"American Girl" Tea and Fashion Show

 Brooklyn has loved American Girl dolls for years...she is a history buff and enjoys the historical significance of each doll...her favorites are Kit, Kaya, Caroline, and Marie Grace.  Missy had told Eden about a casting call for models for the fashion show...Bellamie fit the size requirements, and was chosen to walk the runway! So, Brooklyn, Eden and I were in the audience watching, while Bellamie was doing her star turn on the catwalk.  When she got to the end of the runway, she paused, and paused and paused...finally made the turn to walk back.  When she got back to the front, she had to stand and wait for the other girls in her group...she noticed that her doll had lost her slipper...so she kicked up the doll's leg, mouthed, "She lost her slipper," kept waving the doll's leg and got everyone laughing, including the narrator!  She is in dark purple behind the girl in lavender...this was the parade of models at the end...we weren't allowed to take photos during the show. 

 Well, when the show was over, there was a raffle drawing for the grand prize...the winner was...Eden!

 She won the Caroline doll, the canopy bed with mattress and coverlet, a doll nightgown, and the book...fabulous!

Here are the happy girls with the prize...hmmm, how to divvy up the loot?...Eden said they fought all the way home...I guess she needed to win 2 grand prizes!  OH, "Why did you stay so long at the end of the runway Bells?" Eden asked.  Bellamie replied, "I counted to 20."  OK then.

The Long-term Sub is OVER

I started the schoolyear with the best bunch of fifth graders ever!!  My last day was Friday...I will miss them!

Birthdays in September

 My brother-in-law and sister-in-law were here visiting from Seattle and took us out for dinner to celebrate my birthday!  They wanted to try Barbacoa, and we had never been there, so we had a wonderful time eating Argentinian deliciousness and a cotton candy lantern (it was candlelit inside!).

 Reed, Christa and I all have September birthdays, so we combined them into one big party at Eden's new house.  They had only been in the house for a week, but wanted to host and let everyone take the grand tour. All the grands, minus Cache, posing for the camera...Durham appears to be raiding my purse!

Go Orange! Go Big Blue!

 Flags flying, my men are on their way to the first home game...this season has been just a bit disappointing, but we love our Broncos!

43 For All

We are all celebrating our 43rd wedding anniversary this year...4 couples were married in the same week! All in the Salt Lake Temple, though we didn't know each other then.  A remarkable group...sorry to be missing one couple due to a hospital stay.

We Reached the Ocean At Last!

 From our balcony at The Breakers...that's the ocean out there...let's go!

 There are lots of little trails through the sea grass...at Long Beach, Washington

                                         Aaaahhh!

             We visited a lavender farm nearby...I love tree houses, so up I went!

 The view from the top...

 McKena in the sand at Gleneden Beach...

 How can the mighty ocean leave such a dainty display??  This is what we found while searching for agates...perfectly lined up and in order of size!!

                               The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a wonder!

                                          JAWS!

My favorite of all...a napping sea otter...eyes closed, floating on his back...SO CUTE!!!!!

Gramma Camps Aplenty!

 Cache's camp had a "moving" theme...through the air (with a trip the Warhawk Air Museum)

 On land...a car "show and shine" at our favorite burger joint...

 And on the "sea"...another jaunt on the paddle boats...after he had gone fishing with Grandpa.

 The "elevens" had their camp with a vintage theme...a scavenger hunt at an antique mall...

 They learned to sew by making dish towel aprons...

 They made their own miniature golf course...very imaginative...one hole was a football stadium, one was the Titanic, sinking down the front steps.

 Bellamie's camp had a color theme...what better way to make a rainbow than to sort M&Ms?

 Cooling off at the Ann Morrison Park fountain on a very hot day!!  Lots of colors in the park!

Our tradition has been to hike the "story trail" and this year Bells used her very special walking stick:  it is her favorite color, orange; and has a compass in the handle.

Proud to be an American!

 Reed and I had a new experience...we were invited to attend the citizenship ceremony for a friend.

 Taking the oath... 48 new citizens from 19 different countries.  It made me think of my grandparents, 3 of whom were naturalized.  It was an exciting moment to witness!

Our friend is from Guatemala, and is now a U.S. citizen!  So proud...so happy!

Summer Has Arrived

                                           My roses have bloomed...

                                          Bailey had her Gramma Camp...we actually dedicated this camp to Grandma Luedtke...all our activities were things she loved to do! 

                                           My Linden trees have burst forth with their most glorious fragrance!

                                         Eden played softball for the first time in 17 years!! 

                                        And McKena finished her softball season...pitching, playing shortstop, and hitting a double in each of her tournament games! 

Seattle

 Reed and I drove to Seattle the first part of June...we stayed with his brother and sister-in-law...the view from their balcony! 

                                          Morning walk to the beach...

                                          Breakfast at the neighborhood cafe...Serendipity

 The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet!  From the novel by Jamie Ford...the Panama Hotel is still open for business...

                                          its historical significance...

 The owners have cut a viewing window into the floor so that one can see some of the trunks and artifacts still remaining in the basement...when the residents of "Japantown" were "relocated" to internment camps, they left many of their possessions stored here...many never returned to retrieve them.

 We were invited to enter the hotel proper, tour the rooms which have been refurbished to the standard of 1910, when the hotel was built...bathrooms down the hall, literally "bath" rooms, and w.c.s separate from rooms and bathrooms! Men and women use the same w.c., but different bathrooms.  So interesting!  Many lovers of the book visit, some bring whole book clubs to soak up the history! 

 The real reason for the trip...baseball!  The Yankees were in town and Reed wanted to watch them play the Mariners.  Ichiro still gets the love from Seattle fans...they played "Welcome Back" when he got up to bat.

                                        We rode the ferry to Bainbridge Island for breakfast...   

                                      The return trip...

                                        Seattle skyline...