i was just thinking...

Two!

2012-01-16T22:16:00.000-08:00

Yup. Two.

That's the temperature outside this evening. When we got home from work I turned on the oven just to make it a little warmer in the house.

Then Cassie was saying I was wasting energy, so I said "maybe I'll bake something." And she said "Bake bread!"

So that's what I did.

But where did it all go?

We also tried blowing bubbles outside to see if they would freeze (they didn't -- my friend in Fairbanks did that but it was -26 there). Also, we were only outside for about 30 seconds because the wind was blowing and even though we put on coats, hats, and gloves before going outside (on top of the three layers I was already wearing INSIDE the house), it was too cold to stand outside!

Come visit! But you might want to wait until summer.

Brrrrrr!

2012-01-15T23:02:00.000-08:00

It's cold and clear out. We expect temps in the low 20s this week. I don't even want to go outside to get to the car, but Cassie did help me to bring all the Christmas storage boxes up from the garage yesterday. Finally took the tree down and we returned the boxes to the garage today.

Then we moved all of the furniture in the living room, dusting and vacuuming everything as we went. Basically it's just reversed from where it was, but the room feels much bigger.

Yesterday I made a huge pot of jambalaya for soup kitchen (by the time I added the rice, the slow cooker was filled to the top). Every bit of it was gone! I might have to make some more. So delicious!

Send your warm thoughts this way!

happy new year!

2012-01-02T15:51:00.000-08:00

I ordered our family cards today! Might even get them mailed before Valentine's Day.

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

it's not what it looks like

2011-12-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

because it looks like something you've seen on a episode of Hoarders, but really it's just the contents of my bedroom closet.

why is it on the bed? well, i have the week off and decided to paint the inside of the closet.

and this is the inside of my very first Coach purse:

isn't it pretty? wouldn't it be lovely inside a closet? fortunately, we had painted a wide purple stripe around cassie's bedroom a while back, and i had paint leftover from that.

here's the "Before" picture:

ta da! purple!

and here's the "After" picture:

a free closet makeover, and it was all done in one day! whoot!

Harry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

Arnold is home from Camp Pendleton and hadn't seen the final Harry Potter movie yet, so we decided to have a movie marathon. We added up the times for all eight movies (19 hours 40 minutes) and decided to watch the first one on Friday night. Saturday morning we started early (by kid standards -- it was 8:15) and watched them all!

Originally we thought we'd play a drinking game -- taking a drink of butterbeer each time someone in the movie said "Harry," but after the first two glasses of butterbeer (about 30 minutes into the first movie) we were all feeling a bit queasy so we stopped that.

For dinner: shepherd's pie and roasted garlic and rosemary turkey breast.

This afternoon we'll celebrate Christmas dinner with friends. I'm taking a red velvet cake, a pecan chicken casserole, and homemade rolls. We'll play "Pictionary Man" and "Pit" after dinner like we did on Thanksgiving at their house. Can't wait!

We'll take family photos this week and hope to get some cards in the mail early next year. Merry Christmas!

magical

2011-12-07T22:30:00.001-08:00

It was time for our Third Annual Pilgrimage to Disneyland. This time, since Arnold is stationed at Camp Pendleton, we started by picking him up before heading to our hotel.

Saturday morning we headed to La Brea Bakery in Downtown Disney before entering the park. First stop in Disneyland? Star Tours! A couple of times!

We soon learned that we had stalkers!

Stalkers? In Disneyland?

Why, yes! It's Josh and Leona! Woot! If you're gonna have stalkers, these are the ones you want to have!

So we rode some rides and basically had a fantastic time. The lines weren't too long, but it doesn't matter if you're standing in line with people you love! More time to visit!

And then there was the screaming.

Tower of Terror. LOVE IT! Three times in a row before we decided to move on to something else.

It was a magical week! Cassie and I spent six days in the parks. We're already looking forward to next time.

gratitude

2011-11-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

sometimes i get in a mood and i want to get rid of the clutter. usually i can clean out a closet and fill a box with castoffs and the mood passes. this last one, though, has been going on for several weeks.

a few weekends ago, i emptied the workroom. rolled the shelves out, stacked all the boxes in the hallway. emptied it out, cleaned the floor, and then started putting things back. that weekend five boxes were moved to the garage (there's getting to be quite a pile of boxes down there, waiting for a garage sale in the spring).

the workroom looked great! the table was even cleared off so there was an actual place to work! that lasted until the next weekend when i decided to clean out my bedroom.

anyway, in the workroom i found a box labeled "Cassie" that had old school papers and sketchbooks, etc. i plopped the box down between her and the t.v. and asked her to sort through it. she founds lots to amuse her, pausing occasionally to read aloud from a journal entry she'd written in elementary school. in fifth grade (2007), she was describing her bedroom and how she'd like to redecorate. she describes the colors she'd like, and things she would want to have in her room. she then went on to say she'd have to wait to redecorate because we would probably be moving because 1) our house is falling apart, and 2) we can't afford it. Cassie made a list of things that were in need of repair in our house at that time. there was rot at the back of the house, the dryer was broken, the washer was old and unbalanced, the microwave didn't work and more.

as she was read aloud from this journal entry we both laughed until it hurt.

how far we've come. everything in cassie's list has been repaired or replaced, the house is in much better shape than it was four years ago with lots of work done and a new roof this year. God is good.

we have so much to be grateful for. i'm not going to make a list, but if i did, my family would be at the top.

tomorrow we depart on our third annual pilgrimage to Disneyland. can't wait to see Arnold and any other Gillespie's that might show up.

a happy and blessed thanksgiving to all of you!

flaky

2011-11-20T22:39:00.000-08:00

it snowed all day yesterday. beautiful, fluffy flakes of snow that just kept coming. i shoveled the back stairs so i could get to the garage, and a few hours later the snow was 5.5" deep. we measured the snow on the railing a few times during the day, and by the time the snow stopped it measured 11.5" deep. beautiful, beautiful snow. and a great excuse to forget about the usual saturday errands.

i stayed home all day. spent a lot of time on the deck with a camera trying to capture the lovely little flakes. not as easy as it sounds! i'd find a perfect flake, and by the time the camera would focus, more flakes would fall on top of it, or it would begin to melt. here are a few of my favorites...

this one is on my glove...

and this is a view into my kitchen window. doesn't it look inviting?

these flakes are out of focus, forming the head of Mickey Mouse.

five days 'til disneyland!

orange you glad?

