Posted on

Nothing on the Calendar

Without really trying, our weekend decided to get awesome. It all started on Thursday night when Maggie and Sydney were invited to have a sleepover at Camp Janet and we decided to go to dinner and a movie. Things got better when I got to do a quick trip to Anacortes, because you know I love goin’ to A-Town and seein’ some of my peeps. Phil and Genevieve came out to my parents house and we swapped stories around the table.

Things took a turn down Awesome Lane when Jeff called us on Saturday to see if  Barry, Mags and I wanted to come over and help to eat some salmon that he and Kurt had caught that morning.

Umm…..let us think about it.

Yes. Of course. Without a doubt we’ll be there.

When Jeff called, we were on the brink of making some final decisions about what the rest of our night would entail, none of the options included our great friends and fresh caught salmon. We’re glad he called. Maggie enjoyed entertaining Allison, Bahl, Kurt and Debbie, and did a pretty good job of pushing every single button on Jeff’s remote and entertainment station. Thankfully he thought it was as funny as the rest of us.

A date with Barry and fresh caught salmon with our friends was all good, but the true icing on the cake for me was when we went to Richmond Beach as the sun was setting Sunday evening. We’d started a miniture home improvement/art project and were literally waiting for the stain to dry. Richmond Beach is only about a 10 minute drive from our house and we go through phases of picking it as our destination. Based on the frequency of recent trips, I’d say we’re on a big Richmond Beach kick right now. Maggie likes to wear her boots in the waves, Sydney likes to get off leash and Barry and I like to be near the water. It all works out.

I love weekends full of spontaneity, especially when everybody’s happy. Things just sank into place this weekend. It doesn’t always happen this way, and when it does I can’t help but be amazed. Barry and I both got to work out, we each had special time with Maggie and we got tons of time all together. Sydney also got plenty of attention; however, I think she felt the bath after she got home from the beach was a bit undeserved.

Sometimes not having a plan is what makes the best plans fall into place, right? I’m going with that line of thinking right now because not having a plan led me to a weekend that I’d do over again and again.

*Photo credit goes to Maggie
* Photo credit goes to Maggie Mae

Posted on

Days Gone By with Thom and Caro

Caroline turned one a few days ago and we headed to her house to celebrate her first year. Many of our friends were there and it wasn’t until we were walking out the door that I realized I hadn’t taken any pictures, so of course I requested that  Thomas, Maggie and Caroline gather on the couch for a quick couple snaps. (Cue the eye rolling for some people.)

Since Thomas was in full party mode, Maggie was into practicing her jumps and Caroline was lovin’ on her dad, it just seemed like I was trying to capture a picture of some hummingbirds zooming past my lens. It was so much easier when we could plop them down and they’d stay on one place. Long gone are those days. Long gone.

 

Posted on

Down on the Farm

Last weekend we headed to Carleton Farm in Snohomish with Brian, Darcy and some of their friends to do the corn maze and pick out some perfect pumpkins. We ended up going a little later in the day than expected and for a while I was concerned that we’d have to be in the corn maze while it transitioned to Haunted Corn Maze!!!! Scary!

Even before we had Maggie, I always longingly talked about corn mazes and farms and we didn’t always pull the trigger on hunting one down. We’ve had Halloween parties in the past and even pumpkin carving contests, but there is something special about picking your own pumpkin or getting lost with friends in a maze of corn.

As we were given our maps to the maze, it became crystal clear that the advice of the sales lady wasn’t too far fetched when she mentioned that the map didn’t ‘exactly’ match with the real twists and turns in the maze. Luckily Brian was with us and he is a MASTER map reader. Not really, but he sure does laugh a lot, which makes Barry laugh a lot too.  Any time you’ve got two Miller brothers laughing, is a good time. At one point Bri mentioned the time he saw my pregnant butt and I had to put a halt on that story, which only made him laugh more.

As much as I’ve been singing praises for this blustery weather, which I love, I’ve been mourning the loss of nice natural light for my photos. All summer long I fought the glare of the sun and now the cloud cover is here to stay and I’m having to pull out a few tricks to make sure I still get the pictures I desire. I suppose you could say I enjoy a challenge because I still refuse to use my flash. Perhaps I’m stubborn? Nah.

So, the corn maze. It was really fun and Maggie loved it. She also loved all the attention from Darcy and her friends. Lauren, Darcy’s best friend, had black boots that Maggie absolutely fell in love with and they were boot buds, with Maggie pointing endlessly at both their boots, as if wanting to confirm that they both had boots on. Mags also enjoyed being leader of the pack, sometimes deciding for everyone if we were going to take a right or a left. The power of her index finger is still in full throttle.

As we roamed from one end of the maze to another trying to solve the mystery of the secret code, I kept whispering to myself “If you build it, he will come” and waiting for Shoeless Joe to pop out of the corn. Of course, he never did. As it was getting darker and we’d solved the puzzle, it was time to exit the maze. Barry and Maggie somehow got detached from the rest of the group and we were headed to the exit. I was a bit worried (but not REALLY worried) and Brian went back in to find Barry and Maggie. Of course not a minute after Brian turned around did Barry and Maggie appear pleased as little kittens that they’d found the exit. So, there we all were at the exit of the corn maze without Brian, the one who is really good at reading maps, remember?  I don’t think anybody really wanted to go back in to find him, for fear of getting lost, but thankfully he ambled out laughing. So we all laughed too.