I survived!

Well, I survived the first of three visits to get this permanent crown in place on my poor wittle tooth. The procedure itself wasn't that bad at all, but it was pretty sore after the fact. I took the prescribed pain medicine, followed by a slightly involuntary nap, and now things are looking up! I'm looking forward to a quiet celebration of the new year with friends. Wishing everyone a safe and happy evening! :-)

This made me laugh today

AND, as it turns out, my dental appointment is tomorrow morning, so I have time to get a prescription filled to help ease my troubled mind. Hooray! :-)

Ugh

I completely forgot until a few hours ago that I have to go in to the dentist in the morning to get a crown. Well, I'll get the temporary one tomorrow. It will require getting shots in my mouth, and that makes my stomach twist into knots and threaten to give me back my supper. Normally, my nice dentist gives me a prescription for Valium which helps me to practically take a nap while sitting in the chair with a cozy blanket (that they give me to help the uncontrollable shivering), but I didn't get that part taken care of in time. We've pretty much been in lock-down due to all the snow, and people are just starting to drive, and offices are just starting to open, and I just plum' FORGOT about it! So, I have one little Xanax that I was saving for an emergency, but I'm not sure how much good it will do me. I like my dentist, and dental procedures in general don't bother me . . . once we get past that part involving needles. I suppose, if I can handle B12 shots every other week (and I NEVER imagined I could handle that) I will make it through this, too, but right now I'm not feeling so confident. I keep reminding myself that I have given birth, for pete's sake, but it's not helping. I'll report back tomorrow if I survive without a nervous breakdown. :-)

Happy Birthday!

This kid has the life. :-) She built a throne of snow in our front yard to sit upon as Queen of her World. She's built a snowman in the park (with a little help from Daddy),

made cookies for Santa,

and Santa was very good to her this year! And to top it all off, TODAY she turns 8 years old!
I cannot believe this child was once the tiny little baby I held in my arms like a doll. Now she's almost as big as me! They do grow up fast.

I think

she likes the snow.

Who needs snow tires?

When you can ski right through town? This guy found a much smarter way to cruise past our house today. :-)

Meanwhile

my mother has called, and our chats include her descriptions of the practically tropical, almost 80 degree weather she's been enjoying. Normally I feel that all that warmth would just kill my Christmas buzz, but right now I'd take it.

If you don't hear from me in a few days . . .

Please come dig me out. For the first time since we've lived her, there is a blizzard warning in the mountains. Some areas a short drive from my house may get up to a foot and a half of snow. The area around my home, which usually doesn't retain snow at all, may get anywhere from 5 to 12 inches, on top of the stuff that's already on the ground. And did I mention that the roads are completely frozen solid? I know that some of you folks in other parts of our country think this is no big deal, considering the deep freezes that happen in your neck of the woods, but we just aren't really prepared for this sort of thing. I only pray that my power stays on, or I will build a cocoon of blankets and my family and I may emerge at the new year. If I can type in spite of the shivering of my entire body, I'll keep you posted.

Strrreeeeeetch

Do you get excited when you see a limo? I do! I always have, and I just can't explain it. My imagination gets the best of me and starts making up stories about the people inside. For me, limo equals glamour and intrigue - even though usually it's just a pile of teenagers on their way to a formal! I've never actually been in a limo, which might add to the intrigue. And have you seen all the different styles of limo? There are the top-end Bentley's and Corvette limos along with the classics. You can even get various SUV limos, a Harley Davidson limo (a bicycle built for 20?), and even a mini Cooper, which I think defeats the purpose. Maybe one day I'll have my own VIP experience. For now, I'll just continue in my amazement and curiosity when I see one of them stretching down the road!

Be Careful What You Wish For

We woke up this morning to a blanket of snow on the ground, and it kept coming down hard and heavy all morning. We tried to sled a little, but the snow was so powdery that it was a little difficult. It is a lovely sight, but I'm glad I didn't feel inclined to try and drive in it. Matt was already scheduled to work today, but the police department also had to call in every extra body they could get just for traffic control. He has already had one car slide into him while trying to block a road, and even had a sand truck sliding toward him sideways! I think people really overestimate their driving skills and underestimate the ice for some reason!

I'm about to take my poor doggies out for a walk. Sam loves it, but he is very tall and has a thick coat. Ozzy (the bulldog) is very low to the ground, so I feel bad for him but he has to potty! That reminds me - don't eat the yellow snow!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

As I sit her typing this, I'm relishing the fact that we warmed up to a balmy 37 degrees today. It meant that we didn't get much snow, but that will probably be coming tonight as we sleep. At times like these, I am able to sit in the warmth and comfort of my home, sipping coffee or cocoa and bundling up. It allows me to appreciate the beauty of the landscape outside when the wind is whipping the trees and everything is dusted white. I worry about those who live their entire lives outside, though. While I'm dreaming of sledding, they are worried about their very lives, and trying desperately to find a way to keep warm. We have several emergency shelters opening in the area, and I am grateful for that.

