spring forward...

it's been a long time, friends. this winter has been most dreary and i've been mostly hibernating. when it came time to change the clocks, (which we forgot about, again) i was so disoriented when i woke up, over which clock was right and what time it really was, that in my morning grog i thought we were at fall back. no joke! i had to google it to see where we were. (looking out the window does no good: my brain just tells my body it is winter.)

i literally cannot believe it is june, that May slipped by right under my nose; i've been meaning to write for ages. in anticipation of summer, (i am reminded it is indeed summer, everywhere else but here. yes, it is currently raining and 57 degrees, still) i feel the need for a catch-up, before i am once again gone for a stretch. so apologies for the length, and the newsletter feel, but these are just things i meant to jot down but never managed to do so previously, and things i want to remember. so grab yourself of cup of tea, (or iced! i forget, it's hot over there) and if you have the time, enjoy the read...

january was february was march, and our april roses never bloomed. but we've been, as usual, busy with family life. we've even managed to get out of town for a few trips. (which we must do next year! breaking up the seattle winter is a key to survival, i've discovered.) and i'm become aware that i am surrounded by two northwest boys who suffer the lack of sun much less than i. i joked i was getting my sunshine vicariously on-line as i spent a better part of the winterly spring researching and planning our 3rd family summer trip, again to florida. it would seem it is becoming a habit, but we take each year individually and see what we can do. and so far, each spring has found me so desperate for sunshine and heat, that come july, florida is where we happily find ourselves. but enough about the weather...

(here's a sneak-peak of where we'll be staying beach-side for 4 days, before we head to walt disney world for 3: the kid is getting a bit old, and this just felt like the last chance to check this off the childhood list! i can't wait!)

january saw me jetting off to my parents for a mini-getaway, a long weekend with sisters. snow and babies, tea and talk; it was wonderful. contrary to some people's opinion, i do not mind the cold --in winter! i just like my seasons to be seasons, and besides, it was sunny!

my parent's house in winter:



nephew luke with his auntie rebekah, doing his new favorite thing: "becca bounce."



luke with his new wake-up call: baby brother evan!



peter and laura also joined up with us for a day at the baltimore aquarium.
family needs to see each-other more than once a year, a janurary trip is perfect.





that same weekend, greg and francis flew south to palm springs, for a guy's weekend: dirt bikes and desert, at the invite of our good friend chris bowden, who retreats often to his grandfather's old house in the desert, that the family has kept for getaways. the boys had a blast and greg put up a bunch of photos here. sadly, the wonderful trip ended with a scare: giving francis his first major injury: a concussion from an atv accident. he went for "one last ride" around the block an hour before they were to leave for the airport. he got going too fast, t-boned another rider and flipped the atv, which landed on top of him. it was so scary for greg, and we are immensely grateful to God that he was not hurt worse. (or the other rider either!) but it has not marred the great time they had, and they will have memories to last.

francis missed a week of school and spent the better part of february with headaches and -dr.'s orders- banned from gym, band, and basketball. his chin was banged up nice and good, which gave him some proof of injury! he got a lot of sympathy at school!



for him, it was a pretty boring february, except for the major event of turning 13!





it just so happened that on his birthday night, there was a special double-feature screening of the Raiders of the Lost Ark in the theatre, followed by Raiders of the Lost Ark: an Adaptation, a teen-filmed shot-for-shot remake of the movie, from the 80's, which was amazing, clever and funny!) so we took him and his best buds to a night out: dinner, movie, and a sleepover. which was promptly followed by winter break, where all his friends went out of town and we did not. that was rough. he actually said by the end of the (rainy! of course) week that he was tired of playing video games. we vowed we HAD to get out and do something for the next break, in spring. (which we did.)

march saw francis well enough to resume activities, thankfully, just in time for baseball season. he is now in juniors little league, with greg coaching again. he continues to surprise us, in the little things. like being so excited for his new helmet that he just could not wait to wear it...