2011-11-17T20:31:00.000-08:00

i was not having a very fun day at work, but i get to work on the baby floor when terry takes her break, and this might have been the best part of my day today

except...

stephanie came into the kitchen to find the tweezers in the first aid kit. she said "kiara has a cheeto up her nose and lolly said to try to get it out with the tweezers." (kiara is about 19 months old). and i said "you don't need tweezers, just cover up the other side of her nose and blow in her mouth. savannah used to put stuff up her nose all the time, and that's what the doctor told her mother." and then i was like "bring her over here to do it! i wanna watch!"

so she went back and got kiara and brought her over to the baby floor, and i was like "want me to do it?" and she handed her right over. so i laid kiara on my lap, put my finger over the side of her nose that didn't have cheetos in it, and blew in her mouth. it didn't work, and kiara looked a little surprised, but wasn't upset at all, so i tried it again and the thing moved out a bit (not quite far enough to grab it), so i tried one more time and VOILA! out it came!

it was NOT a cheeto, though, it was a piece of orange peel that had been in there since breakfast.

fun times. i love my job.

Cassie is in LOVE!

2011-09-25T22:45:00.001-07:00

In love with her new CAMERA, that is!

Cassie bought a Nikon D5100 when we were in Juneau and she is totally loving it. And taking some fabulous pictures. I think she's on her way to being professional.

ice, ice, baby

2011-09-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Mendenhall Glacier, then...

and now...

When Arnold was home for a week, we enjoyed a brief visit to Juneau, travelling on the M/V Fairweather. Shopping, dining, a visit to the Rock Dump and Mendenhall Glacier. A good time was had by all.

sophomore year

2011-08-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

Cassie is now a sophomore at Sitka High!

diversion

2011-07-12T19:53:00.001-07:00

My friend, Patrick, has some property on Prince of Wales island and wanted to bring a truck over. He brought me along to keep him company. It was not the adventure we had planned, but there were lots of good times.

We ferried to Ketchikan, first. Arriving at 4:00 a.m., we had plenty of time before our 3:30 p.m. departure to Hollis. Another ferry passenger had suggested Ward Lake as a good place to hike, so we did the two-mile hike around the lake (once early in the day, and again in the early afternoon when we didn't feel like competing with cruise-ship passengers to walk around downtown). A very nice hike. Lots of birds along the way, but no bears.

After arriving in Hollis, there was the nerve-wracking drive up to Whale Pass. Beautiful country. Gravel roads that seem to be one-and-a-half lanes wide with lots of curves. Saw several adorable deer, but no bears.

Too many misadventures to mention. The people of Whale Pass are WONDERFUL, kind people. God bless them! The remote location was difficult for the unprepared. We had hoped to fish and bring home lots of salmon. What we did instead was practice casting on the river while the fish jumped around us. Probably laughing. It was fun, though.

Lesson learned: a hot shower makes everything better.

job perks

2011-06-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

this is my friend, Chalice.

Chalice's mom works for a local tour company and got Cassie and me on a wildlife viewing cruise yesterday. it was a pretty awesome three-hour tour (even though the Gilligan's Island theme song was stuck in my head for part of the journey).

there were four crew members on the boat, and four passengers! plenty of elbow room on a boat that has a 112-passenger capacity.

we saw a whale!

this humpback whale was bubble feeding along the shore. really cool to watch! you'd see a ring of bubbles in the water, and then the whale would emerge through the center, gobbling up anything he trapped in his "bubble net."

we also saw lots of sea otters, sea gulls, eagles, murrelets, and beautiful scenery.

we were offered scones, coffee and hot chocolate at the beginning of the cruise,
and smoked salmon at the end. yum!

the view of downtown Sitka from the boat.

More Power Tool, Ya!

2011-05-30T15:10:00.001-07:00

I have a broken step. It just needs a couple of screws. So yesterday I bought a new drill/driver and some deck screws. Brought it home and plugged it in to charge the battery (for NINE hours).

This morning I took my newly charged, new screwdriver outside with my screws and...

hm.

The screw isn't going into the wood. And I managed to strip one of the screws in the process.

So I decided to read the directions!

The directions are printed in Spanish, French, and Man. There are words and phrases like "torque" and "keyless chuck" and"spade bits." I have no idea what any of this means, except that I think I need directions written by a woman.

good things

2011-05-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

so, maybe you people who live in places where you can buy fresh, organic produce won't get why this is exciting, but we recently signed up for fruit and vegetable delivery from Full Circle Farms. you've seen this same photo on facebook. you may have also noticed posts on facebook about Cassie eating green vegetables. well, this is why.

for $45 (including delivery charges), we get a box of food every other week. this is our third box and we have been very pleased so far. you can log in online and see what they're planning to send you, and make substitutions if you don't want something (like a nasty grapefruit, for instance). we've enjoyed some new things, like broccolini and chard, and had some very tasty stir-frys. the oranges, apples and strawberries have been delicious. and who doesn't love fresh cilantro?

anyway, we picked up our box today. whoever packed the box added a little something extra that was not on the packing slip.

wrapped carefully in brown paper were two yellow tulips. slightly wilted from the trip, but beautiful just the same.

2011-05-24T07:44:00.000-07:00

"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...
I could walk through my garden forever."

Alfred Lord Tennyson

take a hike

2011-05-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

saturday in Sitka was a GORGEOUS day. just about everyone in town was outside playing in the sun or working in their yards. i hiked around beaver lake with patrick. cassie and her friends hiked up mt. verstovia (where there was six feet of snow at the top!). legs were a bit sore last night, but what a beautiful hike!

Hoppy Easter!

2011-04-24T18:29:00.001-07:00

32.55

2011-04-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

according to the calendar, i'm 48 today.

realage.com says i'm 44.2.

this morning, my wii fit told me i was 20.

i took a quiz online "how old do you act?" and my results said 17-19.

so i think i'll go with the average and call that my age.

night at the movies

2011-04-22T23:02:00.001-07:00

i love "you've got mail" and watch it over and over. recently i decided to add the original 1940 movie "the shop around the corner" to my netflix queue and am watching it tonight.

in "you've got mail", the main characters work in rival bookstores in new york city. in "the shop around the corner" they both work in the same shop.

in budapest, hungary.

anyone can cook

2011-04-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

in 1985, volume 1 of the fun times cookbook was published. shortly after that, mom and daddy began collecting recipes for volume 2. i ended up with that recipe file, and thought that lori and marlon's wedding was a good time to get it done.

so here it is -- the gillespie fun times cookbook:

somehow i did not win the lottery again so i can't purchase copies for all of you, but you can order your own here:

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/1625951/a7fc52a512317f39576a2f776398b72f

bon appetit!

something's different

2011-04-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

our recent trip to arizona was much too brief. and completely different than every other visit in so many ways.

we stayed in a hotel
we rented a car
we didn't eat at taco bell
we didn't buy any coach purses

this was our first time back since daddy died, and mikie's "welcome home" text when our plane landed in arizona made me cry. this time it doesn't feel like home.

the drive to sedona was beautiful. the wedding was lots of fun. seeing family is always wonderful. but now we're just visiting.

love you and miss you all.

