Neewalloh Parade

This has been going on for the last 35-40 years in town. Rain or Shine. It wasn't raining tonight, so there were lots of folks.

We started gathering at 5:00, and the parade started at 5:30. Once you parade thru the town, you turn around at the end and start collecting your treats from the shop owners. So it's similar to trick or treat in a mall, only you're still outside.

Connor was a cowboy, as you can see. He wore Trevor's hat, but the rest of the stuff is his. He really enjoyed going along in the parade, and then once we got back to the beginning, he was pretty much done. We did stop at a very decorated house on the way home, which was fun & spooky, but once we were home, he really was finished.

This guy's costume was pretty cool. He freaked out some of the little kids at first, but then they got used to him and he was moving very slowly so he wasn't too scary after a bit.

He came over to me from behind and put his "hands" on my shoulders. Connor backed up but still held my hand. I laughed and he could see I wasn't scared. Then I said "bye" to the guy & he moved on :)
The spot on the chest is where the guy could see thru, and he operated the head & arms separate somehow. Big ol' cape and he wore dark pants underneath. This would be a good costume for a haunted house :)

Diana had a good run with the Haunted House. She got to be done at 10:00, which was good, since it could have gone to midnight, and she has school tomorrow!

Happy Halloween

We are changing Connor's costume. He was going to be Calvin (of Calvin & Hobbes), but the tiger fabric I ordered from ebay hasn't arrived yet, and the mail drops off about an hour before he's going trick-or-treating. So, Diana's Hobbes costume has no chance this year (maybe next year?).

Connor will be a cowboy instead. Diana could have been a cow again... but she's going to be getting ready to do her Haunted House stuff instead. This works out better for her, because it gives her more time to eat dinner, get ready & do any homework before she goes from 7:00 to midnight tonight.

I'll take Connor through the Neewalloh Parade, and then we'll come home & he can play Lego Star Wars & help me pass out the 1-10 pieces of candy (no one likes walking up our hill). Then I can go back into Warsong Gulch or Arathi Basin while I twink up Suella (altho, if she's earning all the twink gear - it's not really twinking, is it?).

They don't do Halloween at school anymore (there's a Harvest Party), but Connor's school is doing a "Don't do drugs" campaign this week, and as part of the awareness, the kids are supposed to wear/do different things. Yesterday was wacky socks (Sock it to Drugs!), and today is Crazy Hair (It's Crazy to do Drugs!). So I've got his hair all spikey with gel & hair spray (we'll see how long it lasts...).

I'll have photos tomorrow of Halloween.

:)

Connor's take on things

He processes sounds differently, I think.

Yesterday, he went around with his ears covered because of the startle with the train whistle.

Today, we were in the kitchen and the radio is on. Lee & Connor had just gotten back from grocery shopping. Diana had brought home some cupcakes from the Haunted House goodie booth (they didn't sell and the next time they run is Halloween - too long to hang on to a bunch of baked goods).

When Diana gave Connor the cupcakes, he said it was time for a party, since the cupcakes were all decorated for Halloween. So Diana had to sit and have a "party" with Connor. When the cupcakes were eaten, Connor said, "It's time to dance!" and starts jumping around and laughing. Diana had to join in (because it's a party), but when I tried to dance with them, Connor held up his hand and said, "No dance, Mama." (okay...I didn't get a cupcake either)

Then Connor exclaimed, "I love this song!" He was going through some kind of little spiel from something or other - the cupcakes, party, dancing - and apparently someone says that in the spiel.

One clue was that there was a commercial on the radio - no song.

Yeah - we were laughing.

The other pumpkin patch

Living in a rural area like we do, there are plenty of places to get fresh produce outside the grocery store.

One of our local farms has a pretty big stand (they also have a bakery with fresh pie, etc), and this time of year, they go ahead and do a corn maze and take people out to pick pumpkins in the field on the "hay ride." Kindergartners from all the schools in the area do this as a field trip with their classes.

It's not anything scary, just fun. Usually it's really muddy, but this year it was nice & dry. If you get a pumpkin from the patch, it's $4.00 for the ride, corn maze & all. But if you don't, it's free. So we told Diana not to get a pumpkin. She came back with a white one. Those are free, because no one wants them. We're gonna make it look like a skull or something else white. Hee.

