Just Me!!

We had planned to get together with Harry and Arlene for dinner when I remembered we had purchased a living social deal for a two hour electric boat rental on Lake Union, earlier in the Spring. The weather was slated to be perfect so we made our reservations, told Harry and Arlene where to meet us, packed a yummy picnic lunch for everyone and headed out for a two hour self guided tour of Lake Union. It was absolutely beautiful. We could see all the houses along Lake Union, several people were paddle boarding, there was a class in session for kiddie sailors, private boaters enjoying the water ways, people swimming, and several float planes coming and going! Harry and Arlene loved it. His dad took pictures the whole time and even submitted one to King Five News. It was a picture of the Evening Magazine Plane soaring over Lake Union. The kids had a blast, and Charlie was given a few moments to be the "Captain" of the ship. It was truly a peaceful, relaxing memory I will always ...

July 4th we went out to test drive some different vans, and ended the evening with purchasing our new, only 12 miles on it, 2013 Honda Odyssey. Mark was very patient with me as I complained about each van we drove until we tried ours. I love how low to the ground it is, and the versatility it has with removing, or flattening the back seats. Heck, I love that I have a odometer/speedometer. Even though it is under warranty I still worry about it breaking down on me though. I suppose I won't worry as much as I used to with the Hyundai.

We are making this a tradition after all the fun we had last year. We returned with excitement for: tree swing- but unfortunately they took it down Nachos-but they took it off the menu at the lodge Mom and dad weren't too impressed with their accommodations so they said next year we get to plan it. We did go over to Lake Crescent Lodge to eat and let Mark work for a minute but he was unable to get on the network due to their server was down. We did enjoy our hike to Merrymere Falls again though. The campground was packed. Despite all the craziness we had fun playing in the water, boating, hiking, eating, and visiting with family. It's important to connect with family away from our regular setting. My brother wants to squeeze in one more camping trip this year in August, then we can put the camping gear away for the year!!! Valerie loves the town of Poulsbo so we stopped and had lunch, shopped, and visited the bakery for Viking Cups. The little Mexican eatery, where we ate, was...

Lake Crescent day two: Got up at 0600 thanks to boogs. She apparently didn't want to sleep in at all. Mom made breakfast at the cabin for everyone and it was yummy! Sausage, pancakes, bagels, fruit, and muffins. She always comes well prepared!! I remember my mom always cooking awesome meals when we were camping. She seems to be able to cook and take care of everyone's needs and wants (my dad mainly) at the same time, without getting frustrated!! I envy her calmness. My calmness comes from a pill, and hers is so natural. The more time I spend with my brother the more I realize he is just like my mom! He does a great job parenting with calmness and rarely lets things get under his skin. My mom can handle anything! Although we did have to dismantle the smoke alarm while she was cooking;) He hee! We rented a boat for half of the day. They actually let us turn in the peddle boat and use a canoe after we were done peddling around the water for a hour. The kids liked the canoe better...

My garden is flourishing this year. Every year I have lessons that I've learned and this year is no different. Even though I have disappointing plants at times, I don't let that stop me. I seriously only garden for the pleasure of it, not for the amount of produce or money I save! I am very impressed with my tomato plants this year. I have a ton of green tomatoes, which is a month ahead of previous years. By the looks of it we will be enjoying some fresh from the garden goodies in a few weeks. We have already harvested tons of lettuce, peas, cilantro, dill, and the occasional strawberry! Squash are coming soon too! My flowering baskets are going crazy. I don't just sit back and watch it grow though. I am gardening, pruning, watering, and talking to my garden daily. It only takes 10 minutes to weed, prune, and water. Most of the time you can find me swinging on my swing enjoying my lush green backyard!!