I See You Visitors

So I can see that people are seeing my posts but no one is leaving comments.  Which of course is going to lead to this question. .. who is visit in this page??? Chime in and let me know who you are!!!

Not much is going on here and yet it feels like I'm the whirlwind kind of busy. Running to and fro to  appointments and whatever else. There are less than 3 weeks left until school starts... man that went fast! OK that's really just how I feel at this moment . Ha! Most of the time I'm ready for them to be back in school on the first day of summer.

We have some birthdays coming up. .. my mother in laws, my husband and then Dru.  Tomorrow is my mother in laws and husband's birthday. I have zero idea what to buy her for her bday...I asked and she said world peace. Ummm sorry I can't make that happen because I can't even manage to get peace to happen between my boys!!! My husband doesn't enjoy birthdays which makes it hard for the rest of us birthday celebrators. Not sure quite yet what to do or get him either. ... ugh!!!

I think Nikki and I may have actually put a hike on the calendar after a month absence on the trails. I'd like to think that soon or in the very near future I'll blog about my first ever backpacking trip. But for now my pack is still in a time out in the garage.  Actually this just means I need to get my camel pack figured out and contact the company to get a new hose...the one I have leaks bad. Also means I need to also contact the company about how to decipher their pictographs on how to get my solar battery charger to actually get charged by the sun!!! Ugh! I wonder if it will feel weird just carrying a small pack hiking.  We'd been training for a good part of this year with our packs as loaded as possible ...I think it will be weird.

I have been terribly lax in going to work our and eating healthy and I'm on my own nerves now. I'm sabotaging myself and it's getting old! Summer is so hard in this respect.  We basically have zero routine like we do from September to June. And camping...camping in a lot of ways is not easily conducive to healthy eating...mostly cause its camping food and a "vacation" state of mind. So for right now I'm focusing on eating better and watching portions again. And soon hope the workout part will follow. I'm gonna need to get my routine down quick fast and in a hurry. I'm thinking next week is good to start that for a number of reasons.

OK I think I've blathered enough...off I go. I think I'm gonna catch up on a show.  Most days I have a love/hate relationship with recorded shows...so many shows and NEVER enough time or attention span to watch them all!GAH!!

Hard Wired

I have been waiting for years to see these guys. ..Metallica!!!

The dreamy man you see here is the lead singer, James Hetfield. I tried to not fan girl too much. 

     

The view from our seats...not too bad really. Definitely didn't want to be down there!

There have been some fires in Canada and our air quality has been very bad...almost, if not dangerous levels. Check out that haze of the city skyline!! It was hard to breathe at times for sure. Today it looks way better than it has. I can actually see our mountain today! ! 

The older the kids get the more we get to do things and be with eachother. Just never saw us ever getting here...it's really kind of nice to be honest. 

This is the opening band,  Avenge 7 Fold. They weren't half bad. As you can tell the pit is starting to fill up for Metallica. 

Gun Shy

It's been 3 years since I last came this way and put words here. It's been hard being gone from here. My blog and my thoughts  here, have brought me heartache. I'm gun shy about coming back...I haven't really decided if I truly am. How I miss blogging though. There are a few that want this and a few who ask why do it again... if there is a big chance of the rain that could fall, should I walk this road again? All points valid. To be honest, I haven't been able to answer any of these questions enough to really jump in with both feet. I know what my heart wants. ..but it isn't always worth it. What will be worth the fight? What my heart wants or the betterment of others and maybe me (of which I'm not sold on...)

Connections

 

Better late than never I say...so here is our Thanksgiving.  This year was a year we stayed home and made a yummy dinner and ate ourselves silly and watched some Seahawks football!  GO HAWKS!

We only had one little glitch in the cooking of lunch and that was my roaster somehow getting turned off for who knows how long.  Thankfully I think we were only about half an hour later than the Noon time of lunch...or maybe it was an hour.  Either way one of these years I'm going to get a Noon time of a Thanksgiving dinner on the table! 

 

This is my table...I set it with my lovely table cloth and then consulted my Betty Crocker cookbook that isn't Betty Crocker but Better Home and Gardens cookbook, and set my table appropriately.  I really wanted candles in the middle but I ran out of room with all the food.  There are worse things to happen right? 

