Doug Turns 38!

Q: How much better could it get for Doug than going to see the Mariner's with his kids on his birthday?

A: Going to see the Yankee's on his birthday with his kids.

Father's Day

Father's Day got off to a slow start after our late night out for our anniversary. However, we had a great day at Burfoot Park!

Our 10 Year Anniversary

Ten years is a big milestone for marriage and Doug and I wanted to do something a little different to celebrate it. Going somewhere overnight wasn't an option, so we had to come up with something we could do during the day or evening. About a week before our anniversary we were still pondering what to do. Then, some friends at Doug's work told him about a restaurant called the Herbfarm. All the food and wine is from the local area and they serve a nine course dinner with a different glass of wine for each meal. I was a little concerned when I discovered that the Herbfarm would be deciding what we would be eating since I haven't always been the most adventurous eater. Also, due to the amount of wine that would be served, the restaurant has a car service. We decided it would be advantageous to have someone drive us, so our driver picked us up and had us there in plenty of time to tour their wine cellar and go on the tour of their herb garden. While were talking to the owner of the restaurant in the wine cellar we saw a crate of Argyle wine. It always catches our attention and so we told him that my cousin owns the winery. He seemed very surprised and then said that him and his wife know Rollin very well. After the garden tour, which his wife actually gave, they sat us all down to eat and despite my initial reservations about the food it ended up being the most amazing culinary experience of mine and Doug's life. They served raw fish tail, slightly cooked tuna, along with caviar for the first course. Normally I wouldn't have even consider trying it, but I knew I would be experiencing true artistic talent so if they couldn't make it taste good, no one could. Also, the portions were so small that they weren't intimidating. What I quickly discovered as I took my first bite was that the flavors and seasoning were so amazing I not only tasted it, but I finished it. I don't know half of what I ate that night, but it didn't matter because all of it was beyond description. I never realized food could take on the dimension it did. Doug and I were opened up to a world we had never experienced before and what better time to do it than on our 10th anniversary!

Haag's Visit

We were so excited to have my sister's family come and visit us! We had an amazing weekend together. Our first day was spent in Seattle. We visited the Space Needle and took a cruise around Elliott Bay.

On Friday we drove to Olympic National Rainforest. Our hike wasn't quite as picturesque as we had hoped for but it was still fun. We also had a picnic lunch near a lake before the hike and everyone had a great time practicing their rock throwing skills. The weather ended up being warmer then anticipated which was great, except for the fact that we all wished we were wearing shorts.

The last full day they were here Doug took everyone to do a sim in the C-17. They had a great time and Faith and I had fun hanging out at the house with the kids. That night we took advantage of the teenagers/adults in the house and Doug and I went to a movie with Faith and Scott! That was a treat for us!!

Audrey's Big Day

Two major events happen for Audrey on Wednesday. The first was getting her new furniture delivered. She was very excited to have a big girl bed and was more than ready for it. After discovering that she could climb in and out of her crib on Monday, her furniture couldn't get here fast enough. Unfortunately, the focus of her big day had an unexpected detour when she broke her arm that afternoon. After an ER visit to Madigan, they said nothing was wrong, but I wasn't convinced. However, as we always seem to do with the military doctors here, we played the waiting game. So, on Friday I took her to the McChord clinic. After a quick look the doctor was pretty sure it was broken. Pediatrics at McChord and Orthopedics at Madigan couldn't find where the brake was from the x-rays they took, but it was serious enough to put her in a cast which I was so thankful for. She had been miserable since it happen, but after she got over the trauma of having a cast she was a happy little girl again. However, we still had another child to help deal with what was going on. The injury happen when Jacob slid over her arm on the slide in our backyard. She was standing on the ground and had her arm across the slide when Jacob decided to go over it. Needless to say it was a huge learning experience for him and great opportunity about asking for forgiveness.