Happy Birthday Sean

This day 23 years ago changed my life forever.

Changed it in so many ways that all of my 24 year old wisdom could never know.

All the books I read...

All the research I did...cause you know I don't do anything without research.

None of it could ever prepare me for the adventures that awaited.

We waded through it you, Dad and I...

None of us really knowing what the heck we were supposed to be doing.

Your brothers benefitted from our gaining wisdom but there's something magical about the first time.

To celebrate you life today I'd like to share a few memories from the past.

Some of these older ones aren't the greatest scans.




I think you are a little over a year old on this one. I didn't have a date on it but I know that you started walking at 13 months. You spoke in complete sentences at 11 months.

We thought it was normal....what did we know?

Tom Cruise had nothin on you.


September of 1990- Four years old here at Camp Pendleton...probably talkin boats.


October of 1990- Four again...Arik is 2.5...Collin fresh from the oven.


Spring of 1993 - Not too long before we moved from Oceanside. This is at the Oceanside Harbor near our house. Sean is 6, Arik just turned 5, Collin is 2.5, Dylan is about 8 months.


Spring of 1998?- First year of 4-H. Sean and some of his show bunnies. I think those are Arik's feet in the corner with the bat.


May of 2000- 14 years old at Floras


July of 2004 - 17 Years old. Collin is 13. Port of Brookings Harbor.


June of 2009. Floras Lake.


Happy Birthday!

Thanks for the memories,

Mom

Fall Chores

It's that time again.

Time to stock the woodshed for winter.

It's one of the Fall chores that the guys don't seem to mind.

It involves power equipment and throwing heavy things around.

Guys like that kind of thing.

It's one of the odd and mysterious things I've learned during my life in guyland.

This is a good thing.

We heat all winter with our woodstove and I ...the user of the wood...do not want to risk the possibility of running short.

Cath

The Perks

The kids at BHHS have some crazy long trips for sporting events.

Last Tuesday Dylan's soccer team had their closest possible road trip.

A mere hour and a half...that's as good as it gets.

I hit the road for that one since it was ....well so close.

Also because it's up the coast from us...a coastal drive the whole way... and there's a good chance you will get to something that will take your breath away.

Something like this.


Or this.


And I can crank up the volume on whatever my current audio book is for an hour and half each way.

Gotta love that.

Cath

Let The Games Begin

First I need to take care of a little old business....

In my last post I said that Hero never responded to my email and I was wishing for a grown up version of theYummi Bears.

Well on Sunday... so two days after the post... I opened a new box of Yummi Bears Omega 3-6-9...and in the box was a sample.

A sample of their new Slice of Life chewable vitamins for adults.

Oh happy day.






On to new business...

Soccer season started up for us this week in earnest.

Saturday the Bruins opened with a non league game against a tough Pheonix High team.

We played them pre-season last year and had an idea of what to expect.

They usually figure into the playoff rounds so it's a good time to get a measuring stick of what's ahead.

These next two photos were taken by my friend Michelle McCormick...thanks Michelle for paying attention when I wasn't.

I get distracted easily.






It was a little rough.


It was a little ugly.

It made Dylan's white socks really dirty.

I had to wash them twice...first game... and it wasn't even raining.

#8 on the right was Dylan's "buddy" all day. That look on his face right there kinda tells ya how that went. That's his nice look.

We lost that one 4-0.

It was really valuable in finding our weak spots... which weren't as many as it sounds by the score...and most of all having field time as a team. These guys haven't had much time to mesh so being able to get some of that out of the way preseason against a challenging team is really helpful.



Dylan wanted to put that one behind as soon as possible.

Once the team got through watching the films he didn't want to talk about it.

Didn't want to see pictures of it.

Done.

Gone.


Tuesday was a whole new season.

The beginning of league play.


Toward the end of Tuesday's game the team started to really click.


The defense held strong and the offense started to get a feel for each other.


Passes started connecting and they started to just know where each other would be.


It wasn't so much about the score for this game.


It was about getting game time together and working out the kinks.

The Bruins won 6-0.

Today they go on the road to Pacific High School.

Pacific never gives away anything easily.

I'll be heading up to watch and take more photos.

It keeps me from screaming crazy things.

