Mary's Stuff

Mommy's best Christmas present EVER!

2012-01-27T06:43:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve the boys had Mark and I open a gift. Our gift was Cari: no gift will ever top this. Ever.

Lunch date.

2012-01-21T08:09:00.001-08:00

I love having Fridays off. So, Mark took yesterday off and we took ourselves off into Portland to explore. We first went to the Portland Art Museum. Haven't been there for years and loved it. Very few folks there, so perfect time to go. Then we went to catch MAX to go to lunch at Portland City Grill. While waiting for MAX we watched while 'Occupy Portland' folks were demonstrating nearby. Very peaceful. Some signs, and a bit of dancing going on, for some reason. And let me just say lunch at PCG was GREAT! Wonderful views. Our waiter was prompt, attentive, and nice. Food was really good (and yes Mary Jo, I drank wine...who knew? But while their wine is normally rather expensive, at lunch it's only 5 dollars a glass....hmmmm...so I tried the most expensive, LOL!! And yes, it was good). And since Intel gave us a gift card, it was also free. Always love that. And we have enough on the card to go for lunch again. We're already looking forward to that. Fun date.

Have a heart.

2012-01-17T19:55:00.000-08:00

Hello one and all!

For Valentine's Day I decided that I would like to bake up a batch of heart shaped cookies and take them to the Ronald McDonald House so that the families could take them as gifts to their nurses and doctors.

While talking with Meg, who coordinates the volunteers at the House, we thought it would be a fun idea to go a bit further and put together gift bags so that the Moms and Dads could give them out not only to their nurses and doctors, but to their children as well. How fun is that?

Here's where you come in. Below is a list of items we'd love to have to get this show on the road. If you're interested send me an email, or a note in Facebook, and we can go from there. I'd like to have everything by February 11th, cause that's how I roll.

And some of the children are being treated at the Kartini Clinic, an eating disorder clinic. Since candy is out of the question for their gift bags the director of the program suggested small items like playing cards and stickers. Note: the House doesn't allow finger nail polish, or strong smelling lotions, in gift bags de to health issues of some of the kids staying there.

In the years I've been volunteering at the House I've seen how much families appreciate fun activities like this. And many of the famlies don't have the time, or the resourses, to go out and buy Valentine's Day gifts. This is an easy way to show someone you care. :)

Items:
Valentine's Day gift bags.
Valentines's Day candy, pencils, small toys, stickers, and such. Have fun with this!
Valentines. Hey, who doesn't like getting a Valentine from the heart?

Who says mascots can't play hockey?

2012-01-14T13:11:00.000-08:00

Mark and I met up with Bonnie and family for Mascot Night at the Winterhawks game last night. Fun! Lots of folks getting their pictures taken with mascots (and SOME with the dancers). The game was low scoring, 2 to 1, with the Winterhawks winning, but we always have a fun time at the games. Can't wait til the next one!

Blaze shows his hockey skills

2012-01-14T12:58:00.000-08:00

Blaze shows off his hockey skills: who knew?

2012-01-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

Steven was checking out the box they used to wrap Cari in for our Christmas gift. Kids never change: they always want to play with the box!!!

Dinner at Miss Deltas

2012-01-08T07:51:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday night we rounded up the kids (including Richard) and headed into Portland for dinner at Miss Deltas for a little taste of Southern cooking, a place Cari introduced us to. We had to wait a bit (and Cari wasn't thrilled since she'd made reservations), but once we sat the food was good, and the company the best.

Steven makes a friend

2012-01-04T17:11:00.000-08:00

Steven and our little guy. How LUCKY are we to have our family????

Christmas memories

2012-01-03T19:51:00.001-08:00

Ah, Christmas. The wonderful gift of opening the largest gift I ever received, and it was the best present ever: Cari home for the holidays! And having a full house for Christmas Eve dinner, with friends and family around. Loved that. Opening gifts is nice: family and friends are the best.

Grandmas ROCK!!!

2012-01-01T08:50:00.001-08:00

Decided I wanted a picture of the kids and their Grandma Jo. Took a while, but it was an idea whose time had come. Loving these. Loving these a lot.

More Christmas doings

2012-01-01T08:45:00.001-08:00

Lots and lots of hugging going on. And just regular ole family stuff. Not to be missed!!!

Christmas doings

2012-01-01T08:40:00.001-08:00

So much fun at Christmas: Cari home, we got to spend time with our family in Washington, and we got Richard to boot! What a wonderful family we have.

A walk

2011-11-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

Mark and I walked to Lamb's Thriftway, just for fun. The walk is on a busy street, but it's almost like walking in the country, it's almost rural. I really enjoy this walk, and I thought Mark should see it as well. Loved the unusual fence, and the Swedish Consul mailbox, as well as experiencing a 'little bit of Sweden'. This may be as close as I get!

Mommy meets a hedgehog

2011-11-20T12:07:00.000-08:00

I went to a party at my friend Tammy's home and her daugher has a hedgehog. I don't remember ever seeing a hedgehog in person before: may I have, maybe I haven't. But this was an excellent opportunity to pet one and he was rather brisly (for lack of a better term). I have to admit I liked meeting a hedgehog.

Boo!!

2011-10-29T07:27:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my first Friday off per my new shift. Loved it! They were showing all of the Halloween shows for Rosanne, and I really enjoy those, so I baked Halloween treats while watching them. FUN! My friend Jennifer found a fun cake to bake, and when I went to remove it from the bundt pan part of the cake remained in the darn pan....so I went ahead and frosted it and called it a 'scary cake'. Folks seemed to like it, thank goodness. I'll have to give it another go: maybe better luck next time. The House is all decorated for the holiday and I have a crush on the scarecrows. So darn cute.

