Congratulations to Cousin Christi who recently wrapped up her reign as Queen of the Lewiston Roundup. She did great and we really enjoyed getting to be there! Another congratulations to Grandpa and Grandma Tippett who were selected as Grand Marshalls of the Roundup. I have many blurred photos of Christi busting out and racing around the arena and more of Jack and Blanche in their carriage. If you look really close at the picture of the screen, you may see royalty on their way out. I definitely need to work on my skills. And once again, a shout out to Cousin Jenna, who takes such great care of the kids. Em loves you and so do I! :)

 

 

 

 

Happy Harvest!

 

The man of this house carves the very best jack-o-lanterns ever! And because they are quickly rotting with our warm fall weather, he'll probably get another opportunity this year. Ryker and I have already finished off the roasted seeds and we're not shedding any tears over rotting pumpkins. Hope your harvest season is full.

Scotty and Tiffany

 

Our hiring a babysitter is a rare occasion and our kids get pretty excited at the prospect. However, when Ryker learned we were attending a book launch, he felt abandoned. "Why can't I go with you?" he asked. "Launching books sounds fun to me!" Once we explained that we would not be slinging books at targets, staying with the sitter suited him fine. If you haven't bought Captain Scotty Smiley's book, Hope Unseen, you should. It is the story of the U.S. Army's first blind active-duty officer and his Spartan Wife. Remember, Spartan soldiers were chosen for battle based on the strength of their wives as much as their own...

Appropriate, no?

 

:)

Stevenson, WA

We had a great time celebrating our 10 year with Brady and Shannon, also married 10 years. In fact, they were honeymooning in Hawaii and missed our wedding entirely. Inconsiderate of them, don't you think? ;) We love exploring the Columbia Gorge and have determined there is no end to it. Can't wait to hike some of the hills surrounding this area next summer with Baby in a front pack. Skamania Lodge was nice but a little proud, if you ask me. We've decided we're going to encourage our kids in kite boarding because it is so much fun to watch and must be safer than football. Right? And while Natalie Merchant's concert was just okay, it would be impossible not to love this venue. We'll be attending more concerts at Maryhill! Thanks, Love!

Our kids had a great time exploring Silverwood and Boulder Creek with their cousins when they came to celebrate T&M's anniversary. As evident in one of the photos, Ryan and Todd had way too much fun soaking the boys (Ryker mostly) on bumper boats. And it was not a fair fight. The boats were not equip with guns that could even come close to competing with those on the docks. The kids get major props for good sportsmanship, if you ask me. :) Fun times!

Some pics from our week with the Texans, exploring Walla Walla. Ryker was thrilled to have a four-night sleepover with cousin Gabe. We think he's pretty awesome. And an enormous debt is owed to Cousin Jenna! We begged her to stay with us for a couple of nights and then put her to work the moment she arrived. Literally. Thanks, Jenna!!!

Because we love our nieces, had yet to celebrate a birthday with them and because their trip to Washington landed right between Campbell's seventh and Caroline's fourth birthday, we had a little princess celebration. Happy Birthday girls. We love you!

My home is no longer a dead zone. I have regained access to the Internet on both my computer and my phone but I'm not sure I'm happy about it. In fact, were I not trying to run a small business here, I would have been mighty tempted to stay dead. As much as I ordinarily enjoy browsing, checking in on my blogger friends and being "connected", I really really really enjoyed these past couple of weeks! And SURPRISE! I do remember how to talk on the phone - as in have a real Hi. How've you been? Let's catch up. conversation. And now I'm determined to have more of these.

Something else I've enjoyed this month has been the privilege of spending time with family and friends. We celebrated Tim and Marlene's fortieth anniversary on August one. A big thanks to all who shared in the celebration, to Don and Sandy for opening their home, to Donna for working her decorating magic and to the Knights of Columbus for a BBQ that was out of this world. And an even bigger thanks to Tim and Marlene for making their marriage work for 40 years. We love you all!

 
 
 
 
More posts to come!

10 years

10 years ago, I married my best friend. I know, it's so cliche! I vowed to love, honor, cherish and obey him. I think I choked a little on that last bit. ;) These vows haven't been hard to keep but I'll have to get back to you on whether he thinks I've done well. Between dishing up a little something for breakfast and dishing up a little something for breakfast, I forgot to inquire. The 2000 photo in the collage below is pretty obvious. The others may be more obscure.


I still love you, Baby! And just as soon as we return from the lake, I'm going to dig up a picture from one of our first dates circa 1994. Think braces, pimples, Ropers, Wranglers and a "Hey, cowgirl! Wanna get lucky?" baseball cap. :)