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!

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 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.

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!

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.

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.

Wow-this past weekend was a tough one. My mom was sent to the hospital with some heart-related issues. I’m grateful it wasn’t a heart attack, but it was so scary for her and her husband and everyone else in the family. I hope she knows how much I love her and how grateful I am that she’s my mom. Be good to yourself Mom and take care of YOU.

I’m thankful for my wonderful husband who, when I was a worried wreck, just held me and then even took me shopping. Let’s just say we stimulated the economy at Bed Bath and Beyond, and Molbaks-two of my favorite stores. We helped Home Depot out at well. My mama always told me, “When life gets tough, the tough go shopping.” Apparently, I’m pretty tough.

Then yesterday, the kids and even our grandkids came over and helped us move 15 YARDS of topsoil up a hill, rake, roll and smooth-so that we could replant some of our lawn. After the patio, we were left with quite a step and the moles we’d had in the past left holes in the lawn, etc. Bruce seeded last night, so now all we have to do is to sit around and watch the grass grow…:) RIGHT. Like we have time for that, right?

Our kids took time out of their busy schedules to help us with this. I can’t tell them how much I love them and appreciate them. Beth took pics…we had a lot of laughs too. Thank you!

Beth put on a really fun party for Alyssa who is now 8 and Jake who is now two. We had a great time! 

Okay, first of all, y’all get your minds out of the gutter!
J (scraping the bottom of the moisturizer jar): Shoot! I’m out of moisturizer.
B (half asleep): Well, we’ll just have to get you some more.
J: I know, but it’s so expensive.
B (yawning): It’s okay. You need it.
J (one eyebrow raised and lips pursed): Really. Thanks.

P.S. Many thanks to Beth’s good friend, D. She hooked me up with some FREE stuff!

For Christmas I wanted to get Bruce something fun to do for one of his gifts…he had said he would like to race go-carts at a place we have close by. Ryan has gone a lot to this place and seems to always have a really good time. So, we tried once before-got the whole family together, had a great dinner-and off we went…only to find out we needed reservations. David made the reservations and Saturday was the big day. Bruce had a great time. He came in third in the last no-holes-barred race. Ryan is really good and he came in first followed by David. Bruce was telling me what their overall times were and Bruce and David weren’t too far behind Ryan. Good job you guys! Then there was me.

 
Let’s just say I gave it a try and seriously? What a wreck! Literally!
The helmet and “sock” made me feel a bit claustrophobic. The cars flat out went too fast (I was running the “slow” race). The man with the flag annoyed me. He kept indicating I needed to keep to the right and let people pass me…duh! He got so he was almost laughing every time I approached him (on the right) Hmmm. I wonder if I could have run over him. Probably not. More issues: I “kissed” the wall with the back of the car too many times and then when I was heading straight for my youngest two children (Jill had spun out and David stopped for her) I panicked and couldn’t remember how to stop! I crashed into them at full throttle.. left foot brake…right foot gas. Crap. So, Jill’s okay, David needs to see the chiropractor and I’m scarred for life because I nearly killed my youngest two kids. I drive like a grandma…well at least THAT makes sense.

Beth drove my final two races, much to my relief, and I got to hold Jake, much to my delight. Beth didn’t mention in her blog however, that she was getting car sick going around those turns. I mouthed to her as she was driving slower than anyone, “Are you okay?” She shook her head in the negative. I thought she was hurt, but she was just sick to her stomach. We made quite a pair that night! I’ve decided that my family is too competitive for my blood, oh wait..they ARE my blood. Well, they take after their Dad I always enjoy being with the family though.
Afterward we had a fun time at dinner. Thank you Ryan and Beth for dinner! Thank you David, Ryan, Beth, Jill and Drew for coming and making it a fun evening. And for not laughing TOO hard at me. Check out the pictures on Beth’s blog.