Salmon Fishing

This year was the big year for Lee.  This year he got to go out on the boat and go fishing with his dad and uncles and grandpa!  He was so excited and SO nervous about doing it.  I'm so glad they were able to go after such a long anticipation for it and it almost didn't happen!  The weather was so bad that the boat almost didn't and the captain was sick...thankfully they still went.  Can you imagine the let down of two 8 year olds and a bunch of grown men not getting their salmon for the year?  HA! At least we were set from the salmon Frank and I had caught the year before...we don't eat our fish quickly...everyone else had the fish gone pretty much by the end of October.

 

Well, everyone came back in one piece and safe even though it was stormy at sea...glad it wasn't me this year...pretty sure I would have been throwing up over the side of the boat...oh wait the boys did! HA!  The funny part was they both told Frank/Uncle Frank that they couldn't tell me or Grandma...funny boys!

 

Frank and Lee with Lee's fish he caught.  Lee looks a bit ragged doesn't he?

 

 Jason and his son...they were only able to catch one fish...but it was a catch nonetheless!

 The whole stinky group of them ;)  Ted, Grandpa Lee, Frank, Lee, Jason and Austin...all tired to boot.  As a matter of fact I believe one of them took a nap and asked a Grandma to watch them so he could...and so he could drive home later that day. 

 Grandpa Lee with his catch..I think Ted had the biggest catches again this year

We aren't sure who is going in the kid group next year but Ian has high hopes it will be him...you have to be 8 and there are no more 8 year olds that haven't gone yet so it starts back at the beginning.  I think an adult female should go but mind you that's one person's opinion...as always though one of my nieces gets first right to go or refuse before any of this happens...as it stands we'll see...sleep is really important but she also informed us she wanted to go next time.  So we'll see!

Food Challenge

So camping this year at Ilwaco, Frank and I went to Long Beach, a town not too far from where we were.  A very touristy town and lots of things to do.  Of course what is a tourist stop with out a few candy shops right?  Well we decided we'd be brave and try some new and fun stuff and take it back home and share with everyone.  Like our own survival challenge!  Well it just ended up being with the kids because most of the adults were doing Lord knows what and drinking who the heck knows.  A few participated, like Grandma and Grandpa and towards the end others decided to venture out of the their campers, but the fun stuff was mostly done. 

 Anyway! 

 Here is what we bought:

Chocolate covered Jalapeno

 

                               An orange crème covered Twinkies and a chocolate covered Twinkies

                                             2 milk chocolate covered pieces of bacon

 

Not pictured are: chocolate covered larva, grasshoppers, and Bertie Bots of a few different flavors...

 

We had so much fun doing this!  The pepper was hot and a few liked it!  The Twinkies were the all around favorite.  Last but not least pictured is the chocolate covered bacon...Chocolate does NOT make everything better...or vice versa!  GAG!  A few liked it...like Lee *eye rolling*.  Now on to the more fun one we did.  The Bertie Bots are like jelly beans with a million flavors...we played it Russian roulette style sorta...The flavors were out there and a few gagged on them...not naming names...Frank!  Sadly my camera died so I couldn't catch it with pictures :(  Here are a few of the flavors peopled tried: baby wipes, dog food, boogers (do we want to know?)...those are what I can remember for now but think along those lines and that's the flavorful box ;)

 

I would like to do this again next time...try some new things and some old! I even came across the candy cigarettes I grew up eating/pretending with!!! Haven't seen those in FOREVER! So much fun!

Beach Forts

When we came to the beach after dinner to watch the sunrise many families and couples were still here and I loved seeing this.  This beach was busy during the day before we all got there!  So many forts were or had been built during the day and probably during the week.  I know you can't really tell but from this view the forts went all the way down as far as I could see...pretty cool!

 

 And of course Charlie had his own fort he claimed for himself...FAR! FAR! Away from the water!  I wish he liked the water better but he really doesn't...I'm literally dragging and choking him to at least get his paws wet by the waves...and if a wave gets him all the way wet so much the better.  Which seems like a good idea at the time to get him used to the water so to speak...until we have to take him home and he smells like a wet dog...then not so good!

I am looking forward to going again and finding more new fun things to do with my family and to make memories with the extended family...and maybe it will be my turn to get a tattoo next time around! But more to follow on that one!

 

Shipwrecked!

Hey Ya'll!

Every year we go to Ilwaco, WA and camp and fish and of course sight see.  Last year we walked around the light house and walked the trails and took lots of pictures...and let me just say it was magnificent!  This year however we went to see the shipwreck in Oregon.  Ft. Stevens is only like 10miles at the most from where we were camping at, so Frank and I and the boys took a little trek on down there to see it.  I don't know really why I like this so much but I do...I don't even know if I could come up with a word to describe it but it speaks to me,

 

So here is the shipwreck...I really don't know anything more other than it's there and it's been here awhile...and some of it is missing...as you can gather.

 

 

                                      
            Here are the boys...it was a tad chilly when the wind blew and a lot of mist from the water

On our way to the car I wanted a different view before we left...It definitely had a story somewhere there...wonder what it was?

