Cat Storage

A few years ago, Dave's mom sent him the card below. It was hilarious at the time, and even more hilarious since we now own cats, and Abby like to do this with them.

Ohanapecosh

This past weekend we joined my cousins, the Dillon's, and the Campbell's, at Ohanapecosh in Mt. Rainier National Park. Our first hike was around Lake Tipsoo, where we encountered snow. A lot of snow. It was great fun to have snowball fights in August!
The "spring" flowers were just beginning to pop through in places.
It was such beautiful weather, and as always, the mountain delivered. Abby said it was the most wonderful place on earth. (Take that, Disneyland!) For your viewing pleasure, here's some of what we enjoyed.


We hiked to Silver Falls on Saturday. I know it's not just me - there is something very peaceful about a waterfall.
Now, on an entirely different note, this woman, who was in the campsite across road, cracked us up. She wore the cute little silk dress, with Teva's, and *wait for it* pearls. I'm totally taking mine next time we break out the tent!

13 Years and counting...

13 Years ago, on a day very unlike the one we're having now in Washington (it was scorching hot that day), a boy and a girl woke up at the crack of dawn and their adventures really began. Well, first there was a ceremony here, in the Bountiful, Utah Temple. And then there was this.
One of our favorite pictures taken that day.
And one from our reception. The cakes were my favorite part of the reception. There were 6 different flavored cakes, of which we each only got one lousy little bite.
I can't believe it was 13 years ago. I'm looking forward to the next 13; and the next 13 after that, and well, I think you get the idea!

Out of towners

We had a great visit from Dave's parents (from San Diego), his brother Mike and his 2 kids, Celina and Anthony (from Florida). Here's recap of the first part of the trip. It started off with me running my 3rd Rock n' Roll 1/2 Marathon. I earned one of these... We made the obligatory trip to Seattle. I should really count up how many pictures I have taken of this over the years...
I'm always impressed with the flower stands.
Another icon that I must have hundreds of shots of...
We celebrated a birthday...
...by going black-light mini-golfing. (can't you tell?)
We went here: (Tumwater Falls)
And took pictures of the cousins. Don't let the sweatshirts fool you - this picture was taken on June 27!

Dance Recital

Abby had her dance recital at the Capital Theater in Olympia. We were lucky enough to have quite a lot of family in attendance: Grandma & Grandpa Hoeveler, Uncle Mike, cousins Celina & Anthony, Aunt Lael, and Grandma May. And of course mom, dad and Caleb! While we couldn't take video of her dances, she did a fantastic job on both of them. We are sure proud of our little dancer!

Now you know...

Today I bought 40 pounds of chicken. That's right. 40. Yes, it is a lot. We eat more chicken in our house than any other type of meat. And this was a great deal at $1.64 per pound. Now, I did have to trim some fat, and separate them into my freezer bags, but here's what the 40 pounds looked like when I got it...
And here it is 2 hours later. Just in time for some BBQ!
So, now you know what 40 pounds of chicken looks like!

Preschool Graduation - the second and final time

Abby has been attending a preschool taught by two of my friends, Donna and Marie, for the past two years. She has really loved all the fun times she had. They always incorporated yummy treats into their lessons, letting the kids help.
Let them get messy...
And took some great pictures...
She learned so much and is definitely ready for Kindergarten in the fall.
Thanks Donna and Marie for helping Abby in her learning and being a part of her life!