Shiver Me Timbers! Captain Jack is 1!

On Saturday, my brother and I crashed Captain Jack's FIRST birthday party- just in time to enjoy some tasty "rum punch" and YUMMY food! Beth has proved herself to be a superstar event planner- every detail was wrapped up in the pirate theme. The best part: seeing the smile on Jackson's face. He has so many admirers! Thanks to the Huttons for a great afternoon.

Mike and Beth welcome guests to the festivities.

Drew adjusts his attire before heading back to the boat.

A couple of pirates named Petersen.

...and a couple of pirates named Platt.

A cake worthy of the finest pirate company!

I think Jackson spotted the cake.

10 Reasons Why This Day Rocks

1. Realized I set my alarm too early, so I got to go back to sleep.
2. Started out with a Raspberry Mocha Frappucino.
3. Get to leave work at noon.
4. My work attire today is jeans and a sweatshirt. God bless Short Fridays.
5. I have time to take a short nap.
6. Will spend the afternoon at Burke Williams spa, enjoying a Pure Relaxation Massage.
7. I'm sporting a new blog-look...and I'm liking it.
8. My brother flies in tomorrow for the weekend. Yippee!
9. Only one more week till Chris comes again!
10. I feel loved.

How Well Do You Know Me?

Got a couple minutes? I've put together a quiz for ya'll (thanks, Becky, for the idea!)- entertain me with your answers! Good luck! Muuuaaaahhh ha haaaa....

Take My Quiz on QuizYourFriends.com      Can you Ace my quiz?   Yes!   No   Let's Find Out!

Minneapolis First Hand

Hi friends!
Some of you have asked about Chris' proximity to the Minneapolis bridge collapse. Though Duluth is a few hours north, he does have family that lives in the cities. Everyone was out in Monterey when the story unfolded, so you can imagine they were more attentive to the news than normal. Anyway, they're all a-ok...thank you for your concern. Chris DID get the opportunity to stop by the site of the accident, after having flown into the Minneapolis airport post-vacation. I thought I'd post some of his pictures here.

Boring Black.

This blog has existed for almost 2 years in the exact same state....boring ol' black. Though I like the clean-ness of this page, I'm getting a little bored with the format...including the template. Without switching blog servers, I want to spruce it up a little...but don't know how!! What should I do? Change the color? (I'm a black or white girl, so don't suggest orange or some other craziness.) Put a picture in the header? Add some sidebar features? If some of you have some simple tips for me, please help a sista out.

Let's spruce this place up!

All Things Left Coast

Ok- the last entry was feeling really long (I know...it's a lot of pictures) so I had to split it in two. This, therefore, is the second half of the fun....beginning with day 4 of our trip.

Chris and I purchased tickets to SPIRIT WEST COAST quite a while ago, and were excited to see one of our favorites- Leeland- at the concert. When I received the wristbands, however, I was informed that Leeland had been rescheduled for Friday. MAJOR bummer, but it didn't stop us from enjoying TobyMac, Todd Agnew, Sanctus Real and Switchfoot live on the stage.


TobyMac brings the funk.

I also ran into my old roommate, Heather, at the show...and rubbed shoulders with good friend Jack Paper (no photo...he's way too famous for that! ha ha).

Switchfoot....Daring me to move.

DAY 5...the final day of my vacation began with seeing friends Bobby and Rachel Marchessault (and of course, Caleb) at their new church in Santa Cruz. (If you peruse Bobby's blog, you may see a cameo by yours truly on the Worship Confessional.)



Following church, we all had lunch on the Santa Cruz pier, with a great view of the Beach Boardwalk. (Ahhhh, this takes me back a few years to all those high school youth retreats....)




On the LONG DRIVE HOME, we spent some time on Highway 1, which travels along the ocean through Big Sur and Morro Bay- there were several times we had to pull over and enjoy the spectacular views.


Ahhh, California.

A Little Fog Won't Hurt Ya.

I'm back from my 5 day hiatis from the computer! (*gasp!*) I'm a little overwhelmed with all the BLOGS that I have to read- my superstar blogging friends have given me a lot to catch up on! (Yeah...I know that sentence ended with a preposition, but my brain is still on vacation mode a bit.) So, here's the scoop...I made the 7 hour trip to Monterey via mi coche, beginning at 5 a.m. I was Starbucks-less, which made it hard to get going, and L.A. morning traffic...well, that's all I need to say. GETTING THERE was worth it, though I would have appreciated a little SUNshine (that Marine layer just refuses to burn).

I joined up with Chris for his family reunion, taking place at Asilomar in Pacific Grove. Lovely place, lovely people. I exercised all kinds of skills throughout the weekend, taking on volleyball, poker, and ping-pong. Chris took home the poker trophy while I kept my title of reigning ping-pong champion. :)

The Stavenger kids...and a couple extras.

We got out for a little while to explore Ocean Avenue in Carmel, and Chris reluctantly joined us girls for the shopping venture.

Enjoying a little patch of sunshine in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

On day 2, the family dispersed and we bummed around Cannery Row for lunch and some free entertainment from THIS guy, who was rocking that Roland Key-tar with a commitment that wouldn't quit....



Day 3 began with a drive down 17-Mile-Drive, for some views of the Lone Cypress and golfer's paradise....Pebble Beach.




We were then joined by my parents and friends Bob, Grace, and Brittany Hersh for a round of golf at Poppy Hills. Though a bit chilly throughout the day, the scenery along the fairways was unbelievable.

My mom- in all of her birthday glory- kept a good pace with the men in her group! I'm so proud...



Up close and personal with the deer.

(Whoops...sometimes sand happens...)

We wrapped up Day 3 with dinner at Spanish Bay, in part to celebrate my mom's birthday. Chris' cousin, Matt, was also still in town, so he joined us and entertained us with many stories of his excursions in Europe.

Clever. Very Clever.

I thought these t-shirts were funny...so I bestow the humor on you to enjoy.