May in Review

May was quite the month for Team Thompson. It was full of visitors, road trips and learning just exactly how destructive a 10-month-old baby can be once he figures out how to crawl.

Cousin Maggie came to visit the first weekend of the month to meet Rolin. It was a quick weekend trip, but it replenished my Maggie tank. It's tough being a grownup and a parent...there's just not as much free time to go back and forth to Chicago as often as I please, so I certainly cherish the times I get to see one of my closest and dearest friends in person.

We just took it easy most of the weekend, but we did get to practice our mountain-lion scaring tactics again, you know, so we don't get rusty. Never know when you may cross paths with a cougar.

Mother's Day came the following weekend. My first one as a momma! I blogged previously about the day, so read my "Mother's Day" post if you need a refresher.

Rolin and I headed to Grandview the weekend of May 17 to celebrate my mom's retirement from the school district. It was a lovely evening spent at The Walter Clore Center in Prosser, right next to Desert Wind Winery. Rolin had a rough time in the crowd of new faces, but overall did OK, and we were able to stay for the whole party. He did, however, poop through his party pants, but that's no surprise. Put a cute outfit on a baby and it's only a matter of time before there's poo on it.

It was a beautiful night to be outside and enjoy a view of the river and Horse Heaven Hills. To me, there is nothing more beautiful than the Horse Heavens in the late evening light. What look like brown mounds during the day, the hills turn into a gorgeous mix of purple, yellow, blue and green at twilight. If I could build myself a dream home, it would be near the base of those hills, with a porch angled just so so part of it pointed directly at the hills, while the other would allow a view of the sunset.

I came home Sunday after the retirement party and we welcomed Linsley and Jeff to stay as guests later that night. Ohhh, how I miss my Linsley time! Lots of crying happens when we're together -- crying from laughing so hard, that is! If you need a refresher on Linsley, you can read more about her in my "Ain't no Party like a Motorhome Party" post or my "California Girls" post.

Lins and Jeff left Wednesday and my parents came Thursday. They stayed here on their way to Flathead Lake in Montana for their annual "Indy Weekend" get-together with the Bye family. Justin was gone that week so it was definitely nice to have some extra arms for a few hours Friday morning. Friday was also when Rolin turned 10 months old.

Justin got back Friday night and we all left early Saturday morning for Aberdeen. It was Curtis and Kate's wedding week, and we were fortunate enough to get a whole week off to spend with the family. Plus, we made it to Aberdeen without anyone getting peed on, and I didn't knock over a full bottle of formula on the drivers seat! I'll blog more about our time in Aberdeen soon.

One quick note about our stay in Aberdeen, though. While there, we celebrated Justin's 32nd birthday -- twice! Once on his actual birthday and then again the next day when more of the family could join us. Justin bought himself a bicycle for his birthday, and that's all I have to say about that...

Seriously, don't get me started on the bike.

Anyway, May came and went in a blink of an eye. I hope June goes by fast too because we're looking forward to July; it's the month we celebrate Independence Day, as well as several birthdays, including Rolly's first. We're also going to the beach as a family of three. I can't wait!

Adios, amigo!

We parted with a good friend last month.

A friend that had seen Team Thompson through many adventures, countless movies, laughs, tears, good news, late night snacks, lazy weekends and panic attacks. This friend was also hospitable to strangers and friends alike, and stuck by our side through the five times we've moved in the last five years.

Though strings of insults were thrown its way, particularly around tax-return season or any time we moved, this friend remained a constant in our lives.

You could say this friend has been there through sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer.

This friend was our couch.

Our OLD couch, that is.

Old Couchy in San Jose

WE GOT A NEW COUCH!

The crew loading a few of the boxes into Justin's work rig. 

Old Couchy was a truly heavy beast, complete with a hide-a-bed. We have reason to believe it had invisible lead bricks sewn into its cushions. Justin absolutely despised that couch, but, really, only when we had to move it.

