I miss the rain, 5 a.m. wakeups again, and birthday weekend

It has been a strange summer here in the Pacific Northwest. I believe they said it has been the hottest summer in history. We have seen a lot of 90 degree days, and that is not normal for us. Last Saturday Joseph had his first soccer game of the season and it was so crazy hot (almost 100 degrees) and humid that I worried about the kids running around on the field. Then, near the end of the game, the teenage referee passed out and face planted on the field.  The paramedics were called and the poor boy was treated for heatstroke.  The rest of the game was canceled (thank goodness) and we all went home to lick popsicles. I'm sure I will miss this sunshine in a few months, but for now I'm craving some partly cloudy 60 degree days.

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Last week school started, and everything is going great. Today, with the start of early morning Seminary, our truly crazy schedule begins.  Everyone but Joseph woke up before 5 a.m.  (Actually, I was awake at 3 a.m. and I spent a ridiculously unproductive two hours analyzing all the things I should have/could have done differently in teaching my Relief Society lesson yesterday. Why do I always do that? It's so annoying!)  Dan was out the door by 5:45 and the girls left shortly after. This year Dan is teaching Aubrey's Seminary class, and she seems very excited to have her dad as a teacher!

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Last week was my birthday weekend and it was a good one. The day before my birthday Dan and I drove to my new favorite neighborhood in NE Portland - Alberta Street. I like the quirky Portland vibe there, and we have found some fantastic food. There are at least 15 more restaurants I want to eventually try in the Alberta neighborhood.  A few days before my birthday Bailey and I discovered the neighborhood after her senior pictures concluded, and we ate some delicious and authentic Mexican food. When Dan and I returned on Friday we walked up and down the street and then settled on Thai food and dessert at the famous Waffle Window. The Bananaruma was really decadent - a waffle topped with bananas, homemade caramel sauce and homemade granola, and whipped cream.

Then the day of my birthday my family enthusiastically said they would do whatever I wanted. What I really wanted was for us to be at Disneyland, but I settled for the next best thing . . . we went on a hike in the beautiful Columbia  River Gorge. I love hiking, and I especially loved the fact that no one was allowed to whine at me while hiking on my birthday.  That is just a win-win-win situation!

The day was a little rainy and very humid (the only measurable rain we have had in months), but we enjoyed a beautiful hike anyway.

When we got to the first waterfall, everyone wanted a picture with the "birthday girl."

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but Elowah Falls is like an outdoor wonderland, with a hundred different shades of green. The rocky basalt cliffs are covered in moss and lichen and form a "bowl" into which the water falls. Just stunning.

 Next, we planned to visit another nearby waterfall and misunderstood the directions in our guidebook. We took off the wrong way and didn't realize it until we had hiked about half an hour. However, along the way we had beautiful views of Beacon Rock across the Columbia River!

We finally realized our mistake and re-traced our steps. When we reached the correct turnoff to McCord Falls, however, Joseph (who had been very patient with our meandering) was just DONE with hiking. So we decided to save that hike for another day and we walked back to the car.  Just in time, it turned out.  There was a brief but intense thunderstorm which began as soon as we got in the car!

We drove to Sweet Tomatoes and, despite being muddy and windswept, enjoyed stuffing ourselves with good food.  It was a really fun day with the family and I appreciate their willingness to do whatever I asked them to do for the day.

One more thing about the hike:  at the very beginning we were walking up the trail and I suddenly felt a sharp sting in my thigh. I looked down and saw a bee attached to my leg. I yelped and did an ungraceful dance while I pulled the bee and the stinger out. At the same time, Bailey saw that a bee had tried to attack Joseph and had "stung" the hood of his jacket.  We removed that bee and marveled at the aggression of the bees. I thought bees weren't supposed to bother you if you don't bother them??

