The Blog.

I have contemplated back and forth about this...to keep or not to keep. Well, for now I have decided to keep the blog....I will update it once a week and it will range from various musings of mine, to the boys doing something crazy, their crazy active sports and school activities, to maybe just a picture of me on the mower....who knows, but for now it will stay alive and well!

I had also planned this "Ode To Washington", but as you may imagine, I have been just a tad bit busy this past week....so my tribute will wait until things have settled a bit....it could take me a month at the rate I am going...so be patient, it will come...I will blog about how much I am going to miss this crazy rainy place where I still need a coat in July, how I will miss being drug to yet the top of another hill in Washington, and some other not so sarcastic stuff, like the wonderful friends we have left behind and the once in a lifetime memories we've made!

I am truly thankful for the time we spent up here...it really was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I hope we get again....maybe when the kids are graduated...Shawn and I will jet off to Malaysia or someplace crazy like that....but for now, I think I will be happy having my feet firmly planted at least for 13 years or so!

The Finished Product!!!

Yes, it is finished and nothing like squealing in at the very last moment!!! I was determined to have this trunk finished by the time the movers came, and by golly, I did it!! So, here is the before and after....unfortunately, I never snapped a picture of the inside of the trunk before, but believe me it was hideous...and it smelled! I am so extremely happy with the way it turned out---and a might bit proud of myself as well! This was definitely one of the hardest projects I have started and actually finished.....I may be inspired to try something else.....you just never know!!!

Like Two Peas In A Pod!

Today was a very hard "last". We had our last group lunch with Carla and Josiah. I am sitting here in tears as I write this....I had never planned on meeting such awesome friends when we moved here 3 years ago! We were going to focus on the 4 of us....spending tons of time together and I was determined to not make "close" friends just because of knowing this was not a forever thing, we were definately leaving....but guess what....things often don't work the way you plan! God decided I needed a pal and he paired me with someone just like me---I never knew someone who would click so well with me existed, let alone move to Seattle the exact same time I did!! The biggest perk...it was a twofer....I got a pal and Grady got one too! Carla and Josiah (and Dustin!) have been the most awesome perk of living up here! They are friends that will be ours for a lifetime....1500 miles may seperate us in a few days, but that is nothing when they are in your heart! I love this family dearly and I can't imagine not seeing them every week....but thankfully we are in the cyber age now...we can talk everyday!!! I will miss my Carla and Josiah hugs, but I know I will always have a place to stay when I visit!!! We love you guys!!!

Jetty Island!

On Tuesday, the boys and I headed to Jetty Island with a couple of Gabe's buddies!! We had a fantastic and relaxing day....which was exactly what I needed! The boys played football, played in the seaweed, swam in the water for a bit, and dug a sand hole that went up to Gabe's stomach--that was some serious digging!! I wish we would have made more time to venture over to Jetty Island during our time up here....it is a man-made beach, so there is real sand, not the rocky stuff at the beaches around here....plus you have to take a little passenger ferry over, so it is not extremely busy...I think a lot of people are deterred by the fact it is a first come, first serve on the ferry. I am so happy we were able to fit one more day at Jetty Island in!!!

One Last Hurrah!!!

