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 :)

Where has July gone??

That seems to be the theme on our blog lately - a month in between posts. Bad blogger. Bad. Here are some photos from our recent road trip to California. We powered through on the first day and arrived a little after midnight on Monday. We swam and enjoyed Grammie's house on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday we took off about noon for Mendocino, with a brief stop in San Francisco. Emma really wanted to drive over the Golden Gate bridge, and we thought, "hey - we're on vacation - why not?" It turned out to be one of the most splendid days I've ever seen in SF - and I've been there a LOT! We all decided we would love to fly down for a weekend of exploration in the next year or so. Stayed in a bed-n-breakfast Thursday night that was pet-friendly, then headed through the Redwoods all day Friday. We stopped at the Eel River for a dip, watched some kayakers, and gave Coop his first dip in water. He did NOT like it. My pictures are in a bit of reverse order, but this first one of Carl holding Cooper is in Crescent City after a brief stop at the shore.

We cleaned out my mom's rafters in her garage while we were there - brought everything down, went through it all, and made a huge donation to goodwill. Along the way we found some childhood things that brought back a lot of memories. Emma of course was into everything, and decided to pair up my last pair of tap shoes with a ukelele that I got in Hawaii in 5th grade.

We had to do it. Had to go to the drive-through tree. It was $5 but it's just one of those things you gotta do, right?? Of course our truck wouldn't fit through, or at least we weren't willing to try after seeing a minivan squeek by. But we managed a picture:

Emma and Cooper outside of Mendocino in an inlet - Coop was not too sure about seeing this water come and go in front of him.

We got this same shot of Emma on the slide in my mom's pool about 5 years ago - but this time her legs are hanging off the back - lol!

Carl and Em in front of the Golden Gate - bad pic, but I sure loved the park there.

Coordinates Collections September Previews

Can you believe we're previewing September already?? I can't wait for these kits! I can practically taste a pina colada while looking at the first kit, and second kit just makes me want to scrap some timeless photos. Check out the add-ons too!

Where did June go????

June has flown by - unbelievable. There were so many activities I can't even remember. My Mac was in the shop for one week in June, so that was part of my problem with not posting. But otherwise, eh... too busy to actually sit and write. So here's a recap:

Last weekend we camped with the J's in Lincoln Rock - near Wenatchee. Where it is usually very hot (90's) we were in the 70's with tons of wind. We made it work, got to make s'mores, and got out on the boat a bit. Emma brought neighbor J along:

Both Kristy and I overlooked the fact that it was Father's Day weekend (oops!). So we ran into town and found some funky doo-rags at Fred Meyer for a joke - they actually came in handy during the spurts of sun for our balding husbands :)

Emma's class had an end of year party at Lake Tapps at a classmate's $2.4 million dollar home (yep, on the market for that price... I told them I'd take 10% of it please and I could easily live out on the dock). It was a very fun day - here's Emma and her favorite boy "friend" from class (looks like they're almost holding hands - which she squealed to me - but they really aren't!)
A friend and I threw a baby shower for friend Ellen, and this was my little lovely that day - isn't she just growing up? She's such a beauty.

Emma and A from across the street are kicking it Puyallup style here: on a sunny Saturday afternoon I found them in A's dad's truck, in a tent, watching a movie on a portable DVD. What a couple of dorks:

Finally, Emma's new soccer coach had her playing mostly Defender during practices, and I walked out with him to the car and our conversation went something like this:

"So I see Emma's been playing Defender a lot, you know she's only played Forward until now, right?"

"Yes. She is absolutely going to be developed as a Defender."

"Seriously? I don't think that's 'her' " (a bit of sarcastic parent voice going on)

"Well, she is. (he appropriately knows how to put me in my place - I like him :)) She has the height, and more importantly, she's calm."

"EMMA?!? C-A-L-M ?? You're kidding..."

"No, she doesn't get rattled by the ball, she remains calm and that's what I need".

"Okay, you're the Coach, I'm going to trust you on this one."

I bring you Exhibits A & B:

That's my girl. She ain't letting ANYONE past her. She is kicking butt at Defender.

If my marriage were defined by your marriage:

Then, I'd worry about whether you were well suited to each other. 

Do you fight a lot? 

Is one of you more attractive than the other? 

Does one of you have a much larger earning potential than the other? 

Will one of you be a much more nurturing parent than the other? 

Is it your first marriage, or your second, third or fourth? How likely is this marriage to succeed? 

How long did you know each other before you decided to marry? 

Do your parents approve? 

How committed are you to making your marriage succeed? 

But, you see, the sanctity of MY MARRIAGE does not depend upon the details of YOUR MARRIAGE. 

Whether you stay married for 78 years, or divorce in a few months, my marriage does not depend upon yours. 

Whether you are black, or white, or purple with pink polka dots, my marriage does not depend upon yours. 

Whether you are republican, or democrat, or libertarian, or green, American Independent et al, 

MY MARRIAGE DOES NOT DEPEND UPON YOURS. It's mine. 

