Auf Wiedersehen Lauren! We will miss you!

6:00 am came quickly. Time for Reed and Lauren to head down to Cal. so she can catch her flight to Salzburg by Wednesday. Wow, everything seemed to happen so fast. We have been anticipating this time for months and packing for days not to mention discussing the necessities for weeks! After all was said and done we ended up with 2 over stuffed bags, 1 backpack and 1 shoulder purse/bag with the special hidden wire strap to prevent those picket pockets over there! lol It was a lot to do, but I think we would agree we got it all together (with very few minor disagreements). Bring Teddy? How many jeans? Too many dresses? 3 inch patten pumps? Seriously? That blue sweater? Really? Relax the hair? Cut the hair? Flip flops on the plane? No! Xanax for plane? Careful. How many hoodies? Ski stuff? Absolutely! 6 copies of personal info? Totally and put them EVERYWHERE! 36 Luna Bars??? Really? omg!

Our last dinner as a family was her favorite, salmon and summer nectarine salad. We played Banana Scrabble after and then she and Megan watched a Friends episode and went to bed. Hard to believe the next time we are all together with be the 19th of December. By then Lauren should be well traveled and ready to experience Eastern Europe with all of us for the holiday's. I am definitely going to have to try and stay busy and hope time flies while she is away. College is one thing but knowing how far away she, is another. I don't think I will ever really be at ease with my kids scattered all over. I wish we could all stay together forever. I love them all way too much. Good thing Megan doesn't go away to college till next year! One out is enough for now!

Austin's Seattle purchase for Hank.

We went school shopping in Seattle and Austin picked out this fun pillow for Hank. Hank loved it and now uses it to rest his head when he goes to bed. Too cute.

Signs of the end of summer

Best Friends

Last blossoms of the summer.
Last bit for the bees!
So pretty!
Hank hanging out.

My two favorite guys!

I love these guys!

Hank is Great

Here's lookin' at you!

Look at that face!

That's all for now!

Packing for Austria

Lauren and I have been trying to pack for Austria for over a week now. It is harder than I think we ever thought it would be. We have been to the bank, Verizon for the phone, the pharmacy, you name it. We have grouped, stacked, organized, re-organized, stuffed and re-stuffed! Still we are having trouble closing the 2 smaller travel bags. What do we bring on the plane? On the road trip down to CA. with her Dad? On the night before? In her back pack? In her travel purse/bag? Omg. Too much too process. Then just the other night, Reed reminds us that he is going to pack the car monday morning. Pack the car? What? Oh, we forgot that she needs to be packed for spring semester college as well! We forgot amidst all the Austria stuff. So, time to get out the trunk and pack for college too. That would be another adventure. Shoes, collages, albums, special room things, medicine etc. Wow what a week. I am so excited for her and we are so busy that I have had little time to be sad at the thought of not seeing her till the 19th of December! We will all miss her but we are all going to meet her there in Paris for the Holiday's. Yippee! But until that day, I am going to have to keep myself really busy and remind myself daily what a great opportunity she is getting over there. Our contact will be limited. But I will always be thinking of her and know she will be smart and vigilant over there. I will miss her!

No crystal ball for me, thanks.

If I were to be told for the first time or reminded last year, that now I....

• I would have a new puppy named "Hank" from Nashville, Tenn.
• My oldest would be going abroad to Salzburg, Austria for 3 1/2 months.
• My youngest daughter would be a senior looking at colleges already.
• My "baby" son would be playing varsity tennis as a freshman and actually would BE a freshman.
• We would be celebrating the Holiday's on a European cruise to Turkey, Greece and Egypt.
• That I would be spending my 23rd wedding anniversary in Paris with my wonderful husband. Oh my!
• That Reed would pull through after a catastrophic million dollar fire at one of his big projects.
• That my Dad would actually give up everything he has just to move to Idaho for a new start.
• That we would ever finish Crystal Mtn. (after that fire) and it would look better than ever!
• That the world would suffer a swine flu threatening an epidemic. Please!
• That our country would finally, actually, elect a democratic black President.
• That someone would actually murder Michael Jackson.
• That I would hang with Heath Ledgers family after the Oscars and actually hold his Oscar!
• That I would be starting my second year not speaking to my brother.
• That I would be writing a blog.