2011-04-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

belgian waffles

2011-03-29T07:42:00.001-07:00

we're having belgian waffles for breakfast this morning for daddy's birthday. and probably some pie for dessert tonight.

sure do miss him. happy birthday, daddy.

when life gives you lemons

2011-02-27T12:42:00.000-08:00

This morning I was zesting lemons to make lemon and poppy seed scones, and I was thinking about Daddy. We'd be out running errands in the Suburban, and when he'd pull into the driveway on Colby Street and see that another lemon had fallen from the tree, he'd say "Ah! The lemon gods have blessed us with another lemon!" And we'd pick up the fallen lemons and put them on the kitchen counter. Soon there would be enough of those blessings to make a pitcher of lemonade.

Sure do miss him.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T21:31:00.001-08:00

Sending hugs and kisses to my family. I love you!

Show and Tell

2011-02-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

Last month, inspired by a friend's facebook post about starting new projects when the old ones don't get done, I invited friends to commit to completing a project by February 5. We celebrated with a "Show and Tell Cocktail Party" at my house.

Cassie made "You Did It!" certificates for everybody. I found some delicious appetizer recipes. Everybody completed a project to share. It was a wonderful evening.

Here's my project! Remember the quilt I started for Arnold last fall? It just needs to be tied. Woot!

Happy Groundhog Day

2011-02-02T20:13:00.001-08:00

We really did want to keep the family tradition of eating pancakes and sausage today, but I just didn't feel like it. I suggested biscuits and gravy, but Cassie turned up her nose. Then I suggested this:

Aunt Joyce's ham balls with orange sauce, and mom's butter dips. Nobody has EVER said "no" to butter dips.

So we're sticking to the tradition of eating ground hog (bonus -- ham balls contain both ground ham and ground pork!). It's delicious. I didn't bother with a green vegetable.

And while I'm cooking this holiday meal, Mikie calls with a fabulous surprise! You people are insane. I love you. Cassie and I are shopping for houses in Mesa right now.

random furniture placement

2011-01-30T14:52:00.000-08:00

Someone in Sitka was inspired by the mystery piano in florida, I think. Yesterday we passed this cabinet sitting by the road...

The sign said "Take it away. Fix door, replace glass." We drove by it several times during the course of the day. The sign was soon removed but the cabinet was still there in the evening. Cassie and I thought we should add a lounge chair and coffee table to the arrangement, but it was gone this morning. Still find it very amusing.

my babies

2011-01-25T18:49:00.000-08:00

I moved some photos around this weekend. Here are my babies -- then and now...

Kinda hard to get a good photo with the glare on the glass, but aren't they adorable? Don't you just wanna pinch those cheeks?

Thought I needed a happy post after that last one. Thank you all for your love and support!

restraint

2011-01-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

I try very hard to refrain from negative posts. On facebook, on my blog. But this week and weekend have been very emotionally trying. Lots of weeping going on in this house.

Nearly four years after their father left us, my kids are still hurting. And I don't know how to help them.

At Mass this morning, this song started me crying all over again. This is what I want to be for my children:

Will you let me be your servant?
Let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant, too.

We are pilgrims on a journey,
We are trav'lers on the road;
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you
In the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
Speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping;
When you laugh I'll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow
'Til we've seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven
We shall find such harmony,
born of all we've known together
Of Christ's love and agony.

The Servant Song, by Richard Gillard

God bless all the good fathers out there. And God help all those who don't know how to be good fathers.

it's snow wonder

2011-01-16T21:57:00.000-08:00

The problem with me and snow is that I can stand and look at individual snowflakes as they land on my coat and gloves and ignore everything else around me for as long as it keeps coming down. Trying to capture them for longer examination is nearly impossible as they melt so quickly, and my camera doesn't have a great macro setting.

But Cassie's has a better macro setting! And today when we were on our way out to take pictures of yet another breathtaking sunset, I noticed that some of those gorgeous snowflakes were, in fact, visible on the deck railing. The fact that it was 17 degrees out kept them from melting, I guess. Here's what she captured (sorry, Cassie, but I stole your photo).

For those of you who aren't on facebook, here's that sunset I was talking about...

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-19T21:46:00.000-08:00

Lori loves to make me cry, so you'll notice who's topping MY tree this year? I think he looks pretty happy there.

We had an open house today so that my friends could come visit with Arnold. I made lots of cookies! Arnold made the fudge. Yum.

We didn't get a family photo on graduation day, so Joan took one for us today. Aw. He looks so good in that uniform!

Private First Class

2010-12-13T21:08:00.000-08:00

So very proud of Arnold! So happy that Lori and Gary and Heidi were able to join us for his graduation! What an amazing, emotional few days.

We had fun together in San Diego and Legoland before flying home. And we have the great pleasure of having him home for a few weeks before he heads back to Camp Pendelton.

almost there!

2010-11-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

graduation is less than two weeks away!

http://www.devildogs.info/Kilo%20Company.htm

scroll down to Platoon 3225, download the video and tell me if you can find Arnold.

and for those of you that missed the t-shirt post, here's that link again...

http://www.bootcampgrads.com/index.php/kilo-sd-proud-ega-short-sleeve-t-shirt-4846.html
cassie and i have ours. so do Lori and Marlon!

so excited!

whale, wouldn't you know...

2010-10-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

if you happen to have a small child handy, could you ask them if this snack would pass for a beluga whale?

next weekend is whalefest in sitka, and today i found the CUTEST whale cupcakes in a book i bought at the scholastic book fair. unfortunately the body of the whale is made with a twinkie covered in frosting. adorable, but really not a healthy choice for preschoolers. so cassie and i went to the store and bought bananas and nilla wafers. the whale is resting on a sea of marshmallow fluff (marshmallow cream mixed with cream cheese and blue food coloring).

room to work

2010-10-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

With Cassie finally moved into her new, bigger bedroom, I now have a workroom! Have I done any work in it? Hmm. No. Not yet. Though I did sit in there this morning to write a letter to Arnold. The table is next to the window and the sun is shining in.

The first project to be: a t-shirt quilt made from Arnold's old shirts. See? All the supplies are ready!

