Saturday, July 28, 2007

Small Town Stuff

Last month, about 40 banners appeared on our lamp posts, which are also adorned with hanging flower baskets. These banners were created by local artists - serious & not-so serious. One of the banners is from a Third Grade classroom at Connor's school. He may have participated in that, but I don't know. There are also some from our High School art students.

The banners are on disply for the month of July & you can take a walking tour of our Downtown to see them. I am hoping to do that one evening with Carolyn & Carl, if we get a chance. There's a little tour map that gives the names of the artists so you can see who has done what.

Or you can look at this link: Salmon Run Banners on Ebay

The unsold banners will be displayed in the Fall at a Harvest Festival.




This one is my favorite ;)


They are asking for a minimum bid of $50, and then $30 in shipping, but encouraging local pick-up. If you see one you'd like to bid on, I could probably ship it for less.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Happy Birthday Lee!

First off, I didn't make either cake...

The night elf here is pretty fun though, if I were talented enough to create something like that. Somehow, I think Lee would prefer a version of his current highest level, which is a troll - Happy Birt-day, Mon!

The second cake is called a "princess cake" and European bakeries make them. It's covered in Marzipan, which would be a big hit with us anyway. However, we live in a small town, and don't have many options beyond the grocery store variety of bought cakes. I'm afraid a little pastry shop would just not get the clientele they'd need to survive here - at least not at this time.

I'm actually hard pressed to think of something that Lee would want for his birthday that he'd get really excited about. He's really kind of a homebody - he enjoys being with his family and just relaxing. He's probably looking forward more to the new Dr. Who episode tonight than anything else. I think he's pretty happy with life in general - and so it should be a good birthday, huh?

Happy Birthday hon!

Love you!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

On page 660...

I will finish reading Harry Potter tonight. I had to stop this afternoon because we are going to a picnic with the TOPS club, and I had to fix an apple crisp to bring to share. Trevor found some nice apples on the tree for me - they look just like store-bought! ;)

So I get to finish it off with some chocolate - because I like chocolate when I read - and I'm saving it for the end (after I weigh in), or else I'd have eaten a whole Symphony bar without noticing. Yes, there's a reason I'm in a weight-loss support group!

Once I'm done, the rest of the family will be able to discuss the book, finally. They keep asking, "what part are you on? Oh... so you know _____ happened." So - finishing tonight!

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Elder Son Frustration

As previously mentioned, Trevor is working for us over the summer since he chose to not get a paying job. Yes, he still has the paper route & does occasional garden work for people, but he could have actually earned some real money over the summer...

In any case, before I leave for work in the morning with Connor, I give Trevor a list of chores. Yesterday, he was supposed to pull weeds in the driveway area & the slope next to it. When I drove in yesterday, I could see he had just gotten started (he should have been 4 hours into it).

*sigh*

We haven't sent in any money to OIT yet... We could still yank him from that and have him learn welding at the community college.

Lee's all for letting him sink or swim at OIT. I'm thinking that's a dang expensive experiment if it doesn't work out.

I'm gonna need to see more effort on Trevor's part here pretty dang soon. Just because his sister is home now, doesn't mean he can let himself get so distracted he can't get anything done. Yesterday she was playing the game cube, so he "couldn't help but watch" and he had to "come and see what was going on" in the house.

Life is full of distractions. You have to learn to get your work done before you let yourself play!

That kid is going to feel some pain before he gets that through his head, isn't he? "Wer nicht hoeren kann, muss fuehlen" <-- Whoever can't listen, must feel (pain).

Let's see how he does today...

grumble, gnash teeth, grumble (stay out of my way today...)

Monday, July 23, 2007

New Found Freedom

I grew up in Westminster, CA. It was pretty flat & and the only 'hills' I had to deal with were freeway overpasses. I used to use my bike a lot when I was a teen - going to the grocery store for my mom, the library, dime store for comics, and later, I'd ride back & forth to the beach.

Our area here is rather hilly. When we lived in a different part of town, it was flat enough, but the road was the same as the quarry, so there were a lot of stinky trucks going that way too. Now we're at the mid-point of a good-sized hill, and you have to go over other hills to get anywhere. I'm not as fond of bike riding when I have to get off to walk the bike for stretches at a time. I'm not even as fond of going too fast down the hill!

