Here Comes Santa Claus...right down Duluth Street!

Our Christmas decorating began on Black Friday. Here are some of our first attempts at making our home a place to enjoy the Christmas Spirit!

Bound 4 The North

In October, Katrina took a weekend visit to B.C. She saw one of her girlfriends, Treena get married. You will also see Scott and Janet's beautiful daughter Olivia and son Carter.

A Spokane Thanksgiving

Here are some of our favorite digi pics during last week's turkey fest!

The Pre Holiday Days

It's fully November now. I've used the Toro lawnmower 3 times this fall to "rake-up" the leaves. My pumpkin with "Jesus" carved into the front burns nightly. My candle is seriously into endurance. I blow it out in the morning before biking to work. Biking to and from work has been one of my favorite changes in my daily routine. It's kinda like an adventure that begins different each morning. Some days it's cold and I feel like my forehead is going to freeze off! Other days like Sunday morning I bike with dress clothes and it go to be about 71'F by the afternoon. Yesterday I biked to Costco in Kennewick along a new nature path on the 240/Yakima River delta area. Really enjoyed myself.

Saturday Katrina and I picked up our new bench for the living room entry way. We had it made to match our entry way coat hanger and organizer. We found items at Costco for Christmas decor that got us both excited to get into the spirit of Christmas. ya baby Jesus!

Katrina is in the beginning madness of report cards for her 72 students and I have just finished working with Pastor Wes to finalize my portfolio as the Family Life Pastor. Our stress levels have been up and down and Katrina and I have been praying together for her work team to be less divisive and more enjoyable. But, my baby Katrina is getting it done and I'm so proud of her. I am a blessed husband!

I tell friends often how blessed we are to be in our first home and have friends who pray for us and love both of us. God is good during this new time in our marriage...when we are both working full time. We look forward to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break because that means time with family in Spokane and Canada.

until next time. M

Retreat!

Looking northwest near Diamond Lake, WA. Katrina and I would love to introduce you to our new friends Creighton & Karli Knight. They are responsible for blessing us with two nights away at their parents lake house. This picture was taken on Friday morning as we hiked for 2 hours near the lake. This property includes 200 acres and one day will be fore sale. I hope the Knight's purchase it! Creighton and I agreed that it would be prime paint ball territory for the young adults at our church. As you can see, the fall weather was near perfect for getaway. We played lots of board games, ate yummy barbecue steaks, and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. Both couples had their separate bedrooms. They let us take the master suite with full bath over looking Diamond Lake. Creighton & Karli are those special type of friends that come into your life with encouragement, peace, wisdom, and fun. Their daughter "Allie" brightens up each room she enters. Katrina and I slept in two days in a row which was needed. Katrina has been putting in extra hours at school to get a new 5Th grade rotation model up and running. Of course the wood fireplace in the great room gave a rustic flare to our atmosphere. I was able to spend Friday morning typing out most of my sermon for Sunday. God spoke to me in fluid ways that helped me preach on Sunday with a deeper sense of peace and ease of communication. What a setting to work on a sermon! We are grateful for our new friends Creighton & Karli! Here they are followed by a picture of us at the lake.

Birthday Weekend Continues

Katrina wanted a birthday to remember so I enjoyed spoiling her. I did some small projects around the house, bought her a new bike and gift certificate for the Aveda Spa. She is so worth it. On the night of her special day we gathered at the King and I for excellent

Thai food. We ate family style with Creighton & Karli, Ryan & Ellie, and Ismo & Christina. What great friends. To say the least I was stuffed. We drove back to our house and ate ice cream cake, a Spencer family tradition. I am so proud of Katrina and am so glad God sent her to me as gift from Him. God is good.

Another part of Katrina's weekend was surprising her at our small group by including her in a 30Th birthday party for 5 people: Katrina, Ellie, Ismo, Justin, and Christina. They got our their walker just in case vertigo sets in early.

Katrina Jumps @ 12,000 feet elevation!