Any bets on how long this project is gonna take?

happy alaska day!

2010-10-18T20:52:00.001-07:00

we've had it ALL today -- rain, wind, hail, lightning and thunder -- and a parade! an hour before the parade when i picked cassie up from school it was raining and hailing so hard it made driving difficult. we waited it out at Subway, though, and the rain stopped long enough for our 25 minute parade. lots of candy was thrown, bands played, and a whale made it's way through the streets of Sitka.

good thing the dooney & bourke picnic tote is waterproof. :-)

photos by cassie.

makeover

2010-10-17T18:05:00.001-07:00

Doesn't seem like Arnold's been gone over a month, but Cassie is finally getting settled taking over his room. She's also gone a bit crazy with the masking tape.

I got to do bra art on the wall behind her door. She had a lot of cute bras that she's outgrown!

Save the ta-tas!

planning ahead

2010-10-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

This is the shirt Cassie and I will be wearing to Arnold's graduation. Just putting it out there in case anyone else wants to play along!

http://www.bootcampgrads.com/index.php/san-diego/san-diego-kilo/kilo-sd-proud-ega-short-sleeve-t-shirt.html

Platoon 3225. You know the rest! :-D

Graduation --- December 10! Can't wait!

the hour of power

2010-10-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

sitka had a really bad windstorm on tuesday that took out a major power line. while the repairs are being made over the next few days, our power is being rationed because the city is using diesel fuel, and because they don't have the capacity to power the whole city without the hydroelectric plants. so the downtown area has power most of the time, and the north and south ends of town have power every other hour, alternately.

it's been kind of fun.

yesterday at the grocery store all the moms were watching the clock (the grocery store has a generator). we were all calculating how much time we had before we needed to be home and ready to cook dinner when our power came on at 6:00.

i know that the city utility department has had a lot of angry customers this week, but i'm really happy that i have a warm house and cold beer, and when my power goes off, i'm fairly confident that it's going to come back on in another 67 minutes.

things we chose to do when the power was off:

write letters to Arnold
move Cassie's curtain rod and mirror to her new room (with a human-powered screwdriver)
have light saber duels with emergency flashlights
watch DVDs on the laptop
sit in the dark and enjoy how quiet it is without the humming of appliances
play with Arnold's night vision goggles
shower by candlelight
make a masking-tape mural on the wall (I didn't do this -- Cassie did)

the city expects us to be back on full power by tomorrow afternoon, but if they don't, it will be a great excuse for putting off laundry and vacuuming yet again. just doing our part to conserve electricity during this power emergency.

First Day, Last Day

2010-09-12T08:24:00.001-07:00

A belated "First Day of High School" post! Cassie started school way back on August 24th, I just didn't get this posted. So far she is liking high school. With some prompting from Arnold and me, she has joined the yearbook staff, and plans to join the Drama and Debate team.

Yesterday was Arnold's last day in Sitka, so I skipped the usual Saturday housecleaning and we enjoyed some family time. Here are the kids in Cassie's favorite tree at Old Sitka. There were LOTS of goofy pictures, too.

Arnold didn't want a going-away party, but last night several of his friends came over and they watched the "GI Joe" movie.

He and Cassie said their goodbyes early this morning, and Arnold and I arrived at the airport just as they were announcing the final boarding call. Fortunately Sitka's airport is very small, and all he had with him was his ID and his cell phone (which will be mailed back to the house tomorrow -- he can't have it at boot camp). Another bonus of arriving late -- no time for teary good-byes at the airport!

bringing home the bacon

2010-08-14T19:52:00.001-07:00

Cassie got her first paycheck this month! Woot! The sad part is she starts high school on the 24th and won't be a paid employee at the child care center after that (until next summer!).

HooRah!

2010-08-06T07:12:00.001-07:00

Arnold did it! He had his fourth and final audition for the Marine Corps Band yesterday and he's IN!

He will be heading off to boot camp in San Diego on September 13. Anticipated graduation date is December 10, and you're all invited! We'll probably be going to Legoland and/or Disneyland before flying back to Sitka.

The recruiters were here for dinner last night (I forgot to take pictures!). Gave us lots of good information.

After boot camp, he'll have a minimum of 10 days leave. There's a very good chance he'll be home for Christmas. Then he'll go back to Camp Pendleton for about three weeks before heading to the Marine Corps music school in Virginia Beach.

We won't have a mailing address for him until the second week of boot camp, but then I will be hounding ALL of you to write him letters!

So very proud of this boy.

She's driving me...

2010-07-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

Cassie turned 14 on Saturday and got her learner's permit today! She drove around the campground (speed limit 10 mph) and practiced pulling in and out of spaces, then around the mostly empty ferry terminal parking lot. About an hour of practice today, and she only scared me twice!

"Slow down... SLOW DOWN... SLOW DOWN!!!"

Yesterday she started her first job. She's now OFFICIALLY employed at the child care center where she's been volunteering for the past two years. Woot!

And for those of you NOT reading my status on facebook -- Arnold is currently on his way home from Anchorage where he had his second audition for the Marine band, took the ASVAB test (and scored a whopping 94), and had his physical.

So proud of my babies!

She's a Rock Star!

2010-07-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, my sister can do ANYTHING! She's beautiful. She's talented. She's clever and witty. And she's a Rock Star.

Happy 22nd Anniversary, Lori!

a boy and his dog

2010-06-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day, Daddy.

Wish you were here.

Tote-ally Awesome

2010-06-15T12:37:00.001-07:00

I got this tote bag for free, but I don't need it.

It's from Del Sol, and changes color in sunlight.

It looks like this indoors:

And like this outdoors:

Anyway, I'll mail it to the first Gillespie to post here that you want it.

the start of something

2010-05-31T16:39:00.001-07:00

Lots of endings this past weekend.

End-of-year tie-dye celebration at my work on Friday. The annual bike-a-thon was held in the afternoon in HOT, sunny weather. (Pledges still being accepted.)

Blatchley Middle School holds a "Rites of Passage" for 8th graders at the end of the school year. This was also on Friday.Here's Cassie in line wearing her cute new dress!

Sitka High School's graduation ceremony was held Sunday evening.

Arnold, diploma in hand.

The 2010 graduating class -- 70 students.

During the recessional -- happy to have that stupid hat off!

Arnold and his very proud mom. Aw.

Run, Arnold, Run!

2010-05-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

The Sitka High Track team travelled to Juneau this weekend for the Regional meet, and came home as winners, once again! When Arnold got off the ferry, he handed me his FOUR medals (two gold, one silver, one bronze). I cried, of course. I'm so proud of my boy!