This maze was actually pretty long & narrow, so it was easy to see where you were & not get lost. Some farm places do really big scary mazes that are open at night & people jump out & scare you.

Today was just a really nice day to get out & do this kind of thing. I'm glad we went!

Camp Millenium Pumpkin Patch

Today we thought we'd go check out the pumpkin patch that's run by a couple on their property. It benefits Camp Millenium, which is a local camp for kids with cancer.

Apparently, when Santa's Village shut down in California, these folks went and bought up a bunch of the stuff they used to use there. The pumpkin coach still has the sign from there.

The only trouble was when we got there, the little train blew its whistle and caught Connor off guard. The rest of the time we were there, he covered his ears.

It's actually pretty interesting to see him eat and keep his ears covered. He uses his arm and wraps it over his head to cover one ear with his upper arm, and the other ear with his hand.

I am not sure where Garfield fits in - it's a costume, it's orange, what the heck. I think whoever was in Garfield might know Diana, because he/she came right up to her. Or maybe he/she just liked Diana's cat-ear hat she made herself?

Diana helping at the Haunted House

Way back when T & D were in elementary school, pretty soon after we'd moved here, their school started doing a Haunted House. It was a simple little PTO-type fundraiser, not really well attended, but just for fun. I remember kids covered in sheets running around in the gym of the school - not hugely scary or anything.

In time, however, it grew. By the time T & D were in 5th & 6th grade, it was being held in an old building downtown, and the year Lee got involved, it morphed into a full-blown, scare-your-pants-off kind of haunted house. Now the proceeds went to Camp Millenium, which is for kids with cancer.

Diana really liked to help out, so through most of her Jr. High years, she got to man stuff like a big spider that she'd skitter around by people's feet. Lee was in his skull mask, and would really freak people out. Toward the end, the Haunted House was being held at the fairgrounds and it was a really big deal.

Well, our principal from the elementary school wound up having to move to a different school to fix the disciplinary problems they were having. It was too much to continue the Haunted House, so it was put to the side for a while. This year, however, he retired, and at the retirement party, we heard they were starting the Haunted House up again.

Lee is not able to be involved this time, due to the busy schedule with all the moving around at his new job, but Diana was able to get involved through National Honor Society. She gets 5 points for every hour she puts in (it's about 4 hours a night, for 4 nights, plus whatever time it took for set up). She should have at least 20 points at the end.

Diana is thrilled, because she gets to be a guide now. She's the one who leads the groups through, who tells the HH people who to scare for the most reaction. It's being held in the Elk's Lodge downtown this year. I'll bet they do great.

In case you didn't figure it out, she's the victim of a hanging.

Rainbow Boy

It's a little blurry since I had to do it without a flash, but he was having so much fun with it.

This is from the sun shining through an etched glass award Lee got from Dell that's on his windowsill.

At first, Connor was cupping the rainbow in his hands (from the opposite wall & up to the window to let it go) and then when I told him I wanted to take a picture, he put his face in for me.

This kid can have fun with anything.

I guess it rubs off...

I'm referring to comic book trivia. I don't read them all, but if I can score 10/10, it can't be too hard, huh?

Encarta Superhero Quiz

Good luck!

A note from Trevor

Things are doing fine, except Joe got sick again.

My immune system is freaking godlike. I haven't even been congested once.

Most classes are going fine, and I had a meeting with Joan. I will now stop by her office every tuesday.

Last speech class was cancelled as well.

And I met a girl who was in a video in speech class who likes to draw. she also extolls the thriving ability of geraniums.

I love you too!

My Dad's doing better

I didn't post it before, because it wasn't great news.

The Thursday after I got home from Canada, my dad landed in the hospital again. He still hadn't eaten anything since he'd had his radiation therapy, and now his kidneys had shut down. So he had to go to the emergency room, and after a couple of hours, he was placed in a ward.

He had to have dialysis done for his kidneys, but the doctors were hopeful that since the failure had come on so fast, his kidneys might recover on their own after a few dialysis treatments.

All in all, not a great thing to post on the ol' blog.

But I got an email from my sister, Connie, yesterday.

My dad is still in the hospital, but it looks like the radiation therapy that was so difficult for him did better than hoped on the lymphoma.