Sunday we left for a quicky vacation....nothing like taking vacation, after a week of vacation and a week before a move.....just call us crazy!! Crazy it may be....we had a great time! We started out in Spokane on the 4th of July for a Spokane Indians baseball game and fireworks! We have never been to Eastern Washington..the drive there was really nice! We had been told that Eastern Washington was like night and day from Western Washington and it was! It was very much like driving through Kansas only not as flat! Monday we decided to head over to Montana....this had not been a part of the original itinerary, but after getting to Spokane and seeing how close we were, we decided to cruise on over to The Big Sky Country! Montana was definitely the highlight of our vacation----it was beautiful! We ended up in Missoula where we went to Fort Missoula, an Elk Reserve and a Bison range! All very outdoorsy...which made the hunters in my group very happy!! On Tuesday we ventured to Idaho....I realize we drove through Idaho to get to Montana, but we actually never stepped foot in Idaho on Monday! We started out at Schweitzer Ski Resort in Sand Point where we took the lift to the summit and hiked the summit all morning! There were all kinds of animal prints...including bear...thankfully, we did not come across any bears on the hike! We had fantastic views from the top all morning.....gorgeous! That afternoon we headed south of Sand Point a few miles and hiked Gold Hill! It was a 4.5 hour round trip hike that took us to the top of Gold Hill where we enjoyed the evening sun over the lake at Sand Point! The hike was exhausting, but well worth the work once at the top! On Wednesday we stayed in Spokane to enjoy some of the local sights! We started the morning at Cat Tales, a big cat zoo! There were tigers, lions, bobcats, pumas, lynx, leopard, and even a couple of bears! The place was pretty small, but it was pretty neat how close you were to the big cats! That afternoon we headed to downtown Spokane to the Riverfront! This area was awesome! There are eateries, shopping, an antique carousel, a huge radio flyer wagon playground, ducks and geese to watch along the river, and Spokane Falls! We had a yummy lunch, followed by ice cream, carousel rides, antique shopping, and strolling and relaxing along the river! Unfortunately, we couldn't spend all day there...time to start heading back to reality! We decided to take the scenic route home...we had gone to Spokane on I-90, but came back towards home on HWY 2! This was a very curvy, scenic view through farmland and apple, pear, and cherry orchards! We came back through Leavenworth and Stevens Pass one last time.....I'm so glad we found time to take this trip.....it was a wonderful way to end our time up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest!

Work, Work, Work!

Bitten off more than we can chew?.....Maybe! Gonna love every minute of it? You Bet! Last week, I worked harder than I thought possible! I successfully dewallpapered 3 rooms, painted the entire upstairs (except for the very tippy top peak of the living room!), and mowed around a third of the property in 4 days! I worked from 5 in the morning until 10 at night...thankfully Shawn would come in with my happy hour soda around 5 giving me the second wind and the working partner I needed!!! We absolutely LOVE our new house and can't wait to be there for good!!

While we were in Kansas...it wasn't ALL work, we saved a little bit of time for play! Thursday was Greta's birthday, so I took the day off and spent time with her!! The boys had a chance to spend some time with the grandparents and Aunt Greta (thank you for rescuing them from their crazy Mom!!) and even got to squeeze in some time for fireworks with their cousins! What a fantastic week......the 17th can't get here fast enough!!!

Please Accept My Apology!

I know, I know...I'm behind! It has been absolutely CrAzY here for the last, oh hmmm...let say, 2 months!! Well, you can get caught up with us now.....and then we are checking out for another 2 weeks!! Tomorrow we head down to Wichita for a week and then we come home and head to Eastern Washington for a about a week! Nothing like taking vacation the week before you move! Thank goodness for packers and movers! We'll be at the Fox 9.5 (that's what we are calling the new hacienda!) all week....if you feel the urge to do some painting, don't be shy, come on over....we've got lots of brushes!! Signing off...until, well....the next time everyone sleeps until 8:00!

Gabe's Buddies!

Thursday night, we had Gabe's Going Away Party! He chose 8 of his bestest friends to spend the evening with! Each friend brought their email address, address and phone number so Gabe can stay in touch! By the way, Gabe has an email now...it is gabepfox@hotmail.com.... if you ever feel the need to get ahold of him! We set it up on Wednesday night....he has been checking it every hour on the hour...he is loving it! So, on Thursday night his best buddies came over to wish him well, eat some pizza, play some games and share some laughs!! Gabe has an absolutely awesome group of friends....He sure knows how to pick them! The kids had a blast, we headed up to the school's baseball field and played a heated game of wiffle ball....Shawn and I even got duked in to playing...which showed us how old we are....my shoulder is still hurting today from trying to tag one of the 9-year-olds out!! Guess I can't hang with the kids anymore! Charlie his very bestest buddy spent the night as well.....this little guy has been Gabe's friend since the first day...he is also our K-State switch over! He was a Husky fan until he met us...a true convert! They spent the whole day playing football, wii and spending a great amount of time talking and laughing and making all of those great memories that they will share for a lifetime! We are going to be out of town for a couple of weeks, but when we get back, we are going to spend one more day with his buddies! He had one little friend, Alex, that couldn't make it to the party...so we have to come up with a way to get one more playdate squeezed in! We love you guys...thanks for sharing your friendship with our little guy!

