Kudos

Thank you, honey, for working so hard so that we can have fabulous vacations like this. Thank you, twins for making me feel like the coolest mom ever for boogie boarding with you all afternoon. Thank you, Brian and Dave, for going on that last boogie boarding run with me before dinner tonight - man, those waves were to die for!!! Thank you, Brandilyn and Dave, for joining us on vacation - it is just such a sweet treat to be with both of you. Thank you God for this perfect day and this perfect place.

Happy

There are a lot of things that maketh me to be a happy girl. I'm happy MOST of my life. Right here, right now these are some of the things that bring an extra little smile to my lips:

1. Today we are all hanging out at the beach and going boogie boarding. I LOVE BOOGIE BOARDING!

2. My kids (except Jacob, of course) are all sleeping peacefully recuperating from a very active day yesterday.

3. My sweetie arrives here on Wednesday to enjoy some much deserved vacation time with us!

4. I Love Oceanside, I love the beach, I love spending time with my children, I love that Brandilyn (and Dave) is here and I love, love, love vacation!!!!!

And that's all I have to say about that!!!!

Coffee?

Yeah, okay, I know. I'm a Mormon and we so don't drink coffee. But, hey! I was in Vans (my health food Mother Ship) and found this herbal coffee. Well, if you know me, the words "herbal" and "organic" instantly peaked my interest. Sure enough! This stuff is legal beagal!

I snagged me a bagged and brewed a cup at home with my really jacked up coffee maker that I keep on hand for when my daddy comes to visit. Yuck! It tasted like poo! So, I figured it had to be my coffee maker. I took this trusty little bag along with me to Oceanside and brewed up another little pot on the coffee maker here. I must say . . . NOT BAD!

It's funny because when I was a coffee drinker (and, boy, did I LOVE my coffee), it tasted like the nectar of the gods. Now, well . . . I could take it or leave it. It is a wee bit enjoyable but I think I still prefer my herbal teas (yeah, I know, I'm just a hippie through and through).

Some things just will never change.

Them Boys

I came home last night and found this beautiful note from Jacob on my bathroom counter. He had done something that really, really, really had me heated up mad and totally fixed his bad with this. Not only is the note very sweet and heartfelt, but you have to understand that this is a note from a young man who could not write a legible word not two months ago! Yeah Jacob!

So, then there is Brian today. My calendar said that he had work at 9 (an unheard of hour for my 18 year old). I woke him up and left with the twins and headed to my yoga class. The twins had homework and such to do so they were busy doing that while I was in my class. The receptionist snuck quietly into class and told me my son needed me. I, thinking it was Jacob, was annoyed but quickly exited my class to see what was up. Surprise! It was Brian! There was a mistake and he didn't have work at all. He then did the unspeakable. He asked if he could spend the day with the twins so that I could get my "stuff" done that is weighing on me.

Wow! He took them bowling then went to take them to the waterslide park. They weren't able to use my credit card to do that so he took them to a park and lunch until is was time for Courtney's therapy. They all had the bestest day.

It's so great when my boys are great. It maketh me to be a happy mom.

The Instructor

Tonight I had to go teach CPR and First Aid to the Miamaids for their pre-camp certification. I asked Brian if he would be willing to help out with the CPR portion of my class and he agreed. He showed up punctually, was very professional and the girls really listened to him (well, yeah, he's an 18 year old BOY, attractive, and seems to know his stuff). I must say he was a real hit.

It's nice to know that he can rise to the occasion when he has to.

Babysitters

I enjoy going to town early in the mornings and taking a yoga class or going out to take a lesson on Black Horse. The house is usually asleep (except for my husband who has gone off to work). Either Brian or Robbie is in charge of babysitting the twins (which entails making sure that someone is here in the event of an emergency and just generally overseeing their activities). I ALWAYS leave a "to do" list out for the twins that goes something like this:

Jacob
Get Dressed
Brush teeth
Take meds
Clean up dog logs

Courtney
Get dressed
Brush teeth
Brush hair
Empty dishwasher

When Robbie is in charge I usually find the chore list complete and checked off with everything pretty much complete. Robbie is often outside playing with the twins in the pool or riding bikes or playing hide and seek in the hills with them. Lots of activity is usually going on around our property.

