Da Fair

Kitty is usually silent in the backseat of the car.  She spends her time reading as I chauffeur her around to all of our errands.  I spend the time talking to myself.

On an otherwise ordinary day, Kitty unexpectedly piped up from the backseat and recited a lengthy soliloquy about her desire to submit a piece of artwork to the Oregon State Fair.  Never one to be a dream-squasher, I wholeheartedly agreed with her idea.

Kitty knew exactly which drawing she wanted to enter - her masterpiece - Spacegirl Sparta.

We hustled off to Hobby Lobby, found the perfect frame for Ms. Sparta, and bada-bing-bada-boom, we were ready to submit her to the fair.

Kitty anxiously counted the days until she would see her artwork at the fair.  Her artwork!  At the fair!  We talked about it a lot.  The calendar didn't move very quickly, but finally, the day arrived. 

Once inside the gates, the first thing we did was head to the pavilion where the artwork was hanging.  Well, FIRST we got ice cream.

THEN, we found the Creative Living area.  We looked all around and there she was, hanging in glory: Spacegirl Sparta herself!  It was incredibly exciting to see Kitty's artwork and name on the wall.

I was a proud Mama cat.

Michael and Kitty spent the remainder of our evening in the carnival area spending money on motion-sickness experiences.  I spent the evening shivering because the sun was descending and I failed to bring my cardigan.  Yes, I'm that old.

It was another successful outing to the fair!

Yard Work

While I mowed the lawn, Kitty made soup for dinner.

Looks delicious.

I'm especially excited about the crunchy bits. 

Family Fun Day

Prepare to have your mind blown...

Kitty and I can have some intense disagreements.  Sometimes we are even embroiled in multiple intense disagreements in a single day.

I know - shocking. You wouldn't think that two independent people who like to be in control would butt heads very often.  Yet, we do.

Kitty and I had a rough week recently.  Whenever we're ramping up our bickering, poor Michael just cowers on the sidelines and tries to interject calming suggestions here and there.  They are not received well by either of his girls.  In fact, it's conceivable that at one point I may have told him to, "BUTT OUT!" in my swirling rage.  Maybe.  

Poor, poor Michael.

After one particularly intense disagreement, Kitty approached me with a white flag.

I read her proposition and my heart melted.  A day together was exactly what we needed!  I gave her a tight hug and told her I couldn't wait.  She hugged me back and promptly said, "But I'm not paying for it."

Of course you're not...that's what Michael is for.

We headed out that Saturday for pizza at Straight from New York, where Kitty quickly left her vapid parents to sit on the wall to read and nosh on Goldfish crackers instead.  

And then we rushed off to the dirt hills to ride our bikes.  Imagine a 40-something-year-old woman tearing up the track on a cruiser bike.  It happened.  

We didn't play board games but we did get a hot fudge sundae and watch a movie together.  It was just the balm our raging hormones needed.  

Next time we have a bad row, let's head to Disneyland to reconcile!

Michael's treat.

Reader

This is Kitty's nightstand.  The books rotate but the height of the stack doesn't change.

Is there such a thing as too-much-reading?

CDA

It just isn't summertime without a trip to my sissy's house in Coeur d'Alene.  This year the air was smoky from fires and the trip was shorter than usual, but we still managed to enjoy ourselves immensely.

I can't explain the bliss that is CDA.  My heart feels full and complete when I am there, and I treasure the tradition.  It is the definition of summertime to me.

We did all of the important things during our trip like gabbing incessantly, making innuendos, and the multiple, always-necessary Costco runs. But we also did a few new things this year like:

Making a new friend.

Braving the winding roads that end with ice cream in Harrison.

Roasting mallows over the barbeque.

And having cotton candy flavored popcorn.

The new adventures snuggled up perfectly with our old favorites like:

Getting our hair braided by Britta.

Going to the lake.

And hanging out with Dawg.

It was pure bliss.

Time Travel

Where do the years go?!