Day 213

Shhhh...don't tell Rob his birthday present came today!

I had it delivered to my office, just to make sure he didn't see the package.  I managed to sneak it home in my Mickey Mouse bag, and into the guest bedroom completely undetected.  I wrapped it up all festive like with a matching bow, then quickly put it in the nightstand for hiding and safe keeping until his big day on Saturday. Sure hope he likes it!

Day 212

Did you hear that?  It was the sound of a bomb that went off...right there in my office, spreading paper debris everywhere!

Today, the first part of our annual city budget is due.  That means any revisions for our current 2012 budget, as well as our proposed 2013 budget are both due.  And even though the Chief and I have our process pretty streamlined, it still means quite a bit of work has been done, lots and lots of review in a short amount of time, and everything else that has come up has taken a back seat...as indicated by the sea of paper on my desk.  It was so ugly, I just had to snap a photo.

This is the 'before'.  In a couple weeks when things settle down and all the back seat stuff gets cleared away, the 'after' will look much better!

Day 211

Leo knows...it's the Dog Days of Summer...and he's kickin' it by the pool with some cool shades on!

Rob and I had every intent on heading back down to the boat races today, until we couldn't get out of bed...and rolled out late...really late.  So, he decided to do his usual Sunday thing of mowing the lawn and doing some things around the house.  I decided to head over to Mel's with Kim and have a little girl time by the pool.  It was really nice...just the three of us hanging in the pool...well four of us if you count Leonardo!

After the races were over, everyone headed back to Mel and Jordon's for swimming, diving, cannonballing and just some general splashing around in the pool to cool off. 

Thanks again Mel for offering up your home, your lovely patio and refreshing pool to us all!

Day 210

Like I said yesterday...it's Water Follies time again! It has been years and years since I have been to the races, but today I took part in the annual festivities, and had a blast doing it!

Thanks to my now 'former' co-worker, Terry, Billie and I were able to get two sets of 3-day wrist bands that included pit passes, and several parking tickets.  As part of the Water Follies group, Terry has offered these tickets up to us every year, but we have always declined.  This year though it seemed like something fun we could do with Rob and Keith...neither of which had ever been.  I have to admit, the draw really was more for the airshow portion, but I think we all wanted a taste of the overall experience.

When we arrived at the park, we headed straight for the pits, to take a bit of a tour, and get up close and personal with the boats.  We hung around just for awhile waiting for the airshow to begin.  When we finally decided to explore the rest of the park, we walked only feet out the pit gates and ran into Bre's mom Trish, who had some prime beach front real estate...so to speak!  She had three tents located along the river, just outside the pits and was kind enough to let us throw up our chairs and have a seat!  We really couldn't have stumbled into a better deal...thanks Trish!

The two-hour Over the River Airshow had several different participants.  First, there was an all-women skydiving group - the Misty Blues, who parachuted out with American flags.  The US Coast Guard had a helicopter and performed a mock rescue.  There were several planes doing some aerobatics, including the Lucas Oil Bi-Plane in the photo above and the Firecat Jet, in the photo soaring near bridge.  But the best part was the Air Force Heritage Flight at the end.  It showcased a state-of-the-art F-16 fighter jet, along side a WWII P-51 Mustang.  Seeing that vintage plane was really cool, but that F-16 damn near blew our socks off...literally!  When that thing roared up over the banks of the river, you truly felt your insides shake.  I'm not joking when I say that the first somewhat unexpected pass over caused dogs to bark, kids to cry, and car alarms to go off, just from the noise and vibration.  It was really something.  And even in it's subsequent pass overs, you only thought you were ready, but it shook your foundation each time!  Every year I hear them come into town, see them pass through our skies, but seeing them up close and personal was pretty impressive.

We really hadn't intended to stay down at the park beyond the airshow, but once it was over there was some qualifying laps, and a heat for some vintage hydroplanes, so we stayed a little while to catch that.  It wasn't too exciting, just a couple of boats out on the water kicking up their rooster tails, but they were loud and that was kind of cool.  It reminded me of the good old days when I was a kid, and during the whole week of boat races, anywhere you were, you could hear that loud thunder on the water.  It really was the pinnacle of summer.