It hurt a little to keep hiking on my sore leg, but there was no way I was quitting at the beginning.  By the time we got to the car I was amazed at the way my leg had swelled up from the sting. It actually looked worse in real life. Within a few days the redness had spread and deepened to an itchy reddish/purple blob. It has taken over a week for the redness to fade. I would love to avoid bee stings in the future, but I'm not sure what we did wrong to provoke the attack!

The rest of my birthday was spent preparing a talk for the next day. Yes, I agree that is unfair and cruel. I tried to explain to the bishopric member that asking me to speak the day after my birthday guaranteed that I would spend my birthday stewing over the talk, but he didn't care. And that is exactly what I did for the rest of the afternoon and evening!

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But wait, the fun wasn't over yet. The next Monday was Labor Day, and we decided to go on another family adventure. We found our way back on Alberta Street in Portland, this time trying out the very famous and ridiculously busy Pine State Biscuits (as seen on Food Network, etc), the home of some of the best biscuits and gravy on earth. And they have a famous biscuit concoction called the "Reggie" which Dan had to sample.

We waited in line for at least an hour to order but then had to wait another 20 minutes for a table and to get our food. But it was worth it. Buttery, delectable, mmmmm. And Aubrey sampled the fresh apple cider and Joseph got some fresh squeezed lemonade, both which were delish.

 On the way back to the car we took pictures next to a few of the cool murals on the sides of the buildings on Alberta.

And then, the summer party was officially over (sigh) and it was time to dive into school.

Back to school 2014

This year we have:

• Two amazing college students halfway through Bachelor degrees (I'll have to ask them to send me an official "back to school" picture).

• One incredible senior in high school

This was Bailey on the 2nd day of school, when she was able to wear "normal" school clothes rather than her ASB shirt.

• One awesome freshman in high school (two in high school - oh my!)

• And one getting-way-too-big-too-fast 4th grader . . .

. . . who didn't want me to drive him to school on the first day but chose to ride the bus instead (first time in 22 years I haven't driven someone to school on the first day of school). The reason: "my friends are on the bus, so I am on the bus, Mom!"

Waiting for the bus to arrive and striking some classic Joseph poses:

 After school . . . I broke tradition of many years and didn't make rice krispy treat apples this year (this is last year's picture).

Last year I noticed that everyone thinks they are cute but no one really likes to eat them all that much and they are a pain to make.  To soften the blow for Joseph (who doesn't really like the treat but likes the IDEA of it so he was sad to see the tradition fade away), I made zucchini brownies AND his favorite molasses crinkles.  Yum. 

One by one the kids arrived home and filled me in on their days.  Thumbs up for the new school year all around!  

August thoughts

Here we are at the end of the first week of August. Most of the rest of the country is headed back to school soon but we have another month of summer. Our summer always feels a little shortchanged because all the stores aggressively promote school supplies and clothes at the end of July and the general feeling by the time August comes is that school is right around the corner.

It has been, by any account, a very busy summer. Our family has taken lots of airline flights.  To and from Utah, to and from Arizona, to and from Florida. But this last week we have been at home doing what we should do in the summer . . . . . not a heck of a lot.  I am, by nature, pretty much the opposite of lazy most of the time. But in the summer I cherish the lack of schedule, the time to sit around and talk and laugh, and the chance to not be busy. I think this is true of everyone in our family.

Mid to late summer is about just being.  Puttering around the house and finding neglected projects to tinker with. Making a pile of board games in the family room and vowing that they won't be put away until we play every one. Deciding at 10 p.m. to have a movie night, complete with popcorn and ice cream, because who cares about the time, it's summer.   Eating frozen fruit bars and calling that healthy. Enjoying fresh fruits and veggies all day long and often calling that breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with some ice cream for protein. And, very happily, reading books.

So many books and finally time to read them

All year long I read books, but I read them with purpose.  Generally I am speed reading books for a book club, checking for suitability and discussion questions. Besides that, there isn't much time for reading during the school year. As it is, I have to carve my reading minutes out of a frenzied schedule. I would never think of sitting for hours and reading a book during the day - that would feel too wasteful. Summer is different. I allow myself to get lost in a book while kids run in and out barefoot. I don't feel at all guilty about the hours I spend in the world of my books in the summer. To the contrary, I consider it medicinal, storing up strength against the onslaught of another hectic year ahead. 

