XBox Live!

Today was a BIG day for Riley. For several days, he and his dad had attempted, without success, to get him hooked up to XBox Live. Today, they finally got it to work after many frustrating hours of research and failed attempts. Riley had a blast playing with other players online today!

Nisqually Wildlife Nature Reserve

Today Riley and I drove to the Nisqually Wildlife Nature Reserve, near our state capitol of Olympia, and met with my childhood friend, Toni (whom I've known for, ahem, 40 years!), and her twins, Andrew and Alissa. We walked for 5.5 miles and had a great time! Some beautiful scenery and abundant bird life here.







Overlooking the Nisqually River

Pitter Patter

Kitty prints on early morning dew

Jody's:

These are some old fortune telling cards I've had for years. I got them from my great great Aunt Genevieve. The copyright date on them is 1932 - they're so cool!

Jody's:

Fun game of putt putt golf!



We got SO hot playing putt putt golf, we just HAD to go to the new Ben & Jerry's ice cream store for some refreshments! Riley got a nummy banana strawberry milkshake, I got a Mango Teazer (made with white tea, ginger and mango), and Ed got the mango smoothie - Riley pointed out the name of it, so I just had to get a picture - Life's a Beach - the name of our blog!!

Jody's:

Jody's:

Jody's:

This is some of my favorite artwork in our home - watercolor paintings by my wonderful and incredibly talented Aunt Shirley. The first one was her wedding gift to me and Ed, which we cherish. We have a total of five of her paintings, all in our bedroom, so they are the first things we see every morning when we wake up. I even painted our bedroom to match her art!

Jody's:

Happy Birthday, Rocket and Bleu! Five years ago today you were born!! We're so glad you're part of our lives, bringing us so much laughter and joy (and cat hair!).

Jody's:

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's Amore!

Riley's:

Mom got really close to a deer we saw in our driveway when we went for a walk. It must trust us really well now because we've been feeding it apples whenever they come into our yard.

Jody's:

I finally finished my knitting project today! It's a surprise for my soon-to-be new baby grand-niece.

Riley's:

My mom, my friend Dylan and I went to the Woodland Park Zoo today. Here are some of my best snapshots. My favorite is the falcon trainer holding the largest breed of falcon.

Jody's:

08/08/08 - In honor of the Olympics

Jody's:

Riley made this shirt for Ed several years ago - Ed still wears it with pride.

Jody's:

Mmmmmm - Haagen Daz ice cream bars for dessert!! Perfect for a very hot day!

Riley's & Jody's:

Riley's: This is our neighbor's dog, Denali. We ran into Denali and his "mom", Kathy on a walk tonight.



Jody's:

Jody's:

19 years ago today, Ed and I got married in a beautiful, outdoor wedding in Redmond, Washington. I came home from work today and found these gorgeous roses.

Ed's:

Eddie started barbecuing these pork roasts last night around 11 pm - they were cooked and smoked on low heat all night, and made the BEST pulled pork sandwiches! We ate them while we were watching the Seafair hydroplane races and Blue Angels air show on TV.

Riley's:

Not shown in the picture, Rocket snuck outside when we went to take pictures of the deer in our yard. Rocket acted as if he didn't care about their presence, but this deer was scared, and his fur bristled like a cat's tail when frightened. Go Rocket!



I am Bleu Belle, hear me roar!!



This is how Bleu Belle sometimes lays down. Her legs just stretch out and she relaxes.

Riley's: