ain't it good to know you've got a friend

My friend Chrissy enjoys getting her picture taken about as much as I do, but I did manage to find this one of the two of us. Chrissy has a blog, so one day several months ago, I subtly mentioned to her that my sister's friend had written about my sister in her blog, and what a nice tribute it was, and I wondered how it would feel to have someone do something so thoughtful. Funny thing, after that conversation she wrote about me. Because that's the kind of friend Chrissy is. And turnabout is fair play. I've known Chrissy since we were about three years old, which means we've been friends for about 25 years now. ;) Seriously, how often do you know someone for that long and not only share all kinds of memories but still enjoy them so much? Church, high school, college roommates, roadtrips, holidays, her wedding, the Bachelorettes in Alaska finale-we've been together through it all. Chrissy has been so good to me through my best and my worst. She has all the qualities that are important in a friend: kind, patient, forgiving, down to earth, good listener, and fun. When I call with my dating (or non-dating) woes or other whining and complaining, she is unfailingly supportive and on my side even when it's likely that I'm completely wrong. That feels pretty darn good. She is one of the funniest people I know. She married another one of the funniest people I know. When I call their house I know that I'm going to be laughing a lot no matter which one answers. (And if it's Matt, I'm also going to get some inappropriate advice on how to get married. At this point I probably ought to take it.) We like to imagine things like our moms getting jobs at Hot Dog on a Stick and if we got tattoos what they would say. She is so smart, a great cook, leads at church, sews, is musical, knows how to add backgrounds and cool extras to her blog, is not afraid to admit her love of Saved by the Bell, does excellent imitations, has a scarily good memory, and raises three adorable kids. Chrissy, "you are loved," too.

all i wanna do is have some fun, i've got a feeling i'm not the only one

Some of my friends have Disney passes, so I finally got one last fall. I was tired of missing out on the fun. I have one of the less expensive ghetto passes and am currently blocked out until mid August, but I figure I'll avoid the crowds and heat. I went to California Adventure for the first time several months ago. It's charming and not as crowded as Disneyland. A few of the best rides there are Tower of Terror and Toy Story Midway Mania. For guaranteed fun, go to Disneyland's Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. It is a target shooting ride with secret ways (which will NOT be disclosed) to earn higher points. I am currently scoring just under 300,000 points. That's right, almost 300,000 points. Soon I will surpass that. Hey, I've got goals. If I were five years old, the evil Emperor Zurg on this ride would have scared me. At five most everything scared me. I jumped a few times on the Nemo ride and that was just last month. After the ride, you can email a picture that's been taken. I've heard it's the only free thing at Disneyland.

we are family, i got all my sisters (and one brother) with me

As mentioned earlier, I had a fun time at my family reunion. Here are the details you've all been waiting for. ;) Everyone was there: my parents, three sisters, one brother, three brothers-in law, one sister-in-law, and the cutest, sweetest, funniest six nephews and three nieces ever. Most of the time we relaxed at Mama Phyllis and Papa Vern's house playing games like Speed Scrabble, watching HGTV, celebrating birthdays, eating too much, and laughing a lot. The kids were shooting hoops, riding bikes, and making bubbles in the backyard. I had fun watching them have fun. We went to the Oregon coast for a few nights. It's really beautiful because it's kind of rugged and rocky with magnificent evergreens right across from the ocean. There was playing in the waves, visiting the Oregon Coast Aquarium, eating clam chowder, and s'mores over a bonfire. Each night, after a noisy and fun day, I would go to my quiet room and watch and listen to the waves. Heaven.

Here is evidence that I do indeed have the cutest nieces and nephews ever.

vacation all i ever wanted

I'm about to go home after two weeks with my family. Altogether there are 20 of us. I had such a fun time and I'll write more about it in the next few days, but I didn't want to wait to share one of the highlights of the trip. We went to this really nice restaurant. Here's a picture from my brand new digital camera. Notice the cool water feature and beautiful stacked stone on the building.

Now take a closer look.....

I ordered Meal #1. It was divine.