I inherited Old Couchy from friends Sarah and Eric when I lived with Tara & Ami in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. Eric and Justin moved it into my old apartment, destroying only one and a half exit signs and scraping the stairway walls along the way. Upon setting it down, Justin proclaimed, "When you move out, this thing is staying here!"

Luckily Joe was in town when we decided to get the new couch.

Then Justin and I got married a while later and, upon reviewing our finances, decided to move the couch into our new apartment in Lake Forest Park. My dad and bro Joe helped with that move. Upon setting it down in the new place, Justin proclaimed, "When we move out, this thing is staying here!"

OK, one of the main reasons we got the new couch was because Joe was in town.

Then we learned we were moving to California. Old Couchy stayed in LFP while we lived in my parents' RV in CA while waiting out our LFP lease to be up and trying to save money for a new place in CA. After getting all our ducks in a row and finding an apartment in Mountain View, CA, we reviewed our finances and decided to bring Old Couchy to CA. My bro Joe also helped with that move, both out of the apartment in WA and into our new home in CA. Old Couchy smashed only one finger along the way. Upon setting the couch down in CA, Justin proclaimed, "When we move out, this thing is staying here!"

It takes a lot of muscle and stamina to move Old Couchy.

From Mountain View we moved to San Jose where our rent was a bit higher. Upon reviewing our finances, we decided to bring Old Couchy with us to the South Bay. We had a crew of friends help with that move, but still, upon setting down the couch, Justin proclaimed, "When we move out, this thing is staying here!"

Not exactly sure what to do with the old while bringing in the new, we moved the beast out on to the porch.

Soon after we got settled into our place in San Jose, we received our tax return. Upon reviewing our finances, we decided to see about getting a new couch. It was also the weekend Justin's brother came to visit. We spent the better part of Saturday testing out new couches....leather couches, microfiber couches, couches with ottomans, couches in the shape of an L.

We came home with new TV instead.

In no time at all, the neighbors expressed interest, and Old Couchy had a new home. 

As you know, we recently moved again...this time back to WA. A professional crew of movers packed up and transported our belongings this time, so while Old Couchy skirted ridicule during this latest move, Justin still looked at the couch with hatred that burns with the heat of a thousand suns. When it came time to arrange the living room, Justin proclaimed, "This is the last time I want to move this couch!"

So he began plotting. Plotting ways to convince me it was time to part with Old Couchy. "We'll have more visitors now so we'll need more places to sit." "See how it dips down in the middle?" "See how it slides so easily on the wood floor?" "Don't you think a darker colored couch with a different fabric would make for easier baby barf clean up?" "You hate this couch, too, don't you? DON'T YOU?!"

The weekend Joe my bro came to town, and after MUCH discussion as to whether or not it was the right time, we went to Coscto and purchased a new couch.

New couch!

We weren't sure what we'd do with Old Couchy, but as Joe and Justin moved the beast out to the porch -- not without much moaning, groaning and calling of names -- the neighbors walked by.

The neighbors are now the proud new owners of Old Couchy.

I'll miss Old Couchy. As I said, it's seen Team Thompson through a lot of adventures, but change is good.
And so is a new place to rest our weary rears.

California Girls

My dear friend Linsley came to visit the weekend after my birthday. Whenever the three of us are together, it's guaranteed there will be at least three instances where laughing attacks threaten to send food or drink shooting from our noses.

Linsley and I grew up together in Grandview. On occasion, I would babysit Linsley and her two little sisters. It was probably one of my more favorite babysitting gigs because their mom, Gina, would pick me up to take me to their house for the evening, and on the way there we'd pick up a Morrie's pizza for dinner. Also, the girls were not babies, which made watching them easier because they were fun, well behaved and quite delightful. They had a relatively early bedtime, they had endless supplies of Diet Dr. Pepper in the garage and they had That Thing You Do on VHS. Every time I watched the girls, after they had brushed, flushed and put to bed, I'd pop open a Diet Dr. Pepper and pop in That Thing You Do.

But I digress...

