Good Times To Be Had

Reuniting today.

Forget homework, there are good times to be had.

It's That Time Again

Let me share with you just a few of the traditional first day of school photos from over the years.

Because thats right friends, school starts today.

The pictures in recent years have been a tad bit different considering the fact that I live a few hundred miles away from that front porch... But this year, we got one as we left for the airport! Sandwich and all :)

For a special back to school song, click HERE.

If Only She Knew

If only she knew:

How warm and fuzzy I get inside when people tell me that she looks just like I did when I was her age.

How much I just love to take pictures of her cute little self.

That drawing pictures in the sand is a treasure that should never be passed up.

That pretty soon she's going to have a little sister that she has to share her life and attention with... get ready for a rude awakening cutie pie!

That you don't always have to be a little kid to find joy and fun in silly things.

That it is a blessing to have such a happy, free spirit like she does right now :)

That she's got a grandma who is prettier than most grandmas.

That she's got one of the funnest and most loving grandpas in the world.

That her Aunt Nettie thinks she's super cute.

That you're not supposed to blow out other people's birthday candles ;-)

That seeing her long distance family members on a screen on a regular basis is a miraculous gift of technology that she has naturally come to expect. She thought we were FaceTiming with Kirstin when I took this.

How holding her hand makes me the happiest aunt in the world.

That i'd drop anything I was doing to be her buddy and make sure she knows I love her.

That she's been born into a big time game playing family, and this is how we spend much of our time together.

How blessed she is going to be growing up with a view like this out the window.

How awesome its going to be for her to grow up on this street.

And how much I am always going to look forward to visiting her and spoiling her and making her feel special.

(Fingers crossed it snows this Christmas... sledding party and Kevin and Carli's place!!!)

That Nettie is going to try and corrupt her into following in my footsteps and becoming a silly-faces-only for pictures kind of girl :)

How silly and cute she is!

That I plan on being right there (sitting in her lap!) to celebrate her 20th birthday with her, just like she was with me to celebrate mine!

She may not know all these things right now, but i'll see to it that she learns about all of these things, and so much more, as she grows up. This little girl is silly, crazy smart, and oh so precious. I love her to death, and I got the vibe she felt the same way at least to some degree when she kept saying, "No, Nettie can't go back to school!" I miss her terribly already, and I will count the days until I get to see her again, as well as her new baby sister and wonderful parents. Until then, I will make sure she remembers me with regular Skype sessions and the occasional treat in the mail. I mean come on, I gotta earn the Favorite Aunt status :)

I love you Paige!!

The Property Report

I sat in the motorhome, carefully frosting dad's surprise birthday cake, quietly observing mom and her sister as they stood at the sink doing dishes, singing along to an old song they both knew and playfully bantering back and forth. I thought back to a few minutes earlier, when we had been sitting outside at the table my uncle and late grandfather skillfully built decades ago, enjoying a delicious dutch oven dinner. As we ate, the older adults told stories and reminisced about times long ago and memories they have of our family and the special property we camp on. The younger generation stayed involved in the conversation as we listened intently and asked questions.

In a moment like this I could not help but envision the future. I could easily conjure up a picture of what might take place years down the line: I saw myself sitting at that same table surrounded by my own brothers and sisters, children, nieces and nephews, as we tell them tales and adventures from our own lives. I saw myself standing at the sink with Kirstin, singing and dancing along to an old Justin Timberlake song that my own daughter has never even heard as she sits at the table frosting her father or brother or cousin or whomever's birthday cake, shaking her head with a smile at what a weird mother and aunt she has.

These images filled my mind so easily and distinctly, and they filled my heart a with fierce hope that some truth lies within them. The Property holds a special spirit that gives me a wonderful feeling whenever I go there, and I want nothing more than to enjoy that blessing with my cousins, siblings, and most especially a family of my own someday. I think it'll happen. I really do.

And when it does, I hope we get to have as much fun as we did this last time around. It was a weekend full of good and happy things :)

With the great weather we spent more than one beautiful day out by the lake. So much fun!

And as always:

Mels tends to think she's a human being who deserves a chair and a spot at the table when we're camping...

The first time Tim has been to The Property. He's got the privilege now that he has married into the fam haha.

Time to go shooting!!!!

Fun fact y'all may not know about me: I LOVE to shoot guns. First up: lever action .22 rifle.

This gorgeous pistol is probably 45ish years old. It was my grandpa's.

Like mamma, like daughter :)

If you ask me, this is so much better than shooting in a range.

DEFINITELY my favorite of the day. The .308 rifle. I love me a good kickback. Love you Uncle Bill!

My family seems to think there's a gun lovin' montana boy in my future! :)

(You'll see me twitch real bad right before I pull the trigger... I was a little nervous the first time I shot this one!)

The man that always makes this happen. Here's the 30-30 savage. Love you Uncle Vince, and thank you!

Dad is trying out for a position as a sleep model. I think he'll land the job... :)

Always, always, always playing games.