Ballet shoes anyone??

2011-10-29T07:21:00.001-07:00

My friend Ksenyia, her daughter, and I went to a sale of no longer needed items from the Oregon Ballet. We got there right about the time it opened, and let me just say there were TONS of people there, and from listening to other folks it sounds like they opened the doors early. Geez. We saw folks coming out with bags and bags of stuff, and I have the feeling that lots of folks got lots of cool stuff. Darn. But we did find some shoes, bits and pieces of stuff, and I found some really cute Christmas ornaments that must have been for sale in their gift shop, they were marked at 15 dollars, and I got the three of them for a total of one dollar. Excellent! It was fun, interesting, and I was shocked at the crush of folks looking for deals. Wow.

It never gets old

2011-10-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

Mark and I decided last Saturday to go watch one of the 8th grade football games. They were playing at Tigard and so we took ourselves down there and watched ourselves some football. And Lire stayed home. We were laughing our heads off at her as we took off for football. What a strange little cat!!

California Dreaming

2011-10-16T10:07:00.001-07:00

I had a wonderful visit in California. See the 'pile of luggage'? That is art from unclaimed luggage at Sac airport. Pretty impressive. Linda and I drove to Old Sac from the airport and had lunch at Fannie Ann's, where Linda used to work. We hung out with Dad, John, Tom, and Lyndsey. We met with friends at the YCHS football game and had our picture taken with the mascot, the Honker. Yeah, a Honker. We went around town with Diana, see the memorial to our friends involved in the YCHS bus accident in 1976, surprised our friend Toni (so nice to see her), and showed Dad how to Skype And spending all day Sunday with my friends Linea and Tom was a highlight. How lucky am I that Linea and I are still good friends after all these years?? I'm looking forward to the next time I get to go down and hang out. I love my family and friends in YC!!!!!

Bits and pieces of Portland Half Marathon

2011-10-16T10:02:00.001-07:00

I had a great time at the Portland Half Marathon. The weather was perfect (just a light drizzle during parts of it, and that was excellent!), the crowds nice, and it was organized very well. I came in 104th of 184 for my age group, so next year my goal is to be in the top 100. And I know I can do it.

Portland Marathon

2011-10-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

Test.

2011-09-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

This is a test. Having issues copying pictures in my laptop at home. Seeing if it works on my work computer...and hey, if it works, enjoy a candid shot of the 'original' Old Spice Guy pouring corn flakes for Cari.

At the beach

2011-08-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

My last leg was the final leg and so I got to arrive at Seaside: I was NEVER to glad to see the ocean!! Everyone was there, and I was ready to clean up, use a REAL bathroom, and have a beer and some dinner. Yeah! It was fun relaxing, and getting a kick out of Shelia and her friends having a beer and 'smoking' candy cigarettes! And some guy was carrying around a giant corndog...it was so funny! And I ran into M J and some fellow Relayers there as well. Lots of money was made during Hood To Coast and Portland To Coast to kick cancer's butt. I was so glad about that. I was thrilled to be able to give M J a hug. After a good night's sleep (wonderful) we went out for breakfast and we noticed some of the porta potties heading out. 'thanks porta potties...you did your job. See you next year!'

Portand To Coast: what an adventure!

2011-08-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

Another PTC has come and gone and we had a great time! We got flowers from a young man who 'appreciated' the bras all over the van. Many appreciated our light up ta tas we wore when walking. We made a stop along one of the legs to provide support, and to redo the tape on some of the bras on our van (the dust of the road did it's damage), stopping at an area that shows Oregon's beauty. Seeing friends along the way. Getting a laugh out of the way other vans were decorated (and seeing the reactions to ours!), and there were a lot of other vans. And just enjoying being a part of PTC. Can't wait til next year!

Friends and music equal fun!

2011-08-13T21:35:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at the Grand Lodge today. Got a kick out of the amazing balloon creations the gentleman below was making. He was so good with everyone, and I loved his style. We hung out for several hours, listening to several bands, and enjoying being outside in the great Northwest. How lucky are we to get to live here???

A really fun day!!

2011-08-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

Mark and I went out to Grand Lodge in Forrest Grove to listen to some bands. Cari's friend Tim is in the band Ages & Ages, I enjoy listening to them on Youtube, so it was a real treat to hear them in person. The weather was a bit overcast, our waitress was funny and amazing, had a beer and some sweet potato fries, and people watching was very interesting. And we got to hang out a bit with Capi and Rob, and talk with Tim for a bit, so today was a wonderful, wonderful day!

Picnics equal fun.

2011-08-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

Mark and I had a great time at the RMH volunteer picnic. We hung out, Mark talked to a woman from the Netherlands and really enjoyed to her. Hula hoops, badmiton (how DO you spell that??), cute dogs, and lots of good food were on hand. Beautiful park, and lovely people. It doesn't get much better than this.

Meg ROCKS a hula hoop!

2011-08-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

Mark and I went to the Ronald McDonald House volunteer picnic. Meg, the volunteer coordinator at the East House where I volunteer gave a hula hoop a try and rocked it big time. You go girl!!

School days.

2011-08-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hanging out at Kennedy School in Portland. Going to School was never so much fun!! Loved hanging out with Megan and Dylan.

Walking and Walking and Walking...

