What Does the Future Hold?

What do you 'spose is in your future?

I like to think ahead to the days where I might find myself gently rocking in a comfy rocking chair on a lovely back porch that overlooks a peaceful and serene lake. I can hear the birds singing sweetly in the distance and maybe a few grand kids playing in the sand near the water's edge... This is my dream for my future.

Today, Connor shared a little dream of his with me...

Apparently, there will be an alpaca and a goat in our future.

And their names will be Bert and Ernie.

Can you say old and eccentric?

Heaven help me.

Empty Nest Syndrome

My house feels so empty.

It's been bustling the past four weeks with lively interaction between grandkids and grandparents.

Yesterday they packed up the car for their drive back home.

I love it when my parents come to visit in the Summer. They get a chance to escape the scorching Arizona heat and we get the opportunity to have fun with them.

They are AWESOME house guests... Extremely helpful. I couldn't get them to stop doing the dishes, laundry, and cooking. How on earth will I survive without them?

I guess it wasn't all fun and games around here. For instance, my mom DID break her arm from the fall she took last weekend. She likes to refer to the cast as her "souvenir".
We liked to walk down to the lake and in the forest with Grandpa. He's also a superior fishing buddy to the boys. He helped Nick land two "eatin' size" trout on one of their fishing excursions.

When my parents come to town, I get to see more of my Aunt Linda as an added bonus!
Here we are chatting away in the back yard... Do you see the tree monkey behind us?

I hope my parents enjoyed their stay as much as I did. I still wished they lived nearby, but I'll take what I can get.

Come back again next year...We love you guys!!

Fun weekend with Fun People

It's been a pretty fun weekend around here. It started off with a Mariner's game on Friday night. With the M's being in last place, we didn't have a lot of hope for a winning game, but lo and behold...miracles do happen!!

My parents have been visiting from Arizona for the month of August, so we took Grandpa and my uncle Al to the game. It's been several years since Nick and Nolan had been to a game, so they were pretty excited by the whole event!

Our view of the Seattle skyline, it was a perfect Summer evening.

Nick and Nolan

Nolan, Grandpa Dale, and Uncle Al

The fam

The fun doesn't stop yet....

Next, we got to meet our new furry niece, Sally.

She is an adorable Labradoodle that is only 7 weeks old and barely weighs a thing! So cute.

She's the newest addition to Shannon's home and the whole family is in love with her.

The fun continues at the family lakeside BBQ....

My Aunt Linda invited us all over for a BBQ on the shores of Lake Sammamish. All the young cousins swam and played while the "much older" cousins visited and wished we had as much energy as the younger cousin variety!

Connor pretending to be a lake monster about to munch Alex... Alex squealed and ran away from the crazy swamp thing.

Here's Nolan jumping off the piling.

Here's the young energetic group!

(Nolan, Andrew, Audrey, Elisa, Alex, and Nick)

Alex with his dad, Doug.

Adam and Vivian watching from the sidelines.

Here's chef Al slaving over hot coals.

This is my Aunt Linda with her oldest grandchild, Audrey. I love this photo.





Unfortunately, right after my parents arrived to the BBQ, my mom fell down on the sidewalk and injured herself. She bonked her nose pretty bad and has abrasions on her arms and legs. Luckily she didn't break anything and for that we are thankful!!

We missed having them at the shindig, afterall... it was a BBQ in their honor!

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I love Summer and I'm getting bummed that it's end is near.

Family + Fun + Summer = Happy Kelly

Nothin' beats a good day at the beach!

Except for maybe four fun-filled days at the beach!

We lucked out with the weather and spent each day basking under sun in lovely 80 degree warmth.

We love our Summer vacations in Cannon Beach.

It's a family tradition I hope to never miss.

We've been there so many times now, that it feels like a home away from home.

Nolan just "leaning" on Haystack Rock.

Nick flying a kite in the warm Oregon sun.

A little smash ball anyone?

We love walking to town to peruse the shops and fill our bellies.

My men

Nick on a "funcycle", luckily it lived up to it's name!

Here's my crew in action... I love how the surf sounds and the sun shines.

We'll be back again next year to body surf, skim board, fly kites, play in the sand, and create some new beach memories!

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...

...And that is only because I forgot to bring my camera! I could have kicked myself!

Maybe Connor "accidentally" removed my camera from my suitcase because he did not want me
to capture his fortieth birthday on film. Yes... my sweet and handsome hubby turned 40 last Saturday!

So to celebrate this mammoth occasion we jetted off to Sin City for a little R&R amongst the palm trees and blazing sun.

It was nice just being together as the two of us for a change, we hadn't taken a weekend away in such a long time. Neither of us can remember the last time so we were definately overdue.
Our room at the MGM was pretty amazing, like nothing we've stayed in before. Modern decor, bathroom mirror television, swanky chairs and lighting fixtures. We were not in Kansas anymore.

The highlights of our weekend would have to be...

Unwinding next to the lazy river pool under the swaying palm fronds and bamboo leaves that sheltered us from the 104 degree sunshine. It was perfection, whenever we were too hot we would just hop into the river pool and float downstream until we arrived back at our lounge chairs! LOVED IT!

Sharing a scrumptious dinner together at this beautifully decorated restraunt. We sat on a little couch next to the fireplace. The food was unbelievable and the company present was unbeatable--I love you Connor!

