XXX Rootbeer experience

Ok, now that I have your attention :-)

Seriously, we hit the xxx rootbeer drive in issaquah last night. Here
is a pic of giant root beer float we shared. They also had a huge
gumball machine that the girls loved. We also got to sit through the
heaviest rainstorm we have had in a long long time. Probably about 20
min of pounding rain.

Comings and Goings

First off, hard to believe that June and July are past us. It seems like just other day Maddie was getting out of school at the end of May and we were looking forward to a really long summer. Time flies when your having fun.

Last updates were around the parade, but it has been a busy few weeks since parade weekend. We have had visits from Great Grandma Cattau and Stacey and Haas (will post pictures later) where we spent some time at the cabin.

Our inconsistent weather still lingers....It has been pretty average, but we occasionally get up into the high 80's or even 90. That temp around here just doesn't work well with no AC. Luckily we have a built in AC unit called "The Basement" last night we all slept in the basement to keep cool.

We did the school supply run last night. Maddie is getting ready for 2nd grade and Kenzie into PreSchool-3. KK is excited, asking daily if she is going to school. Speaking of school, the construction is coming along, maybe a bit slower then we would all like, but it will be ready....it will be ready...everyone say it....it will be ready!!

Finally, we had a little shake up in the family car situation. Last week we traded in the "SS Jensen" - as my co-workers call it, for a new Chrysler Pacifica. The SS was getting up there and with every repair is was getting more expensive....not to mention the $100+ to fill up the tank with gas. This is a bit smaller for us, but we bought a Thule Topper (or a Rocket Box like some friends call it) that will hold all our "stuff" when we go on a trip.

That's all for now...

Parade Recap

Well, we had a great day yesterday as 1st time participants in the WS parade. A couple weeks ago, I was meeting with a consultant for the school and we were talking about marketing, our under utilized buses, etc, and the light bulb went off....Lets roll the buses in the parade with the Church float. Fill a bus with kids and show our school spirit. We rushed to get a couple banners made up and recruited about 12 kids to ride the bus. All in all it was a great success, we showed our school pride, and for those that were on the parade route that attend Hope, were also proud. Nana J was a spectator and was able to get these pics and the video below. Special thanks to Steph who walked the parade route and made sure I didnt run over any kids!

Needless to say I think we have established a new tradition!

In line for the parade

Our first time in the parade....more pics to come!

Vacation Recap: Part 2

Sorry for the delay in our part 2 recap. After a great time at the Oregon coast, we headed back to Seattle for the night and then headed out to Maggie Lake for the 4th of July weekend. Ryan, Stacey and Haas were in town so we had a great time hanging out, fishing, golfing and swimming. When we got there in the afternoon, the kids immediately headed for the lake with uncle. We also headed out in the boat and caught a couple trout during the evening bite. In fact Ryan caught the first trout on powerbait...everything else has been on the fly. On day 2, Ryan and I headed out to Trophy Lake for golf. The crew met us for lunch and then we "had" to squeeze in some fishing :-) I think I mentioned before that I really really like this Golf/Fishing experience. Here is the picture (thanks to Maddie - who also netted it for me) of the Hog that I landed. For you fly-fisherman, this was on a 4wt rod, with a dry fly!!!



Friday was also the 4th and we enjoyed an awesome fireworks show on the lake. The "show" went on for probably 2 hours with some pretty sizable fireworks. It was almost like being at the Space Needle...ok, maybe not.

On Saturday, the Jensen crew headed up for the day. Upon arrival Ben and Lauren were all over the fishing. We caught probably 40 perch...it was a blast. We then battled the rain, yes, Rain on the 4th, and headed to Tahuya Days parade. After Burgers, Hot Dogs, Ice Cream bars and a cool little parade we headed back to the lake. Luckily the rain had stopped and the kids wanted to go swimming again. The cousins really enjoyed playing together.

Sunday we just kinda hung out...we head back later to avoid the ferry lines. This concluded our vacation. We did a lot and had a ton of fun. Now, we are ready for summer to start!!

Back to the routine

Quick "mobile" post before the part 2 vacation recap. Heading back to
the routine today. Here is a pic of the view from the water taxi
heading over to downtown.

Maddie starts cheer camp today and Kk has swiming lessons. The end of
our vacation and the 4th were a lot of fun at the cabin. Lots of
pictures to share.

Vacation Recap: Part 1

Vacation started out on Friday with a visit to Arbor Heights pool with the Doerrs. We had nummy BBQ burger, salad, etc. Swimming was great....KK is getting pretty brave at jumping right in and Maddie is getting better and better on her swimming. Sunday we then headed down to Portland to visit the "Portland crew." Lunch with Caroling and Lisa, followed by a visit to Janet's house to see Charlotte, Christopher, Katie, Roland, Paul and Brett....Oh by the way, we picked up Stacey and Haas at the airport in Portland....The Perry clan is heading up for the 4th of July...More on that visit in part 2. We had a great visit, and it was great to see Brett and the rest of the crew.

We stayed the night in downtown Portland at the Benson Hotel. Cool hotel with confy beds. On Monday we did a little shopping, grabbed lunch then headed out to the Oregon coast. We stayed at the "Wood House"...the house we stay at every Easter. We were meeting Nana and Papa J as well as Jeff, Amy, Ben and Lauren there to celebrate some milestones for Mike's Parents. June was there 40th wedding anniversary, August is Nana J's 60th birthday, and September is Papa J's 60th birthday. Since Jeff and family were going to be in town we figured this would be a great way to celebrate. The weather worked out great. It was warm (for the beach - 70ish), and hardly any wind. The kids had a BLAST playing together...at the beach, baseball in the yard, riding bikes, you name it. Took lots of pics, and I will post the slideshows later. Here was our final group picture.

Happy Anniversary and Birthday(s) Mom and Dad!