Charlie and Gabe......Like 2 Peas in a Pod!

Tia and Gabe! Tia made this for Gabe.....she was the one in tears when it was time to go! She is an absolute doll, if choosing your child's mate wasn't frowned upon...Tia would have been my choice ;) She has been preparing for this day (Gabe's going away) for half of the year...her Mom was telling me that anytime she thought about doing something for the last time with Gabe, she would start crying...poor thing! Thankfully we are in the age of technology....1500 miles won't seem like anything for these two!

Dad Comes To Washington!!

Last week we had the pleasure of our last tourist!!! My Dad came for a week long visit to the sunny and warm state of Washington!!! ha!! A couple of days before Dad arrived, I gave him a call and told him to pack a jacket....I'm sure he thought I was completely crazy...but after a day here, I believe he realized the importance! We were lucky to have a couple of beautiful Washington summer days while he was here, but we also had the completely yucky and rainy Washington we all know and love!! Despite the crazy weather, we had a great visit with Grandpa Glen! We were in full tourist mode from the minute he got here....I'm sure right now, he is completely enjoying the peace and quiet, and the rest that is much needed after a visit with the Fox Tour Guides! We started out on Thursday at Snoqualmie Falls and the Issaquah Fish Hatchery, plus lunch at Snoqualmie Pass! Friday we ventured north to Deception Pass on Whidbey for a picnic lunch, skipping rocks on the beach and a beautiful drive along the 30+ miles of Whidbey! We stopped off at Fort Casey and Coupeville to do some running (the boys of course!) and shopping! We ended the Whidbey trip with a ride on the ferry!! When we came home we were treated with Shawn making dinner...Salmon and Chicken, YUM! We ended Friday evening with coffee and our tourist drive from Mukilteo to Everett stopping off along the "rolling hill" park! Saturday we decided to head East of the Seattle to Leavenworth! Lucky for us Leavenworth boasts 300 days of sunshine..well they did not disappoint, about 10 minutes from there the rain miraculously stopped and it was a beautiful day! Sunday we traveled to Downtown Seattle to the Pike's Market, Seattle Center, for a ride on the Monorail, and to Fremont for a street fair and The Infamous Troll! The Fremont Fair was just an added bonus, our landlord was showing our house and we had to waste some time, so we were at the Fremont Troll and noticed something was going on...after a little investigating we found streets full of entertainers, food and shopping!!! Score! On Monday, poor Shawn had to return to work, but the sight-seeing must continue so we made a new stop, The Scratch Patch! This place is wall to wall rocks....the idea is for the kids (and adults!) to find rocks on the floor, match them to the identification page and then purchase a little bag to take a few of your finds home!! It was a pretty cool place, the boys love finding rocks, so what better way to do it than out of the rain and inside a house!! That evening for dessert we had Chocolate Spaghetti! This was one of our purchases from the market on Sunday....it was different, but in a good way! We boiled the spaghetti and topped it with ice cream and raspberries...how could it be bad??!! Tuesday was another full day....that morning we headed off to Edmonds Beach for a day of soaking up some sun--this was by far the best day we had had as far as weather was concerned! The boys swam in the freezing cold water, built a sand castle and we all enjoyed a picnic lunch...nothing beats a day at the beach except maybe a night at the AquaSox!! This was the first sporting event we have attended up here where the home team actually won...it seems the Fox curse was broken!! The AquaSox beat the Yakima Bears 5-3! We had a great evening listening to the hecklers taunt the Bears, eating Cracker Jacks, and watching some baseball! After the game, the boys ran down to the field to run the bases.....they had a blast!! We had a great time Grandpa Glen (Dad)...we are so happy you made it up!!! Hope you are getting rested up!