Milestone

(7/1) I worked in the building and Dad wrangled the kiddos. He took J to his appointment and they went out to dinner. The rest of us had pizza night at home.

(7/2) Sarah and I met for a walk to coffee and Dad picked up S & fam to go strawberry picking. While they were gone, I found a recipe for honey berry cake thinking it would work for our honeyberries out front. The honey helps, but the honeyberries are still quite tart and definitely need ice cream to take the edge off. Dad made rote grütze with the tayberries they picked too. We feasted well tonight!

(7/3) I worked a half day from home and Dad worked at work. Poor Noodle is absolutely terrified of fireworks and they started up right as I was logging off for the day. I gave him his meds and he's gonna be a stoned pupper for the next few.

(7/4) I can't say I'm feeling very Fourthy this year... but I was glad to have the day off. Sarah and I hit the gym and then went for coffee. D was ready to WinCo as soon as we got home. He picked out a 17.6-lb watermelon. We cut 'er up and surprisingly not much was left by the end of the day. C had to work tonight but couldn't resist stopping by Boom City. He brought home a few fireworks to light off, and also took D on the annual drive at fireworks time.

(7/5) Sarah and I walked to the gym and took a class. Best way to kick off the day! I did a bit of gardening and got lost in a book for awhile.

(7/6) I went up to Nanan's to fix the toilet handle (with proper tools this time) and mow the lawn. We also ran out and got her groceries. Dad grilled salmon and we had roasted veggies tonight. D took advantage of the coals to make s'mores and was the winner of the perfect marshmallow this evening.

(7/7) Sarah and I went for a walk before I came home to work for the day. Dad and the twins were off and C worked this afternoon. 

(7/8) Happy Birthday to C! 18 years sure has flown by! Dad let him drive the Mustang out to breakfast. I had to work, but their meals looked amazing!

(7/9) It was cooler today, which was a welcome change. We were all off and spent the day catching up on errands and bumming around the house. We went out to dinner at the steakhouse to celebrate C and had polar pizza for dessert.

(7/10) I worked from home and Dad worked at work. C argued with the brakes on his Jeep for the better part of the day. He's getting lots of experience...whether he wants it or not!

(7/11) I worked from home and Dad worked at work. D jokingly asked for a rotisserie chicken when I ran to the store at lunch, and it sounded good, so chicken tortellini soup broke out. 

(7/12) Ahhh, weekend. Sarah and I walked to Zumba this morning and C and his buddies drove out to Ocean Shores for a fun day of driving on the beach. They only got stuck once, lol!

(7/13) The twins and I had a lazy day at home and Dad had to work. I had a relaxing day of catching up on podcasts and puttering around the yard.

(7/14) I worked from home today and Dad had the day off. D has sure nailed the technique for making s'mores and was right there & ready as soon as dinner was finished. 

(7/15) I worked in the building and Dad had the boys today. He ran J to his appointment and then took him out for dinner. 

(7/16) Shew, it was a hot one today. Dad is getting a new recliner tomorrow so he and C took his old one up to Nanan's along with C's bed. C is slowly going to be moving up there over the summer. It's going to be so different without him here!

(7/17) I worked from home and Dad had a closing shift today. His new chair arrived and he was excited to try it out before he left. Sarah, her mom, and I attended a candlelight vigil after watching the John Lewis documentary with Indivisible this evening. Wow! What an incredible man! 

(7/18) Yay, it's Friday! I worked from home and Dad worked at work. S called this evening and said their car needed a jump. It turned out that it's going to need more than a jump, but they had the wrong parent out for that one. I did get in a quick visit with W who was pretty bummed he couldn't come back to the house with me. Soon, buddy!

(7/19) Ahh, vacation. I slept in and worked out in the yard for a few hours and got caught up on my podcasts.

(7/20) Dad worked today and I was home with the boys. I tidied up the flower beds and trimmed back the spring flowers and tucked them in until next year. My crazy mess of a garden is looking particularly messy this year, but I love it. 

(7/21) We were supposed to head out camping today, but after we had shopped and gotten partly packed, a burn ban was announced in all state parks. With no campfire and no grill, it kinda ruins the whole vibe. We opted to barbecue at home instead and bail on camping. D had his heart set on a frozen lemonade from Sonic on the way so the boys made a quick trip, which saved the day.

(7/22) I went up to Nanan's to help her with a few things and take her shopping. After I got back, we made dinner and watched our shows. 

(7/23) My office's summer outing was today and we went to a Mariner's game! I picked up my coworkers and we took the train into Seattle. We pre-gamed at the bar across the street and then headed in. We had great seats in center field, which were shaded until about the third inning. We wandered about while the M's got their butts kicked. It was a super fun day!

(7/24) The twins and I hit the road this morning to head to Opa & Cherissa's house. We stopped for snax, drove for a few hours, and stopped midway for lunch and to charge up for the rest of the trip. Their new home is gorgeous! We had a relaxing afternoon checking out the new place, playing games, and hanging out. The twins and I finally turned in just before midnight after several intense games of Catan.

(7/25) Today was a hang-out day. We went for lunch out at Dairy Queen and played lots of board games. The boys even roped Cherissa into the world of Catan. J is turning into a ruthless negotiator!

(7/26) We went to the Watermelon Festival this morning before it got too hot. J went for a huge slice of watermelon and D ordered the biggest corndog I've ever seen. We also found a booth with freeze dried candy. We had a quiet afternoon back at the house and played more Catan.

(7/27) Today was our last day and we headed home after a breakfast of Dutch babies; a family fave. We popped into this cute fruit and antique store on the way home and picked up some cherries and Aplet & Cotlets. It was a long day of travel with all the road construction and we sure were glad to be back!

(7/28) I worked from home today. I was really wishing I had tacked on one more day of vacay, but I survived. We barbecued this evening and D was ready with the roasting fork to make s'mores.

(7/29) I was back in the building for work for most of the day. Dad wasn't feeling so hot, so I signed off a few hours early to take J to his appointment. 

(7/30) I met Sarah for a walk to coffee. We haven't walked in ages and it was good to catch up! I worked out in the yard and moved some plants around before it got too hot and then took a break to do the WinCo run and to get more dirt.

(7/31) It's my Friday! I worked from home and Dad took the day off since he still isn't feeling well. Hope he feels better soon!