He is still on watch for dialysis, but the doctors are saying his kidneys are starting to function on their own again. They are keeping him in the hospital for observation, and to make sure his kidneys are okay.

I'm not sure, but I would guess he's eating again, or they wouldn't be considering letting him come home (right?).

We've all been praying very hard, and I'm extremely grateful to everyone sending their good thoughts my dad's way.

Yay!

They're REALLY missing Teemu

The Ducks have lost all 5 of their home games since the hockey season started. They won their first away game.

Sheesh.

I wonder if that makes Teemu Selanne feel like he was all that, or if he feels bad that he retired?

On a related note, if you haven't looked at Keeka's blog lately, take a quick peek.

:)

Girl Guides!

Just so you know, the US Girl Scouts are part of the "Worldwide Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts" (aka WAGGGS). There are all kinds of names for basically the same organization, no matter where you are in the world. When our girls celebrate Thinking Day, they research other countries and learn about the 'scouts' in those regions.

These girls were selling their Fall Sale cookies. They only have one kind. It's similar to a Thin Mint here, except the mint part is a cream on top of the cookie - then the whole thing is "enrobed" in chocolate. The basic taste is the same though.

In the Spring, these girls will sell the Other cookie (which I think the leader said was a shortbread something or other). But still, only one kind of cookie!

In case you're not aware, US girl scouts sell 8 varieties, with the 6 main cookies and 2 that trade off (which is why they don't always have the lemon cookies, or the apple cinnamon - those cycle through). They ALWAYS have Thin Mint, Samoa, Tag-a-longs, Do-si-dos, Trefoil and All Abouts, although they are known by different names in different councils.

Out with Sisters

The Saturday before my dad's birthday, we needed to get some stuff done, so we took off in Connie's car to do some shopping, etc.



We stopped for lunch at the Pheasant & Quail, and here we are with our mimosas. We also went to the mall since I wanted to get my passport photos done, and we had to get cards & stuff.



There's a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company store at the mall, and this caramel chocolate apple just looked too good to pass up. We brought it home and cut it into slices. This thing cost about $10. But it really was pretty tasty (the apple could have been a bit more crisp).

My dad's 80th birthday

My dad has cancer, and he'd just had radiation therapy a few days before we arrived. It was really tough on him, so he didn't get to celebrate the way we'd all hoped. However, we did our best to make it a happy birthday for him.

The present he's opening here is the biography he'd written that I edited for him. Staples will bind your 8 1/2 x 11 paper into a book for about $15.00, and include a photo on the cover (or whatever else you tell them).

Carolyn & I went in together on a digital voice recorder so he can continue the biography more comfortably. It saves files into a .wav format, so he can just email me the files and I can do the editing then at home. I think my dad was happy with both presents :) Of course, the biggest thing was Carolyn & I being there to celebrate with him. :)
In the afternoon, 3 couples that are good friends came over to visit and have cake & coffee. My dad got some really nice gift baskets with tasty stuff. Hopefully he'll be feeling better soon & able to eat that stuff!

My sister Connie got a flag made that bears the crest of my dad's hometown. Carolyn, Connie, my mom & I all worked together to put the flags on the line, and then put up the flag pole. That would have been an interesting shot - the four of us managed to get it up & in the base that had been made in concrete.

In the evening, my dad's friend, Al from California arrived with his lady friend Terry. They were going to be sticking around until Wednesday, so they also helped on Monday with Canadian Thanksgiving.

I think my dad had the best 80th birthday he could have - I hope our visits all helped perk him up and that he's feeling better soon.

Love you, Papi!

Long Drive

I went up to my folk's house for my dad's 80th birthday (more coming on that later).



I left from work right after I was done at 3:30, and then drove to Portland to go pick up Carolyn. Her flight was a little delayed, but we got out of the airport by 7:30 I think. We then crossed over the Columbia river into Washington. After a bit we tried to find a Shari's restaurant, but ended up at Applebee's instead.



By the time we left there, it was 9:30, and we still had to get to Everett where our room reservation was - we arrived about midnight. Good thing was we missed all the construction between Tacoma, Seattle and Everett! The hotel was very nice, and they had a great free breakfast.



We drove into Canada & crossed the border fine. The drive thru the Canadian Rockies went fine too - there was snow on the ground alongside the road, but the road itself was bare (yay!).



We got to my folk's house in the afternoon. We visited & stuff in the evening. My dad had radiation therapy for his cancer on Wednesday, and it hit him pretty hard, so he was in bed. He wasn't able to keep solids down, and very tired. While we were there he improved to being able to get up and visit a bit, but he wasn't eating solids yet by the time we left on Monday.



Saturday Connie joined Carolyn & I to do some shopping. I needed to get my passport photo done, since I still don't have my Canadian passport. I had to have someone be my "guarantor" to verify my citizenship - that's my mom. So she had to fill out & sign things for me to submit later. In the evening, Carolyn & I went over to Connie's place to watch a movie & give our parents a chance to rest. We saw "The Importance of Being Ernest."



Sunday we had people come over to visit. The original plan had been to go to a favorite restaurant, but since my dad obviously couldn't do that, the same people invited to join us came to the house to visit instead. We had cake & coffee for them, and my dad got some really nice gift baskets with some super-yummy stuff, which I hope he can eat soon!!



In the evening, a friend from California came for dinner. He flew in with his lady friend and they were going to stay until Wednesday. We had a nice visit with them as well. Since Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving, they were going to help my mom with that too. I'm sure they all had a nice dinner on Monday with Connie's family.


The drive home went well. Since Carolyn had flown in at Portland we had to get her back to the airport by 3:00, since her flight was 5:00 pm. That meant we left Kelowna at 4:00 am. The crossing at the border was interesting. I've never had anyone check the car before, but he wanted me to unlock the doors so he could see what we had. He also wanted to know what we did for work. Then he said everything was fine & to have a nice trip!



We drove the 97 home, since we'd had all that construction on the 5. The weather was clear, and we only saw snow on the volcano mountains in the distance (Mt. Rainier, Hood, etc.). By the time we got to Hood River along the Columbia in Oregon, we had enough time to stop and get lunch - finally at Shari's! Then I took Carolyn into the airport, and once she was in the line for the security check, I left again.



The drive home solo was long, but I was glad to be back. I took a quick shower, and then I headed out to bring Diana to her Astra Club meeting for the installation of officers. This is the first Astra club (sponsored by Altrusa) in our area, and Diana is the treasurer. Once that was done, though, we came home. I was pretty tired!

Diana makes me laugh

She comes into the living room and says, "Ow. I bit my lip."

I say, "Enough to make it bleed?"

She shows me it's bleeding.

I say, "What were you chewing?"

She says, "Gum... and apparently, my lip."

Turkey Town

This morning I was on my way to Girl Scout Fall sale training (yes, it's that time again!) and the car ahead of me had to stop to let 20+ turkeys cross the road.

See, I would have just eased forward until they moved, because they will! There's no "Turkey X-ing" sign!!

(click the photos to see better - turkeys blend in with the scenery very well)

It was probably the same flock, but yesterday Diana comes into my room and says, "There's turkeys in the back yard!"

So I grab the camera, and snap a shot off before we let the dog out.

Big disappointment when we let Liberty out there. We figured she'd run out right away and chase those birds! She didn't even notice them - dopey dog! We had to throw something for her to fetch before she picked up on the fact there were a bunch of big birds in the yard. The turkeys were already in a nice, neat line, heading up the back slope.

When she finally noticed and ran at them, there were only 3 or 4 birds left. But as you can see in the photo, they sure can fly high when they want to!

And the turkeys were perfectly safe. Our dog would have had no clue what to do with a turkey if she actually managed to catch one :)

Making Juice

My friend Rose gave me a bunch of grapes the other day that I'll make into juice (Connor loves it). This is how I do it:

Make grape juice the easy way By Tanya Kelley

Squeezing and straining grapes for grape juice was not exactly my idea of fun. So when my neighbor showed me a faster, easier method, I was delighted. For anyone else tired of doing it the hard way, follow these steps for a delicious grape juice concentrate.