What a way to begin your 30th birthday weekend! After two false and disappointing attempts, Katrina finally experienced her wedding present from me, her beloved husband of 1 year 3 months and 6 days. Here is a shot of pre-jump conditioning.

Once all the crew (pilot, camera man, tandem master, and crazy skydiver extra, plus beautiful Katrina) were ready they boarded the small plane at Richland airport. The peanut gallery included Ryan, Ellie, Aidan, Ismo, and Christina. Rock on guys, rock on! Thankfully i was excluded from that group due to my marital status with the jumper.

Yes, i was nervous about my wife jumping out of plane at 12,000ft. I prayed and said to myself, "well Lord, here she goes." Watching her fall for several minutes was exciting. She spun around once her parachute opened after a 40sec free fall. Katrina's parachute is the tiny green dot. Katrina spoke loud enough for us to hear her conversations nearer the ground. The landing is a rush for the observer at ground level. The tandem enters the last 50 feet at speeds of 20-30+ mph. The cool part was how soft Katrina landed with he instructor on their bums in nice grassy field. The birthday weekend had began. Will will try to upload the DVD to You Tube in the next few weeks.
And without further delay, here is the last sighting of a middle east crazy man. Katrina was forced to watch this 1980s VHS in Davenport, WA... somebody call Home Land Security.

Monday Sabbath

Hi there,

It is Monday. One of my favorite days of the week. Why? Most people can't stand Monday mornings. My schedule is different than most people. There are pros and cons that come with weekly timeline in pastoring people. I love my job as a Family Pastor. It is hard work in almost every sense of the word. One of the biggest blessings is discovering God more and allowing His grace and truth to transform my life. Mondays are my days to set aside for physical rest, spiritual renewal, and solitude.

I love to pray on these days, read my Bible and other books. I journal my thoughts and feelings and that helps me rest too. I need it today! You see for the past 2.5 weeks, I've been working hard and long to prepare our church ministry leaders for fall discipleship ministry. What an emotional and spiritual journey! Last night Pastor Wes, Katrina, Pastor Ryan, and myself spoke about fall discipleship transitions to about 85 church members. The 2.5 weeks of hard work payed off as we boldly painted a picture of single-minded purpose for our Wednesday night's discipleship ministries. I hope all of you can find a one day a week to unplug and spend time with Father God and your love ones nearest you. It is so hard when our days are planned 5-10 weeks in advance. I guess we need to plan down time.

God has been training me to spend down time with Him and Katrina. Now amount of reading or writing or TV can replace my time waiting on Him in solitude. Katrina adds a huge dimenions of health to my life. She loves me for who I am.

So, I'm hanging out at home today. Going to mow that back lawn and I might go for a bike ride and pick up a bike lock and an attached water bottle. Here is a pic of my new ride. I ride to work Tuesday - Friday. Feeling the cool breeze on the way to work at 8:15a.m. is refreshing. It's about a 9min ride over 1.5miles of mostly flat subdivision asphalt.

Grace and Peace, M

Around The House

On July 16 Katrina and I danced in our living room! We were joined by great friends in packing up the dearest Eagles Nest and moving 1.5 miles northwest to our new home (yet to be named) on Duluth Street. It was hot, just below 100'F outside and much warmer in the tin-box U-Haul rental. Like my brother Matu, we were blessed with the oldest U-Haul in the Tri-Cities. It was a 5speed diesel beast from the 1980s. Good thing I clocked 3miles in total distance for the day. Hey, for under $40 bucks you just can't beat it!

I find it hard to write in words how grateful I feel about this new home. Katrina and I often catch ourselves praising God together for this over-the-top gift! One of my favorite parts of the house is the back deck and pergola. Weather permitting, I bring my Bible and journal out back and soak in the morning rays and view the green mature landscape. Oh, and I fight off the pesky squirrels with our automatic airsoft handgun.

Baby Ellie's perfect arrival!

