Funny Pic of Avery

My Uncle Dave is headed up to Alaska for three months and we had a family dinner at his house last week. He asked me to show him how to download pictures onto his laptop, so we created a mock picture take, download then email session. This was the picture that was selected.

Little sweet Avery hangin' out with a badger (dead). Haha!

10 Years Ago Today

(Note: I wish that Morgan was in this picture...but I don't have time to find a better one to scan!)

I just woke up from a nap (not feeling too well tonight) and thought...I need to blog. So, here I am. Blogging about 10 years ago today.

Ten years ago today I graduated from high school. The Class of 2000.

I often wondered what I would be like the year of my ten year reunion and, truth be told, I don't feel ready to be at this point yet. I don't quite understand how it has already been ten years since those carefree youthful days.

Am I where I thought I would be? Yes and no. Would I change any of it? No way.

My favorite part of the whole decade has gone by? That my very best friends are still those same crazy girls that I have more than a shoebox full of memories with. We have all been through so much together, and I know that it has all just begun.

Have we all 'changed the world' like the many Hallmark graduation cards said that we would? I know that my little corner of the world has been changed, and that is just fine with me.

Okay - blog post done. Back to bed.

Casen's Baseball Game

On Saturday Damon and I were finally able to meet the Straub's at one of Casen's baseball games. It just kills me how old and big he is getting, and these pictures really show that. I had a great afternoon taking pictures of my favorite boys and chatting it up with my favorite girl. Plus, my dad was there too and I always like hanging out with him :)

Casen is on the A's and is number 43 this year...

Trenton was playing with their old neighbor Cole during the game and was a nice boy to share some of his nerds with him. (I was loving using my 70-200 zoom lens, can you tell?)

Mid bubble gum blowing out on the field!

My dad had just yelled out to Casen not to miss the ball and he missed it and it came right towards us :)

Appartenly this is what happens when Michelle takes over with the camera while I am at the snack bar :)

Finally they started using the pitching machine and every at bat was not a walk!

Casen started to play catcher and I was impressed with his skills and stance - he is quite the little athlete.

Goofy Trenton...

What a cute little face!

Brooks and Dunn Concert

At the end of April, the Straub's joined Damon and I at the Brooks and Dunn 'Last Rodeo' concert in Mountainview. I had been to the venue several times to see Dave Matthews Band, and I guess I didn't quite describe how big it is to the others. When we arrived we were all a little shocked at how many people were there. It was the biggest country concert at the venue by 4,000 people. Crazy! Brooks and Dunn have been around forever and they are officially ending their career. So, it was a great reason to buy some lawn tickets and enjoy a beautiful evening with our friends.

My one and only attempt at a group self portrait :)

To show how large the crowd was here are some photos...

I really liked being able to lay down on the grass, look up at the stars and just enjoy a really long concert. Plus, Jason Aldean was one of the opening acts and I love him. When we bought our tickets I didn't even notice who was opening and was oh so excited to see his name listed. I had mentioned to Damon earlier in the year that I would love to see him in concert, and my little wish came true without much planning. The night was also super eventful from all the people watching. Honestly, it was crazy. We all felt really really old watching the shenanigans that the younger crowd was getting into. They aren't very blog appropriate stories to share, so I will spare you the details!

Happy Birthday Mr. Man

Today would have been Mr. Man's 12th birthday. We miss him alot.

You can read his birthday post from last year here.

Unfortunately, it has been too long since he was in our lives - I don't even have a picture on my laptop of him that I can upload. Makes me cry.

Love you Cy!

xoxo

Lisa's Bridal Shower

At the beginning of the month I was honored to celebrate Lisa's upcoming wedding at a beautiful bridal shower hosted by her sister and mom. It has been a little while since one of my close friends was married and we are all beyond excited to celebrate Lisa and Scott's love for one another. Her bridal shower was quaint and elegant, just like Miss Lisa :)

Her sister had fun quote cards around the backyard from the bridesmaids and from Scott - I love hearing more of an 'inside scoop' :)

Soon to be Mrs. Shapiro!

I just love me a candy bar :)

Not only was it a beautiful day, it was an emotional day as well. It is so touching to see everyone supporting Lisa and overjoyed for her next step in life.

Lisa with Morgan's mom...

Love what Renee did with the fence in the backyard near the present opening lounge area. Such a fun collage of photos!

Opening presents...

There were several touching moments during the present opening. Lisa received a cookbook from her Aunt, who passed away in high school and several other family heirlooms. Plus, the whole group collaborated on a custom cookbook complete with photos of us with the bride - it turned out beautifully and I know that Lisa (and Scott) will treasure it for years to come. When I was thinking about what recipes to include, I decided to roll with the traditional Melissa dishes - Garlic Artichoke Dip and Almond Roca. Those are the two things that I always make for gatherings and they are both always big hits. Right after I emailed the recipes to Lisa's cousin we had the dinner party for Darcy and Tom's engagement and I severed both items and Lisa made a comment about how much she loved them. I just smiled - now she will always have the recipes (along with a really funny picture of us from high school dressed up for the KNBR spirit day as die-hard Giants fans).

Everyone looking at the cookbook...

Us Ursuline girls....

And a few more of my beautiful friends...

For every shower at Lisa's parents house they always decorate the tree with items, I love the that party tradition. Here is Lisa's tree...

The wedding is a little over a month away - it is going to be a fabulous occasion in Tahoe!