Larratt visit

I got to go visit one of my favorite families this weekend the Larratts.  Greg, Melissa and JJ have added a new member to their clan, Samantha Jane.  And let me tell you, this sweet little 9 lb, 2 week-old baby had me wrapped around her finger the second I saw her!

Sammy doing her second favorite activity: sleeping.

Miss Sam did lots of eating and sleeping this weekend, and got lots of good snuggle time with this sweet girl.  When I wasn't hugging Sammy, I got to read books with JJ.  Grandma Mary was visiting, and JJ monopolized her new iPad to read books and play games.  Reading was amongst our favorite activities while hanging out with Sam (I got two novels read).

I also got woken up every morning by our boy.  He's my favorite alarm clock EVER.  Nothing better then hearing "Miss Pia, it's time to get up!" Followed by a hug from my favorite 4-year-old boy (no getting jealous Hadley and Maddie)!

JJ wakes me up in snorkeling gear.  So funny!

Melissa and I had some good low-key hang out time, our favorite.  Is there anything better then a friend you can just relax with and not need to be constantly going? BTW, you can barely tell that she just had a baby, since she is already back to her pre-baby weight! I hope I'll someday be so lucky :) Greg had a soccer tournament this weekend, and came back from one game with a sweet soccer ball tattoo...anything to save a goal eh?

Sweet soccer ball bruise Greg!

All in all, it was a great visit! Thanks for having me over Melissa and Greg.  Love you all and can't wait for the next trip.  Here's a couple more shots of Sammy.  She's soooo cute!

Wicked

Katie's favorite song!

Katie and I got to see the Broadway musical Wicked last night.  It was a birthday present from Katie, and I've been looking forward to it for months! Seriously, so good.  The play is based on Macguire's novel Wicked (also very good), and presents the real story of a very misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West, Elephaba and her best friend Glinda.  If you haven't seen it yet, go! The music was fantastic and the cast was superb (can you tell I've been teaching vocab today!)

Thanks for a great bday present Katie!

Happy birthday Daddy

My parents have always seemed young to me, I guess because they were only 22 when I was born and because they were always the youngest set amongst my friends.  So I have to admit, it is a bit shocking to realize my dad just turned 57.  In my eyes he's still in his mid-40s. 

I was taken with this guy from the second I entered the world.  I mean really, who doesn't love a white man with an afro! A total daddy's-girl through and through, I couldn't spend enough time with Big Tony.  I was even willing to go to his car races and work at the auto shop in the summers (two things that really weren't my favorite). 

Dad was always my biggest fan.  Hard to believe that in all my growing up years, he and mom never missed a sporting event (other then tennis matches out in the boonies), and came to every play, art show, and concert in which I ever participated.  He braved snow storms, rain, and bad childhood singing for his kids. 

At 57, he hasn't changed a bit.  He has never turned down a single one of his children who needed a place to live, which also means that he and Patty have never lived together without at least two of us at home.  He is more then willing to plan his vacation time around our vacation time so we can be together.  He still spoils us when we're together, paying for our meals when we eat out, paying for our vacation home when we went to Roatan for Christmas.  He and Patty even drove to Washington DC last Spring when I was there with my students just to join me for dinner (and picked up a birthday cake for one of my kids on his way down)! There isn't a thing my daddy wouldn't do for one of us, and there isn't a thing we wouldn't do for him!

Thanks for being the world's greatest dad for the last 35 years! I hope your birthday was amazing, and that this year brings you more happiness then you know what to do with.  Love you dad.

Appleblossom Parade

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to get up super early (5am) to join our band as a chaperone to Wenatchee's Appleblossom Parade.  While I was ready for it to be a horrid little experience, I have to admit, I had an awesome time with the band.  After catching up on my sleep on the bus (never a comfortable thing), we made it to Wenatchee, feeling a bit more refreshed.  True to form, not a single student slept on the way there, while all the chaperones did... necessairy to be pleasant to my students since I was working on no coffee.  We hung out for a bit waiting for our inspection and turn in the parade order (we were 75 out of 150).  The kids were for sure the best looking band there in their kilts and fancy jackets, and this year we brought our new flag team.  The 5 girls were awesome!  I had a great time on the parade route with the kids, enjoying the sun, and they played so well.  We got back to the bus before the rain hit and headed out to Leavenworth for lunch.  All in all a great day, and I even made it back to Spokane in time to go see Thor with Katie!

Here are a couple pics from our adventure.

One of our band members shows off his flag tossing skills.

Our new flag team

Seriously, we look good!

And here are a few of the other things I saw during the parade...

I'm not totally sure what these are supposed to be,
but there were about 12 of them... creepy

Is there anything creepier then a clown really?
I wish I had got a picture of him freaking out a little baby!

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this guy selling hotdogs.
He was dressed as a colonial gentleman, and his stand was called
"Freedom Franks." So awesome!

