Monday, November 29, 2010

Thankfulness all around

Sometime last week, Gayle unearthed a story written by Jan Michael in 1987 - a 'Choose Your Own Adventure,' of course - with a very exciting, and depending on the page, a very harrowing plot. Its title immediately became the theme of our holiday weekend, which, when considering the cast of characters that comprises this amazing, beautiful, priceless family of mine, was not a surprise to anyone.




















I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. ~G.K. Chesterton

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Thanks-giving in every place we look!

I love and am thankful for my brother-in-law for countless reasons, but the two that immediately come to mind involve the following:

1. Delivering my beloved to the hospital and watching over him until I was able to get there myself

and

2. Documenting the entire affair for posterity. Thanksgiving 2010, we will not forget you!









Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Washington in November does not look like this.

But Montana in June does! I'm already dreaming about next year's adventure :)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Dave Niehaus

Laughter and sincere sadness today as we remember one of the kindest, most iconic faces and voices of the Pacific Northwest.



Monday, November 08, 2010

Picture perfect

I am a great fan of the perfect picture - the ones in which our smiles are flawless, not a hair is out of place, and the angle is as flattering as can be. But do you what I love just as much? I love the outtakes - the behind-the-scenes, silly-faced, belly-laugh-inducing snapshots that manange to capture who we are just as thoroughly as the ones that end up on Christmas cards. Let's hear it for messy ponytails and screwed up faces and the happiness that swirls around it all :)




Friday, November 05, 2010

Halloween hijinks

After last year's smashing success, I'm not sure any of us were expecting this year's Halloween ride to come thundering down the pipe like it did, crushing the old awesomeness factory rating to smithereens...

Pardon me while I sound like a broken record, but it's so much fun to make such a complete and thorough spectacle of ourselves, and it's all because it makes other people so happy. We were cheered and screamed at as we zoomed through neighborhoods, and waves of applause would hit us as we rounded corners. We were chased by trick-or-treaters on foot and followed by cars rolling at the speed of molasses so videos could be taken. We were stopped for pictures and so question after question could be asked about 'your amazing bikes!'

Really, I can't hardly believe the fun we're able to have in our little corner of the world. What a treat to have had an aching face from smiling for 3 hours while we zipped through Olympia, costumes and hair flying, with our bro and sis and new friend, Jennifer.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing."
- George Bernard


Red eyes and guaze streaming out behind her while she glided mysteriously along?! Marvelous.
Lovely ladies :) It makes me laugh that Sara added a flower to her ensemble - a lady is a lady, whether or not she happens to be a Grim Reaper :)
How could this not be stuck to our refrigerator?!
And this one, too!

Lucky, lucky us that one of Derek's buddies happened to be in a crowd we rode through, and was able to catch us in action -



Monday, November 01, 2010

Halloween transformation

Before:


After:

I told my sis I wanted to look very un-Hilary-ish, and she totally hit it out of the park. We will use her services again next year :)

And a close-up of Shannon's magic: