On My Past Week's Activities

This week has been interesting, with family coming and going. Last Monday (or was it Tuesday?), we went on a hike at Silver Creek Falls, with Joshua wanting his daddy to gallop along the trail. Joshua also enjoyed splashing in the creek and throwing rocks at Double Falls. We cut back at Winter Falls, which was a wet patch of rock. August isn't the best time to see the falls.

And there was the family reunion from Thursday to Saturday. There was always someone there for a game of cards or putting together a puzzle. Most of the teenage boys spent the whole time playing video games. I loved zipping around the Puget Sound in Sid's boat. And we had singing and skits on Friday night. I especially enjoyed a song that Sid and Ben wrote about Frands Petersen.

Mom and I are teaching a new Primary class. Instead of the six-year-olds, we'll teach the ten-year-olds. This class is about half the size of the last one. And it makes it easier for me to fulfill my other calling of teaching nursery. They called me so someone would teach a lesson. But it seems like I spent more time mopping up spilled water.

Yesterday, Tawnia and I drove out to the beach and just sat on the sand for a few hours, enjoying the sound of the waves and the smell of the breeze. We walked a bit, but mostly we just read. I put on sunscreen, but I missed a couple of spots, so the backs of my legs and one shoulder got singed.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Sure hope you are able to celebrate your anniversary soon. I know you don't like being apart on your special day but it will be worth it when you're all settled in your new home. Take care and remember that I love you both and I'm so glad you're a part of our family and part of my life.

Love ya,
MOM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYAN!!!

Hello Bryan,
I hope you are having a wonderful birthday. I hear your party was on Saturday. Did you have a super time? Have a great year being seven.

Love always,
Grandma and Grandpa

blogging marathon

I just put up the last post from our vacation on my personal blog. (Eric, did you ever get your account figured out to get in there?) I also put vacation pictures on Facebook, since my blog is private with a very limited number of viewers.

I don't know who all is reading my politics blog these days, but I've been posting about the health care stuff. Not that I like health care, and not that I'm particularly interested in it. Because I'm not. I am interested, however, in not having Congress and the President entirely crush what's left of the economy before it has a chance to get back on solid ground. So I'm absolutely opposed because of the cost. We can discuss the merits of government-run health care and whether it's a right or a commodity some other time.

The recipe blog has suffered from a lack of attention because I haven't been cooking for about a month now. Adam has cooked dinner every night since we got back from our trip because I'm braindead and just don't come up with any ideas of what to cook. I need to get back into that.

And I posted on the sisters' blog earlier in the week because I finished 2 more things on my Top 100 list. Hooray! And I've got 3 more that I will finish by the end of next month.

Sorry if that's too much for you all to read right now, with Eric and Jared both in the middle of moving and everyone else in Oregon for the reunion. (Wish we were there with you!) But maybe you can go through all the pictures together or something, and someone do me a favor and find out what Sid thinks of the health care stuff. I'm curious to know if he's a doctor who wants this kind of reform, or if not, what his other ideas are.

Emma Laughing

What do you think? Next $10,000 Winner?

Thanks for the Pics

Thanks for posting new pictures, Jared. I really liked the one of Emma at the zoo. She is getting so big. It's fun to see the things the kids have been up to lately. Brooke looks so cute in her glasses. I hadn't seen pictures of her wearing them. Did Bryan get his birthday present from us? If not it's in the mail. By the way, there are a couple of pictures that I couldn't see; the ones from April 20th. Thanks again,
Love ya,
MOM & Dad

home

We're back from Charlottesville, and now I will spend the next week digging us out of the disaster that is our open luggage and dirty laundry. And that's when Summer and Marnie leave me alone for 5 minutes instead of wanting me to read to them or paint or some other activity that requires my full attention. I'll send out an email when I get around to getting the vacation pictures posted on my personal blog - with the way our morning is already going (and it's not even 9 am yet), I'll be surprised if I even get them downloaded today. At least my first trip to the grocery store is already done! We dropped off Adam at 7:15 this morning and went straight to the store. We came out of the store at 8:04 am, and it was already 85 degrees and 80% humidity. Hooray. When it's already too hot and muggy to go to the park at 8 am, you know you're in for a bad day. (Week? Month?)