Spring Break

Wow, I’m behind on this. Sorry about that! Brent subtly told me he’d checked in to Beth and my blogs and we hadn’t updated. I think I’ve moved a bit over to Facebook, yet I know there are those out there who don’t use Facebook.

My last update was in January. Let’s see…January held Jill’s 26th birthday. It also was Jeff and Alyssa’s baptism. And NO snow this year!

In February Beth turned 32 (seriously hard to believe)  and Bruce and I finally celebrated his 60th birthday with tickets I had purchased nearly a year before for Billy Joel and Elton John. It was an amazing concert. And we were SO close to the stage. We spent the night at the famous Edgewater Hotel in Seattle and walked to and from the Key Arena. We ate at The Old Spaghetti Factory, which is on the way to the Key. I was a dummy and didn’t take the camera, because I thought they wouldn’t be allowed-like at the theatre. I think we were the only ones without a camera, and I’m so sorry I didn’t have it. I got a couple of pictures with my camera phone, but they just didn’t turn out very well. All in all, it was great fun. And after the party in November, we are finished celebrating Bruce’s 60th.

March brought birthdays again. Leif turned 79 and Alyssa turned 9 and Jake turned 3. Beth had a party for Jake and Alyssa. Jake was so funny. When Beth had her birthday, Jake literally wouldn’t sing “Happy Birthday” to her. He wanted it to be HIS birthday. He did however manage (when no one was watching) to demolish her cake (before we cut it) and get himself a piece, neatly placed on a plate. He thought HIS birthday party was wonderful. He caught the idea of presents being pretty cool at Christmas, and loves opening them! Alyssa is getting so grown up. She’s heading into the “pre tween” stage. *sigh* She’s a darling girl.

Sunday was Easter. Most of the family got together to laugh, eat, and laugh some more. Beth brought a can of whipping cream for the “entertainment”. We had seen a post on our nephew’s Facebook page where they put some whipping cream on the back of one hand, and with the other hand hitting the forearm of the whip cream hand, it launches the glob of whipping cream and you’re supposed to catch it in your mouth. It was pretty funny. We’re apparently not very good at it, because the deck looked like a flock of birds had landed there and left.   The mess was gone with the rain that night.

This week is Spring Break for me. I love the break. It’s a chance to get some things done around here. Life just wouldn’t be life without home projects, now would it? For the second time in 4 months, we are repairing a leak in the family room ceiling. I guess when a house hits the ripe old age of 20, things happen. Bruce has been working hard at repairing the problem and now we’re to the hardest part-taping and texturing the sheet rock. Ugh. I hate sheet rock dust! On the positive side: since another repair was completed such a short time ago, we won’t have to repaint the entire ceiling again (which goes into the kitchen and mini hallway).

Beth has made reservations for her family to go to Great Wolf Lodge later this month. Jake is so little and doesn’t really like water a lot (he stayed with me today so Beth could take the kids to the pool), so he’ll spend the weekend with us. We’re very excited!

We never did have snow this winter, and personally after last year, I am rejoicing! I’m ready for summer. Next year, bring it on. I’m happy it’s Spring Break…I am spending some time reading, finishing projects and napping. I’ll try to update more often. I do have to say, I enjoy Facebook a lot. I’ve found many friends from my past and have enjoyed reconnecting with them. A plus-when you move away for 28 years. Happy Spring!

A Masquerade for Jill and Drew

Jill and David both have decided they aren’t really into the whole blogging thing (it does take a lot of time), so they will occasionally send me pictures and news to keep family and friends updated on their lives.

Drew’s group at MS decided to have a masquerade ball for their Christmas party. So here are Drew and Jill in all their finery. Jill said she had fun-I think she had as much fun shopping for it as well. What a great idea!

Are they a handsome couple or what????!!!!  See-Jill is going to have to take the “mom comments” if I’m doing the blogging.

A Jill “funny”

It has become a bit traditional for Jill to send a Kringle to her Grandma Dar and Morfar for Christmas. Larsen Brothers Bakery is in Seattle and Leif originally told us about it from reading in his Danish newspaper years ago.http://www.larsensbakery.com/ Since then, we have been introduced to the best pastry ever! The Kringle is a pretzel shaped, WONDERFULLY sinful pastry with almond paste…mmmmm. So, on the same day Jill sent her gift to her grandparents, she ordered one for herself. She even enclosed her own gift card. In typical “Jill fashion”, she cracked herself up when she received her own Kringle after a tough day at work and read her own gift card:

 I think she enjoyed the Kringle too!

So much to catch up on!