1. Wash and sterilize canning jars, lids, and rings. Fill water bath pan halfway with water to boil. At the same time, fill another pan with water to boil. This water will be added to the jars.
2. Wash grapes and remove stems and any damaged fruit.
3. Measure one cup of grapes and one cup of sugar for each quart jar.
4. Add sugar and grapes to jar. Don’t bother mixing—it will mix when processing.
5. Fill the jar the rest of the way with boiling water. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe jar top to clean. Screw on rings and lids fairly tight.
6. Place jars in water bath canner. Add boiling water to cover jars. Process 25 minutes.
7. Remove jars and place on rack or towel to cool. The grapes may or may not float. Either way, the taste will be the same.
8. Serve in a pitcher with a strainer or drain juice off. Add 1/2 to one jar of water to concentrate. (Taste to decide.)

Before & After kid moves to college

Here are a couple of shots of the boys' room after Trevor "cleaned up" his stuff.

His loft bed that we took with us to the dorm was against the wallpaper border corner there.

Those silver bins were to hold his stuff to bring downstairs. One had some stuff in it - mostly just junk he'd picked up & thrown in there. I had to go through and toss all the crumpled paper and candy wrappers and boxes that used to hold Magic cards (?!?). This kid has a serious hoarding problem!

We wound up moving a lot of the furniture around. The entertainment center is still in the same place, but the dresser moved to where Connor's bed was, and now Connor's bed is under the window. We added the desk where the dresser used to be.


I did actually use all three bins to hold all of Trevor's various knick-knacks, collectibles and Warhammer 40K stuff. But I also filled 3 33-gallon trash bags with stuff to toss.

In the closet, I found a bunch of clothes I'd held for Connor from Trevor's old stuff. A lot of it looks new since Trevor tended to wear "the" favorite pants & "the" favorite shirt or two.

The desk we bought today. Lee set up internet for Connor so that he could google his videos in his own room (and not use MY computer all the time!

Bike to Wendy's

This is just one of those weird things we live with having a kiddo with Autism.

For the last couple of weeks, Connor's been asking to "bike to Wendy's." We have no idea why.

It's a solid thought in his head, and he isn't put off by, "Maybe next week," or "We can bike to Wendy's on Friday." He will remember that someone told him Friday and he'll be all excited on Friday because "today is Friday! We bike to Wendy's!"

Yesterday, even though he went on a long field trip to the coast with his dad and his class, as soon as they got home, Connor was ready to go on the bike.

We got all the bikes & helmets & everything and we all biked to Wendy's. It took about 20 minutes through the bike trail that goes along the river and through the park. Connor ate french fries with root beer and the rest of us had baked potatoes & side salads (that's about all that's available for vegetarians at Wendy's).

Connor was extremely happy and thanked us repeatedly for biking to Wendy's. When he finished, he said, "Let's bike to home!" So we did.

Still, absolutely no clue where the whole idea even came from. But it was a nice little family outing :)

He's there!

Trevor spent his first night in a dorm room at Oregon Institute of Technology last night. And yes, I'm fine, thanks for asking.

Classes actually start on Monday, but the residence hall was opening yesterday, and we wanted to get him comfortable in his room & surroundings as much as possible before he had to deal with the school part. I'm less worried about the school aspect than I am the social & independence part, really.

It takes about 3 hours to drive to Klamath Falls from our home. Trevor wanted to bring his loft bed, and they are allowed as long as they fit in the room. We didn't know if it would or wouldn't fit, but we had him take the bed apart & load it in the truck anyway. I also gave him luggage to pack all his clothes, and whatever else he wanted to bring went in large trash bags (because it was going in the bed of the truck and trashbags are waterproof if it rains!).

On the way there, I first worried if he was even allowed to come on Wednesday. I recalled reading something that the kids from a special program could start Wednesday, but what about everyone else? So I looked it up and yes, the residence hall was open Wednesday, however it said the move-in time was 10:00am to 6:00pm. We weren't going to make it until 7:30!!

What if we couldn't get in? What if we couldn't get a key to his room? What if his room mate had already taken the bed Trevor needed for his loft bed? Yikes!!!

So along the way we were thinking, if we can't get him in tonight, we'll have to rent a room. We could leave most of his stuff in the cab of the truck, and then just bring the bed parts into the room overnight. Then drop him off first thing in the morning. I'd have to get a substitute for work. We'd better have Diana stay home from school so she could get Connor to school, and she won't sleep without us home anyway...

We arrive and there's a gal at the (open) door saying, "Hi! Are you ready to move in? Here's your key! Good thing you came now that the elevator's clear - there was a long line to use it before!"

