Summertime, Summertime, Sum-sum-summertime!

Welcome to summer!! I know warm weather and sun is typical this time of year in the Midwest, but that is not the norm in the Pacific NW. In fact, June is usually COLD and WET. Yeah, I know, hard to believe that Seattle would be COLD and WET. But when I found out that's the typical weather in June, I was a little pissed off. I mean, it's JUNE. Ed calls it Junuary. Junuary is the reason native Pacific NWers say that summer does not begin until July 5.

This year, however, summer has arrived a month early. We have already had days that are downright hot - into the 80s!

That was the good news. The bad news is that Washington is in a drought. This is normal for July-August, but not right now. It was a warmer than usual winter, which provided less snow, which is providing less water for Seattle. Also - the entire state has not had its normal rainfall. This summer also is expected to be longer and hotter than the normal Pacific NW summer, and the experts say that it will be the Pacific NW's first real test to see how it will survive the effects of global warming going forward.

It's good to be informed and to understand the effects of things, but all that is harshing my buzz. I am in love with this weather. If you know me well, you know that my least favorite season in Ohio is summer. I hate Ohio in the summer. It's hot, sticky, hazy, white sky...and sweaty. It's too humid to be anywhere outside except in a swimming pool and you just go from a/c to a/c. In Seattle, however, summer is my favorite season! The low humidity and proximity to the ocean means clear blue skies, warm sun, cool shade, and amazing mountain/water views. Sometimes I just sit on the steps in front of our house and soak in the sun. When it's really hot, it gets warm in the house, which can be a little uncomfortable with no a/c, but I don't mind. It's a fair trade for these amazing sun-filled days. Plus, the open windows let in the ocean breeze!

I cannot wait until we start taking our day trips and going to the mountains and my beloved Pacific.

Speaking of trips....we just had one! Heck yeah, we had a whopper of a trip to Ohio! 10 fabulous fun-filled days of family time and graduations! Hmm. That sounded better in my head. It was a lovely trip back to the old farm, though. I'm consistently homesick for family time, and I was able to scratch that itch. But first and foremost - the MOST IMPORTANT REASON to go back to Ohio:

SHAWN'S GRADUATION!

Yep, he's finished with school! Magna cum laude in Web Development from Franklin University. It was a lovely ceremony.

We were actually staying in Toledo at this point of the trip, but we trekked down to Cbus for the ceremony. We are all so proud of Shawn! What an amazing accomplishment. Truly, it is. And...two days before we left for Ohio, Shawn started his new job at Meredith Publishing. Big, big changes! Again, so, so proud of my husband. I'm still not sure how he managed it working, being a dad and dealing with his (mostly fabulous but sometimes high maintenance) wife.

As it was graduation season in Ohio, I also got to see my beloved godson, Will, graduate from St. Charles. Another reason for all of us to be so, so proud.

Those Siefert boys clean up pretty good! Ah Will, I know your mom is so proud.....

There were other bittersweet moments of the trip to Ohio. My friend Leigh's mom passed while we were there. Leigh and her daughter Paige moved to Seattle a couple of years ago. They were in Ohio sitting vigil, and it was some strange luck that we happened to be in Ohio also when Deanna passed. Deanna was one of my favorite people. She was a genuine southern woman complete with the drawl, the courtesies and that subtle southern wit. I loved her. She treated me like one of her own when I was in college and still finding my way after Mom and Bud had moved to Florida. She always had a room made up for me if I needed a weekend home from school, and the laundry was welcome too.

I'll never forget her. I'm so glad I got to help see her off.

Of course, we had some truly wonderful visits in Ohio. We had a party at the Shraders and Lorelei got some quality time with her Shrader cousins.

She also got some quality time with her Siefert family, and she was able to overcome her great fear of the underdog on the swings, thanks to Uncle Paul. And a shout out to Uncle Paul for giving her that fear in the first place.

Lorelei loved her time with the Sieferts. She especially loved little Ben. He's a sweetheart for sure. And I love these people in this next picture! So fun to see Shelley and Tracey! (And of course, Jan!!) We had such a fun time.

It was also the time to visit the old haunts. This was Shawn FIRST trip back to Ohio, so we drove by every place we had lived, and of course:

<sigh> I wish Seattle knew how to do pizza. There's some decent pies here, but nothing like Rotolo's.

Shawn's first impression of Ohio after being gone for almost 4 years? And I quote, "Wow. It's really flat here." Hahahahahahaha!!!! It is flat in Ohio (duh), but we have to navigate the (sometimes ridiculous) hills of Seattle daily. And any direction you look you have mountains, so yeah, I imagine it did look pretty flat to him. But I've always loved the farms and understated beauty of Ohio. It's just different than here, that's all.

I love the trains, too. This is right down the street from Shawn's parents' house. I love it. I don't know what it is about trains, but I love them.

I drove by our houses on Lakeview drive in Lancaster (and suffered the consequences of some of the back roads near Carroll - of course there was a bridge out and I had to backtrack 3 miles, when is that not the case??). I can't believe how different it all looks - the trees are amazing.

