Dad wants me to save this link

We are going to watch it in Michigan. So, if you are family, don't click on it. Wait till we are there. :) If you are not family and want to watch it now, just remember to turn off the music to the right first. ------------->

Here's the link unless the code above didn't work: Last Lecture

A spot of tea... with Grandma

Last year Liane organized a beautiful tea for the ladies of the family at her home...
And she wanted to continue the tradition again, this year. It was a little emotional because this is the first Mother's day without Grandma Jane. But we made sure that she was very much a part of the day. Leslie and Tish brought over Grandma's teacups, which were perfect...

And almost all of the ladies of the family were able to attend. The morning was full of lovely conversation...

Amazing treats and sandwiches made by Liane, Violet, and me...

Liane even made Grandma's special strawberry shortcake recipe, which was completely incredible and the perfect dessert!
Violet was a huge part of the tea... she designed the invitations, helped make sandwiches, and served tea. She is a wonderful hostess!
And of course, the newest lady of the family... looking lovely in her pretty ribbons :)
It was a lovely day with lovely company. And although Grandma couldn't be there... she was, in spirit... as well as in a jar. ;)

Golf Lessons

The best golf lessons are the ones where you get to ride (and even drive!) a golf cart around, courtesy of your Great-Grandfather.
Of course this is not just any golf cart - this one has been tricked out, Puerto-Rican style... complete with fancy flags and air conditioning, not to mention a cool compass so you never get lost.

A good golfer knows how to carry his own equipment. Riley's got the bag, Violet's got the balls. (insert rickdiculous ball joke here)
Good golfing is all about form and technique - here Cagui demonstrates proper grip and arm position. Note that Violet is clearly ready to play on the golf course with her regulation golf shoes.
Riley shows Violet where to hit the ball. "Over THERE."
If teeing up one ball is good, teeing up three at a time is better. And that boy can freaking HIT the ball. As you can see, Riley subscribes to the "Form-Schmorm" philosophy of golfing. He just walks up and randomly swings. And surprisingly enough, he rarely misses and usually hits it pretty darn far. Cagui also gave Riley an official Golf Hat from Dorado Del Mar Country Club in Puerto Rico to wear so he could be extra golf-ish.
After a few practice swings, Violet could really nail that ball! Here she had a particularly good hit. Awesome divot action! And if you look closely, you will see that she hit herself right out of her right shoe! Impressive.

The kids can't wait for their next golf lesson with Cagui. I am not sure if it's the golfing or the golf cart driving that is their favorite... but either way, they love it and love their great grandpa teaching them.

You know when

You start a seemingly innocent project like organizing your office, and the next thing you know it has snowballed into a rearranging the likes of which you haven't seen since moving day? Cause I do.

I am in the middle of my "cleaning the office" project... where I decided to move things around to make it more efficient... but before I could move them I had to empty them all over my clean table (which is now a disaster)... and then as I am moving I realize that i need to get the big filing cabinet out of the office and onto the landing just outside my room, which is where I have always wanted it. So I start to do that, till I realize I need to move the kids' computer desk, which is on the landing. I have been wanting to move their computer downstairs into the kitchen anyway, so we could have a computer downstairs, so that was what I had to do next. Only first I needed to make space for the computer on the counter downstairs. Which means clearing the counter, emptying the drawers, and rearranging the cabinets to make them more efficient.

Now these cabinets are in the corner of the room and are never opened, which means all the stuff that is in there has been there since the day we moved in, and I am not even sure I know what it all is. So now I am cleaning out drawers in the kitchen... and not just one, but ALL of them. INCLUDING THE JUNK DRAWERS. I seriously need an intervention here. Cause once those were cleaned out, I had to do the same in the cabinets. So I did. I found all sorts of interesting things I forgot we had... like a Jack LaLaine's Power Juicer (any takers? I think we've used it once - I have everything: the manuals, accessories, the works), an Easy Bake Oven (also going the way of Goodwill, unless someone is interested), various bowls, vases, and serving trays that were just stuffed down there.

So. The good news:
I have had a doubleshot of espresso.
The kitchen is looking pretty amazingly organized. I am proud.
The filing cabinet is on the landing, right where I wanted it.
I loaded up a HUGE box of scrapbook stuff I am taking to church this week for an art class I am teaching.
Half of my room is organized.

The bad news:
The other half of the room is not.
I am teaching an art class on Wednesday at church and I haven't started on my samples yet.
I can't work when there is chaos in my room so I have no choice but to finish my reorganization.
I am doing a photo shoot Tuesday morning so I can't finish it then.
I am meeting a friend for dinner Tuesday night so I can't finish it then.
I will need another doubleshot of espresso.

Your Box or Mine?

It Kit Studio, the awesomely great scrapbooking kit I have the honor of designing for, is moving to a new location... and the owner is having a HUGE SALE to get rid of inventory so she doesn't have to move it. Kits are priced at 10-75% off (I just bought a couple of last December's kits for 75% off!) and are definitely worth checking out. Oh and of course, you also need to check out the stamps in the current kit, born from my doodles! It's a cool little tree stamp that is very versatile and I love it. :)

Click on the picture at the top to go to the site, or click here: It Kit Studio

Rafting in Pagosa

Be entertained!
Watch where Riley's sitting...


And where he ended up after the bump! HAHAHA
This last picture is my favorite. I love how we are all laughing and Riley is off his seat.

I'm just impressed that he held onto the oar the whole time! More Pagosa later! :)

Plunger Park

I know I have to do more Pagosa photos, but I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to get blogged BEFORE vacation, so I am doing that right now (also cause half the photos are on Rick's computer which is safely at work with him).

There is a park right next to that cute little neighborhood area where I do all my photo shoots. The playground equipment is all this weird, modern, spinning things that the kids love. It looks nothing like a regular playground with a slide and swingset. All of it looks straighe from space. Including the kids' favorite piece of equipment... a chair-like thing that spins around using your body weight to keep you in perpetual motion. Only the chair looks like an upside down toilet plunger. Hence the name they dubbed for the park, "The Plunger Park."

While I was doing a quick photo session on the little main street, Riley and Ellie played in the park - under the close supervision of Liane and Sage.

After I was done with my session, I joined them and Liane and I tried to take a couple photos of ourselves...
But Sage really felt like she needed to be in the photo, so she squeezed in too...
Then I attempted to take a group shot. This was my favorite of many... I love how Sage looks so wild here. HAHA
The kids keep begging to go to the Plunger Park but it.is.too.hot. Instead we have been spending our afternoons at the YMCA outdoor pool. Today Riley accomplished a HUGE milestone there... he passed the "swim test" so he could get a wristband that allowed him use of the diving board! To pass the swim test you have to swim the length of the pool (about 20 yards) without any help... and he did it! It took him awhile, but he finally made it across! A couple times the lifeguards came up to him asking if he wanted help and he kept shaking his head so he could do it all himself. And when he got out of the pool and they placed the green wristband on him, you would have thought he had received the gold medal! He was so proud. And so was I :)