There's lasagna in the oven and it always reminds me of this conversation with my 4-year-old Arnold:

Mom: We're having lasagna for dinner.
Arnold: Oh! Like that song at church!
Mom: What song at church?
Arnold: Lasagna? In the highest?

I just love him.

A happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T19:02:00.001-07:00

Woke up to a lovely message on the white board from Cassie, and an even lovelier note. Aw. I've raised such a wonderful daughter!

Kent mowed down the weeds and grass in the yard today so I could take pictures of our little garden.

Arnold got home from a track meet in Haines this afternoon. It was such a nice day that we all just went for a drive (Arnold drove first -- it's nice to be able to just look around sometimes!). I drove on the way home but nearly had to pull over because the kids had me laughing so hard I was crying.

Thank you, Lori!

2010-05-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Lori is BRILLANT, you know. She will go down in history as the founder of the Income Tax Refund Commemoritive Handbag tradition.

Here's what I've ordered for the occassion. Can't wait for it to arrive!

Not sure yet what to do about matching shoes and underwear.

:-)

2010-04-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

Cassie and I had dinner at the Channel Club on Friday. We ordered appetizers - chicken skewers, beef skewers, and beer-battered halibut nuggets. All delicious, and we had some leftovers to bring home.

Last night Kent took me out to VanWinkle & Sons. I had a half order of the "twisted mac and cheese" and still could only eat a third of it. Kent had the seafood fetuccini and ordered a side of the gorgonzola and bacon smashed potatoes. After one bite, he decided that he does NOT like gorgonzola cheese, so guess what I had for breakfast today?

Just had to take a picture of my birthday loot. Thought it was cool that my flowers look like Lori's! Come on over for margaritas, okay?

faith and patience

2010-04-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

tax return, energy rebate, unpaid child support. i know it's all coming (about ten thousand dollars in total), but today the universe is testing me. hm. what to do to pass the time.

i think i may have found the perfect tax refund commemorative purse, and it will look good with the new car, too!

oh, and speaking of purses, Lori, i've been meaning to ask, is it okay to accessorize a coach purse?

2010-04-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pvGJnL5APg

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

Are you tired of whale pictures yet? I never get tired of watching them. Every sighting is breathtaking. This whale was by Heather's house this afternoon. I watched it for about 45 minutes. Cassie sat in the car listening to her ipod.

More of the same whale. The white foam is herring spawn.

The bunny rolls did not make it until dinner time.

Sea gulls...

Cassie driving the Kia. She'll be eligible for a learner's permit in just a few months! This was just in the parking lot at the ferry terminal. She got to drive in circles for a bit.

A sign on the fence at the ferry terminal. Sitka dogs, apparently, know how to read! Cassie took this picture.

Arnold. Is he grumpy? Or is the sunshine just giving him a headache, too? It's seriously too bright out today. Had to close the drapes.

Cassie's feet. That's the ferry dock in the background. There was an eagle sitting at the end of the dock.

Bunnies on the rise. Yes the photos are out of order. Not sure why blogger does that.

So this is how our Easter was --- Kent went to Mass with us Saturday night and the church didn't fall down. Mass ended at 10:30 and Arnold was due in on a flight from Ketchikan (track meet) at 11:00, so we went to get a refreshing beverage and then waited for him at the airport.

Slept in on Sunday and then started the dough for the bunny rolls, and decided today would be a good day to clean the oven. Why? I have no idea. It certainly needed to be done.

While the rolls raised, Cassie and Arnold and I went for a drive. Got lunch at McDonald's then drove out the road looking for whales. Sat in the parking lot at the ferry terminal enjoying the sunshine and watching birds.

Came home and baked the rolls, took a little nap, then went for another drive. Found the whales! I took about 400 pictures. Really. When the driving around was done for the day, I made myself a pomegranate martini. Mmmmm.

Dinner was Aunt Joyce's ham balls, spanakopita, and fruit with dip. The bunny rolls were all gone way before dinner was ready.

No egg hunting, no feast. It was a nice, relaxing day. How was yours?

well...

2010-03-29T08:02:00.001-07:00

i was totally expecting a post from Lori that would make everybody cry.

happy birthday, daddy.

cute, right?

2010-03-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

Cassie and I are loving the new car! Arnold likes it, too. He managed to put about 90 miles on it while I was in Juneau for a couple of days.
It also makes for great Girl Scout Cookie transportation.

Rachael's not the only one!

2010-03-08T20:02:00.001-08:00

Today, I got my new wheels, too! It is a 2008 Kia Sportage. A lovely shade of green, 6 cylinder, 4 wheel drive (all that mattered to me was that it was green). I haven't been able to take pictures yet (rain on top of snow/slush all day) but will take some soon.

And, also today, I got the energy audit exit rating and I went up TWO steps to a 4-star-plus rating! That's exciting because that means I am eligible to get $5,500 back (instead of the $4,000 I was going to be totally happy with if I only went up one step). Just gotta fill out a form and mail in the receipts and, voila! Money back in the bank!

think pink

2010-02-11T22:29:00.000-08:00

wednesday night was "pack the gym" night at sitka high school, with proceeds going to breast cancer and heart health awareness. attendees were encouraged to wear pink or red to the games. arnold, wearing his sister's hot pink clothes, directed the pep band.

this is one confidant young man. we meet with the army recruiter on monday. do you think he should wear the pink pants?

2010-02-08T21:56:00.001-08:00

i'm starting to think that the little bar that pops up to tell me a pop-up has been blocked is more annoying than having the pop-ups.

all that jazz

2010-02-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

february is a busy month for Arnold.

this weekend is the Sitka Jazz Festival so Arnold has been busy. there are rehearsals and workshops and concerts. at last night's concert (featuring about eight different performing groups), Arnold performed with the Sitka High Jazz Band. tonight he'll perform with the All Alaska Jazz Band. i love watching him and of course he was absolutely the best bass player that hit that stage last night.

Arnold will be meeting with an Army recruiter on the 16th. if he auditions and is selected for the Army band, he might enlist for a couple of years so he can pay for college. Arnold has also applied to NAU where he would major in music education. big decisions ahead.

and then, Arnold will be traveling to Idaho for the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival.

time for a brief update...

2010-01-31T21:04:00.000-08:00

Arnold directing the Sitka High Pep Band at a basketball game.

Cassie ready for the masquerade dance at school. She painted and decorated the mask herself. I think it's pretty! (Mikie -- note the framed drawings on the wall behind Cassie from the Animation Academy! -- SO FUN!)