Day 209

Look at sweet little Amelia...we wore the poor girl out!

It's Water Follies weekend, and that means first things first...the Allied Art Show in Howard Amon Park.  Even though we all know we are going to see most of the same stuff we saw last year, the idea that there just might be something new, something different, or that one thing that calls your name, drives us to go back year after year.

Today was my Friday off, so in an effort to beat the Saturday crowd, we all headed down first thing this morning to check things out; Mom, Billie, Melanie, Ryanne and Ryanne's little sister Amelia. But the parking and people situations were already crazy, and sadly the stuff did turn out to be the same ol' schtuff! I didn't buy one thing.  But it was still fun to be with the girls, browse a bit, run into a couple familiar faces, and munch on a little kettle corn.

Until next year Art in the Park!

Day 208

For some reason, Thursdays seem like a good night to eat out?  I'm not sure why, but they just are.  Tonight was no different...well, I guess it was a little different, it wasn't Mexican!

Tonight Rob and I had dinner at Famous Dave's.  He had never eaten there, and I was craving the BBQ Chicken Salad...it's so yummy!  After we were seated, our waitress asked if we had ever been in before.  When Rob told her he hadn't, she indicated she had a little gift for him at the end of our meal.  I have to admit, forever the skeptic, I couldn't imagine what kind of 'gift' she was talking about.  Turns out, she actually gave us a bottle of their signature Rich & Sassy sauce.  I thought that was a pretty nice gesture.  Now we can have Famous Dave's at home!

Day 207

July is drawing to a close...and yep, you guessed it, I don't have anything to photograph today.  So here it is, my July Precious Moments calendar.

This month's plate happens to be one of my favorite's.  It is a picture of a patriotic drummer boy, and says, 'Marching To The Beat Of Freedom's Drum'. Again, I just love all the red, white and blue and 4th of July decor; I hate to see this last bit of it go away. But it'll be back out again next year for sure!

Day 206

Since checking out the Inspiration List worked for me yesterday, I did it again tonight.  This time I looked at the Capture Your 365 July List and today it just said...Peaceful.

So here's one of my sweet little girls, Baylee all snuggled up for the night...peaceful, in her bed.  I have to admit, the photo is kind of two-fold. It's me who is also feeling more peaceful about her lately, relieved at her slow but steady recovery with her injured legs. She's able to get around better on her own and appears to be in little pain if any...mainly she just seems stiff and locked up. 

Here, her eyes are actually rolled back in her head as she has little peaceful puppy dreams.

Day 205

Okay, I was at a loss tonight for a photo so I took a look at Fat Mum Slim's July List.  Today it just said...Mirror.

Well, this mirror happens to be the bane of my existence!  This is my 10x magnifying mirror that I keep on the bathroom counter.  I spend more time in front of this mirror than I care to confess.  Just ask Rob, who is constantly telling me to step away from the mirror and stop 'picking' at my face.  It's just that this mirror speaks to me...or more like yells at me...LOOK at that imperfection, CHECK OUT that wrinkle, please pluck THAT, or that's an UGLY whitehead, blackhead or whatever...you fill in the blank! 

The hard part to remember is that most people probably don't get close enough to see what the 10x mirror sees, but nonetheless, who wants to risk it??

Day 204

Rob and I went on a little excursion today.  Kind of like old people, we took a Sunday drive!  I'm really only joking.  We actually had a romantic day, just the two of us...hanging out, exploring new places, and having a picnic in the park for two.

We decided for our outing we would head towards Pendleton. Rob had never been there, and it had been years and years since I had.  There is a place Rob had seen around Wallula, a basalt rock formation he wanted to explore called Twin Sisters, so we headed there first...where this picture of the Columbia River was taken.  It was hot out there today, but absolutely beautiful.  We climbed up a small trail, and this was the awesome view we enjoyed!

