD SNOW DAY

December twenty-second found the whole Hopkins clan, my uncle, and my cousin's family at Mt. Hood enjoying a day playing in the snow. The mountain was beautiful for a few minutes, showing off its white dress against a deep blue sky. The fog did not stay away long, but the glimpse the mountain allowed us to take in of its magnificence seemed to be a moment of awe to four of my nieces and nephews from Wisconsin who had never seen a mountain so tremendous in size. After eating lunch at Timberline we quickly set off for Snowbunny to sled. I think our whole group took up at least half of the hillside. Ten cousins, 14 and under, squealed and laughed as they went flying over the snow. At one point, some of the younger children took a trek through the woods with snow sometimes up to their calves. Nine adults lined the top of the hill overseeing and enjoying the show, intermittently taking a child for a ride on their lap or their back. It does not get much better than this.

MT. HOOD LODGE

The day on Mt. Hood came to a completion at a lodge made available by my uncle and aunt who own a condo in a small town called Government Camp at the base of the mountain. The lodge provided a warm pool, hot tubs, big fireplace, and cozy furniture to curl up in for a good visit. Pizza, cold beverages, and hot cocoa filled the tummies of some very hungry snow bunnies. Another cousin and his family joined us, giving us time to catch up with them and see their youngest one. The noise made by the kids in the pool could be heard all throughout the condo village, while some of the adults took to relaxing in the hot tub. The generosity of my uncle and aunt cannot be described and they lavishly contributed to the making of many memories that cannot ever be replaced with anything but fondness.

CHRISTMAS 2009 FUN PICTURES

Some good ole' fashion fun took place during our Christmas season, celebrated in Oregon with my brother's family, my sister's family, our family, and my parents. Lots of goodies prepared certainly added to the holiday spirit. Cousins settled on the floor playing with legos, dolls, or games reminded us that home is where the heart is. My brother taught Spencer some orienteering skills for Boy Scout advancement, which ended up in a hike at Tryon Creek State Park. While the boys bushwacked their way through the woods attempting to find their route by compass and map, the rest of us stayed on the path. My niece drew me into the fantasy world of Narnia as we hiked through trees covered with green moss that hung like hair on the branches. The evidence of lightning left trees hollow, which we quickly declared to be the accomplices of the White Witch. A lamp post shown through the woods, roused the anticipation of a seven year old causing us to run quickly to its location. At home, my sister drew out an insane puzzle of a tiger, which many of us spent time attempting to sort out colors, shapes, and sizes. Hopefully she will complete it before she and her family leave so that we can actually see the finished piece via a photo. The hotel in which some of us stayed allowed for both adults and children to enjoy swimming and relaxing in the hot tub and sauna. The slideshow above depicts only a brief overview of some of the fun times we shared together this Christmas season.

CHRISTMAS EVE 2009

Our family celebrated Christmas this year in Oregon at my parent's home with my brother and his family visiting from Wisconsin and my sister with her family visiting from California. The memories made this season cannot be adequately described. A feast of turkey and ham accompanied by traditional sidedishes and family recipies began the celebrations on the afternoon of December 24th. My grandmother, now 94 years in age, joined us for the celebrations, completing four generations of family members. The joyous sounds that came from eight children, all cousins around the table, cannot equal the sounds of the most famous symphony in the world. Grandmother still enjoys giving to her family, so after dinner, we sat around the Christmas tree, sharing in her awe that God gave her one more Christmas to experience four generations of her family. We may not have her much longer and we cherish each and every moment given to us. Following gift giving by grandmother, the family took in a Christmas Eve service at Evergreen Presbyterian Church where my parents serve and we attended when we lived in the Portland area. Dale joined us for the service after returning home the previous weekend to work for the week. Celebrating together the gift of Christ through carols, readings, prayer, and meditation will be memories to cherish for years to come. The children could hardly contain themselves for they knew what awaited them when they returned to grandma and grandpa's house. But before anymore gifts would be passed out, my father, now the patriarch of our family took time to bestow blessings upon each family, giving a passage of Scripture for each one to take home with them. Following these blessings came a prayer for each family, which was presented by mom. The gift giving ended the day's festivities. Full of memories, this season will forever stay in our hearts and minds.

