Back in Town!

Back .... as in back from Montana and the busy month of May.   Not that anything much happened  ..... ha! ha! ha!

The Pink Princess Returned.

Yes, the pink princess returned from her YEAR in India.  Picture me doing the smothering and she is trying to tactfully let me know she is is competent and capable.  Because she is financially cautious (and a poor college student) she humors me and I take her shopping.  She has since moved on to her own studio apartment in Seattle.  I am SOOOO looking forward to helping her decorate!!  She is keen on black and white with maybe some hot pink and teal.  The cell phone videos of her place and our calls back and forth have been fun. We are taking a u-haul up next weekend.  U-haul?  Yep!  Her bed is a full/double renaissance revival.  Yes, the kind with a seven foot tall headboard and 3-foot tall footboard.  Hers is disassembled in the garage (aka staging area), but looks something like this (but wood is darker and a little less ornate and more curve-y):

What else?

 

Montana Kid Duty.

Driving 11 hours to Montana to watch two ADORABLE grandkids for TWO WEEKS while mom and dad luxuriated in Hawaii to celebrate their anniversary.  (Even if luxuriated ISN'T a word ... it certainly SHOULD be!!)

                                                 

The REAL Sammy Girl turned six while I was there. 

 

The stay included daily trips to 1/2 day kindergarden (several miles to paved road!)  and time with the two-year-old-engineer-in-training.  There were visits to the Missoula Carousel  ....

 .... got signed up for a first library card (something EVERY GIRL NEEDS!)   ....  a couple of trips for bike riding and touring the visitor's center at the game refuge ..... playing at the park .... and more and more fun!  The weather was so variable .... crummy windy, rainy, stormy ... and some bits of nice.  One morning near the end it was clear and beautiful.  And COLD.

  

The irrigation sprinklers left ice on the fences and trees and I tried to catch some pics on the way back from our morning kindergarten drop off.  Deer were often in the front and back "yards", and one day we saw a fox with breakfast in his mouth right next to us on the road.  AWESOME!  Worst thing?  No cell phone reception or "real" internet.  With mountains all around, the only place to communicate by cell was by the garbage cans (about 2 miles from the house).  

View from the garbage cans.

As if THAT wasn't enough, 

Wedding vows and week-long celebration.

We ended the month with My son the genius (MSTG) getting married. MSTG married a great girl who is .... wait for it .... brilliant .... wait for it ... sweet and beautiful .... wait for it .... a rocket scientist!  Yes, yes .... a REAL rocket scientist.   The right education and a job in the field. Anyhow, a car full of people and stuff came up from LA a week before the wedding. There was a shower at Deepwood, rehearsal dinner at Leach Botanical Gardens ... our Whoville condo filled to the brim all week.  Also included sidelights like Mr. Sammy Girl (aka Poppa Steve) taking kiddos to the Zoo ... and on and on ... It's true that I couldn't find the jacket for the ensemble I had planned to wear so fit in an emergency run to the Nordstrom Rack to find another jacket. And the day of the wedding, another emergency run to find a strapless bra for one of the girls who couldn't find hers.  Who had time to get bored??!!

Pink Princess was a bridesmaid and two grandkiddos were in the wedding.  Flower girl was on task and simply FABULOUS!  Zander Man ..... well he knows what to do in church!  Walked down the aisle with poppa and hopped into the empty pew three rows from the front.  He then proceeded to kick off his shoes and settle in.  All ready for the sermon with a great view of the platform.  Problem?  He was the ring bearer and was supposed to walk ALL the way to the front.  I guess it's my fault as I reminded him we were going to church and he was wearing his church shoes.  He certainly knows the routine!  (Don't YOU kick off your shoes in church??)  

Everything was lovely.  Lots of pictures afterwards.  Then we took the scenic way to the reception.  Lost?  Well, maybe just turned around a little ....  

The next day (Monday) June 1st was laundry and packing so both girls could leave.  One last field trip, so the munchkins and I went to see the Eagle's Nest.  They were both impressed. At seven feet by eleven feet it would impress anyone!  On the way home we stopped at our farm stand and bought a chocolate milkshake and real (red, ripe and juicy) Oregon strawberries.   YUM!

Tuesday I headed to Eugene for classes and the next day Mr. Sammy Girl got sick.  See?  He CAN'T live without me!!

Now I'm back home.  

They say "Today is the first day of the rest of your life" ... and mine is starting by putting away all my serving dishes and folding the six loads of laundry I just washed.    Hmmm ... maybe instead I'll start it by going out to breakfast with Mr. Sammy Girl (guaranteed to make him feel better, of course!) and a trip to Camas (road trip to spend time with him and maybe a little shopping??)

Hugs to you all and hope to get caught up with everyones postings!