Any Day Now!!

Sigh...
I am STILL with out my computer...we came close to thinking it worked but the computer was just teasing me.  Even though I worked hard at not getting my hopes up...that's just what I did.  Ugh!

I have been up to a lot lately and I have hundreds of pictures to show for it...I am just unable to actually get them up on anything to show you.  Very sad!  I am actually really missing my blogging, a lot!

We have been to NW Trek with my girlfriend Nikki and her kids, then we went again with my other girlfriend Shelly and her littles.  I have been busy with my MOPS group and getting ready for our garage sale and then actually working it.  Man was that a TON of work!  We did really good for our group, we were $20 shy of our goal for that fundraiser!  We ROCK!  For a group of moms doing something wonderful for a group of moms that are great ladies we did well!  Proud of us.  Thankfully though that is done and we are moving on to having our retreat where we brainstorm the year.  Looking forward to that.  It is a lot of work but it's mostly paperwork and stuff and that's easy enough...well it would be if I had a computer.  :) 

We will be leaving tomorrow for our annual "camping" trip to Crescent Bar.  I do use that word camping loosely...we will be staying in a small house and we have a hot tub and pool to play in along with movies and the like to cool off with during some of the hottest parts of the days.  We have had temps of high 50's and low 60's and we are crazy and jumping into temps of the 90's!! We will ALL be puddles I'm telling you!  I am looking forward to this trip, it is one of the few times where I can just relax and I don't have to be 'on' so to speak with people/family.  My friend Nikki has no huge expectations of me and I have none of her...it is relaxing (well as much as it can be with 6 boys!).  We will be having help in the relaxation area with our bottle of rum to help and ice cream for the kids :) Have to bribe them somehow right??  OK well we use the pool for that :)

After we get back from Crescent Bar we have 2 days before we turn right back around and head off for Ilwaco, WA.  We like that trip too...and this year Lee gets to go out on the boat and go salmon fishing with his dad, uncles and grandpa...and his cousin too :)  He is not sure if he's excited or nervous to be going...so far I keep hearing from him "What if I fall over?"  All I can think is you better not buddy!  So help me if I hear of a fart going the wrong way the men on that boat will have HELL to pay for it...just saying! :)  Don't worry Uncle Carmen...Lee will have a life jacket on :)  (we love Uncle Carmen)

Well I have less than 8 minutes to go on my time in the library so I should probably jet.  I have so much more to write about and talk about...texting...when is it appropriate and when is it not?  But I just never have enough time to do it in...an hour is NOT enough time...just goes to show you how much time I do/did spend on the computer...I probably killed the computer.

I am doing OK, going through some stuff , but I'm working on it and dealing with it the best I can.  Certainly not my most fave time lately that's for sure but people are certainly showing me their real colors so to speak and it's showing me that it's pretty clear what I must do as hard as it is to do.

With that said, sorta, I do hope to touch more and write more about it but time is not lending itself to me!

Lots of love you to you all who read my blog and I will try again to post when I can swing it!

Got Dirt?

 

 

 

 

Kid had fun...end of story!

 

Shark Bait

Remember when Frank bought me the year pass to Point Defiance Zoo and Northwest Trek...well I decided that I was gonna make use of that membership and have it pay for itself many times over!  So I decided I would take my nieces and nephews...just Auntie time...and yes I did have to tell a Sister in law this was just Auntie time but that another time I would take her.

 

So I decided to take my nephews to Point Defiance Zoo today and what a day we had!  We were there all day!  We didn't get home until 5pm or so?  Man we walked all over and saw everything and squished pennies and made funny faces at animals (OK on that one we made not have had to work hard on that one)...cried some (seriously 6 boys is a bit much sometimes!) and laughed a lot!

 

This Zoo has an aquarium in it and we walked around and took our picture here

 

 

 Please Auntie...can we do a funny face one?  I'm such a sucker!  If those kids haven't figured out all they have to do is ask for the moon and that I would get it for them...well I'm in trouble when they do!  I love Ian's face though! 

 You know when you are always the one behind the camera there are rarely any of you with anyone...so I try to make a point of getting a picture taken as much as I can...so that other people can remember and look back on those memories and remember me if they need to...you know?  Boys...boys and MORE boys!!!

 Aren't they a handsome bunch??

 And this shot is for Auntie Sharon...she claims it's her mountain but she really must share it with the rest of us...but I was really just tickled that I got a shot of one of those really neat clouds that happen a lot around that mountain.  There is a really spectacular name for those kinds of clouds...I'll be darned if I can remember what is now! 

 

All in all I had a wonderful day and outside of being a wife first and a mother second...running behind closely is being an Auntie!  I tell those kids all the time that I love them...I'm not sure I ever heard, save one or two aunts/uncles say it,  those 3 words from them "I love you" my whole growing up years...I also am pretty sure my kids are not told that??? I don't know I've never heard my children's Aunts and Uncles say that they love them...I'll have to start listening better and/or asking my kids if they are told that... 

 

I wonder.....