2011-08-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

Been walking, getting ready for the quickly approaching Portland To Coast. Gonna be here before I know it! I decided to find a new path, so I walked down a road I've driven on for years, but have never walked it. Got to see the Scandinavian American Cultural and Community Center close up, and the very cute bus stop they put up. And there are signs on the bus stops, and I liked that someone wrote some quotes on one of them. And the trees: amazing. It was a great walk, with a couple of small hills, and I think I'll be doing this pretty much every night until PTC. Hang in there with me sunshine!

Beer Fest

2011-08-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

Mark and I tagged along with Steven and Jen to the Oregon Brew Festival in downtown Portland. WOW, was there a crowd!! Didn't think you could fit that many people in one place! We tried different beers (and yes, we were careful), and then we went to Hubers for happy hour, and part of the fun of Hubers is watching the making of your Spanish Coffee. Quite the show, and we had a wonderful time.

Dogs love to race!!! Fun times!!

2011-07-31T10:55:00.000-07:00

I went to a dog event in Aloha Saturday and had a blast watching some of the events. The dogs in this section were all having such a good time.

Relay...again....

2011-07-30T08:16:00.001-07:00

Some more pictures of Relay. Hanging out. Policemen walking. Cute kids. Autographed hockey stick (yea, go Winterhawks!). Tired husband. Husband and son at dinner the night after Relay (yea, John Barleycorns!). Good times.

Bouncy Houses can kick your butt!

2011-07-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

One of the last things we did when packing up for Beaverton Relay was to pack up a big ole bouncy house. And yes, I was helping, and then we thought someone should take some pictures. It's much harder than it looks! Those dang things are heavy! Bye bouncy house: see you next year!

Relay 2011 bits and pieces

2011-07-24T17:06:00.000-07:00

Deacon and his best bud.

2011-07-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

Found this picture on the older camera: LOVE how Deacon is so happy cuddling with his best friend.

Doug turns 21. Watch out Portland!!

2011-07-15T20:34:00.001-07:00

Doug talked to Cari today for about an hour: sounds like they had a great conversation and when Doug told Cari he wasn't sure where he wanted to go out for dinner she suggested Mexican food, and sure enough, that was a winner idea! We took Doug, Dustin, and Blake out. We talked and ate and had a great time. Happy 21st Birthday Doug. I can't believe you're growing up so fast.

Go Winterhawks!!!

2011-07-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

My friend Anita gave me one of her Winterhawks jerseys. It's rather large, but I don't care: go Hawks!!!

Lire says 'Hello' Cari

2011-07-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

Hey Cari: Lire says 'hello'.

Forest Grove

2011-07-09T22:31:00.001-07:00

Went and met Kathy, Charlie, and MJ at the Forest Grove Relay. On my way I stopped by Forest Grove Hospital: Cari was born there and I wanted to take a picture. It's such a small hospital, and they don't do births any longer, but that's a shame. It was such a wonderful place to have a baby. They were so sweet and I'm glad we had Cari there. Very special. I had a great time catching up with Kathy and MJ, and then I walked the track with Angie and Carol. Wonderful evening. Forest Grove Relay has an amazing spirit: I was very impressed!!!

Steven's New Car!

2011-07-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

Steven is now the proud owner of his first car. A Honda. He got a great deal on it, Hooper gave it a 'thumbs up', so now he's ready to roll.

4th

2011-07-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

Today has been a great day. Badmiton was played. Nick came over to visit before moving down to LA and pursure an acting career. We walked in a beautiful park, drinking an iced coffee, and just enjoying being out in the sunshine. Lovely way to spend the 4th of July!

Happy Birthday (late) Cari!!!!

2011-07-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 30th, Cari turned 30. My gosh, I've been a Mom for 30 years! We had a Relay planning meeting that night, so I brought CAKE! Cari, I'm so proud of you. You are one of the funniest, talented, clever, and loving people I know and I adore you. I miss you being closer, but I'm so glad you're out there experiencing life. I can't wait to see what this upcoming year brings you. I love you very much.

RCA

2011-06-18T22:35:00.000-07:00

Got myself a RCS video recorder. Trying out the picture aspect here....I like my cameral better for this, but it's fun to play around with!

Dinner with the kids

2011-06-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

Since Cari heads out for Amsterdam tomorrow we decided to have 'Dad's Day' early. So we all went out for dinner and it was wonderful! We had great food, compared arm hair, and in general had a wonderful time! I love, love, love my family.

Bampa discovers W&K

2011-06-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

Cari took Bampa and Grammy Jo on a tour of Weiden & Kennedy (Grammy Jo and I had been through it before). We saw 'the nest', one of her posters in the elevator, the amazing views from the upper floors, and a little bit of this and that. I think a good time was had by all. Thanks Cari!!

Graduation Day!!!

2011-05-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

Today was a very special day: Jennifer graduated from Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing. It was an overcast day, but thank goodness not too cold. Wasn't a bad day to sit outside for an event like this. We loved sitting with Jennifer's family and being a part of this important day. Jennifer's niece Sofia was so darn good, and all of us were so very proud of Jennifer. She's very special.

Family is best

2011-05-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

Mark and I went up to Washington to visit Mom and Dad. We're so friggin busy that we knew we wouldn't have a free weekend, but we could drive up and back in one day. We had a GREAT time, and we even got to have dinner with Phylis and Rodger. They didn't know we were coming, and it was fun to surprise them. And we got to hang out with Duke too: I love the look he has on his face when Mark bends down to talk to him. Can't wait to go back up again. Love my family.