We got back in the car and headed south into Oregon along the river, which was a very pretty drive.  It may sound funny, but I don't think I had ever crossed into Oregon without crossing a bridge.  It was a busy day on the water, with lots of folks trying to cool off and enjoy the river's banks.

We headed into Pendleton, and thanks to my trusty iPhone, we were able to find a cute little park right next to the infamous Round-Up.  We spread out a blanket, pulled out all of the food I packed, kicked off our shoes and enjoyed a lovely little lunch in the park. 

After we packed back up again, we just took some time to explore Pendleton.  It's a cute little town, but unfortunately they must roll up the sidewalks on Sundays!  We did a little walking around their historic downtown area, as well as the River Parkway.  We really liked it there, and hope to go back again...this time on a Saturday!

Day 203

Tonight we celebrated Billie's birthday with some dinner and Rum Barrels at Cedars!

Billie was out of town last weekend on her birthday, so we celebrated tonight.  Unfortunately we were missing a few of our 'gang', but we managed to have a pretty good time nonetheless. 

Billie, Keith, Mom, Bre, Shauna, Osanin, Melanie, Jordan, Rob and I celebrated and had a great time.  We ate a lot, drank a lot, and laughed a lot...sort of our standard protocol for get togethers!!

Instead of birthday cupcakes for Billie, I decided to try my hand at cake pops again.  I wanted another opportunity to give them a try, and Billie missed them on the 4th of July.  This time with a few changes things went much smoother, they turned out just as delicious but much prettier and more uniform...and well...summer birthday festive!

Happy Belated Birthday Billie...hope your birthday week was extraordinary!!

Day 202

This is Nevan.  She is quite a happy little girl...and a ham to boot! And those piggy tails you see hide her little devilish horns!

Today, our former co-worker and friend Nicole stopped by the office with Tegon and Nevan...and her swollen belly with Baby Number #3 due to arrive soon.  While they were there I snapped a few photos of the kiddos.  I just loved this picture of Nevan, who is always so full of smiles...it's contagious.  Even when she's being naughty you can't help but laugh a little!

Day 201

Yum!  Salsa Bar trio from the Hacienda Del Sol.

Today was one of those days that left me with very little desire to cook dinner or clean up a kitchen.  When Rob picked me up from work, I asked if he would take me to dinner at what has recently become our favorite Mexican restaurant.  I think we have been eating here almost once a week for the last couple months.

I even went back in my blog and did a search on it, and found that I mentioned the first time we ate here together on March 10 (the joys a of a blog...a personal diary of sorts!)  And we've been returning ever since.  One of the things we love about it is their salsa bar, with about eight different salsas, including the cabbage salsa I love, and the fresh tortillas Rob loves!!  And to top it off, it's right up the street!

Day 200

Do you see that Post Title...Day 200!!  I can't believe it!  200 days of taking a photo everyday...AND blogging about it. 

I realize now in looking back, I've had to let a lot go...a lot of expectations of myself, and expectations of perfection in order to make this work (I seem to have trouble with those darn 'expectations' all over the place!).  Sometimes I get a little behind in my blogging and I have to remind myself it's okay, and sometimes I may even cheat and snap a photo the next morning of something I missed or forgot the night before...but that's okay too.  And, I've certainly had to let go of the expectation that I would have 365 delightfully fascinating photos!!

Case in point...today's photo.  It's a photo I snapped tonight with my phone and ran through Instagram of Mom's hosta in her backyard.  It's full of little purple blooms right now...attracting all kinds of bee friends!! But I thought it was pretty, and I thought the lighting was interesting, so it's today's photo.

Day 199

To Have And To Hold Forevermore...

On Saturday, I shared that I put away all of the 4th of July decor, which made a little room for a few new, fresh additions...like this one.

Tonight I thought I'd share this little Precious Moments that is actually the cake topper Mom bought me (us) for my bridal shower.  There are so many Precious Moments bride and groom figurines out there to choose from, but this one is perfect...To Have And To Hold Forevermore.  I love it so much, and will treasure it always! 

