New Day

There's something exciting about being on TV! Natalie got the most camera time but we all had fun being in the studio audience during a taping of a local talk show called New Day. This fun outing was planned by Alyssa's Activity Day leader and Natalie I got to tag along.

There was a group of people in the audience promoting the Renaissance Fair and Nat ended up sitting right next to one of these interesting characters.

We took pictures on the set after the taping and the host even posed with the group.

Two former NBA stars (and Seattle Supersonics), Spencer Haywood and James Donaldson, were some of the guests on the show.  Holy moly they were tall!

One of the most exciting parts of the taping were all the freebies that the audience members were given.  Because there was a candy segment featuring a Jelly Belly representative, we each got an awesome Jelly Belly gift bag.  We also got a new smart phone accessory and some tickets to a local comedy show.

Look at all this fun stuff!

We ate lunch by the Seattle Center fountain before heading home. 

We had recorded the show and had fun watching for ourselves in the audience.  Also, right at the end of the show, the host recognized groups in the audience which included those Renaissance folks, Estelle's 70th birthday party, and the "Activity Day girls from the Mormon church in Auburn."

So, we were TV stars for a day.  Not really, but it's fun to imagine it.  What a fun outing!

Caleb Turns Thirteen!

I'm the mother of a teenager.  Wow.

But he's a young 13; still very naive and definitely not too cool for his parents or too cool for anything, really.  I love that about him.

It was a fun day of celebration.

There were a few presents first thing in the morning.

Then a few more before heading off to lunch with friends.

The Rock's pizza buffet is the perfect place for a bunch of hungry boys.  Caleb didn't mind my presence but I still decided to sit alone at the next table to allow the boys some parent-free space. 

His belly was full of Sprite and pepperoni but when the waitress surprised him with a special birthday dessert, he found a way to shovel it down.  Awesome!

We headed into Seattle for a tour of Safeco field but since we had a few extra minutes, we stopped at Gameworks for some arcade fun.

The tour of Safeco was a whole lotta fun and interesting, too.

The Mariners even surprised him with a birthday gift bag.  A new bobblehead, towel, jersey and hat.  How nice of them.

And for our final stop: Krispy Kreme donuts.

What more would a sports-loving teenage boy want?

Happy Birthday Caleb!

Seely Family Reunion 2011

We love Mt. Rainier! We had a Hatch reunion there three years ago and decided we wanted to do it again with my side of our family.

We had the cutest cabin.  Rustic and woodsy but with all the comforts of home and more!  Porch swing in the front, creek, firepit and hot tub in back, vegetation all around.

It also had a detached game room--with pool table and a couple of twin beds--where Caleb and Alyssa slept at night.  They dubbed it the "clubhouse."  We "put them to bed" at night but then they stayed up late playing pool. (We only eavesdropped over a baby monitor a couple of times.  We decided staying up late while thinking they were fooling us parents is what they were supposed to do.)

Big Creek was just a few feet from the back deck.  Jon managed to catch one little fish.  It would be the only catch of the week even though he and Spencer later spent hours at Mineral Lake trying desperately to catch some of the hundreds they'd heard were swimming there.

We all loved getting to meet the newest member of our clan, Clara.  She's really so adorable!

I taught my family how to make the best s'mores ever.  We sure had fun around the campfire.

We played Scum, a family favorite.  Chad was happy while he was president.  But unfortunately, his reign (and this smile) couldn't last forever as you'll soon see.

These are the people crazy enough to marry into our family. :)  We're sure lucky to have them.



We had lots of fun at Northwest Trek.  So many cool animals, so up close and personal.

The cougar was a definite favorite.  Especially for Caleb.

Grandpa played Go Fish with Natalie.  "That's what family reunions are all about," said Jon.

And we played more Scum.  Here's what it feels like to be scum and vice-scum. (See? no more smile for Chad. :) )

Scum faces

We laughed a lot!  And hard.

We got in the hot tub every day.  Sometimes twice.

We were just glad to be together.

With higher-than-average precipitation in the NW this year, Paradise at Mt. Rainier felt more like Christmas in July.

Just look at that wall of snow!

It was still as beautiful as ever.

Our final adventure was a ride on a vintage steam engine at the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad.

So many memories.  So much fun!