Late Birthday Party

Sarah and I celebrated our birthdays in Texas this year. When we got home, some friends surprised me with a beautiful birthday lunch. Poor Sarah, her friends can’t drive, don’t have jobs or access to shopping malls, which means she has to plan her own birthday party.

With Family Camp coming, Joshua and Kelsie’s visit next week, and the return of Rachel, Joshua and Kelsie to college, not to mention Daniel’s graduation party in the immediate future, Sarah knew she had to act quickly.

Cue last minute Sleepover Party.

Sweet Birthday Girls

Sweet Birthday Girls

And when I say Sleepover, I mean the girls will SLEEP when the party is OVER! Yes, they stayed up the entire night. They watched a movie, played cards, baked cupcakes with homemade frosting, sat outside to stargaze, opened presents, drank soda, ate pizza, painted their nails and giggled until dawn.

In the morning Tim gave them all his 30 Second Dad Lecture. This is a condensed version:

“Go home. Be cheerful in front of your parents. Fake it if necessary. Prop your eye lids open with tooth picks. When they’re not looking, sneak off for a nap. Do whatever you can to make sure you’re on best behavior. If it all goes well, we’ll get to party again.”

Sarah is 13!!!!

Sarah is 13!!!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!!

Project 365 – Day 212 (July 31)
Kathy

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Where Do You Live? Seattle?

The waterfront welcomes us to downtown Seattle!

The waterfront welcomes us to downtown Seattle!

This is a pretty typical exchange that happens when I travel out of state:

Stranger: Where are you from?
Me: Washington.
Stranger: Nice, I love D.C. So much history!
Me: No, Washington State.
Stranger: Oh, gotcha. Seattle?
Me: [Considering whether to explain there are other cities in Washington besides Seattle. Like the capital, Olympia. Or the whole eastern side of the state.] Sure.

Pike's Place was next.

Pike’s Place was next.

Or this:

Family member introducing me to friends: This is my daughter/sister/niece. She lives in Seattle.
Me: Actually I live an hour south of Seattle, closer to Tacoma really.
Family member: [smiles to friend] We love Seattle.
Random Friend: Does it rain all the time in Seattle?
Me: I don’t live in Seattle, and no, it doesn’t rain all the time.
Family member and Friend: Nod knowingly.

Finally:

Me (out of town) introducing myself to strangers: Hi, I’m Kathy. I’m from [pause, pause] Seattle.
Friends: How nice.

Since this also happens to Rachel and Joshua all the time at school in Tennessee (really, it’s just easier to say we’re from Seattle), Rachel was determined to make sure we went to Seattle at least once during her summer home. As our days together are rapidly (SOB!!) coming to an end, we picked today to go.

I love these three so much!

I love these three so much!

It was a GORGEOUS day! All sunshine and blue skies with lots of warmth thrown into the mix. The streets were crowded with people, and we had a real challenge finding parking (circling the same three block four times is normal, right?). After three failed attempts (one spot too small to get out of the van, another lot turned out to be only free on weekends, and one parking garage took us all the way to the fourth level with NO empty spaces), we ended up on a quiet side street with two hour parking for only $7.

Off we went to complete some Must-Do Seattle activities from Rachel’s list. Last summer David and I went to Seattle with some out of town friends. That time we bought city passes (which I highly recommend) and had an incredible time exploring some of the best attractions in Seattle.

Today was the budget version – we paid for parking, a Mexican plate lunch, and coffee.

Sarah adds her gum to the wall.

Sarah adds her gum to the wall.


Best buddies.

Best buddies.

We went to Pike’s Place and walked through the market.
We found the Starbucks flagship store.
We went to the famous gum wall in Post Alley and added our gum to the collection.

There was a tour group of 2nd graders heading to the gum wall when we left.  Um, okay.  LOL.

There was a tour group of 2nd graders heading to the gum wall when we left. Um, okay. LOL.


We tried the coffee at the Storyville Coffee shop (yum).

Delicious coffee!

Delicious coffee!

We drove over to Alki Beach, took off our shoes, burned our feet on the hot sand and dipped our toes in the cold water.
We got some Starbucks for the ride home.

Sarah, Rachel and David are the BEST traveling team - they are thankful, generous, and up for any and all adventures.

Sarah, Rachel and David are the BEST traveling team – they are thankful, generous, and up for any and all adventures.

We missed having Tim, Daniel and Joshua with us, but we had a great time being Seattle Adventurers. Rachel kept saying, “We’re not tourists because we LIVE in Seattle.” At least now we’re ready to take friends to Seattle and give them an official tour.

Beach time.

Beach time.

The sand was hot and the water cold.  The perfect mix!

The sand was hot and the water cold. The perfect mix!

Grab some gum and come visit us!

Got gum, will travel.

Got gum, will travel.

Project 365 – Day 211
Kathy

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Another Dave & Rach Adventure – (Previously Titled, Kayak Day)

Today David and I decided to go on an adventure.

As best friends, David and I try to spend as much time together as we can. Or at least when both our schedules allow. (As a former yogurteer/barista and landscaper, we are in high demand.) It was a beautiful day, so David and I thought we should do something outside. After deliberation and consideration, we borrowed a friend’s kayaks and headed for the ocean.

My Right Hand Man

My Right Hand Man

We had a blast accidentally ramming each other, racing, admiring Washington’s beauty, and talking about life.

Siblings that paddle together stay together

Siblings that paddle together stay together

We also took turns taking cool photos.

RachelKayak2

An example of a cool photo.

An example of a cool photo.

Off he goes

Off he goes

Many thanks to Shari who not only loaned us her kayaks and her car, but also taught and helped us to correctly load them so we wouldn’t crash. Thanks Shari! You’re the best. :)

xoxo,
Rach

Project 365 – Day 210

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The End of An Era

Today, the Black Bear Frozen Yogurt shop near our house closed its doors. It was the flagship store of a small chain, and provided Joshua and Rachel their first jobs (and valuable experience in customer service). Some of our dear friends were involved in starting the chain, and the enthusiasm and excitement of this new commercial venture (especially in a time when jobs were so scarce) was very refreshing.

Rachel served us (as always) with a cheerful smile.

Rachel served us (as always) with a cheerful smile.

The cozy lobby of the store (complete with fireplace and huge bear statue) has served as a favored venue for many informal meetings, birthday parties and even the occasional concert. It was well-patronized by our church and community, and it is sad to see this era of frozen yogurt come to an end.

My sweetie has enjoyed many meetings with her friends at this convenient spot.

My sweetie has enjoyed many meetings with her friends at this convenient spot.

Rumors swirl about why the store had to close, but apparently the current owners did not (or were not able to) renew the lease on the storefront, and it passed to another company.

We will miss you, Black Bear!

Project 365, Day 207
Tim

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Home Again Birthday

Let’s face it, there is nothing quite like being home for your birthday. Celebrating a birthday at Fort Clark, TX, is all well and good, but there is just something about being home, especially when you have sweet friends who decorate for you!

The birthday celebration rages on, for these two girls.

The birthday celebration rages on, for these two girls.

Ah, it feels good to be home.

Project 365, Day 199
Tim

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