 

 

 

My family...there were a few disgruntled members who felt they should be able to show up to the dinner in pj's instead of a decent pair of pants and shirt, all non-holy pieces of clothing.  Someday all this work to teach them manners, etiquette and proper attire will sink in and be worth it...

 Since it was our year to stay at home, we invited just a few members of our family to our house for dessert.  The first to come were my in-laws.  They enjoyed some pie, Krumkaka (yes you read that right, it's a Norwegian crumbly cookie...tastes delightful with whip cream inside of it), Divinity, fudge shared by my Mother in-law and of course Egg Nog and chocolate milk.

 

It was a nice visit and I'm glad they chose to come!

 Next to show a bit later was my little brother and his son...we are missing my Sister in-law and little Miss...they had a rough day so the thought of getting into a car for an hour ride there and back,  was beyond daunting and down right intimidating.  Thankfully, this Auntie got as much baby sniffing and Auntie/niece selfies as possible the day before!  This time around we also enjoyed some pie, fudge, Divinity, Krumkaka and then we added in some Snicker doodle cookies...because Auntie heard that her nephew likes cookies...LOVE being an Auntie!!!

 

I felt both pictures were required because it just shows how goofy family can be and how many faces can these kids make???  We were only missing my parents who didn't make it to have dessert with us, we all missed them, and I definitely sent some yummy dessert their way!  Maybe they'll make it next time we do it!

 We were blessed to be able to have food on our table, to be warm, and have each other and many, many other things. I was very thankful to see my brother and his family and to be able to have a much needed heart to heart with my brother and feeling like we made a connection I hadn't felt in a long time. Thankful for my nephew and niece and thankful that my sister in-law is good about letting me pretty much hold her baby girl until Little Miss needed to eat and sleep.  She was so good about it and for that I am thankful.  In the end I hope everyone that came enjoyed their time with us!

Thank you Lord for all that you have given me and my family...I'm working on being thankful for the hard times that  I/we are  or have gone through so far...we are always thankful for the good things and times. I think it's just as important to be thankful during the hard times or trials we walk through.

Until next time!

Traditions

 

Our tradition of officially buying and cracking open Egg Nog (the fancy and expensive kind...where you pay a deposit for the bottle) and chocolate milk. It starts off the  holidays here at our house.  I can't remember why Lee is missing but I suspect he was not feeling well...that is what I'm remembering anyway.

 

 

 

I hope to post some more holiday pictures and stories!

Toodles for now!

Unbelievable

Not so long ago in the past we celebrated Dru's 8th birthday!  Eight you say?  Yes!

 

This year was Skylander themed, a video game he got for Christmas and really enjoys!

 Our resident 8 year old...heartbreaker this one!

 Happy Birthday son!

 Make a wish my love

Dru received a Sounders shirt as a gift.

 To go with his Sounders game birthday gift from mom and dad!

I hope he had a great day at his party and at the game and that all his wishes come true!

Escapades in Kilts

Early in July...well actually late in July Nikki and I went on an escapade to see Kilts...perhaps food too but really for kilts.  It all goes hand in hand...we need the food to sustain us to look at weapons and kilts. 

 

We were waiting for the Gathering of the Clans

 

 We went to the beer garden and it was so yummy...kilts and beer yummy.

 I don't remember what the beverage was called...but it had Angry Orchard and something in it. SO good!  Nikki do you remember? 

 

Thelma and Louise ride again and obviously can't look at the camera

 

 Honestly the array of kilts that we came across was simply amazing!  I really had no idea of the sheer amount of tartans out there. 

This one was very colorful!

 

 Do the Seahawks have an official tartan?  This poor guy figured out that his pictures was being taken.  He was a good sport...never said anything.

 And this guy...oh man this guy.  Where do we even start with this guy.  He was in the group Wicked Tinkers...and man was he wicked...wicked delicious!!

Outside of the eye candy the music was absolutely wonderful!

 

I have many...many pictures of this man...all in all the Highlander games was an absolute ton of fun! I wish my boys were old enough to go and seriously appreciate the affair what it is.  Someday maybe, but for now I go with girlfriends and we visit beer gardens and check out fellas in kilts!