SO...I know I have been missing in action on the ol' blog. I apologize to all of my faithful readers!! Now that i have Facebook mastered and it is the dead of winter, I am going to try to actively blog again. :-) My goal will be to add something once a week! There....it is in writing.

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.