Linsley and I came to be great friends over the years and spent a lot of time together when I lived in Seattle and she attended Seattle Pacific University. She got to know Justin well, too, and when the time came, we asked Linsley to be a bridesmaid in our wedding. After we moved away, she was one of our first California guests and was lucky enough to visit when we lived in the motorhome in Morgan Hill. We called her our Motorhomie.

We went to San Francisco the first time she came for a visit, but we were just newbies ourselves and didn't know the first thing about playing tourist in the city. We went back this time to see some new sites, such as Coit Tower, Lombard Street and The Painted Ladies (a.k.a. the Full House houses). We even went on a 1-hour Bay cruise that took us under the bridge and next to Alcatraz.

Listening to the cruise commentary.

The mighty Golden Gate.

Justin was so happy to be on a boat with two beautiful ladies, he couldn't keep his eyes open!

Alcatraz.

The descent: Lombard Street.

A Trip Down Lombard Street. Narrated by Team Thompson and the Motorhomie.

Linsley, a man and The Painted Ladies (the houses shown at the end of the Full House intro)

The supposed real Full House house.

Justin and Linsley at Coit Tower.

Team Thompson with the Bay Bridge in the background.

On the way home we stopped for burgers at Burger Meister in Daly City and then drove out to the beach to catch the sunset. Afterward, we had a little ice cream birthday cake at home.
Lins and I left JT at home Sunday and walked down the road for a pedicure before we took her back to the airport. We were so glad to have another of our friends from home come visit. It was a great weekend of catching up, eating, girl talk, laughing, touring and enjoying each other's company.

Belated

Wow! I had no idea so many of you were waiting for a real post! We have quite a bit of information for a proper update, and I will do one before the new year!

In the wake of a crazy fall and fast start to December, I’ve managed to skip over posts for 2, nearly 3, very important birthdays. That doesn’t mean, however, I forgot them outside of the blogosphere!

Here we go:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

December 5

We couldn’t have made it through this last year without you, dad! A simple “thank you” doesn’t even begin to express my gratitude for you and all you do. I loved our dinner dates while I was in town for mom’s surgery and can’t wait to see you again. Here’s to a fabulous 62 years and many more. I love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOE my BRO!

December 8

Joe – Welcome to your mid-20s! It’s been fun to watch you graduate this year and pursue teaching as your profession. It’s wonderful to hear about your adventures in the schools and about how you genuinely love investing in the kiddos you’re responsible for teaching and coaching. We’ve all got our fingers crossed that you’ll land a full-time position soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOMMA!

December 17

This one is early, but why not hit all three of you at once! I love you, mom! From filling the RV with food before we moved in to listening to me express frustration as well as excitement during the move, we couldn’t have made it through this year without you, either. I am incredibly grateful to God for your early discovery, successful surgery and trouble-free recovery, and am thankful for the time I got to spend with you in November.

It's the middle of June??!

Whoops, we've let the blog go, haven't we. Well, here's a quick recap:

Work is nuts for both of us, and to top it off, my boss is getting ready for his August wedding. Being the newlywed I am, I know that weddings do take a lot of prep, not to mention mental strain plus all the work that must be necessary to move your fiance across the country, plan an out-of-state wedding, sell your house, find a new house, find a school for your to-be stepson, etc. etc. etc. We're trying to cram a summer's worth of articles, newsletters and other marketing mumbojumbo into 4 weeks instead of 3 months. Should be fun.

Secondly, last Saturday (June 13) was my parents' 28th wedding anniversary!Congrats you two crazy kids!

Also on the 13th, Justin and I picked up my cousin Carrie from SFO as she was in town for the day with a friend to pick up the friend's dad's motorhome and drive it back to Washington. Funny story, real quick. So Carrie's flight was set to land at 8:29 a.m. and at about 8:15 a.m. I received what I expected to be a call from Carrie saying the plane landed early. Instead, it was my Uncle Lou Rabe...make that Captain Lou Rabe from the grand state of Illinois (Lou is Maggie's dad, for all you TeamThompson enthusiasts). He just so happened to have landed in San Fran on a flight he was piloting from Calgary, Canada before take off on another flight departing for Reno! HA!