At the room, his room mate seems to be a real nice guy. He already was using the bed we didn't need, and he has a TV and mini-fridge all set up. He's also studying civil engineering like Trevor, and he's from Eugene.

It only took us an hour to get Trevor all settled, and then Lee & I could drive home. We had a nice long chat all the way home. Lee was a little surprised I didn't get weepy tho. I am too. Maybe it hasn't hit? Maybe Trevor ticked me off all summer and I'm ready for a break? Maybe I figure I'll be putting out more fires for him in the next couple of days if he calls all panicked about something? Maybe I have enough other things to worry about with Diana's senior year and Connor's education that I can let things go with Trevor now?

Or maybe I think Trevor's just grown-up enough to do this, and I can just trust he'll be great. Okay - now I'm tearing up...

Last Serving

For the last 8-9 years, Trevor & Diana have been serving at Mass at our church.

Often, people would come up to us afterwards and say, "I don't know what we'd do without your kids!"

Well, now they're going to find out. Sunday was the last time they were scheduled to serve. We asked that they be removed from the list, because 1) Trevor was going to college three hours away, and 2) there's a Saturday night Mass geared toward the teens which Diana wants to attend.


We were told that the parish wanted to "do something" to acknowledge the kids' service. We weren't sure what it would be, but we went ahead and invited family to come to be there for their final serving :) Lee's parents, Donna & Jim, and Myrna, Doug & Daniel came.

The "something" wound up being thank you cards for each of the kids, with $100 apiece in them! They were brought to the front of the altar to be acknowledged and everyone applauded them. We all got a little teary :)

It was a good thing :)

The "Assembly"

Is what Connor called our latest yard improvement. He thought this was great.

We had an old shed that came with the house. There was stuff in there from who knows when, and we didn't go too deep in there. We were just using it to park the lawnmower & things near the door. But it was an eyesore, and worse yet, it blocked a good chunk of my view from the back door to see where Connor was.

When Lee lost the Dell job, we figured he'd have some time to put together a new base and maybe we could move the old shed over there. As it turns out, Sears had a nice, new shed go on sale, so we decided to do that instead. :)

Trevor spent a lot of time out back, prepping, clearing, building, or whatever we needed him to do (seeing as how he didn't get a job over the summer and now we're all back to school - except for him - he's leaving next week).

We still have a few things to set up, but the new shed on the deck made a nice "assembly" for us. And Lee got to demolish the old base with an axe.

Shoes

I like shoes. Contrary to what my husband says though, I'm no Imelda Marcos. I'm actually still well behind many other women I know when it comes to amount of shoes I own.

Recently though, I have been getting my shoes off of eBay. I need pretty sturdy, good-quality shoes at my job, since I'm lifting and carrying wheelchair-bound students for a lot of my day. Dansko is my favorite brand at the moment. The shoes were originally created to be worn to work in horse barns all day. They last forever, and are extremely comfortable. It's impossible to stub my toe on the kids' equipment in them!

This week I'll be getting my 7th pair of Danskos from eBay. I gave my mom one of those, and Diana got another pair - so I really only have 5 pairs for me. This last pair are red sandals that usually retail for $125.00. I bid $16.05 and got them. I think it's $9.00 for shipping.

I really do wear all my shoes. I don't have the pairs that just sit in the closet that I bought because I couldn't resist them. I can resist shoes. There are plenty of shoes I see that I won't ever buy.

Guys really can get away with a 5-6 of pairs of shoes. Something dressier, something to exercise in, slippers or house shoes, a pair of boots, etc. Really, you should have work shoes for the yard because you don't want to mess up your white tennis shoes mowing the lawn and make them green. At least save your old tennis shoes and use those for yard work if you don't want to get work boots or mud boots for that.

Women need more than that. Sorry - that's just how it is. Our work shoes have to be a little more varied. Pumps, flats, boots, etc. in different colors. You need basic black, something brown, skin color is always good, red, and whatever other colors are in your wardrobe. You need a few choices for exercise shoes too. You gotta have the yard shoes, and hiking shoes, cowboy boots, and crocs for around the house. And then sandals! You need some for casual, and a bunch of different ones for work again!

