Summer…. I think you’ve finally arrived!

We had a little picnic at Rattlesnake Lake today with friends.  What a great day – and I do believe we deserve all this incredible weather that’s finally coming our way the past few days. 

 

Trust me, Beckett was with us too.  In fact, Mr. Beckett decided to go running into the water and I had to chase after him.  Little did I know that the mucky, gunky slim at the entrance to the lake would be so slick.  I ended up on my butt in the water.  The kids and Amy thought it was mighty funny.  Oh, and so did a few kayakers that witnessed the whole thing.  What can you do but laugh.  At least the beautiful weather is what got is out there in the first place.

The best gift I ever gave…

For father’s day we gave Leif a new bike with a child seat for Beckett. 

And I have to admit (with no sense of guilt at all) that when the four of them rode off into the sunset Monday evening for an hour…. while I walked back into a quiet, calm house – it kinda felt a bit like another mother’s day gift as well.

Summer Solstice Parade

Well even if it doesn’t necessarily feel like summer around Seattle this month (what is it they are calling it June-uary??) we can still pretend it is.  This past weekend we celebrated the summer solstice in Fremont with the wackiest, craziest parade I’ve ever seen.  Nothing says 'SUMMER’ like naked bikers.  Naked biker Smurfs.  Naked Biker King Tuts.  Naked Biker Hulks. 

The kids were pretty oblivious to most of it.  Although Campbelle told me that she might, someday when she’s a grown up – ride naked in the parade.  Christian, on the other hand, just got really embarrassed and red faced and said ‘NO WAY’.  Some how, I wouldn’t be too surprised by either.  Even Leif said ‘Maybe.’  Does anyone else care to make a bet with him for next year?  I think he needs just a bit of coaxing.  He could Naked Biker Mr. Clean. 

Aside from all the naked art, there was some other cool stuff.  Like a whole bunch of cars.

The Toy Car was the kids’ favorite.  I’m pretty sure that artist has been collecting freebie McDonald toys for a lifetime.  Should have gotten their name so I could have donated a few more.

A fun, colorful, artful, albeit a bit un-summery kind of day.

World Cup

It’s a big deal in this house.  At least with one of us.  Leif’s like a kid the night before Christmas.  And I have to say I’m a bit excited about it too.

And with players like Ronaldo – hard not to be excited.

The Nike commercial is awesome.

Beckett’s first minutes in the sand

You can just about hear what’s going on in his head.  He eventually got used to the feeling of sad – EVERYWHERE, but can’t say he ever started liking it.

Happy Anniversary

9 years ago Leif and I were married in Eureka, SD.  With all our family an friends around us.  It was beautiful.  Magical really.  There wasn’t a nervous bone in my body – every fiber of my being new it was right, good and true.  My face and soul smiled that entire day.  I knew he was my soul mate.   Flower mix ups and funny cakes couldn’t put any type of damper on that day.  All that matter was Leif and I. 

Our pastor surprised us with a beautiful letter that she shared during our wedding service.  Every year on our anniversary (amoung other times throughout the year) I reread it… and come to understand and appreciate it a little more each time.

Here it is:

Marriage

It takes years to marry completely two hearts, even of the most loving and well motivated. A happy wedlock is a long falling in love. Young persons think love belongs only to the brown-haired and crimson-cheecked. So it does for its beginning. But the golden marriage is a part of love which the Bridal day knows nothing of.

A perfect and complete marriage, where wedlock is everything you could ask and the ideal of marriage becomes actual, is not common. Perhaps it is as rare as perfect personal beauty. Men and women are married fractionally, now a small fraction, then a large fraction. Very few are married totally, and then only after some forty or fifty years of gradual approach and experiment.

Such a large and sweet fruit is a complete marriage that it needs a long summer to ripen in, and then a long winter to mellow and season it. But a really, happy marriage of love and respect between a noble man and a wise woman is one of the things so very handsome that if the sun were, as the Greek poets fabled, a God, he might, now and then stop the world and hold it still, in order to feast his eyes on such a wonderful spectacle.

Theodore Parker (1810-60)

US clergyman and reformer

 

Thank you Leif, for working towards this Golden Marriage with me – I’m enjoying every step of this journey with you.

 

 

 

We don’t have alot of digital pictures from that day.  It was ancient times ago you know.  But here’s a little stroll down memory lane of that weekend. 

Reception BBQ at my parent’s house the night before the wedding.

Leif and his buddies from Norway. 

Those Norwegian boys got a little out of hand and law enforcement had to step in.  :-)  But it all worked out in the end.

Wedding day.  Surrounded be so much love from our family and friends.

 

 

 

And look at these stinkin’ cute kiddos!  Their birthday is the day after our wedding.  They were nearly 3 years old here!

 

“I do I do I do”

Aside from marrying this incredible guy, the best part of this wedding weekend was seeing our families come together.   Such a fun and fantastic union all around.  Times to be treasured!