Vacation Life

Typically I am not too fond of laundry, but after our trip to the coast every pocketful of fine sand, every sock with bits of shell stuck to it, reminds me of what a wonderful vacation we just had.  The backpack full of rotten-fishy smelling clothes didn't inspire wonderful memories...it kinda made me crabby!  After we had been crabbing I told the kiddos to put their clothes in the laundry pile.  Eric, in his typical fashion lately, must have missed the memo and shoved his stinky clothes deep into his pack to flavor the laundry room house upon our return to Montana.  Mmmmm, it smelled so good, or horrendous as the case may be.  We may need to throw that backpack away....which makes me wonder, "Why haven't I seen that pack come through the laundry yet?"

It is probably sitting in his room, which would explain the strange odor in that area the last couple days.  Oh dear, I need to be more on top of these things. 

Our vacation was wonderful.  It wasn't quite the same without Daddy, but I still let the kiddos have ice cream cones for breakfast at the Tillamook Cheese Factory!

Watching our favorite cheese be packaged ~

We haven't been crabbing before; this time we tried it out with Grandpa, Uncle Joey, Stacy, Michaela, Eric, Katherine, and Joshie.  I must say, it was fun!  While Uncle Joey's luck was less than spectacular, together we brought home enough crab for dinner.

Another day, Grandma took us into Seaside to ride the surreys.  Of course we got the largest one and tootled around town for an hour, only taking one ice cream break.  Yes, ice cream is a theme in our family ~ if you skip breakfast, eat ice ice cream ~ if you are feeling fatigued from too much vacation, eat ice cream ~ if it is hot, eat ice cream ~ if it is cold, eat ice cream ~ If  there is ice cream available, eat ice cream ~ Grandpa D. would be so proud!

Besides that we spent a ton of time plopped on the beach burying our toes in the sand.  We were blessed with warm weather which is not often the case on the Oregon coast.  Michaela, Kath, Eric & Joshie could not get enough of riding the waves, boogie boarding, body surfing, skim boarding, swimming over the swells.  Even Nickles got into the water.  He is a bit of an adrenaline junkie for such a small squirt.  I'd hold him while we'd crash through a wave, but before the water was even wiped from his eyes he was scanning the surface for another "good one" to which I could not get to quick enough for him!

Some people have a difficult time finding sand dollars ~

That is not our bane!

Ahhhh, more creatures to discover ~

It appears as though Joshie has great form in this pic, 

til one notices he is not actually riding the board!

Who knew a flat round board could be so much fun ~

Now if Daddy would have been along 

we would have come home with a lot more blackberries ~

Happy Birthday Stacy!

Making Joshie's birthday breakfast ~

And even more of God's creation!

Is it time to go home yet???

Hermit crab ~

Sunshine !!!

Does life get any better than the Seaside Candyman?

Doesn't everyone want to run across a beach into someone's open arms?

So we were trying to get pics of the kids in nice clothes,

Alas, little boys just don't  often cooperate in the picture department.

Dom kinda looks like he's surfin'

Woohoo...boogie boards and sunshine ~

Unlce Joey taught me how to face paint....

....with frosting ~

Helping one another eat ~

First Pierce.....

....Then Nickles

Bed jumping is new to my kiddos ~

All we have are bunk beds at home 

And if you've ever tried jumping on a bunk bed......

Happy Birthday to Josh ~

I just like this picture ~

And the bakery...well it was divine ~

The Beach

The Oregon coast is probably not everyone's idea of a wonderful vacation, but we LOVE it.  Shannon is sending me and the cherubs out there for a week with my parents and a few of the aunties and uncles while he stays home and works.

Ahhhhh, I cannot wait to sit in the sand and count the waves.  I'm not sure exactly what it is but the cathartic effect of the ocean refreshes me.  I am excited, too, for an adventure with just me and the kids.  Shannon keeps threatening to go and while I would love for him to be with us, it's exciting to be setting off across three states by myself.  Hopefully, the drive will be quick and the kiddos will sleep most of the way!

Anniversary

Yesterday Shannon & I celebrated 19 blissful years of marriage.  Okay, I jest, it has been hard work. There have been good times and not-so-good times, but the good times make it all so very worth it!

We were blessed to spend the evening with some friends on the lake.  The evening exemplified our married life.  We were floating down the river, the sky was spectacular, the air had cleared and was no longer smokey, it was the perfect temperature, when in the blink of an eye (and I mean that quite literally) the evening changed to stormy.
Like white caps, water spouts, wind, rain, crazy stuff!
It was perfectly fitting for our anniversary evening ~ that's our marriage ~ that's our life.
Calm, almost lulls a person to sleep, when out of nowhere a curve ball comes flying in.
The sailing may be a bit wild for a while, but it's always exciting.

Thanks for the wonderful ride...I mean life!
You are the BEST!