Because it's new, and because Rob and I are still 'just married', I thought it needed a little time on display before joining all of the others inside the curio cabinet.

Day 198

I know it was only last Monday that I posted a storm photo.  But I couldn't help myself.  Tonight was a repeat of the thunderstorms we've had recently, and again, this one was a pretty big one. 

I kept my eye on it as it was coming up from Oregon, and took a few 'before' photos of the dark evening sky. When it finally hit, and hit with a big boom, Rob and I just headed to bed because they are happening so frequently it seemed a little 'business as usual'.  But as we were lying there listening to the rumbling outside, I couldn't resist.  I got back up, grabbed the camera and headed to the front porch.  I just want so badly to capture one of those great lightening pictures.  (I admit, hard to do from my location...probably need to relocate to a open space.)  I did get a few good shots showing just how brightly it lit up the neighborhood like broad daylight...then I managed to get one.  Not an award winner by any stretch, but I do feel like my timing is getting a little better.

With any luck there will be a few more storms before summer is over, and maybe I'll get that truly great photo.

Oh...and by the way...Happy Birthday Billie.  Hope you had a great weekend away.  So glad you made it home tonight before the storm broke out!!

Day 197

Today was one of those 'chore' days again.  While I took care of business inside the house, Rob took on the outside.  After he mowed the grass, he washed down the house, the patio and all the patio furniture...again.  Seems like he just did that, but boy the dust, dirt and especially those cobwebs sure build up fast.  I caught him in the act here, hosing down the windows.

I sure do love how everything looks after a fresh wash down!!

Day 196

Today I put away all of the 4th of July decorations.  It kind of made me sad...I love filling the house with those little displays of patriotism...and summer.

It is nice to get the house back to {normal} though.  And as I put away the decorations, I realized I had a little room for a few new, fresh additions to our decor.  Like this picture frame we received as a wedding gift from Craig and Wendy. 

It's a very cool wood frame, etched with our names and wedding date on it.  I found a wedding photo to fit inside it, and now it sits on top of the DVD rack for display.  Perfect.

Day 195

Since doing all of my Thank You cards, I've had the itch to get back in the {very messy} craft room and really start some scrapbooking and card making.  But, I do still feel so rusty.

I tried my hand today at a shape card, using my Gypsy.  I don't think I've done a shape card with the Gypsy before.  If I could just get the hang of using it, I think that handy little device really does make things so much easier...not to mention the portability of it!!  After a few tries at resizing and welding, the finished product was this little pineapple drink card for Christy's birthday.

Happy 40th Birthday Christy!

Day 194

OK...so do you give up?  Wonder what this is?  It's nothing gross or obscene.  It's not the wrinkled end of a cigarette...it's just the butt end of a Walla Walla Sweet Onion!

It's been awhile since I've looked at the prompts I use for daily photo ideas.  Over at Fat Mum Slims, on her July List for today was 'texture'.  I thought the end of this onion had some interesting texture, so I took a couple photos of it, and like the way it looked. 

Then I took the onion and proceeded to make homemade onion rings out of it, to go with the beer battered fish and french fries.  The fridge and cupboards were bare, so the best I could do was cook up a big ol' mess of fried food...yum and yuck, all at the same time!!

Day 193

It has been HOT for several days now, and it doesn't look like it's going to cool off anytime soon!

Tonight as I was leaving work, I took this picture of Chelsea the Charger's thermometer...a {cool} 102!  I actually don't mind the heat too much, and really do like driving around with the sunroof open and the windows down on days like this.  Reminds me of the good old days when I was a kid!  When summers where for sleeping in, swimming all day and playing with friends...ahhhh...remember when!?!

Day 192

Boring!  It ain't much, I know.  It's a lamp.  A new paper shade lamp we bought at Ikea.  I really like it though, and the warm glow it gives off in the corner of the living room. 

As you can guess, I really had nothing to photograph tonight, and nothing exciting happened like the storm last night...so here it is...our new 'floor' lamp.  Rob and I think now that we put it in this particular corner, it really needs some sort of pedestal to elevate off the floor it a bit.  You know like on a small stool or trunk or something. 

