Happy Halloween!

Hank the Jester! So funny. No, he does not like the decor around his neck. But we do. It is his first Halloween and we felt it necessary to have our little Hankster partake in the festivities. He will help us hand out treats tomorrow night. Should be quite a night. I'm sure he will be most helpful in his own little way. We just love our lil' Hank. Happy Halloween!

Fall

so pretty......

Fall

Blustery, orange, swirling leaves, lonesome golfers.

Scattered puddles, naked trees, crisp.

Scarves, goose down, boots, umbrellas, grey.

Swine fear, hibernation, coffee, fires, crock pot.

Darkness, holiday anxiety, fast, slow, long days, short days, bare.

Energy, depression, companionship, comfort.

Vaccines, weather, James Taylor, blankets.

Snuggling, hugging, missing, and Loving.

Homecoming 2009

So much fun at the CWA Homecoming football game. So this was the last homecoming we got to go to with a daughter at CWA. Wow, how time flies. It was a very blustery night (no rain though). The seniors had a really great float that they drove around the track and also the senior athletes were recognized, with us parents, on the field for pictures. I got Megan a beautiful lei that I ordered fresh from Hawaii and she wore it all night. It reminded me of my own senior homecoming in Hawaii, where I wore about 10 leis at once! Crazy day's.

Austin is going to Districts!

Austin and Evan made it to Districts to be played in the spring! It was a nail biter to say the least and not the type of match most parents like to sit through. Austin and Evan had a slow start, after 30 minutes were down 0-5. Megan and Soraya came at that time to watch and cheer them on and low and behold, they came back and won the first set 7-5! Vashon was taken back a bit here and won the second set 6-4. Tie Breaker! The ten point tie breaker started a bit like the first set. Slow. Next thing we know Austin and Evan are down in the break 3-9! All of a sudden they started hitting winners out of no where and came back one match point at a time and ended up winning the break 11-9!!! Vashon just stood there in disbelief realizing that they just gave up 6 match points to go to Districts. So... we are going to Districts!!! Whew.

Bill Finley

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years".

-Abraham Lincoln

Spirit Week!

Western Day!

If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen!

Seriously? This is what I was thinking on the court at my last tennis match. Come to find out that is is apparently NOT ok to hit the ball at the net player, even if it is at their feet. That is merely a myth, proposed by all tennis pros, to teach their clients to do only when wanting to provoke a good old fashioned cat fight between cranky, middle aged women. Yes, that is right. A proven fact.

And on that note, it is also apparently, equally, not ok to return the ball harder than your opponent can handle. This can be considered rude and could elicit sudden bursts of patronizing little giggles before the next serve is delivered. But don't be confused though, those giggles are not to be taken lightly. They are just a sign of bad things to come. Lastly, do not play the best that you can, regardless of all the lessons you take and advice you often get. This is surely not ok. Especially if it is a match that actually counts for something. Better to play your best only during practices with your pro. This way, no one will actually know if you have improved and you will never really know how well you play, compared to others. Ignorance is best. This will keep you in lessons longer and promote a longer lasting relationship with your pro. Problem is, if you accidentally do play your best, you inevitably set yourself up for extreme irrational and immature comments from your opponent. These comments, coupled with "deer in the head light" stares and more whites of their eyes than you care to see, can be brutal. So, there you have it! What not to do if you play the game of tennis. However, last I heard, for any other competitive sport out there you really are encouraged to try your best at all times. Play hard or go home. That's the motto........ or at least that used to be the motto. (I think it still is).

So, do I really believe what I just wrote? Absolutely NO. I say, "if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen!"

Austin and Hank at the end of the day.

No...Hank is not "allowed" up on the couch. Apparently, this is what Reed found when he returned to the living room monday night. Now Hank naps just like Austin. Truly brothers!

Go Seahawks!

This kiss is for you Lauren! Thank you for the wonderful birthday gifts. Wish you were at the game with us. Love you, Mom

Peer Pressure at age 45!

Well yes, peer pressure is what made me start facebook. Only thing is, I am keeping it limited to my friends at HPA and in a small way, it is nice to see their smiling faces after 28 years. They are all alive and well, at least the few that were begging me to join, and now I admit I am looking forward to hearing from a few others that have vanished off the face of the earth since college. That would include my college room mate. So, will I let this take over my life? No. I actually have a life that I enjoy and I am not looking to take on a second one. This blog is for you Lauren and my FBing will definitely not be shadowed by quick, short and usually insignificant, little comments shared by a few old buddies craving conversation with those that were their friends long ago and with those that forgot they never really were or never really wanted to be your friends back then. But now it is fun. So, that is the reason for what I am now trying to do. Oh and just so you know, my only picture I could find to put on my profile was one that I accidently posted that shows me at my computer with a hat on and leaning on my elbow with a side profile. So immediately I got posted asking if I was in a witness protection program! Oh well, I guess I will come out slowly, showing my real face sometime in the future.

Hawaii?????

No....

....just a beautiful Fall sunset on our very own American Lake as seen from our deck!

Art & Soul and Dinner at the Green Turtle

Megan had 15 girlfriends over to paint pottery and have dinner and celebrate her 18th Birthday! The only one missing was Lauren, but Megan was thrilled to get a package from her with a beautiful scarf from Vienna and an adorable picture frame!

9/30/09 Megan's 18th!

Happy 18th Birthday Megan!

Well, it's official. I now have 2 adult children and only 1 child left! Oh my. Megan is officially an adult. I told her she can do whatever she wants now, she is old enough and the law says she is ready and capable of making her own decisions. She can move out, get an apartment, quit school, boycott college, keep secrets with her Doctors, get any job she wants, buy cigarettes, play the lotto, legally drink most anywhere but the US (whew!), have sex, get married with out permission and vote (republican of course). What will she do? Stay home with us, continue to live in her room down the hall from ours, fill out apps. for colleges, sneak a beer every now and then, hold off on the sex, pass on the cigarettes, turn down all marriage proposals till later and continue a little longer, to be my favorite youngest daughter!