It's Friday.....

January 26

We cheered on the Okanogan basketball teams tonight. I'm beginning to enjoy watching the high school boys and girls play! Basketball players make the game look so easy! Both the girls and boys went on to beat Omak. Great games!

January 27

The end of a long day......

January 28

Lyndsi had a hair trim tonight. Megan gave her some pretty curls - something mom doesn't do well! I had to take this shot because Lyndsi looked so pretty!

January 29

It's Friday! Tonight that meant an evening at the movies! We had a gift certificate to the Omak Theater so we took the kids to Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. Cute movie but I was there for the popcorn! We get this tub of popcorn for 7.50 and chow down! We rarely need to but you get one free refill with this purchase. Yummy!


I'm always ready for a Friday! Are you?

Trivia Time

Do you know the names and ages of all the Brady's in their first season? Do you remember Mikey? How about Underoos and Dukes of Hazard? If you'd been here Saturday night you would have all these answers and more!

Amy and I pulled off a great 70's/80's themed party for Steve's and Jeff's 40th birthdays. It was so much fun to plan that I got a little worried that it wouldn't go well! We decorated with old photos of the boys and toys from our childhoods, played a great mix of music from that era, created a video of old tv shows and commercials, gave out tickets to everyone who came through the door, who answered trivia questions correctly, who used the word 'birthday' and who just looked really cool! We then did did door prize drawings throughout the evening with those tickets. Prizes were Sea Monkeys, Pop Rocks, Barrel o Monkeys games, well, you get the picture. I say we in my paragraph but I have to admit, Amy did most of the work last week and I jumped in on Saturday! I had some fun ideas, I just procrastinated!

Even DEVO made an appearance! We were serenaded with "Whip It"!

Costumes were totally optional so it was such a surprise to see these guys appear!

Steve was pretty much a goofball all night!

Almost set off the smoke detectors! You should see the black hole in the ceiling....hee hee!

This is also my January 23 photo for my 365 project. I loved the effect that the bright candles had on everything else.

January 24

Yes, those are brussel sprouts! Glorious, yummy brussel sprouts! I'm pretty sure they are my favorite vegie, though I have several other close seconds. I love to make brussel sprouts for dinner because I am guaranteed seconds on them - no one else likes them! I know, I'm a weirdo - but I'm a healthy weirdo!

January 25

I'm not sure if I just caught Lyndsi with a funny look or if she was feeling grumpy! I was picking her up from dance and thought she looked cute trying to tie her tap shoes together so I took the shot. Hmmmmm......maybe she was a little upset that I was late! I can't help it if people think the speed limit on Elmway is 30 mph - it's really 45! Anyway, Lyndsi's little grumpy face was short lived - here's her next look....

See the sparkle in her eye?

How Come No One Told Me I Skipped A Day!?

Yikes! I didn't post for the 18th! Actually, I did but I didn't post it as a daily photo - just a photo I'd taken that day! So, here it is again -

January 18

This is the picture of Leanne taking a picture. She doesn't like the shot but I love it! You can really see how artistic and dedicated Leanne is to photography!

Amy and I are putting the finishing touches on the decorations for the boys' birthday party tomorrow night. I can't wait! It's been a pretty stressful couple of weeks at school and I'm ready for some fun.

Here are the rest of my 365 photos.

January 20

Lyndsi and I were heading home and saw this guy hanging out in a neighbors' tree. It was so exciting! He was right on the road and watching us watch him. It was dark by the time we shot the photos so they aren't very good but I was so excited to see him, I don't care how the shot looks.

January 21

I went to a Girls Night dinner at Rancho Chico. Leanne of Soulography is on the far right. We hadn't all been together for several months so it was nice to see everyone again!

January 22

This is a pretty lame photo! We had been at Wal-Mart for some last minute items and the kids took off to the Play Center. When we go to check out, the kids go to the play center. They did so tonight, as usual!

Spelling Bee Jitters!

I was hiding outisde the gym door so my photos aren't all that great but I'm so glad I was able to watch what went on!

