Happy Birthday MOM!!

Happy Birthday to my Mom who has a BIG birthday today that she would rather not talk about but it starts with an 8. My friends would never guess that's her age (they've told me so) because she looks so great. Here's to wishing you many, many, many more and to have yourself a wild and crazy day Mom!! But, take it easy on the sugar OK. . . ha! Love you!

Happy Birthday Dani!

Hope you had a great day! I'm sure Brayden was on his best behavior for your birthday! Too bad those Beav's couldn't win one in honor of your day, oh well, there's always next week!

It's a Jack jam . . .

Is it a celebrity? Is it a popular politician? Is somebody handing out free giveaways? What can it possibly be? It's got to be the longest line I have ever seen into a fast food drive through! All waiting to get their taste of the new restaurant in town. Jack in the Box! You can really see how pathetically desperate our city is for some new places to eat. Holy moly . . .there hasn't been this much excitement in town since they opened the McMenamins' Grand Lodge. You could probably almost drive to Hillsboro's Jack in the Box order, get your food, and be back in the Grove before you made it to the window. It's a really cool looking restaurant, I guess the design is from their drive in's in California, this is the only one in Oregon that looks this way. You can watch them cook your food while you are waiting in your car. The best thing is that they serve breakfast ALL DAY, no McDonald's 10:30am cutoff time. Well, we will see how long the hoopla lasts, I don't think anybodies burger is worth a line like that, but whatever.

R.I.P. City mourns . . .

I don't care about David Cassidy! . . .

"Hey Monica! . . . Come here . . . look who's on Oprah today" . . "Who?" . . "It's David Cassidy, didn't you grow up with him?". haha . . very funny,maybe . . . smart ass young teacher. Geezzz . . he looks . . cough ... cough . . mature! He has definately got a different hairline and Oh man . . he's had some facial work done. No . . definitely not . . David Cassidy was never one of my favorite poster boys. My bedroom walls were covered with posters of Davy Jones (The Monkees) now he was cute!

Also, Bobby Sherman (he was my favorite!),
and Sajid Kahn (from DakTari) Hey! anybody remember that show? He was the cute kid in the loin cloth that rode on the elephant. I really don't even want to know what they look like now. I would like to remember them as they were. I was totally destroyed for life when I recently saw Peter Frampton in a GEICO commercial and he looked like . . uuuuhhh elderly!!! I want to remember him with his big bushy blond long hair on the cover of his Frampton Live Album

but now all I can see is a guy with short balding grey hair that sings like him!!! It can't be possible!!!! How did this happen, they were just on my wall??

Sooo many pictures . . .

Hubby had a fantastic trip to Germany. He was able to do alot of sightseeing this trip as well as travel to visit a retiree from Leupold that lives in the city of Acosta, Italy. He ate lots of great food (in Germany they put gravy on everything he says) & drink (bier/wine) and now it's back to the gym and moderation for awhile. When he returned, the other 2 Leupold guys that he traveled with took all of the pictures and burned a CD, it has over 600 pictures on it. Dale really loved all the places they visited in Italy, they were close to Milan but never made it into the city. Someday I'd really like to make it to Rome, maybe if the Euro and the US dollar can ever get in sync again it might happen. This particular picture they took while hiking on one of their excursions in Italy, I thought it was really beautiful.

Bring on the produce! . . .

Now I'm not a farmer's daughter but I do know that right now is the BEST time for fresh produce around here. It's my favorite time of year for stopping by the local farmstands to pick up fresh peaches, sweet corn, tomatoes and peppers. The corn stand along TV hiway has caused daily near miss accidents as customers suddenly slam on their brakes to whip into the parking lot to check out the flatbed heaped with the beautiful sweet stuff. It's funny to watch how people pick out their corn, some smell it, some squeeze it, some pull down the husk and just take a peek at the kernels. I just buy the ones that look fat, seems to work for me ;0), I absolutely love fresh peaches. You can never get tree ripe fresh ones at the store, they are always hard as a rock and they just don't have the same flavor even after you let them sit out and get soft. My mother-in-law makes the best canned peaches (I'm not a canner), so I'm gonna have to make a deal with her, I buy and you can . . pretty pleeeezzz, sounds fair to me! This year in our backyard vegetable garden we planted yellow plum tomatoes and some romas. They got a late start but are loaded now, we pick a few ripe ones every night. Can't seem to ever save enough to make anything, we keep munching on them just like on the farm.