Guess we'll have to work on that.

Day 191

It's not the picture I had hoped for...the fierce lightening bolt jetting from the sky...but it's still a pretty cool photo.

Tonight, Rob and I were both at our computers as it got dark outside.  I thought I was seeing flashes outside, but it was hard to make out until it became dark...then you could see the flashes light up the entire sky!  They were pretty impressive, I must say...along with the amazing thundering booms right over the house!

We both went outside to watch the storm as it traveled overhead.  Try as I might, I could not seem to point my camera in the direction of the lightening as it happened!  This is something I need to work on, because I would really like to be able to capture one of those rare shots.  I was pointing my camera in anticipation of the next bolt when it happened just to the left {if you look close, all the way to the left, you can just see the tail}...but I managed to get this shot off of it lighting up the sky and the cloud cover.

I may be getting some more practice soon...I think this just may be the first of some good old fashioned summer storms brewing!

Day 190

Here they are again...the little girls.  I haven't had too many photos of them on here lately.  I guess I never really get tired of taking their picture though.

It's been a full week now since Baylee hurt her other leg, and she's clearly on the mend.  She's getting around much better now, but still with a limp...poor girl.  She spends a lot of time on this old folded comforter...a makeshift bed for her that she can stretch out on. 

And poor little Lucy...she wants so much to cuddle up with cranky old Baylee, but she really doesn't even try.  Tonight, she just cuddled up next to the 'bed' to be near to her, both of them at my feet...sawing little puppy logs.

Day 189

Tonight Rob and I did dinner and a movie.

Last night Rob got some disappointing news about a new job he had applied and interviewed for, and was feeling a bit down in the dumps.  I was feeling a little helpless about how to make cheer him up.  I didn't know what to do to make him feel better, but just thought if we got out of the house, surely that would help.

So, we headed down to Magill's for a quick bite, and then to the movie theater to see Savages.  It was a pretty good movie...not as violent or gory as I was afraid it would be.

I'm not sure if the evening did the trick entirely...but I think at the very least it got Rob's mind of things for awhile, and hopefully lifted his spirits a bit.

Day 188

Today is my mom and dad's anniversary.  Today, they would have celebrated their 38th anniversary in fact.  Today, just three weeks into my marriage, it really made me think about my mom and dad and what they made marriage look like for me.

One thing that has always stuck with me; my mom always says marriage is a partnership...neither individual is better than or less than the other.  And I think my parent's marriage was an example of that. 

That doesn't mean the road was always rosy...of course there were tough times, or frustrating times, or differences of opinion.  But the overall message held true...they were equals, they were partners, for better or worse.

I pray that when the road isn't exactly rosy for Rob and I, or when we're frustrated, or struggling with differences of opinion as I'm sure we will, that we too will always treat each other with respect, and treat each other as equal partners in our relationship. 

I don't think there's just one 'key' to a happy marriage, but I do think this one is a keeper!

Day 187

So, exactly how many photos do you have to endure of my wrinkly hands and wedding rings??  Well, I think this will be the last!

Last Wednesday I posted that I had lost my wedding band.  But LOOK!!  It has been found.  I just KNEW it had to turn up somewhere, and it did.  And it was in one of the four places I knew it had to be...the parking lot at work.  Can you believe it?  A week later and it was still there!

This morning Shauna came in to my office to ask how much I loved her.  Kind of an odd question, I thought...until she handed me my wedding band!  She had been in the ladies' room when a women from the office next door asked if anyone in our office lost a...before she could finish Shauna blurted out how I had lost my wedding band.  The woman, Marcy, told her she never parks in the spot she did, but today she drove her husband's vehicle, so she parked his big truck out at the end of the parking lot.  When she got out of the truck she spotted something shiny...my ring!  YAY!!  It's a miracle!!  It's just a little scuffed but I don't care, I got it back, that's the most important thing!

