Beach Day

So 90+ degrees in the Willamette Valley is just tooooo hot for me! Time for the beach! I called my mom and we took the boys + one to Seaside for the day. There was one other time years ago when a friend and I headed to the beach on a hot, hot day. We were greeted with gale force winds and cowered in our cars until ultimately heading right back home. Happily that is not how this day went! We laid our our blankets and the boys immediately commenced a fierce bocci ball game

Lots of precision throwing and intense discussion. But unlike Wimbledon no grunting :)

I wonder if anyone has completed studies on his generation. I'm certain they will be all hard of hearing and have vision issues by the time they are 40 because of those stupid electronics! Can you find a teenager walking around today who isn't plugged in?

It's my fault I realize. I'm the parent and I have allowed this. In my defense I do make them take them off before entering the water :) So see I care

Beach feet. The dryness, the cracking. My poor feet. They are so abused in the summer. Oh well..,,,

It was over cast and in the low 60s when we arrived at Seaside. There was only a light breeze blowing so it was very nice on the beach. Then the clouds parted and blue was present! It was a gorgeous day on the beach! I enjoyed chatting with my mom, reading, watching the boys dig a hole...

My view while laying down with my book (the book thief...getting near the end) There were a ton of people at the beach! But I love how big the beach is! We still had lots of space to ourselves

Can't go to the beach without a bucket!

Ty's friend Austin and Ty's nostril....digging a hole

Josh also digging a hole....I don't get it...but it makes them happy and it gave me peaceful book reading time so I'm not fretting!

I believe my mom enjoyed herself as well

In our time at the beach we squeezed in; beach lounging, bocci ball, soft ball, hole digging, beach walking, arcade playing, shop strolling, eating, people watching, pig 'n pancake and bumper cars!
A fun and successful day! I wish I had a house on the beach. I would live there happily, until I wanted to go to my lake house our my ski chalet....

Lake Time

Finally we have taken the boat out! July 7! Usually by this time we have had the boat out many times. It was hot! and the water was cold! This is Ty contemplating putting his big toe in the frigid water. He will later jump in, without a shorty!! These boys are nuts!

Mt. Saint Helen's watches over "our" lake. She also provides all the water...yep that's melted snow....we are hardy people out here in the NW!

Josh and his friend on a tube. This a good and safe way to play "in" the water without getting wet...unless I'm driving :)

Ty is obsessed with his hair. After several hours on the lake and a few jumps into freezing cold water followed by a blow dry while driving around on the lake, he thinks he has achieved the perfect hair do. Why can't it look like this at home? He whines...

I whine, "Why don't you like it short?"

He's just too cool! He is so much help! When we bought the boat 5 or so years ago I was determined to learn to put it in, take it out, etc so we could go out when my poor husband is at work. No way I was sitting at home on 90 degree days!

I am so thankful to be able to load up and drive 30 min and be at "our" lake. I do wish we had a house on the edge of the lake, but 30 min isn't so bad :)

LION KING

We hurried home and got all cleaned up and headed into Portland to watch Lion King. I have wanted to see this play for years. I was not disappointed! The costumes, the singing, the movement of the actors all amazing! So much fun. I even caught my two teenagers enjoying themselves!

JOB UPDATE

Jeff had another interview yesterday. Dead end....Is it time to worry?

No, I'm going to the beach today!

Flashlight Literary Society

My two favorite book shelves. I found these down the road at a garage sale. I wish I could find more! To me, there is nothing better than a room with full book shelves!

I'm so thankful to be part of a book club. I invited myself in a year ago and was lucky to squeak in and be number 10. Now the door is closed. Because the limit is 10. I feel very thankful to be in this book club. I love to read. I read, and read, and read. I honestly spend more money on books than I do on makeup or shoes...

My most prized possessions are my books. I often just admire them. I don't understand the ebook craze. I really don't. There is nothing so comforting as the feel of a book in my hands. I love to dog earring pages, sometimes highlighting or writing notes in it.

I can't say I was a huge fan of the book we were assigned last month. But as we discussed it last night in our meeting I really appreciated the different perspectives. That is what is so cool about being part of a club. We are all different. We all have different thoughts and points of view. I love to grow from that.

Last week I finally read To Kill a Mockingbird. I had never read it before. I don't know why it was never assigned to me in school as it had been for so many.

I loved it! I loved Atticus Finch and his wisdom and strength of character. I loved how his kids paid attention to this and while they grew they were so aware of life around them.

But my favorite reoccurring quote in the book is; "It's not time to worry" I'm going to make that my own I think.

