Picture perfect

We've had a lot of big news this week! Matt got a job for George Fox U, and we'll be moving a week from today! This is such a tremendous God-send, as this means Matt will be working for the same Portland campus where he will be attending classes in the fall. Yay for tuition remission!

Pray for us as we live the upcoming, busy week, will you? Muchas Gracias. 

I don't have a specific goal in mind with this post, but I have a whole slam of pics to share with you. Enjoy!

We went to visit Bill, an older gentleman that Marty is caretaker for 3 days/week, to shoot some pool!

Ran up to Bellingham for a day to say hello to some of my family. I'm pictured here with my Grandma Frazer and Aunt Meri.

 Visited with a dear friend, Kristin, and her son, Josiah.

 Ate lunch at Cafe Veloce, the location of our first date and rehearsal dinner.

 Hung out with Gigi.

 Ate out on the deck.

 Went on a short hike in Granite Falls to Granite Falls. 

 Went for more walks around the neighborhood.

 Every day, we watch Eva grow up a little more. So bittersweet!

I spy the Space Needle.

 The kids have been real troopers, being carted around all day. Of course, lots of food helps.

And no day would be complete without chasing this kid around.

Have an awesome week, everyone. Much love,

m

Birthday weekend

On Friday, Matt and I drove to West Seattle for his sister Lindsey's birthday bash at an amazing little place called Urban Enoteca. The location had several rooms, but our event was held in the "Wine Library." We were given library cards and the idea is to check-out...wine! Four wineries were offering tastings in the library the night of the party. Our first (and favorite!) winery was one called Kiona. We checked out quite a few and were impressed with each and every selection! We lounged and mingled (no noise restrictions here!) while nursing our glasses. Lindz had some amazing desserts on-hand, while UE provided knock-your-socks-off hors d'oeuvres. Awesome, awesome party, and a great way to kick off our weekend! 

Matt with his card.

Checking out the selections at Kiona.

So, so good.

Wine barrels make the best tables!

Cheese and charcuterie

Dessert galore!

 The sibs: Matt, Janna, and Lindsey (things literally got a little blurry!)

Wine brings out the purple in people. Not kidding, most of us were wearing this color! 

 Those last shots were taken near midnight, after most of the other guests were long gone, so everything looked pristine as the staff readied things for the following day. We then spent the night with Lindsey at her West Seattle condo, and went home on Saturday for some time with the kids before going out to see one of my favorite music artists, JJ Heller. Whenever Kiel needs some calming down, I put this song on for him. He knows every word by heart.

On Sunday, we gathered with family in Granite to further celebrate. Not only was it Lindsey's birthday, but it was also Mother's Day!

 Kiel and Lindz needed some re-aquainting. They hadn't seen each other since November or so. ;)
 
  

As I write this, I'm sitting by the river while Kiel plays. He just offered me "special bread", also known as a rock. *smirk* Ta-ta!!

Northwest Trek

On Saturday, We made our way south to meet up with some family (my brother Talbert, Matt's sister Janna, and her fiance Andrew) at a wildlife park called Northwest Trek. They are home to just about every local animal and we were blessed to have almost all of them come out to greet us during our visit, with the exception of the wild cats (lynx, bobcat, and cougar). That bummed Matt out a bit, but seeing bison on the tram ride made up for it!    

"Look, a dinosaur!" shouts Kiel, for the whole tram car to hear.

(Big-horned Sheep, my personal fav.)

After hopping off the tram, we traipsed along together on some great walking trails to see the predators that were thankfully not free-ranging.



Grammar police: do you really want us to stay "off and on" the handrail's side? I didn't realize that parkour is an effective bobcat safety measure!



Bears!

Here I am with my half-brother...can you tell? I've been told we have the same nose. 

Totally cool, even if we did have runny noses left over from our weekday colds!

Hope you enjoyed it with us,

m