Swim. Movie. Tie Dye. Swim

Trent and Ethan came over yesterday.  I picked them up at 11am and we came back to my house, had a little lunch and then wandered over to the Portland East Community Center to swim.  We had so much fun!  Swam for hours!  There were some odd people in the pool area with us. I must admit, it was hard being the "parent".  Some of the people in the pool were challenged.  In T & E's little sheltered world, they don't really see a whole lot of that.  So when we encountered a little girl, who looked like a grown up, but was only squealing and splashing and right on top of us in the lazy river they didn't really know how to react.  We had to have a side-bar conversation about how everyone is different and we should just be glad that she was having fun and getting to enjoy the pool like we were.  She was simply expressing this in a different way.  We then headed back to the house and watched a movie.  We tie-dyed shirts.  We colored some Shrinky Dinks and baked them (they thought this was the most amazing).  We then headed out to a movie in the park. 

The movie started at 9pm!  What kind of group (Portland Parks & Rec) starts an event (that they hope to be successful) for families/kids at 9pm.  We got there at like 7:30 and then it was a lot of waiting around.  I really didn't think it would start so late, so they boys were bored and had to take turns playing games on my iPhone.  IT WAS FREEZING!!!  Seriously the coldest night ever.  They were bundled up in their sweatshirts, and under blankets and still snuggling up to me for the move.  Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked was the film title.  It was cute for a Chipmunks movie.  The music was all pretty current stuff and it was cute to see little girls dancing around to it even in the dark.  My too-cool-for-school little buddies were having none of that.  I did love the snuggling.  The movie ended at nearly 11pm.  We came home, put PJs on/brushed teeth, set them up in the bed in the guest bedroom and read the first chapter of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  They were out in no time at all. 

In the morning we woke up, Trent put on his Tie-dyed shirt (which turned out SO CUTE, don't you think?).  We all ate some breakfast.  Did a little painting.  Then off to swim again!  I have to say, those boys are getting to be good little swimmers.  Trent still wears his life vest in the water and is a pretty nervous little guy around the water (possibly his one and only non-Harker trait), but he did such a great job.  I was so proud of him.  He really tried hard today to try his real swimming strokes. 

I hope they're as tired as I am today.  Man that was a lot of fun, but seriously exhausting to keep them so busy the whole time they were here.  They're fun little buddies.  Good thing we're hanging out again on Monday!

GP

There is a certain someone that I always feel connected to when I hear Ben Harper.  I'm always in a Ben Harper mood, but more so since his concert a few weeks ago.  Today I heard this song on my drive home and it finally struck me as the perfect story of us.   Sad.  But True.  I miss you everyday.

"Amen Omen"

What started as a whisper,
Slowly turned in to a scream.
Searching for an answer
Where the question is unseen.
I don't know where you came from
And I dont know where you've gone.
Old friends become old strangers
Between the darkness and the dawn

Amen omen,will I see your face again?
Amen omen,can I find the place within
To live my life without you?

I still hear you saying
"All of life is chance,
And is sweetest,is sweetest when at a glance"
But I live,
I live a hundred lifetimes in a day.
But I die a little
In every breath that I take.

Amen omen,will I see your face again?
Amen omen,can I find the place within
To live my life without you?

I listen to a whisper,
Slowly drift away.
Silence is a loudest,
Parting word you never say.
I put I put your world
Into my veins
Now a voiceless sympathy
Is all that remains.

Amen omen,will I see your face again?
Amen omen,can I find the place within
To live my life without you?

Amen omen,can i find the strength within

Goin' on a Zoo-Fari

I had some days off work this week.  On Friday - I checked in to see if Trent, Ethan and Maddie wanted to have a play date with me.  Ethan and Maddie were heading to their dad's that afternoon but Trent was in for some adventure.  About an hour later we were on the road headed to Southern Oregon for an overnight play date and an animal adventure awaited us in the morning.  The Wildlife Safari in Winston, OR is about 3 hours away from Portland and so worth the drive!  On the way down, Trent and I talked about all sorts of things.  He cracks me up.  About 2 hours into the drive, he was ready to just be there and played games on my iPhone the rest of the way.  It gave me time to just sing along to my iPod and drive.  Lots of traffic getting out of Portland and a few rest stop breaks later, we arrived at our hotel in Roseburg, OR.

We checked into our hotel and were greeted with this lovely view:

Trent deemed us "the luckiest"!  and said he could just sit out on our deck and stare out at the river all night.

Then we went to dinner (Mexican food! - it's a wonder we're related right?).  We shared Nachos and this kid was getting after those things.  He was also saying "adios amigos" and "hola" to our waiter.  I taught him to say "Si, gracias" the next time the waiter asked if everything was good.  Trent said it and then giggled like a mad man when the waiter replied back "de nada".  ha ha. 

After dinner we went back to the hotel and swam and hot tubbed until it was time to get some sleep for our big adventure the next day.  The park opened at 9, so we got to wake up leisurely and take our time driving the next 7 miles to the park.