Dylan was a contestant in the 4th grade spelling bee this morning and boy was he nervous! I was able to sneak in and watch for a bit and was tickled with how well Dylan handled his nerves. He's had some problems with mini panic attacks but not today - BIG sigh of relief! He even seemed to be enjoying himself a bit!

As it turns out, Dylan came in second place! He and the first place winner went through 26 words before she beat him out! They both move on to the next level together along with one alternate.

The Next Four 365 Photos

January 15

Lucy and Ruth - these two little ladies bring such frustration and joy to our family! Lucy has taught Ruth how to play and they keep each other company. We've even caught Ruth allowing Lucy to nap with her!

January 16

These are some of my cohort buddies from my Master's classes in Wenatchee. We meet one weekend each month. This group of gals is from Omak, Okanogan and Yakima so we typically go to dinner on Saturday night, after our Saturday class. The gentleman in the photo is our instructor for our current course. He is from Colorado and needed dinner that night also! The rest of our cohort members are from the Wenatchee area and go home to their families at night.

January 17

Here a few more of my cohort buddies! We are working on a small group project and were given some time to go purchase what we needed for our presentation. Our classes are in a beautiful middle school in East Wenatchee but it is so nice to get out of the building for a while!

January 19

Spelling bee champions! Dylan was so nervous but did so well! Woo hoo!

Beautiful Day!

After days and days of rain we finally had a gorgeous day here in Okanogan! And we took advantage of it!

This morning we drove to South Summit to do some snowshoeing. The rest of my family enjoys skiing but since I don't and Lyndsi doesn't have skis, being on snowshoes is something we can all do together. Rather than stick to a designated snowshoe trail, we took off on our own and played in the deep snow - what a work out! It's nice to know we can drive for 20 minutes and be in the mountains!

After a quick shower and lunch we met my friend, Leanne, downtown for a photo shoot. We volunteered to be her models today as she is trying to get her photography business up and running. So much fun! I was impressed with Leanne's ability to take a disgustingly slimy stairwell, put us in it - and turn it into art! Her pictures are beautiful! The pictures I have here are actually some that I took while the kids and I entertained ourselves in between shots. Check out Soulography for Leanne's pictures.

Lyndsi took this one! The fence was hiding a dumpster!

These are mine - not bad! Completely unedited :)

Not sure why these murals all have bloody eyes but Dylan was loving it! Does anyone out there know about this mural in an Okanogan alley?

And this one is of Leanne and Lyndsi - I told Leanne I wouldn't post any pictures of her but I couldn't resist - look how she takes an alley full of wires, cars and abandoned garbage and makes it look good!

I promise to post my 365 pictures tomorrow but tonight - it's way past my bedtime!

Happy Birthday Sexy Old Man!

Sigh....I love my 40 year old guy! Finally, Steve has caught up to me in the decade gap. I'm no longer in my forties, married to a guy in his thirties! I know, it's only been two months but it felt like forever!

The kids and I took Steve to dinner tonight at our favorite little Mexican restaurant in Omak. In good Streeter family tradition, we requested the waiters sing to Steve and let him wear the big birthday sombrero! And in good Streeter humor, he did it!

We had to wait for birthday dessert until after Dylan returned from soccer but I think the wait made the angel food cake with peaches and blueberries even better! Steve's such a good sport - he even let me try a gluten free angel food cake! Not bad!

And now on to my 365 Challenge -

January 12, 2010

Look at my new baby! Actually, this sleek guy belongs to both Steve and I but I pretend that he's all mine! Santa brought this to the both of us this year. I don't think either of us is planning a career in photography but we would like to become more knowledgeable about cameras and taking fabulous photos!

January 13, 2010

I wanted to snap a picture of Dylan getting his hair cut as his hair draws a lot of attention around here! I forgot, though, and missed my opportunity so I flashed this sassy shot of Dylan after his cut. He had put on my sun glasses and was drinking MY Dr. Pepper.....grrr.... but he looked so cute! I think my son would make a very pretty girl if he wanted to! Even his crossed legs were pretty feminine in his clomping snowboots!

