Mom's House

We closed on Mom's house today. I stopped by the place on my way to SLC for the closing and took a few pictures for old time's sake. It was a drizzley, rainey day, but the trees in the back were gorgeous gold. The HOA had the front yard plum tree removed because of the mess the falling plums left on the driveway. The place sure looks different with it gone. It is good that the home is sold, but I will miss going there to visit my Gway Billy.

Be VERY afraid!

Halloween is coming, and strange things are happening! Can you guess who these crazy creatures might be? (Don't worry if you cannot tell who they are - it took me a few minutes, and I know them both VERY well!) Can you say, "MEOOOWWW...!"

Happy Birthday !

Gway and Annie shared their birthday celebrations this year at the Olive Garden. YUM! Boy did Gway arrive in style via Pa's 1957 T-Bird! You should have seen the looks that hot chick got!

Happy Birthday Gway & Annie!

Aiden is highly pleased with his mama's birthday present!

A "Mom Moment"

I've just been having a "Mom Moment" as B so eloquently puts it. My "Mom Moments" don't involve as many tears these days, but nonetheless they still happen. I wanted everyone to see how beautiful Mom was.

Rachel Penrod is my official family photographer and she did an amazing job on our 3 generation photo shoot last August as well as this fall's Stokes Folks family photos. She is really good at washing away the wrinkles and getting rid of the double chins - I am like 100 years older than I appear. Thank you, Rachel! Check out her art work at http://www.rachelpphotography.blogspot.com/ .

The Great North West

B, Jeff, & I survived the 11 hour drive (with only one gas/potty/food stop) to the great N.W. a few weekends ago.

It was great seeing everyone at David & Cindy's amazing Oregon City home. We also got to see Tom & Kanoe's darling place in Portland. We then headed to the great Seattle to Jon & Valerie's.

We were so glad that the weather was perfect for our venture to Pike's Market. Everyone humored me during my search for the famous gum wall on Post Alley - which we found and each added our own DNA (in the form of bubblegum) to the wall.

Great times were had and it was hard to leave - hard to say good bye, knowing we had 13 hours of driving ahead of us, but more importantly because we knew it would be a while until we saw each other again.

Bode - David's Rotty

Tom & Kanoe

Tom is so lucky - Kanoe actually said, "Yes!"

(Wedding in Hawaii next summer !!!)

Post Alley Gum Wall

B throwing gum

Drill Team

We were all so excited when Karlee made drill team. She had the opportunity to officially perform with the team only once when we realized she was hurt - bad.

Karlee was diagnosed with apophysitis. Due to a combination of a recent growth spurt and hard dancing, her hamstring muscles/tendons pulled on her butt bones where the tendons attach. This was causing extreme pain with the potential to actually fracture the bone.

The last 5+ weeks she has been under strict orders of no physical activity. She is just now starting back into physical therapy. Hopefully she will be able to dance with drill this winter & spring, because she is such a beautiful dancer and it is sure fun to watch her!

Camping at Monte Cristo

Before school started, we decided to go on a quick camping trip to Monte Cristo. We had extra special fun because Gway & Pa Stokes & Sophie came with us for the first two nights. Gway brought some highly delicious treats too: carmel corn, rice crispie treats, cookies, fruits and fruit dip, potato salad, and tomatoes fresh from her garden ... mmm ... were we glad we invited her! It's hard to decide what was the funnest: motorcycling, shooting, watching squirrels & chipmonks, hiking, running from bears, playing games in the trailer with Gway, building fires, making s'mores, wrestling Daddy, riding quakies, eating ... it was all a blast!

First Day of School

Karlee: 14 years old; High School Freshman

Loves: Drill team, dancing, new clothes, shopping for new clothes, school, her cell phone, hanging out with friends, and getting into fights with her little brother.

First Day of School

Garet: 12 years old; Middle School 7th grade.

Loves: Basketball, soccer, airplanes, motorcycling, camping, fishing, traveling, watching movies at home, hanging out with friends, and bossing his big sister around.

Mom's Funeral July 1, 2009

We were so rudely orphaned in June. Mom did leave behind an awesome family, though. Oh how I love 'em - even the weird ones! :)

Hey everyone...just decided to be cool ('bout time) and start blogging. Should be fun and interesting since I have no idea how to do this. Maybe I'll figure it out.