I remember last year during our winter storm that caused so much horrible flooding, I panicked at the thought of people being unable to stay warm or even dry! I knew a few of the areas where homeless camps were located, so I went out and bought lots of blankets, tarps, gloves, hats, and those little hand-warmer bags that you can tuck in your pockets. I was on a mission. Until I told my husband. The cop. He forbade me to traipse into the woods alone, but I was determined to get those things to people who could use them. In the end, we agreed that the best thing was to take them down to the Salvation Army so the Major there could hand them out the people he knew could use them most during the free luch hour. So, that's what I did. And I don't CARE why those folks were living in the woods. I know that many of them live lives of crime that dumped them on the streets, but I don't care. Not all of them are criminals. Some of them have mental illnesses that prevent them from functioning in normal society, and they don't have loved ones to take care of them. Some of them probably found themselves unemployed, got behind on their bills, lost everything, and haven't been able to come back from that. When you think about it, that could so easily happen to any of us. In our current economy, we will probably see more of it. Anyway, it angers me when people do nothing to help because they think it's more important to place blame than to give a hand. Why does it matter? They are still God's children just like you and me that hit some hard luck somewhere, and they deserve to know kindness.

I guess you could say I'm on my soapbox tonight. I'm saying a prayer that those who need it will find their way to our shelters and get some food and a warm bed tonight. Let us all remember there is goodness left in the world.

Happy Birthday

to my mom! I wish I could be there to celebrate with her, but I spoke to her earlier and I am convinced she's spending her day just like she wants to!

Hooray!

Haleigh and I went to see The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever tonight, and it was wonderful. It caused our evening to end a little later than usual, so she was just getting into bed around 10:45. It had been sprinkling tiny snowflakes throughout the day, and we peeked out the window to check the progress . . . as you can see, she was excited, because she saw this:

Next thing I knew, she had bolted out the door (her father might have had something to do with that). She considered coming back inside when she felt the chill.

Then she took off down the sidewalk and we haven't seen her since.

I'm just kidding. I promise. Sorry, Grandma. :-)

A picture, and a sweet evening

Haleigh and I hardly ever get all dressed up and take pictures, but we managed to sneak one in last night. We had a truly magical evening. It started several weeks ago with Haleigh determined to pick out the "most special dress" in anticipation of our trip to see The Nutcracker. We've been 4 of the last 5 years, and she loves it. It's always entertaining for me to watch her because each year it's as if she's never seen it before! Well, except for the fact that she basically has the whole thing memorized, but she is just so excited each time that it's brand new all over again!

We attend a local production, even though we have the option of going to Seattle to see the bigger-than-life Pacific Northwest Ballet version. We have never been disappointed. Our local Peninsula Dance Theatre puts on a fabulous show complete with a live orchestra. We always get reserved seats near the front so Haleigh can walk up and see the instruments in the orchestra pit. I discovered the only downfall to those super-close seats this year when Haleigh turned to me as the Nutcracker Prince danced across the stage in his white tights and said "mom, he really ought to wear underwear." Well. I just explained to her that he WAS, they were just part of the outfit.

It really was a special night, and I'm glad I have this picture of us to remember it by.

Don't Know Why I Love Her So

Yes, I do. It's because she writes things like this. Haleigh's teacher gave them a poetry assignment, the "I am" poem. Here's Haleigh's. It is all at once profound, simple, elegant, poignant, adult and innocent - it is her. And I just love it.

I am beautiful and talented
I wonder if I get to go to Georgia next summer
I hear my heart beat
I see me riding on a flying unicorn

I am beautiful and talented
I pretend I'm a famous singer
I feel the blood running through me
I touch the clothes that are on me
I worry if I'm going to die
I cry when I don't get my way

I am beautiful and talented
I understand that you don't always get what you want
I say prayers at night
I dream about horses
I try to get good grades
I hope that no one in my family dies

Something new

I learn things about this great state of Washington all the time. In the 6 1/2 years we've been here, we've embraced and fallen in love with our new home 3,000 miles from where we started. The scenery and wildlife never cease to amaze, and it really does have the best of everything. There's farmland in the east, mountains and beaches in the west, even our own rain forest! But TODAY I learned something I never knew! Our own Yakima Valley is the producer of 80 % of the hops in America! Not only are we getting well-known for our wine country, we have a starring role in beer, too. So, next time you raise a glass, go ahead and toast the fine Washingtonians who helped bring you that cool refreshing beverage! LOL

Deck the halls!