When Brian was in charge (like this morning) I came home to Brian meeting me in the garage in his boxers (to head me off because he saw me driving up the driveway and told the twins to run and get dressed while he diverts me), Courtney's hair was all askew, dishwasher was open but still full, Jacob's meds were still on the counter, dog logs all over the yard and neither of them had brushed their teeth. When I asked what was going on, they both replied, "Brian said we could just sit around and watch movies this morning." Cool.

Now, I'm not saying I'm not grateful for any second of my life that I'm allowed to spend alone doing whatever it is do, I'm just humored by the diverse manner in which the twins are tended to.

Dirty Kids

While we were up visiting my sister and my mom in Battle Ground, we spent a lot of time at my sister's house. It is 2-1/2 acres of just pure fun. Her lot is heavely wooded with a very health creek (just for the record that would be pronounced "crik") running through it. I even spotted a rope hanging from a tree for the Tarzan act.


The twins went crazy! They were just non-stop and I loved it! When we packed up to return to our hotel one of the nights this is what I got. Yup, happy filthy kids!


Reminds me of a conversation Skip and I had on his first visit to my mom's place. As he was walking around and I was chatting about all the stuff I did at various spots on the farm, he turned to me and said, "I bet you were just filthy all the time."

I grinned back at him and said, "Yup and I LOVED it!"


Truly, this is just the way kids are meant to live, if you ask me! Outside having a great time.

Easy Sunday

While this was going on in one part of my home this morning . . . This is what I was creating in my kitchen in my brand new bowl that I scored at the Battle Ground Farmer's Market up in Washington. Yup, them are the finest blueberries you'll ever find that my sister picked and shared with me.

This is my infamous muselex that I occasionally whip up and share with my twins (they are showing a lot of interest in a vegan diet like their momma - cha!). We've got some almonds, sunflower seeds, dried apricots, apple, banana and, of course, those blueberries. Mmmmm.

Coincidence?

Across the road (yeah, I live in the country so we call them "roads" here) there is a rather eccentric family that resides there. They have spent a bazillion dollars on stone fencing, a gorgeously beautiful, to die for, home, a guest home, a view for thousands of miles, 100 acres and the list goes on and on.

We have never been really friendly with these neighbors. We have only exchanged brief phone conversations a handful of times over the past 12 years we have lived here. They keep to themselves (wish I could say the same for our family) and it appears that they aren't really on very good terms with any of my other neighbors up here in the hills.

Okay, more to the point. So Mr. Neighbor came down with dimentia a few years ago and Mrs. Neighbor had cancer. Mrs. Neighbor has an assistant that we will call "Assistant". Assistant lives there and really is a story all of her own. Anyway, Assistant had her ailing mom move in. Mrs. Neighbor and Assistant moved out of the main house and left Mr. Neighbor and Assistant's mom there with some kind of nursing staff to tend to them. Mrs. Neighbor and Assistant moved into the guest house.

Sounds complicated but it all makes perfect sense. Today I just found out that a couple of months ago Mr. Neighbor, Assistant AND Assistant's mom all passed away within a two week period. What are the odds? Now, that leaves Mrs. Neighbor there all by herself.

Okay, so now she's got this beautiful ranch, horses, view etc. etc. etc. and nobody to share it with. Makes you kind of rethink those material things we are always in pursuit of.

What matters in the end . . . what kind of person you are, how you treated others and our Mother Earth and what did you contribute to humanity. Right?

The Calling

So I FINALLY received and accepted a new calling at church. The calling is . . . (drum roll) . . . Activity Day Leader!!! Yeah, it caught me off guard too. I USED to have this calling 6-1/2 million years ago when Brandilyn looked like this (yeah, that would be Cassidy sitting next to her at the top of the photo but don't tell) and it was called Achievement Day Girls.

I have been pretty elusive about callings for about 9 months now and they finally caught up with me. Go figure.

Okay, so I was talking to my darling friend, Jasmine, on the phone today and she informed me that she had that calling not too long ago. She said (and I quote) "you will love it! They are as darling as a . . . as a . . . box of new little puppies."


(Did she really say that?) I then replied, "Well, that's all fine and good as long as one of them doesn't piddle on me!"