Super gross and dirty and tired, time to head home!

But not before we stop for our traditional bite to eat at the infamous Eagle's Nest. I finally remembered where the world's best peanut butter chocolate shake is made!

Until next time!

What Being Home Means To Me - Episode Cinque

It means spending a great day out and about with my sister Carli and sweet little Paige (much more to come on her in the near future) to buy things for her new baby sister who is coming soon!

It means picking out my favorite bibs and onesies for my still nameless future niece :)

My personal fav :)

It means sitting outside enjoying a beautiful summer evening, reading a good book and munching on otterpops.

{Side note: I'm on page 91 of that book and already the following things have taken place: death of a father; the fatal tragic accident of a teenage boy; a long lost son that was given up for adoption returns; an unexpected pregnancy; a man's sick mother almost dies; the next day that same man falls off a ladder and breaks his leg; the man who drove him to the hospital gets in a roll-over accident on his way home; a 6 year old boy is physically abused by his father and goes to live in a home for troubled boys... Sooo would you believe me if I told you it still somehow managed to be an uplifting story? Anita Stansfield is skilled like that.}

Ps, how do y'all like to eat your otterpops? Personally I think I like them best when they get pretty soft and melty so they're like a slushy. But no matter how I eat them, they always make me cough.

The Perfect Game

Very few things in life are perfect. Heck, there has only been one person ever on this earth who has lived a perfect life. And He was a pretty awesome guy. And while no one else ever has been or ever will be as perfect as Him, some people are special enough to achieve and experience moments of perfection during their lives. Today, I was a witness to a history-making moment of perfection as I watched Felix Hernandez pitch a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Safeco Field.

Now, some of you may already know that I like baseball. Well, let me go ahead and tell you that thats a bit of an understatement. I LOVE baseball. See here for a previous post about the love and devotion I have had to the Seattle Mariners since birth. In the pictures and videos to come, you will see for yourself the transformation that takes place when I am overcome with happiness excitement joy out-of-this-world-and-out-of-control-elation.

So anyway, it all started last week when mom and I bought tickets to today's game to see Felix Hernandez pitch. We didn't just buy any old tickets, we bought prime King's Court tickets. We occupied two seats of the designated two sections devoted to cheering on the 2010 Cy Young award winner, King Felix. As occupants of these special seats we were given stand-out yellow t-shirts, big yellow K signs, and lots of camera time. What ensued was the most stressful and exciting baseball game I have ever seen. Inning after inning Felix achieved 3 up, 3 down. Plenty of strikes were thrown, and when the ball was occasionally hit into play we had great reliable defenders back there keeping our King safe. It didn't really "strike" us (oh man, out comes my punny side) until after the 6th inning when he struck out the side that: wait a minute, this hasn't just been a no hitter. This has been a perfect game. Felix has to survive 3 more innings and he will have pitched a perfect game. AND WE ARE HERE TO SEE IT. From that point on out it was all shaky hands, elevated blood pressures, trying not to pee my pants (yes, seriously), and screaming as if the game depended on how loud I could be. Well friends, my screaming payed off. Because he did it!!! In 113 pitches, 12 strike outs and 26 swinging strikes, Felix threw the 23rd perfect game in MLB history, the 1st ever for the 35-year-old Mariner's Ball Club. For those of you who don't understand, that is a huge huge huge deal.
Like, huge.

Gosh guys, I really don't even know how to explain it. It was one of the most magical experiences of my entire life, and I don't believe I will ever go to a better game. King Felix made history tonight, and there are no words to tell you all how great it was to be there and be a part of it. So instead i'll just have to leave it to you to see the pictures and videos and try to grasp a bit of the magic for yourself.

Best believe i'm sitting outside on the back deck soaking up the best time of day and listening to the rebroadcast of the game on the radio. And next i'll be watching the recording on TV. I just have to experience it from every possible angle :)

Sodo Mojo.

Here's a quick rundown of how the game went. Oh and if you're looking for me in the sea of yellow, you'll def see me. I'm the one with the royal blue hat with the yellow M on it. We bow with the the "K" following every strikeout :)

Okay, you've been warned. I'm a maniac. Here lies the proof. Notice how bad my hands were shaking as I recorded the last 3 strikes of the game.

Awww yeah!

My typical feet shot.

It was HOT sitting in the straight sun, but dude, sooo worth it.

We had no idea what an exciting game lay ahead :)

Sitting in the King's seat.

:)

Soaking up our time in the happiest place on earth!

Mariner's MOOOOOOSE!

Getting up those K's.

Just a note: we were on the big screen at least 3 times, and watching the recorded game on TV at home we were also on TV a lot, after almost every strike-out. I can be seen bowing, jumping up and down, and throwing a pretty awesome fist pump.

I feel famous ;-)

This one is almost embarrassing. I was seriously so emotional it was insane.

Yup. Super happy.

DUDE.

Making sure we remember this day!

Lovelovelove.

There it is. 1-0 win. The perfect game.