Summer Begins.....

I took the girls and Audrey to the pool and we ran in to some friends from school who had the same idea. The girls swam for hours playing games and enjoying cooling off in the water. I don't think we left until after 8 pm. What a great start to the summer..... one more week of school and were there!

Visiting

Lora and her girls came to town to celebrate her mom's birthday and I was on call all of the days that they were here so we fit a visit in where ever we could. They met me at the airport before I reported for a turn and we had about an hour to visit. It was great catching up and seeing her so happy. I also got to visit with Lora when I returned from this trip as well. Love how flexible she was but I guess she understands because she used to fly too.

Book club

We met last night to discuss our latest book The Art of Fielding by Chad Harback last night at my house. There were mixed reviews on the book, we as a group didn't necessarily hate the book and are glad we read it but none of us really loved the book and few of us would recommend the book.
Some would call the book a "guy's book" having to do with baseball but I would not. I actually think the book had a baseball theme but was more a book about relationships. Once again our book club is getting me to read books I would have never have picked up. Not a favorite book but glad to have my horizons expanded.

I decided to take the baseball theme and use it for our meeting and serve hotdogs but I didn't want to serve any kind of hotdog..... nope, I wanted to serve Chicago Dogs! Once I decided that, I researched what goes on one and where to find it but while researching found a sight called Flukys and they sell and ship original Chiago style hotdogs. So I ordered them and they were a HIT! Talk about one of the best tasting hot dogs EVER!
A Chiago dog starts with a poppy seed bun that has been steamed
The hot dog is pure beef and skinless and then yellow mustard {NO KATSUP!} onions, tomato wedges, a crunchy refrigerated Kosher style pickle spear, serrano peppers, and bright green sweet relish.

Jump!

We had dinner over at the Dodd's house on a beautiful Spring evening that felt like Summer. The kids played outside most of the night, jumping on the trampoline and playing hide-and-seek. Hoping this is just the beginning of many nights spent outside with friends this summer.

Bloody Monday!

Laura Meed and I were chatting about Bloody Mary's and their garnish and she decided that we should have a Bloody Monday! She made us a very yummy Bloody Mary and and even yummier brunch! We think it should be a monthly event. We sat outside in the sun and enjoyed each others company. What a great way to spend a Monday afternoon.

Wine Time!

I was signed up to take the CARE training class with Alaska Airlines and they allowed me to use bump-able business class passes to go there and back. I had planned to go there and back on the same day so I didnt really tell anyone I was heading up to Seattle or make any plans. I checked the loads at about 7pm the evening before and was shocked to see all the flights in the morning until 10am {too late for the class} were over booked by 2 or 3 people. I panicked and decided to head up that night even though I wasn't even the slightest bit ready to go. Once I got to the airport I called Debbie and asked her if I bought a bottle of wine would that convince her to come get me and take me and let me stay at her house. So Debbie and I enjoyed this very yummy bottle of wine and some snacks, we had some much needed friend time, and even watched a move. In general we were up waaaaaay to late but it was so worth it.

Rainbow Bridge

The Emily, Sarah, Audrey & Sophie speent the entire day outside playing and spent a good portion of the day painting the bridge between the two tree houses. I love how the chain hand rail is covered in paint from them holding on too! Once they were done painting the jumped on the trampoline with the dogs! What a fun spring day! No sunshine but the key was no RAIN!

Mommies have play dates too!

It sure is tough getting three reserve flight attendants together in one place at the same time. It takes getting all of us to have a common day off that none of us have plans on.... whew. It took about 6 months for us to actually pull it off and we met at the Cacallic Cafe. The food was fantastic but the "Tomato Juice" we all ordered was even better! Mine came with bacon infused Vodka and a piece of bacon in it too!

Deja and Melissa were roommates in training and Deja was one of my crashpad roommates when I was flying out of Seattle. I had a strange connection with Melissa that started with her sisters, boyfriends, dad was on my flight {did you follow that} and asked if I knew Melissa and although he had not met her in person he thought I looked like her. {how sweet of him} I ended up having about four more interactions with other people that were connected to Melissa including having her sister on my flight who recognized me. It was great to finally meet Melissa in person and to catch up with Deja although I got some worisome news from Deja. She has a growth behind her ear that has effected her hearing. Her surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday. Keeping her in my prayers.

Dueling Apples

I met Chantal at Starbucks this morning with our computers so we could catch up with each other and start our "new" challenge of encouraging each other to blog at least twice a week. So..... this is my first blog post to meet our challenge. 

Chantal and I have know each other for 15 years and I have truly been blessed with this friendship and I am grateful for her in my life.

The Paulina Plunge

We decided to take the Plunge, The Paulina Plunge that is. Its a bike mostly downhill 6 mile mountain bike ride stopping at three waterfalls where we were able to jump in or ride down the rocks like a slide. 

This is the first waterfall we stopped at

It was beautiful but there were LOTS of misqueots and we were eaten alive!

A small hike away from the first waterfall was this one where we had the opportunity to take the Plunge!

We all jumped in!

wet and a little cold from the 58 degree water

Hopping back on the bikes again and enjoying the beautiful view on the way to the next waterfall.

Sarah didn't think she wanted to do this but one of our guide talked her into it and she ended up loving it!

Sarah C. took Emily under her wing and road down with her several times. Emily LOVED it and eventually went down on her own.

Then our guides Michael and Jordan also know as Michael Jordan decided to go together

Emily & Sarah with their fire tree markings

Our guide Michael gave Emily a lift up on the trail back up

We had such a beautiful view on the ride

All the kids with our fantastic guide Michael

He was so good with my Sarah who fell 3 times on the ride.

Our whole group with the guides after the trip 

Debbie's Sarah with the two guides who were "hot" in her eyes

We had a fantastic trip!

Sunriver trip with the girls

Debbie and her daughter joined me and the girls for a trip to Sunriver. It was a girls trip and Ian stayed home {alone, kind of} We biked at least 3 miles to the store and then to the pool where we swam for a couple of hours and then had to ride the 3 miles back.

Fairy World

The girls spent hour upon hour working on their Fair World. Everything they used was from outside. Branches, moss, dried pine needles, stumps, pine cones and anything they found became part of the world. They spent so much time working together creatively and the outcome was quite amazing. I really don't think the photo does it justice.

Black Butte with the Cravens

Jill invited us to join them at Black Butte for the weekend and Terry was on call so the kids and I went.

On one of the days we went for a bike ride to this natural spring where the water bubbles up and the kids got down and drank out of it.

This is all the kid plus the turtle who we took along with us 

{I also used this as my bench Monday shot}

The view of Mt. Washington on the ride

I saw this huge dandilion and took some photos

I also took some landscape photos as I going the flickr group Get Pushed and my push was wide angle black and white landscape photo. Black Butte seemed to be a fantastic place to take it.

 same view in color

 We went in to Sisters to have dinner and after we walked to Snow Caps for ice-cream and along the way the kids were put in jail and I HAD to take a photo.

Emily decided that she was going to have a banana split so I didn't order any and helped her eat it.

another beautiful view along the ride

The Sedgewick Hoedown Throwdown

We have helped host the hoedown as an auction fundraiser for the kids school for the past tow years but this year it was not auction off and as the summer approached Terry decided that he still wanted to have the party at our house so a Hoedown we had!

There were a few kids that joined our kids and they all had so much fun

FRIENDS

Shots anyone?

There was some bull ridding {and falling off}

And more friends