Sounders Game

We went to our first professional soccer game yesterday, the Seattle Sounders (we're soccer geeks now if you didn't guess). We went with another family, took the Seattle Link train to the stadium, and had a great time! They gave us these fun headbands with green and blue hair on them - Emma's keeping hers for Silly Hair Day at school. I'll say this - this group of 32,000 soccer fans had more spirit than any baseball or football game I have been to - it was awesome!

Seaside, OR

Well, we're two years behind on our annual vacation - due to the houseboat and Cabo trips - but we're back on track. We have all missed the beach, the regular spots, the familiarity that Seaside brings to our family. We mixed things up a bit this year - by having the J's join us, and bringing Kennedy Sue along. It doesn't need to be said, and those of you that have met Kennedy already know this, but she is a joy to be with - and so very easy. She's like a second daughter, a natural extension of our family. As are the J family - such good friends.

This year we tried a new activity with Emma - golfing! She and Kennedy did very well, we only played 9 holes, but they both had great swings and really good shots. The highlight of course was that we rented two carts - and as soon as we were out of sight from the clubhouse, the girls got to drive. Surprisingly, Emma was the more cautious one, and Kennedy took me for a good ride.

We also spent each day with a little bit of arcade time. We have been going to that arcade for probably 8 years now, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that they went "coinless" - with an electronic card to load up and play as you wish - very nice. Each day started with an air hockey match, and we only incurred one minor injury to Kennedy's pinkie on the last visit.

The weather did not look great as a forecast, but turned out to be gorgeous the entire time. A bit breezy here and there, but what would a visit to the ocean be without an ocean breeze? The girls braved the cold water a few times, dug several holes (hoping they'd be there the next morning, disappointed that they weren't), Carl chased down a razor clam at low tide (dang those suckers can retreat fast!), took several long bike rides, played several games of Bananagrams (buy this game if you don't already have it), and ate a TON of great food (including the tradition of one breakfast at the Pig and Pancake).

This year we went all out and stayed oceanside - the closest we have ever stayed to the beach. Totally worth it, very relaxing on the deck to see the waves rolling in and the unmistakable sound of the sea. Even though there were 7 of us, the house was very comfy and spacious. We would totally stay there again.

A Great Hangover

No, I wasn't drunk, just saying that we thought the movie "The Hangover" was hilarious!!! Although I did enjoy a blueberry lemon drop at dinner before we saw it :) Now I will say, it's a bit raunchy - there is more male nudity in this film than any other I've seen before, and a lot of choice words - but it was hilarious! We walked out of the theater saying "I want to see that again!" We went with the Robi's, and Tracy and I were laughing so loud - in that high pitched shrilly irritating laugh - from the back of the theater - the kind of laugh where people usually turn around with a sneer and say "seriously lady?!!??" But they were all laughing too :)

Emma has a friend from school spending the day/night with us. She is very excited to reconnect with school friends before the new year starts. I made some fun "how's your summer?" cards last month and she mailed them out to several friends, so there are lots of connections planned for the next week or two. We've also done quite a bit of school shopping already, I think we're set for clothes and school supplies. She's just looking for a hip bag for her binder - backpacks are out, didn't you know?!?

We're all getting very excited about taking off for Seaside, Oregon in a few weeks. We are doing our usual gig of renting a home with another family, except this year we are closer to the beach than ever! I will be sure to get lots of pictures. Oh, and Kennedy Sue is coming with us too... thank goodness! :)

Champions of the Blast Off Tournament!

Wow, so proud of Emma and her soccer team - what a fantastic weekend at the Federal Way Blast Off tournament! We played in three tournaments this summer, with a new team, guest players, and trying to just feel our way. The first one was on our home field where we went 1-2. The second tournament in Redmond right before we went to CA last month, we were 3-1 and made it to the quarter finals. This weekend, our girls played with determination and improved skills and finished 4-0 with the championship medal for their division!! We loved seeing the improvement - confidence - heart of these girls. Extra special was having Kennedy participate as a guest player, making the win sweeter for Emma having her best friend with her.

Some highlights (or lowlights): Kennedy scored a goal as a defender (she has a rocket kick!); Emma got new cleats after Friday's game and Coach commented on Saturday that she must've had an odometer in her shoes - because she covered more ground and faster than anyone on the field; Emma and another teammate were chosen to hand out the medals to their teammates - hanging them around each girl's neck just like the Olympics, before a crowd, calling out their names; and sadly, we lost a guest goalie player after Saturday's first game to a nasty injury. She had control of the ball on the ground in front of the goal and an opposing player kicked her in the face. It was not intentional, but no foul was called either - she sat and screamed as blood poured out - and ended up breaking her jaw on both sides of her mouth. Man, we have felt really bad for her the last 2 days. Of course, after she got home from the hospital, her first question was "did they win?" That's a great player :)