I love that house Mom and Bud built. It looks beautiful now, too. I also loved driving those back roads outside of Lancaster. I miss that - I rode my bike all over hell's half acre when I was growing up, trying to figure out the lay of the land. What fun I had!

I had some wonderful visits with my college girls, Debbie and Kelley, and also the lovely Sarah Hammer, who looks more gorgeous 7 months pregnant than most of us do on our best day ever. We saw Ma, Christie and Sydney also - people I think about and miss every day. I only wish we'd had more time to see all of you. For every one person we got to see, there are at least 5 that we didn't. Like I said, I miss my people. I'm afraid no matter how much I acclimate, that will always be the case.

But, I'll emphasize what I keep telling our family: Um, you could always come see me, dammit.

Before we knew it, it was time to go home to Seattle. We were ready. You know why? As much as I miss everyone so, so much, I was hot in Ohio. Damn hot. I had a layer of sheen on me at all times, and it's not even the really hot season yet. I'm not a true Seattleite yet: I don't run around in 45 degree weather wearing a down parka like the natives do, but as far as summer is concerned, I've acclimated.

And we got back to this crazy, fabulous, early summer in Seattle. I love what greeted us from the plane on the descent:

See it? Just over the wing? Yep, that's Mount Rainier. Such a pretty sight.

While our trip to Ohio came to an end, graduation season did not, and we had one more ceremony to attend this year. Paige graduated from 8th Grade! Hard to believe that little 3-year-old who hung out with me when I graduated law school is heading into high school!!! How is this possible?!

Her graduation was last night. She attended Denny International Middle School, here in West Seattle. It was an amazing ceremony. Lots of international aspects to it, and student speakers who were so articulate it's hard to believe they are only 14 years old. When I was 14, I think I might have still been playing with Barbies.

And Paige. She's a wonderful, beautiful person. I can't wait to see how high school plays out for her. I'm so glad we were able to watch her graduate and celebrate with her after.

Uh, Lorelei has not gotten a face tattoo. She's not THAT Seattle, yet. She had Field Day at school yesterday and they had face painting. She insisted on wearing it to Paige's graduation. Ah, 4th graders. But check out her hoodie. Yeah! CHAMPS! (Still not done smack-talking SEC and PAC-12 fans.)

I know we have lots and lots of catching up to do. I haven't even started on the March trip to FL and Lorelei's birthday, but this entry is getting lengthy. I'll wrap it up here and get another entry together soon. For now, I'll share one final picture, my personal favorite:

[wiping tear from eye] So proud. Of all my graduates.

SPRING!

Spring has sprung in Seattle! After months of and months of this:

We now have this:

And this:

YES. Finally. It's actually a month early this year, but who cares. We'll take it. Spring is gorgeous in most places, but it's a stunning display of color in the Pacific NW. And such a welcome sight after the dark and rain of winter.

My apologies to our people east of the Mississippi and north of the Mason-Dixon. I know you are still have having winter and cold, cold temps. But just look at those photos and know that spring is on its way to you, too!

To be fair, the temperatures here have not been exactly tropical. This past week it's been in the 30s in the morning, which is pretty cold by Seattle's standards. Today, however, is a glorious, no-clouds-in-the-sky day, and I believe we'll see 60 degrees. I'm obsessed with the weather because the difference between a rainy day in Seattle and a sunny day in Seattle is HUGE. The blues of the water, sky and mountains, the greens of the trees, the multi-hued plants and herbs that grow everywhere, they all make this place a veritable cacophony of color. When the weather is nice in Seattle, I feel like I''m on vacation every day. It's just that beautiful.

It doesn't get so cold here in the winter that things die, so the grass and plants retain their green color even in the winter. I guess maybe that's why we see daffodils blooming in January. They are the harbingers of spring - we always see them first. The flowers in our yard have been blooming also. The first picture above is of the trees in the front yard. So, so pretty.

And it smells so good in Seattle. The trees and plants smell wonderful, but add the ocean scent to that and it's like paradise.

Perhaps the colors are little brighter and the smells a little sweeter this year because as of today, Shawn has SIX WEEKS left of school. SIX WEEKS. We are beside ourselves with excitement. Shawn's academic achievements have been no less than amazing, also. He's remains on the President's List (I guess the Dean got sick of him on his list), and received this message from the President of Franklin U.

http://video.franklin.edu/Franklin/deansList/presidentsListVid03.html

I think if you cut and paste that link into your browser, you'll see a video message from the President. It's a little weird, but very cool.

And speaking of weird and cool, Lorelei has her own blog!! Check it out! She posts pictures of our lives and posts random stuff on there. Here's the address: http://loriawesome.blogspot.com/

We have had a rough January and February. We were all sick with some nasty virus or sinus infection or something. I mean, ALL of us were sick. Even the dog.

Poor Gretel. She had a nasty skin infection. We don't know what started it, but she's finally responding to treatment, so there's that.

Poor girl.

Shawn is the last one of us to get sick, and he's finally starting to feel better. But we were all laid up for pretty much the whole month of February. Ugh.

