{8.31.09}

whispering falls

last weekend we went camping, our first this summer, at whispering falls with our good friends cheryl, ronnie, and their son, zach. what a wonderful weekend with friends, good weather and the usage of the word "burnage".

this was winston's first camping experience and other than everything sticking to and in his white fur, pitch included, he was a champ and so well-behaved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

while I was going through the photos from our trip, I came across the following pictures Brenner took with my camera while he was hiding in our tent from bees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{8.19.09}

386

The number of photos I took during our "summer school is out" celebration vacation at Newport, Oregon. We couldn't have asked for better weather (as you can see) and the cottage we rented was just so perfect for us.

We spent most of our time on the beach soaking up the sun and spending quality time together as a family. Our scheduled crab fishing trip was cancelled due to high water swells, per captain sawyer's "let's play it safe" recommendation. After brenner's heartbreaking look of utter disappointment slowly wore off we strolled down to the historic bayfront to check out the sites and smelly seals.

I couldn't possibly post all the pictures in one blog entry, so I created a photo album for your viewing pleasure. To view them in a slideshow just click on any picture and voila!

(click on the thumbnail pictures to enlarge)

{8.12.09}

over the hill, in style

monday night we celebrated scott's 40th birthday, starting with a rad limo ride with yummy champagne, dinner at terrebonne depot then back to scott and lori's house for cake, homemade blueberry pie and gifts. i heart these people!

{8.10.09}

fruit loop

last saturday with the wallers; 4 adults, 1 baby and 2 pups in one car, crowded but happy, enjoyed all the fun stops on the fruit loop of hood river.

Hood River Lavender Farms

Cascade Alpacas

Rasmussen Farms

Marchesi Vineyards

Wilinda's Blueberry Patch

the end.

{8.7.09}

brenner & evan's jam session

Scene 1, Take 1 from Mel on Vimeo.

***faulty guitar strap***

Scene 1, Take 2 from Mel on Vimeo.

***and again***

Scene 1, Take 3 from Mel on Vimeo.

***sans strap and mojo***

Scene 1, Take 4 from Mel on Vimeo.

***backup mic***

Scene 1, Take 5 from Mel on Vimeo.

***lyrics, what lyrics?***

{8.4.09}

the accident

while my brother, Monte (a mechanic for knife river in boise, idaho) was working on a company truck, the clamp to the radiator hose broke spraying water and toxic fluids over his face, chest, neck, back and arms resulting in second degree burns over 35% of his body.

as soon as I heard the news I immediately got on the phone to hear my brother's voice, which was muffled by the swelling of his face. I then knew we were making travel arrangements the next day. the seven hour trip felt like seventeen.

trust me when I say I'm posting the least of the gnarliest photos of his injuries.

the following days were spent nursing his wounds with daily bandage changes and making sure he was high on pain killers, which unfortunately made his entire body itch but rarely would you hear him complain.

another bump in the road for Monte and Tomi was the day of the accident was the day they finally moved everything into their new home, which left the rental to clean. after cleaning, pulling weeds, mowing and trimming in their new yard, our backs were screaming and more than ready to enjoy a cold beer and the birthday cake, made with love by kelsey for monte's birthday.

all the cousins together, sassy and sweet to their core.

wyatt, kelsey, brenner, morgan and cody.

the recovery

monte's appointment at the center for wound healing was painful, with the removal of all the dead skin, but reassuring that the burns are healing and rejuvenating new skin.

thank you all for your kind phone calls, messages, thoughts and prayers for my brother and family. I know in my heart they helped.