We got our Christmas tree today! It was quite a different scene from last year, when it snowed and sleeted on us the entire time we were out there! I tend to take my sweet time picking out a tree, so we were thankfully well bundled! Naturally, this year in the mostly sunny almost 60 degree weather, I found the perfect tree within about ten minutes. It was such a rare occurrence that I still insisted we walk around a little while longer "just in case."

The winner this year was a lovely blue spruce, a new type of tree for us. They were not available for sale last year, but I'm so thankful they were ready this year. They are a little more full than a Noble, but just perfect for hanging every ornament you own! Their branches can take the load, but they are PRICKLY! We're hoping it deters the kitty from climbing (so far, so good), but we sacrificed our fingertips while we decorated!

I just love tree-cutting day at our house. We go as early as possible (usually the day after Thanksgiving) and the tree farm we go to is a sight to behold. Hubert's is a family-owned operation in the shadow of the Olympics, (that's it in the picture!) and it is breathtaking to walk the acres of 10 different kinds of trees while gazing at the snow-covered mountains around you. In the evening, we set the tree up and string the lights while listening to Christmas music and sipping eggnog. Haleigh is now old enough that she participates fully in hanging the ornaments, starting with her special ones. We set up the nutcrackers - one is a police officer, one is Uncle Drosselmeyer, and one is Uncle Sam! Then, I light some candles and we just relax together as a family. This year, Haleigh hung a picture of her grandma front and center on the tree and announced that she would be having Christmas at her house next year. We asked if it was ok if grandma just came and spent the night here and she was ok with that. So, grandma, we need to work that out, ok? LOL

I hope you are all getting in the Christmas spirit!

Love is . . .

all about the little things. Thursday night, I realized I had missed an episode or two of The Office, and didn't know about one of the story lines. My hubby noticed last night that one of the ones I missed was on, so he recorded it for me to watch when I got home. I know it's silly, but that consideration felt really great. Those little moments are the backbone of great love, I believe. It's about kindness, and knowing what the other person would like, then doing it. I think I'll keep him.

There was an old lady who swallowed a frog

Well, I'm not exactly an old lady, but it sure sounds like I swallowed a frog! Our house has been under a plague since last weekend involving a cold times all three of us and a stomach virus times just one of us. My child bounced right back after 2 days of feeling yucky with just some residual stuffiness. I've been fighting it all week and have now managed to lose my voice from coughing, so I'm just croaking along. My poor husband had the stomach virus from H-E-double hockey sticks most of the week, on TOP of the cold we've all been passing around. YUCK! Add to that the flood watch we're under since we're getting our first good winter dumping of rain, and you can imagine what the mood has been like!

So much has been happening in the world this week, and I normally would have been blogging about it all! But, it just wasn't in my cards to do much at all. I think tonight we might finally be crawling out of the fog, though!

Interesting side note: Did you know the state amphibian of Oklahoma is the bullfrog???

I Voted!

Did YOU? I dropped my ballot off today at our local drop-off spot, and it was so exciting to see HUGE amounts of people doing the same thing! It doesn't matter a hill of beans to me who you voted for, I'm just proud if you did your civic duty! Isn't it a blessing to live in a country where we have some say-so in our government?

Happy Election Day to you all!

Just For Fun

As I was browsing through some of my pictures last night, I realized that I have a digital photo of almost every Halloween since Haleigh was born. Almost, because somehow I missed her second Halloween in 2002. It was her first one in Washington, and I can assure you she was a very sparkly, beautiful pink fairy, complete with magic wand. That was also the last year I picked out her costume.

In exhibit #1 (above) I think it is completely obvious that I was a giddy first-time mom. She looked adorable and we have some fabulous pictures of that first Halloween, but we were also still in Georgia - and she was a little warm in that get-up! She was also much more interested in eating leaves than taking pictures, but I will never forget how precious she looked traipsing around her great-grandmother's yard. She had just started walking (just under 10 months old!) and I personally can't get enough of wobbly little babies taking bow-legged strides of excitement. Add a butterfly costume and it's pure bliss.

2003 was the year of Disney princesses. Matt bought Snow White the movie for her when she was about 6 months old, rationalizing that she was going to love it one day, and we needed to get it before it went back in the vault! He was so right.

2004 started a cat trend. We found a black fuzzy leotard with long sleeves and pants (very important for northwest trick-or-treating), and made a tail out of a boa. This was the result: Haleigh in all her black cat glory, a.k.a. The Cutest Picture in the Universe.

2005 arrived and she wanted to be a tiger. I couldn't find a tiger costume anywere, so this one had to be ordered online. I think it turned out fabulous. I also think my kid might be the cutest kid to grace this earth . . . at least this year.

See, things started to get dark after that. She decided that "Halloween is supposed to be SCARY, mom!!!" So, for 2006 she wanted to be a witch. I tried to keep it as cute as possible (notice the silver sequins on the dress). Here she is with her friend Darth Vader.

