Hello loved ones!
I can't believe it has been almost a year since I updated this blog. So much for last year's resolution!
I would promise to write more from now on, but since I'm always promising that, I guess it's kind of empty at this point. Argh! (I am much better at updating Facebook, so it's always good to connect with me over there.)
Anyway, I just wanted to send you a note to fill you in on the latest news from our little family.
As you know, John and I headed to Oregon on January 8. This year was my mom's 70th birthday, so my brother and I decided to make her dream come true of having all her children and grandchildren together at once and organized a late birthday/Christmas combo.
John Peter and I few out early (thank heavens for homeschool) to get her house ready, as my mom is still in the rehabilitation unit of the hospital recovering from her recent surgery.
While, we were there, John turned 11. Woo hoo! Luckily, we had met a family at church who told us about a fun lasertag/pizza joint, so we were able to celebrate in style. John also made a good friend at church that he hung out with while we were there. They went to scouts together a couple of times, and his friend's dad took them to a bounce house one Saturday. It was fun to see how well they clicked--they are now emailing each other almost daily!
Dan and Lyn survived well on their own. Lyn took on the job of homemaker, making sure they had a hot meal every night, and Dan took on the job of single dad, making sure that school papers and forms were turned it and Lyn got everywhere she needed to go. They flew out to Seattle on January 25, stayed the night with Dan's brother Tom, and then drove to Oregon on the 26th.
Also joining us were my brother's son, Ian, and Ian's girlfriend Chelsea. While mom was technically still in the hospital, she got a weekend pass, so we could all be together for the party.
On Saturday, January 26, we had a nice dinner with everyone gathered around, and the next morning we opened presents.
It was fun to be together, though it was short but sweet, as we had to take mom back to the hospital that night.
On Monday after the party, Ian and Chelsea had to leave, but the Remmers family and my brother decided to kick it up and relive some childhood memories at Oaks Park--a roller skating rink that we frequented as kids. It was a blast!
Well, at least my brother and I thought so. The rest of the family had a bit of a hard time navigating on 8 wheels, and there were a few bruised tushes before the end of the day. LOL
My brother John headed home to Seattle, and then the next day we all decided to have some fun of our own back at the lasertag/pizza place. John FINALLY got his dad to play. Yay!
On Wednesday, we left Oregon and drove to Puyallup, Washington to stay with my dad and his wife for a few days. While we were there, the kids got to meet their great grandmother, my dad's mom, for the first time. She is 97 years old!
For all of their lives, she has lived in New Mexico, but she recently (well, a few years ago) moved into the same retirement community that my dad lives in. We played lots of fun games, and lots of great food, and before we knew it, it was time to leave.
On Friday, we drove to Seattle. On the way, we stopped in Redmond, Washington to visit
DigiPen Institute of Technology, where Ian goes to school. (He had left his schoolwork back in Oregon and had to go almost a week without it until we could get it to him!) It was fun to check it out--who knew such a place existed? It looks like just the kind of place John might end up some day--if he is adventurous enough to travel so far from home.
Later, we spent a fun and indulgent night with Dan's brother's family at one of Seattle's premier vegetarian restaurants--
Carmelita's. It was exquisite!!!
The next morning bright and early we were headed home.
It took a few days to get settled (especially for me and John, since we had been in another time zone for so long), but time and children's activities wait for no man!
On Friday, John participated in his last Blue and Gold cub scout banquet. He officially crossed over to Boy Scouts and received a ton of awards, including the Arrow of Light--which is the highest cub scout award a boy can earn. Yay, John!
On Thursday and Friday, Lyn was busy preparing for her concert with the District Chorus--a select group of middle schoolers from our section of the county. Saturday was the concert, and it was superb. I was so impressed! It didn't just sound good for middle schoolers, it sounded great, period. And there were far less kids selected than I thought there would be. It was really an honor for her to participate!
Dan is back building sets, and I am back on raw, planning to lose the
whopping 45 pounds I gained since going back to cooked food. (More about that on my other blog,
here, where I post daily.)
Hope all is well with you. Of course, we'd love to hear what's going on in your world, as well!
Dan, Margie, Lyn and John
