This Joy’s Life

I’ve recently realized that since I’m in Seattle for however long (it’s all great EXCEPT FOR THE WEATHER), that I could have that beach vacation I’m craving every day if I wanted to (and be at a different beach each day for that matter).

Well, actually, that beach vacation I’m craving includes sun and warmth. WARMTH! SUN! HEAT!

But still, there are things other than WARMTH! SUN! HEAT! that make a trip to the beach worthwhile, and you have only to take a child to a cold, rocky beach on the Puget Sound to be reminded of that; Things like skipping rocks, collecting seashells, pebbles and driftwood, listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, running from said waves as the tide comes in way faster than you were expecting and looking out over stunning views.

So, trying to keep my chin up about it (and wrapped tightly in a turtleneck and scarf), I’m making it a point to try to get to one of the nearby beaches at least every couple weeks. I’ve even gathered up some fun glass milk bottles and wooden bread bowls and copper buckets to house the pebbles, seashells and driftwood we’ve already started to amass.

It’s no surprise then, that I’m totally inspired by this house tour that showed up today on the Apartment Therapy webiste.

So, yeah, the beach.  Here a few pictures from our most recent trip over the Labor Day weekend:

Went sight seeing in a couple nearby beach towns south of us this morning and spent a little time exploring the Mission in the historic little town of San Juan Capistrano:

Mission gardens

Go with God

Original church bells

fragrant rose

church alter

church window bathed in sunlight

garden walk

hummingbird lunchtime

famous church bell tower of San Juan Capistrano

Went walking around the little neighborhood we are staying in yesterday afternoon. The “Somebody’s House” (as Clara calls it) that we are in backs up to a canyon and a park:

Laguna beach is SOOO vane

a kids-eye view

one of many palms

a great tree for climbing in

Later in the evening some friends drove in from the San Diego area for a casual dinner at Somebody’s House and good conversation:

Tim

Matt

Ryan

Chad

This year, size matters. So myself and six other girlfriends from high school and college ventured to the Grand Canyon for our fourth annual Estrogen Fest gathering. As you can see, we had beautiful views and a wonderful time together:

Queen of the world!
Back: Andrea and Allison. Front: Christy, Gina and Amy:
Fog in the Canyon after a big thunderstorm:
Amazing view and no guardrail. That ledge drops right off!
Gina, Amy, Lynnea and myself at the mule and horse stables:
Vegitation:
Wildlife – A condor:
From the tree’s perspective:
More wildlife – Pete, the cyote:
A watch tower built on the Canyon’s South Rim:
Self portrait in the watch tower:
Views from the watch tower:

Below the rim, on a ledge!
Evening sun:
Lynnea and I as the sun begins to set on our last night at the Canyon:
Amy, Gina, myself and Lynnea at sunset:
Sunset at the Canyon:

Clara and I are still in San Fran, headed back to Seattle tomorrow afternoon. We’ve been visiting some old Georgia pals – Suzanne, Kevin and their 16 month old Sylvia and our mutual friend Shay who came to visit as well. There were also a few surprise friends in town, as you will hear.

We’ve walked around the cute little town of Alameda quite a bit, getting lunches and coffee, stopping off at a shop or a park or two. We went into San Fran’s Mission District to the Pirate Store, which David Byrne accurately asserts is “one of the top five pirate stores I’ve been to recently,” and where Yashan surprised me with both an appearance (he works in D.C., lives in GA) and his new fiancee. That was MAJOR considering I hadn’t even been told he’d been dating this girl for 8 months! His own parents (who you may remember meeting in this post) kept it from me. They met her parents the morning this picture was taken with NOT A WORD to me about it! But, I was too excited to see Yashan, meet his future wife and hear of their recent engagement to be terribly upset with him about it. And now, here are the pictures so you can see all this for yourself.

At the park with Suzanne, Sylvia and Shay:

Clara had her first bus AND train rides while in the Bay Area:

Suzanne become a pack mule for the kids as we walked to get ice cream in the city:

Yashan and his fiancee Priya:

Sylvia in the library at her house in the late afternoon sun:

The girls at play in the library:

Suzanne cannot beleive they get along so well!