The whole family has bikes - we use them here & there. Sometimes we load them up in the back of the truck, drive somewhere and then ride. That might seem beside the point, but we don't have real bike paths near our home, and again - the hill issue.

That being said - While Diana was in Germany, she rode bikes to school and back a lot with Leonie. When they wanted to get anywhere, they rode the bikes. Diana got more bike riding in within two weeks than she's done in her life, I think. She also discovered why I used to enjoy my biking. You get to places sooner, and further away with a bike. There is a feeling of independence & control about being able to go where you want on your own.

Part of that is because at this time, when Trevor or Diana want me to drive them somewhere, they have to do it on my schedule. I have never agreed with a parent just hopping up and taking their kids somewhere. So if they wanted to go to the comic book shop downtown or the mall, they had the option of walking (takes about 20 min downtown, 1 1/2 hours to the mall) or waiting until I was ready to run my errands for the day. If I didn't have errands, they'd have to wait for a day I did. Sometimes they had to wait three days before I was ready to go when they were.

Both Trevor & Diana did Driver's Ed. Neither has a license yet. Mostly because neither of them needs one right now. We live in a town that's small enough you can get where you need on a bike, if you want. I'm good with that.

I told Diana, just remember you're like a Ninja on the bike - invisible to cars!

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Busy with Harry


Diana will probably get to her blog on Monday....

On Friday, she & I went to see Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix. I love the movies - I am hoping someone will turn them into a TV series though. You've got a good 6-year run (combine books 1 & 2 because they're shorter than the rest). So much is left out of the movies, because there just isn't enough time to get it all in. Especially Peeves.

The movies get all the important stuff across, but I miss the rest of it.

Diana attended the final Harry Potter party at our Waldenbooks on Friday night, after we saw the movie. She hung out with a bunch of friends and enjoyed herself enough that she didn't realize it was already midnight (and forgot to call me to tell me she already had a ride).

We had already ordered the final book from Amazon, so it came yesterday while we were visiting Lee's folks. As soon as we got home, Diana got the book & started in. She is easily the fastest reader in the house, so she gets first dibs. Trevor & Lee tend to 'share' the book, and then when they are done, it's my turn.

We all have to read it as fast as possible, so we can discuss it later :)

Connor isn't at the place yet where he can read books that long - he could read the words fine, but the comprehension isn't there. We haven't read to him much - he's a visual kind of kid - but he may be getting close to a point where he would lay still at bedtime and try to envision the story - not sure on that yet.

Anyway - until Diana finishes the book, she's not doing much else! She should be done today :)

Friday, July 20, 2007

Diana's blog

We are allowing Diana to do a blog, but it's by invite.

She has already gone thru her address book, but if you haven't yet gotten & invite & would like one, let me know & I'll have her add you to the "safe list."

At this time we're having her only allow people she knows personally.

Later, when she's older, she can change settings & stuff. Since she's going to have pictures & names, we just would prefer it be private for friends & family right now.

Last time I googled my name it just had me with a few newspaper articles from the local paper here. Nothing was connected to the blog since I avoid using last names for anyone.

Anyhoo - that's the haps!

:)

Diana's blog

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Diana's Home!!

I dropped off Connor at summer school this morning, and then picked up Mary. We stopped at Bagel Tree for a breakfast-to-go, and headed up to Portland.

We were on the freeway still, when we saw the Lufthansa jet cross the sky just in front of us at 11:30. I'm all, "I think that was her plane!"

Mary & I watched a few more planes come in from the top of the parking structure, and then headed down to the baggage claim area of Portland International Airport.

We met up with other parents waiting on their kiddos, and about an hour later, Diana walked through the passage from customs. Whoo hooo!

Mary had made a special sign, so Diana would know she was home :P

We stopped at Subway for a quick lunch (no Salmon!!) and then headed the rest of the way home.

Diana unpacked all her stuff and showed us her photos (500+) and then we went to China Palace for dinner.

She made it through half an episode of Doctor Who before she started conking out. We put her in the shower for a quick wash-down, while we tidied up her bed for her. She's been up for 27 hours - with occasional snoozing on the planes. If she can, we told her to try to sleep until 5:00 or 6:00 am.

We're glad our (not so) little girl is home safe again with us, and Thank You so much to Martina, Juergen & Leonie for giving her such a wonderful visit!!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

The Marybo

Looks like she's about to tempt some poor sap into doing something he shouldn't, eh?