Seriously, when I think of all the shoes I COULD own, my measly 19 pair really don't seem that bad! I replace and trade out stuff when I get new shoes too. I still need new black leather pumps, but as I don't wear pumps all that often, I can let that slide for a while. I also need to get new heels put on the black velvet pumps - I won't buy new velvet ones because the ones I have will be great once the new heels are on.

And I'm not even bidding on these. Aren't they the coolest looking pirate-style boots ever tho? Seriously! If I had a reason to get them..... Ah well.

First day of school 2007

Connor is now in 4th grade! So far, everything seems to be going great after the first week of school. He is doing okay with no morning recess (poor kid), and seems to be doing well with his work in class, to the best of his ability.

Diana had to move a few things around on her schedule. She wanted to take a Fine Arts 2 class, because that way she gets access to all the art supplies. But they gave her an Improv Acting class instead. As much as I tried to convince her to keep that one (she would be more likely to be in plays, etc.), she really really wanted to work on her drawing skills. The thing was, Fine Arts 2 was at the same time as the German 4 class (which is worth college credit!!) and she didn't want to give that one up. So she had to talk to the Fine Arts 3 instructor to be able to get into his class.

She tried to meet the instructor a couple of times, with a portfolio of her work to show him to convince him she could do the class. You're really supposed to do Fine Arts 1 & 2 before you do the Third class. Diana had done Graphic Design 1 & 2, which isn't the same thing.

Eventually, she sent the teacher an email with a couple of links to her webcomic (see right ---> ) and another art site she posts on called Deviant Art. Here's his answer: "Your in!!! Great web sites! Boy can you shade!!! And what an imagination!"

Hee.

Nothing of Importance, but hey

Running around doing a quest a while back, I got some loot off a little dragonkin critter.

It was a tiny emerald whelpling (little dragon pet). I didn't summon the pet, because then it would be stuck to my character, but instead sent it off to my bank character to sell on the auction house.

Lee had told me the little green ones were very rare, and I could probably sell it for over 100 gold (about what it costs to get a mount to ride in WoW).

Tonight, it sold! Yay! That was probably the 10th time on the auction house :)

Matthew & Lisa

Our kids are lucky to have some long-time friends. Even when they're on vacation in Canada. They met Matthew & Lisa pretty soon after they had moved in next door to my folks' house. The first photo is when Diana is celebrating her 6th birthday, 11 years ago. My mom had a party for her and invited the neighbor kids to come as well. I think that's the trip they met each other.
Whenever we'd go up, the kids would check to see if Matthew & Lisa were home too, so they'd have some time together. We brought them with us to the beach or they would go to the park, but mostly they'd just hang out at my Mom's house. Actually, some visits I think T & D saw more of M & L than they saw their grandparents!

I very clearly recall Diana & Lisa huddling together under a blanket during a thunderstorm once. Matthew was patient with Trevor, trying to teach him croquet (Matthew still won). Lisa referred to Trevor as "that crazy boy." Matthew has always been more the quiet type. But he appreciates T & D's humor.

This time around I was happy they came over again after the birthday cake. Around 8:30 the doorbell rang, and they had brought their Wii remotes as well. The four of them hung out downstairs - Connor watched a little while & then went to bed, and I was upstairs with my mom watching TV. They finally headed back home at 11:00, and I think they all had fun. They also exchanged emails & such so they can keep touch better (we'll see how that goes).

I'm thinking next year, they might all decide to go hang out somewhere besides my folks' basement. I wouldn't call it dating though - it will be the four of them hanging out at a movie or DQ or something. If they even decide to do that ;)

Diana took the recent pictures. Matthew doesn't smile easy, and at least he's okay with being silly here :)

Diana's Birthday

Cheesecake! Hurry - cut it before it falls apart (it was a whipped cheese thing - very soft).

As we generally visit Canada in the Summer, and it either is before or after summer school sessions, we wind up visiting around Diana's birthday a lot. My mom's birthday is also in August, so we are able to celebrate two in the same visit.

I was trying to figure out how many birthdays Diana has had in Canada... my mom probably knows better.

Here the kids are sharing cheesecake with their cousins, Catherine, Mikael & Aaron, and their friends from next door, Matthew & Lisa.

Connor is not a big fan of cheesecake, so he ran off while the Wii was not being used.