Priya:
Kevin and Yashan:

We got back Sunday from the Seaside, OR weekend trip we do yearly with four other families. Here’s this year’s group photo:

(Left to right) Back row: Chad, Clara, Ned. 3rd-ish row: Suzie, Vonnie, Earl. 2nd row: Janet, Joy, Dana. Front row: Herb, Jane, Sawyer.

***

Rumor has it that this couple may have gotten engaged recently:

Chad and I were incidental, no detrimental, no monumental, NO INSTRUMENTAL (depends on who you ask) in getting Jeff and Theresa together at our Halloween party back in 2004. I love it when a plan comes together

CU-PID, please hear my cry-i-i
Draw back your bow-oh-whoa,
And let that arrow flow-oh-oh . . .

So, has anyone noticed the new layout of my blog?!?! ‘Cause I haven’t heard one comment, not one peep (Peeps – the BEST thing about Easter!) from anyone but myself on how much cooler my blog is now!

I spent the day, bizarrely, going through my old travel blog A Southerner In Ireland and updating it’s layout, even though no one, including myself, reads it anymore. I kind of figure that I’ll keep it so that we must do more long term traveling in the future – even with kids! I can see the next post now . . . Welcome to Wally World!!

Anywho, I basically spent the day looking at all the pix I took back in ’05 when we were living in Europe. Below are my Top 5. The BEST, most artsy, pictures that I took while I was there. Enjoy the pretty pictures!

Blue Door. Dublin, Ireland:
Rays. Rome, Italy.
The Lookout. Venice, Italy:
Shade. Cannes, France:
Breezy. Paris, France:

A multitude of toasts to you, my friends:

There are good ships, and there are wood ships, the ships that sail the sea. But the best ships, are friendships, and may they always be.

My friends are the best friends – Loyal, willing and able.
Now let’s get to drinking! All glasses off the table!

Here’s to a long life and a merry one. A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one. A cold pint– and another one!

May you have all the happiness and luck that life can hold—
And at the end of all your rainbows may you find a pot of gold.

Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!

We are back from our weekend jaunt to Seaside, OR with Chad’s family and 3 other families (this is like the 20th year or something!). It was a nice time. I was so relaxed that I didn’t take a single picture. Luckily, other’s did so as I get copies, I’ll share them. Here are a few to start.

Clara and Grandma Fisher on the “Prom.” (That’s the promenade that goes along the water. The house we stay at also on the “prom.”):
This year’s group outside the house:
The background of how this trip started is that the five families started their kids in pre-school together and became life-long friends. Once the kids started going to different schools the families wanted to keep in touch, so they started going to the Seaside cabin of one of the parents, Suzy Osterman. So, here is a picture of all the parents in the group that made it this year – Vonnie & Earl Fisher, Janet & Herb Seo, Dana Ketcham and Suzy Osterman:
Only two of the original five children made it – Jane Osterman and Chad. (Erik Seo and Christopher Ketcham are MIA because they live out of state.)
That’s all for now, folks!

Summertime means playtime for the House of Fisher. See for yourself . . .

Father/Daughter Swing in Leavenworth:
Me holding 5 week old Evan Ling last week at Greenlake:
Click over to the Ling Family Blog for more pix of our recent playdate at Greenlake with Angela & Ava, Jenn & Evan, and Gwen & Jack too!

And today we went to Carter Christiansen’s first birthday party. Fun times!!

You’ll shoot your eye out, Carter! (There wasn’t really a gun in there, just Carter’s grandpa teasing the parentals :>)

Jenn & Evan:
Josh & Nadia:
Amy & Josie:
Nicki & Addison:
Not sure who they are:

And, the newly engaged, very soon to be married couple – Jenny & Justin. Their wedding is on the 8th, so I’ll no doubt have pictures to share from that big event in a few weeks:
But the fun doesn’t end there, oh no. On Friday, we are off to Seaside, Oregon for our annual trip with the 3 other families of Chad’s pre-school group. Not aware of this annual trip for us? Well, here are some “blast from the past” pix to give you an idea of what’s in store for us . . .

1999:
2000:
2001:
2003:
2004: