Final Countdown

I get to see Baby James and all the rest of the Chyterbok/Rabe clan in Chicagoland family in just a few days! I figure that if James and I had a convo about my upcoming trip, it'd go something like this:

"Hey, so I hear you're coming to town this weekend, is it true?"

"Yea, buddy. I'll get there late Friday night!!"

"Ooooo this is excellent news. I've been practicing my talking and smiles just for you. I'm getting pretty good...just wait and see!"

"I hear you're smiling up a storm these days! Your momma texted me the cutest little video of you practicing your welcome speech."

"Aw, yeah. My mom is pretty bomb, huh. She knows just how to make me smile."

"Yep, she sure is! I can't wait to meet you and see your family. I've got a little something for you, too...something I'm sure you'll want to wear every day after we spend some time together ;) See you real soon, little man!"

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As a side note, it's good to know that the kids still say "bomb." I was starting to wonder if it made me seem uncool or old when I said it. So if newborns are still saying it, it must still be a rad thing to say, right?

Moore Girls Visit Team Thompson (not more girls)

I'm sure you've noticed, but I'm roughly two months behind in posts...one of these days I'll get caught up and post updates when things actually happen vs. two months later.

We've been busy with home improvement projects, work, sleep and watching Doctor Who and Torchwood; two shows produced by the BBC. They're brilliant, darling. Absolutely fantastic. Spot on.

We've watched a lot of Doctor Who. 

But I digress.

Today, I'm taking you back to July again with this post.

Sunday morning, after Joe and Brianna's wedding, Justin and I woke early and hit the road to return to California. I drove most of the way as JT had been driving us everywhere else, so I could work in the car. On the way back we stopped to see the Stonehenge replica, a monument to fallen soldiers of Klickitat County who died during WWI built near the Washington/Oregon border; it's something I've always just driven past on previous trips.

 The mighty Columbia (that's for you, Nanny!), the Biggs Rapids-Sam Hill Bridge and Mt. Hood.

Yes, still sporting my wedding up-do. It was early, ok? And yes, I did see recently a 14-year-old at church wearing this same tank top. I'm not going to wear it anymore. At least not in public.

We also stopped for lunch at Deschutes Brewery in Bend for one last hoorah -- a hoorah which was dampened a bit by the unfortunate and too-late discovery of the presence of goat cheese in my toasted cheese sandwich. I can't stand goat cheese. Much in the same way JT can't stand squash. It makes my mouth water the way your mouth waters when you have the flu and you know you need to find a bathroom asap.

As we were in a hurry to get back on the road, I simply squirted ketchup and a lot of their house horseradish-honey mustard combo on the world's most disgusting grilled cheese, dunked it in JT's tomato soup and ate it as fast as I could, all while trying not to breathe through my nose so the flavor of the goatiness was not amplified more than necessary.

Back home we were forced to quickly return to our normal routine, but knowing we had guests lined up for our first weekend back was definitely something to look forward to!

Francie and MaryJane, two of the three "Moore Girls," my mom's first cousins, (Hi Francie & MJ!) came to stay with us for a night before heading down to Carmel to meet their sister Jill for a family wedding.

The ladies treated Justin and me to a nice anniversary dinner (Team Thompson rang in three years July 26th) at Billy Berks in downtown San Jose. We had a lovely time chatting about everything under the sun, and then some, at dinner.

 Francie, MaryJane and me.

The loveliness continued the next morning while hanging out in the kitchen while I made scones and the ladies got ready for their trip to Carmel. It was fun to get to show them around our place and the city we call home -- they're both loyal blog readers and were excited to see the place with their own eyes -- especially the lemon tree :)

They also stopped by the store to see me on Monday before continuing on to the rest of their vacation in San Fran.

Thanks for staying with us and visiting, ladies! It was sweet of you to treat us to dinner for our anniversary and we loved getting to hang out with you, even for just a short while :)

Important Message

If you find yourself invited to a wedding anytime soon, you should know that you're not cool if you don't know how to "Dougie."

Oh, I'm down with the kids (name that movie). I can Macarena, Thriller or Boot Scootin' Boogie circles around anyone (ok, ok...no, I can't, but at least I know what those dances are and can fake my way through them). I even know how to do a spiced up version of running in place to dance along to Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO.

But...Dougie? I'd never even heard the song before Joe and Brianna's wedding.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?!

I was out shakin' it on the dance floor, after someone finally coaxed me out there in the first place, and was busy dancing with my cousins and fellow bridesmaids when the Dougie song came on.

Suddenly, a circle formed. You know, the kind of circle that formed at high school dances when it was time for break dancing.

What? That never happened at your high school dances? Well it did at mine.

So, people formed a circle. People began swaying side to side. I continued bouncing back and forth on the balls of my feet...my standard dancing move. People began swaying more, all in sync to the rhythm of the music (dancing to the beat...it's a novel idea, right). Then, it happened: people started going crazy...I thought it was some sort of Bohemian, Rasta-love hippy dancing. People were rolling their arms into the air, they were spinning and doing moves as if they were greasing up their hair.

One of the bridesmaids...who must have seen my panicked look or noticed that I was the only one not swaying to the beat...came over and said, "put your arms out like this [steering wheel movement to the side] and then do it on the other side."

