3 Year Anniversary

So yesterday we celebrated our 3 year anniversary. Can't beleive it's been 3 years but it also feels like it's been more than 3 years. :)

We are truly happy and enjoy doing things together and we also enjoy doing nothing together - especially when the weather is bad - we totally love laying in bed or on the sofas watching TV in front of the fire or playing games.

We went to "Jake's" downtown - the one on 10th and Alder - the one on 12th doesn't have my favorite dessert - it's a warm chocolate cake with warm chocolate inside with vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate drizzled on the plate and lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar. YUM!

The food is always fantastic, the service is always great - even though it's a bit on the fancy side - the staff is down to earth. The steak is always tender and flavorful and done just right (yes that means well done for me LOL). They also had menus for us that said, "Happy Anniversary" across the inside. (they print the menus daily) We have both been sooo busy that we haven't taken the time to go out and sit and have a 2 hour dinner - we both needed to relax and enjoy each other. We had a nice table for 2 by the front window near a corner - so we had privacy and also got to watch the interesting characters of Portland.

Family photo at our wedding - we got married in Vegas with just us and our kids. It was a great time. Brandon and I were laughing so hard at the lady doing the ceremony - she did something funny - for some reason I don't remember what it was - but it was hilarious! We all had a good time. We are truly blessed to have such great kids.
Yes this is the same picture as above - it's not easy to remove a picture - oh well. :)

Above - we took an ATV tour that went through the dessert and came out on the beach - it was beautiful! You can't swim in it though - the currents are too strong - you will die. It's where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean.

The next one is taken from our room - it was a nice place - great service - great pool - we took the bus into town a few times - it was fun!

The last one is us at our favorite restuarant in Caso San Lucas - yes over Cabo Wabo. The margaritas were amazing - the food was good - they bring the meat in from California. Our favorite waiter was Omar - very nice young man.

BBQ at the Spains

So let me give you some backgroungd- Curt and I live in a development - first time for both of us. We've had empty lots - 3 on one side and 2 on the other. When ground broke on one of the lots we kind of grumbled about the contractors showing up at 7 am on Saturdays and making all kinds of racket. We had gotten used to not having any immediate neighbors. Well - Dennis and Leslie bought the house and we have become the best of friends. We have get togethers at each others houses and thier kids (Alex & Anna) - we are pretty close - we can be our selves around each other. Long story short - we will not complain about new houses being built - ya never know - they could turn out to be good friends.

That leads me to explain these pictures - they were taken at Alex & Anna's house in Portland. They were so kind to invite us to their place for a BBQ. We had a great time! Dylan had a really good time - he didn't actually fall into the ice chest - he really liked sitting in the ice chest and playing with it's contents. Dylan got filthy dirty and he loved every minute of it!!

Brandon, Dylan, Suzanne, Curt, Emily, Dennis, Leslie with Alex and Isabella in the back. Anna was taking the picture.

Road Trip - Canada

Some of you know that I am pretty wrapped up in my tribe - politically and culturally. Dancing, singing and drumming with friends and family is awesome! I can't explain it - but the songs are still in my head from the weekend before.

Mom and I went to Duncan, British Columbia (Canada) the 2nd and came back late on the 4th. We went there for the final days of the annual Tribal Journeys - and for the beginning of the North American Indigenous Games. Anybody can go really - but we were invited guests of our friend, Edgar Charlie aka Hanaquii, Chief of Ahousat (Canadian Coastal Tribe). We had a blast. The license plates say "Beautiful British Columbia" and they really mean it - it is beautiful! The ferry rides were amazing - we had nice warm weather - blue skies - beautiful water. We took our drums on deck for the 1 1/2 hour ferry ride. We quietly played our favorite songs and without knowing it - we apparently drew a crowd. Part of that crowd were 4 Army Officers who just returned from Iraq. They were very nice and very respectful. We ended up taking pictures of each other. We also sang them an honor song - to thank them for their service.

I told them I would post this picture on my blog so here it is. :) What can we say - we make friends easily.


So we get to this little town and started to look for the place we were going to camp. We pulled into the area - which has thousands of people running around and we drove right up to Edgar. It was funny but I guess you had to be there. We spent time sitting around chatting etc. then drove around to look for friends in the dark. Came across the Blue Heron Camp - which is the Snoqualmie Canoe. Anyhow - ran into friends there - ended up drumming some more. Fun!

Next day was the Parade for the opening of the Games - we had to be bussed across town - where we lined up. The parade was really fun - an overwhelming feeling from the crowds. Lots of cameras and video cameras - we kind of felt like celebrities LOL. We lined up with our host - Ahousat - and what an experience - their singers are amazing. We drummed, sang and danced for quite a ways - not sure how far - but I can tell you that I lost weight because it was so hot and I had on my dance blanket - which in itself is hot. Part of the experience.

So here's mom, me and Hanaquii (Edgar Charlie). We were in line for the parade.

It's really hard to describe it - there were really thousands of people there - look into the big screens to get an idea - that is just part of the seating area for the athletes.

Ok - so up above is me and Haliqui ( Ralph Edgar) doing a social dance - ya so he didn't tell me he had a bad back - he paid for it the next day - but we had fun.

The one just above is us at the end of the Potlatch - we were all happy since we had a great time.

There are a bunch more pictures to share and stories to tell - I think I've rambled on enough for now. I could go on and on.

Missing The Kids......

So I guess it's been a while since I posted - we have been super busy. We've had several house guests lately which is cool. Family and friends. Got to see our friend Cami & Talon for 2 nights and about 2 days so that was cool - it had been a while since we had seen Talon so we really enjoyed it.

It's really been hard having the 'kids' gone - we really miss them. We totally got used to having them so close! We know that it feels good to be home and their home is in Phoenix. :) We will get to see Brandon from time to time when he travels on business - been trying to talk him into bringing Dylan but it is hard to travel with a small child. We hope he brings him soon!

We've really been missing Vanessa!!!! If you don't know - she is my youngest and she is living in Cathedral City - which is next to Palm Springs. She love love loves it there! I'm so happy for her - I miss her but I am happy that she is happy. Everyday she wakes up to a beautiful day! She loves both of her jobs and totally loves playing soccer for the college. She also coached soccer this summer - about 100 kids a week and all on the same day. Go Vanessa! As you can see she is totally stunning! I miss her soo much! I am going to go down and see her and go to her soccer game - not sure when exactly - but I can't wait!

So the eldest daughter Savannah lives here with me and Curt - so we get to see her all the time which is nice. She's doing good - working close by. It's especially nice to have her here since Curt is out of town for a few days every other week or so. This house seems really big and empty when nobody else is here.

Remember When??

Do you remember when?

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! If we're only blogging friends, write about a post that is most memorable.

2. Next, post these instructions on your blog and see how many people have a fun memory of you. It's pretty fun to see the responses.

3. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. :)

Can't wait to read your memories!