My strategy for getting through the winter months is jigsaw puzzles and bourbon. It generally works, but not when you are too sick to work on a puzzle and bourbon doesn't sound good.

It did not stop us from celebrating Valentine's Day, though. Lorelei's class had "Pajama Day" on the Friday before Valentine's Day. Here's what Lorelei wore:

Ah, to be in 4th Grade.

Then, on Valentine's Day, I took Lorelei and friend rollerskating. It was a BLAST as usual.

She's getting quite good.

After Valentine's Day, we celebrated Shawn''s birthday. We didn't do too much, just made him some tacos and tiramisu. He's easy to please. We know that by the time Shawn's birthday rolls around, winter is almost done. So that's a good thing. Of course, it also marks the beginning of Birthday Season in our families!

Otherwise, all is well in the Emerald City. We are keeping busy with our jobs and schoolwork, and I've taken up yoga. Shawn says it's the only hope I have of controlling my road rage directed at Seattle drivers. I'm giving it a try. It can't hurt, right?

And we are counting the days until we go back to visit! I'm starting to dream about Ohio, which is a sure sign I've been away too long.

Until then, wishing all sunshine and spring breezes!

2015: The Year of the Underdog

Happy New Year! And Go Buckeyes! Who's proud? What an amazing start to this fabulous New Year!! I could not be more proud of my alma mater. I don't have words to convey my absolute glee at beating Alabama, and I will forever relive that moment when the Big Ten shut the SEC up FINALLY. I am possibly the worst winner when it comes to the SEC teams. I will never stop smack-talking their fans and rubbing it in that they lost to our 3rd-string quarterback. NEVER.

As a matter of fact, the only thing that could be better than beating Alabama is winning the Championship. Playing for all the marbles, being the underdog, and going into that Dallas stadium, kicking ass and taking names. Damn. WHAT A MONTH.

Seattle people were of two minds about the Championship. Those who attended the University of Washington were all about Ohio State beating Oregon. The Ducks are their "Michigan," so anything but a Ducks victory as far as they are concerned. On the other hand, some of these Seattleites are Oregon alums, and some are die-hard Pac-12 fans, so they were cheering for the Ducks. Those people were also arrogant. So arrogant that they reminded me of SEC fans. Very easy to hate these folks. On the morning of the Game, I was in my little Starbucks near work, getting my normal cup of coffee, and the people behind me had the following conversation:

Woman: "I'm so mad I will miss the game tonight. I have to work."
Man: "It's okay, Oregon will kill them. This will be an easy win. Nothing to worry about."
Woman: "I know, there are worse games to miss, but still. It's the Championship."

Oh, how I wish I'd seen that woman and her idiot boyfriend on Tuesday. Yeah, lady, be glad you missed the game. Your team LOST.

Okay, so enough of the gloating. We've been busy! I see the last post was right before Halloween, so I guess there's a lot to catch up on!

For Halloween, Lorelei created her own costume: she was a cupcake with a moustache. Yeah, I don't know. she tells me stuff and I just try to keep up. She went trick-or-treating with some of her friends in the neighborhood. They had fun. Here are the jack-o-lanterns Shawn and Lorelei made - guess who made which one??

And the girls after they got back with their loot.

A little later when the wheels are starting to come off the bus:

They all had a blast.

Next up was Thanksgiving - with Ed and Amy hosting again. Lots and lots of good food and good company. I don't have any pictures of Thanksgiving though. Not sure what happened there. But then, all the pretty lights came out in Seattle and the city dressed itself up for Christmas! I took this picture on my way home from work one evening.

We also put up our tree, which, of course, led to cats making themselves sick by drinking the tree water and eating the needles. <sigh> Sure was pretty though.

Before Christmas, Lorelei had two major events on her social calendar: first up, a belt test in TaeKwonDo. Lorelei was testing for her Blue Belt. She passed, and is now a Blue!

Lots of work being a Blue Belt. She has to take more of a leadership role and learn more complex kicks and forms.

The second thing was a choir concert at Lorelei's school. They had a Literacy Night, and the choir performed holiday songs. It was really great. They roamed the school and sang in different locations - lots of fun.

Word on the street is that the choir may be singing at a Mariners game! That would be super-cool. Fingers crossed it doesn't take place while we are in Ohio!!

And then came Christmas!

Santa even came for Gretel! She got a husky, to go with her bat from Halloween.

We spent a pretty low-key holiday season. Spent New Year's at Ed and Amy's and of course watched Alabama lose to the Buckeyes on New Year's Day. Maya helped us ring in New Year with first, some wildness:

And then some calming inward-focused yoga:

Ha. Those Castanedas are funny. :)

That brings us all up to date, I think! We are planning on being in Ohio in May for Shawn's graduation and William's as well. Definitely looking forward to that. Shawn is working away at his last semester! 13 more weeks!

Oh, and apparently the Seahawks are Super Bowl bound again! Grandma is here, helping us get ready for yet another big game! Until next time, Go Hawks! And more importantly, GO BUCKEYES!!