Ever seen a defensive lineman turn green? . . .

Today I am sitting at "my station" as mentioned in previous blog, helping assist students and parents with their registration paperwork. This week is also the start of daily doubles for all fall sports so we have kids everywhere, three volleyball teams in all the gyms, 3 football teams on the practice fields, 4 girls and boys soccer teams are on the fields, Cross country runners are taking to the streets, plus Cheer and Dance Teams are rah rah ing to get ready for the starting season. During the football practice breaktime this morning some players came into the commons to use the vending machines. A couple of the players came to my table after buying some cookies or something out of the machine. As they approached where I was sitting, they didn't look like they felt very well. One of the guys held out his bag of cookies and said "look at this", I said "it looks like the bag is open a little bit", he say's "come see something" he looked rather upset . . so I follow him back to the vending machine. He points . . I look . . .OH yuck! There are 4 dead mice in the bottom tray where your food lands after you press your selection and it drops down. GROSS!! Apparently our little mice problem we have been having in the building this summer also extends to the inside of the vending machines GROSS!! So we shut them all down and called the company to come empty everything out and get them cleaned up. What a great thing to have to witness this morning. Even our big burly football players have no stomach for little mice nibbling on their snacks...mmmmm good...ha!

How I love the beach . . .

Had a very fun weekend with the "Paint Ladies" at a house we rented in Rockaway. The best thing about it was the temperature! Leaving the Grove on Friday which was a stifling 102 degrees and arriving in Tillamook at 68 degrees was heaven! Saturday and Sunday never got over 64 degrees, it was foggy and sweatshirt weather. I think everybody from the Portland metro area arrived in Seaside on Sunday, it was complete traffic gridlock and wall to wall people on the boardwalk. Everybody was thinking the same thing . . . It's only an hour or hour and a half drive to get there, sooo worth it on a very hot weekend. As the gals and I were wandering around I noticed things that can be found at most all Oregon beach towns. See if you agree:

• A fantastic bakery where great pastries and breads can be found.
• Caramel Corn or Kettle Corn being freshly made with the smell drifting into the streets.
• Tacky gift shops - that sell things made with shells that were never meant to be made with shells.
• Tshirt Stores - with a big selection of shirts, screen printed with all kinds of topics on them.
• Arcade someplace in town.
• Every restaurant makes their own version (whether good or bad) of clam chowder.
• Espresso stands - by the record numbers in each town.
• Cheesy hotels that charge outrageous rates for their rooms.
• Kite shops
• Funky little taverns downtown that locals hang out in.
• Every Oregon beach town HAS to have a Myrtle wood store.
• Surf shop
• Pig n' Pancake (yeah!)
• Whale watching pullout, stop, area, viewpoint, lookout, etc.

That's why we love it so much!

So it begins . . .

Tomorrow is the first day of registration for this school year. The debut of the new American Eagle outfits, the new hair colors/cuts, boyfriends/girlfriends, kids that have gotten taller over the summer, parents of freshman that look wary, the new groups, the old friends, the looks of confusion, and the paperwork . . . so much frigging paperwork. Someday maybe the kids will be able to register online, and only come for ID cards, lockers and pictures, which they can do after school starts. But not now, nope, they have to turn in umpteen forms that have to be signed in umpteen places before they can move to the next station. Yes, I am now a station, I am station #3 Athletics, bring me your physicals, bring me your clearance forms, bring me your money, if every T is crossed and I is dotted you can be cleared to participate in sports for this season . . and may proceed to station #4 Schedules . . . . yeah!!!! So here's to another year, a few more gray hairs and adventures waiting to happen.

The battle of the blue tarp . . .

So we have this wood pile on the side of our house. During the spring we ordered a cord of wood and have it stacked nicely against the garage. My dear husband covers it with a big ugly (in my always correct opinion) blue tarp. "Why do you have to cover it with that?" I say, "What's wrong with the tarp?" he says, "It's UGLY, it's BLUE, can't you find something brown or green or some other color that doesn't look like redneck village?" "OH, geezzz..nobody can see it, it doesn't matter" . . "Yes, people can see it when they drive by", "No, they can't" "Yes, they can" "Well, get over it because it's staying" "FINE, just FINE . . whatever!!" Well, maybe people driving by can't see it but NOW I have proof it can be seen!! Only by all the people in the entire universe that can log onto Google Earth . . I knew I was right!

The Olympics . . .