Happy Mother's Day

It's been a busy day for L-dine and company.  I started the Mother's Day festivities this year a tad bit early; I brought her present home on Monday, two hanging flower baskets courtesy of the Freeman horticulture program.  And they are awesome! Mom hung them both on the front porch, possibly to try and detract from our awesome astroturf stairs.

Today, Katie and I took mom to brunch at our new South Hill restaurant, Savory.  It was delicious, and we all got our $25 worth.  We had eggs, salad (with a yummy honey and cumin dressing), mini-waffles, bacon... endless options.  We're definitely wanting to go back again.  Mom tried to figure out a way to stuff bacon in her purse for later, but to no avail.

After brunch, Katie and mom had a Dexter marathon.  And they made a homemade chicken pot pie for dinner.  I took care of dessert and whipped up a batch of chocolate-covered strawberries.

Mom, I hope you had a happy Mother's Day.  You deserve the world, and we all love you to pieces.  Best mom ever!

Mom, knitting... I know, no surprise there.

Mom and Aunt BZ at the cabin

L-dine lets Logan play beauty shop

Lowdie meeting little Allie for the first time

Mimi and Mom



Mom showing off her Christmas haul.  Note the fancy slanket.



Mom and me in Roatan

Happy 3-0 Meow-foy!

 As everyone who reads my blog probably already knows, my baby sister Katie is turning 30 today.  She says she's only 10% freaked out, but I'm pretty sure it's more like 50% freaked, and 50% ok, especially after all the crap she's dished to me and Cara the last 5 years. 



Katie and Mom with the Bloomsday Buzzard



Katie, you've been my best friend over the years.  Always there in my corner, a willing partner in most adventures I want to take on, my teammate in anything where Cara and Tony are involved, and a great roommate even when we are on each other's nerves.  You've grown from the girl Megan and I tortured by only letting you play with the Barbie mall AFTER we were done with it, to the girl I'd pick first to go do just about anything.  I missed such a huge chunk of your growing up when I was away for college, I love that we get so much time together now that we're adults.



Hitting Roatan with the parents

 



I wish you the happiest of birthdays.  Everything they say about your 30's have proven to be true so far.  You'll figure yourself out and finally be comfortable in your own skin.  You'll have friendships that are based on real things, and the real you.  You'll love it! I hope you get all those other things you're dreaming of, cause you deserve every single one. 



Love you to pieces!

Your big sis :)







Bloomsday '11

      I did it again.  I laced up the shoes, went to downtown Spokane, and completed my favorite 12 k run, Bloomsday.  Every year, I get excited for this crazy event where thousands of people hit the road.  I love the crazy costumes, the sun on my shoulders (yes, we had sun this year), and seeing all the faces.  I saw a ton of people I know, as always, and enjoyed a solitary walk with my iPod cranked to my new workout mix.  The vulture was at the top of Doomsday Hill to congratulate us (a giant vulture-costumed person is always at the top of Doomsday for those of you who haven't competed before), the raceway was lined with people cheering us on while enjoying bbq and beers, and though exhausted at the end, I was excited and happy to complete another year of the race.  I rewarded myself with a Subway sandwich, a 2 hour nap, and a massage.  Not a bad cap to the day.  Here's a couple race-day pictures.

Before the race, people throw sweatshirts and jackets into the trees downtown, which are washed and donated to the local Spokane shelters.

My Blue section finally starts at 9:45am

Heading down towards the river.  Crazy how many people there are on the road!

The infamous Doomsday Hill looming ahead. !

Finish line in sight! I ended at exactly 2:20:00.  Not bad for a girl who had pnemonia 6 weeks ago!

Spokane Shock

      Katie invited me to go to a Shock game with her this weekend (our local arena football team), when she won some tickets at work.  I was super excited to go with her as I had never been to a game.  The last time she won tickets, I couldn't go due to a tennis conflict.
      This of course led to a typical Katie-Pia argument: she thought I had gone with her and had just forgotten that I went; I argued that I couldn't forget going to something like an arena-football game and that I hadn't ever been.  Seriously, we argued for like three days over this, neither of us refusing to back down.  Finally, I grudgingly agreed to keep an open mind when we got there on the off chance I had forgotten, and Katie agreed to let it go if I still maintained that I hadn't been.
      My little sister just had to know though, so she checked archived blog posts she had made only to realize that I hadn't gone with her.  She had taken her friend Nic Mather instead.  I felt incredibly vindicated as I found a FB wall post saying she was wrong the next morning.

Keefe puts in a play with the offense.

      Mystery solved, Katie and I had a great time at the game.  Our seats were in the Shock end zone, and we had a great view of the game and the team.  I think watching the head coach Rob Keefe was my favorite.  He was an animated guy, jumping around, going crazy.  The team pulled off a 1 point win by blocking a field goal attempt with no time left on the clock.  Awesome! Hopefully, we'll get to go to another game soon!