We arrived at the park around 9:30am.  I'm actually glad that we got there early.  In order to sign up for things like the Elephant and Giraffe encounters, they only do some of those one time per day and they fill up.  Trent picked up his binoculars from the gift shop as his prize and we headed out to drive through the park.  It took us about 1 hour and 15 minutes to drive through the park.  Trent kept calling the place a zoo-fari.  Like zoo and safari all mashed together.  While some exhibits are behind gates that you could still drive up really close to (bears, tigers, hippos), some animals are just wandering around free.  We saw Rhino wandering around and had to stop the car to wait for buffalo and giraffe to cross the street.  How weird is that?  It was amazing, to say the least.

 Trent rode a camel named Frank.  He honestly LOVED that.  If you paid a little extra, you could get a "driver's license" that had their picture on it and they could wear it around their neck on a lanyard.  He thought this whole thing was pretty great.
 

 And we also fed the elephant named Alice.  She also played the harmonica and painted a picture for us as well.  It was so weird to pet an elephant.  They have these really thick coarse hairs on their nose they use to sense things.  Honestly I was staring at this giant animal, and petting it, but those hairs seemed rubbery and fake.  It was so odd.  Very cool.  Trent was in love with Alice.  He wanted to buy one of her pictures from the gift shop ($40).  And while I love to indulge my nephew, I knew it would not be hung in his house - so it seemed slightly wasteful.  He talked about her painting for awhile after.

We also fed and learned about a giraffe named something African, I couldn't understand.  That is Trent's head after he'd just fed him a piece of lettuce.  The 3rd time he fed the giraffe he only had a tiny piece of lettuce and the giraffe stuck out his tongue and licked most of his hand.  Trent said it felt bumpy like a cat tongue.  How cool to know what a giraffe's tongue feels like?   


What a great trip!  As we were leaving the park, Trent told me that he thought it was so much fun!  He said he actually thought it was going to be kind of boring and it wasn't.  He said that if you think something is going to be boring the first time, then it won't be because you haven't made something more exciting than it is.  Oh my logical, skeptical boy.  No wonder we get along so well.  I love my adventures with that munchkin!  I can't wait for the next one!

Ben Harper

My friend Amber and I went to see Ben Harper at McMenamin's Edgefield on the first sunny day Portland had seen all summer.  It must've been a good omen for the amazing concert we witnessed.  I adore Ben Harper.  His music, his sincere humility and the fact that he explores so many different types of music to try.  Of course I love most that he's not mainstream and you have to know him to love him.  How could you not love him?  We had a great time.  Great weather.  Great music. 

July 4th

Enough said right?  (that's a trailer full of fireworks!)

Jacob's birthday is on July 5th.  So every year the other 2 boys just buy him fireworks for his birthday.  I've decided that the 4th of July is definitely a BOYS' holiday.  Legally they get to light things on fire and watch things blow up.  It got crazy out there.

Me and Mads' Birthday Extravaganza!

Maddie turned 12 on June 13th, but due to her school schedule and my work schedule, we were only able to celebrate Monday.  We went out for Mani/Pedi fun.  She was cracking me up.  She got this VERY CUTE young man (wow! I'm like 100 years old for saying that) who she thought was weird.  Of course she later agreed that she thought he was cute.   For the record, he was VERY cute.

Then we went out for dinner.  Her choice.  She chose seafood.  (of course she did).  She had never tried seafood, but really wanted to.  For those near and dear to me, you know how difficult this was for me.  I DO NOT EAT SEAFOOD.  But it wasn't my birthday celebration, so of course we went.  Joe's Crab Shack was the chosen location.  She was a champ!  She got shrimp that she had to peel (vomit) and then crab.  She got me to try a shrimp and I'm not exaggerating when I say I nearly threw up at the table.  So gross!  The waitress probably got a good laugh at us when she had to give Mads the "here's how you crack a crab leg" speech.  Whatever.  Mads had a great time.  She told me later that she felt "SO SPECIAL" and that was her "favourite birthday date ever!"  Awww.  That melted my heart.

Videos of the fun:
Mads vs Shrimp
Mads takes on Crab

Ahhhhh....time off!

va·ca·tion[vey-key-shuhn, vuh-] Show IPA

noun

1. a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday: Schoolchildren are on vacation now.

2. a part of the year, regularly set aside, when normal activities of law courts, legislatures, etc., are suspended.

3.  freedom or release from duty, business, or activity.

4.  an act or instance of vacating. 

 

 *****

I just got back from a girls' weekend with one of my favourite girls of all time!  There are those friends that everything is always just easy with.  I'm so grateful for those friends in my life.  I love that we can pick up and it's like no time has passed between us.  Even if there are long gaps of time that we don't communicate.  Our friendship has grown.  We still have memories of "the good old days".  And of course we have inside jokes that no one will ever understand or find funny.  But we still have our current lives and are still just as much friends as we ever were.  Miles apart from the other.  In completely different places in our lives.  I love that.

Thank you friend!