Bye to Jessica & Dad's birthday

My friend Jessica is embarking on a new adventure-grad school in Indiana, so we got together Saturday night to say goodbye. We went to Chopsticks, where I sang karaoke for the first time! I don't know how I have never sang before! We sang a Gwen Stefani song and we were terrible! It was fun though!
Jen and Jessica

Amber and I.

Good luck Jessica! I know you'll be great!
Sunday after Austin came over and helped us with all our moulding we headed to my parents' to celebrate my Dad's 63rd birthday. We had a grilled cheese sandwich bar, which was delicious!
My Grandma and Rick enjoying the deck and nice weather

The weird wisteria pods hanging from their pergola

Hibiscus in the garden

My Dad's annual vegetable garden

Sunflowers

Behind my parents property their friend is growing all kinds of beautiful flowers. It was fun to walk the rows and take pictures of all the different kinds.

The beautiful farmland in Damascus

Close up of Crocosmia, one of my faves

A fuzzy purple one

And after dinner, home made peach pie and ice cream for the birthday boy!

My Dad's actual birthday is next Sunday, the 23rd, but since we share our anniversary with that day, we won't be around, we're headed to Bend!
Happy birthday Dad, we love you!

For Vesta!

We saw Rick's family the other night, and his Grandma, Vesta, remarked she hadn't seen any pictures of the house in awhile. I forget that not everyone has Facebook, which is where I put most of my kitchen pictures up, via cell phone! So here are a few pictures I took today. Our friend Austin came over again and helped us put in the cabinet toekicks and the moulding in around the floor and doors.
Showing the moulding around the laundry room door (which I think I'll eventually paint white). We still need to put the handles on all our cabinets.

Moulding in the dining area. I couldn't get any further back because our old fridge is in the middle of the room. I'm selling it, if you know anyone that needs one...

I just realized I don't have a decent picture from before of this wall, which is too bad. Showing the toekicks and everything all put together. We still need to backsplash tile this wall above the cabinets.

Not that we're quite ready for before and after pictures, but I thought I'd throw this one in for you...
Kitchen before

Kitchen now! I think I'll put in some shelving between the two cabinets when it's all done.

Kitchen before

Kitchen now. Amazing isn't it?

A close up of the backsplash. We still need to put a thin bullnose layer of tile around the top, then grout it. I think I'll do a dark grey grout to match the countertops.

That is all for now, I hope that brings you up to speed! We will actually very soon be 100% done with the bathroom so I'll get some before and after pictures of that up soon.
We are headed to my parents to celebrate my Dad's birthday this afternoon. Enjoy the sun!

Camping at Wallowa Lake

Some of my girl friends and I were able to camp at Wallowa Lake this last weekend, over in Eastern Oregon. Here it is, almost mid-August, and this is the first real summer type thing I've done! I was really glad to get away, but it went by WAY too fast. We tried to pick somewhere central, so Becky could come meet us from Boise. Wallowa was a good choice location-wise, but I wish that we weren't in a regular campsite so we could have been noisy to our hearts content. The forecast called for rain, but we didn't get one drop, so we lucked out!
Here's the pics!
Amy and I leaving Troutdale

Somewhere on our way, singing some good tunes!

Once we arrived, setting up camp in the dark

Adam and I bought this tent after we got married, thinking we'd have a big family to fill it someday...who knew I would end up using it to house 6 girls? It fits 3 queen size air mattresses! It is truly ginormous!

Brianne is always great about bringing us treats...usually from St. Cupcake!

Naming all the cupcake flavors for Lindsey, who came all the way from Salt Lake City

Amy showing us her sweet outfit from Goodwill

A cupcake cheers

Cupcake bliss...

Campfire

Shannon's awesome towel from El Salvador-the last supper!

Early the next morning, Lindsey and I not quite ready to get out of bed

Shannon's famous bacon weavings

Lucy, the cutest camping chihuahua around

Shannon and her fanciness

we had a creek running through our campsite

There are TONS of deer around the lake, and people feel the need to feed them. I got pretty mad a few times at people's stupidity, including letting their toddlers touch the deer.

There's three of them in this pic...

Can you see me?

Mountains

Shannon down by the lake

Beautiful!



Amy showing us another Goodwill find-a Pendleton Round Up jacket!

Lindsey at campfire

Brianne and I had a chubby bunny contest

However, it wasn't much of a contest. I won with 10 mallows :)

We had a visitor in our campsite...

He didn't get any scraps at our table

When Becky was 8, she was actually "attacked" by a deer at Wallowa Lake. She started walking away from one, and it put its front hooves on her shoulder, and as she ran away it ran with her.
This is their reenactment of it...

Saying our goodbyes!

That's it for now! I'll get some house pics up soon!

Urine Trouble!

Last week Rick's kickball team won team of the week. They're called Urine Trouble and since many of his teammates are in the medical field, they drink out of (new, clean) hospital urinals.
You can't miss Rick in his American flag bandanna, and women's running shorts.
Good times.