Watching Connor play blackjack. He did very well until the dealer had to take a break. The substitute dealer just didn't give us the Birthday winning mojo that the previous one had given. Luckily, Connor had learned much wisdom in his 40 years and left the table before his money had disappeared. He later had the urge to play all his remaining chips at an empty blackjack table. Phew... he won double his money and that's when the dealer said "Take your money and run." So that is what we did. :)

Now mind you, not all our time in Vegas was a highlight... Here a few of the less than stellar moments...

The fact that this city sucks you dry of all your money was a bit of a downer. Nothing is cheap in Vegas, NOTHING. For example, we sat down for a drink at this mexican cafe and I ordered a margarita. Nothing was extraordinary about this drink other than the look I got on my face after getting the bill. $16 for a margarita?? That is just plain crazy.

Many people visiting Vegas scare me. I'm convinced the majority of them are made of plastic, flawless faces, hair, and bodies surrounded us at every turn. Kind of creepy.

While we were at the pool one afternoon, Connor and I played a game. It was who can spot the most tattoos or breast implants as the people float by us in the river pool. :) We lost count. In fact, Connor at one point said "If there are more than three ladies with implants in one place is that called a siliconvention?" I think I had tears streaming down my face.

I obviously didn't mention my slot machine playing skills were a highlight. Nope, I do not have the wisdom that Connor possesses. Maybe as the years roll by and I get to be his age I will be lucky enough to know when to say when. Although, I did have loads of fun plugging quarters into the machines and watching with hopeful eyes as the bars spun around.


Even with these minor annoyances, our time spent in Las Vegas was a lot of fun. You only turn the big 4 0 once, so make it memorable is my motto. I love ya Con and hope your next forty years will be as happy and healthy as your first forty!

extraORDAINary weekend!

You've heard me say it before... I do love our time at Banks Lake.

But this past weekend is one that I, for one, will NEVER forget as long as I live.

And now I'll tell you why...

Our friends, Bill and Marianne, invited us to their lovely vacation home in Eastern Washington. Only this time, they made a point of saying that is would mean a lot to them if we could make sure we could be there this particular weekend.

Ok. Sounds great. So what's going on?

They wouldn't tell anyone what was going on, they just let it be known they would like everyone there.

So, the speculation begins. Maybe a wedding announcement? (They've been together for 16 years) Perhaps a party to celebrate Shannon and Connor's birthdays? Maybe they've won the lotto and want to let us know we've all been given a share? Hmmmmm..... So the story goes.....




It all started out like any other weekend at the lake. The house was filled to the brim with lots of people, laughter, good food, and yummy drinks.



(Love this view from their back patio)
















Here's our friend, Don. We don't get to see this guy nearly enough so when we do, we are thoroughly grateful!



(Relaxation is a big part of lake weekend fun!)

Here's Marianne's daughter, Jenne... She's clearly under the impression that all child labor laws don't apply to her. Hence the five year old, Jay, is giving her a massage...

More relaxation under the mid-day sunshine...

Marianne's other daughter, Stephanie, is on the left side of this picture and that is Marianne lounging with her arms above her head. Gotta love Summer

Boating is another bonus of being at this amazing lake. We spend a good portion of each day cruising on the lake...












This is Connor using Nolan's ankles as a steering wheel. Hold on Nolan!!! At one point they both ended up in the drink.












As you can see the patio is a popular hang out. Here is Shannon and Claude hamming it up for the camera. Look at those lovebirds!















Awwwww...True bliss.











Then as the day turned into the evening, everyone in the house was told to go onto the patio...

Before we knew it, Marianne and Bill came walking out onto the deck. Bill was sporting a boutonniere on his button up shirt and Marianne was lovely from head to toe holding a bouquet!

Hmmmm....Looks to me as if a wedding might be brewing.

Then out of the corner of my eye I see Connor emerge behind them...He was also looking quite dapper in his nice pants and shirt. WHAT IS GOING ON???

Next thing we know Connor starts talking about how Bill and Marianne had told him a couple months ago that they were thinking about tying the knot and would like to know if he could be a special part of their big day.

He was flattered and assumed the next question out of their mouth's would be if he'd be their best man at the wedding. Except that is not what they said. They said they wanted to get married at the lake house and there aren't any judges within 100 mile radius of that locale. They had done some research and found a church that will ordain normal citizens to be able to conduct marriage ceremonies... They wanted Connor to become an ordained minister and to conduct their marriage ceremony!!

Can you believe that?!

Long story short... He did a lot of research himself to make sure everything was on the up and up. He didn't want to have to do anything he felt went against his own beliefs, and wanted to make sure this wedding would be legally recognized by the state of Washington....

So, lo and behold here we are gathered on their patio in the delightful sun rays of an August evening watching two of our closest friends tie the knot as Connor leads the ceremony! It was so wonderful!



Marianne's children and Connor were the only people that knew what was going to happen this weekend! So that meant that the patio was full of surprised guests...even Bill's mother didn't know! She was beyond surprised.












Bill's mom stood up for Bill and Marianne's son, Toby, stood up for her. It was a sweet and heartfelt ceremony. Very simple, private, and touching. I loved every minute of it.

Connor did great! He said he was so nervous and had been all week long. He said it was killing him not being able to tell me what was going to happen.






Here's a little snippet of video I took of some of their vows. Her kid's prepared a cute skit towards the end that I thought was really fun! take a look!!



The rest of the evening was comprised of dancing, eating, cake smashing, toasting, and a late evening boat ride in their "just married" decorated boat!

Congratulations Bill and Marianne! We're so happy for you both and hope you continue your journey of love and happiness far into the future.We love you guys.