Family Date Nite - A Midsummer Night's Dream

For G's Minor in music, she needs to go to arts events at school.  So for the first event we all went and watched the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream".  It was super entertaining and we all really enjoyed it.

This was projected on the wall of the building as we walked up.

Happy 25th ring for me!

Here are pics of my 25th anniversary ring.  It is hard too capture the beauty in a picture .  It is so sparkly and beautiful that there I cannot even think up words to describe it.  Thanks to my mom for giving me a family heirloom diamond to include in it.  The diamonds include the one I got from Jim for our engagement, my grandmother's engagement diamond and my great, great grandmother's engagement diamond!  The ring will be engraved with the names of the ladies whose diamonds are in it so that we will never forget!  It will be such a treasured ring for the rest of my life and I hope future generations will love it as much as I do.

Beer Holder

My hillbilly Uncle is making these super cool 6-pack holders made from old barn wood.  The handles are saplings that are twisted.  I LOVE them!

25th Anniversary

This is our 25th anniversary month!  And to celebrate, I am getting a new ring.  But it is not your normal "go to the store and buy it ring".  I had one specifically designed for me and I am using family heirloom diamonds.  I am soooo soooo soooo excited.  It will be a one of a kind that has such sentimental value.  I am even having the names of the women who owned the diamonds engraved on the inside of it.  The diamonds were from my grandmother and my great, great grandmother.  I using my marquis diamond from Jim and am also adding two new diamonds to pass down in the family.

The picture above shows the wax model of the ring.  It doesn't look very impressive but not to worry - the ring will look much better.

Tombstone, AZ

 We took a side trip to Tombstone, AZ this weekend while visiting Drew.  It is a cute little old western town where Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday used to hang out.

This is the original Bird Cage Theater

Marty and another statue

We had lunch in Big Nose Kate's Saloon - which is the actual same building as when Wyatt Earp was there.

Marty and Jim on the corner of Good Enough and Tough Nut!

U of A Family Weekend - 2015

A little beer pong before the football game

We went to Family Weekend in Tucson this weekend and squeezed more in than I thought possible!

It was fun that Drew had an apartment where we could hang out (and party).  We got there at about 11 am, hung out at his apartment for awhile and then went to the football game.  U of A was playing Jim's Alma Matter, OSU!  Unfortunately is was about 100 degrees in the stands.  So we only stayed in our seats for about 8 minutes!  Then we watched the rest of the quarter from the shade and then called it good and went to Drew's house to watch it on tv.

Marty and his statues

Chad and Jim talking football

Room mates families

A room mates Armenian grandma made this raw meat appetizer

Drew's apartment building

Hello, hello

This is one of my favorite recent pics of William.  He is using an avocado skin as a telephone!  Goofball!

The Enchantments - Day 4

Day 4 was our final day of backpacking.  We got up, had some breakfast (oatmeal AGAIN!) and took some silly pics with mustaches!  Just as we were finishing up with the pictures a mama and baby goat came thru our camp.  This was the icing on the cake of an already epic trip!  We watched them parade around the perimeter of our camp while giddy with excitement.

This is the "coleman crapper" of the Enchantments

There were a number of porta potties along the hike.  People were encouraged to use them so that the goats would not scratch around getting the salt out of human urine!  Gross, right?

After watching the goats we headed out.  The hike was about 5 or 6 miles downhill and I thought it was the hardest part of the trip.  It was hard on my ankles and knees.  In fact I felt the stiffness 2 days later.  I had done lots of training for uphill but very little for downhill and you could tell.

Icicle Creek along the trail

This is the creek right close to the trail head.  We followed it all 15 miles down!

Crossing Icicle Creek below Nada Lake.  This was a big landmark on the way up.

Mama and baby

Baby following mama along the edge of our camp

Hiking out

This is where we stopped for lunch on the way out.

We stopped for lunch about a mile and a half from the trail head on some rocks on the side of the trail.  Although we were all anxious to be done on one hand, on the other hand it was so amazing we didn't want it to end.  In fact, Shannon wanted to figure out how to walk all the way back to Seattle so it wouldn't end.

Mama and baby walking away

Hiking out

There is a goat behind the tree behind me - that's why I have such a silly face!

Ninja campers

We noticed that Grace and Susan had the same height and similar build.  So we decided to dress them alike and see who could tell a difference.  When we showed the pic to Susan's sons, they didn't pick out the right one as their mom!  Who do you think is who?  Answer below.

Such diverse trails

Packing out

Strike a pose!

Time to leave Nada Lake

It is a tradition to have trail names and to name your packs.  See below for ours.

"Scooby"  (pack name was Shaggy)

"Amen" (pack name was Brown Suga')

"Cheese Whiz" (pack name was Violet)

"Animal"  (pack name was Kermit)

At the trail head coming out! Look at the people behind it heading in!

Hiking out

Grace and the goats!

Once we made it to the parking lot, we did Susan's family tradition of filming each person taking off their pack and doing a little celebratory dance!  It was hilarious to watch.  Then we headed off to see the fish hatchery that is fed by Icicle Creek.  Next up - celebratory Huckleberry ice cream and a Big Foot lunch box for Grace!

Celebrating with ice cream!

Answer - which Ninja is which?  Susan is on the left, Grace is on the right!