MHS '89 Reunion

My 20th High School Reunion was just a blast. I was so nervous to go but ended up having a great time reconnecting with old friends. The person I was excited to catch up with the most was my friend Michele Falk. She and I were unseparable in high school and had many fun times. We shared many of these memories on Saturday night and we sure had some laughs! I am glad I went and look forward to the next time we all get together.

I told you so....OUR NEW BOAT!

In one of my previous blogs I mentioned how I wouldn't be surprised if a new boat ended up on our driveway soon...well it took a few weeks longer than I thought it would take Matt but here it is! After some looking and researching we found the perfect one. It is a 20 ft. Blue Water with a 4.3 L engine (190 hp) for those of you who care for specifics. We are taking it out on Wednesday for our first ride so I can hardly wait!!

TIMBER!!!

Any trees in the local area must be swearing our name. In the time Matt and I have been together, I think we have had something to do with the elimination of at least 4trees. This time we said goodbye to a huge Cedar tree in our backyard. It was starting to envelope the other trees around it and was just taking over the corner of our yard. So, being proactive for the future landscape of our yard we had to take it out. Matt's cousin (an awesome arborist if anyone needs a name) came and took it down in less than 3 hours. It was something to watch. I have to admit I felt a huge twinge of guilt when the big girl fell and at least 2 birds went flying out, losing their beloved home. Thank goodness PITA or GREENEARTH or some other earth loving coop didn't witness the event.





So, now Matt and I have a huge gaping brown hole in the landscape of our yard. I think it will recover with a few added bushes and a new tree. I just am a person of instant gratification (shocker, I know) so I kind of want it better NOW! Maybe, this will be a good lesson in patience for me and a little payback for Mother Nature.
Yikes!

4th of July

Our 4th of July was hot! We spent most of the afternoon in the kiddie pool outside in Mom and Dad's backyard. Kiki, Scott and Melinda were down for the weekend so we enjoyed hanging out with them. We especially enjoyed Melinda's first venture in to the pool. She loved it and I think Ryan loved holding her just as much.


After a delicious BBQ dinner ala Mary, everyone except Mel and Grandma headed to the Beaver game and firework show. It was a fun adventure riding the MAX (except the ride home which was a slamfest) to the game. The game itself was great people watching and I think the Beavers lost. I was too busy checking out all of the crowd, gossiping with Kiki and monitoring how many times Luke would kick the person in front of him. Shortly after the game the sky lit up with fireworks, much to the boys' enjoyment. Luke gave a standing O when they were finished.



I just appreciate the 4th of July as a time to be thankful for everything our country has to offer, especially the freedom to be and believe what we want to. Thanks Sam Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and all!

Fun in the river

Aunt Amy with Ryan and Luke


Cousin Riley swimming with Luke


The weather was unbelievable this last weekend so we took full advantage of it. ON Friday, Matt's aunt Amy and uncle Gary took us out for a day on their boat. It was so much fun and so much cooler than being at home. Ryan loved intertubing down the Willamette River while Luke...not so much. At one point we threw Luke on the tube with us and he whimpered until we got going a little bit. Then he smiled and giggled until we hit some wake. Then he threw up his thumb and pointed it down...trying to tell Uncle Gary to slow down. Ryan, meanwhile, was throwing his thumb up to go faster. We always enjoy our time out on the water and are even starting to think it might be time to become boat owners ourself? We'll see. I have to be very careful in saying that out loud or Matt may have a boat in my driveway tomorrow morning. Hee hee.

Guitar Hero Party

So...school's out for the summer! That was one of the songs I rocked out on my bass guitar last night. Matt and I attended our first ever GUITAR HERO party hosted by some of our friends. We all had to dress up in 80s Rock style. Ozzy, Sammy Hagar, Brett Michaels and Billy Idol were there as well as many of the "groupies." We had a blast and I learned how to strum like a pro. I am actually wishing we had our own Guitar Hero set now. :-) I think the pictures speak for themselves so don't laugh too hard.

New and improved bathroom

I have been wanting to remodel our downstairs bathroom for a VERY long time. Time, money, energy have been reasons for not getting it done! Matt finally took the bulls by the horn and starting ripping down the floral wallpaper a couple of weeks ago. From there he patched, textured and primed walls. Then came the paint and finally the wainscoting. It has been a process but well worth it. I love the way it turned out and can't wait for Matt to get the last things up...mirror, towel rack,etc. What Matt doesn't realize is that now I have the bug. I am excited to get going on some new projects...or should I say I am excited for Matt to get going on some new projects.

Blazer Family!

In September or early October Matt, the boys and I attended Blazer Fan Fest night which was a scrimmage of all of the players. That night we were able to shake Greg Oden's hand and were just so excited to see the team play. Of course we were all decked out in our Blazer gear. Well, a photographer asked if he could take our family picture. He had on Blazer ID tags so we were fine with it. It turned out to be a cute picture (he showed us on the digital screen on his camera) and that was that. I had totally forgotten all about it until today. A friend of ours saw an ad at Fred Meyer for Blazer Family packs with OUR PICTURE on it. Soooo crazy! So we are now showing up on the Blazer website and on advertisements around town. We will gladly sign any autographs if you would like one...hee hee! :-)

More Melinda

The boys were excited to meet Melinda....seeing her on the webcam was just not enough so we headed up to see her after school on Friday. They both love holding her and she doesn't seem to be phased by them a bit. Luke wants to stay all week so he can "help" with her. I think Kiki and Scott are glad it's just a day of help this time. :-)

Melinda has grown a bunch since I last saw her a week and half ago. She is back up to over her birth weight...last weigh in of 6lbs, 8oz. She loves taking a bath, is keeping her mom and dad up at night like all good newborns do, and loves to eat. She is such a cutie--- and I am loving to accessorize her when I visit. Too many cute outfits!

Baby Melinda

As most of you know...my sister has been very emotionally invested in the political process this year! So, it is only fitting that her baby was born on Inauguration Day. Melinda Rose was born at 7:47 am (a bit before Barack Obama was sworn in...much to Karlynn's dismay). She weighed 6 lbs 7 oz at birth and is 19 inches long. The labor and delivery lasted a total of about 5 hours! Karlynn and Scott are doing great and are very natural parents. Melinda is just a beautiful baby and is just a peanut. I left last night to drive up and see her and it was worth it. Now I have been able to hold both of my nieces on the day they were born which is an amazing thing. I spent today in the hospital with Karlynn and held Melinda about 90% of the time. :-) She has a little fire to her...not liking it at all if she was poked at, prodded or disturbed from her favorite position. She loves to have her hands right by her face and I predict she will be a thumb sucker. It was a bummer to leave her but look forward to bringing the boys up to meet her soon. One thing I realized by being with Kiki, Scott and Melinda in the hospital is that time flies. It seems like yesterday when it was me in that hospital bed holding Ryan and Luke.