J/K - we love you Mary!


Isn't Girl Scouts fun? You get to carry around massive snakes on loan from the local wildlife park! Wheeeeeee!
Diana, see what Mary had to do for fun while you were gone? And poor Amanda made a quick exit as soon as the snakes showed up I heard :P

She's coming home again

Today is Diana's last day in Germany. She will be leaving early tomorrow morning (their time) to take a short flight from Hamburg to Frankfurt, then a non-stop from Frankfurt to Portland. Tonight is their "American Evening" where our kids do a performance for their German Host Families (like a little talent show). Diana has a group doing a sketch her dad told her about. Hopefully it will run well & get a good reception :)

All the American students also brought something (or parts of something) to make as a dessert. Diana only needed to bring Graham Cracker crumbs, because they will have all the other ingredients to make a New York Style cheesecake. The German Cheesecake is made with Quark which is a very different taste from Philadelphia cream cheese <-- yeah - they have Philly over there too. I'm really looking forward to hearing all about the trip, and seeing all the photos. Diana would like to create a journal blog about her trip, so she'll do that once she's home again. It will be invite-only, however, because while I trust my daughter, I am also a little protective right now. :) If you're interested, shoot her an email once I post the link, and she can add you in. I absolutely love this photo of Diana & Leonie. They were at a Knight's Castle, role-playing being peasants in medieval times. They were split into 3 teams (all wearing different little hoods) and I guess Diana did pretty well at balancing on a log & making her opponent fall off. I'm gonna put that down to fencing training, plus an Opa who used to do the tightrope.


She'll be in the air for most of the day, so please say a couple of prayers or think positive thoughts for her "Uneventful" flights! Thanks!

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Happy 64th Anniversary, Mom & Pop!

Lee's parents celebrate their anniversary every year with a trip down the Rogue River on the Hellgate Jet Boats.

We went along on the 50th & 60th year trips. I hope we can make it next year for the 65th.

Connor & I got to go last month again when his class went - he drew this picture this week, so I thought I'd share it.

I like the big glass windshield on the front :)

Happy Anniversary, Mom & Pop!

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Rejected Cartoon Live

The actual Rejected Cartoons on YouTube are not really appropriate for little kids - but they are really funny (in a off-color, gross kind of way).
The Real Thing <-- click the link
Here's a sketch some teens did - it's funny, but it's funnier if you've actually watched the Rejected Cartoons.

Keeka - Don't show the kids


Hey - after you get all the dead bugs out of the pool, it becomes a bouncy pool!


Connie & I were trying to bounce Connor & Aaron off the sides. Connor was really good at holding on, though I suspect Aaron was letting himself be bounced off.


This pool is in it's second year which is really good for a end-of-the-season sale pool from Big Lots! We managed to fold it right & store it so it wasn't all icky the next year this time.


Connie & crew came in yesterday around 3:30. We did Subway for dinner (Connie agreed that that the Salmon 2 sandwich is fantastic - I'm so glad it's back available only in the Northwest).


We introduced Connie & her kids to YouTube's "Rejected Cartoons" so all the way home today she's going to hear, "My spoon is too big!" and "I'm a BANANA!" Sorry Connie!!


They left good & early this morning for the last leg of their trip. I made Rice Krispie Treats last night & packed them in baggies this morning. They had never had the homemade ones (!?!) and Connor will eat whatever is left.


Safe driving Connie! Thanks for visiting!


:)

Friday, July 13, 2007

Link to Amanda's 411

Amanda has been in my scout troop since I started as a leader, but I met her when she was in 1st grade (2nd?) with Diana. I was working as an aide in the classroom. Diana had been wanting to be in Girl Scouts, but we hadn't found a troop. Amanda had been in scouts since Daisies (Kindergarten), so she told Diana about her troop, and that's how Diana got in.


They were in Brownies together, and then when they went to Juniors, the leader there only volunteered as a leader for one more year - then her daughter was moving on to a different troop. That left Diana, Amanda & Heather without a leader, so that's when I took over (now in my 8th and final year!).