We had a fun Valentine-making* party today! Lots of food (scones, asian chicken salad and croissants, red velvet cupcakes and lots of valentine candy). Several friends came by to help me on my quest to use up my paper-crafting supplies. We made a very small dent in that area, and there are still lots of cupcakes and scones left which my co-workers will be happy to help me with tomorrow.

We had so much fun making cards that we're thinking of having another card-making party in a few weeks with a birthday card theme (and pizza and birthday cake!).

In preparation for the party, I cleaned the whole house yesterday and killed my vacuum cleaner! Fortunately it's not too cold outside (in the 40s) because we had to air the house out when the vacuum burned up. What a stench! Will be contacting Costco in Juneau tomorrow about getting a Dyson.

This weekend Arnold will be performing with the Sitka High Jazz Band and the All Alaska Jazz Band during the Sitka Jazz Festival.

Not much else to report! Our weather has been unseasonably warm and my tulips think it's Spring. I should have put more dirt on top of them last weekend, but Cassie and I were sick so it didn't get done. Oh, well. Maybe they'll survive.

* This does not mean I will be sending Valentines. The Valentine's are for patients in the long-term care area of the hospital, and residents of the Pioneer Home.

Having an Epiphany

2010-01-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I finally got our Christmas letter in the mail. And on the Feast of the Epiphany -- the official end of the Christmas season. So think what you will, they really aren't late. :-)

Tidbits inadvertently omitted from the Christmas letter: Arnold was selected for the All Alaska Jazz Band (I told him I did that on purpose because the band doesn't perform until February, but he said "I was SELECTED in 2009"), and Cassie earned her Girl Scout Silver Award in October. They just do too many wonderful things. I can't keep track of them all.

Odd that the southern part of the country is so cold when we are having rain here and temps in the 40s. I'm not complaining ( I love the rain!), but we are a bit fearful that we'll be paying for this later when winter really decides to visit.

Coming soon: Iron Chef Sitka, Season 2. The secret ingredient has not yet been decided. Suggestions welcome. Can't wait!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-31T14:38:00.000-08:00

Managed to keep a secret from the kids for three months and surprised them on Christmas Eve with a trip to DISNEYLAND! We had a wonderful time, and an all-too-brief visit with Mike and Lori and their families.

It is good to be home enjoying the quiet. I still have a few days off from work and will be getting our "Christmas" letter done and in the mail soon.

Happy New Year, everybody!

Talkin' Some Mac

2009-12-23T21:39:00.001-08:00

What would Daddy say?

the clueless parent

2009-12-19T18:25:00.000-08:00

the childcare center where i work had a christmas party on friday. the kids sang, santa came (i'm apparently still on the nice list! he called my name!), and we had cookies and punch. while visiting with parents at the party, one of the moms said "i saw arnold directing the pep band at the basketball game!" and i had no idea, of course. so i asked arnold about it and he says "oh, yeah, i'm kinda like drum major so i get to direct when mr. d doesn't want to or whatever."

today at our staff christmas luncheon terry says to me "i see arnold is being inducted into the hall of fame or something tonight." and of course i had no idea, again. it was in friday's paper on the sports page (which i don't read). sitka high school has a "wall of champions" and arnold's photo is being added tonight along with his other relay team mates that won the state track meet last spring.

i used to think i knew what my kids were up to.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

Mental Pause

2009-11-30T19:09:00.000-08:00

I know I need to post about Thanksgiving, but even thinking about how to put the experience into words makes me cry all over again. I am so very grateful for my family!

Here's what I found at my dining room table on Wednesday night. Eating McDonald's food! Now, if I had known they were coming, I could have made Welcome Home Stew. Way better than McDonald's.

I now have a complete set of totem pole pictures. Why this totem pole? I don't know. Mom chose it.

This is most of the food we had on Thanksgiving. The potatoes were still in the oven and the pumpkin cheesecake was still in the fridge (both dishes were from my boss, who was in on the secret). It was all good.

And then Cassie and I left on the early flight on Saturday for a day trip to Juneau, leaving my siblings alone (sort of -- Arnold was still home) in my house for a couple of hours. One of you needs to write up the whole story about the rabbit. The rest of the photos are posted on my facebook page (except for the one where the bunny has his head in the oven because you can see how dirty my oven is). The bad bunny raised a lot of questions. In particular "How old are your siblings?" Mmm hmm.

I love you people!

Iron Chef, part 7

2009-11-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

The judges agreed that Cassie's meatball presentation was unique!! And pretty!

Cassie scored 14/15 for presentation, 12/15 for originality, and 7/15 for taste for a total score of 33/45.

Iron Chef -- Bonus Round

2009-11-08T12:25:00.001-08:00

So, I was cooking some bacon after church to use up the bacon Kent put in his green beans, and Arnold decided to make a bacon sandwich with smoked peppercorn gouda cheese and red onion on the bread and broil it. And then he wanted to enter it in the competition (that's why this is a bonus round -- an unscheduled entry).

In the process, Arnold discovered a new power tool -- the Cuisinart. He was awed.

His sandwich creation with a side of sliced honeycrisp apples was DELICIOUS!

Scores: Taste 15/15, Originality 13.5/15, Presentation 10.5/15 -- total score39/45. That means Arnold is in the lead.

But, once again, I didn't have to do the cooking, so I WIN! (I'm loving this Iron Chef challenge.) Meanwhile, Cassie's in the kitchen with a plethora of ingredients out, trying to come up with a sauce recipe for meatballs. She's cooking tonight!

Iron Chef, Part 5

2009-11-07T19:40:00.000-08:00

Kent's turn.

Kent scored 11.5/15 for taste, 13/15 for presentation, and 9/15 for originality for a total score of 33.5/45. The chicken was marinated in balsamic vinegar, molasses, and red onion. Tasty!

Just in case anybody's keeping track -- I'm still in the lead!

Oh -- and this is three whole times I haven't had to cook! So I win again!

SWF

2009-11-07T08:21:00.000-08:00

a few of the girls from work (all half my age) came over last night for cocktails and appetizers. the theme, apparently, was cheese.

i got this little appetizer cookbook from pampered chef and tried a few recipes. brie and apple tartlets (delicious!), roasted garlic and red pepper potatoes (i never even noticed my store carried those tiny little red potatoes -- the filling had cream cheese as well as garlic and peppers), and little goat cheese and sundried tomato puffs. all from the cookbook. i also made parmesan artichoke dip and pear sidecars (not a hit with the younger crowd, but i like just about anything served in a martini glass!).

