3rd Birthday
6th Birthday 
If you read my blog a few weeks ago, I wrote about Adrienne and I beginning our "month long" birthday celebration! Well, we continued last night, again at DaVinci's, with some of our best gal pals. We had a GREAT time. 
We also really enjoyed spending time with the whole family, and doing "cheers" with Rowan. He is so cute and SUCH a good "Big Brother".
It was a really fun evening. We ALWAYS enjoy family time!
John convinced Mom and Dad to go on several fast, and stomach upsetting rides. When he connected with his friend, Aaron, Mom and Dad snuck away to ride the Ferris Wheel! Ah! That was WAY more our speed!
John and Aaron went on "The Inverter" and this CRAZY ride... the "Super Loop".
We had a quick bite of food before proceeding to the Weird Al concert. He was REALLY amazing. Richard and Cindy were quite surprised at how good the concert was. He does total costume changes for almost every song. In between the songs, there are comical interviews (albeit bogus) with music stars, like Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, Eminem, Kevin Federline, and Celine Dion. They were HYSTERICAL! Here is a photo and video from his song, "I'm Fat" which is a parody of the Michael Jackson song, "I'm Bad".
And last, but not least, here is a photo from his specatacular number, "The Saga Begins", which is a parody about Star Wars.
It was SUCH a great evening at the fair. This was John's first official concert. I'm so glad we were able to get tickets and enjoy this evening with him. What a fun evening, and a wonderful memory!
Yesterday was opening day for the Oregon State Fair! 
We went to the fair in the late afternoon. 
Cindy really enjoyed seeing the baby chicks being born. She and John got to hold some that had just been born the night before. These are chickens for meat. They grow full size in just 42 days! Cindy's not too sure that chicken will be on the menu at home any time in the near future!
We'll be back at the fair on Monday evening. John is WAY excited about that. We will be seeing Weird Al Yankovic in concert. Should be another fun time!
This morning we welcomed another addition to the family. Our beautiful new Grand Niece, Finley Rose. She was born to our nephew David, and his beautiful wife Sara! 
Here's the new family. We are already Great Uncle and Aunt (or is it Grand Uncle and Aunt???) to Dave and Sara's fantastic son, Rowan - who will be 2 years old next week! We are so happy and excited for our newest baby to love!
Today is the letter "E"! I'm going with "E is for Echinacea". This photo of a faded Echinacea Cone Flower was taken on our recent trip to Wings of Wonder in Independence Oregon. Click here to link to their website.
...at 11:05 pm - we became Great Grandparents!!!
...the world lost Elvis. Cindy got to see Elvis for her 15th birthday in Las Vegas. It was an exciting night... one that she will NEVER forget. One that she shared with many she loved, who are now also gone.
What a beautiful morning we had. Richard and John have enjoyed several fishing trips to the Santiam River this summer. Unfortunately, Cindy has not been able to join them - until today. We ventured out to the river this morning. It was predicted to be quite hot today, fortunately it was cooler sitting by the rivers edge, enjoying a lovely light breeze. 
I enjoyed relaxing and reading, and wiggling my toes in the water.
A man showed up and played "fetch" with his dogs for awhile. So much for peace and quiet and fishing. But, I have to say the dogs were cute!
Eventually the area we were relaxing in was "invaded" by others looking to cool off in this hot weather. So, we decided it was time to pack up and head for home. This was a really nice way to spend part of a Saturday! 
This is my first "Sky Watch Friday"... even though I'm posting it on Thursday! This shot was taken in Waikoloa Hawaii. That's on the Big Island. Nothing better than a Hawaiian sunset. Man, I wish I was there RIGHT NOW! Click here to see other "Sky Watch Friday" participants! FUN!
Click here to see other bloggers participating in Ruby Tuesday.
All of our family and friends that make our lives more rich and full!
What do YOU "really love"?
This photo was taken yesterday in our yard. I looked up and felt small next to the Douglas Fir trees that surround our property. I liked how the trees stood out against the sky and puffy white clouds that were drifting by.
Here's our good friend Laura. She is one of Cindy's best friends - one of the YaYa Sisters! Laura is responsible for introducing us to the world of blogging. Thus we have spent hundreds of lost hours on our computers - blogging in cyberspace and connecting with people across the country - rather than connecting with each other in our living room! (Gee, Thanks Laura... I think!!!) 
One of my YaYa Sisters - one of my best friends - is Adrienne! She was really the first friend I made after we moved to Oregon. We share the same zodiac sign - and so much more. August is our birthday month. We LOVE celebrating together. Last night we celebrated together at DaVinci's. It was yummy - and full of love and lots of laughter.
What would I do without my "sistahs"? Love you "A"!
It was really the perfect afternoon. Sunny and warm with a wonderful breeze. We highly recommend if you live in the area - or you're visiting - that you stop by and enjoy some time with nature. Just gorgeous!