"Oh! Ok, yeah," I said.

The minute she turned back around to the circle, I steering wheel-shimmied myself right off the dance floor and over to the bar.

I still haven't heard the Dougie song on any station I listen to in the Bay Area.

Now, go get your notebook, put on your best dancing shoes, stand in front of the full-length mirror and then press play.

Note: this video is ok for all audiences...you can look up your own Dougie video, if you so choose.



You can thank me later :)

Mr. & Mrs. Emerson

What a perfect day it was! The weather was just right, the bride was gorgeous, the yard was luminous, the food was delicious, the groom was handsome, the party was hoppin', the newlyweds looked so in love and the guests were joyous.

The morning started with a few last minute yard-prep to dos, but soon everyone showered, went to the beauty salon, zipped into their dresses and slipped on their tuxes.

Dad and Joe came up with the idea of using the RV to transport the wedding party to and from the wedding -- it's like a super posh limo! Plus, the church is only about 3 miles from home, so it worked like a charm...and I think dad really enjoyed playing chauffeur.

After the ceremony, we took a few pics at the church, but then headed back to mom and dad's for the reception. All the little details Brianna had put together, from the strings of lights, to candles and roses on tables, to the hanging candle chandeliers handing in the cake tent, made the night special and intimate.

It was so great to see most of the extended family again, as well as many familiar faces and friends from my hometown. I didn't get a chance to spend much time with everyone, but I'm grateful I was able to see everyone on such a fun occasion and to know that they were there to celebrate my little brother and his bride.

I pilfered some of these pictures from other people's Facebook pages (ehem...Carrie's FB), as well as the photographer's blog. Believe it or not, neither Justin nor I managed to take a single picture during the ceremony (well...we couldn't have since we were both in the wedding party) or the reception. Not one. Ugh! So...everyone, please go visit Curtis Campbell Photography right now and note I'm giving credit where credit is due for these photos. They're gorgeous shots...I love the way he captured the light, the moment and the emotion.

Enjoy:

The reception setting...pre tables and chairs.

The men and little cutie-patootie Walter.

(via)

 I'm the pink one...

(via)

This and the next pic tie for my favorite shots. Beautiful picture with genuine happy smiles.

(via)

 

Love the colors.

(via)

 Love it.

(via)

 

What a wonderful picture of the night, the light and the couple. 

(via)

 

 They danced to My Wish by Rascal Flatts. I cried. I still tear up now when I hear the song. It's perfect for a mother-son dance. 

(via)

 Cake time!

(Carrie's pic)

  

Me and my silver fox. Thanks, Aunt Barbara, for coming to my rescue with a necklace!

(Carrie's pic)

Congratulations, Joe & Brianna! Thank you for including both Justin and me in your wedding day. You two look so in love and that makes a sister's heart fill with joy.

Booked!

I'm going to see this little munchkin snuggle love bug at the end of September.

Isn't little James the cutest little guy :)

Grandview -- Days 1-3

Once we landed in Grandview, it was time to get to work. Yard work outdoors for Justin; job work in the basement for Christine. 

We were able to get some good time in with family and friends, though that time is never long enough:

We met Tyler & Jared for apps and drinks at Molcajetes:

Tyler and me. If only my 12-year-old self could see me now ;)

Jared and me. If you ask Jared, he'll tell you the chips at Molcajetes "take your breath away!"

And took in some of the beauty of my parents' yard and the sunsets:

Matt's grotto area off the side of my parents' house.

Gorgeous valley sunset.

But really, overall, we did our assignments:

Me:

 

Justin:

On Friday, we did a lot of last minute wedding to dos, getting tables set up, centerpieces put together, bouquets wrapped, errands ran, and so on. Later that night it was time for rehearsal. We all met at the church, ran through the ceremony steps and broke for dinner.

Rehearsal dinner was Bon Vino's in Sunnyside...we had a delicious buffet and celebrated the near newlyweds.

Justin and I got to spend time with Donnie and Molly at dinner, and I'm thankful we did! We don't often get to spend a lot of time together when Justin and I are in town, so I'm glad we got to hang for a while.

 Joe and Donnie at rehearsal dinner. 

Next....wedding day!

What a difference the Bay makes

I drive from the south Bay Area each day up onto the Peninsula. The
San Fran Bay is often quite foggy in the mornings, but not the San
Jose area. Well, it is early-early, but it has usually burned off by
sunrise.

The first picture I snapped this morning...it is often what my drive
looks like around 8 a.m., just before I enter the official "Peninsula
Zone."

The second was taken about 5 minutes later. A totally differetly
world! About a 5-10+ temperature difference, too!

Watch our garden grow!

The tommies are finally getting some color (while some are just
producing their first fruits), I replaced the thyme...the other
straight up shriveled and dried out overnight, and our two and a half
watermelon appear to have sucked the life out of the rest of the
plant...that earlier bit about finding a watermelon with a bow on your
front door? Probably not going to happen.

The gorgeous sunflower blossoms are chocolate sunflowers. The seeds
were a gift from Justin's mom :)

I think what helped the tommies was the mulch I put around their
bases. That, and it's warming up again. And I gave them a shot of
Miracle Grow. Ok, so I don't have a clue what I'm doing, but I like to
pretend I have a green thumb!