I love Amanda. She's got great confidence and talent (bari-sax player & bowling champ). She's very outgoing and always willing to try something new. She takes a stand, and doesn't back down. If she's your friend - she's always there for you. I expect Amanda & Diana to be forever friends, no matter where life takes them. I hope to be part of whatever happens to all my scout girls anyway :)


I don't have Photoshop loaded anymore on this system, so I just did a little editing on the photo. If you look close, there are red circles around me, Amanda & Diana. I was pregnant with Connor at this time :)

The link to Amanda's 411 is on the right :)

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Thunderstorm


We had a nice thunderstorm yesterday. It was especially nice since the weather had been really hot lately. 103 degrees hot.
The evening before, I'd seen lightning flashes, but no thunder or rain. Last night it started around dusk (7:30ish) and we got lots of big, booming thunder & great zig zag lightning flashes.
Connor spent most of the storm watching out this window, which actually has a pretty good view of town. This was a better place than his first choice to watch - sitting on his swing on the apple tree. :)

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Applesauce time!


Today I got my "Peel-A-Meal" peeler. It's supposed to work primarily on potatoes, but it also peels carrots, and APPLES!!


You put the food in a single layer on the bottom - it has metal sections with scrapers - kind of like a zester for lemon peel. You add a little water to help move things around.

It spins the apples around, and scrapes off the peel over about 4 minutes. It looks a little yucky, but it rinses off really easily.



Then you core the apples, cut them into chunks, and then nuke them in a little water for about 14 minutes. Add some sugar & cinnamon and Ta Da!






Chunky Applesauce!!

(The Peel-A-Meal has a lid, but you wouldn't have seen the apples, which come from our tree in back, by the way).

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Off to Boot Camp she goes!

One of my girl scouts, Renee, was shipped off to boot camp for the Navy today. She called yesterday, and I was really sad I missed the call. I would have loved to tell her one more time before she left how proud we are of her and what she's doing.

Lee & I both expect Renee to really come into her own during her time in the service. This is an extremely bright girl, with loads of self-motivation and tons of dedication.


She joined my GS troop in middle school (very unusual) without any prior girl scouting experience. At a time when other girls hide the fact they are girl scouts, Renee has continually embraced and proclaimed her affiliation with us. At the same time, she would claim she was the "worst girl scout ever" because of her sometimes extreme behavior and the drama in her life.


When Renee joined our troop, Diana wasn't really excited about it. This was a girl who had teased her at the Boys & Girls club, and didn't really seem the "type" to want to be doing Girl Scouts. In the beginning, I voiced my expectations for the troop a lot. I wanted all the girls to be clear on what we were doing and why. While all the other girls had been in girl scouts for years, Renee needed to learn all our safety precautions, the buddy system, the need for being respectful to everyone, etc. She figured it out pretty quickly, and became a great example to other girls with her enthusiasm and determination to see her job through, whether it was helping to cater an event, or selling cookies in front of Wal-Mart. Not that my other girls are shy, mind you, but Renee was so out there - you couldn't ignore her.


Over time, I watched her grow a lot. She's still got some issues, but she's so much more mature than when she came in to join us. I appreciated her candor and genuine devotion to the other girls & me (and our family). We all learned a lot from each other, I think.


The military might not be for everyone, but I really think it will do wonders for Renee. Her confidence, self-image and happiness with herself will all soar to new heights. I look forward to meeting her again soon as a sailor in the United States Navy.

Just so dang cool

Diana visited my mom's hometown last weekend. She got to see where my mom grew up and worked. Probably even more than that, but that's all she's told me about so far. The pub my grandfather owned is now a pizza place (hey, that works... they still serve beer, I'll bet!).

There are pictures on Martina's blog (Diana's host mom's blog link on the right). Diana also met my mom's Godson, Gerhard. She had a little trouble understanding him though.

One of the reasons they send our kids to Luneburg is their lack of dialect in their speech. It sounds very close to the german our kids learn in school. Conversely, German students learn British english, so it's kind of funny when they ask where the "loo" is or if they have to stand in a "queue" for a long time.

When Carolyn & I stayed in Lindau, that was Southern Germany and it took us quite a while to get accustomed to the dialect. Our first breakfast at the dorm, one girl started talking to us about where we were from, and all the other girls giggled. It wasn't the question, it was that the girl talking to us was speaking "Hoch (high)" german rather than the dialect. The others found it funny - it would be like someone you know adopting a british accent to speak to a german person. "I say, old chap, could you direct me to the nearest loo?"

