Highlights

I'm not sure where to begin... which is exactly why I have not updated this blog for sooooooo long. So I'm going to skip most everything and just give you a couple of highlights. So not in order, but here are some of the past year's happenings (I remembered that for some reason blogging while using mozilla, I can't move pictures around ---arrrggghh--- but my internet explorer isn't working.) Above: Halloween 2010, Below: Talia started Kindergarten!


Trip to the Portland children's museum in Feb:

Ammon's 9th birthday, trip to zoolights with bestie Erik
Trip to Utah at Christmas, sledding:
Santa at Ferncrest tree farm:
Ooops how did this get down here?? Halloween 2010:
Victoria, BC with Gina Louise in April:
Easter:
House is on the market and we're moving to Illinois! (whether the house sells or not.) Russ is starting a 3 year residency in Pathology at the U of I.
Double Birthday party:


BJ attended Sonshine preschool-- here he is with his teacher Tammy:
I took up a new hobby, woodturning. Here is BJ with my first completed project:

I'd like to say I'll keep up better with blogging in the future, but that's not likely. I will go for the occasional update and photo.

Oh Canada!

Apparently I loaded part of the pics for this post a long time ago but them never got to posting them. Well here they are, our trip from last summer. We had a big family party/reunion to celebrate my Baba's 90th birthday! Best time ever!

Cruise-- Last day!

Last day on the ship! I took a few pictures of around the ship, since I hadn't really done that. The pool above was on the aft deck, and never used. They did hold a polar bear plunge there, but I'm pretty sure the water is heated, so I don't really see the point! And yes, those are cows. Below is our room. Little but very comfortable.
The middle of the ship had this big organ that would play a couple times a day. In fact, the whole ship had a music theme for decor and such.
We didn't do a whole lost with our day other than eat eat eat, and relax and read some more. That evening was our final port call in Victoria, BC. We decided to hire a rickshaw to take us in to town.
Then we just walked the streets and saw what there was to see. It really wasn't a great time for a port call (7pm to 12am) because many things were closed. But hey, we saw this fabulous violin-playing darth vader. Ah, the sights of Victoria.
Then the spectacular whale-shaped bush.
The capitol building was beautifully lit. I kind of like the handsome guy in the picture, too.
Unicycling fire juggler. Enough said.
Then this-- I just don't know what to think about our last towel animal. Did they want to leave us guessing? Did they run out of time to make a real animal (I know they could make a lot more-- we went to a demonstration on how to make them.) Any guesses on what it is supposed to be??
And that's all folks. Who am I kidding. That's all????? It was the BEST vacation ever. What a way to celebrate 10 years of a fabulous marriage. I am so grateful to Russell's mom for coming out to watch the kids. Already thinking about what cruise to take for our 15th.

Cruise Day 6

Ah, Ketchikan. I didn't really see much of it, actually. We spent nearly the entire time there doing a shore excursion. It was well worth it though. Nothing says "Alaska" like soaring thru the treetops, right? It was so much fun!! A little scary when they tell you that all these tall tall trees are supported by just 3 feet of topsoil though. Here is a view of where we were going to go up to, taken from below (that itty bitty platform you can see just above the treeline.)
There was also a suspension bridge we got to cross. Fun!



Zip zip zip!!

Oh yes, I am happy.
At the end we repelled down from a platform, and then went down this very steep very long slide. Which we were assured by our guides was the most dangerous part of the whole tour.
That night we had the pleasure of wearing silly chef hats, watching the wait staff perform the "napkin ballet," were accompanied by a lady dressed like a salad, and generally just had a silly good time.

Following that we went to the Dessert Extravaganza. It certainly was extra-vaganza. There were at least a hundred different cakes and pies and fruit carvings and ice sculptures. After they allowed some time just for pictures, then we gorged ourselves on all those yummy desserts.



And here's our monkey man. Good night and one more day to go!