dear nick,

I am so proud of you.
Love,
Your sister

fresh ground pepper

Tonight we had a fabulous time! It was fabulous because Mike's brother, Josh, invited us to join him for a concert at Marymoor Park. We saw Pepper and Slightly Stoopid. If you've never heard them, they have a dub rock sort of sound. Which is awesome, since I swear I will be a surfer at some point in my life. And when I am, this is the music I will listen to. :)



Another beautiful summer night in Seattle. Thank you Josh, for the invite and the excellent evening. And thank you Mikey, for being my hunky date. Or maybe I was the hunky date. Who knows - either way, it was good!

one of my favorite things

Living so far away from my family and friends in Montana, it can be hard to find a time to connect. One thing that I really enjoy is when my dad and I do our monthly food and wine chat. We both subscribe to Food and Wine Magazine. And we are both foodies. We love to eat. We love to cook. We love... food. So on those rare occasions when there is calm on both ends of the phone, we grab our monthly magazine and talk about the things we've made or want to make. We talk about what looks good and what looks crazy. We just get a chance to talk. And it's really nice.

water baby

Today started out as kind of a rough day. Well, maybe I should rephrase that a little bit. Today was actually a great day. Pretty much everyday is a great day for one reason or another. But today I'm missing our kids so badly that it hurts in every part of my body. The tears are constantly being batted away with my eyelashes and it's everything I can do to laugh at even the funniest of jokes.

But it's times like this when you especially need to step back and find the beauty around you. So after work, Mike and I decided to go canoing on Lake Washington. We've talked about doing this for a long time. When I say a long time, I truly mean we've been talking about doing it for years. So I'm glad we chose today to follow through. We made it to the boat docks by 7:oo and rented a canoe for what would be an hour and a half.

Now canoing on Lake Washington is especially cool. One minute you're in the middle of the lake with yachts and sail boats all around you. Next thing, you paddle underneath the freeway (yes - the freeway!) and are in such a secluded area that no one can get to it unless they're on boat or foot. You are surrounded by lily pads and ducks (that obviously are used to people as they chased us down looking for handouts) and some of the most beautiful old trees I've ever seen.

Nine dollars and forty cents later, I felt like a new woman. I am truly a water baby.











Dad, we took a picture of this tree and birdhouse for you.

woofstock

Yes, you heard me right. Today we took Polly to Woofstock '08. There's not much more to be said about it than it was a great way to spend a summer day. We sniffed some butts (I mean, she did) and got to lay around in a beautiful grassy park. The hippie dogs were hanging out in a drum circle and toking it up on their pipes, but Polly opted to stay away from that crowd like a good girl. hehe

Here's a video of her classic move when you hold her above any kind of water. Please ignore my crazy woman laughter. I really should work on that...

outdoor movies

I have to say that I la-la-love going to the outdoor movies in the summer. Seattle gives you a variety of options from what day (Thursday thru Saturday) to which location. And it's FREE! You just bring your picnic along with blankets or lawn chairs and sprawl out on the lawn under the stars.

Tonight we saw a screening of Juno at the Seattle Center. What a backdrop!

mama mia

I can't say how thrilled I am that my mom has chosen to live in the United States again! I have seen my mom 3, yes - that's !three! times since June! That is again, THREE times in that last two months. That truly might be as much as I've seen her in the last two years. And anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely adore my family. So this is quite exciting!

So here's the story... Monday afternoon at work, I see I have a voice mail. Who might it be from, I wonder to myself. By golly, it's my mom - and she has asked me to call her. But not in her usual way when she just wants to say hello. It actually sounds kind of ominous, "Lisa, it's your mom. I need to talk to you, so please give me a call as soon as you get a minute." Of course I call her back instantly. She asks me if I would mind if she comes on Wednesday. Of course not! I'd be thrilled to have you home on Wednesday. And then I pause, realizing she might just possibly mean the day that comes after tomorrow. Excitement washes over me. "I think you should come on Tuesday", I say. And that's all it took. I picked my mom up from the airport on Tuesday night after her flight was delayed due to rain in Seattle (nice). We hung out for a couple of hours, went to bed and drove to Tacoma the next morning to pick her Mini up after a long boat ride from Europe. She was able to spend the day with Mackenzie and her beau, Vince, while waiting for us to get off of work. Wednesday night we all went to dinner at possibly THE best pizza place in Seattle, Santorini's (I highly recommend it). And came home to watch a chick flick and head to bed. My mom left the next morning and for a second it felt like she was possibly just going to her house a couple of minutes away... even if it is a couple of states away now. It's better than oceans. Thanks for coming over, Mom!

*Sad side note* Mackenzie left with her to spend the next couple of weeks with her dad again. I can't wait until their summer break is over and all my babies are back home. Below is one of my favorite pictures of Macky. She is such a beautiful girl.










*Fun side note* We just purchased the campground tickets for our upcoming Jack Johnson concert at the Gorge!! I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this sold out concert!!