Iron Chef, part 4

2009-11-05T22:18:00.001-08:00

Arnold's dinner of grilled chicken and rotini with alfredo sauce was well received by the judges. Interestingly, each of the three judges independently gave Arnold the exact same scores: Taste: 4/5, Presentation: 3/5, and Originality: 2/5 for a total score of 27/35.

Kent was inspired, though, to poke through the cabinets and ask to be entered in the competition. He'll be cooking on Saturday.

No challenge tomorrow night. I'm hosting a SWF party (cocktails and appetizers, and we're watching Single White Female).

Iron Chef, Part 3

2009-11-03T20:26:00.001-08:00

Iron Chef Cassie prepared breaded chicken stuffed with mozzerella cheese and served on pizza sauce (yes, there were like 3 cans of pizza sauce in the cupboard), with a side of cheesy mashed potatoes.

While her scores for originality were low, the meal was very tasty!

Cassie's scores: Taste 12/15, Presentation 9/15, Originality 8/15. Overall: 29/35.

Way to go, Cassie!

Iron Chef, Part 2

2009-11-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

no pictures. sorry. i left my camera at preschool.

last night's panel of judges was much harder to please. here are my scores:
taste 10/15, presentation 10/15, originality 9/15.

admittedly, the meal was NOT my original recipe, but i've never made it for my family before: aunt joyce's ham ball recipe (with slight modifications because i didn't have all the ingredients) with a maple and mustard sauce, mom's butter dip recipe (which should have scored me BIG points in the taste category), and sauteed green beans.

even though they gave me lower scores in the taste category, TWO of the three judges were asking for more. there were no leftovers, and i used leftover ham from the freezer. my score may only be 29 but i think i won!

cassie will be cooking tonight. something with chicken. i'll be sure to bring my camera home!

Iron Chef Challenge Week

2009-11-01T20:04:00.001-08:00

hadn't posted for a while and thought i should catch up on the family blogs and of course ended up crying (thanks to emilee and lori). so here's something that WON'T make anybody cry.

i have this cupboard in my house that has two round shelves that are supposed to rotate. we mostly store canned and dry goods there. for months now the shelf has been so full of food that it is too heavy to turn. my solution? the iron chef challenge.

each of us will be cooking dinner twice this week using only ingredients already in the house (with one exception -- i told the kids if they needed a protein, i would buy it for their meals).

i cooked tonight and my scores were: 14 out of a possible 15 for taste (go, me!), 9 out of 15 for presentation, and 11 out of 15 for originality. total score: 34 out of 45.

dinner was ground beef, italian sausage and pepperoni with pizza sauce served over brown rice (topped with parmesan cheese), and steamed broccoli.

i'll also be cooking (and posting) tomorrow. cassie will cook on tuesday and thursday; arnold will be cooking on wednesday and saturday. kent will remain an impartial judge because he says the kids won't eat anything he cooks.

the best part? i'm not spending $200 on groceries this week.

7 stages

2009-09-25T22:46:00.001-07:00

Arnold called me at work at 1:25 today and said something like "Hi, Mom. I'm gonna need to go the the E.R. and get stitches. Can you meet me at school on your lunch break or whatever?"

Seems Arnold's outdoor recreation class is in the middle of their unit on mountain biking. Arnold went down a steep, rocky hill (one the kids all love to sled on when it snows). He then had the idea that it would be fun to do it again FASTER!

Turns out that was a bad idea. Arnold and the bike parted ways at the bottom of the hill.

We were at the hospital for over three hours, and on the way home, it occurred to me that in those three hours we had pretty much experienced the seven stages of grief. On the way to the hospital, Arnold was commenting about how cool this was going to look at the starting line tomorrow (denial). The cross country team traveled to Juneau tonight for the Regional meet.

(skipping lots of boring waiting and what-not) ... the doctor looks at his knee, confirms that he'll need stitches. I tell the doctor "but he'll be running a 5k race tomorrow" and the doctor says "no, he won't be running for a couple of weeks." (here comes the emotional pain)

The the nurse is flitting around getting things ready for cleaning the wound and she comments "Oh, there will be other 5k's. I know you'll bounce back from this." Fortunately she was not looking at Arnold at the time. Arnold was wearing his angry face. It's pretty scary. (anger)

Anyway, by the time he got all cleaned up and moved to the procedure room (about 4:00), it was clear that the wound was much deeper than Arnold thought. Lots of local anesthetic later, he was sitting there looking into the hole in his leg while the doctor said "That's your muscle there -- flex it." And we could see the muscle flexing and Arnold was saying "Wow!" Forty-five minutes and 13 stitches later...

A few phone calls between us and the coach letting her know Arnold wouldn't be running, the coaches want him to go anyway to support the team, etc etc, and we made it to the pre-flight team dinner just in time for Arnold to head to the airport with the rest of the team.

My camera battery died before we got to the stitching part, sorry. It was pretty cool.

just bearly

2009-09-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

Our first Early Childhood Nutrition class was tonight but it got out WAY early because not everyone had the syllabus (am i annoyed? oh, yes). So it's a beautiful evening and i got home nearly two hours earlier than planned. Asked Kent if he'd go for a walk with me but he's already in relax mode. Asked Cassie and was sure she'd say no because the ANTM premiere is on, but she said "sure!" Yeah!

So we're walking down the road toward the recreation area, get just to where the guardrail starts before the bridge across Granite Creek and hear what I assume is going to be a dog walking up from the creek, but no

It was a bear! So cute. Fish in it's mouth and all. Aw. Probably 20 feet away from us.

Cassie wasn't too keen on continuing our walk after that so we backed up, then crossed the street and headed back home.

Short walk, but exciting!

you're all invited

2009-09-05T09:25:00.001-07:00

Okay, Gary, here's some advance warning for you:

Arnold's 18th birthday is October 13th. We'll celebrate it the Saturday after, which is during Alaska Day weekend (Alaska Day, October 18th), so plan to be here at least through the parade on Sunday.

Here's the schedule of events for Alaska Day: http://alaskadayfestival.org/events.html

Alaska Airlines is having their Fall Sale right now (through the 14th). Phoenix to Sitka $279 each way.

R.S.V.P.

come and knock on our door!

2009-09-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

of course, i should have taken a "before" photo -- but here's the new door. i love it! and i installed the door handle and deadbolt all by myself!

the best part is, i'm signed up for the alaska housing energy audit program, and the new doors and bathroom fans are all part of the energy rating improvement plan so i'll get reimbursed!

the "come and knock on our door" party will be this sunday at 4pm. i'm making martinis and appetizers. let me know if you can come!

first day of school

2009-08-26T23:54:00.000-07:00

Cassie started school Tuesday but had Wednesday off, Arnold started Tuesday also, but since he's a senior now he didn't have to be there until 12:25 for the first day orientation. Anyway, I wasn't able to take the traditional "first day of school" photo until AFTER school, but here it is. Cassie made us wait while she fixed her hair. Arnold was still "fixing" his hair in the photo...

pot luck!

