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Posts tagged ‘pets’

I Can Enjoy Family Times

I CAN enjoy Fun Times with family …
and I DID!!
It’s been quite a week
Here I am with our “bonus daughter,” Laina, who lives in Maryland,
our grandson, Nick, and his mom, our daughter, DeDe,
both of whom flew here from Switzerland.

Our smiles tell you what fun we were having!
DeDe & Laina have been best buddies since their freshman year in high school. Do you have people with whom you have remained friends for 40 years or more?
Laina, my hubby Bob, & Nick enjoyed time together
at Wasabi’s in Bozeman, Montana this weekend.
Yes, DeDe and I were there, too.
It’s a fun place!
Nick entered a “run” on Saturday in Bozeman.
Can you believe he ran (or walked when necessary)
for a total of 17 miles? Amazing!
No, he didn’t finish in the #1 spot,
but what fun he had eating the chocolate
from the 1st place medallion
that Elaina bought for him!!
Gotta keep movin’ to stay fit!
Fun times indeed!!

What do you do to stay fit?
When not busy running or dining out,
“the kids” found other happy things to do –
like a day in Virginia City
and a trip to Yellowstone.
Every day we were on the go!
Here is Nick at our favorite brunch spot
in Bozeman:
Jam!
If you’re ever in our area,
you gotta be sure
to make this one of your stops!
We knew how to wait happily for our brunch table!
Back home, you can see that our family time
was enhanced by “the pup!”
Kenny has loved all the company … extra playmates!

They leave to return to their homes tomorrow.
We are certainly going to miss them!

Who have you hosted in your home this summer/fall?
I hope you had as much fun with family as we did!

Off to bed now.
See ya tomorrow –
We’re going to the airport bright and early.
Good night!


Love,
JanBeek

Category:

children, Family, friendship, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, pets, relationships

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Positive Emotion?

Today’s Prompt was:
What positive emotion do you feel most often?

My Response:
Gratitude

I’m grateful for the neighbors who came immediately last night when I called them. I was frantic! Kenny, our pup, was crying. We could hear his barks and his whining, but we couldn’t find him. It sounded like it was coming from under the house. Maybe he went under the deck and got stuck on something. Maybe a rattlesnake bit him (years ago we had that happen to our Boston named Angela). We searched high and low for Kenny. No luck!
We were frantic!
So we called our friends.
They came. Four of them!
We all searched.
Still no luck.
So, we went into the house
(we’d already searched there thoroughly).
When we walked in through the back door,
there was a black and white nose
sticking out from under Bob’s chair!!
Kenny had squeezed under to fetch a toy –
and he got stuck!!
Whew!!!😥
We lifted the chair to release him.
Gratitude?
Ah yes!! 👏🏽
Thank You, Jesus!

Thank You, God,
Thank You, Jesus!
Thank You for neighbors,
for answered prayers,
for the safety of our pup!
Whew!!

Remember that first picture up there of Kenny lying on a quilt?
I’m grateful for it, too.
Do you have a memory quilt?
I love mine!
And no, Kenny doesn’t usually get to lie on it!
It was a retirement gift from my teaching colleagues
when I retired back in 1999.
The sentiments on it
and the remembrances
are so precious!

Marta Garcia did the stitching
and each of my colleagues at school
added a piece with their name
and sometimes a sentiment.
“Stitched with dreams of traveling forever,”
Marta wrote.

If you live in Ennis, Montana
with the Madison River running through it
and the spectacular Rocky Mountains as your backdrop,
and people from all over the world coming here to fish
and to just relax and enjoy the peace, the open spaces,
the wild animals, and the proximity to Yellowstone,
then you live daily with an attitude of gratitude,
and guess what?
Traveling forever is not a daily prayer.
We are grateful that you come to us!
Keep doing it!

What positive emotion do you feel most often?

Cheers from JanBeek

Category:

Animals, blessings, contentment, friendship, God, Gratitude, happiness, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, Montana, pets

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Pursue With-ness

“Take genuine interest in other people… turn to the person next to you in the grocery store and ask what the highlight of their day has been… Your question … will probably be the highlight of their day.”

That quote is from Bob Goff’s Catching Whimsy, 365 Days of Possibility.

He challenges us with today’s action step:

“Engage the people around you
with love and inexplicable curiosity today.”

Time with Saskia & Laszlo is so precious!

I need to be sure and practice “With-ness” with them.
God sent them to us so we could really BE with one another.

Who are you going to really be with today?
Bob Goff uses Galatians 6:10
to remind us of Jesus’ words to the people:
“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.”

Let them know you are 100% with them …
and curious about how life is going with them.

How is life going with you!?

My life is quite lovely.
Kenny’s is, too.
I hope yours is, also.

Who can you practice
“With-ness” with today?

Love,
JanBeek

Me with Laszlo
(Yup, that’s “With-ness!”)

Category:

Bible Lessons, blessings, books, friendship, Living in Harmony, Love, pets, relationships

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Playful Pup

Today our 9 1/2 month old pup, Kenny, received a new toy in the mail from our bonus daughter, Laina. She seems to find just the right things for us and for Kenny, and manages to send them just when we need them most. Cookies and a book for Bob. A special message and gift for me… her timing and choices are perfect! Kenny really is enjoying his new toy:

Kenny is so playful! He heard this video and it really set him off!

I hope you are having a lovely, playful start to summer, too.
Kenny wears himself out and then goes to sleep.
Cheers, my friends!

Happy 2nd day of Summer.
I hope you’re having beautiful weather.
Our rainbow tonight as beautiful as they come!!

God bless you and give you peace.
We need peace in this world.
Let’s create it in the corner where we are!

God bless you all… and pray with me for peace in this troubled world.

John 14:27 

Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid.

