Idaho: Family and Ten Year Reunion Part II

As mentioned before, Joe and I are getting old...er and have been out of high school ten years now. So a couple of weeks ago we braved the desert heat for a 9+ hour drive to Meridian Idaho. Grace oddly dubbed the rocky terrain, "Thunderland."  We spent a week with Joe's parents and attended his high school reunion. This time, more than three people showed up, and even this spouse had fun. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of the reunion. I did, however, get some pictures of the kids during the week's stay at Grandma Sue and Papa Donn's. As you will see by the pictures, it was a bit hotter than we were used to, so most of our days included some sort of water activity.

Here is a glimpse of our week:

Grandma and Papa turned on the sprinklers in their yard, and the kids had a blast.

Look at the sheer joy on that boy's face. Who knew putting your head on a sprinkler could be so much fun?

Daddy had some work done on his guitar, so we got a free concert to try out the improvements.

Snuggles with Grandma

Again in the water. This time at a great park practically across the street from Donn and Sue's house. I would love to take the kids here when it isn't 100 degrees out so I could enjoy myself while they play.

And of course we drank plenty of water to keep ourselves hydrated.

A Perfect Day at the Beach

*Sigh* I love summer: Sunshine, trips to Grandma and Papa's houses, long days, Joe doesn't have to work...
A few weeks ago we made a trip to the beach while visiting my parents, and it was the perfect day. It was warm, sunny, and best of all there was NO WIND. I grew up on the coast, and I know how rare it is to find a summer day with no wind. I believe this was also Owen's first time at the beach (I know, kind of lame that we live only an hour from the coast and we hadn't taken him yet). Okay, now get ready for an explosion of pictures. The photographer in me had to take advantage.

 

Ten Years Part 1

Sometimes time passes faster then we ever imagined. Case in point: I attended my 10 year high school reunion. I know some people dread their high school reunions, but I actually had a great time. Great conversation over amazing steak and great wine was a perfect combo.

I would say it is sad only three people showed up (out of thirty mind you), but it wasn't sad at all. These two girls were my great friends in high school and it was fun to hear what has been happening in their lives.

Returning to my old stomping grounds meant a trip to Grandma and Papa's house. I love how much my kids adore my parents. I also love that my parents get up with the kids in the morning and let Joe and I sleep in.

It is so refreshing to return home. I spent my entire life in the same house, on a large farm near the ocean. I loved it. But who wouldn't love this?

This next week we are traveling to see Joe's parents and attend his high school reunion. Grace is super excited to see Grandma Sue and Papa Donn, and play with the tea set in the living room.

A Much Needed Face Lift

Since moving into our house, I have wanted to update our fireplace. The pink tile matched our pink carpet. Yuck. Below is the only picture I have of our pink carpet because only weeks after moving in, our house got broken into and our Wii and laptop were stolen, along with all my pictures of our house. Lesson learned: when you buy a new house, change the locks.

You can see a tiny peek of the matching tile. Which you wouldn't see unless you are looking because it matches exactly.

Here is another shot of the fireplace after we ripped out the carpet:

The red tile and the bronze cover weren't doing it for me either. Our first plan was to replace the tile "someday," but I ran across a blog post about painting fireplace tile (check it out here). The bloggers claimed the paint held up well, and their before and after pictures were amazing. So, I decided it was worth a shot. It was way less money, time, and energy. I had nothing to lose really.

So I snapped a few more recent before shots...

... and got to painting. I couldn't be more pleased. It brightens up the whole room and makes it look so fresh and so clean.

  

Yes, I was watching the Olympics. Go Team USA! Hopefully soon, I will clean the living room enough to get a larger view.  But all-in-all, I am stoked about the transformation. Yes, I said stoked.

And because I couldn't resist.