i got a new bike ! ! !

My wonderful
awesome
amazing
thoughtful
beautiful
studly
fabulous husband got me a new bike today! Out of no where! A total surprise!!

My jaw dropped and I wanted to cry. Thank you, baby.

It is so special.

Now let's drop everything and go ride!

i found this little gem on my camera

Looks like Mackenzie was having some fun with the camera. I'm guessing the goal was a new myspace profile
picture. This one was my personal favorite.

congratulations to heather

Last night I went to my friend Heather's bridal shower. It was definitely a great time! It was hosted in a most beautiful house in Madison Park by a most lovely lady. It had a Sex and the City theme, so we sipped pink champagne, made "Matt"inis, and all bought her gifts from Victoria's Secret.

I have to say, it's always so great to get together with my girls from the old salon. They are all such beautiful, charismatic women and I'm just very lucky to know them.

So congratulations, Heather. I'm so so so excited for you!

here a payton, there a payton, everywhere a payton payton

I'm trying to remember a time that I've ever run into another little girl with Payton's name. I've heard people say "oh, I know a younger Payton" or "so and so's such and such's name is Payton" or even "I've met boys named Payton". But I personally, have never met one.

Well that came to an end today at Payton's soccer game. We played a team with 3 Paytons on it. All I heard for an hour straight was:

"Go Payton"
"Kick it Payton"
"Hustle Payton"
"Payton, pass it to Payton"

I can only imagine that my poor daughter's head was spinning. Especially since at one point, all 4 Paytons were on the field at the same time!! So we had to start cheering her nicknames, so she'd know we were talking to her.

It was pretty comical.

polly has a mullet!

there's always a first...

Today was a very exciting day in our house. It's a day we've been looking forward to for some time. It was Mike's first Cyclocross race. He had prepared his bike, gotten his gear, taken classes, researched and practiced for months now. It was hard to believe it was actually time.

We got to the race and the weather was just right for a Seattle race. Drizzly without being miserable. But the course was mucky and quite miserable. I heard a number of people saying it was one of the more technical ones they've seen in a while. It wound through the trees, up and down the hills, with lots of corners and tons of jumps. A crazy one to start with - but I don't think he would have wanted it any other way.

And Mike looked nervous. And I felt excited. And his dad looked giddy. It was great.

I can't really do it justice to talk you through the race. All I can say is that this man amazes me. Just doing this, took unbelievable guts. But then to do it so well, well that just took skill. I'm just so proud.

With that, here's some pictures for you to enjoy.

october

Wow. I cannot believe that it is actually October! Where has the year gone? I feel like it was just a minute ago that we were excited about the days getting longer and the sun coming out. We were trying to fit five events into each day and bbqing every meal we ate... in hopes of not losing a single moment of the beauty that is summer. But now the sun is setting sooner and we're gearing up for the holiday season.

And after do do doing so much all summer long, fall can be so refreshing. It starts out with still giving us enough nice days to not shock our systems and force us indoors altogether. But gradually we'll start to spend more hours snuggling and eating comfort food while playing board games with our kids and having movie nights with hot totties.

It will bring soccer games and parties. School dances and sleepovers. The air will get crisp and the leaves will change. Then the rain will come. The shoes by the door will be dirty, with their existence written all over our hardwood floors. We'll decorate the house and bake smelly things. And then it will bring turkey and snowboarding and moments back home.

And before we know it, it will be full on winter. And then spring. And then summer... and then wow. How time flies. I know I will be doing everything I can to embrace all of these amazing moments in this lovely life of mine.