Just Me!!

All day work on Saturday two weeks ago! I surprised Mark with pressure washing the deck and then I got out the electric saw and took the deck railing off. I’ve wanted to do this for almost two years! I hate the railing and love the open deck concept. Now we have more work to do such as replace boards, sand, repaint, and build deck seating and stairs.  After we played and took the kids on Sunday to Wolf Haven. We also took Lanie and Ryan. Ryan was on point answering all the questions for our guide and getting them all right🙋🏼‍♀️! Smart boy. We met several wolves but the fun couple was Lexie and Landon. Lexie would go over and pull Landon’s tail for attention and when the two pass each other they bump into each other to let each other know they are there. Like a sweet couple bump! We were given the tool to discern a wolf dog from a wolf and told several times why a wolf isn’t the best pet (they pee on everything and can’t be trained). It was a fun event for sure!

The house Lots of picture takings  Board Games Flossing Dance with the cousins Our meal: Bbq beef sandwiches I keep adding. Photos. The family reunion is such a treat every year and we have such a blast driving to the destination, planning our one meal, exploring new homes and places, and seeing all these wonderful people that we are related too but only get a chance to see once a year! Several were missing this year and the chances of us all getting back together seems like a thing of the past. The older generation are getting older, the youngest generation arr going off to college and working, and our generation are extremely busy with making sure the youngest generations are doing alright. Life is flying by. Years ago we made a commitment to go and we have honored that every year. The commitment shows when it takes no time at all to get very comfortable with each other at the reunion. We returned this year to Mt Hood. The Lewis’ put this one on and found a house that fits all of...

I’m so glad we got the Smith Tower crossed off my “what I want to do while we are in Seattle” list. When I first read the story about  Petra Franklin Lahaie who lives atop the 462 feet Pyramid Smith Tower I was mesmerized. I want a tour of her house but they don’t exist. A tour of the Smith Tower was as close as I could get. I would love to be the lady who lives at the top of the tower, along with her husband and her two kids. The loft is beautiful with its views, Pyramid windows, and the Chulily chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Lucky for me I found a Groupon that had tickets at $10/2 people, which is a huge savings! The views are amazing, the drinks at the bar at the tops were refreshing and enjoyable, and the time alone was precious and valued. 

Obituary Michael Patrick Cortez Michael P. Cortez Michael Patrick Cortez, devoted husband and father, outdoorsman, dog lover, motorcycle and cooking enthusiast, died on Monday, May 9, 2016 in Olympia, Washington. Mike was born to Gabriele and Albert P. Cortez in Nuremberg, Germany. Although he considered Olympia to be his hometown, he was nevertheless proud to show off family photos of himself as a child, dressed in traditional Bavarian lederhosen. He spoke fondly of his childhood and the many life lessons he learned from his school and family life. A charismatic storyteller, Mike was always eager to share vivid stories and keen observations about his youth with those around him. After graduating Timberline High School in 1984, Mike began working in sales. A natural talent, he rose to become a well-known and respected auto parts sales representative in Olympia and the surrounding area, most recently working as a territory sales manager for O'Reilly Auto Parts. His honest, personab...

Valerie and I spent the day shopping together up at Westfield Mall. We had a blast driving up to Tukwilla and shopping all day long. She got some clothes, we had a sushi lunch, and visited LUSH (one of my favorite shops recently—have been taking lots of baths lately and using bath bombs and oatmeal infused lotion bars to help with my skin and my CHI). Mark bought me two magazines for Valentines and I am slowly working my way through them, while I bathe. We also checked out the Asian Fish Mart and Val brought home a 12 lb Yellowtail Fish to fillet and prepare for us. Everyone in line asked her what she planned to do with him....it was funny. She is so full of adventure and let’s NOTHING stop her. She has never filleted a fish, but she did, and it was tasty. She even brought over her friends to enjoy the spoils. I unfortunately was taking a nap so I missed getting pictures! Here is one that doesn’t do it justice. It was skin up so it looks burnt in this picture but it wasn’t. It was pai...

On Wednesday, before I got off work I sent the kids all a text requesting schedules, things we needed to get done, what they would like to do, and requests for dinner. I loved getting responses so that our weekend isn’t just sitting around trying to figure out plans. Instead we were purposeful which led to a fun weekend. We went to the Farmers Market on Saturday morning while Mark was at work, then he and Ethan met us at Caskcade Brewery for hot dogs, coin operated games like Buck Shot, Pinball, and Pac Man. After we went back to the Pulicon at the Puyallup Library.  Charlie got Sans painted on her arm, we did crafts, got 3 free comic books, and saw some awesome costumes. Afterwards we went home and had street tacos for Cinco De Mayo.  The next day we got up early and headed to see The Avengers: Infinity War at 8am. We left saddened by the ending of the movie and are hungry/anxious to see the next one. We finished the day off with a nap, some time with extra teens in our hous...