...as the moose chalk board in the kitchen read, " relax, laugh..." (and something that was changed to "hunt")... and relax and laugh we did. with billiards, foosball, wii games, hot tubing, movie watching, boggle battles, poker until the wee hours, and scrabble tourneys we went right to work doing which ever we pleased and polishing that off with a bunch of nothing but wine drinking & white russian sipping. you wanna talk grub... what a spread!!! you'd think we were on a forest cruise... though big bear's food blows any cruise ships food right out'a the water! melt in your mouth barbecued chicken with rick's hit from last year artichokes, chef's heavenly slow cooked brisket and baked beans, and of course hamburgers and dogs on the 4th. we had homemade sandie-cookies coming out our ears... and vanilla floats with chocolate syrup made by the soda fountain expert himself! our stomachs were on a vacation of their own. there were hills to be conquered and hikes to be had. kayaking was in order for some... books to be read by others. ...naps to be snoozed, and dogs to be pottied. ...and who could forget our skit in honor of the 4th of july? not i. no not i. and to those who wish they could... just smile, thank God for back lighting, and chalk it up to the vino! cheers!
... and to bill and sandra, thanks for an amazing time!
...it's duke?
when the feeling moves you... you're wearing your sweats anyhow... and you're imagining your "happy place" there's only one thing to do...
...and so naturally on the day of our Lord's Resurrection we go about meticulously hunting for hard boiled eggs hidden about. ...and this year was no exception. babe took to hunting like a fish to water. he simply would not be out done by his cousins... not on this Resurrection day or any other! his total egg count: 10! and after his diligent efforts he hunkered down for a good old egg licking and egg chucking. later that day we made it to the pacific amphitheater for rock harbors easter service. it was a glorious sun shining day... a baptism invitation was offered and kiana went forward and was baptized. what an amazing moment in time! thank you Lord for all you are doing in all who were baptized. you are so awesome!
can you see the resemblance?
the santa paula fire department had a rutine practice run the other day and they invited the public to hang out downtown and watch. there was a definite chill in the air... we huddled in a ray of sunlight and mowed on ensalada de camarones con aguacate y limon... mmm... that downtown taco shop will not soon be forgotten. after a million photos, a snooze on gabel's part, and lots of thorough sniffs by duke of chocolate-bar-selling-girls, the house was set ablaze and our front row seats became rather toasty. the firemen went to work and a million more photos were snapped. [the one posted is one of my favorites; a local woman passing through the frame and a car in motion.]
can it get any better than an inflatable tub with a life size winnie the pooh sitting upright at the opposite end? you might think so... but little gabel is smitten for the pooh... and bath time is now perfection thanks to grandma's purchase. the experience is further hightened by 99 cent bath toys... his favorite, some stackable cups... and to finish, drying off with a game of peek-a-boo in his towel. life only gets better... with bath time!
a night out on the town... we're missing you gabriel... i promise. so the night included bowling with my bro and his whacky posse, then cocktails and a good ol' rug cuttin' on huntington's main street. my legs felt like jelly... man, has it been that long. the chef seemed to have a pretty good time too; he schooled us all in bowling so the guy can't complain.
