Giddy Girl

I had one of those giddy moments yesterday.
Do you have those?
Where you find yourself in a happy place and things seem so right and beautiful.
And you get the giddies?
I love that.
It was a compeletely BUSY day and I was hardly home
with errands to take care of all over the place.
I looked around me as I drove and noticed all the new fall foliage.

I rolled the windows down and enjoyed the crisp air.
Right on cue this song played on my CD player...."Tis Autumn" by Nat King Cole.
Love autumn.
Love Nat.
Even love the blooming sagebrush...what?
It is yellow - a cheerful fall color.
It was easy to forget my busyness as I took it all in.
Why do I love this time of year?
Why does the chill in the air and the turn of the leaves make my heart swell?
Why does a moment like this make me want to pick up my cell phone
and call everyone I love so they can share in the joy?
I don't know, but every year it is the same.
I inhale fall, and exhale giddy.

Tuna Fish & Rock Band...

Across from me sits my 5 year old daughter.

She is on a stool at the kitchen island.
She is oblivious to my amused glances.
I can't help myself...she is putting on quite a show.

At this stage of her young life, my little girl is obsessed with two things.
And those two things are definitely on her mind right now.
Those two things are?

Tuna fish and Rock Band.

She picks up her sandwich and pauses mid-bite...
"I think I'm in love Mom."
I'm wondering which lucky kindergarten boy she might be referring to.
"Oh yeah? With who honey?"
"With tuna fish".
I shouldn't be surprised, she asks for it every day.

She finishes off her first triangle with delight and wipes a few crumbs from her face.
She then picks up her imaginary drumsticks,
and starts right into "Hungry Like the Wolf".
That girl is dead on when it comes to singing on key.
And let me tell you, she is singing with GUSTO,
and drumming like Roger Taylor only WISHED he could.

The last note fades out as she clashes her air sticks together in true rocker fashion.
I know that audience she hears is just cheering like crazy.
It's over.
She calmly picks up the second triangle and takes a big bite.
"Oh man. I am so in love with tuna fish Mom".

Before autumn...

Sharing with you some of our last days of summer 2009.

Trev & I on the boat at Banks Lake.
We had a great time camping and boating with friends and family.


Tennis team in Portland (some of us).
This shot is of us at the hotel the night BEFORE we lost. See those smiles? They weren't so big the next day...



My big Kindergartner. Oh my how time flies.
Yup, she's my "baby".



One of the "lunch ladies".
That's me serving up a corn dog on the first day of school.



So my awesome friend Janelle has a tradition.
First day of school she dresses like a lunch lady
and serves her family a "school lunch" for dinner.
We were invited and we all had a fantastic time.
Janelle even had a costume for me...that girl is always thinking of others.




4-wheeling at the dunes.
We had a blast as always, and even the
littlest was old enough this year to have her own.
She was tearing it up out there on the sand.




Often times we ATV with a group of friends.
One of my favorite things is when we go on a "girl ride"
Meet Kim, Cherie, Tammi, Cheryl, Joanna & me.
(and a few daughters thrown in...Preslie, Courtnee & Jessie too).




My littlest high-fiving me after coming down the hill!




Three very dirty faces.
After a full day of riding, we stopped for ice cream at the Mercantile.
YUMMMMY.




I think this picture speaks for itself.
She eventually spent more time on her feet
and less time on her tush.

Goodbye fair weather days!
We will miss you.