For a year I’d been planning one big “covert” operation: A surprise 60th birthday party for Bruce in November.  My big distraction was an evening with Elton John and Billy Joel in concert in Seattle  that same month.  I began to worry when Elton John became ill and the concert was postponed. But the surprise came off anyway. Joining me in the surprise-and I must pass on many thanks-were our kids: Beth and Ryan, David and Kim, Jill and Drew. David  hosted the party at his house. My mom and Leif came, as did Bruce’s mom, brother, sister- in- law, niece and nephew- in -law. Our adorable grandchildren were there too. Other than the people, I think the hit of the party was the cake. It was custom-made and looks just like his treasured (still running by the way) ’49 Chevy pick-up. The multi-colors are authentically real-Bruce has part of the truck in primer and part is the brown color so many may remember. Hilarious! Here are some pictures from the party:

And more good news: The concert has been rescheduled for the first Saturday in February.

The “covert” operations completed and we settled into a nice Thanksgiving with our family and those family members that had stayed for Thanksgiving: Mom and Leif, Grandma Eppy. A busy, but fun time!

Christmas was a quiet one this year. Jill and Drew were in Georgia, so we missed them. Jim was in CA, visiting Mom and Leif. Jeff was home for Christmas Eve, so that’s when we had our dinner. This year potluck appetizers were chosen. Ryan even ate a mushroom appetizer-he loathes mushrooms! We also decorated gingerbread men-last year it got nasty and this year it did too. Funny family. Maybe we better clean it up next year and decorate gingerbread HOUSES. Knowing this family they can turn that into a funny thing too.  This year we also took the family to a really high-tech house with lights and music and even Santa on a projection screen TV in the front window.  Bruce and David are both thinking…”next year”. Uh oh…the planning begins.

The holidays are now completed and as I write this post, we are awaiting the arrival of the New Year. We have so much to be thankful for. We wish everyone a happy, healthy and amazing 2010!

Update on David

David has been a busy guy!  I’m reading through Facebook that many people are decorating for the holidays, sprucing up their homes with paint and carpet, etc…I realize this must be a genetic thing or maybe it’s that time of year. Since living in Washington, I use the weather to direct my activities: spring and summer-I’ll work outside. Fall and winter-I’ll stay in. Even though our temps are cooling here, we’ve had some nice fall days and my son is taking advantage of those days to finish outside projects and seems to use the rainier days to work inside.

David had told me he was painting the inside of his house-getting rid of the last of the builder’s paint. Then he added a new addition to enjoy the winter months indoors:He did well!  He says he wants to get another sectional piece as well. Maybe he’ll comment on this post to clarify.

Then, check out what he’s been doing outside! This really blows my mind. A couple of years ago, for his birthday, the family went in on a pond liner for David’s birthday. I guess he’s been accumulating other materials, and while he says it’s not finished, check out  what he has designed and built from scratch. He even has koi in there.

Then he put lighting in and around the pond:

Finally, this weekend he and Kim went shopping for plants. David called me today (with “sore feet”) and told me to check my email:

I’m surprised he only has sore feet! So, the bottom line, is that David has been super busy. AND in between all of this, he also took some time to help us tape and texture our family room ceiling-which had sprung a small leak.  Thanks David!

How about we all take a break now and cuddle up in our homes and with friends and family and REST!

Oh, and by the way, I’ve already claimed David to help with our pond next spring/summer. He’s already come up with some fun ideas!

Twenty-eight years!

Last weekend, Bruce and I celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary. While the number seems big, it just doesn’t feel that long to me.

We had a wonderful weekend out on the San Juan Island. What a fun adventure! We stayed at a B & B, then went whale watching for the first time ever. The website for the tour we chose, guaranteed we’d see whales, or our next trip was free. I liked the sound of that! So, off we went. The pod had moved from its spot earlier in the day and so our boat “chased” the pod. It got really fun when the pod turned around, just as we were settling in nearby and one Orca headed straight for us!  We saw the Orcas as well as some dolphins.  We ended up circumnavigating the island. Words cannot explain how beautiful the day was.

http://fridayharbor.com/

That evening we headed to Roche Harbor for dinner. While we were strolling on the dock, some teens ran past us, then the announcement that they were retiring the colors was made. The whole evening  was charming.

http://www.rocheharbor.com/aboutus.html

It was a beautiful time away with my sweetheart. Thank you for the great weekend, the wonderful life we’ve made and for the wonderful family we have. I love you.

The Cabin

The weekend after the reunion, we headed down to the cabin. On the way, we stopped and saw Tom and Marty and their new home. Tom’s workshop is amazing, and they seem happy there. We saw some wild turkeys which kind of cracked me up.  Tom and Marty have a lot of land. I hope for their sake they keep it mostly natural, because, all I can say is that I’m glad I’m at the “end” of our landscaping days.

On the way to the cabin, it got really smokey. There was a forest fire burning and the smoke was pretty thick. It was totally gone after we go to the cabin, however. When we drove up, everyone was sitting around the campfire, roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. Beth and Ryan had arrived the day before, and Jill had surprised Mom and Leif that day, by flying into Reno, renting a car and going over the pass. My mom wanted to know where David was.   He was missed.   

