Jesus H. Christ on a Pogo Stick Brownie

At our favorite local restaurant Sunny Side Up, they make a brownie called "the Oh My God Brownie"
I wanted one.
This led to a discussion about creating a dessert called the Jesus H. Christ on a Pogo Stick Brownie. It would contain numerous and varied treats all hand dipped in chocolate and served with a plastic Jesus pogo-ing happily across the frosted surface of your brownie.

Then XuMei came up with a " XuMei brownie." In it, she wanted "those nuts I like."
"Which nuts do you like?", I asked.
"Um..I don't know", she said this as though I was crazy for expecting her to know the name of such a thing.
She said she knew what the nut looked like just not the name.
I said I know my favorite nut.
"What is it?", they all asked.
"Y'all are my favorite nuts.", (hardy har har, I thought I was so funny)
Xander innocently asked, "What are yall nuts?"

All that aside, when Mary and Qacei, proprietress's (is that a word???) of Sunny Side Up heard that I had miscarried (more on that later....maybe) they made me a ....
.
.

wait for it...
.
.

Jesus H. Christ On a Razor Scooter Brownie!

While we were ogling Jesus and admiring his shiny Razor scooter, Mormon missionaries came to my door.
Ugh, I didn't want to answer the door.
Mary, Qacei and XuMei happily answered the door, graciously offering them our own special form of salvation. One of them accepted, the other declined, they both wondered what the H stood for.
The truth is I am not sure.
Holy? Happy?
DO you, dear reader, have any idea what the H might stand for?

"Tillamook" : A Retrospective (artsy fartsy parts)

Art in many forms. Flower arranging, light stick parades, witty conversation, face and body painting, stickers, ATC's (artist trading cards), sand castles, rock balancing, the age old art of breathing. Cassie did the amazing face painting.

Corbin as a Green Ninja.

Alden as a superhero, of the red masked variety.

Sawyer also chose the red masked superhero.

Sydney as a mermaid/fairy/princess (?).

Sara painting XuMei's belly.
"Oh!"

Cassie let her body be a canvas.

This is Sawyer's "legster piece"

"Tillamook" : A Retrospective (self absorbed parts)

Because I was camping with Xander and XuMei and no Chris and no Ma I felt utterly on vacation. I made the kids whatever they wanted to eat, whenever. Because there was always so much to do they wanted very little from me. XuMei even ate her cheese and mac out of a plastic cup held in her bicycle's water bottle holder while she rode around the campground! With very little to do for anyone else aside from heat up the occasion hot dog, or taquito I was left with a ridiculous amount of time for myself.
I took naps everyday, in the tent if it was rainy or at the beach when the sun broke through. I thought a lot. I had moments of boredom and loneliness, but also moments of supreme beauty and joy. I ran my own radio talk show in my head. I sang to myself---sometimes the words would pop out! My favorites were:
"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!" (thanks to phenomenal Diana)
and
"Let it be, let it be, whisper words of wisdom, let it be......"
and
Cat Steven's:
"Trouble
Oh trouble, set me free"
Speak to me Cat!
Here is some other trouble I got into:

I kissed a slug

and it turned into a handsome prince

(who showed up on the weekends to help with camp chores and make us all happy)

XuMei painted on a mustache.

The truth is, trouble has set me free.

"Tillamook" : A Retrospective (part B as in Boogy Board)

Xander had is first "Maytag" and was so proud!

Sydney became a regular "surfer Betty" (as defined by the slang dictionary:

	Betty	155 up, 74 down
	A cool kind of girl, teens in aussie use this word to describe girls. Their generally laid back surfer chicks who just chill out.

She'd surf all day coming in only to eat ham sandwiches and quickly go back out for another "session".

Ayako ----- she is NOT cold, no she's NOT!

Cousin David

Cousin Sara

Friends going to ride the waves.

Um...hang 3 or 4 maybe?!....

um....surfer power! no hang 2, yeah, right on!

um...."I love you", no ...it's Emily Post going Boogy-ing!.....

AW, heck---who cares?!? Sydney is going surfing and XuMei says, "Backock!"

"Tillamook" : A Retrospective (another part)

Many hours of each day I observed these creatures interacting in the areas between campsites. This one was a pirate ship at least part of the time. Important discussions took place here among the "natives".

Information was passed from the larger to the smaller creatures as they deftly scrambled the length of the logs (er..I mean deck of the ship).

A strict hierarchy was enforced. Here I observed the individual in the hat called "Jesse" remind the younger turquoise dressed female to be careful on the logs (er...slippery deck). She took the advice to heart as she appeared to have a special fondness for the one they called "Jesse".

I was caught taking these pictures and immediately judged a traitor and a cast away. I was thrown piteously into the brig and left there to die until my body was thrown overboard to the sharks.
Notice the little one grinning at me as I take my farewell photo from my prison in the bushes, before being thrown into the depths.

"Tillamook" : A Retrospective (in several parts)

This is why I am afraid of dogs.

Clearly, this beast is trying to eat my face off. To be fair, the beast has a name. It is Big Mac. Someone mistakenly called him "Hamburger"--I liked it.


Doggies make XuMei VERY happy. If you look into her eyes just right you can see just how much she wants a dog. Someday, Love, Someday. We have to work on Daddy.



Many hours were spent performing unauthorized veterinary examinations on Big Mac. All of which he slept blissfully through.

Back to Blogging

I'M BAAAAAACK!!!!!

Here it is, the TOP TEN Reasons I have not been blogging:

10. I'm Pregnant!

9. I wanted to tell all the important people, whose lives might be directly affected by this news , in person (or at least personally over the phone) If you are important and you are finding out here now via blog, please forgive me!

8. I must sleep all the time, see number 10.

7. Whenever I am not drooling on the pillow I must be shoveling food into my mouth, again see number 10.

6. I was camping for 2 weeks on the coast with family and have fabulous pictures to share soon!

5. There was the briefest moment of concern that I may not be pregnant anymore, and so I delayed blogging. All is well now!

4. Had Patrick and Ivy, after Not Back to School Camp, and Sara, my lovely niece, staying at our house and Xander and XuMei to play with and a wedding to be in and all manner of wonderful gatherings and fun things to do in REAL LIFE.

3. So very Tired.

2. So extremely Hungry.

And the number one reason why I have not been blogging:



1. Did I mention, I am PREGNANT!??!!?!!??!!!