Congrats to my awesome brother Matu and sister Jen on their becoming...parents! Ya! Katrina and I were shocked with joyful news this past Sunday morning. Matu called and left the best voicemail ever: "Jen had baby Ellie this morning before 5am!" I rushed to call Matu back in all my excitement. He answered from Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, WA. Baby Ellie and Mom were both healthy! She weighs about 6.5lbs and 19 1/2 inches long. She is the cutest little doll this side of the Great Lakes. I say perfect arrival because so many family and friends were able to travel over Labor Day Weekend to celebrate with Matu and Jen. Before we left town on Monday, Katrina and stopped by Matu and Jen's new house to hold Ellie and celebrate with her proud parents again. She seemed so small in that big house. Katrina loved her little wrinkles. What beautiful baby girl. Katrina and I join the rest of the fam and friends in shouting Hallelujah to God in the Highest for His good and precious gift....Ellie Anne Henshaw born with speed 9-2-07

Memorial Day

Marc and I enjoyed this past weekend with dear friends. We all converged on The Dalles, OR and had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend. So great, in fact, that it has become the first annual "Memorial Day at The Sady's". We plan to go back! :)

We met up with Sam and Jenna at Sam's parents' place in The Dalles. This place is a wonderful retreat. Sam and Jenna treated us to an extravagent dinner at The Columbia Gorge Hotel (thanks DaddyBob for the gift certificates!). It was so fun to go on a double date with Jenna and her husband. We all dressed up (they left the little one at home with grandma and grandpa) and we feasted for almost 3 hours. What an experience. Felt a little bit like a fish out of water...but it was so fun. I think I most enjoyed the Sorbet with Champagne to "cleanse" our pallets before the main course!

The Sady's home is located in the most beautiful valley in The Dalles. Their home truly is a retreat. Sam, Jenna, Nathan and Marc went for a hike Monday morning (as I slept and tried to get over a blasted cold that hit on Saturday). The weather was beautiful, the food delicious (thanks to Toni!) and the friendships even better. Marc and Sam enjoyed some frisbee golf, while Jenna and I soaked up the sun reading our books and magazines. Ahh...

I am constantly amazed by God's divine plan. He put Jenna and I together as roommates, at Trinity Western University, 11 years ago. We roomed all 4 years together. 7 years after graduating we are still close friends and able to enjoy our friendship and now with our husbands. Oh praise God for His divine nature.

We had a great weekend and came back rejuvenated. What more could you ask for in a 24 hour get-a-way!

On the Hunt for a House

Tomorrow is a BIG day. We are meeting with our dear friend Carol to sign papers to purchase our first home. We truly are blessed as this house has been a gift from God. Carol has been uber generous and we are so grateful.



The house has 3 bedrooms, 2 car garage, master bath, living room, family room with gas fireplace and a backyard (with trees). Finding a house with a backyard and mature trees is a true find when you live in the desert. So we are all the more excited. Praise be to God!



It looks like the move in date will be July 16th. Which also means there will be rooms for friends and family to come and visit. And a nice backyard that is fully landscaped with a deck (did I mention it had trees too?!). Friends (and family)...come visit!!

God of Abundant Blessing

It has taken me a while to get into the Blog scene, but here I am. Or should I say, here we are. Marc has been wanting us to join the world of bloggers but I have held back. Cautious maybe. Tonight I was inspired though. I saw posts from friends in Ontario, Canada and my heart ached for them. I love reading my friends' blogs (who are all over the world) and seeing pictures of their precious little ones.

God of abundant blessing is a fitting title for my first entry. Marc and I have almost been married 11 months. What a fantastic journey we are on. Each day presents itself with new situations and scenarios. We are learning more and more about each other and how we work as a couple. I am blessed to have married the man of my dreams.

We live and work in Richland, Washington. Maybe not a big deal for some...but when you are a Canadian from the East, Richland is a long way from "home". How in the world did I end up living in the desert? Oh that's right...I fell in love. And there is no way I would go back.

Marc is an associate pastor here in Richland and I teach at a public elementary school. Life is full and busy for us. We are in the process of purchasing our first home and are tremendously excited about it. God of abundant blessing!

That's all for now.
K&M