Cath

Not Much

Just a quickie post this week.

Not that we didn't do anything...

We did.

Sunday we went to OSU for a Men's soccer double header.

It was raining off and on though and I opted not to take the camera out.

That and Dylan was giving me the evil eye.

Every now and then he'd rather not have me behind the camera, snapping away.

And every now and then it's nice to just sit back and enjoy the day.

But then I usually regret it.



Like now.

I have no pictures to show.

No pictures of OSU smokin Cal Bakersfield 4-0.

No pictures of the hardcore OSU soccer fans.

No pictures of us chomping peanuts while rain dampened.

I'm sure you are all bummed out about missing that.



And Dylan's birthday was on Tuesday... which totally caught me off guard after the long weekend.

Yes, my baby turned 17.

It's just not right.

And between his needing to be at school at 7a.m. for a meeting, practice after, and homework. I hardly even got a chance to sing.

We all know it's just not a birthday without the singing.

We barely squeezed it in along with a Fresh Blackberry Cake

It got the stamp of approval that night...and every night the rest of this week.

It was big.

Any how...no pictures that either.

I know... such a slacker.




The entire week this was the only picture I took.

And only because it struck me as odd. I don't think we've ever had peaches, asian pears and apples all at the same time.

The peaches were late.

The apples were early.

And the Asian pears are barely worth talking about. That right there is about all we got.

I was going to crop that photo so you wouldn't have to see all the junk on my counter but then I decided to keep it real.

I mean the stuff piled on your counter tells a lot about a family.

Those Yummi Bears? I send kids off to college with those Yummi Bear vitamins.
We love them.

I once emailed Hero and suggested they make a version for teens so that we wouldn't have to go thru so many.

They never responded.

Emergen-C keeps us pluggin along when the germs get outa hand in the world.

Those little yellow pads I have everywhere. I would be another person entirely if the world had no little yellow pads.

That wooden box Collin made for me when he was about 12.

You can't see it there but he engraved "Mom's Box" on the lid.

It rocks.


And finally our green house tomatoes.

Not as prolific as last year but yummy all the same.

I promise to do better this week on the phots so you won't be subjected to ramblings about what's on my counter again.



So what's on your counter?

Cath

Thankful

It was one of those weeks.

I started out the week tired, grouchy, and not wanting to give up summer so soon.

The gray skies didn't help.

I wasn't ready to give up Dylan for the better part of the day.

Not gonna stop wearing my summer stuff.

Not gonna, not gonna.

In fact I'll wear my flip flops and walking shorts amid the gray skies just to prove it.

Ya, it was that kind of week.



About Wednesday though, I got tired of my grouchy self.

Which probably means everyone else was tired of it around Monday.

Thursday morning I opted to head down to the port and sip my coffee there.

It never fails to make me feel better to be where I can smell and hear the sea.

I don't know why I don't choose it more often.

Even this time I had to have a reason.

I got a new polarizing filter for my camera and wanted to try it out.


I left feeling upfilted and motivated to choose thankfulness.

As I uploaded images from this week the awesomeness was everywhere.





I am thankful for garden abundance and a cute boss/hubby who doesn't mind when I do things like make these labels in Photoshop....and blog...on company time...


And points out things like this sunrise sky to me...even when i am am grumpy.


I am thankful for the time I have with Dylan every day.

I am thankful for the teachers, coaches, friends and community members who inspire, challenge, and cheer for our kids and try to make even the first day of school a little better.


I am thankful for my new polarizing filter. I have struggled with beach shots for a year now knowing this is what I needed.

These two are SOOC (straight out of camera - no photo editing) I have some vignetting going on here in the corners... only with the wide angle shots tho

This zoomed in shot I don't see it... I did have a lens hood on. Next time I'll try it without.


I am thankful to live in a place where it seems God spent a little extra time gifting us all.




A place that makes me stop and breathe.


I am thankful for long weekends that bring kids home from schools near and far and provides a chance for some extra fun.

I am thankful to celebrate my Mom's birthday this week.
Thankful for her call this morning on her way out the door... just to let me know that she got my package yesterday and how much she loved it... yup that's my Mom... She still knows how to make my day.

Thankfully,

Cath