If Diana hung around Gummersbach a while longer, or even visited a bit longer with her relatives, she would have caught on after a while. I'm glad she was with Leonie and her family as kind of a buffer. I think she might have been a little freaked had she been on her own. That being said, maybe she would have been fine. I managed okay when one of my dad's friends picked me up from that school in Lindau to take me out to eat with his son. He just wanted to visit with the daughter of his old buddy from school. I couldn't make out half of what he was telling me because of his dialect. But you know, after the "strong" beer, it didn't matter much...

Go look at the pictures!!!

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Graffiti Night

This is just a cool tradition. This is one of those things that makes living here fun. Around 6:00 last night, I walked downtown to meet my friend, Rose, in front of the courthouse to watch the classic cars go by. There were vendors in the sidestreets along the cruise, selling everything from fried bread to polish sausage with sauerkraut (I got a blackberry smoothie). The streets along the downtown area were lined with folks in camp chairs or sitting on the curb, enjoying the show.

Trevor & Christy had gone down in the afternoon to visit the comic book shop. Christy is taking a photography class over the summer, and this was a good opportunity to take some good pictures.


A lot of the folks driving get dressed up, or play 50's music as they go thru town. One pink Cadillac had a white rhinestoned sleeve & bejeweled hand sticking out of the trunk :) The events leading up to the Saturday night cruise include a show-n-shine (they had 750 cars this year!) and an ice cream & pie social. There are drag races at the fairgrounds too. They will wind up the festivities today at various locations around town.


Once again, if you ever plan to come visit, the weekend after the 4th of July is a great time to come if you like classic cars!

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Gummersbach


There's a new post from Leonie's dad this time :)


On Friday, they head out to Gummersbach, my mom's hometown, to visit with my 2nd cousin, Gerhard. Leonie's folks are going along as well, and I hope they all have a great time visiting!


I've been there a few times myself. My Onkel Gert loved to take us around, or his friend, Bernd-Udo. We would go to nearby Lieberhausen to eat the special pancakes (they were massive, filled with meringue).


Have fun Diana! Tell them you're Kleins Diana!

The Weird Pictures

Trevor's profile.




This is what happens when your sister gives you a fiber-optic lamp for your birthday, and you're stuck outside waiting for the next firework to go off.

LOL





Diana, he LOVES the little lamp!

(he said that too!)

The 4th of July, continued


For Trevor & Mikael, there was a little competition between fireworks - they wrestled (altho it really looks like dancing, doesn't it?) and then they did a little "how many steps on the retaining wall before I fall off backward" contest too.

The sparklers were a hit. These little things are nowhere near as sparkly as the old kind. It's more difficult to burn yourself on these.
Our neighbor who likes to go way overboard on buying fireworks decided to go somewhere else (!!!) and while we had some, it wasn't the display that goes past midnight this year (I guess that was a good thing).
Our local Jaycees didn't mention their lack of money for a big show in the park, no one knew to donate, so no big show this year (yes - the whole town was in an uproar). But people tend to like fireworks anyway, so we just had a lot more illegal fireworks in the sky - they sneak them in from Washington State. We could see most of them from our house, which is not the case with the Jaycees fireworks, so it worked for us!

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

The 4th of July

Quick note - we got an email from Diana from the Berlin train station (apparently they have a lot of little internet kiosks), and she also called today from Leonie's house again. She's still having a great time, and is happy she gets to stay in one place now - especially now that she's back with Leonie & her family :)

Today we didn't have summer school (obviously) so we all relaxed a bit more this morning. Over coffee & scrambled eggs (thanks Lee!) we worked out a shopping list for things needed for today & Connie's trip. And they had to get fireworks! I stayed home and baked a sheet cake for Trevor & Mikael's combined birthdays. I also got the dutch oven ready to use in the fire pit!


After Connie & Lee got back from shopping, we made a picnic lunch and went off to do another hike to a different waterfall. This one is called Susan Creek, and it's a very easy trail, but it's a little longer - almost a mile to the waterfall. Once we got there, we let the kids all take off their shoes & socks and play in the cold snowmelt water. They scrambled over the rocks, caught little fish & crawdads and had a great time.


We needed to get Trevor home in time to do his paper route, so we headed out again a couple of hours later. Lee was helping, and had Liberty go with him to deliver the papers. Wednesdays Trevor also has to deliver the free "Extra" paper, so he did that part with Mikael.