2009-08-25T08:37:00.001-07:00

Lolly wanted to have a pot luck at work yesterday for Cassie's last day (she's helped out at my work for most of the summer and we love having her there, but, sadly, she has to go to school today). I wanted to make the pecan-crusted chicken with spinach and cheese, but thought it too much work, so I made it into a casserole, and it was delicious! Here's the recipe:

Mix together
3 cups cooked rice
3 or 4 diced, cooked chicken breasts
1 bag of spinach, chopped up
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
4-6 ounches smoked peppercorn gouda cheese, shredded

put all that into a casserole dish

in the food processor, chop up
two really big handfuls of pecans with
about a teaspoon each of paprika, salt and pepper

top the chicken and rice with the pecans and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350.

it was really good. everybody at work liked it, and i'll make it again!

recycling

2009-08-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

after the "not going away" party, i had empty margarita buckets. i thought the kids would enjoy using them on the playground because they have that handy spout on the side.

of course, kids never do what you expect them to do, and they do make lovely hard hats!

matchy matchy

2009-08-23T16:48:00.001-07:00

Aren't we cute?

making money

2009-08-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

There was a link to this website in the latest issue of Family Fun magazine. I thought it was cute.

Party Pics

2009-08-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Last year after the refinancing of the house went through, we had a "Not Going Away" party, and it was so much fun we decided to do it again.

Here's Cassie dishing up delicious chili. Mmmm. There was none left by the end of the party. There are still plenty of margaritas. Stop by and have some!

Coconut-lime cupcakes. Yum!

Arnold had difficulty staying out of the cupcakes before the party (I made three dozen), but there were enough leftover for breakfast this morning.

Cupcakes for breakfast? Oh yeah. It's a good thing.

Cassie, Justine and Arnold playing Guitar Hero. I had a turn on the drums earlier and Brooke was on guitar. Kent won't play but he likes to be in the pictures! I took a lot of pictures of our guests, but somebody is looking goofy in just about every one. Guess I need to work on my photography skills.

Just before the party my new front door was delivered! It's in the garage in a wooden crate. Can't wait to see it installed! Can you guess the next party theme?

"Come and knock on our door."

This post is for you, Ciretta!

2009-07-28T21:38:00.001-07:00

Sorry it took so long. What is it?

Stylish coffee table for Cassie's luau-theme birthday dinner?

New ventilations fans for the bathrooms!

Gillespie women are so clever.

The birthday dinner was really fun. We got out the "chat pack" and everyone had a chance to answer the questions. I learned some things about my kids! This was my favorite Q&A, though:

Q: If rain could fall in any scent, which scent would you choose?

Kent's answer: Fifty Cent!

Thirteen Today!

2009-07-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

and still an angel.

Happy Birthday, Cassandra Grace!

She's so cute!

2009-07-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

Happy 39th birthday again, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Gary!

2009-07-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

for Rachael

2009-07-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

photos of the draperies in the Pittock Mansion, Portland...

a little dark, sorry. no flash photography allowed in the mansion!

just a few more vacation photos...

2009-07-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

Mowing the lawn

Ready for the neighborhood parade in Tigard.

Recycled bird feeders at Saturday Market, downtown Portland.

Also at Saturday Market. Loved the colors!

Vacation Photos

2009-07-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

Cassie investigating the crime scene in The CSI Experience at OMSI.

This is where we stayed.

Just kidding. It's the Pittock Mansion, built in 1914. Overlooks Portland. Beautiful home! Took lots of pictures of the draperies inside for Rachael (will post them later).

The Coach Outlet in Woodburn!

Barney and Cassie on the tram.

Walking along the river. There was a Blues Fest going on across the water.

Kent at Vista Point overlooking the Columbia River.

Multnomah Falls.

REDRUM! Timberline Lodge (you saw it in The Shining), where we stopped for lunch.

Cassie flipping out on the bungee trampoline. That's Mt. Hood in the background.
The "Adventure Park" was kind of a rip-off. Don't recommend it.

More later. Gotta go to work!

One Down

2009-06-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

Cassie came home from Fine Arts Camp this morning exhausted (as expected). She wasn't really coherent enough to talk about her experience, but she did bring home some interesting ceramic pieces, some work from her writing class, and a lot of dirty laundry. She's been sleeping most of the day! One of her roommates was taking a black and white photography class. It's a bit blurry, but I like the photo.

Arnold begins Fine Arts Camp tomorrow!

On Monday, Cassie, Kent and I will be traveling to Portland to spend the 4th of July with his family. And to visit the Coach Outlet, of course!

homecoming

2009-06-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

cassie has finished the first of her two weeks at fine arts camp. i've missed her! today she came home for a brief visit to do some laundry and "hang out with mom." camp is exhausting, but she's having a great time!

Mom cried

2009-06-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

i'm puttering around today, doing laundry, sorting through piles of clutter, was going through computer disks and found this one from daddy. it's mom opening a package from me. this is september 2004...

i had ordered photostamps with their totem pole picture, and decorated a composition book for mom. apparently she liked it! there was no audio with the video. anybody read lips? there are two of the stamps left ($0.37 each). this is the book. she never wrote in it.

wake-up call

2009-06-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

it's been sunny and hot here all week, so i slept with the window open. this morning i woke to the sound of birds. my first thought (after the starling episode) was "oh, not again." but i soon realized these flapping wings were not starling. and i could hear eagles outside. they're really loud. they sound like this: http://www.thebigzoo.com/Sounds/Haliaeetus_leucocephalus_001.mp3

i got out of bed and opened the curtain to see a bald eagle standing atop the old utility pole on the lot next door -- about 12 feet from my bedroom window. of course i didn't have my camera, so here's a picture of the pole...

i looked down and another eagle -- all brown with no white head -- was standing on the ground at the base of the pole. i think this is the same one, standing on the pole across the street a few minutes later...

and this is the one that was on the ground when i went back to take a picture of the pole for you...

worth a thousand

2009-05-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

Yep. That says STATE CHAMPS. That boy is fast! Must be the shorter hair...

Arnold traveled to Fairbanks with members of the Sitka High Track team for the State meet last weekend. His relay team took the only first place win for Sitka.

His coach was telling me about it this last week and we BOTH had tears in our eyes! So proud of him.