home improvements

I love decorating and only wish that some day I have the money to buy nicer things :) In the meantime, though, I make do with what we have and enhance as necessary. Of course, Tyler isn't exactly the biggest fan of decorating...but we have made some home improvements that I thought were worth mentioning.

My favorites:

Curtains in the bedroom...

Before:

After:

Mirror above the fireplace...

Before:

After:

Tyler's favorite improvements: airport express card which wirelessly allows us to play our itunes through the stereo (and use his iphone as a remote), digital cable (yes, we've joined the 21st century), expanded wireless home network connecting computers, printers, and phones, cataloging all of our CDs...and I think that concludes the geek fest (haha).

Now, if only I could paint the bedroom pink, lol :)

A breath of fresh air...

Did I mention that tomorrow wraps up the first week of fall quarter classes? ... deep breath... It's been quite the whirlwind and I am glad it is approaching a state of normalcy at work, although October will be a busy month as well.

To get away from the madness, I needed a mini-hike on Saturday morning so we headed out to Issaquah to Anti-Aircraft Peak. There are many trails to choose from in that area and I think what we ended up on was 4 miles, mostly through the woods. Nice to see the sun peaking through the trees and get a few breaths the fresh air.

Hopefully these pictures bring you a sense of peace similar to that which I experienced.

Puyallup Fair

I am a bit behind on my blogging, imagine that :) The weekend before last, I went with mom to the Puyallup Fair. It ended up that dad met us there as well, so that was nice. Unfortunately, though, I don't think I'll be going back to the fair next year (at least not on a weekend). It was kind of ridiculous how many people were there and how much money you can spend in a short amount of time. $12 to park, $11 entrance fee, $3.75 deep fried pickle, $4 something on an iced mocha, $27 on touch of mink lotion set (as if I needed that)...the list goes on. The really fun part was seeing the animals and wandering without a purpose, haha! Here are a few of the better moments.





The fried food craze has apparently been quite the topic. Check out this blog on the many offerings of this fair food stand.

I tried my first deep fried pickle. Not so good, but I hear there are better.




So...not sure about the 'big fantastic' this year.

Snow Lake

Tyler and I enjoyed a day hike up at Snoqualmie Pass to Snow Lake last month. Lots to see on this one...I can see why it is so popular! I have to admit that it was more rigorous than I thought it would be though. Rocks, flowers, spectacular views, beautiful lake, people watching...and the list goes on. Here are some pictures of the day...




We ate lunch with a few hungry birdies and enjoyed the scenery, not to mention the break :)


I should also mention that this was the Prius's innagural hike, what a smooth ride :)

Sunsets

I have experienced a few beautiful sunsets lately that I thought I would share with y'all.
These were taken at the Kirkland waterfront, a place that Tyler, Garin and I like to walk around after dinner. The first is a panorama which I think is pretty cool, especially how the colors change. You can see Tyler and Garin walking down the dock.




Here we are at the Newcastle golf course which overlooks Lake Washington and you can see the Seattle skyline. Love this place!




Enjoy!

North Dakota

While in North Dakota, we were blessed with some good family time. It was very healing to be surrounded by memories, but it the made the departure even harder. So hard to leave ND knowing that next time I go there will be different without grandma. I know that her spirit lives on and she had blessed us with a large family to create more memories. Here are a few of the highlights...
The Bosch extended family...

Cousin Kari (and little one in the belly) and Cousin Lee (Becca and I always get excited to see our brown eyed cousin, I think the three of us are the only brown eyed grandkids on the Hauck side if I recall correctly)...

Cousins Patty and Kari and their gorgeous blue eyes

The four girls, even though we are cousins it feels more like sisters sometimes

Patty and Aaron's daughter Abby is so adorable and easy going, I loved meeting her and her blankie!


Happy Happy Birthday Uncle Ed!

The trip was made smooth courtesy of the Prius. Grandpa in particular was quite curious about this 'machine' and was glad to get a ride down the highway.


Mom enjoyed a ride on Glenn's four wheeler, as did Gabe and Autumn


The train across from grandma and grandpas, as well as another beautiful ND sunset

And a nice visit to the farm is always a must in ND. No worries, I didn't pick any corn...just visited with the animals and Dave, Laurie and Lee.











Thanks all for the wonderful memories!

grandma video tribute

I can't imagine how much the world has changed since grandma was born in 1914. She was North Dakota through and through :) In her nearly 95 years, she raised six children who blessed her with 9 grandchildren, not to mention the growing number of great grandchildren. As previously mentioned, grandma was always smiling. I also remember her gentle giggle, love of playing cards, delicious baking (in particular, homemade carmel rolls and easter bread), adventurous nature, and good humor. We celebrated her life in North Dakota over labor day weekend and I have 'produced and directed' my first ever movie as a tribute to grandma and a display of some of the events (rosary, funeral, burial, luncheon). Here it is (turn up your speakers!)...

The obituary was brought to life with beautiful design and commemorative photos of grandma's life.
We love you, grandma!

dear grandma

May you rest in peace. I hope you know how much you are loved.

Grandma passed away this morning, after 94 years of a beautiful life. Even through the worst of times, she always had something positive to say and was great at keeping that smile.