Life and gratitude

Not so much blogging going on in my life these days, sorry readers.  Work has been calming down a bit which is a nice respite from the craziness of early/mid May.  This time of year at SU is filled with a lot of end of the year celebrations and events.  The variety is nice!  I saw Jeff Raikes, CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation speak about "The Business of Doing Good".  It was wonderful and humbling.  He shared a story of a family with a 'dairy farm' in Africa who the Gates Foundation helped.  The mom and dad's goal was to have 3 cows again 'someday'.  They sold two cows to pay for their daughter to go to college.  I can't imagine making a living off of one cow.  Again, just a very humbling experience.  Makes me so very grateful for the privileges and opportunities that I have. 

In other news, I have enjoyed tutoring once a week at Washington Middle School.  It's an interesting shift to go from hyper middle schoolers to working with grad students.  Kinda makes me want to be a teacher.  Not sure I have the stamina for it though.  Feeling blessed that SU allows me to tutor on work time. 

Last weekend, Tyler and I enjoyed time in Auburn.  Becca and I made homemade pizza, we watched Isaac at the Puyallup Marching Band Extravaganza, spent time with mom and dad, watched baby chicks be born...all in all, a *lovely* weekend!

I'm really looking forward to a weekend of simplicity.  I have decided to turn off facebook, google reader, and gmail for the weekend.  Bright and early Saturday morning, Tyler and I are headed out to the coast for a much-needed adventure!  Can't wait to get away from the city and enjoy nature.  We'll hug some trees, enjoy the rain if nature so chooses to continue with this "wonderful weather", relax at a riverside resort, see a few lighthouses, test out our cool new shoes, and of course...take lots of pictures to share with you next week!

I love these girls!

I found these pics when organizing my photos.  Two of my favorite girls @ the Hauck house, besides mom and Becca of course!

before and after

Thanks to some hard work and nice weather, our deck got a makeover this weekend. 

Before pictures:

(Notice dirty surface and disorganization)

After pictures:

Certainly more suitable for enjoyment.  Wanna join us for dinner?

today is your birthday!

It was a fun and productive birthday for Tyler today.  We made some improvements on the deck, which I'll talk about tomorrow.  Here we are all fancied up for a fabulous dinner at Seastar:

YUM!

Next up: birthday cake and visiting with the family!

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

Fluffy was more interested in raccoons, apparently :)  I am sure he was singing happy birthday in his head.

a happy day

Today was full of celebration -- mother's day, Isaac's birthday, and ... SUNSHINE :)

Here are mom, Becca, and I at Old Spaghetti Factory. Check out all of those beautiful brown eyes!

Today and every day, I am grateful for the life and opportunities that my mom has worked hard to provide for me.  I love you, mom!

We also got together to celebrate Isaac's birthday...just a 'few' of us after a delicious meal!  Isaac, hope your birthday was special, glad we could all be together.

Happy Day!

It's the simple things in life...

Tyler and I enjoyed a simple, peaceful walk around the Phantom Lake neighborhood of Bellevue last night.  I was struck by the beauty of these clouds reflecting on the lake.  So glad I went for a walk instead of conquering my to do list.

Miss Beth

Yesterday was Beth's bridal shower tea and what a lovely celebration!  It was nice to meet more of her friends and family.  Many laughs and heartfelt stories were shared.  We're all super excited for Beth and Dave's wedding in July!  Seriously excited :)

Here I am next to the beautiful bride to be...

Yes, I am short.  And yes, I'm wearing a hat...in obedience of the 'theme'.  We played fun games, some of which were very challenging...like husbands and wives from the Bible.  Carly and I had fun with our guesses though.

The food was *amazing*!

The Reg Crew...fun times!

Congratulations, Beth!  We wish you continued love and happiness!