Last year she outdid herself. 2007 was the year of the scary ghost. We had a lot of fun with that one, and I think she looks like the Ghost of Christmas Past. She was very into this costume.

And, of course this year she was Catwoman (see below). That was serendipitous find. Amazingly she wasn't at all interested in all the little tartlet outfits at Party City that attempt to make our little girls look like Playboy Bunnies. I'll be glad when that trend is over. Exhausted and hungry, with no costume solution in sight, we stopped at a small local costume shop and voila! There was Catwoman on the bottom shelf. Problem solved!

I hope you all had wonderful Halloweens! Thanks for indulging me in my trip down memory lane.

Happy Halloween!

This picture was snapped yesterday before it started raining. :-) We are having a classic northwest halloween in our neck of the woods - cloudy and drizzly. But, out here, if you let the rain stop you, nothing would ever get done. So, a' trick-or-treating we will go! My little Catwoman is quite excited about all the candy, as usual.

So how are you guys celebrating this festive day?

Too much cuteness

One week ago, Haleigh attended a mini-cheer camp hosted by our local high school's cheerleaders as a fundraiser. The girls arrived and got their very own pom-pom's and a souvenir t-shirt which they all immediately changed into). They were divided up into age groups and spent 3 hours learning a few cheers, a short dance routine, and falling madly into hero worship of the high school girls. As if this were not enough to completely make their day, they were invited to come back this weekend as special guests at Friday's game.

So, last night we got ready for some home town fun. :-) Haleigh and the other girls had their very own reserved section right in front of the cheerleaders. At the end of half-time, they got to go down and cheer with the older girls for a few minutes. It was almost too adorable for me to handle. Those little girls were so star-struck!

This week, my mother-in-law had her final chemo treatment. She still has a few doctor visits including a scan to make sure everything looks good, but after that things are still a little uncertain. I am so proud of her determination to face this with a positive attitude and get through it! It would have been hard for anyone, but she has had a particularly horrible year. I am filled with so much admiration for how she has handled it. If a person's true character comes forth when they go through trials and tribulations, then she is practically a saint. I wish so much that we could have been physically closer to help, but I know that we will be soon enough. In fact, I saw a story on the news today that seven of our Puget Sound orcas are missing. Scientists assume the worst, but I have my own theory. Perhaps they just went to find their friend and bring her back to Washington! They have missed her, too!

Against the world

This morning we had huge drama at my house involving jeans that my daughter did not want to wear. I should explain that this child of mine refuses to wear jeans, except for horse riding lessons because it is basically a requirement. It started some time toward the end of last school year - she just cannot stand how they feel. So, when I determined it was truly bothersome to her and not just an attempt to make me insane (don't laugh, I know she plots against me), I decided to work with her rather than fight her. Mostly it's not been a big deal, but it has made me get more creative with clothing purchases, since removing jeans from the wardrobe means you don't have a bottom that everything goes with. So, imagine my pleasant surprise when she found a pair of jeans with sparkles that she adored. I made her try them on and she was further convinced that she must have them. So, I rationalized the prize with the fact that at least she would have ONE pair of jeans.

Today marked the first day of actually wearing them, and she had a fit when she tried them on. She cried and said they made her look fat, and she was not going to school. Fat. Where has she ever even heard that phrase? I snapped. I lost it. I was completely overwhelmed, and I think my brain was so stunned by the signals coming from my ears that it stopped working. I am not an image-obsessed person, and my child seems to be more concerned with clothing/fashion/make-up/attitude/etc. than me. Today was the straw that broke the camel's back. Did I mention she's SEVEN?

Needless to say, I completely stressed out that my little girl is having some image issues barely into her grade-school years. She acts at times like a bratty teenager. But what should I expet when someone in our society actually thought it was a good idea to market MATCHING APPARREL for little girls and their pimped-out Bratz. It infuriates me that I can't shield her from all the examples she sees all around her! I was playing with Business Barbie and Rainbow Brite at her age. She's surrounded by Bratz and images of spoiled rotten bimbo starlets who make being an idiot look glamorous. Her father said it right - I am one person against a whole world trying to teach her, and I just have to work harder. I could have really worked myself up into a tizzy about the whole thing, but tonight she gave me the break I needed. :-) It might not always seem like it, but I still have a lot of influence on that kid, along with the family and friends who love her. When she had free time to pick a movie tonight, she chose "Baby Take A Bow." Shirley Temple - now there's a role model I can live with.

Trying hard to embrace THIS change

Well, this has been an eventful week for me in my medical world. You might remember that I decided a while back to enlist the help of a naturopathic doctor to get my body back in balance. I had been diagnosed with an oddball little autoimmune thing called Sjogren's disorder, and my cholesterol was out of whack, even after trying for a year to get it under control. Since there is no obvious reason for my cholesterol to be bad (not even my love affair with cheese!), and I've just felt a little funky for quite a while now (I won't bore you with all the details), I knew I wanted to find out what the heck was going on and work on making my whole self healthy.

