Happy Birthday!

Big Birthday Eve

15 years ago tonight we had Sandra D. come share a meal and run through newborn care with us. Tonight we honored that night with food -- again! Since we are far too often eating out, we tend to sign up for all sorts of "clubs" that get us free food around our birthday time. Tonight was no different. Tiana got the coupon from Famous Dave's BBQ and it was good for something -- anything from a free dessert to the great big huge All-American Feast (feeds 4-6). We usually get the puny stuff, but not tonight!!We got the great big $60 platter of far-too-much food for free!! And she even got a small sundae afterward!
We made it through a lot of the food (actually more ended up being gone by the end of the meal!) with just a few leftovers!
I thought this picture looked almost like she was about to lose her meal, although it was just a slow camera phone in low-light! All told -- Dinner tab $0!!! Yes, of course we left a tip! And? When it was all said and done, after a number a ribs, a few bites of chicken, a bit of pulled pork, 1½ corn muffins, some mac-n-cheese, some beans and a lot of coleslaw, a few bites of ice cream and water, what did Tiana have to say? "I'm hungry!"

It happens every year!

Today we went on our annual foodie venture downtown. We've missed only 2 Bites -- one when Tiana was born and one the year we lived in Montana. It's always fun to try something new, although Tiana's pretty stuck in the Piroshky rut. Doesn't help much that some pretty "hot" guys are manning the booth! Kent had a BBQ pork sandwich from a mobile vendor whose "van" looks like a pig, a burger and some pelmeni (we all shared that). I had a phyllo dough "pie" filled with an herbed chicken (it was about 2 bites!), an equally small raspberry filled "pie", some coconut prawns with pad thai and a marionberry shortcake. I saw that one place was serving Guiness Stew, but that was what was printed in the paper. The reality was -- there was no Guiness Stew! :( Tiana and McCaela also shared a skewer of dark chocolate covered strawberries. There were several booths of goodies, bands and the most fun to watch was the DockDog Dog "Diving" Competition!

We are whole again!

I picked Tiana up at the airport today and so now we are a whole family at home again! She's been the last little over 10 days in Oregon. First with all of us at Todd and Tammy's, then with Jon and Traci, down to the rafting trip and back to J and T's and then on home. Sounds like she had fabulous, heart-touching, growth-worthy experiences that are likely to stay with her for a lifetime! Everything from familiar egg gathering to the brand-new water-fight-included-river-rafting-trip that wasn't near as scary as anticipated! Of course, there was horse-back riding, a bit of shopping, helping elderly friends and introducing a younger cousin to the fine art of dining out at a sit-down restaurant SANS ADULTS!!! ☺☺ (Even making mom proud by remembering a better than 15% tip for the server!) Extreme thanks to those who helped make this week so extra special (that includes some who are "simply" in the background)! Welcome Home, little one! (I "can't" say that really any more, especially not with a birthday coming soon!)

Sunshine, old sunscreen and a great day anyway!

Kent and I went to Bonnie and Larry's cabin today. We put on the 30 SPF sport cream, but both of us are quite red in spite of it! Must have expired?! Morgan and Sandra, Jase, and Jolyn, and Kate, Derrick and Zoe were all there too! We played ladder golf, some of us went in the canoe, some in the dinghy, some on the Hobie sail boat, some swam, we all ate and just enjoyed a very relaxing, beautiful day! The day was actually a bit cloudy at the start so I wasn't sure what the day would bring, but the sun came out, we burned and now we're ready to call it a day! Thanks Bonnie and Larry!!

Oh, and we heard from Tiana that she had the most fun ever!! She was on a rafting trip/potluck/volleyball/games/fellowship get-together down in Oregon!

July 5 - A day to play

In all the years we've lived here, we've never been to Camano Island. It's often been in the news lately due to a young punk who delights in stealing from people, even leaving fingerprints, and never being caught. Anyway, after traveling the island today, Kent and I have a greater appreciation for what law enforcement is up against!! LOTS of trees, LOTS of cliffs leading to the sea, LOTS of places to slip away. And it isn't the smallest island, either!! Gorgeous homes, gorgeous views and two state parks that beg to be explored at a later date. One of the parks has waterfront cabins that are just super cozy and the other has places to truly "camp" - in tents or RVs. Prices aren't bad either! The day started out extremely grey and lackluster, but ended up clearing up much nicer than I expected. We are SUPPOSED to be on our way to the first real bit of summer so far this year!! Keeping our fingers crossed! You can join us for a bit of our adventure by clicking on our picture.

Fourth of July in Oregon

Friday afternoon we drove down to Oregon to Todd and Tammy's place for their annual (mostly) teen get-together. This is the first year we've been able to go. They had 14 boys and 5 girls stay the night Friday night. There was laser tag, VOLLEYBALL (a standard!), bonfire, s'mores, swings, basketball, more laser tag, more volleyball, pizza, indoor games (can't spoil it and tell you about these!), homemade treats and fellowship. This morning there were homemade cinnamon rolls, more volleyball (notice a trend?!), baseball and a potluck around noon for even MORE people. A few more teens were added, some much younger kids and many adults, too. So much fun was had by all! There were GREAT group outdoor games, races of varying types, water balloon tosses, all sorts of fun! Tonight they were going to have a sing and be all together for Meeting tomorrow. We have Union Meeting, though, so we came home this afternoon. Tiana is actually spending the next just-over-a-week in central Oregon with Jon and Tracie. I'm sure she'll have a ton of great tales to tell when she gets home -- but probably after she first gets some sleep!! There are some pictures to be seen on our web album.

Have a very happy and safe 4th of July!! Happy 234th Independence Day, America!