Didn't think I would be doing this but I have been sort of glued to the TV every night watching some kind of Olympic event. Honestly have to say I have become drawn into the Michael Phelps hoopla during these games, the guy is a specimen for sure. I remember (because I'm old) when Mark Spitz broke all of the big Olympic swim records in 1972. He was the poster boy at that time and alot girls my age (including myself) thought he looked pretty hot in his little speedo! Something about that dark hair and the mustache was VERY nice. Now, everything gets shaved so guess you don't see much hair anymore. . ha! Though swimming is not my favorite event to watch I will flip it on if it's some big race. What I really enjoy watching is gymnastics, men and women's. All the events, balance beam, floor exercise, unevent bars, the horse. I especially like watching the guys do the rings, that takes strength! Have been trying to catch up on some Roman Greco wrestling but it must be on in the middle of the night or something, I haven't been able to find it yet. Must say that I have loved our plasma HDTV for watching the Olympics...it's really so much nicer to watch than the older "regular" TV. The opening ceremonies and all the events come in sooo sharp and clear I didn't realize until watching as much TV as I have this last week (I'm not usually the one in control of the remote) that it does make a big difference. So off to the tube to see what's on tonight. . GO USA!!! . .

Beaver Fever . . .

I was reminded today that it's only 3 more weeks until Beaver Football!!! Looking forward to seeing the tailgate gang and enjoying another fun season of good food and football. GO BEAVS!
OOOOOSSSSUUUUUUUU . . . Oregon State fight, fight, fight!!!!!

Hey it's a casino at Three Rivers . . .

Mom and I took a little getaway trip for the weekend to a new casino in Oregon. When we pulled in front of the place I said, "Oh my gosh Mom . . . look at what it's called!" I guess "our" Three Rivers (at Lake Billy Chinook) isn't the only Three Rivers in Oregon. Now why can't we have one of these at our property? Darn it anyways! This casino is located in Florence and we both agreed that it was very good to us (at least the first day, right Mom!). It's got lots of machines that we haven't seen before and LOTS of penny slots. If you get a chance to ever stop by it's worth it, nice hotel there too and Florence is a cool little town to wander the waterfront and be a tourist.

Checking in from Germany . . . .

Spoke with Dale yesterday and he's having a great time in Germany. Things are going well at the shop with the new machine they have been sent to work on. When he traveled to Germany in 2004 to the same shop they never had any time to sightsee. He was really disappointed that they had traveled all that way and would be working from 7:00am until 8:00pm all week long, he was hoping they would not be doing that again this time. He has been pleasantly surprised, they have been able to see some things in the town of Stuttgart and have been traveling to some surrounding areas after work. Sounds like he has tried lots of German food/bier and has been enjoying most! He sent me this picture of a castle they visited on Saturday, he said they visited four very different castles that day. On Monday it's back to the shop until Wednesday, then on Thursday they leave for Italy to visit a guy (his name is Vince, of course very Italian) that retired from Leupold a few years ago and moved there to be closer to his family. Sounds like he has a very nice place (villa) that also has a vineyard where he grows his own grapes and makes his own wine, I'm anxious to see and hear how that visit goes.

I'm a faithful wife . . . .

Apparently these guys heard my hubby is out of town, they are lined up outside my front door and won't go away, so annoying. . . .ha!

Happy 32nd Anniversary . .

First anniversary apart so sad . . . guess I will have to go pick up something shiny for my finger to make me feel better!! Have a delicious German bier for me . .

Love you . . XOXOXOX

The temperature is WHAT!!!

Hard day at the office, out to the car at 4:44pm, fire up the engine and this is what I see!!!! Hey, this is Mexico, Arizona, Equator hell hot, I didn't sign up for this!!

The beast . . .

Thanks for lunch Andy! I enjoyed the ride today especially sitting in the Sprite spilled passenger seat!!! love, MOM

Hey Mister how do you do that? . .