Radom Memories

2011-05-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

Thinking about our trip to Amsterdam. It was a trip of a lifetime. Thinking about the buildings, street signs, parks, and oh, everything. But the best part? Getting to share this amazing experience with Cari. That was the best part, hands down.

Go Hawks!

2011-05-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

This year Intel has provided employees with free tickets to several Winterhawk games. Love it! They've created a new hockey fan, and I think my friends are hooked as well. Kathy and I made it on the big screen. What a kick!! BUT, I covered Mark's face with my sign.....oh well, he'll forgive me in time.................the Hawks lost, but it was a good series, and I'm ready for next year. Go Hawks!!!

Fun Mom's Day Weekend

2011-05-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

What a fun weekend! Mark and I met up with my friend Bonnie and her family to go to the Winterhawks game. The second period was tough, with the Winterhawks getting lots of penalties and at the end of the period the score was 6 to 2, with our team down. BUT they came together in the third period, and even though they lost the score was 7 to 5. Very exciting end to the game. And then I baked up a storm (and notice Cari I used the windmill cookie cutter!!) and took some Mom's Day treats to the House. I met one of the new volunteers, Sandra Jo. We hit it off right away and I think we'll have fun baking in the future. Then Doug and Steven were home and we had pizza and cake. Good times my friends! Happy Mom's Day to my Mom friends.

This and That

2011-04-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share a bit of this, and a bit of that from our trip. Mark and I have been resting the last couple of days, getting ourselves back into US time, and it's made all the difference. I need to post a few more pictures, but til I get them organized I thought I'd share a bit of this and that. The canals, the strange statue in one of the apartments across the way from Cari's apartment that kept watch on us, the fun kiddie rides outside of the stores, the babies on bikes (without helmets no less!), lots and lots of art in the parks and on the streets, the Opera House, the 'itty bitty' cars (and I do mean itty bitty!!!), and the little hot dog guy at one of the street vendors, draped in an American flag. A bit of this and that. Ah, Amsterdam, you so rock!

Fried Gravy.

2011-04-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

This morning we took off for the market, and the bridge was up: we actually got a kick out of that. Hey, we're on vacation....then Mark and I went to the little bakery around the block, got some food to go, and then behind Cari's back we went to McDonalds so Mommy could get a diet coke. Yea, we did it. Sorry Cari: Mommy and Daddy love you, but Mommy wanted a drink and she wanted it now! I got a kick out of the 'I'm loving it' on the cup. The young lady who waited on us sure wasn't loving in. Not one smile, and I'm sure Ronald McDonald would be very sad at this. Oh well, Mommy got her diet coke, or should I say coke light? We took our food and contraband coke light on over to a bench by one of the canals and we sat and watched the many and many boats that went by. So many boats!! It was a HOT Saturday and folks were taking advantage of it. Then we went back to Cari's, hung out for a while, and then rode the bikes over to a cafe on the Ansel River and had some really good beer and some bitteballen (don't sue me over the spelling....sigh...). Cari had told us about this so we gave it a try. It's gravy that's breaded and fried. Yep. Gravy. Breaded. And fried. Different. Oh so different. We then rode the bikes around since it's our last night with the bikes, and when we went to the park by the Van Gough Museum we found that for the upcoming Queen's Day that a crown had been placed on the 'I Am Amsterdam'. We tried taking some pictures, but as you can see we didn't do very well. We're going to go back tomorrow and give it another go in the good ole daytime. Happy upcoming Queen's Day everyone!!!

My new favorite store

2011-04-22T13:55:00.001-07:00

Hmmm...wonder why I liked this store?????

Friday in the park

2011-04-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

Today was a day at the park. The three of us went to breakfast, and then for a walk in a park that is near Cari's place. Such a beautiful park. In fact, after Cari and I shopped all day we went and got some Italian takeout and went back to the park for a picnic dinner. Lots and lots of families and young couples in love surrounded us. Nice, mellow crowd, and lots and lots of birds hung out with us as well. There are parrots that hang out in this park and we saw them time and time again. So strange to see parrots in a park! Then we laid down, looking at the sky, and relaxed. What a lovely day.

A palace, a little Dutch girl elephant, and giant Pringles

2011-04-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

Today was another sunny day in Amsterdam. Loving it! Cari took off for work, Mark and I drank our coffee, hung out for a while, and then went around the block to one of the world's BEST bakeries, and had lunch. So darn good! We picked up some sweets for later, (and took my picture in front of the McDonalds that is also just around the corner from Cari), and then took off for some adventures. We walked through town, checking out some shops to see about picking up t-shirts for Steven and Doug, but for gosh sakes, some of them shirts! You could tell we were really close to the red light district! Let's leave it at that. We ended up at Dam Square, where the Palace is. The Palace is amazing, so very impressive.We went on an audio tour and this was one of the highlights of our trip! The information they provided about each room brought it to life, and I now know why the folks who live here think it's one of the wonders of the world. Mark has his eyes shut in the picture in front of one of my favorite paintings, darn it. So Cari said to think of it as if he's concentrating: think of it that way, okay? Queen's Day is coming, a HUGE crazy festival, and there is a carnival outside of the Palace taking place. We're guessing the carnival has to do with the festival. We didn't take part in that, but I did take part of the ice cream with me...Mary was one happy puppy! We walked and walked, finding a small little 'Dutch girl elephant': now that's something you don't see every day. Cari laughed when I told her about it and she said she figured we'd find that. We met up with Cari and went to dinner at the Indian cafe across the street from her place. So good! They first brought out a large cracker, for lack of knowing what it actually was. We really enjoyed it, and Cari figured out it was the world's largest Pringle. I took a picture of the cafe while hanging out of one of Cari's windows. Tonight we're taking it easy. Mark has been on the computer, I'm reading a book, and Cari is out with friends. This is a wonderful vacation. How lucky are we????

Mary Jo, you would LOVE this place!!!

2011-04-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

We went on adventure today. We rode our bikes through town, took a small ferry across the water, and went to an AMAZING store. I so thought of you Mary Jo. Tons of amazing furniture, and everything you can possibly imagine. I fell in love with a table set with a large bench and chairs that don't match. I wanted it so much!! And a bike that looks like a horse. And we rather laughed at the fact that they had book about Obama next to books about Hitler and Goring. Hope it wasn't on purpose. We saw some large ships, including a Green Peace ship, and had lunch. A bit of coffee as well! I'm starting to love this life big time!!! Some crazy street art, and some old train cars that folks are now living in. What a fun day.

Beer!!!

2011-04-19T00:55:00.001-07:00

What a fun filled vacation we're having! Mark and I took off by ourselves (Cari making sure we could handle this...) and we walked around town trying to get the lay of the land. We had lunch outside (I show a shot of the cafe in one of the pictures below) next to a canal and it was a lovely, relaxing lunch. I had a mozzarella and tomato sandwich and some sparkling water. We sat next to a French family with several children and we got a kick out of the kids running back and forth, just having a good time. We then walked to the Heineken Experience (oh, one of Cari's friends told us the big yellow tubes we'd been seeing used to be women's bathrooms....) and took a tour. We did learn a lot about beer, but of course it was all about tourists and of course we took pictures. We were so 'Dutch': see the one photo. At the end of the tour you get two beers and as you sit in the 'bar' they show pictures from around the world. One of the pictures below is for Kseniya. Then we walked back to Cari's place, and noticed that some of the neighborhood children had used chalk to decorate a statue of some bears: loved it! Then we took off with Cari on our bikes and went out for Ethopian food. So good!

Shopping and parks in Amsterdam rock!

2011-04-19T00:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to one of the ourdoor markets, walked through town, and then a park close to Cari's place. Found a store with shoes out in the window and Oregon Duck and Beaver's colors: pretty funny. And we saw the biggest duck's nest I've ever seen. I have to say if I lived here I would probably take a walk in the park every single day!!!

Yachting on the river

2011-04-19T00:25:00.001-07:00

Cari's friend Ignasi took us out on his boat. How fun was that? Nick, Joe, and 'Gary' went along as well. We went to a bar that is next to a windmill that had excellent beers, and since his boat is so small we were able to go under the 'low' bridge: now let me just ask you how many tourists in Amsterdam get to do that? Not many. Of course we had to duck, but it was so cool!!!

Ouderkirk Land

2011-04-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

We went on a long, lovely bike ride. It was like a child's book, so sunny and beautiful. And Cari had a surprise for us: as we turned a corner there was a windmill!! Didn't know it was coming and what a gift! We took some pictures with a statue of Rembrant (Cari got very close and personal with him) that is close to the windmill and then we took off to the town of Ouderkirk. Okay, so it's not called that, but that is OUR family way to spell it. Mary Jo and Randy: you have to go there!!! We had lunch at a small cafe on the water, enjoying some wine and Cari had a salad with TONS of bacon. Rather amazing. On the ride we passed by an amazing old car with a big ole trunk on it and we took Cari's picture in front of it. This was the best bike ride I've ever taken.

Pictures by Cari

2011-04-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Cari took a few pictures while making dinner. I love the one of Mark: looks like he has pussy willow eyes!!

Ah, Saturday in Amsterdam

2011-04-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

Today was a filled day. Cari cooked up some eggs and potatoes for breakfast: that and some coffee made for a lovely way to start the day. Then we headed out to Saturday market to do some shopping for fruits and veggies and cheese. We ran into several folks that Cari knows: she said that usually doesn't happen, so it was meant to be. We then had some apple pie (wonderful!) and coffee at a small cafe, and Mark checked out a Dutch newspaper. He got a kick out of the fact that there was an article on the front about the American Civil War! Couldn't understand what was written, but interesting. Cari's friend met us and the four of us had a fun and lively lunch! We then met up with another of Cari's friends, and the two guys waked with us to rent some bikes. We're going on a road trip tomorrow! Yea! We all got a kick out of the Japanese tourist who were renting about 18 bikes to go on a ride. You can see some of them in their red hats in the picture below. They were figuring out how to ride the bikes, and getting a kick out of the bells on the handle bars (and you need them in Amsterdam!). Then the three of us headed back to Cari's place, and while Cari was in the butcher shop buying a chicken for dinner Mark and I watched while a family tried to lift a mattess in through an upper window. Since the staircases are so narrow the houses here have a hook at the top of the house so they can use a pulley to lift furniture into open windows (and I love, love, love the big windows here). The family was having a hard time of it, and they still hadn't figured it out (the mattress kept hanging on the ledge) but I'm sure all is well now. And a rather strange poster caught my eye: funny! Cari made dinner, so very good, and now we're having a beer, listening to music, and Mark and Cari are defrosting the fridge. I love family. Don't you???

First day in a beautiful city!!!

