From Utah to New Mexico

Well, I've been trying to do a blogpost, but internet doesn't always comply.
Here are some pictures from yesterday (Idaho):

(in Utah, Golden Corral for dinner)
By the way, my Mom was born in Utah

Favorite Bridge

Utah...

Grandpa loves Arch's National Park

Today we drove
through the rest of Utah (and Arches National Park), Colorado, and have ended in New Mexico.

We had a beautiful surprise today once we hit Colorado. Two BEAUTIFUL minutes - we had rain. The temperature dropped about 20 degrees. I haven't been able to smell rain for so long... You know you really are a Northwesterner when you know and love the smell of rain. I almost wanted to ask Grandpa to pull over... but I restrained myself.


Hope you all are doing well! Only got up to 86 today for you? Our temperature was 100. :) The rain was very appreciated.
Oh! And we met the Colonel in New Mexico.

Last time I was at KFC was when
I was in Russia - I almost ordered all by myself -
except that I couldn't order the drink size...

Happy Birthday!

One year ago today, I started my blog. Thus, I redesigned the blog and left for Texas with my Grandparents.

Beautiful ~

The temperature of today was up to 110 - very thankful for air-conditioning. Outside didn't actually feel like it was 110 - but I've never been one to tell what that temperature is.

Grandma and me at Arlington

*Cement...the thing that processes it

Patch-Work Farmland of Walla-Walla

Ok, so I'm actually going for my youngest cousin's birthday (not my blog's) and staying through our nation's 239th birthday. Quite honestly, Texas? Fourth of July? Texas or the East Coast seems like the perfect place for the Fourth - at least once in your lifetime... :)

*If you know what that "thing" is called, please tell me!! :)

Father's Day

I'm very grateful that God gave me my Dad as my Dad.













Dad gave himself We gave dad a kayak for Father's Day and since yesterday was amazing, we took it to BG Lake to test them out.


We all had fun and Mom some of us were shocked when Dad let the twins go out by themselves. (Sometimes the twin coordination worked, other times...)

 

Since there was only one kayak, Emily and I both brought our handwork - it was rather beautiful weather to just sit outside under the trees and knit.

Leaving our house at 5:30, we quickly packed up at the lake around 8:30 (can you even believe it's still light out at that time!!!) and went home to play a family game of Hand and Foot before it got way too late for the Littles.

I'm completely blessed by my family.

Weight, Orchestra, the Fort, and Chinese Food

Saturday was not normal. I had three fun events to go to right after the other.

my lamb is a little stubborn.

The "Weight" in the title is in reference to weighing sheep. To sell a lamb at the Fair's Junior Livestock Auction, you must weigh-in your animal(s) a couple months in advance so that they can be sure to gain an appropriate amount by the auction - we got there around 7:40.

 

Having loaded the lambs into the truck

Secondly, I had an orchestra dress rehearsal that started at 10:0am-12:30.
Great concert with Bukaroo Holiday, by Aaron Coplan;, Concerto in Mi, Dr. Appert; and Scheherazade, Rimsky-Korsakov.

'

Right after this, Sarah and I went to Fort Vancouver to volunteer for Brigade Encampment. 

Michah, Red, Ray

Sue and Mad

Meg and Sue

After about 4 hours of specific volunteering, Red (who ended up volunteering on site for over 24 hours), James, and I stayed and helped clean up the last bits of Brigade. When we got home, we changed back into the 21st century and went to The Taste of Sichun. Chinese food was amazing! It was very similar to what Ben eats when he is in China (which is where he is presently). Duck, fish hot-pot, lamb, beef - it was delicious!

Duck, fish hot-pot, lamb, beef - 

it was delicious!

And let's not forget Moo Goo Gai Pan. Having watched the
Dick van Dike show, we had all been curious what this dish was.
It was amazing as well!

Ben left Sunday morning and will be back before way to long and then...

 I'll be taking off to Texas. Yay!

Pathways Fundraising Run in Review

Saturday morning, June 6th, 2015, Sarah, Emily, Grace, Bethany and I went off to Lacamas Lake to run a 5k to raise funds for Pathways Pregnancy Clinic.

Sarah volunteered, we four ran.

Grace ran so quickly, she's running out of the picture

I ran in with no one anywhere near me - in front or behind.
There was an "old" guy running who passed me a cheered me
on at the end.

Yay Bethany!

Yay Emily!

Kinda random observatoin, but Grace and I are both leading with our left, and Bethany and Emily are both leading with their right - it's like I tried to organize it that way.

Everyone was given a medal at the end of the race - and we got our picture taken for the hall of fame for having finished the run (it was a hard run - but a good run). :)

Thanks to everyone who supported me, I raised $1025 for Pathways. I got a certificate for having raised the most money as a teenager. I also won a family pass to the Firstenburg Center for a whole month! The twins are voting that we do it in their birthday month. 

All photos were taken by Diana Sterle Photography

Alexander the Great

Apparently he died June 10th 324 BC. 2339 years ago - just a bit ago. Here's a quick video of Alexander...

Have a beautiful day!

Crafts

First-to-the-first!
I'll have thoughts on what to write and then not write them and then almost a month goes by without a post.

Lately, I've been working on this afghan. There is a pattern to it. There are three different square types going in a diagonal. There was a method to this madness.

I had been babysitting Adelynn since January, but they have just moved to Minnesota.

 As a going away gift, I made her a cookbook (with some of the recipes we made together) and an apron.

 We just got the rest of our lambs yesterday. I'm glad to have them! I LOVE sheep!
I hope you have a great Rainy Wednesday!