Love to you from
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, Bible Lessons, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, peace

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Can’t Live Without

What’s the one luxury you can’t live without?

Air: an essential… treat each breath as a luxury. Never waste a minute of the breath you receive. It’s the gift of life. Every day is a luxury. Cherish it!

Here are some ways I live and share the luxuries inherent in every day:

Big Sky country – headed from Ennis to Bozeman, MT
Taking time to smell the lilacs!
Enjoying and relaxing in the gift of sunshine with Kenny
Celebrating music with the Bozeman Symphony
Vicariously traveling to Europe with Adrian & Laura

Can’t live without the contacts with loved ones … so grateful for the luxury of their shared experiences!

God bless those loved ones in our lives who share their experiences with us, huh? Such sharing definitely is a luxury for us as receivers. Thank you for sharing yours, too🥰👌🏽!

Love,

JanBeek

Category:

blessings, Family, Gratitude, Love, Montana, Sharing

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Let Love In

Family sends love out and…
… we hug love in. We follow along for a lifetime!

See that cute little boy up there with his loving mom & dad? Well, look at him now!

That’s Liam, our grand-nephew, who just graduated from high school.
We are overjoyed that we were able to travel to Pittsburgh, PA to help Liam celebrate.
While there, we got to attend a couple of Liam’s hockey matches.

My niece, Jodie (Liam’s mom) and her hubby, Bill, have a gorgeous 1790’s BarN. They held a graduation party for Liam there. About 200 attended!!

Uncle Bob & I are mighty proud of this successful young man!

While in PA we also got to visit the National Aviary. What a beautiful, elegant collection of birds!

Wow!

Meantime back at home, our pup, Kenny, enjoyed playmates and our son, Ty in CA, counted down days til retirement.

Kenny’s happy we’re home!
Ty’s ready for the next chapter in his life.
I pray that Ty & his wife, Monika, can find a way to go visit his sister in Switzerland. DeAna would love it!
Hey, Bro, come visit us! Put it on your 2026 calendar!

Let Love In!!!

Hugs await you wherever you go!

I hope your June started out as beautifully as ours!

Enjoy!

Let Love In!

Hugs,

JanBeek

Thank you, Jodie & Bill, for your love and generosity.

Category:

blessings, Family, friendship, Gratitude, happiness, Love, relationships, Travel

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Positive Impact

Share a story about someone who had a positive impact on your life.

Kenny came and filled all the empty places in our home and hearts! Dogs do that!
Neighbors/friends step up and fill our lives with love
Bonus daughters reach out and help make each day brighter
Sweet daughter, De, makes each day happier
Terrific Ty, super son, positively impacts us and countless others
Our pastor and our God keep us grounded in love
These and countless others are daily gifts that impact my life. How can I choose just one?
Like the flowers in my garden, each loved one impacts my life daily by adding beauty and support.

Who or what impacts your life … or has left a permanent impression? I know you also feel blessed. Life is a gift… and so are you!

God bless you!

Love, JanBeek

Category:

blessings, children, Faith, Family, friendship, happiness, Love, pets, relationships

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Oh My! T is for Trouble!!

T is for Trouble!
KT is for Kenny Trouble!!
How long do you think it took Kenny to remove these 8 tassels?

Where did they come from?
Oh, my poor pillow!!
Four tassels gone from each end!!!
I was up in my sanctuary having my peaceful time in prayer, Bible study, and devotionals. And Kenny?
He was barking at Bob to come play with him!
Bob didn’t see him sitting by the door asking to go out. A dump in the floor was the consequence.
Oh my!!!

Kenny sure can get into trouble when we don’t pay attention to him.

We need to keep our noses alert to Kenny trouble!

How about you?
Do you spell trouble with a capital T when you’re ignored?

Yup, me, too!

Facing Trials

In the journey of faith, we encounter various trials that test our strength, resilience and patience. The Bible reminds us that facing troubles is part of life, and rather than shunning them, we can embrace them as opportunities for growth. These challenges, while tough at the moment, can refine our character and deepen our reliance on God. By reflecting on Bible verses about troubles, we can find encouragement and hope, realizing that God walks with us every step of the way. Our “Oh My!” can change to “Oh Thanks!” as we turn in prayer with those trials. God, will You play with Kenny?

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” – James 1:2-3

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” – 1 Peter 5:10

Ah yes… God will make us strong and steadfast. But God, will You restore my pillow?
And what about this rambunctious Kenny? Oh my, will You send over a playmate for him?
Oh, and while You are at it, will you send over a buyer for our kayak? It’s too heavy for Bob to manage it these days. We took it down from its hooks on the garage ceiling… and it’s sitting outside waiting for the right person to come and buy it … and enjoy many years of kayaking fun (just as we have).

Kenny would love to go out on Ennis Lake with it. Wouldn’t you?
Oh my! I need to do my French lesson
and this pup wants to play.
Come play with him!!

Sending playful fun your way.
Hugs, too…
from
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, Bible Lessons, Faith, humor, Life's Challenges, Love, pets, prayer, Serving One Another

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Best Pets

What animals make the best/worst pets?

Of course I am prejudiced!

Playful Kenny
Not just any dog…
…can make this guy smile like this!

Yup, in our house, the best pet is a Boston Terrier …

Yesterday we had him neutered. Coming out from the anesthetic, the cries were so pathetic!
Today he is having digestive problems… but currently he’s resting. Thank God!
Here’s Lacey! My family in Maryland thinks this is the best pet ever!

What do you think is the best pet?

Hard to beat my lapdog! He’s the best!!

Love ❤️

JanBeek

Category:

Animals, Love, pets

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Sharing “The Best of March”

Category:

Animals, blessings, food, friendship, Love, Memories, pets, relationships

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