The first big news was that I have an issue with cow milk. Long story short, I cut out all dairy for 3 weeks, then had some dairy, and it shocked my system. It was unpleasant. So far milk is bad, and cream cheese. Sliced American didn't affect me much, and yogurt is just fine. I'll try brie soon and find out if life is still worth living. So, is the digestive upset the biggest problem? Nope. Turns out that my body doesn't absorb B12, most likely because of the dairy issue. So, I have a B12 deficiency. And you know what that means? I have to get a flippin' shot once a week for 4 weeks, then 2 more every two weeks, then probably once a month forever, unless my body does better and I can switch to the oral version. It's not an option for me at this point because my levels are so low.

Now, I have a needle phobia. Don't laugh. It's horrible, and it totally screws with me psychologically if anyone approaches me with one. This year, however, seems to be the one to cure me of this problem. I've had 2 surgeries involving 3 iv's, a billion labs done, one tetanus shot, and now I get to look forward to regular puncture wounds. Well, CRAP!

But you know what? I'm finally going to feel better. My low B12 means my body isn't taking good care of it's veins, and the cholesterol has lots of places to gunk up and stick around. I am a thin, healthy, 29 year old woman, and I would like my arteries to reflect that. I'm going to put on my big girl panties and be a WOMAN, because I am strong enough to handle this. When I need inspiration, I'll call my mother-in-law, one of the strongest women I know. Now she can tell me about some needles.

Hello, my name is Amy

I felt like I should re-introduce myself after the sporadic blogging I've been doing. :-)

I didn't intend to be away so long. It just got a little crazy around here, and I felt like my blog was destined to turn into a play-by-play of the school, work, soccer games, horse-riding lessons, etc. going on in my daily routine. Now, however, I feel like we are all adjusting well to a new school year. When Haleigh started school, I basically doubled my work hours. Although I am still working part-time, it has taken some getting used to. Bless my bosses' hearts, I still have lots of flexibility and Tuesdays off - so I get to hang out with my lovely husband some more. :-)

Best of all - it's FALL!!!!! My soul feels more nurtured every day that I see more colors on the trees. The cooler air invigorates me, and I think I get more excited about pumpkin patches than most children. I love living in a place where there are 4 distinct seasons.

Happy fall to y'all!

If you have a moment . . .

A cool story about one of the "coolest" men. Our world is a little better to have had him, I think.
http://www.slate.com/id/2201116/?GT1=38002

Goodbye, Blue Eyes

I've been away from my little blog for a while, but I felt compelled to post today. I'm sure you've already seen the news that Mr. Paul Newman died today. Obviously I didn't know him personally, but I was very moved to learn of his passing. He seemed such a likeable guy, and he made my favorite spaghetti sauce. :-) Oh, and those eyes!

We have a little piece of Mr. Newman's legacy nearby. Do you know about his Hole in the Wall Gang camps for terminally ill children? He intended for those to be his legacy more than anything else, and he recently designated one in Carnation, WA. I found that interesting because many years ago my mother-in-law found that spot on a map and said "now, doesn't that sound like a nice place to live?"

Updates from the Home Front

My, it's been busy around here.

Yesterday, on our way to Haleigh's soccer game, we stopped by the police station to drop off goodies and a balloon for Matt's birthday. In my excitement over miniature brownies and a cookie variety platter, I forgot it was Saturday and there was no one at the front desk to let us in! Fortunately, when I called to let him know that I was trying to bring him goodies, he was right down the hall and came to let us in. On our way out, though, we got stuck in the lobby when I couldn't figure out how to open the exterior doors until a nice fellow officer came in and saved us from our distress.

We bolted out the door and headed down the road for the soccer game, managing to get there with only 1 1/2 minutes until starting! I don't know if the hectic pace got her blood pumping or what, but she jumped in there and immediately started scoring goals! The first was amazing to watch, as she drilled it on a diagonal to fly right past the goalie into the corner of the goal. She went on to score 3 of the team's 4 goals to help them win the game. She was very proud, and so was I, but the BEST part was simply watching how well she played with her teammates the entire time and how much fun she was having. At the end of the game, the parents always form a "tunnel" for the girls to run through after high-fiving the other team and saying "good game". When we were finished with that yesterday, the opposing team made a tunnel for our girls to run through, and our girls turned around and did the same for them. It was so adorable to watch a pile of giggling little girls, half in green and half in white. It was a moment that defines why team sports are good - they had a little healthy competition out on the field, learned to work hard with their teams, and made even more friends and had fun through the whole process!

Last night we went over to our neighbors' for a yummy dinner and a small birthday celebration for Matt. I made homemade cobbler from a pile of blackberries picked right in their backyard and it was delicious!

