7-11

Be sure to pick up my most favorite drink. It's FREE today!!

I have ALWAYS loved a slurpee. It is "comfort food" to me. I remember going down to "Mac's" which wasn't exactly a "slurpee" (same thing though) with my 35 cents and getting slurpees in the summer. Learning the delicate balance or riding my bike while still holding the slurpee. Ahhh, those were the days... now the suckers are 99 cents! Still worth every slurp though!

100% sugary deliciousness!

Frontier Fourth

Saturday we went out to the High Desert Museum for their "Frontier Fourth"

Elise learning to write with a real ink pen from the school teacher
No contests or prizes for Ethan to win here, just work to do.

A Fourth Full of Fun

We started out our 4th of July at the Lion's Club pancake breakfast down at Drake Park
MMMMMmmmmm

Then we went up the block to line up to be in the "Pet Parade"
As you can see half the town was in the parade and the other half were watching it.

Very cool!

We walked in the "Odds and Ends" category with our friends who were walking with family who had a "pet" horse
Here's the "Star"

After the parade we went back down to Drake Park for the festivities. There were a lot of booths, games and entertainment.

Brad, Abby, Ethan and I tried our hand at the Fish Fling. You put rubber fish, ducks or balls in the bungee and tried to get it into the rings out in the river.

Ethan's first shot:

Watching Ethan's second shot and....

of course it went in!! He's a winner!!

Then it was Abby's turn

Neither Brad or I won, but here are the kids with the water bottles they won!!

Around 2pm as we were leaving this huge crowd of bikes came down the road. The throng continued to ride en mass for almost 5 minutes. I am sure there were hundreds of bikes. Brad said "We are SO doing that next year!"

After the festivities at Drake Park we decided to go out to Sisters to the "Gem Round-Up."

There were about 3 rows of tents like this all selling gems in various states of refinement.

Ethan and Abby checking out some of the gems.

There was some pretty cool stuff! I have to admit I was a little partial to the petrified wood. We also found out the Oregon state gem is the "Sunstone"

For supper on the way home from Sisters we stopped at the Tumalo Feed Company and got stuffed. My steak was awesome!

Then to wrap up the night we watched the 20 minute firework show that was set off from the Butte in the middle of town. Ok, that isn't us sitting there, but I thought it was such a cool pic. With the flares all around the top with the fireworks coming out made it look like a live volcano!! Very cool!

I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs. I can't sing it without coming to tears.

I couldn't find a version on Youtube with all the verses, but here they are.

O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet Whose stern impassioned stressA thoroughfare of freedom beat Across the wilderness! America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife. Who more than self their country lovedAnd mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine Till all success be nobleness And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed his grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!

"Had a bad day"

Today's adventure was a trip to Sparks Lake. It is a little smoky around here with all the smoke from the fires in California, hence the haze in the background.

The day started out well enough. We hiked around had some lunch and enjoyed being outside.

The kids had a lot of fun catching frogs. Most of them were little ones, but Ethan found this one huge toad. The kids hunted frogs for about 40 minutes before we had to leave to pick up Samantha at the HD museum at 4pm. We hurried the kids into the car so we could get back, grab a Slurpee and pick up Samantha on time.
When we got to 7-11 we all poured out of the van only to realize we forgot something at the lake...
The dog!!

(I took this picture just before we "abandoned" her)

In our haste everyone thought the dog was sitting on the other side of the van and didn't even think about it. We dropped off our friends and headed back up to the lake. When we got back up to the lake (about and hour and a half later) we asked some people who were chilling by the lake if they had seen her. Sure enough, they had seen her running around the area where we had been catching frogs when we had left her. Phew! She came a runnin' to us, and was very excited to see us. I was so glad our search for her lasted all of 2 minutes before we found her. It could have ended very differently. I have to admit, I wasn't that worried about her, as she isn't that adventurous of a dog and likes to be around people, so I thought she would probably still be around where there were people. So, I'm glad there were a lot of people around today and that she kept close.

Then tonight I had to go to the church for a temple recommend interview. I drove the 15-20min. over there, dropped off Samantha for YW, only to realize that in my rush to get out the door (since my trip to the lake had taken a bit longer than planned) I had forgot my temple recommend at home, so I had to go back home andgo back to the church with just enought time to have my interview, pick up Samantha and go back home.

Has anyone seen my brain? It seems to be on vacation!!

Merrily we float along

It's been pretty toasty around here since Friday, so Tuesday we decided to float the river.

Who's the sexy guy in the hat?

Happy Canada Day

What I LOVE about this video is that having lived in Western and Eastern Canada we have been able to see so many of the things on the video. I also love that when I listen to the anthem that the words come as easily to me in French as they do in English. I have been very fortunate to have lived and experienced so much of the country and blessed to have been brought up in a land of freedom that was bought for me by the lives of so many, to which I am especially grateful today.

I found this bit of Canadiana on Youtube. EVERY child in Canada has seen this at one time or another. Just a fun flashback for my Canadian friends :D

Mom! Mooom! Moooooooooom!

Today my kids reminded me of these seagulls in this clip

Except instead of saying "mine" my kids were competing shouting, "Mom! Mom! Mom!" (and I have to admit I felt every bit like the pelican! :D)

Does this happen at any one else's house?