2011-04-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

We arrived around 8:30 Friday morning, Cari dropped us off at her apartment, went to work, and we took naps. Got up, Cari came home, and we went for a nice long walk to see the city and go to a gallery opening. We met the neighborhood cat as he sat on a motorcycle, the second and third pictures below were taken from in front of Cari's front door, and the rest are of the amazing city we are so very lucky to be staying in. We walked by the Anne Frank House, and I thought of her and her family as we walked down that street. I am so looking forward to seeing where her family hid. I know it will be very touching. Oh, and a rack of books that caught my eye cracked me up!! You'll see why........

Amsterdam bound!

2011-04-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

Mark and I arrived just fine! We had a beer at the airport to relax and then we were on our way. The plane trip was great, and Cari was there to meet us at the airport! Below she is showing Mark how to buy tickets for the trains. I noticed others were watching over her shoulder to see how it was done. The train trip was interesting, so many people in the train, and we were next to some crazy young men being rather crazy, and some French women who were trying to figure out which station to get out at. We were able help them that that at least.

Library riches

2011-04-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

I love the library. When I was young my mother would drop me off at the library and I would spend hours looking through the books, enjoying every moment of picking out new reading material. I have wonderful memories of my time there. I tried reading the two books above, one about the travels of Marco Polo, and another a bio of a woman I'd never heard of, but I do love to read about the lives of women and their experiences. But for some reason neither of the books inspired me to go any further than the first chapter. I'm not sure why. So I went back Friday night and picked up more books. Some light weight, fun, silly mysteries, and two women's bios. One about Edna St. Vincent Millay, who wrote poetry during the 'Jazz Age', and Josephine. I really don't much about Josephine and Napoleon, so bout time I caught up. We'll see what we see. If they don't work out, then I'll go have to go back to the library and give it another go, and you know how much I'd 'hate' that.

April Fool's Day fun!

2011-04-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

Went to the Ronald McDonald House with my friends Jennifer and Cate, taking some treats for the folks staying at the House. Fun! I always like hanging out with Jennifer and Cate, and having them go along made it so much better. We took some cupcakes that look like they have peas and carrots, or mashed potatoes and butter, on them, some 'hamburgers' (vanilla wafers with chocolate cookies and red, green, and yellow frosting--catsup, lettuce, and mustard of course!), and a bunch of 'bacon and eggs'--white chocolate melted over two pretzal sticks, and a yellow M&M on them. They were a hit. Love that. Oh, and I forgot to bring a big ole cake I baked up that looks like a 'peanut butter and jelly' cake. Dang it! I was so upset, but then Jennifer said she was having company that day and she would love to take it home. Yea! I was happy, and it sounds like they really enjoyed it. I'm going to make one this week to take with me to the House on Wednesday. It's a fun cake to bake, and so darn easy.

Then I took Jennifer and Cate on a tour of the House. I wanted to get Cate's picture with Ronald (they hit it off right away), and have her check out the artwork on the walls. I think the artwork makes the House so much warmer and inviting for families. And I like the picture of Cate standing in front of the door to the Trail Blazer room. Different groups sponser a room, furnishing it and maintaing it, and their room has a life size picture of Greg on it. It's fun to see how tall he is and compare your own height to his. I can't imagine being that tall!

And later in the day I went to the Beaverton library and when I parked I noticed a cat in the window of one of the houses next to the library. Then I noticed it was a LARGE cat and was stuffed! Wow, didn't expect that....April Fool's Day to me!

James 'Turkey Jim' May

2011-03-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

I come from some pretty amazing people. Here is a story about my great-great-great-great Grandfather (I think that's the right amounts of great, but don't hold me to it!). James May was particularly well-suited to his times and environment. In an era when formal education was not a necessity in the hills of Kentucky, he was a natural man, educated in the ways of nature. His reputation as a hunter earned him the nickname 'Turkey Jim' among men who were themselves skillful hunters of the elusive turkey. The following incident was related by Alfred Davis. Mr. Davis heard some turkeys gobbling in the woods on his farm. He told Turkey Jim, who then scouted the area and said he would return before daylight the next day. Early the next morning a single shot came from the woods. Alf Davis told his family that Jim May had probably killed two turkeys with that shot. In a few minutes Turkey Jim came out of the woods with two gobblers slung from his muzzle-loading rifle. He dropped them at Alf's feed and told him to take his choice. The turkeys appeared to be identical in weight and size. Mr. Davis hefted them, made an arbitrary choice, and handed one back to Jim. Turkey Jim had waited for the gobblers to come down from the tree roost (which he had located the previous day) and patiently watched them strut back and forth beneath the roost. When two of the biggest gobblers strutted past each other Jim shot them both. Since he was using a muzzle loader, one shot was all he could get. Turkey Jim continued to use a cap and ball rifle after most hunters had gone to repeating rifles with encased cartridges. Turkey Jim hunted all his life. When he became too feeble to hunt on foot he hunted on horseback. From the story 'Sketch of James May' by Henry L. May, Volume II of 'The May Families of Eastern Kentucky.

Family First

2011-03-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

Been reading my family history books: a group in Kentucky sells them, and I have five. Three are from the May family (my Mom's mom's family) and two are from the Arnett family (her Dad's family).below is some information from my Grandmother's side, the Mays.

Caleb May, (1781-1827), married to Margareta Patrick (1783-1861). Her parents were Jeremiah and Sarah Partick. Margaret died at the age of 91 after a fall off a horse. Caleb was a Kentucky Baptist preacher and died from breast cancer.

James May (1911-1890), fifth child of Caleb May, married to Matilda Whitaker (1810-1854). Second wife was Elizabeth 'Betsy' Powers (1818-1889), a widow with 7 children. Matilda died Jan of 1854, and James married Betsy in June of that year.