GIRL'S WEEK

While the boys were at the summer Boy Scouts Camp a couple of weeks ago, Amanda and I had fun doing a variety of things. We took a trip over to Tacoma, spent the night and toured the city, hitting the mall, REI, and several other places of interest. I took her to Olive Garden, a place she decided had to be her favorite restaurant now. On our way home we stopped at Snoqualmie Falls, kind of by accident looking for a place to take Maddy for a walk. There is a beautiful lodge that sits at the top of the falls and a nice 1/2 mile trail one way down to an overlook. However, just buying water there was expensive, so from now on if we stop again, we will definitely remember to bring our own beverages. Tuesday morning was a morning of leisure as we traveled downtown Moses Lake to a cute coffee shop and had pastries with coffee and juice. Since all the shops were opened due to it being a weekday, we took the time to explore more of the town in which we live. Having put in a few hours, we returned to have Caesar salads and watch Anne of Green Gables. Wednesday found us laying around the house in our pj's enjoying good food and watching those movies we never get to watch when the boys are around. We decided to take a trip up to Leavenworth on Thursday and took a friend with us. Therese and Amanda had quite the fun trying on hats in the hat shop. Artists had their paintings and photo studios set up on the main street, horses carried sightseers throughout the town, and lunch next to the river all added to the ambiance of the day. Swimming was on the agenda for Friday, so we went to Moses Lake where Amanda hooked up with some friends and spent most of the day in the water. I got to read a book and enjoy the sunshine. Of course chores were let go most of the week so Saturday morning found us scurrying to clean up the house just a bit...how messy can two girls be?...and then we welcomed two extremely tired boys back home Saturday afternoon.

LAKE ROOSEVELT AGAIN

Another trip to Lake Roosevelt to flee from temperatures of 100 degrees found our family enjoying the lake, camping, and a scenic drive of 310 miles. We camped at Hunters Campground Saturday night, and then due to a flat tire on our camper Sunday as we were beginning our scenic drive around the lake and home, we camped at Kettle Falls campground Sunday night. The kids were able to swim in both places. Hunters Campground has a nice swimming area, while at Kettle Falls one must hike down the hillside of sand to the edge where they either can sit on rocks right at the edge of the lake, or jump into clear, cold water for a refreshing swim. Once the camper tire was fixed we were able to take the scenic loop bringing us within 28 miles of the Canadian border and then back down on the west side of the lake to the Keller Ferry, which transported us back across the lake, camper and all. We found many trails up around the north end of the lake, which will take us back to explore, hike, and backpack in the future. The northern lake is forested, mountainous, and beautiful. The more south one travels, they are lead into dry desert, hot weather, and sage brush. It is one of the few national forests that all campgrounds are first come, first serve, although reservations can be made, and the camping fees are $10 per night during peak season, and $5 for off-season. Winter activities can be enjoyed such as cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, and snow machining. There are many boat-in campsites available if you have the ability to travel the lake's waters. Tourist attractions are offered in several locations such as houseboat rentals, boats, water skiing accessories, canoes, and kayaks. For bikers, the three different scenic loops is a must if one has the time. Three locations offer free ferry crossings for pedestrians, bikers, and vehicles of all sizes. We really enjoy the northern section of the lake, only because we prefer the mountains and forests over the desert.