Today is a big day, too. I'm auditioning for another musical this afternoon. It's Sondheim's "Company" for those of you who are familiar with these things. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday

to my husband. If you want to know what a wonderful man he is, go visit his mom over at Cedar Chest of Dreams. It is largely the result of being raised by that woman that he is the marvelous human being that I was fortunate enough to marry almost ten years ago.

This picture is another from our recent hiking trip. I call it his "King of the Mountain" picture and I love it, because he is in such a happy place. It always soothes his soul to get out in the woods and behold the majesty around him.

I still love him, maybe even more than the first birthday I celebrated with him, and I hope he has a day as fabulous as him.

Is my cat a republican?

I'm not really sure what this was all about, as it has never happened before. Last night, the entire time I watched Governor Palin speaking, the kitty was obsessed with the tv. She even seemed to react to what she was saying! I hurried to get the camera to snap a picture, but I shouldn't have worried . . . she had to be forcibly removed from up there! And she still sat on the bookshelf and watched the rest of the speech!

One down, a hundred-something to go . . .

Today kicked off second grade for Haleigh. She has not been looking forward to school, mostly because she had a pretty boring year in first grade, and a teacher that she didn't exactly mesh with. Haleigh is an exceptionally intelligent child, who is also quite social and um, loud. She had some behavior problems last year brought on by boredom, and her desire to dominate most situations. She spent most of the year frustrated, and she didn't expect to ever like school.
This year, she transferred to a new school because she tested and was accepted into the "highly capable" program. I always feel awkward telling people that, like I'm putting my child up on some neon-lit pedestal. But the fact is, she is a gifted little girl. I'm just going to embrace it.
Anyway, she met her teacher briefly at the end of last school year when she was allowed to go and visit the new classroom. She got to participate, but because it wasn't her classroom at the time, she didn't get completely comfortable. So, she was convinced that this year was going to be horrible.
Then, we had a back-to-school ice cream social last night where she had the opportunity to put her supplies away and see her teacher again. She remembered that she actually really liked this new teacher. When we got back in the car she said "I'm actually kind of excited about school now." HOORAY! I'm happy to report that feeling continued . . . she had a wonderful first day and says she LOVES school. Well, alright! Thank goodness for happy beginnings!

Marmot Pass trip

I decided to break our hiking trip into installments. It's just too much for one blog entry, especially with pictures.

Our campsite sat between two gurgling streams that provided a fabulous supply of crisp, cold water (freshly filtered before drinking, of course). They were both pretty easy to walk or hop across, and this enormous boulder sat on the opposite side of one of them. I had not explored all the way around it, so I was a little startled when I came out of the trees in the morning to see Matt resting on top of it, coffee mug in hand. It turns out it wasn't nearly so high on the backside, so he scrambled up to a nice perch for enjoying his morning joe.

In the other picture, if you look close you'll see me. This was the big open field just up from our campsite that you crossed to get to the pass. It's also where we first saw marmots, which will be discussed in a later post. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to throw my arms out and sing "The hills are aliiiiiiive, with the sound of music," so I did. :-)

In case you wondered

what my kitty does all day, this is it. :-) Well, she also takes extensive naps on the back of the couch and chases a little cloth ball with feathers attached like a maniac. But, in the mornings, she likes to hang out right in front of the French doors and watch the squirrels and birds. It also happens to be right next to my computer desk and I am endlessly amused watching her tail twitch when she spots a critter. Speaking of her tail, isn't it enormous? It's so huge and bushy for such a petite little girl. I made her look away from her prey for a moment so I could capture her exquisite face. I love her. Can you tell?

Sunday Stroll

Every Labor Day weekend, my town celebrates the blackberry with a festival down on the waterfront. In the 6 years we've been here, I've watched it grow from a few booths in an old parking lot to a beautiful gathering on our fancy new pier and boardwalk area, all in the shadow of new waterfront condominiums. Today we walked down, and I managed to resist the blackberry cobbler, scones, and "slugs" - a heavenly blackberry jam-filled pastry thing that the festival is famous for. We did sample blackberry soda, a new addition to the event, and tomorrow I'll go back to buy blackberry wine for my dad. I might have some cobbler, too. :-)
Haleigh and I had so much fun browsing around outside that we decided to extend our walk for a Sunday Stroll. They say black cats are bad luck, but I don't believe it for a second about this little sweetie! We found her lounging on a garbage can beneath lovely roses, and she and Haleigh became fast friends.

Could it be? Just down the street we found this fun little shrub beginning to show signs of fall already!

Our walk took us over an old bridge not far from home, and this was the view down over the marina.

At the opposite end, we found a cozy little spot to sit and watch the boats go by. I think we'll have to plan a picnic soon.