I would have said, "you have got to be joking!"

Today Show here I come!

My entry to the Today Show contest. (with a little help from Lizzie). Thought it would be amazing to have Curtis Stone (Take Home Chef) come to my house and make me and three friends dinner! It probably will never happen, but now I have as good chance as anyone. However, I am most certain I WILL have to devour kangaroo if he comes! OMG





Curtis,

Do I need you?! Absolutely! With Hank in my life, even the simplest of dishes are impossible. I've watched you navigate your way through kitchens, grocery stores and all sorts of obstacles but have you ever worked around a puppy? OMG, Curtis, not as easy as you think! I'm long overdue for preparing a delicious dinner for my well deserving friends. I could really use your Aboriginal touch in my Northwest Kitchen. I know you can surf your way through any kitchen so please challenge yourself to make a few puppy proof dishes in mine. I've lost my culinary mojo, please help me! I promise the evening will be one for the books!
I would eat kangaroo for you...the sexiest man alive.

Love,

Laurie

P.S. At the end of our unforgettable dinner I promise to serve you some of MY grannie's famous fudge. Only my recipe is served hot, just like you! LOL ;)

Wet goodbyes

Dinner at the Green Turtle in Gig Harbor with the Kantors. It was delicious (had the Halibut Curry) and a nice place to have our last dinner of the summer together before they leave back down to the Desert Tuesday. It just happened to be right down the street from their new summer house but we drove their car. Just after paying the bill, Leslie got a call from her daughter Tiffany that their house was flooding. What? The pipe inside? So we hustled to the car and within seconds saw the fire trucks and the closed off streets with the bright orange cones. There seemed to be a river with a strong current racing down the street with us and funneling into their home! Yes, a water main had burst and I was witnessing the effects first hand as my friends house now looked no different than a water fall exhibit. Reed was attempting to move our car as the water level was reaching the door! I forgot our car was parked conveniently in front of their home and perfectly in the middle of this watery disaster! Water was everywhere and flowing so powerfully you had to yell over the noise. Their kids were all huddled together at the front door surrounded by waterfalls gushing over the flowered rock walls. Flashing fire engine lights cast an eerie glow on the current. At least it helped us to see the damage that was developing. We immediately tried to do anything helpful but found other than turning off the power, it was just best to wait for the main line to be turned off. I have never seen so much water pouring through recessed cans before. Unbelievable. We stayed as long as we were needed and then hurriedly said our goodbyes to our friends as they were frantically, busily, throwing clothes into bags and preparing to take sanction down the street at the in laws. What a night.

Jam on biscuits, Jam on toast, Jam is the thing that I like most....

Jam time! We made blackberry and raspberry Jam. So fun. Not sure if the making is as much fun as the end when we line them all up with their little silver tops screwed on tight and admire our work. I love that they sit out for 24 hours on the counter so we can keep peeking at them. They are so pretty, like liquid candy waiting to be revealed. We did not actually pick the berries this year as we have before. We were too late on the raspberries and a little too early on the blackberries. Oh well, we have the Jam and look forward to enjoying it all year long. A little summer to treasure in our dreaded winter. I will put pictures up soon when I figure out how to do it. Still learning but having fun.

I'm out!

Just got back from walking Hank and upon opening the front door, Austin says to me (arms crossed), "you're blogging?!" Snicker snicker. Silly ol' mom. That's what happens when you forget to close out your screen. So... I guess waiting to tell the family after I had perfected my posts is over. Might as well tell Reed too. Just wanted to get things rolling for a while before the big reveal. I'm out. It is what it is. Just my blog. My thoughts and interpretations. Read at your own risk. It's just for me.

Viva Seattle!

So...the girls and I went to Seattle to do our annual school shopping. Whew!