He asked for Carrie's flight deats and then planned to surprise her at the gate. Because no one is allowed to meet anyone at the gate anymore (those are some of my favorite travel memories, I'll have you know), Carrie was quite surprised - after she blinked twice, shook her head, and whispered to herself, "nah, that can't be Uncle Lou" - to discover it actually was! He walked Carrie out to meet us and we had a mini Washington-California-Illinois reunion at the departures platform!

Unfortch I was charging my camera battery at home so we weren't able to snap a picture. Next time!

We were lucky to get to spend some time with Carrie and show her what we call home. After lunch in Redwood City we met Carrie's daughter Courtney and Carrie's friend in Emeryville before we parted ways.

On Sunday, just as we were getting ready to catch some Zzs, Justin got a text picture from his brother Curtis. The picture was a tad un-nerving as we weren't sure who it belonged to.

---- Fair Warning ---- if you're easily queezed, scroll past the pic quickly ----

Turns out it was his dad's and it's a result of a mountain biking trip gone wrong. Poor Lee - one of the most fierce mountain bikers known to man - took a tumble while biking near Montesano's Lake Sylvia and busted his colarbone. Luckily Curtis was biking alongside his pop that day and was able to assist in getting Lee home.

Yes, note I wrote home and not the ER.

It took an hour or so of convincing from both Karen and Curtis for Lee to go to the ER where they discovered it wasn't just a scratch.

Get well soon, Lee!! And PLEASE promise us you'll take it easy. We'll need your buff shoulder power to help us when we move again, whenever that may be :) JT and I suggested to Curtis that he get you a back-wheel lift for your bike so you can ride it stationary-style in the basement. We also suggested that Curtis set up a fan so you'll still have the wind in your hair, and that he also wack you with tree branches and toss mud your way from time to time so you don't forget what it's like to ride outside. You can thank us for that later :)

Also, my daddy-o was mentioned in last week's issue of the Grandview Herald in the "Backwards Glance" column (actually penned by my Aunt Barbara). As the column reads, 25 years ago last week, my dad was instated as the new ag rep for Old National Bank!
Lastly, JT and I confirmed our travel plans for our trip home in July!!! Our friends Ryan and Selena are getting married July 18 and as JT is in the wedding party, we decided to make a longer trip up. We'll arrive in Aberdeen July 11 (if all goes according to plan), will head to Grandview July 12-15 and then back to Tacoma/Olympia/Aberdeen for the remainder of our stay. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I miss home. 26 days and counting!!

Ain't no party like a motorhome party!

Team Thompson had a fab time with Miss Linsley - it was so nice to have a familiar face and a visitor! The weekend flew by and it's hard to believe she was already here and gone :(.

The three of us had a great time. On Friday, we kicked it in the motorhome over dinner, laughs, dessert and more laughs. We also presented Linsley with a welcome gift that was inspired by what my cousin Donnie called JT and me on a Facebook post: Motorhomies!

...the front said...

Team Thompson
Coyote Valley RV Tour
Morgan Hill, CA
Jan - Mar 2009

On Saturday we drove up to San Francisco and also made a quick pitstop to take a peek at where I work. With pointers from our buddy Melissa, we went to Pier 39, the Golden Gate Bridge, Buena Vista Cafe (for Irish Coffees!), Ghirardelli Square and the to the Fog City Diner for a yummy dinner. There was much more to do, but we were short on time.

Sunday morning we had brekkie in the RV and then set off to drive Lins around Morgan Hill - but not without a quick stop at Hot Java for a delicious coffee! It was a rainy Sunday, but the tour of town kept us entertained and so did a detour to the Gilroy Outlet Mall. We topped off the afternoon with lunch at El Toro Brewery, where we also received the wonderful news about my cousin Andrew and Alexis's engagement!!

Congrats you two! We're looking forward to the wedding and celebrating!!

Lins is now back home in Seattle, and most likely already is looking for tickets for her next trip to visit Team Thompson ;)!