What Happens in Vegas...

The view of the strip from our 51st floor room

Valley of Fire

Crazy beautiful red rock formations in the middle of the white desert

Tapas and Sangria at the Firefly

A small part of the pool @ the Wynn Resort

Havin' fun in the Cabana @ the Wynn

I know some of you probably think we're insane for going to the desert in the middle of summer but that's when we like it best. What's better than hanging out at a swanky hotel (that's super cheap because no one in their right mind goes to Vegas in the summer), spending time in a poolside cabana with Nick waiting on you hand and foot, sipping frozen beverages delivered on your slightest whim, eating in 5 Star restaurants, enjoying fabulous entertainment and being warm even at 10:00 in the evening? Jana & JJ and Al and I spent 6 days taking advantage of all of the above. It was so much fun and even though it's only been 3 years since we've been there, Las Vegas is a city on the move. There are a ton of new hotels and the energy is so vibrant and exhilarating. When AJ and Maryanne lived in Vegas they made a point of finding new trendy restaurants so we took their advise and hit a couple of "off strip" places. Yum!!!

Needless to say, when Al and I are looking for a cheap, close to home get-away, LV is it for us!

Wedding # 3 of the Summer

Three days after my niece's wedding, the kids and grandkid and Al and I squeezed into the faithful minivan and headed over to Sisters for wedding #3. Julie Kendall, the daughter of my dear friend from High School, Nancy (Roberts) Kendall, got married on a cold and windy golf course. And even though it was cold, it was still beautiful. The mountains were snow capped and the sky was crystal clear blue. Julie's attendants were in gorgeous deep red dresses so the visual affect was stunning. Thankfully, the reception was inside the lodge and was toasty warm...in temperature and atmosphere. Nancy and Curt threw a great party! Yummy food, fun guests and great dance music. It was a delight to catch up with Nancy's younger brother, David, who when Nance & I were in high school, did nothing but bug us to death. We were uber-cool and he was a pesky but funny Jr High kid who lived to drive us nuts. Dave is now a structural engineer in SoCal with a wife and 2 darling teenage kids. As we visited, we decided we hadn't seen each other since Nancy & Curt's wedding 31 years ago and amazingly, neither of us had changed a bit :-) By all accounts it was a really fun day!

Best of friends for...gulp...43 years

Wedding # 2 of the Summer

On June 17th my darling niece Samantha (Jeff's eldest daughter) got married at the beautiful Abernathy Center. It was a lovely warm evening so the garden setting was perfect. Sammie was a gorgeous bride and it was fun to have almost the entire family together. We missed Randy and Robin from Phoenix but we knew they were thinking of us and celebrating this special occasion. Sammie and Austin will spend 2 months in Provo and then will settle in Beaverton. Hopefully we'll get to see them more often than when they lived in Phoenix.

Tip Toe Thru the Tu...maybe not.

My rose bushes were about to take over the house so Porter & I did some gardening.

Catching Up...Again

McNary High School in Keizer, won the State Baseball Championship yesterday. Dad, Al, AJ Maryanne, Porter and I spent a fun evening at Volcano Stadium watching the home team beat Roseburg 5 to 1. Porter stayed awake for the entire game so maybe he'll be a sports fan or a baseball player when he gets older.

Corban and Lauren at Michelle Gordon's wedding reception.

Porter wishing he could have some Mexican food with the rest of us.

My cutie pie great niece Lauran Bliss, plays softball for South Salem High School. She is their All-League catcher and her team made the State play-offs this year. After a fantastic game ending throw to second base, picking off a stealing runner, Lauran celebrates with Porter.

Memorial Day Weekend

Porter's not sure about all the wedding hoopla.

Corban, AJ & Maryanne

JJ & Jana and the gorgeous gardens

It as a busy and fun 3 days. The sun was shinning, it was warm and we had lots to do. Friday night, Al and took a long drive in the Spyder and enjoyed the gorgeous spring scenery. The hops are just starting to grow, the corn is about a foot tall and all the trees are in full bloom. We survive the cold rainy winters in order to enjoy days like this. On Saturday, we ran errands and worked around the yard. Al planted all our annuals and 5 big baskets of petunias and pansies. Everything looks so pretty. That evening we went to church and had dinner with AJ and Maryanne and Don & Cheri Suklis...always a good time. On Sunday, we relaxed until late afternoon when we drove out to the Oregon Garden for Michelle Gordon's wedding. The perfect weather and the beautiful gardens made a lovely backdrop for the event. After dinner and dancing, we headed home. Porter wasn't the only one who was pooped. Then today, our dear friends Jim & Paula Newman joined us for a picnic lunch at Schrieder's Iris Garden. If you've never been out there, pack a picnic and spend a couple of hours enjoying the beautiful flowers. They have lots of places to sit as well as plenty of picnic tables. Even if you just want to walk thru the gardens, it's worth the trip to Keizer. This evening, Maryanne's parents dropped by for a yummy BBQ prepared exclusively by AJ. He even made deviled eggs and strawberry shortcake. In my opinion this weekend was the perfect way to spend a holiday...surrounded by friends and family, celebrating a special event and enjoying beautiful Oregon in the Spring.

Paula and I enjoying a stroll thru the Lupine

Do Blondes REALLY Have More Fun?

As I write, Maryanne is doing Michelle Gordon's practice wedding hair do. Part of the look Michelle wants is achieved with hair extensions. Having been a blonde all my life, I thought I'd try a new look. What do you think?

Yikes!!!!

An Early 29th & 30th

Birthday girl Lauren with some of her lovely friends.

Last Friday night, Corban and Lauren invited their friends over for a combined birthday party. Corban was celebrating his 30th and Lauren her 29th. Both have early May birthdays but they will be out of town when their big days roll around. Corban grilled yummy flank steak and salmon and Lauren made her famous Ceasar salad. The rest of us brought side dishes. And I must say, we had some mighty good eats. Corban's sister Hannah took the cake (literally) with her amazing custom birthday cake. It was really great looking and it tasted fantastic. The predicted rain held off and we were able to enjoy the backyard and patio and some gorilla style badminton. I hope C & L had as much fun as we did.

Hannah's wilderness themed B-Day cake.

Corban, Jake and A.J

We're all waiting to pounce on the buffet table.

Enchanted Forest

This morning we took Sarah to Enchanted Forest for the first time. It was ridiculously cold. But we soldiered on and had a great morning. Sarah loved going down the slides, floating in the bumper boats and running along the paths. She did NOT like the 3 bears of Goldilocks fame. Papa bear growled very gruffly, "Who ate my porridge?" Fortunately, that particular experience happened toward the end of the "tour" because she worried the rest of the morning that we were going to see the bears again. However, nuggets, fries and hot chocolate diverted her enough that she could enjoy the rest of the "forest". I'd forgotten how low tech EF is, but it is a delightful place for kids and adults alike. Just go when it gets a little warmer.

Catching Up with Dear Friends

Last night Ruth & Morris Dirks came down from Portland for dinner and the Blazer game. It was so fun to visit with them & get caught up on the lives. They are special friends and it was a joy to spend the evening hanging out. Too bad the Blazers couldn't quite get over the hump. Hopefully, home court will bring about a better outcome.