This summer, once the wedding festivities ended, I put over 40 books from my Goodreads "to read" list on hold at the library. Soon I amassed a pile of books to read at home and a large number of ebooks on my ipad and so far I've read about half of them.  Every time we flew on a plane this summer I was almost giddy when I was strapped in my airline seat and unable to do nothing else for hours but read. 

I've also abandoned several books this summer, even ones which were highly rated, award winners, and loved by friends. If a book doesn't grab me in the first 100 pages I usually move on.  Life is too short to waste on books I don't like.

Vegetable Garden Fail

In other summer news, my gardens are looking pretty sad. To be truthful, this is the case every year.  I always plant flowers and veggies with enthusiasm and profound hope in May. I revel in being outdoors in the spring and spend hours grooming the flower beds in the crisp clear air. My enthusiasm wanes dramatically by August. It's hot and I find lots of other things I would rather do. I do notice out of the corner of my eye that my flowers could use some TLC, an extra dose of water and slug bait to deter the nightly ravenous visitors and that the weeds are taking over the vegetables, but I don't always do anything about it. My veggies are always mostly a disappointment by this time of year. In April I'm always sure that this year I'll find the secret to growing great veggies in the Northwest the way I did in Utah. In August I'm content with eating the few tomatoes we are harvesting and buying the rest from the farmer's market.

A Year of Changes

I am very cognizant that this is a summer of firsts and lasts.  This is Brandon and Angela's first summer together, their first home, and our first married child.  This is Bailey's last summer at home before she (hopefully) starts college at BYU summer term next June. I hope that all her educational wishes come true, but I'm realizing more and more how much I am going to miss her. I know all too well that when kids go to college they are really gone. When they come home after leaving to college they are visiting. Dan and I like having our kids hanging around - they are amazing, intelligent, and thoroughly enjoyable people.  I am so glad that we have one more full year with Bailey and that Aubrey and Joseph will be around here for awhile yet. 

Speaking of which, this summer we got a glimpse of what life will be like all too soon, as we only had one child (Joseph) home for most of the summer. As soon as school was out the girls were mostly gone for 6 weeks. Bailey helped every day at Activity Day camp and Aubrey was busy every day with friends. Then the next week the girls were gone all day to Youth Conference. Then it was the wedding and after the wedding we all went to the Oregon Coast for a few days. Then the girls left to Girls Camp followed a few days later by flying to Utah to visit cousins and then go to EFY.  Finally we all met up in AZ for a family reunion and then Aubrey flew back to Utah for a fun week with grandparents and her cousin Sydney. So, Dan and I have spent a lot of time interacting with just our youngest child. We have had a good time getting to know him better and giving him extra attention. The summer has been full of many wonderful events, but I miss having everyone at home.

And now, I've rambled enough. Time to go dish up some more watermelon and ice cream.

And now, the wonderful event we worked for 6 months to pull off, Brandon and Angela's WEDDING WEEK!

Warning - this is a very long post.  There's a lot that happened in the night before the wedding and wedding day and I just don't know how to condense it further. Plus, my memory is getting worse the older I get, and I want to remember these details for a long time!

Wow - I can't believe all the wedding fun and festivities are over. I am glad that our lives aren't quite so consumed with wedding planning, but I did enjoy the process.

I am wishing now that I took more pictures of the process of preparing Brandon and Angela's wedding. I didn't think of it at the time.  Suffice it to say that our home was taken over by a wedding virus for about 6 months. The dining room was turned over entirely to purchased wedding supplies.

The couple was engaged just before Christmas, so we had just over 6 months to plan the wedding. In January I started talking to friends who had recently done weddings to get some much needed advice.

