Lake Chelan

Back in April we went on a mini vacation to Lake Chelan.  It's east of us in WA but to be honest, most things are east of us.  The Man was going to present his thesis paper at the regional conference of the history honor society that he was (is?) apart of.  Since none of us had ever been we all wanted to tag along.

Sunday Lunch In The Park

The weather was gorgeous this weekend here in the PNW. We wanted to take advantage of it so we had a picnic at a local park after church on Sunday.  It was wonderful!

The Man cooked lunch

Slide

One of Munchkin’s most favorite things in the whole wide world is going down the slide.  She loves it.  I think she loves the wind in her face…she’s such as adrenaline junkie.  It’s pretty rainy in the spring here in the PNW.  This past March broke the record with the amount of rainfall we had.  With all that rain we didn’t get to the playground all that often.  A friend had given us a little tykes plastic slide last year and it was sitting out on the porch in the rain.  She was standing at the sliding door saying “bye-bye!” and “wee!” So I decided to bring the slide in the house and dry it off.  Why I didn’t think of this sooner is beyond me.  She LOVES having the slide in the house.  It keeps her happy so it keeps me happy!

 

This is one happy girl!

April’s 10 Things To Smile About

I’m linking up over at EmmyMom to her monthly meme 10 Things to Smile About.  She started it after a hard month to remind herself that there are always things to smile about.  I totally agree with her and love linking when I remember. 

Here are the things that made me smile this month:

1. Munchkin.

How can this little girl not make me smile? Even when she’s cranky she’s my sunshine girl!

 

2.  The Man

I love this man so much! I love how he takes care of me.  I love how much he loves his daughter.  Is there anything better than a daddy spending time with his daughter? It melts my heart every time.

 

3. Visit from my In-Laws

We had a great weekend when they visited!  Our day in Seattle was fun as was just hanging out at our house.

 

4. Starbucks.

YUM!

5.  Candy Crush Saga

I should have taken the advice of @molly_danger and NOT downloaded this game.  It’s so addicting as I’m sure many of you know! It does make me smile, especially when I beat a level that I’ve been stuck on! I’m currently stuck on level 92. GGGRRRR.

6. Grilling

We can and do grill year round here in the PNW.  We’ve been our of propane for months now and kept forgetting to get more. We FINALLY did and we’ve been grilling up a storm! Hot dogs/brats, hamburgers, steaks…all of it is so yummy!

 

7.  The Sun and Warmer Weather

The sun has started to make an appearance here in the PNW.  It even hit 70 a day or two last week and it looks like it might later this week too.  The sun makes me smile real big.  Give me some vitamin D please!  I also like being able to sun Munchkin’s dipes.

 

8.  The Garden

Warmer weather means it’s garden time!  I’m not very good at growing things but I enjoy having a garden.  It’s a little late but I’m excited to get some stuff planted!

 

9.  Blogging

I’m blogging again and loving it!  Some days it is a struggle but for the most part it’s flowing again.  I had a great time participating in the Ultimate Blog Party ‘13 hosted by 5 minutes for Mom this month, as well as linking up for Menu Planning Monday.  Link ups might not be super fun for all my readers to read but they help me stay blogging. 

 

10.  My Parents 35th Wedding Anniversary

My parents have been married for 35 years this month. Or well, they would have been, if my dad was still with us.  Even though the day was sad since he’s not with us anymore, remembering Dad makes me smile.  My parents had talked about taking an Alaskan cruise for their 35 wedding anniversary for YEARS.  So while my parents are not able to take it together, my mom decided that she still wanted to go.  We both agree that dad would want her to go! Since it’s no fun to go on a cruise alone, I graciously offered to go with her (I know, no noble and self sacrificing of me!)  We’ll be going later this year.  Knowing that the trip is coming and that we’ll be able to celebrate their marriage made me smile. The photo is from their 25th wedding anniversary party. 

