Day Care Days.

The parents took off on a little trip for a couple of days, and we were privileged to have these darling grandkiddies all to ourselves. First morning... we dropped by Papa's work and brought some donuts, then headed to the grocery store for some survival ingredients. 

These two. Best of friends for about 20 seconds flat.

And the next morning, Miss Leesy wanted to go see Papa at work again. Still trying to figure out if it was Papa she was wanting, or just another pink sprinkle donut from Tim Hortons. 

Lots of laughs for us, bonding with these two. And I think I played a bazillion games of hide and seek in the space of 48 hours. You would've had a few laughs at me if you'd been here. 

Haha. Glad you weren't!

WA Weekend - Part 2.

Seattle. Only a drive of a couple of hours from Vancouver, but hadn't ever been there. So this summer, decided it was time to visit. Our wonderful hosts became our tour guides for the day and planned our whole itinerary. Told you, they are amazing. And there's no way we would have ever gotten to see so many interesting places, or sample so much free chocolate, without them!

So here goes. First stop, the Ballard Locks.

Then a stop by the Troll. Who lives in the Fremont area of Seattle, under the Aurora Streèt Bridge.

Then off to the Theo Chocolate Factory, where we skipped the tour but ate all of the free samples. 

Famous for their organic chocolate. Orange chocolate. Mint chocolate. Roasted almond chocolate. Coconut chocolate. Coffee chocolate, and more. Tried them all. Loved them all. 

Then to the recently opened Starbucks Reserve on Pike Place. Me, at my happy place. 

You seriously have all of your five senses working in unison here. Watch them roast, bag and label their famous coffee beans. Taste their different brews of coffee and tea. 

Then to Pier 66, where we parked and headed on foot to the famous Pike Place Market.

Seafood section. 

Flowers for sale.

The real-life, green statue. 

The sad and lonely balloon man.

And last, but definitely not least, the original Starbucks location. 

Then the kids rode the Great Wheel. 

                   (photo credit: DL Kazen)

Then we took some family photos on the pier. 

And then scouted out Gum Alley.

Then a visit to Fran's Chocolatier and Coffee Shop. Fewer samples here, but definitely more wow.

This wall portrait is made up entirely of chocolate. Sweet eh? 

Our friends purchased some lovely flowers at the market.

                                                       (photo credit: DL Kazen)

Which the lovely husbands carried to stash away in the parked vehicle.

While the rest of us waited for them to return, and made some rather impolite comments about the two of them. No worries though. A couple of guys wearing skinny shorts and carrying flower bouquets along the streets of Seattle looks perfectly normal here. 

Then we had to say goodbye. And drove home, alongside this spectacular sunset. Photo credit for this one goes to Miss Kayleigh. 

WA Weekend - Part 1.

Spent the last couple of days with our friends in Marysville. D and DL. Amazing couple. They have had renown mention on this blog before, because our friendship now dates back almost 17 years. Since then, our four kids have grown up together, and are now embracing the teenage years. Lovely stage in life. Definitely some more wrinkles on the horizon for us parents! 

Here they are today. 

And how they used to be! Not terribly long ago! Weren't they cute?

And while our teenagers may no longer like to be deemed "cute", the three little people added to this family in recent years certainly maintain the cuteness factor around here!

Looking forward to some more fun tomorrow. Stay tuned for WA Weekend - Part 2!

And She's Home Again!!!

My baby girl is home from camp! Woohoo! Missed her. A lot.

She spent the last four nights with a lovely crew from West Richmond. When I picked her up yesterday at noon, we had lunch together with some amazing friends, and then she chattered all afternoon about the fabulous time she had these last few days. Love this girl, and how she is growing up and learning so much about values and friendships. And so thankful for those who choose to invest their time to encourage her to live her life for the Lord.

The leaders, showing their fun side on Pirate Night. 

Good friends, good times. 

Dressed for Greek Night, here's the group all toga-ed up for some "Olympic Games"!!

The Braidy Bunch!

Strawberry-blonde twins in the pool!

Star Gazers.

With one of the offspring off at camp for the week, Miss Alana and I decided to have our own little camping adventure. Just one night of it. Right here in our own back yard. I am not an outdoors, survive-in-the-wild type of girl by any means. But I agreed to spending one night in a sleeping bag under the stars.

See how happy I am? Confident that flushing toilets and a morning shower are merely steps away. 

We wanted to watch the forecasted meteor shower. The Perseids.

But honestly didn't see anything that resembled a meteor. Twinkling stars for sure, and maybe an odd shooting one. Alana had the Skyview app on her iPad and it helped us identify some of the planets visible to the natural eye. Very cool.

But we had fun. Bonded, laughed, and were fast asleep by midnight. Alana woke me around 0300 hours, speaking in tongues to someone in a dream. Clearly not me. I rolled over and watched the sky for a while, but no meteors rained down on me. Sleep returned and then in a blink it was sunrise. 

Tonight will probably be an early one. In my own bed, for sure. 

BC Day. BC.

We celebrated BC Day yesterday. Which means we've hit August. Which also means I'm halfway through my summer vacation. Which, by the way, has been absolutely dreamy. Fabulously sunny weather, loads of relaxation, and plenty of time spent with family and friends.

So yesterday was BC Day, and to me the most important thing about that was that the man in the house had the day off. Yes! We spent most of it lazing around and staying cool in the pool. Then met up with some friends at Milestones, and stuffed ourselves with dinner. But promptly drove to Whiterock and walked it all off on the pier. Haha. Not. But we did get to watch the sun going down.

These three. ❤️ Love them. 

Sharing a laugh-out-loud moment here, because Hayden sneezed just as I was snapping the previous picture. This, apparently, was hysterical. Not sure what our very well behaved Japanese student made of all our craziness. Turned a few heads on the pier too. But hey. We're a happy crew. 

Stunning sunset. Reminded me of my mom, who swiftly flew beyond the sunset almost four years ago. Hard to believe, really. Time charges by. I still miss her. Her smile, her words of wisdom. But could never wish her back. This artistic handiwork of God for the mortal eye to behold this side of heaven, must only be a glimpse of the beauty and joy that awaits us on the other side. Beyond the sunset.