I put together a binder to keep track of all the details and the receipts from the wedding: venue, food for the reception, meals for the week before the wedding, photographer, wedding luncheon, friends who volunteered to help, flowers, invitations, clothing, honeymoon reservations, and travel plans to and from  Florida.

By February we booked the venue,  Lucy's Gardens in Ridgefield.  We knew it would be absolutely beautiful and abloom in July (it was) and it provided shelter in case of rain. There is both a large barn-like structure and a big canopy area outside.  We decided to have tables in both areas and a big crepe bar outside under the canopy.  We crossed our fingers that it wouldn't be raining on that day, because we generally have rain until July 4th.  Ha ha ha ha . . . . funny joke on us!  We had what they called a "heat wavelet" on July 1, 2014 and it was almost 100 degrees!  So ridiculously hot. But there's more to tell about that story in a minute.

A friend had advised us to not skimp on the photographer. We loved our photographer and she bonded with each of our kids. She asked if it would be ok if she takes Bailey's senior pictures later this summer.  Absolutely yes!  

One of the smartest things I did was to hire a friend from a nearby ward to make all the decorations. She is planning to work as a "wedding planner." She did a fabulous job on the decorations and I was so happy to not have to plan or prepare all the cutesy stuff.  I did buy all the silk flowers, ribbon, table linens and all the food (including crepes we ordered from a distributor in Canada). We thought that our wedding planner friend was doing all the set-up and take- down also, but it turned out that we needed to help quite a bit on both. Thank goodness we have amazing friends who pitched in to help!

Okay, I'm going to take a break and show some pictures. Here are few shots of my friends helping us set up the reception the night before the wedding.

 We had family in town for the wedding for most of the week before the event. We provided meals at our home each night for the guests. This process was complicated when the door to the garage freezer was left open, destroying most of the food I had pre-bought and pre-prepared for the week, including 4 ice cream pies for the dinner the night before the wedding.  I threw out a lot of food, took a deep breath, and restocked the freezer the best I could.  

The night before the wedding our meal was prepared for us by our good friends the McDonnells. This was SUCH a great service to offer and I am going to do the same for others in the future!  They offered to pick up and cook all of the food for a big barbecue for all the family members, come to our house to set it up, and then clean it up for us.  This enabled us to focus on our visitors and all the millions of last minute things we had to do that day.  What fantastic friends! Their daughter Laura captured some pictures during the dinner.

 Brother McDonnell manned the grill all night, freeing up Dan to talk and relax.

 It was so fun to have Scott and Ann's entire family here!

 It was such a beautiful night to sit outside and talk.

 After the dinner I had to run back to the reception venue to take food and much-needed ice water to my friends who were slaving away at the setup.  Quite a few family members came with us to see how it was coming along. After a bit we headed back home where Brandon and Angela were singing for the group. We also showed the wedding video to the family this night.

I am just going to pause here to say that . . . . I felt quite scattered at this point. I needed to be at the reception helping to set up. I needed to be at home with other family members and guests. I needed to run to the church to pick up tablecloths I had forgotten to get earlier. I needed to get Bailey's dress zipper fixed for the next day. Plus, there are a lot of interesting dynamics that arise when you get family members from three different families together.  And there were lots of last minute things to do, despite my efforts to be really organized and prepared. The week before the wedding necessitated lots of chocolate, ibuprofen, and laughter with Dan at the end of the day. But somehow it all came together with the tremendous help of family and friends.

And then, after some very special father's blessings for the wedding couple, everyone was off to their hotel rooms. Kara was staying with us, and she was enormously helpful in every way, including as resident hairdresser.

The next day we got ready and nervously watched the thermometer climbing outside.  We Washingtonians are a little freaked out by straight sunshine. I have to admit, though, it was much better than a rainstorm!

I took a picture of Brandon as he was ready to drive out to door to get married. MARRIED.  Notice that he is gripping the wedding rings and wedding license in his hand.

I still can't believe my baby is married. 

click below to keep reading. Remember that I warned you - it's long!