STEAMBOAT ROCK JULY 2009

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If anyone wanted to find us on July 3, they would have found us at Steamboat Rock once again playing in the water and sun on a day when temperatures were close to 100 degrees. With the cooler packed with all kinds of goodies, chairs put in for relaxing, and swim gear ready to be used, we anticipated a wonderful day. Dale and I enjoyed sitting in the water basking in the sun while the kids spent most of the day in the water and on the island. Taking the grill allowed everyone to enjoy hamburgers for dinner. Upon leaving and returning home, one of eastern Washington's beautiful sunsets accompanied us home displaying brilliant colors of oranges, reds, pinks, and purples. The day ended up being the perfect event prior to Dale and Spencer leaving for Boy Scout summer camp.

A TRIBUTE TO MY PARENTS

"Forty-three years you have been married? How can that be. You must be lying. No one stays married that long anymore to one person."

These are the words or at least the indications expressed with raised eyebrows and questioning looks when my parents recently told people their anniversary will be Saturday, June 6 and that they have been married 43 years. Marriages that last longer than ten years anymore definitely are a rarity, so much so that anyone married longer than ten years is accused of lying. I want to pay tribute to my parents for their many years of commitment and faithfulness to one another. The road has not always been easy, but love, commitment, faithfulness, and God have all been the glue that has kept them together. What a treasure of legacy my parents give to their three children...a legacy that we all hope to continue within our own marriages.

Mom and dad were born on opposite sides of the country, but met on the east coast at a banquet that mom sang at on Valentines Day. Enough said. They lived on the east coast for several years during which time my father attended seminary, took a church pastorate position, taught school, and worked odd jobs to make ends meet. Both my brother and I were born, residing in Pennsylvania for our first 6 and 7 years. Our family then moved to Alaska when the Alaskan Highway still lived up to its reputation. Very few can claim they had the privilege of driving on that highway unpaved, 35 miles an hour a lot of the way for two weeks in a suburban. My sister was born and made her arrival a year after we moved 90 miles north of Anchorage to Victory Bible High School and Bible Camp. Dad and mom both taught at the high school and dad took a position as assistant camp director for a year. The mission mom and dad joined moved us to Palmer where we lived for seven years at the foot of Lazy Mountain and had a view of Pioneer Peak out the largest picture window I had ever seen. They both taught at the Bible college for Alaskan Natives as well as raise their three children. Dad began church planting in Anchorage and so Anchorage became home for us seven years later for a few more years, at which time my parents decided to make a change and join another mission organization bringing them to Portland, Oregon. They have been involved in Bible studies with Native Americans, work on reservations across the country, and some international travel. God has blessed them greatly for their service in His kingdom, for their commitment to one another, and their faithfulness in raising their children. God never promised a rose garden, and a rose garden they did not have until they moved to Portland. Mom now has beautiful roses in her yard, representing that forty-three years later their lives are blooming more abundantly than ever, and God's rewards and blessings overwhelmingly flow daily. Mom and dad, thank you for your example and the legacy you have created, not just for your children, but for all those with whom you are connected, even the people who would like to accuse you of not being married these forty-three years. Your lives impact them as well when you speak of your love.

Besides all they have accomplished together over the past forty-three years, their lives are stories of a masterpiece being created for a bigger purpose, an eternal purpose. Through our parents we learned that the meaning of family is togetherness, love, forgiveness, and understanding. Raised as a missonary kid, I received first hand experience of seeing God provide, not just for desires, but for our needs; a lesson that has carried me through many days in my own family. Never did mom and dad sacrifice their giving to God, even when they were uncertain where the next meal might come from, and yet we never lacked three meals a day. Looking at old photos our kids laugh at the hair styles and the clothes we wore, and yet we never went without clothing for all seasons. We witnessed conflict within the household, but we also witnessed love strong enough to overcome the obstacles, always returning to unity. I don't ever remember a time when my father missed kissing my mother good-bye when he left the house, or vice versa. Decisions were made together. My parents were a team. The greatest gift these two people could ever give is the gift of the marriage as an example of what love, commitment, faithfulness, and reliance upon God means. May God continue to bless you both mom and dad. You are well loved.

MOM SONG

Cannot watch this enough. Love it. Even the kids laugh when they see it, because they know it's true.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIRkNK8xEHo