Happy Birthday Uncle Guy & Maddie; It's Sunday!

2 pm Mom and Ron Will Arrive at SeaTac

It is October 5th! I know, that isn't a surprise, but it did arrive faster than I thought it would arrive. Mom and Ron were here last June but after visiting they decided to come back in October. October seemed so far away at the time. I knew I had all the summer fairs to attend, Riley's tonsils was to be taken out etc. It just seemed "miles" down the road of life. But it was really here in no time at all.

My sweet uncle has his birthday today. He is in the background of this picture in the yellow shirt. I respect him as much as my own father. He is my father's first cousin. I was so very happy to get to see him at the wedding in June. Happy Birthday Uncle Guy!

It is also Maddie's birthday today. She is Dave's niece's, Amy, little girl. Here is a picture of her when they were visiting Seattle this last July. Happy Birthday Maddie!

"ME" Time

"ME" Time Started With A Hair Cut

"ME" Time is very precious to me because I just don't much of it. I am always doing something or going somewhere etc. After getting ill a few weeks ago, I decide that I would really start doing the things I really would like to do such as pacing myself and taking better care of myself. This weekend I started by going an getting my hair trimmed or cut. It feels good to have all the dead ends off.

Today we are going to go out for a family breakfast. Something we haven't done is a long time too. And, like I mentioned before, I will go to church on Sunday before my parents arrive on Sunday.

My week will have some leisure time in it because I will be going over to eastern Washington to visit with them too for a few days. I took some days off. I hope the drier weather will help me get over this cough that I still have from being ill. I will drop off the boys at school on Monday and then head over to Lake Chelan. Kari will have them for two nights and I will return Wednesday PM. Mom and Ron will be leaving on Friday, so I will visit with them too before they leave. They have some friends that live over there too that they visit. Plus, there are so many places to see and visit. The apple harvest is going on among other things. Leavenworth is having Octoberfest.

I will be posting off my phone those days; so there will not be any pictures until I return on Wednesday or Thursday. Hopefully the fall colors are in the mountains so that I can take some photos for those like Judy that hasn't seen anything of fall yet. I know what that is like. One of the reasons I liked the idea of moving to Washington was to see more of the four seasons rather than just two they have in California (hot and cooler). Of course, if you have been read my posts last winter you would have learned that I am not a fan of ice on the roads, and that "Ice is NOT nice". I have had more than one scare with ice and would rather not challenge it on these hills around here.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

Thank God It Is Friday

I had the boys last night and so I am trying to get them ready to go to school and me to work. Kari came early this morning to help me. So I don't have much time to post much this morning. I have an 8 am meeting this morning too. So it is hurry, hurry, hurry...

It is raining today. It looks like we are now heading back into the typical rain we have in Seattle after the long time of not having too much rain during the summer.

We will be getting ready for my mom's visit. They are arriving at SeaTac airport at 2 pm on Sunday. They will come over to our house before going over to eastern Washington to their room at resort on Lake Chelan.

We get to attend church too this weekend after many weekends where we haven't been able to attend because of one thing or another. I think it has been a month!

So off I go... Have a nice day, and if you are a nonblogger on the weekends, have a great weekend too~

Fall Is In The Air

Fall Is In the Air

I have mixed feelings about fall. I enjoy summer and spring so much that I sort of go through a mourning before I can accept the fact that fall is here. After I go through those emotions, I start to enjoy the fall colors etc. I can tell when that happens when I begin to decorate and take pictures of the trees changing color. So far, that hasn't happened this year. I am on the verge of it but I am not quite there yet. I have made a few fall dishes and have had hot tea rather than all ice tea. I have even had a few lattes (even though I live in Seattle, I don't drink that much coffee). So until that happens, here are some pictures from last year to help us all get into the spirit.

Trees in Kent dressed in reds, oranges, and yellow.

I like it when the trees have three or four colors in them.

Pumpkins laying in the fields in waiting to be picked up for market in our town. I will point them out to Riley and Brady to let them know that Halloween and Thanksgiving it coming.

This picture doesn't do the colors justice in this tree. Sometimes the sunlight shining on the trees make them look like they are lit up.

Blewet Pass - A drive towards Leavenworth in the fall for Octoberfest. If you would like to see what great fall color Leavenworth (a Bavarian town) just click HERE. Mom and Ron will be going through Blewet Pass on their way to Lake Chelan this next Sunday. They have a webcam at Lake Chelan and if you would like to see the lake just click HERE.

Last night, after the high school event, I stopped by to see Kari and the boys. We watched Veggie Tales together. She received a certificate today for HIV/AIDS training. I am very proud of her. The boys were ready for bed... we checked the internet to see what news there was on the Senate's action towards the "Bailout". Kari for the first time I can remember is very interested in what is going on in the government and the election. I believe that she mirrors many young adults and their need to be heard in regards to their future and their children's future. I believe that we will see their votes more than we have in the past couple of decades.

Welcome October!

Well, here we are... it's October. That is going to take some "getting it into my head". Honestly, I feel like it should, maybe, actually be September 15th at the latest. But it feels like it should be August still... because I don't know where the time has gone.

I am doing OK in my pacing myself, I think. I have an event this evening at a high school so I am not going into the office until after 10 am. I will be in the office mostly today until I leave for my event. I have the boys this morning and will take them to the daycare this morning at 8am. Kari will pick them up to have them tonight while I have the event. Kari and I do well at balancing the boys schedule.

Last night I had the boys and we have a "storytime night". Riley has to have at least 25 minutes of reading to him in a week. Starting next week, the library will have a "pajamarama" where I take the boys to the library at 7 pm for storytime on Tuesdays. They will not only get a story there in their pjs but we can also get more library books to read to them for the week. We went there last spring right before summer came on. They stop it during the summer and start it again in the fall.

Most of September we had really great weather. Monday the sky was blue and clear. I was at an event in the Bank of America building in Seattle on the 26th floor. I wasn't too happy it was on the 26th floor but the view was great. I took pictures off my cell phone of where I was standing for the Princess Cruise employees. They also gave us lunch which was fantastic.

Yesterday I was at Cascade Christian High School for their event in the AM. They also fed us lunch... a potato bar, salad, and a bar cookie. I have made chili (which is a fall favorite dish) but I had forgot about this fall favorite. I will have to put this on the menu for when the family gets together on the weekend.

They say that there is a little fog out there today. We should be in the 60s today. The trees aren't in full swing with changing colors but there are some trees that are starting. We have to have cooler weather to get that going and October is always a beautiful month for seeing the tree's fall colors. In November we have winds that knock out the leaves from the trees.

Have a great first day of October!