I immediately put that ring back on my finger, and then snapped this photo with my phone to send to Rob to tell him the good news!

I think tomorrow I will take over a thank you card along with a Starbucks card to Marcy, to thank her for her kindness!

Day 186

Happy Birthday America!  Happy 4th everyone!  Today was a great day...a busy day, full of all kinds of things, so I have a few photos to share (for once!).

First, I started my morning by getting up early to bake a chocolate cake for the cake pops, and then getting the cupcakes in the oven.  I managed to get the two dozen vanilla cupcakes frosted with a chocolate cream cheese frosting and decorated with red, white and blue sprinkles before Rob and I headed out the door to the parade.

 The parade was kind of a bust, like I suspected.  Many people turned out to see it; the streets were lined with families...especially the kids waiting for candy to be thrown.  But it seems that when the holiday falls in the middle of the week like it did, not as many folks turn out to be IN the parade...like bands and floats.  But there was great represetation from Pasco - the one and only float, and the one and only band!

After the parade Rob and I headed back home, and I promptly went back to work...this time on the cake pops.  When I read the directions, they seemed pretty straight forward and actually pretty easy.  But they ended up being a little more of a pain than I had anticipated.  I did learn a few things for next time though.  I guess I had to get the first time done and under my belt. 

I started by making them a little too big, which meant they were too heavy to stay on the stick.  I'm don't think I froze and/or refrigerated them long enough.  I think my candy melts could have been hotter/thinner for a more even coating.  And most importantly, I needed to leave them alone until completely dry!!  I kept pealing them up too soon and leaving coating and cake on the plate!!  With all that said, here's the kicker...they were DELICIOUS!!  I mean seriously...who knew??  I guess I anticipated them tasting like a cupcake, but I think they were better...way better.  And so did everyone at the BBQ.  They were a major hit!

After I completely destroyed the kitchen with my cake pop assembly line, I actually took a quick little nap to rest and regroup  Then Rob and I headed over to Melanie and Jordan's for their annual BBQ.  They had a bit of a rib cookoff...one guy made pork ribs, while the other made beef.  I'm not sure what or whose I had...but they were all so good!  And there was food o'plenty...lots of ribs, salads and beans...YUM!  While all of us grown ups yacked it up, all the kids kept busy in the pool.  It was a great way to end the 4th...thanks Mel and Jordan for the invite!

Because tomorrow is a work day, and because we're old I guess (hehe) Rob and I opted out of the fireworks, and just called it a day and headed home to feed and check on the pups. 

We hope you all had a wonderful 4th...full of fun, food, friends and family too!!

Day 185

So, the self-proclaimed Cupcake Queen is going to try her hand at something new, well and something old.  But feast your eyes on these!

I did a little running around after work and grabbed some lollipop sticks and some candy melts, along with a new pastry bag.  After I make one batch of cupcakes for tomorrow's BBQ, I am going to try my hand at some cake pops.  They are all the rage these days...all over Pinterest, and you can even buy them at Starbucks.  So, it only seems natural that I would give these mini cakes a try.  I've been wanting to do it for sometime, and figured the 4th seems like a good occasion! 

Here's hoping they turn out beautiful and delicious!!

Day 184

Finally...we're ready for the 4th...not a moment too soon.

I've had the house decorated for the 4th since Memorial Day.  But for some reason I just could not get my butt outside and get the bunting on the banister.  With another 'gentle reminder' from Rob tonight, I took off outside to get the job done.  I got the bunting put out, a couple of these larger flags stuck in the ground, and 8 little flags lining the driveway.

Bring on the 4th!

Day 183

Here it is...the finished product.  My Thank You card 'prototype'.

It has been so very long since I have completed anything in my craft room.  Months and months and months.  With the exception of the few cutouts for my brother's birthday, I have done no paper crafting really for a year now...and boy am I rusty!  But this felt really good to get in there and get the juices flowing again. 

I'm not 100% satisfied with this...I'm sure a few tweaks here and there are in order.  But here's the first one knocked out, now only 29 more to go!!