For years we have done this together. Something I remembered telling Reed that I would most look forward to and enjoy when the girls were old enough. Oh, I remember the first few years and they were so ready to go. They would clean out their closets and try on old clothes and then we would all go, set on a mission knowing what they needed and taking into account that we would inevitably be buying things that were, "oh my God, soooo cute" but, what we we didn't need. (or would sometimes never even wear). I loved these days and still do, but throughout the years, our shopping "system" that I thought was working so well, has some how changed.

Old shopping system:

I would sit on their beds while they try on old clothes to see how they fit.

They would make a list early (with colored markers) on what they need.

We would chat all the way to Seattle, so excited. Planned the stores.

In a full sweat, I would lure them around the stores, pulling out options.

We would try on everything as I bounced back and forth between rooms.

I would usually make the final decision. They were thrilled. All smiles!

I would pay. Load the car. Giggle. Call Daddy quick and say we love him.

Drive home talking about all the combinations we could put together.

New shopping system:

No sitting on beds. Remind them to try on old clothes. Tried a few.

No lists. Just quick notes whipped out that morning(pencil) Wish items.

Starbucks start. Little chat. Tired. Music. Texting and snoozing.

No sweating for me. We separate in stores. Find things. Eye rolling. Fun.

Little bouncing mostly for different sizes. Actually got to sit in rooms!

Still asked for my opinion. Didn't always take it. Hesitation. Still smiles.

I still paid. They help load the car. Tired. Hot. Almost home, call Dad.

Drive home. Music on. Texting and napping. Asking, "what's for dinner?"

So.. there you have it! Another successful school shopping day in Seattle. Still love it. Love my girls. Love their independence. Love that they will still shop along side me.

Shout it from the Mountain top!

What to do on a gray August morning? Go to the mountains and get above the clouds. Reed and I packed the car with the simplest stuff and headed up to Crystal with Austin his bf Beau and of course Hank. Perfect day. Starbucks to get us going and the boys watched Count of Monte Cristo all the way up. We rode the chair to the top. Breathtaking views. (Rainier was fogged out. Bummer) We made a point of recognizing the fragrant, piney air and all the gorgeous wild flowers, instead of snow, covering our favorite runs I couldn't help but think about life in the mnt.'s and how much longer the days would seem. The rat race where we live makes life go by too quickly and often I think there are definitely places that lend themselves to a feeling of never ending days and longer, slower hours within them. So...I enjoyed this day immensely. We hiked half way down, had burgers and beers outside, listened to Austin shout from the chair lift insisting there was an echo (not. he just wanted an excuse) and swam in the pool. All under the sun! All by 1 o'clock. Incredible. Hank ran every where and was the star with everyone! Milk shakes at Wally's on the way down. Perfect. And still plenty of Sunday to enjoy when we got home.

"Maybe amorrow"

Ten years ago my adorable and long awaited for son, Austin, would regularly ask me if we could go to Target to get a toy. I would have taken him every day if not for the spoiling thing that would have inevitably occurred. So, trying to instill good values early and avoiding his droopy eyed plea, I would say to him, "not today bud". But never did he complain about my answer which surprised me every time. Instead, he would ever so slightly nod his head and respond," ok, maybe amorrow". He was four then. I guess I have adopted that phrase of his because I have been saying that to myself for years about journaling my own life. Maybe tomorrow I will start. Take notes now. Save the funny stuff. Document the comments and mixed up words. All the I love yous and all the I hate yous. The kisses good night. The, what they did that day, events. The out of the mouths of babes comments. All the morning and evening rituals. Their embarrassments and accomplishments. Their smells. Their smiles. Their tears. What was I waiting for? Tomorrow? I now have a 20 year old daughter going abroad in a few weeks. A senior daughter, almost 18, who is taller than me and 14 year old son who will be in Drivers Ed soon and starting high school this Fall. What happened? Did I forget about tomorrow? I'm done. It's today now and I want to remember and am willing to share the most wonderful memorable events that happen in my every day life. I do not want to forget. Though I am not a typer (old school) lol I will hunt and peck till I get it out there. No more excuses. Blogging is new and I am learning. So, there. I am starting today and already feel great that I have my first entry. No more "amorrow" for me. I did it!