And, naturally, we stopped to take a picture of this weekend's guest of honor. This cluster shows the different stages of ripening. When I was a little girl, I could hardly wait for them to be ready, so I snacked on MANY red berries in my impatience. Haleigh shares my love for this berry, too, but she prefers them very ripe and enormous.

I hope you all had wonderful Sundays!

A sampling

The sites we saw on our hiking trip were incredible. It was well worth the sore muscles! It's just been so busy since we got back that I haven't been able to sit down long enough to get the pictures re-sized and ready to share. Here's a sampling, though. We were on our way back down to our campsite from Marmot Pass, elevation 6,000 feet. There was a rainbow of wildflowers all along our hike and I couldn't take them all in! This picture doesn't catch all the colors, but it shows the beauty of the area quite well.

Where have I been?

I've been climbing a mountain. And I survived! With minimal whining! I'll be blogging about it soon. Meanwhile, here's a picture of Ozzy to make you smile.

Daydreaming

There is a cool little annex of Seattle called Fremont. It is the essence of quirkiness. They have a giant troll under their bridge, for pete's sake, complete with a full-size Volkswagen bug. It is also one of the only towns I know of to actually put a statue of a former communist leader in a prominent town square, for the sake of art. That took some serious cajones.

I have known about Fremont since I prepared to move to this wonderful part of the country. My mother-in-law has a good friend who told me about it. He made an enigmatic remark about the "trolls under the bridges" out here, and I had to do furious internet research to decipher it. I was fascinated by what I found, but I never had the chance to visit until last Sunday. My good friend and neighbor, Amber, refinishes furniture, and she decided to start selling it at this market again. I JUMPED at the chance to go and help her, even though it meant getting up at a time of the morning that is painful and foreign to me.

When the morning arrived, we piled the last-minute things into Amber's big SUV. The trailer was already loaded and ready to go. We stopped for much needed coffee and we were on our way. We didn't go over the Aurora Bridge, so I didn't get to see the troll this time. We went instead over the charming old Fremont Bridge into a downtown area that was already hopping. For me, it was love at first sight. I noticed the food first - two Thai restaurants and a Greek one all in the same block. Sigh. There was a conglomeration of shops, some very high-end but all cozy and inviting. One street section was blocked off for the Sunday Market, and there are bright flags at each end announcing you have arrived! We got the trailer unloaded and the furniture arranged, and I set off to explore. There were beautiful fresh flowers whose smell drifted down to us throughout the day, and lots of fresh produce. I tried rainbow chard, peaches, enormous raspberries, and nectarines. In fact, I had the first peach not grown in Georgia that I actually liked. I've been searching for 6 years. It still wasn't a GA peach, but it was really good. While I'm discussing food, let me just be honest with you. I had to try basically all of the market food, LOL. Amber and I had Phad Thai and pot stickers for lunch. Then we had shaved ice in a recyclable cup, of course! Earlier in the morning the smoothie shop had passed out bags of free organic goodies like bars and granola, etc. The piece de resistance came with the crepe, however. I've never had crepes, and I swear to you now that habit will change! The wonderful crepe goddess made me this light, fluffy, buttery confection that she sprinkled with sugar, then bruleed the sugar with a torch! She drizzled lemon juice over the top of that, then she added mascarpone cheese and sprinkled the whole thing with powdered sugar! Makes me drool just thinking about it.

Okay, enough about the food. The vendors were all unique and fun, too. There was even a lady giving spiritual card readings! I ran out of time to go see her, but maybe she'll be there on my next trip. There was also a booth that had a lot of art involving a goddess with an elephant head. It seemed very Indian, and the incense wafting out was thick and heavy. I was captivated by that art for some reason. There was a fair amount of junk, but it was good junk. I can't explain it to you unless you're a flea market kind of person. They all have junk, but some junk is better than others. The most interesting find, for me, was a small antique trunk filled with old black and white photos. There were handwritten notes on the backs of most of them. I found myself sorting through them, making up stories about all the fat-cheeked little babies, and the young couples embracing. There was one little boy with a cowlick poking a stick at a big fat frog in a mud puddle that I fell in love with.

All in all, it was a great experience. It was a loooooong day, and I was exhausted, but I plan to go back whenever I can.

Peace, Love and all things Green

My child was communing with the trees and feeling groovy on her camping trip. :-)

Summer Fun

After the interesting experience of the concert, things still did not slow down around here. The next night, we went to our friend Kelly's house. He lives in a beautiful part of Washington with a small river in his backyard that bursts at the seams with salmon in the fall. I love all bodies of water, but that river really calls to me. It's not very deep on his property (except when all the snow in the mountains is melting!) and there are so many beautiful rocks! I blogged about it last year, too, here and here.