January 14, 2010

Steve's 40th birthday! Rancho Chico choir, dessert and sombrero. Fun for all - especially the kids!

My Talented Friends

Check out Leanne's new blog - I have such talented friends!

Soulogrophy

One Resolution Going Well!

Remember I said I had a couple of resolutions? Well, so far, the only resolution I am seemingly able to keep is the fun one! I told myself I would do something active EVERY day - not every couple of days.....

Anyway, one resolution at a time! I have my next set of pictures to post so here goes -

January 7, 2010

Ah, Mrs. Nearants! Our favorite piano teacher! Actually, Mrs. Nearants is now Connie Palmer but I'll always know her as "Mrs. Nearants". She was the music teacher when I started teaching in Okanogan. Ask any Okanogan alum and they'll tell you what a fabulous teacher Mrs. Nearants was. I've had Dylan on Connie's waiting list for three years and this year she was able to take both kids! Finally! This picture shows what a beautiful soul Mrs. Nearants is and how much fun Dylan and Lyndsi have with her. Siobhan, another of the music students, is also in the picture.

January 8, 2010

Here is a picture of what I do in my "free time". Hmmm..... never was much for drama....I am working on getting a Master's degree in Integrated Arts in the Curriculum. I seem to have books and articles all over the dining room! Lyndsi and I took a weekend trip to Spokane and, on Friday night, I spread out in my parents' kitchen! I'm now done with my drama class and will start a curriculum class this weekend.

January 9, 2010

I caught Lyndsi and Papa watching the Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball game on Saturday afternoon. My dad hasn't been able to go use his season tickets lately so Lyndsi joined him in the comfort of his toasty warm basement to watch a great game! I was upstairs doing homework but I caught a yell and a groan every once in a while! Nana joined the little party at half time.

January 10, 2010

Little red fuzzies! That's what those poxy looking things are on our van floor! Yes, there is some garbage in there as well but just ignore that and focus on the red fuzzies that we find here, in our bedroom, in the dining room, in the living room, in the bathroom.....you get the idea! Lyndsi has always loved the texture of anything knitted, crocheted or furred. Basically, anything she can pull on with her thumb and her index finger. She pulls off little bits, rolls it around in her fingers and then tosses the fuzz to the floor. When Lyndsi was about 4 or 5 and having so much trouble with a new daycare, she'd take her pulling blanket, sit on the floor and make little piles around her. Her 'teachers' never could figure out where the fuzzies came from! Not until I explained anyway!

January 11, 2010

OK - I know. Normal people don't take pictures of their first experience with a mammogram thingy...I'm not really sure what you call this tall tool...but, I have this challenge I have to keep up with! What a perfect experience to photograph! Well, not the experience itself, just the squishing contraption. The whole experience was rather intriguing but not something I will look forward to in the future. There is a bit of dignity lost in it all! However, the discomfort is short lived and the necessity is life saving. Don't worry, I won't be taking photos of my first colonoscopy........I don't think.......

Next 4 Pictures Taken!

So far so good! I may have found a resolution I can keep up with! I now have taken 6 pictures, one for each day of the new year. I find, however, that I don't start thinking about the photo until about dinnertime so my options getting slimmer when it comes to photo subjects!

January 3, 2010

I took this photo after learning of the death of the 17 year old son of one of my good friends. He simply passed away in his sleep very early Sunday morning. I've had a lot of reminders, lately, about how precious my children are and about how quickly life can change. I was unable to sleep on this night and had bad dreams about the boy's death.

In Memory of Conner Jay Knoblich - son of Laura and Carl Knoblich

January 4, 2010

Today was my first day back to school after our 2 week Christmas vacation. I took this picture because I didn't want to get out of bed this morning! My bedroom is my favorite room in our house and I love my bed! Steve hopped on the bed as I was snapping the picture. He's pretty special so I kept him in the shot! Most of my students appeared to need their beds all day as well!

