OL' BLUE

I bought Connor a fantastic shirt from Eddie Bauer... back in 1992.

A navy blue henley made from the finest waffled cotton fabric around.

He loved it.

In fact, he still loves it 18 years later.

I, on the other hand, have fallen out of love of said shirt.

For the obvious reasons this photo plainly shows....

The cuffs are barely hanging on for dear life.

His elbows poke out on either side.

The collar is pretty much shredded.

And his armpit was too much for this shirt...see the hole?

Yet, Connor's love for "Ol' Blue" never waned. He loved it even more for all of it's vintage character and charm.

I threatened to toss Ol' Blue in the trash especially after seeing Connor wear it to one of the boys' parent-teacher conferences. That is just not right. :) But the look on Connor's face was that of sad despair... He said "No way, you can't throw Ol' Blue away."

Then I bargained a little... "How 'bout I turn Ol' Blue into one of those funny stuffed animal monsters we've seen at the store?" (AKA Uglydolls)

He must of thought I was far too lazy to accomplish such a task, because he said with a smile on his face, "OK...I guess that would be OK."

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Fast forward a few months...to August 6th.

Connor's birthday was in a few days and my plan needed completion.

I pulled Ol' Blue off the hanger for the very last time, grabbed my sewing machine, and headed downstairs to do the deed.

Nick and Nolan looked SHOCKED. The were certain dad was NOT going to be happy about this transformation. "How can you possibly give dad his favorite shirt all cut up and turned into a monster for his birthday?" "This is not going to be good, mom."

The next few hours I cut, sewed, and stuffed until I ended up with this little guy....

His hair is made from Connor's thrashed collar... His toes are made out of the mangled cuffs...his body was lined with green fabric to really showoff Connor's old elbow windows...and his eye is one of the henley buttons...

I love him.

Nick and Nolan love him...

We would just have to see what Connor was going to think.

Duh.... Duh.... Daaaaaaa.......................

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The birthday boy had a wonderful celebration all day long and now it was time to open presents. I have to admit, I was a little nervous (Which is why I also padded this present with a purchase of a new navy blue henley that I added to the box right before wrapping up Ol' Blue.)

Connor ripped into the paper and opened the box... Monster Ol' Blue sprung out of the box as if instructed.

The look on Connor's face was priceless.

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He busted out laughing. He LOVED it!

I could see the worry wash away from Nick and Nolan's faces...They would still have a mom.

Happy Birthday Connor!

Why Tahoe is Fabulous

Ahhh...Stunningly beautiful Lake Tahoe...

Where the water is so crystal clear and blue you have to remind yourself that you are 6000+ feet up in the mountains instead of on a beach in the Caribbean Sea.




(Nolan)
Unlimited activities await you... Like kayaking atop water so clear, you can see forever down below.

(Nick)

Or... possibly rowing in a canoe as if you are on a gondola in Venice Italy.

The lake is 12 miles wide, so if it's stormy on the Nevada side... The Californians are still sitting dry and happy as they watch the lighting show across the lake.

Cousins beach themselves on inflatable islands for hours at a time, laughing, dunking, and just having the time of their lives.

You may choose to rent a camper to make yourself "feel" safe from the bears that would rather ransack a tent than a tent trailer. Yeah right. But if it allows you to sleep than so be it.

(Note... you may still hear what you believe to be a bear at 3 am growling in the night. Yes. I. Was. Freaked.)

You may wake to find claw marks through your picnic tablecloth the next morning. Your husband will deny that they could possibly belong to a bear. "More likely a squirrel or raccoon"

There are many hiking trails to enjoy. Like this one to the top of Eagle Rock where crazy cousins can pose for a perfect photo-op.

(Hanna and Grace looking cute atop Eagle Rock)

You might find a wonderful family on your hikes. For instance my brother's family is looking quite fantastic on this particular hike.

This family is not too shabby either. And one of them traded in his crutches for a hiking stick! Hooray!!

The campfire tends to bring out the nuttiness in the group.

We told crazy stories about sea creatures driving kelp cars, explosions of mushroom clouds, and aliens in tutus...just to name a few.

If wacky stories are not what your aiming for, you are bound to see some smiles around the fire too.

See what I mean?

If you are lucky, you will have a camp neighbor who is as well stocked as this guy. This camper (AKA my brother, Scott) had a sweet set up and just about every camping accessory known to man.

More campfire smiles

Beware. Bringing out board games can really cause a ruckus. These kids were beyond silly and having some serious fun playing Settlers of Catan.

Just a little bottle of tacky glue and some googly eyes is all you need to make some fun. The possibilities are endless when you tromp around the forest looking for the perfect item to adorn with plastic eyes.

In Tahoe you will see a gazillion of these cuties. I mean really. Does it get any cuter than this?

Take a plunge into the swimming pool, uh, I mean lake. Nick took the plunge!

Tahoe in July is a wonderful way to spend your days. Especially when you enjoy it with some of your all time favorite family members. The sand is warm, the water refreshing, and the company cannot be beat.