Harmon May (1859-1940), son of James and Betsy, married to married Nancy Jane Adams (1864-1928).

William Ernest May (1886-1955) maried Evalina Gullett (1892-1945).

Amy Maxine Margaret May (1886-I believe she died in 1995) married John Richmond Arnett (1913-1986)-my grandparents. My sister and I would fight about who would marry Grandpa when we grew up (we adored him) and my Grandmother was one of the sweetest women who ever lived. I'm proud to be their granddaughter.

Erna Margaret Arnett Wiles (1935-2009) married to Charles Blymiller Wiles Jr. (1933-). Again, wonderful people to be proud of.

Mary Elaine Wiles Vander Yacht (1955-) married to Mark Steven Vander Yacht (1954-)

Cari Vander Yacht (1981-) Steven Charles Vander Yacht (1987-) Douglas Jay Vander Yacht (1987-)

Hanging out with the Miss Catester

2011-03-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

I am so glad I have wonderful friends who have wonderful, fun children to hang out with.

Miss Cate and I had a blast hanging out at a birthday party. Times like this make life so much fun!!!

Kitty Cats

2011-03-11T19:37:00.000-08:00

Our family has some great cats. Here Lire found some food in a coffee cup....okay, so I did it on purpose. Ha!

My mother and father-in-law's kitty Duke was resting peacefully until I barged in and took his picture.
He forgave me.

Wedding Bells are Ringing.

2011-03-06T17:40:00.000-08:00

My friend Laura had a lovely wedding. She was beautiful in her dress!!

Funny Kseniya! And you too Larissa!!

Rhonda, Jennifer, Kseniya, Larrisa, and I enjoyed a great meal and a lovely wedding.

Eat more chicken (some cows told me to say that).

2011-03-06T17:38:00.000-08:00

Found some pictures, and I just love this picture from years ago when my sister and brother in law had chickens. It's a great picture. I thought Cari would get a kick out of it!

When pumpkins go bad...

2011-03-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

Doug carved a rather unusal pumpkin this year: Cari would be so proud.....

Cookies Rock!

2011-03-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

Chewy chocolate chip cookies, from Alton Brown's reciepe (so good) and M&M cookies...had fun baking and hanging out this week at the RMH.

And to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday I created som 'green eggs and ham'...well, green eggs and bacon....whatever. Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss.
And I have to confess: I never was a huge fan of that lovely man. Don't know why I didn't read many of his books to the kids. Hop On Pop was a winner. Other than that, not much happening at the Vander Yacht house hold and Dr. Seuss.

For Cari

2011-03-03T21:24:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures for Cari. Look at your Dad and his little buddy sleeping...so darn cute..and Mommy made a new friend.

Family Fun

2011-02-21T07:53:00.000-08:00

Ah, family. Mark, Randy, and Mary Jo bond on New Year's Day. So cute.

Ah, David and his lovely Mother bond as well. They have such a wonderful relationship and I always enjoy their company.

COLD.

Bampa trying the spices I gave them for Christmas, adding them to olive oil. So darn good.

Mark and Ranyd waiting for Bampa to finish working on the spices. At least I think they were...

Bakerella comes to Tigard. All is well with the world.

2010-10-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

One of my very favorite bloggers is Bakerella. She has a very cheerful site, and her updates always seem to inspire me to be more creative, and not only while baking.

She announced she was going on a book tour and one of her stops was going to be in Washington. I was planning on going there UNTIL my friend Kathy informed me she was now coming to Washington Square Mall. Oh my gosh, that is right at the end of my street!!! Bakerella was coming to my neighborhood! Wahoo!

Kathy and I quickly made plans to get there early. I took the day off, started my day by watching the movie 'Heidi' with Shirley Temple while drinking my morning coffee. A very nice way to start the day. And then I took myself over to WS to meet Kathy around 10.

Come to find out that MJ decided to come along, and we had the BEST TIME EVER. It was fun hanging out while we waited. We chatted it up with the folks standing in line ahead of us and behind.

We took pictures. Lots of those. It was actually fun waiting.

And then she arrived! She brought her BFF along for the tour (Bakerella is the gal holding the white bag), and it was just about time for even more fun.

More pictures were taken on both sides of the signing table.

Great display. So colorful and for every book bought we also got some cute buttons to go along.

The manager of Williams Sonoma explains what's about to happen.

I liked the way they handled it. She basically answered questions folks had about making cake pops, the subject of her book.

And then she got down to business signing books. Kathy, MJ, and I were number 4, 5, and 6!

Love my book. Can't wait to try some of these bad boys out.

And Kathy made my Letty's bag, and I love it more than I can say. I love it not only for the colors and the penguins. I love it because Kathy made it, and having her as my friend has brought so much joy into my life. I adore her and I hope she knows it.

Kayaks in Portland

2010-09-26T08:39:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning Cari, Mark and I went kayaking. We couldn't believe the wonderful weather we woke up to. Perfect for what we had in store.

We got on our life jackets.

Our instructors showed us the ropes.

Cari is ready to shove off.

Mark will be ready to shove off shortly....

Hey, ONE of us is not working here.....hmmm.....

If HE'S not gonna paddle, looks like I'll goof off now.

Amazing.

If you can read the words on the paddle, you're holding it correctly.

Different view of the bridges than I'm used to.

Back on land.

When we got there a group tipped over the outrigger they were on. We found out that they were learning how to right themselves after doing so. It was planned. Geez.