On Sunday, we took care of a few errands to prepare for all of our trips that would begin Monday morning. Matt took Haleigh and our neigbor's son William camping. I took my very first ever (as an adult) all girls vacation. My friend Katie O. (remember the first time I introduced you to her here?) is blessed enough to still have all four of her wonderful grandparents. Her maternal set owns the sweetest little cabin on a private lake in the Arlington area. It's about a mile wide, and it's charming and perfect! The cabin that her great-grandfather built is beyond words. As soon as I get pictures from the other girls, I'll post them here. We arrived Monday at lunch time and left Wednesday afternoon.

The setting was breathtaking, and the company was fabulous. The memories we made are some of the best of my lifetime. We stopped and picked up lots of fresh produce. This is an agricultural area, so we had our pick of yummy treats. The berries alone were enough to make me swoon! We lounged on the dock and in the lake talking and giggling! We played lots of games, and had absolutely no agenda for anything. I even kayaked for the very first time and I am now hooked. The other Katie, Katie H. and I both hopped in the kayaks the first day. It was her first time, too, and she was a natural. About 20 feet out from the dock she turned around and yelled "You GUYS, I should go to the OLYMPICS for this!" Thus, the theme for our vacation was born. We had diving competitions, judged on creativity and silliness of your facial expression. We played a card game called Nibs until it was an all-out war. We turned everything into an event!

I almost forgot! The first night we were there, a meteor shower was happening! We bundled up and layed out on the dock to watch the wide open sky. It was unbelievable. Our deep discussions of life (and requisite silliness) were punctuated every few minutes by all of us shouting "whoa, did you see that one?"

And the closing ceremony to our "Olympic Events"? A late-night skinny dip in the lake on our last evening there, of course!

Motley Crue and other misadventures

The past two weeks have been a crazy whirlwind blur. Last week, it seemed as if every night were a different event. We took Haleigh to see a movie on Monday evening. It was a reward for being so good and helpful that day - which is going to have a blog devoted to it later. Tuesday night, Matt & Haleigh went to a ball game with friends while I shopped. It was NOT fun shopping. It was frantic "what the heck do you wear to a Motley Crue concert that falls somewhere between soccer mom and leather wearing rocker chick" shopping. The fabulous part of that evening for me, though, was a much-needed long chat with my favorite mother-in-law. It was good to hear her voice. I don't even remember what was happening the next two nights, I just know we weren't home much.

Then, Friday night arrived. Months ago, Matt came home and told me he was going to a Motley Crue concert, and he was getting tickets in the pit with a friend from work. I wasn't really interested, and I knew it would be a nightmare trying to find a sitter, so I wasn't upset about not going. I can say, honestly, that I will never be in a pit at a rock concert. Ever. It's just not my thing. Weeks later, he came home and said his friend's wife would like to go and sit in the grass (it's an outdoor amphitheatre), but she needed someone to go with her. And, their daughter would babysit. So, I started to get a little excited about seeing Tommy Lee play the drums live. He's old and nasty, but he is an incredible drummer, and I'm a musician at heart.

Then, the daughter who would be babysitting ended up going to visit family in California, and we were left with no sitter. I had nowhere to turn. Our friends ended up getting a sitter for both of us. THEN, three out of us four wanted to ride the boys' motorcycles to the concert . . . guess who was the one who didn't? So, we took my family car instead. It might be the coolest family car in the world, but it's no bike. It turned out ok, because we would have been freezing and exhausted on bikes, but I still felt a little bad about it.

So, back to the concert. The people-watching was incredible. I never saw so much leather or so much skin. It could have been one big psychology experiment, trying to figure out what kind of mindset is required to go out in public that way. The show itself was much better than I expected, even with all the colorful language. What I could NOT get past was the 4 giant screens flanking the stage with, um, "adult entertainment" playing throughout the show, mixed in with disturbing religious images and insulting portrayals of our president. I stayed focused on the stage. But were the hoardes of children around me able to do that? That's right, people brought their CHILDREN to this show, which was clearly advertised 18 and over. As if the volume would not be enough to convince you to leave their little eardrums at home . . . we're talking about Motley Crue here! It's not a family-friendly show! I blame the idiot parents and their stupidity, but I think the venue had some responsibility there, too. Those morons should have been turned away at the gate. And it was not just a few children . . . they were everywhere I looked.

Now that I'm off my soapbox, I can say this. I have survived a Motley Crue concert. They are much better live than I ever expected. In fact, I quite enjoyed the actual show. I've always been a big fan of the hair bands, and their musicianship is pretty incredible. I also, after observing that giant gathering of people, feel pretty great about the person that I am. :-) I think I came away from the event having learned a little more about myself, and a little more about the world!

On a side note, I also learned that Nikki Six has apparently been embalmed. He looks like he just walked right out of the 80's. It's spooky. It's like they sucked the life right out of Mick Mars and gave it to Nikki.