Trevor also introduced Catherine & Mikael to "Magic, The Gathering" cards, so Connie took them to a store to get some cards for her kids. They've all been nice and quiet battling with their cards ever since!


I did have to ask them to stop to pick apples from the tree out back, because I needed them for the dessert. And Connie had them help with getting the silk out of the corn ears so we could bbq those as well.


I made an Apple Crisp in the dutch oven, that everyone seemed to like pretty well. Lee cooked up the garden burgers in the house, and Connie and I hung out outside with the corn ears. They didn't cook as well on the grill - they did better directly on the coals - Lee figured that out.


Now we're waiting for it to get dark enough that the fireworks are a good display. The boys are cleaning the kitchen, and Catherine is helping her mom pack their car. They will head out for Santa Rosa first thing in the morning.


*Whew!*


Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Connie & Co as company!

Last night, my sister Connie arrived with her 3 kiddos & a friend.

I had to work today, but after I got off from work, we took the boys (Mikael, Aaron & Connor) on a hike to Fall Creek Falls. Connie liked the hike because there's a nice end to the hike (coming in, a waterfall; going out, your car).


The boys enjoyed the water and the trail. It's just a short one - less than a mile - but it's a neat little hike up to the falls & then easy going back down to get to your car again.


Then after dinner tonight, we baptised our new firepit with... well, fire! After a smoky start (the kindling wasn't dry enough) we got the wood going pretty well and everyone ate their fill of marshmallows - including Liberty, our dog. After a while, she just started burying the marshmallows. I don't know if she was trying to hide the fact she didn't like them, or if she actually wanted to eat them later - She kept begging for them!


Fun stuff! Tomorrow we'll have fireworks & eat watermelon, and all will be well!


:)

Monday, July 02, 2007

Lee's Weekend Project

First off, Diana is in Berlin right now. She got a tour of Lueneburg on Sunday, then on Monday the American students headed back to the train for a 3-day visit to Berlin. After THAT, she stays with her host family until she heads home. She's really enjoying herself! Check her Host Mom's blog for photos! ---------->


Sometime over the Winter, a tree in our backyard fell. I didn't even realize it (it's from the way back part of the yard that's very wild), but Lee did. It was already dead from some little critters that have eating away on it. Lee had Trevor cut the tree in to chunks & pieces. They got loaded into a wheel barrow and were just out there in the yard.


I had been thinking about a fire pit, like to use for roasting marshmallows & possibly cooking some salmon - or even having a place to cook burgers for our meat-eating friends! I gave Lee the idea I was thinking of, and he did it this weekend.


First he excavated a good-size hole in the grass where we wanted the pit to be. Then he made it level again by putting in river rock & pea gravel. Then the upper layer is sand. He stacked the retaining wall blocks - very nice & level!


And here's the finished product - ready to use!


Thanks Lee! It looks great!

Jason Lee went to my High School


The star of "My Name is Earl" (a show we like to watch) dropped out, but nevertheless, attended OVHS before going on to be a pro-skateboarder, and then movie & TV actor.



He was born in 1970, so he attended 8 years after me, 6 after Carolyn, so we never would have met him. Still, it's funny.



I found that out while trying to see who did the architecture of the school. I wanted to see if that was the same person who did the library at OIT.

If you don't watch "Earl" - he also did the voice for this guy...

Syndrome from The Incredibles.


Heh.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Happy 18th Birthday, Trevor!


It was a little low-key. After all, we were at OIT on his actual birthday. We got home in the evening, and he wasn't really hungry to go out or anything, so we stayed home & he played Warcraft for the evening.


On Saturday, his friend, Kyle, stopped by. Kyle just graduated with him, and he's moving to California. He gave Trevor his Nintendo Game Cube as a gift, since he expects to be working and going to school. Trevor will be too, but the Game Cube can stay here... They should keep in touch via email just fine.


Later on, Trevor's friend Christy came over. Lee, Connor, Trevor & Christy all went to see Ratattouie, while I stayed home to bake the cake & do my other house stuff. When they all got back from the movie, we had pizza & crazy bread, and then the kids played on the game system a little more. We had the cake with ice cream later, and then Trevor walked Christy home.


As I said, kind of low-key, but then again, he just had a big celebration for graduation, and everyone was just here. On Monday, Connie & her family will arrive, and her son, Mikael has his birthday today - we'll do another cake with ice cream & celebrate the 4th of July together.