I was then counciled by my dear friend, "No problem. Just have your activities near a restroom at all times!"

Advice taken. So now here's my little Courtney who is one of my Activity Day Girls. Any guesses on what she is going to look like in 10 years?

Blast of My Past

Today my dad and the twins and I went up to Amboy to check out their Territorial Days. They had rides and, of course, the twins' eyes were as big as could be. Me, being the mom that I am, said, "NOT!!!" Sad faces.

We walked around and really didn't see much to write home about. But, hey, it's Amboy what did you expect???

Okay, so this is where I laugh at my past. Last year, when Ann and I were getting ready to attend our 20 year high school reunion (Lol), we decided to all out and get really dolled up. We bought really nice gowns and had our hair done and even got our nails done. We both felt like a million bucks.

Well, we got to the reunion and this is what the guys looked like. I was once again the laughing stock of my high school class.

I found this picture at the museum up in Amboy. Actually, they were having some kind of lumberjack contest there and there were guys walking around dressed like this and all the cute little Barbies were fawning all over them.

So, then today, my daddy found this little beauty. It is a Model A - almost exactly a duplicate of the car he drove as a teenager. He was so excited to check this out.

I love it when I see a smile creep across his face. My dad has always been my hero and I look up to him so much!

The Cat's Meow

My sister and her companion just bought this awesome home in Battle Ground, the town I grew up in. It sits on 2-1/2 acres, has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms PLUS this cool barn shaped detached garage with 2 rooms AND a bathroom upstairs. It is absolutely to die for!!!!!

In addition, the 2-1/2 acres is heavely wooded so you can't really see your neighbors on any of the sides, the front lawn is pretty and manageable and the backyard is small and perfect. I fell totally and completely in love with the place.

My sister and mom were a little surprised when I said that this place is the perfect place that I would like to live in. Yes, I am weary of so much to take care of. I love my horses and that would be the ultimate sacrifice for me but to live in a place like this . . . ooooh la la!!

I am so happy for them and plan to make visiting here a continued habit! Congratulations Gail and Leah. Your home is fabulous!

Dumpster Diver!

As we were leaving town and heading for Vancouver for our annual trek up north, Robbie asked if we could go to the local bicycle shop and grab a crate to ship his bicycle up to Seattle on the train with him.

I said, "Uh, Rob darling, don't you know it's Sunday and the store isn't open. Besides, it IS the sabbath day and we aren't supposed to be shopping. Oh, and yeah, money???"

Rob looked at me like I was half out of my mind. "What are you talking about? You are catted! (new slang for ridiculous)."

Was I missing something here? Yup, I sure was! The kid has it going on, I tell you. He wanted to lift a bicycle crate box out of the dumpster. I'm duly impressed.

Now my question . . . how DID he know that that is what is in their dumpster?

Mayberry

We had the privilege to attend Fourth of July festivities with all of our children and grand daughter over in Mountain House yesterday. What a pleasure!

That town is so dog gone cute! It is neat, new and very community oriented. They had the most simple parade that has to be one of my all time favorites. This picture is one of the entries in the parade; a pick-up truck towing a boat with a couple moms and their children waving to the crowd. Of course, Sarah and Ava are sitting right up front. I couldn't believe how stinkin adorable Sarah was up there waving at everyone and throwing candy to the observers. I guess I just never get to see this side of her.

Anyway, the balance of the parade was made up of some motorcycles, corvettes, various children with their groups (i.e. karate, soccer, baseball etc.) a couple of churches with home made banners on their cars and some town officials in cars. Simple and sweet.

Thank you Mountain House for allowing me to share in your fun day and for showing America that being simple really is more fun!

The Journey

Here's the stuff that is keeping me going:

• I'm looking forward to spending as much time as I possibly can with Brandilyn and her husband, Dave, in the next two days. Can't get enough!
• I'm looking forward to picking up my Daddy on Monday and heading up north
• I'm so looking forward to visiting with my sister, Gail, and learning more about her business and, of course, spending time with my own mommy
• I'm looking forward to finishing my class and getting my certificate
• I'm looking forward to riding my horses more - it makes me feel so free and makes me so happy

It's often the "looking forward" to something that makes it so special - I guess that's why we are always told to enjoy the journey.