January 5, 2010

Dylan has joined a "Guitar Club" at the high school. He and his buddy, Max, are the youngest players in the club of middle school and high school boys. Mr. Woodrow leads the club and acts as guitar teacher for all the novice players. Dylan has been asking to take guitar lessons for about 2 years now so I'm so happy we could finally get him going. I'm learning some things by watching him practice!

January 6, 2010

Today I got my haircut. Megan is my stylist and she co-owns Ponytails in Omak. It's a cozy little shop and I like being able to gl there. Megan gives the best scalp massages when she washes my hair - aaaaaahhhh! I was hoping she could also be in my picture but she was pretty busy tonight so I didn't even ask her.

Happy New Year!

It's been a full 6 weeks since I last posted! I'm so ashamed of myself....sort of! I actually do feel a bit guilty that I've been able to ignore my blog for so long but with Thanksgiving, birthdays, homework, Christmas, Spokane, cards, wrapping, yada, yada, yada I also feel like I have a pretty good excuse!

The holidays have come and gone and I go back to work on Monday after being off for 2 weeks. I've had a very nice couple of weeks with my family and with a few friends. We spent Christmas here in Okanogan. Robyn and Kim came over from Seattle and my parents and Erin came from Spokane to spend the holiday here with us. I was a little worried that it might not all happen but everyone was able to be here for Christmas morning. It was very nice and the kids were thrilled to be at home for Christmas. As it turns out, dad wasn't feeling well so had to go back to the hotel early and wasn't able to have dinner here with us. We packed he and my mom a nice meal to eat together back in their room. It didn't feel quite right not having them here with us but Robyn, Erin and Kim are good company.

On Tuesday morning we loaded the car with more packages, suitcases, dogs and us and headed to Spokane to spend New Year's there. Over the following couple of days, we celebrated Christmas with Steve's mom, met up with some friends for lunch and coffee and spent a lovely afternoon and evening with my parents, Erin and her friend, Ally.

The Cheesemans and the O'Connors came to Spokane to spend New Year's Eve with us downtown at First Night. We feel so blessed to have such great, supportive friends and we had a fantastic time with them that night and the following morning.

New Year's Eve 2009

We celebrated a New Year's Day Christmas with Steve's family - aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmother, mother and all! It was our first introduction to new cousin 'baby Sophia' who is 5 months old already. The kids (and Steve and I!) were totally enamored by her! Dylan and Lyndsi only get to see their cousins once or twice a year so it was especially fun for them.

Great Grandma Margaret with all the great grandchildren

New Year's Resolutions

Do you have any resolutions? I have lots but have narrowed it down to 2 that I'd like to focus on!

First of all, I would like to do some form of activity for at least 10 minutes every day. I know 10 minutes isn't much but I want to keep this resolution within reach. I can always do more than 10 minutes - that's not a limit - but I often don't get home, dinner made and eaten and kids in bed until about 9. By then, it's tough for me to get moving! This way, maybe I'll take a short walk or something without feeling any guilt for not doing more.

Second, I have accepted a challenge from a friend to take a photo a day for the whole year. So far so good! I originally wanted to write a little every day, just about our life and it's goings on but what I think I will do is take a photo and use that as my writing prompt. I might write in a journal or I may do a blog post with the photos included. Today I am posting my first two photos and explaining why I chose to shoot the shots I did.

January 1, 2010

We were in downtown Spokane at Riverfront Park and Dylan did this little hop on the wall. The image caught my eye so I had him do it again and this is the photo I caught. We had been standing in pouring rain as the kids played with the geese and at this moment, the rain slowed down and a glimmer of sun came through the clouds.

January 2, 2010

I attended the memorial service for 8 year old Parker Brown today. As I watched his parents, brothers and others who knew and loved Parker, I felt a strong sense of guilty relief that my children are healthy and happy. This photo shows Dylan and Lyndsi sleeping on our bed, as they do every night until Steve and I take over the bed for ourselves. A simple reminder to keep our priorities in our children because we never know what tomorrow may bring.