50th Anniversary at Sandy Bay Cottages

The highlight of our trip was a week long stay at Sandy Bay Cottages, near Peterborough, Ontario. It was an amazing time with so many people to talk to and so many activities for both kids and adults. We will never forget our time together. We are so thankful that God has blessed us with this great family as well as blessed our parents with 50 years of marriage. (The only thing missing here is our entire family photo. That was quite something to pull off & in the chaos I didn't get that one on my calendar. Once I get that that one I'll post it later....)

Birthday Lunch with the Ladies...

While I was in Ontario I had my birthday. It's become a bit of a tradition to go out for lunch with all the sisters, sisters-in-laws, and married neices for birthdays. Here's a few shots of us out for lunch - at the end of the table was the youngest grandchild Ryeanne as well as the first great-grandchild Tyler - both got lots of attention from the ladies... So cute!!

25 Years Ago...

Last week we returned home from a family trip to Ontario. During that trip I was able to get together with some high school friends (and elementary...). We went to dinner at Milestones and had a nice time catching up. Much has changed but certain things never do - we can still act like kids when we get together!

Birthday Month!

July is a busy month in our family as far as birthday's go. Jocelyn's was last Friday & unfortunately I didn't get any photos. She had some friends over from Langley on Friday evening and then a big surprise birthday party on Sunday evening. It was fun to see her face as a huge line up of cars came down the road - honking their horns. First a look of confusion - after all her birthday was over - and then a realization that the fuss was about her. Lots of good fun. Hannah had her friends over on Saturday evening and I did get a few photos. This was more because I was proud of my new skill at decorating cupcakes. I went to Michael's and bought this cute cupcake holder to display them - I think you'll be seeing this again at future birthdays!

Weekend on the Peninsula

This past weekend we took a motorhome (rented/borrowed) and went to visit a friend's (parents) cabin on lakefront (Timberlakes) property near Shelton. We had such a wonderful time getting to know their extended family. We did tons of fishing, sitting around, badminton, eating and, did I mention eating? We also enjoyed a fabulous 4th of July fireworks show - the entire community around this small lake goes all out and puts on the most amazing show we've ever seen. We almost felt bad that we hadn't paid to be there... Here's also a few pictures of us in Bremerton - three of us toured a retired battleship and we all enjoyed the aircraft carriers that are docked at the base there.

Happy 4th of July

Before we leave for the weekend to go to a friend's cabin (Bremerton area) I thought I better post quickly. We're all doing well - not having the warmest beginning to summer but enjoying it nonetheless. Here's a photo of Alec and his friend when we were at Cultus Lake waterslides. We try to go there in June while they run a great "after school" special - except we're out of school by then.

Wishing all of you a Happy 4th of July (or Canada Day) and enjoy your weekend!

Nice car...

I couldn't resist putting this picture up - here I am bringing my boss's car back from the airport. This is probably the first and last time I'll drive a porsche. Nice car...

8th Grade Graduation

This weekend marked the long-awaited 8th grade graduation ceremonies for Hannah. It turned out to be a beautiful celebration. I was on the "decorating committee" and spent the better part of the afternoon making our gym fabulous-looking for the occasion. When we were finished we discovered a very nasty smell in the kitchen which turned out to be a sewer backup at the school. We had the privilege of taking everything down and starting over in the church. (grrrrr...) Here's some photos - presenting the newest highschool students of CCS!!

Alec's Birthday

Here's a few pictures of Alec's birthday party. He had a few boys over - they went to the skateboard park and then played games at our house. On his actual birthday he wanted "breakfast in bed". The only problem is that he wakes up on Saturdays before me (often) and so he had to go back to bed to have his breakfast...

So beautiful...

Pictures don't do justice to what I saw at the end of last week. We try to have a weekly staff meeting & since we're meeting with people south of us we get to fly to our meetings. On the way back it was an absolutely beautiful evening - totally clear and quiet. In order to see the sunset on the ocean & islands we used up some time and flew around Mt. Baker for a while. We were close enough to see the steam escaping at the top (yes, it's active) as well as see a few hikers' camps. It was absolutely amazing - takes your breath away. We definitely know God through His creation. Here's a few photos...

Celtic Women

Finally, this past Monday arrived after much anticipation and we could drive down to Seattle to pick Lorelle up! One year of College is complete... already! She drove across country with two friends immediately after her last exam. They parted ways in Kennewick, WA - as one of the friends who had the vehicle went down to Portland and another friend's Dad from Tacoma picked the other two up. All we had to do was meet them in Seattle on Monday evening and take her home. The weather has been fantastic and she's enjoying some down time before she starts work at the CHCC.

Last night the women in our home had the pleasure of going to a Celtic Women Concert in Seattle. We love watching this group on PBS but never thought we'd actually go see them in person. When I received an email that their tickets were being deeply discounted I couldn't resist! It was a fabulous performance - they are a class act! When we arrived at the theatre the girls immediately spotted a nice looking young man fully outfitted in his scottish kilt. The braver one in our family decided to ask him if we could have a picture taken with him. It turns out - as his mother informed us - he plays in a celtic band himself and was wearing his band "outfit". The girls had fun dressing up for the evening and it was truely a night to remember!

Washington State Republican Party Fundraiser Dinner/Gala

Here's a few snapshots of a dinner I attended with most of our campaign office staff - the Washington State Republican Party Fundraiser Dinner in Bellevue. We had a nice time - it was definitely a fundraiser as the auction lasted right through dinner & afterwards. It's always interesting trying to have a conversation while someone is auctioning through a loudspeaker. The main speaker was Governor Tim Pawlenty (Minnesota) - enjoyed his speech and had a nice time overall!

Science Fair

Not the greatest pictures, but here's a little peak at the Science Fair activities from Hannah & Alec. Hannah did a presentation on yeast with a friend - also changed my cinnamon bun recipe into a Pizza Roll (they were very good!). Alec did his presentation on the brain - using an activity to show how difficult it is to use both sides of the brain at the same time. I'm always a bit apprehensive when the Science Fair looms on the horizon - we're just not that strong in that area & don't usually shine that well... As I tell my kids, you can't be good at everything but you can certainly try!