The turf is being laid this week. Pretty exciting to watch after all the multitude of fundraising and planning it's actually happening. Of course I have seen many copies of what the layout is suppose to look like through a gazillion emails that have been flying back and forth between our Athletic Director and the Field Turf company. We selected a Viking Head for the center of the 50 yard line, we have numbers that are going to be shaded on the yard markers, there are hash marks, etc. Also, our field is being named "Jeff Durham Field" which will be written underneath the Viking Head at the 50 yard line. Our Athletic Director is on vacation this week, a vacation planned many months ago. He is going crazy because he cannot be here while the turf is being installed, so as his dutiful (ha!) secretary, I am going out daily to the stadium and snapping photos that I email him, so he can check it out on his Blackberry!! Oh the glories of technology!! So today when I wandered out to the stadium to take a picture I noticed...hmmm..no Viking head...no field numbers..?? Whats up with that? I see one of the turf installation guys and talk to him. He tells me they are just laying it out now and that the sideline pieces have not been placed yet...also, the Viking head piece is cut in, then actually set into the middle of the field after the turf has been laid. Interesting. Well, these guys do this every day so they must know what they are doing . . He did reassure me "You are going to really like it when it's done". I am already getting calls coming in from football mom's about whether their son's will need "turf" football shoes this season. It's going to be here before too long, home opener August 29th!

Always a surprise . . .

Each morning driving into work I travel over a hill that drops down into town. Whenever I crest over the top I am treated to a new surprise. Sometimes I'm high enough that I drive through the clouds. Other mornings you are above the fog layer that looks like cotton in the valley. Many times I can clearly see Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams and sometimes Mt. Rainier. There are lots of mornings that I get to enjoy a beautiful sunrise. So I happened to have my camera with me today and snapped this shot (even though the picture doesn't equate to seeing the real thing). Sometimes I just need to stop and enjoy these "aahhhh" moments as I am rushing around in the morning.

Tacos are a driving hazard . . .

With the recent law in Washington State that bans the use of cell phones while driving I strongly believe the following items also should be added as an addendum (for Oregon too) . .

Tacos - should not be eaten while driving. Taco Bell should post warning labels on their bags. As you are well aware nobody can bite into a taco without turning their head completely sideways. If you attempt to eat the hardshelled variety while only holding it with one hand (other on the steering wheel - we hope) 90 percent of it's contents drop into your lap. Then the distraction is picking lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and taco meat out of your crouch and lap. How has the government allowed this to happen?

Coffee to go from Espresso stands/Plaid Pantry/7Eleven's , etc - never fails that you start driving down the road, pick up your coffee to take a drink and the flimsy plastic lid hasn't been secured tightly. Hence, coffee spills down the front of your shirt and most times painfully burns your lap. Serious driving distraction. This would also apply to any of the BIG gulp drinks (20oz +), you know the ones that take 2 hands to lift in and out of the drink holder, same problems just cold drink instead of hot one.

Newpaper/Maps/Books - Reading with your steering wheel as your lap desk can be fatal. Many times I have witnessed people - while driving, not at a stop - apparently driving is boring them.

Animals on laps - EXCUSE ME!! what can be more distracting than a dog bouncing all over the inside of a car and onto the drivers lap?? To poke it's head outside the drivers window with it's ears flapping in the wind. I don't get it . . hmmmm...cell phone...dog on lap???

Personal hygiene procedures - Brushing your teeth, flossing, putting on your makeup, shaving, all while looking in either the rearview mirror or visor mirror above the steering wheel. This also includes NOSE PICKING! People, people, people don't you get it we are ALL watching . .

iPods - MP3 players - if you can't have a cell phone to your ear, then you shouldn't have anything else in your ears either.

Bagels & Cream Cheese - OK, today as God is my witness here is what I saw. A lady driving down highway 26 into Portland, on the top of the steering wheel in one hand she is holding a bagel, in the other hand a knife. The heel of her palms and upper wrist are driving the car. She is spreading cream cheese on her bagel!! I am passing her in the left lane as I glance over to see this happening. Spreading cream cheese on bagels should be against the law while driving!

CD's - looking for a CD and inserting it into the player is the number one reason I drift off the road. First, I have to find the CD case, it's usually buried under the seat on the passenger side. So I have to duck down (just for a little while as I drive) to locate it. Then I have to browse through the selections, flipping the pages in the case until I spot the CD I want to play (while I'm driving), then I carefully take it out and insert it into the player. Oh cool, as I put the case back on the floor I notice a coupon I didn't see earlier. Need to check the expiration date . . . it's sooo tiny I can't hardly read it!!! Oops, guess I'm getting a little close to that guy in front of me, well geezzz . . he could at least be going the speed limit!

Happy Birthday Lucas!!

Let's Party!

Pedicure . . . Manicure

I came across this clip and thought about my outings with the daughter-in-laws recently. We all went out together for a pedicure, this is EXACTLY what happens while we are there. I ended up leaving our appointment with extras I never intended when we walked in . . . Enjoy!!