Whether you love a person of the opposite gender, or of your same gender, it does not affect my marriage. 

My Marriage is strong. It is built on LOVE. No matter who ANYONE ELSE MARRIES, it does not make my marriage less than it was before. 

(posted originally on a message board I frequent - in response to California's Supreme Court upholding Prop. 8 - my feelings exactly.)

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

This is my first time participating in the monthly blog hop, very exciting!  The challenge this month was to create a card using the color yellow.  Very challenging, it's not my go-to color, but I'm very pleased with what I created: (click 2nd photo to see yellow more closely)

I used Pebbles Linnie Bell patterned paper, a Prima lollipop flower and background stamp, PTI white and melon berry cardstock, PTI "Life" stamp set (my fave right now!)  Also: PTI Lemon Tart ink (for soft background on white), and PTI Summer Sunrise ink for the vertical flower stamp. 

Thanks for looking!

Sunday at the Chalet

The "J" Family invited us up for the day to their chalet (about an hour away in the mountains). I work with Tim, the Dad, - and I just adore him. He's very wise, loves to argue with me about politics, and tease me about my love of opening packages before their time. His family is lovely, they have been over twice for annual Christmas parties, and although the age spread is vast between Emma and the kids - she loves hanging out with all of them - and yesterday was no exception. It was an absolutely gorgeous day - high 60's up there, although still snow on the ground - sunny and.. well.. gorgeous. Tim barbecued a porkloin smothered in onions, sauteed garlic cloves and fresh cilantro - who knew?!? DEEE-lish! I made a buttermilk cake with fresh raspberries and blueberries, total hit with coffee after dinner. We were home by 9:30, such a great getaway with great people.


First there were the hummingbirds just feet away from me on the deck....
And then Kara (14 almost 15) carefully watching Carl with a card trick - and betting him she'd get it (she lost).
And Tim's lovely wife Diane who challenged Carl to some cribbage - I love to watch people play. It can go so quickly and I get so far behind, but they were ribbing each other the entire time.

The kids were outside ALL DAY - from 12:00 to 8:00pm - with neighbor kids, 6 in all, playing cops and robbers; tag; playing in the forest; and then Carl had to instigate a snowball fight. Once he came down from the deck the kids pummeled him - and he took our daughter hostage as a human shield.
Here's Tim giving a funny mini-lecture to Gina (17) - she and I were giggling the whole time he was so serious... I don't even remember what he was talking about :)
And here's Kara again with Emma, and Jackson their son (9)
And don't forget Bella... what a lovey. Carl and I instantly fell in love with this Goldendoodle (golden retriever/standard poodle). She's big but oh so cuddly. I'm asking for another dog...

Let's catch up, shall we?

So things have been quite busy here in Coleland... soccer, softball, soccer, soccer, Carl working late all week, soccer.  You get the picture :)  Here are some random shots of the past week or two:

I took Emma and Kennedy for girls' day out at the nail salon, we got pedicures and manicures and then they promptly came home and played on scooters and went swimming:

Bowling night with co-workers (citywide sponsored event, it was fun) - here we are:  The Court Queenpins in all of our glory - and we didn't do badly at all!  (Thank goodness for Shannon's high scores each game :)

Selected for Soccer

Emma participated in organized try-outs for a local soccer club, called "select" soccer - you can't just pay to play, like a recreational league (which she has done the past 3 years).  It was pouring down rain the last two nights, she stayed out and pushed through for 2 hours each night being evaluated - and they called tonight to offer her a spot.  She is so proud of herself.  It is a Player Development League, there will be weekend tournaments and some traveling, and then the normal Fall league from September-November.  She has to sign up this Friday and be fitted for uniforms - fingers crossed she gets her number that she's worn up until now... #4.  It's a big financial commitment too, but if she sticks with it, there's a good chance of college scholarships.  In fact the U18 girls team with the same club all got college soccer scholarships this year.  That's impressive.  Here's who she will be playing with:

http://www.washingtonpremierfc.com/

Awesome job Emma... we're so proud of you!!

Weekend activities

We watched an 11yo neighbor, Jordyn, this weekend while her parents were away.  She is a great girl and she and Emma had a wonderful weekend.  Last night we all went bowling (Kennedy came along too) and then to an early Cinco de Mayo dinner at the local Mexican restaurant.  Yummmmmy.  Carl is out shopping at Cabela's today with Raph (I should have deactivated the debit card... :) and I've been pumping out these baby shower invites for a friend I used to work with.  I'm co-hosting the shower and of course I jumped all over making the invites :)

Start of an herb garden

It turned out to be a fun project.  The growing process is completely self-contained, comes with the little peat cups, two pellets of soil (you add water and it instantly turns into moist soil - the girls though it looked like poo and I had to coax them to keep going), add the seeds and then flip the plastic top back over. Very cool!  My scrappy friends will notice that they used a Slick Writer to write the herb type on the cover :)