It was nice being up at the cabin again. It had been about 5 years since we’d been there. It was fun being there with the kids. Jake was sick the whole time but, being the trooper that he is, he did just fine. I think Beth was a bit anxious about him as his eye was swollen shut every morning. We’re still not exactly sure what was going on with him, but something started before they’d left, and Beth had him to the doctor and got an antibiotic-just in case it was an infection. It was, but we’re still not sure what he had.

Bruce went fishing, and horseback riding! I was stunned about the horseback riding. Nobody caught any fish-I guess they’re waiting for you next summer, Brent.   I was able to see the new lodge at Kennedy’s…it is really nice. Mom and Leif treated us all to a delicious prime rib dinner. Thank you! On the way down to the Bay Area, Bruce and I stopped at Donnell Vista. Bruce was pretty impressed. When we got home, since he’d been in the upper meadow and to Donnell Vista, I showed him the Little House on the Prairie episode that was filmed there. He easily recognized the sites.  Thank you Mom and Leif for a wonderful and restful trip to the cabin.

On the way to Bruce’s mom’s home, we stopped to see Todd and Lena and their new home. Bruce quickly bonded with Cooper.   It was good to see Todd and Lena. They seem very happy in their new home and it was funny how Lena responded to the Kringle we brought them. Leif will need to hide his, in the future.

We spent the next few days in the Bay Area. Bruce’s mom treated us to the Monterey Aquarium-which was new to us, as it was built after we had moved up here. We drove up the coast to Half Moon Bay to enjoy more ocean views. We were able to have dinner with Judy-it was fun to chat with her again. We were able to help Mom with her yard a bit. Bruce made the watering system a little easier for her to work with. There was a family dinner on Friday night and everyone brought a lot of food. We saw Tom and Marty, Michael and Melissa, and Tom, Shelly and Lane. Lane is a cutie and warmed up after a bit. He’s so smart and loves talking about the solar system: “So, Lane, which planet is blue?”  Lane: Neptune of course “What makes Neptune blue?” Lane (laughing): Methane gas!  (But it’s cute how he says “methane”.)  I hadn’t seen Lane since right after he was born, so it was fun. Thank you all for the food and hospitality. Now it’s YOUR turn to come HERE.

On Saturday, Bruce and I went to San Francisco. We love to get there early and sit in the park right below Ghirardelli Square and watch people, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate bridge emerge from the fog. We walked there first, then back to Fisherman’s Wharf for a crab cocktail, then back to the chocolate factory for a sundae, then back to the Wharf again. Bruce got me a cute Christmas ornament from a street vendor-a tree with a cable car at the top and Lombard Street twisting down the front (we went down Lombard too-such pretty hydrangeas in bloom right now). We were tired, and decided to head out of town as it was starting to get too crowded for us. After we crossed the Golden Gate, I put my seat back and took a nap. It was a nice trip.

I didn’t take any pictures…but check out Beth and Jill’s blog for some of the cabin ones.

The 2009 Family Reunion

So, Bruce, Brent and I had our hands full. Fuller than I had anticipated. But we made it through the reunion and I think everyone had a nice time.  Between 50 and 60 people came. My younger brother Jim had spiffed the yard and it was looking very nice. Bruce took a lot of people on a boat tour of Lake Washington and Brent…well, I have to say that guy cooked and cooked and cooked! Friday night was appetizers, salads and “tastes of the NW”(salmon and crab).  But Saturday-that was the memorable day! The theme was “Tastes of the South” and boy did Brent give everyone a treat-from Jambalaya, to pulled pork, to shrimp creole. The desserts were amazing too: pecan pie, chess pie, hummingbird cake and my new favorite: bread pudding with a whiskey sauce. Yum! Brent had sent beads which we threw in the trees, and doubloons which were on the tables. David had helped me get the music just right for the setting: Dixieland jazz with Louis Armstrong and Pete Fountain. I had strung white Christmas lights in the trees and we had tiki torches going for the mosquito control, however they too, looked festive.

All my kids were amazing. Beth, your behind-the-scenes help was so needed and appreciated. I don’t think the “show” would have run the same without you. Thank you! David-thank you for the table, the speaker set up and the ummm, how did Brent put it? Oh yeah. Thank you for the “distilled beverages”.   Jill, thank you for taking all the pictures, for the last minute ice purchases and of course, being the local guide for hiking trails.  Everyone was very happy to meet our kids and really seemed to enjoy our lovely state. Many extended the reunion weekend and made this a vacation destination as well. I hope it wasn’t too hot. Washington just happened to hit an all time record right after the reunion. We made our escape to California to cool off at the cabin.

This is sure a fun and generous group!  Thank you to everyone for your support!

There goes the neighborhood!

These neighbors are not new, but seem to be loitering in the area lately-right across the street. They are pretty, aren’t they? I am glad, however, that my backyard is fenced and my veggie garden is protected.

Weekend project

Bruce worked hard and had help from Jeff and myself to get this arbor up. Finally we can walk down the steps without being smacked in the face by the forsythia or grape. 

Next, we’ll “paint” the steps to match the patio.