here's a shot of francis in the outfield, which is right next to the woods of woodland park. there is a family of bunnies i have spied, that have no fear of hanging out in the outfield.



also in march, greg and i managed to get away for our (sometimes) annual march madness reunion weekend with friends in laguna beach. it was a nice dose of sun and friends.





which brings us to april: spring break! i took a break from summer vacation planning, and researched some places to go for a week long road trip, with the hopes of blue sky and sun. we looked at what was "in the area" via google earth, and decided on yellowstone. 2 days driving. 3 days there. 2 days driving back. i'm glad i did my research, because i discovered the park actually closes for winter, and had only just opened the week before, with only 2 roads in the park plowed and open for driving. we hemmed and hawed and read reviews, and in the end, decided to go anyways, and just see what we could see. it was wonderful to get out on the open road, and see new things. very exciting! also: thrilling-- apparently, there are many ways to die in yellowstone, or get seriously maimed: you can get gored by buffalo, mauled by bears, scalded by hot springs, fall into lakes of boiling water, drive off a cliff in a blizzard. there are warning signs everywhere! who could have forseen i would become such a fearful nag? i was seriously freaking out about surprising a bear any foray too far from our car. we were on trails, yes, but we were in the WILDERNESS! (oh yeah, and i was also scared of getting charged by a buffalo.) (oh yeah, and we got stuck driving in some seriously scary blizzards!) but it was amazingly beautiful, well worth the trip, and i would love to do it again. i've posted pictures of the trip up on facebook and flickr, but greg's are the really good ones. he got all the colors and wildlife that my cell-phone just can't get. i'll let you know when he posts them.











this april was our 14th anniversary. our gift that's been a year in the making was to once and for all, and finally, get a new bed. after 14 years of marriage, our first bed. we shopped for mattresses most of the fall. it seemed like every date we had while francis was at youth group, was to go lay on beds. it was not anything i want to do again. so stressful! i'm totally content sleeping on an old hand-me-down bed, but once you're going to commit thousands of dollars on something, how do you choose?? so we chose. and it was too soft. i mean, sinky like a couch soft. we were "required" to give it the 3 month test, so we slept/sunk on this bed for most of winter. then we returned it and had to start the process all over again. and chose. and it was too hard. and we could not return it. aahhh! we went back in to talk to the salespeople after a few months, knowing we couldn't return it, but asking for some advice. the lady there suggested buying a foam topper, which we did. and to march around on the bed every day, to break it in. (that was a sight!) and to do this: for 6 months!! i've been a little ashamed that my mind has been so occupied with bed woes, while the world has been going thru so many devastating events, but it's the truth. our bed is just now getting comfortable, which is good news. but the main reason i wanted to write about the bed, was to share that our friend nathan haase built our bed frame, out of old reclaimed barn-floor fir, and if you're looking for some locally sourced and hand-crafted furniture, check him out! it's gorgeous and we love it. thanks, nathan! (cell-phone pics just don't do it justice.)













so with may sweeping by, june is proving to be even busier. my to-do list that's been neglected for so long is now rearing it's head urgently. why do i always wait til the last minute? i have a goal of so many things to get checked off by the time francis is out of school on the 23rd. and after that, it's just a short time til we fly east for vacation for a month! another week at wildwood, nj with my whole family this time, sibs and spouses and babies all! i can't wait and i've been counting down as a general rule of survival. also: a girls-getaway to nyc with 3 dear friends: we haven't all been in the same place at the same time since my wedding i think! and of course, the nyssen adventure to florida in the july heat. it's all coming up, and i'll try to write and post some while it's occurring and not make you wait til december! i've been on a bit of a health kick, too, in preparation for summer. i call it my pre-detox. (i couldn't commit to a full detox before trying it out first, in waves, so that's where i still am.) (danajill has been helping keep me accountable, she serves me green smoothies!)



so if you made it this far, cheers!
and i wish you all a wonderful summer! xo