This was one of those mornings where I woke up, opened the window and giddily said to myself,"Oh my God! I actually live here!" It is another beautiful, sunny day here in Seattle. I asked A. and Z. to get dressed to go for a walk with me. They happily obliged. A. asked, since we were walking the mile and a half to her new middle school, if we could invite Earthmama's daughter. She wanted to go, and Earthmama decided to come too. Though the walk was a little longer than we are used to, it went by quickly. We had great conversation (as good friends always do!) All of the rhododendron trees are in full bloom with unimaginably bright colors. One of the reasons for the walk this morning was to teach A. the route to her new school so she will be prepared for the fall. We are going to make this trip several times over the course of the summer so she can find her way easily. Because the district is short on money for transportation, middleschoolers have to walk if they live 2 miles or less from school. I have no problem with A. walking or riding her bike, but this will be the first time she will be walking such a long distance without her Mom or Daddy. I am so glad she will have C. with her. I know that part of rearing children is letting them go a little bit at a time, but that doesn't mean it's easy.

Many Wonderful Days

We have had a lot of exciting days around here. It all started when this chick named Nancy Pants came to town. We drove down to one of the most beautiful beaches in the country (Cannon Beach, OR.) It takes about 4 hours to drive down and we decided it would be best to take a pooch with us. I don't know why, but I decided to take the most spasdic of the three, the chocolate lab Sal. He had a great time fetching his ball. Pants and I breathed in the salty sea air and went barefoot in the soft, warm sand. I was momentarily convinced I was in heaven (which happens frequently in Cannon Beach.)

We also got to meet a fellow blogger named Meno. As her writings suggest, she is a warm, funny, intelligent person who is fun to spend time with. It was like meeting up with a friend we've known for a long time. I hope we can eventually get together again.

Pant's visit came to an end after we got to stroll on the beach at Alki once more. I miss her but I know for sure she will return to visit when she can. Seattle gets some peoples' souls and never leaves.

It has been difficult to find enough "awake" time to post an actual blog entry. I wish all of you well and will have a decent entry posted soon!

First Day at Disneyland

We had a good couple of flights. Our stop was in Oakland at lunchtime where we paid $47 for 2 salads and 2 sandwiches for lunch (no drinks!) We flew into Santa Ana airport. I was surprised at how much Southern California's landscape resembles Eastern Colorado. It's very brown and very populated (Eastern CO is not very populated but it is dusty and looks like a big quilt.) It was really hazy and smoky from the Catalina Island fire.

Stucco's mom grew up in S. CA and still has friends here. Her friend picked us up from the airport (very nice guy who is Chief Safety Engineer of Disneyland- big job eh?) I got sunburned riding in the car. I need there to be more cloud cover! We checked into the hotel and promptly took advantage of afternoon tea. They serve breakfast, snack, tea (with snacks), evening snack and dessert with coffee all included in the room price. I feel like we are on a cruise without the boat. Our children had turn-down service, complete with chocolate coins. Very nice resort hotel they have here.

We decided to let the kids swim while we lazed-about poolside. Then we had dinner at a cafe where Z. got to make his own pizza from scratch and A. had the buffet (she loves a good buffet.) Next, I took the wee ones up to the clubroom where they had storytime and sing-along. We had dessert (I am WAY too full!) and we watched the beautiful fireworks show from our hotel balcony.

I am off to bed. We have adjoining rooms with MIL so no "real fun" with Stucco. She insists the door stay open. Crap.

An Old Friend

Pants has arrived safely in Seattle. I am so happy to see a familiar face! I love showing her around and seeing this place through her eyes. We are off tomorrow to explore the seashore in OR. I've gotta show Pants the reason we so desperately wanted to move to the Pacific Northwest!

The Little Things

I recognize I am very immature in a lot of ways, but I do appreciate the little things in life. I went crazy the other night after A. and Z.'s swimming lesson. Outside the rec center, I spotted a hummingbird among the flowers in the beautiful garden near the entrance. I cannot remember how long it has been since I've seen one. I felt like a child full of wonder and happiness at seeing such a funny little creature. I couldn't contain my excitement, and people were staring at me, but I didn't even care. Z. was right there with me jumping up and down and pointing like a crazy person. A. was trying to identify the type of flower that attracted it so we could plant some in our yard. (In some ways, A. is more mature than I am!) I think a sighting like this one is a gift. One I won't soon forget.