Afterwards we went to a Cuban restaurant that Cari had taken me to, but Mark had never been. The food is so good there. These pastries were the best. Cari had to restrain me from eating them all! Sorry Cari.....

Their ice tea is so refreshing, and the banana sauce really compliments the food.

Loving the small tables out front.

Thank goodness Mark wasn't sad he couldn't go into Lucky's across the street......

Z00 happenings

2010-09-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

My group at work had an off site event, and we chose to go to the zoo. It was a bit chilly when we got there, but the day eventually warmed up, and through it all we had a great time.

We met new 'people'.

We saw Packy, the main guy elephant.

A display that showed how snakes check things out. Pretty cool.

Kitties.

We're on our way to explore more of the zoo.

More exploring.

Bats!

Lazy monkeys.

Do NOT ask Nicole about the monkey in the right corner.....nuff said.....

Love the sign, but the smell in the building was more than I could stand!

Dinosaurs!

Bad dinosaur! Leave Bambi alone!

Kathy saw a bear. Finally!

Heck, she even saw some fake bears.......a fun time was had by all! What will we do next??

PTC

2010-08-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my team mates at the first pass off from van 1 to van 2.

Our friend Tammy, who is on the team "Sweaty Bettys' is so happy to be starting her first leg!

This team cracked everyone up! They are the Disco Divas and they did a coordinated dance routine and did it very well. And they changed outfits on a regular basis. They were a kick to be around.

Since our team is 'Save the Ta Tas', we put bras all around our vans. On our van we had 'big bertha' right up front.

When our team member ran, she would wear a coconut bra with small lights on there. They were a big hit! Tracy, at the upper left with the white shirt, is wearing them as she is the next walker, but she wore them backwards! That was pretty funny.

Ta tas.

Ta tas.

Again.

See how lovely they are?

Be proud of the ta tas!!

Afterward we hung out in the beer garden. The weather was suppose to be rainy, but thank goodness it was sunny and warm at times. Hey, after all, we were at the Oregon coast.

Maureen and Shelia having fun at the party on the beach.

Lots of folks having fun at the party.

So many funny sayings on vans.

And a lot of blow up dolls!!! Hmmmm......

This was a funny one. The apple fritter van.

Even gnomes love apple fritters.

Here we party with the sweaty bettys.

While we were partying with the SB they decided to clean the porta potties! Oh no! Rather yucky, I must say.....

One of the disco divas. Love them!!!

Wedding Daze

2010-08-16T21:41:00.001-07:00

Saturday we welcomed Dylan and his family into ours officially.

Mom was all prettied up, and had one of the best seats in the house. Mark had a beer....

Aren't they cute? Brothers and Sister.

Wonder what Matt is pointing at?

Oh, I see. Run, Cari, Run!

There we are. The gang is in place.

Wedding guests begin to arrive.

See?

Here comes the Bride, Mom, and Dad.

She was so beautiful!!

I adore these two. They're so right for each other.

Beautiful bride, good looking groom. Wonderful wedding!!!

Candy is our friend....

2010-08-12T21:24:00.001-07:00

Putting together a couple of lollipop displays for my niece Megan's wedding. She's going to have a candy table and I figured this would be a fun gift to give her. I saw a similar idea in a blog, so I stole the idea and did it my way.

I have two round Styrofoam bases, then some blue jelly beans, and then some happy, smiley face blue lollipops. And a big ole white ribbon. So cheerful!

I made a 'gate' of white and wedding paper. Love the muted tones. Hopefully the bride (and mom of bride) will like it!

And I really like my new hair cut. Not sure what that has to do with lollipops and muted wedding paper.

Hanging out

2010-08-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

Mark and I met up with a bunch of the Relay folks for beer, food, and fun. We got there first. We took pictures to pass the time. We are so funny.

Mark played around with the settings. THIS will teach him.

Notice the coaster ON his beer? We were in shade, but the tree we were under was shedding small flowers. We had to protect our food and beer.

The gang arrived and much laughter and talking took place.

Charlie came, had fun, was adorable as ever, and Jill tried to teach her how to eat Oreos. The trouble was that Jill eats the center and throws away the chocolate cookie part! Charlie wanted NOTHING to do with that way of eating Oreos. Jill is now on her own for Oreo eating.

Charlie decided that many of us should sport the new, stylish 'wicker basket' look. I think I look rather chic.

Victor. You so funny. Dean laughs. Mark? Not sure what he's doing.....

What a wonderful group of people to hang with. So very lucky.

McMenamins all the time!

2010-07-29T20:02:00.001-07:00

We seem to be going to McMenamins a lot lately. One night Cari, Doug, Caitlyn, Mark, and I went to the one off of Scholls for Doug's birthday. He likes this one, so off we went. Don't you love Cari's glasses???

Heck, everyone is wearing glasses.

Doug seems to be able to take care of himself.

So WHAT the heck is Cari doing?

Number one?

Then when Dad was in town he, Mark, and I went to Edgefield.

Mark loves to sit outside.

Ater lunch you have to stroll and check everything out.

The artwork.

The gardens.

The golf course. It's all here!

We love it out here, and like Dad said, we'd probably be out here nearly everyday if we lived nearby.

Even the street signs are fun.

And Dad and I went to John Barleycorns for lunch.

Dad gets a kick out of the fact it's next to a warehouse. Gotta take a picture!

Love the coasters. Dad talked our waiter into getting him a few to take home.

This is 'part' of my favorite beer. I like to order a 'Rubinator': a mixture of Ruby and Terminator. I think Cari turned me on to these. Man, I love my children!!!