Home Again

Mark and I had an amazing time on our jaunt to the Seattle area. We stayed with our friend David, who has a beautiful condo in Edmonds and treated us like royalty while we were there. It was like being in a four-star hotel! Thanks David. We saw 2 great concerts at the White River Ampitheater, Journey and the Counting Crows, did a little scrapbook shopping (of course), hung out at Pike Place Market and ate at Ivar's, and saw the movie "Burn After Reading" which was phenomenal. Thanks to the grandparents who selflessly watched our kids for 4 days while we galavanted. Our next adventure is this Saturday when we will meet our family from the Tri-Cities for a day at Silverwood Theme Park. Can't wait to try out their new roller coaster, but I'm staying away from that thing that drops you out of the sky this year!!

I had a small taste of how great my kids are while I was away: we allow them to watch television if they promise to mute the commercials. And they did this on their own while staying with the grandparents. I am so proud of them and relieved that the lessons I'm trying to teach are not falling on deaf ears.

Ben has discovered the joy of playdates. He had one yesterday with his new friend Max and was quite pissed at me when I came to take him home. He did not want to leave. He asked me how I knew where Max lived and I told him that Max's mom had told me. He said "Then it's all her fault!" Funny boy. I know he's going to continue to move away from my parental grasp, but it still pains me. He and I have been buddies for so long and I so enjoy his company that it's hard to share him sometimes!

Fall is here. The pumpkins took a little frost hit and we had to break down and turn the heat on yesterday. I'm not looking forward to the dollars I'll have to shell out to put oil in our furnace tank this year. I am a staunch, left-wing liberal Democrat, but the Republican National Convention chant "Drill, Baby, Drill" keeps ringing in my ears!