We had four trick-or-treaters tonight!

Happy Halloween, folks!!

Greetings from your favorite disco king
(he won the competition at Sportworks)...

...and everybody's favorite, uuh, poodle?
(that was the most popular vote today).

Grandma Donnie

August 14th, 1924 - October 28th, 2006
I kissed her cheek & said goodnight on Friday evening. And she slipped away peacefully in her sleep early Saturday morning. She told us how she could hear music & she was seeing & talking to people that weren't in the room, including some who had already died. In those last hours, she was somewhere between earth & heaven, giving us the chance to say goodbye before she went home.

It's so strange & sad to think that this woman, one half of the couple that brought us all together, is gone. Grandpa Ed & Grandma Donnie built this family that now includes more than 30 of us. They are the founders, the cornerstones. And now Grandma is gone. I won't come down the long driveway & find her working in the garden, or walk into the house & see her bustling around the kitchen. One of our cornerstones is gone, but she built a strong, enduring foundation for her family & we continue on. It is one of my greatest blessings.

This afternoon I sat writing & remembering & looking forward to the company of our family:

It just started raining--fat drops that shake the leaves & ping off the roof. The sky is mourning for Grandma. We all will do this together soon. As our family has always done, we will gather together, with food & love & laughter. To remember Donnie- wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt. We will gather & tell stories, eat food & laugh & cry, & love.
In memory of her.

Fall Afternoon

While our boys were home sick, Boo & I headed out with our cousin Ryan (in town from Alaska) to enjoy the chilly autumn sunshine. First we drove to The Other Coast in Ballard to pick up some yummy sandwiches (thanks, Kristen!) & then on to Discovery Park.

Boo molesting our sandwiches.

The spot where Levi & I got married--two & a half years ago now. :)

Gorgeous day on the bluffs.

A big maple leaf provided some extra fun. I've always thought that it's a good thing to be easily amused--you never get bored.

We drove Ryan back to the family in West Seattle & had a chance to visit with G-maw & G-paw for a few minutes. We joined them on the walk to their neighborhood restaurant.

Autumn Celebration

With my mother's birthday on October 1st, it has become a wonderful tradition of gathering together as a family, eating yummy fall foods, enjoying one another's company & the beginning of a new season. This year we gathered at our house.
Come on in...

Alan playing the zither in our front entryway. It's beautiful, simple music.

Here's my family.
And yes, I'm sure if I was in the photo, I would have my finger up my nose too.

Momma & her birthday pear cobbler.

The kitties love having fires.

Happy Birthday to a very special lady...
My Momma!!