I'm currently reading a book called "The Book Thief" I'm hooked. It's written in the narrative style. The narrator is death... Not something that would draw me in. But the book is written about a little girl who has a passion for books and is living in Germany during Hitler's rise to power and the beginning of WWII. As it turns out, deaths perspective is pretty interesting.

I love it when she snatches a book from the burning pile.

Certainly if you were a 12 year old living in Germany during WWII it was time to worry. But I'm not. So for today, I'm going to say "Its not time to worry" :)

4th of July

This is Martha Stewart's cupcake. It was my inspiration....

This is my cupcake....Why does it look like a first graders project???

I didn't plan far enough ahead as usual and couldn't find red/white/blue cupcake wrappers so I went with white. I had some serious trouble with the stars! How does Martha make everything look so perfect? Oh well, they were yummy!

And yummy is the point! I give credit to Martha once again for pie crust. This is my pie and it doesn't look like a first graders it looks gorgeous. I love Martha's receipe for crust. So easy!

Enough advertising for Martha! We had a lovely 4th of July this year. We began by racing around trying to get everything done by 1:30 for our 7pm party because I had forgotten we had a 4 wedding to attend! Thanks to team Fry we were able to accomplish all that was needed and attend a lovely outdoor wedding!

We had way too much food! I'll have to diet from now until Thanksgiving...

I love this! Found this baby at Costco and its just so pretty and functional!

I pulled the tripod out and messed around with my exposure and got some cool shots

I wish I had gotten all the kids to do it a once. Maybe we could have spelled out Happy 4th!

The mess....why is there always a mess after fun has been had??

Very thankful for no missing fingers or toes....

As we sat around the fire last night watching the firework display our children and husbands were putting on I felt so thankful for great friends. Not only the friends that joined us last night but all my friends. Friends are such a wonderful thing!

Flowers

Wisteria. I love climbing flowers! I love the way they meander around the trellis and then cascade off.

My favorite flower. It's not easy picking a favorite flower...they are all wonderful!

Flowers make me happy :)

I love there sunny disposition and there willingness to just sit still and be photographed!

I love how they hold a drop of water on a petal..

I love how some turn during the day, keeping their faces to the sun

I love the vivid color

I love the contrast with the flower and the green stalk

Flowers make me happy and I hope they make you happy as well!

I will be spending time this week making sure my flowers stay watered. We are expecting our first heatwave of the season! They say upper 80s today and then on into the 90s!

My flowers and I are not excited about the heat :( we prefer 82 maybe 83 but beyond that it's just too hot!

Blogging - My origianl plan

Hmmmm

I was timid to begin this process. Always wondering what I would have to say everyday. My life has its exciting moments but I wasn't sure there would be enough.

However, when all of this Florida stuff came up I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to begin blogging. I could write about the experience.

I had it all mapped out. The process of accepting the job. The move. The resettling. The drama. The emotional angst..

I guess there is enough drama and emotional angst in every day life...

Yesterday North Carolina called....Jeff said no thanks we are staying on the west coast. This made me very happy but then I worried. What if that was the only job?

I need to stop worrying

Thankful

1. Thankful I live in the most beautiful corner of the world!

2. Thankful that my family is healthy and happy

3. Thankful for amazing friends

4. Thankful for chocolate everyday!

5. Thankful I have a garden planted

6. Thankful I have a good book to read

7. Thankful for my camera

8. Thankful my sons are now big enough that they can do all the heavy lifting!

9. Thankful for having summers off with my boys

10. Thankful for my Mom reads my blog! ;)

Now what??

Teddy Rose She is also very happy we are not moving to Florida

Ty and Grandpa on Frog Lake

Ty and Mr. Rainbow trout

I love the NW!!

Happy July! Florida is off the table!

Whew!!!!! What was that all about?? I often wonder that question when I have gone through something like this.

What was it supposed to teach me? If it was patience, it didn't work!

I had been preparing myself for months for what I thought was the inevitable. When I began this blog I really thought it would be a record of our journey to Florida and our attempts to uproot and replant ourselves across the country.

I'm so relieved. I'm so happy I planted my baby garden!!

Jeff spoke with another perspective employer this morning. He is setting up and interview for next week. It is a local job with a much nicer 205 commute.

We don't know what the job is...why can't these things be asked? I asked my husband, who if you look up the words laid back or patient you would find his picture.

Which usually works in my favor except in situations like this. I remind myself he is the business man with a very successful career and many years of experience and yet, there are so many times when I think my way would be better!

My family/friends are so happy we are staying (well except a few who live in the south. I love you guys! You could always move this way!) It is true that you appreciate what you have more when you think you are going to lose it.

I'm going to appreciate our lives here more. Focus on the positive and go dig in my dirt! (they only have sand in Florida!)