Linking up at:

April Friday Fill In

I know it’s Thursday and I have this up a day early.  Don’t forget to head over to Wife of a Sailor to link up and read more!  Tomorrow I’ll be partying with the Ultimate Blog Party.  I hope you’ll join in for both!

1. What’s one thing in the past month you would have changed?

At the moment I can’t think of anything but I’m sure there’s something…

2. What was your favorite thing that happened in March?

Easter! It was a great day.  Service, breakfast and the egg hunt at church were amazing, as was having Munchkin go through her basket from Nana and us.

3. What are you looking forward to in April?

I’m hoping it will really be spring in the PNW! Leaves are starting to appear on the trees, the cherry trees are blooming and flowers are popping up everywhere.  I’m hoping for some sunshine!

4. What is your favorite thing about Spring?

Sunshine and new life in the form of flowers and leaves on the trees!

5. What is your ultimate guilty pleasure?

Right now it’s taking peanut butter and Nutella and nuking it for 30 seconds to a minutes.  Mix it up and it makes a great dip.  Apples, bananas, animal crackers…so yummy!

Spring Growth

Our garden is growing...

Apple tree

Molly enjoys walking in the garden

Friday Afternoon

It's a gorgeous Friday afternoon here in the Pacific Northwest.  The sun is shining and I think we've *finally* reached 70 degrees.  If we didn't than it's pretty close!

Our view

I'm enjoying the sunshine while sitting on the deck with a content puppy beside me.  The sun is warm and the breeze keeps me from getting to hot.  I'm perfectly comfortable in shorts and a tank top.  The tide is out so I'm enjoying a view of mud flats.  The lilacs are blooming and smell heavenly.  Pandora is cranking out some great tunes and the birds are busy twittering in the background.  Life is good.  The ONLY thing that would make it better is if The Man was home.

I got to talk to him yesterday so that's the next best thing.  He's working hard and is getting done what he needs to get done.  He's almost ready to do the boards for his qualification.  He's enjoying being out since it's been awhile.  This short separation has reminded both of us about the strength of our relationship.  While we prefer to be together we can both function when we're alone.  We miss each other a lot but we're not pining away.

The Man has hit 6 months of sobriety.  He's doing really well.  He's realizing more and more just how the alcohol was affecting him.  He's gaining insight and clarity as well as confidence and strength.  With every day that passes he is realizing that he can do this.  I'm so proud of him!

How did you spend your Friday afternoon?

Crazy

I think most of the country is having crazy weather.  I say this based on my friend's facebook statuses...that makes it a fact, right?  Well, western WA is any different.  It was raining/hailing when I got up at 8 and was finished by 8:45ish.  The sun came out and it looked glorious out.  Perfect day for a walk, which is what I had planned.  I got the phone call from the fearless leader of the mom's group I attend (I know I don't have kids but they let me go anyway!) to let me know that the walk was still planned.  Perfect!

On the way back

Miss Molly & I are ready to go so we head to Clear Creek, where we're meeting our friends.  On the way it starts to rain.  We don't live that far away...only about 10 miles?  And between my house the Clear Creek we lost the sun and gained rain.  When I arrived some of us were already there, bundled up with umbrellas and raincoats.  We weren't going to let a little rain stop us!  We got on our way once everyone was there.  It was raining a little but nothing that would make us all melt.   We walked along the road part and Miss Molly was loving it.  Since there was no one else around I let her off her leash.  She loved chasing after her tennis ball!  As we got to the trail part the skies opened up.  We decided to turn around and thankfully a friend let me borrow an umbrella since I didn't bring one (or my raincoat!)  We're getting soaked and decide to go to McDonald to play there.  By the time we get to the cars and some of us have left, the rain has stopped and the sun is starting to come out.  Really?  By the time I got to Micky D's it was sunny. I think that if we kept walking it would have kept raining but since we turned back it decided to stop.  

All that running and rain must have worn Molly out...she's currently sleeping on the sofa snoring.  Snoring=Happy puppy!

How's the weather in your neck of the woods?

PS.  I didn't take that photo...my friend Joycers did...gotta love cell phone pictures!