Happy Birthday, Chris... Wii had FUN!!!

Yesterday we journeyed to Vancouver to celebrate Chris' birthday. As many members of Chris' family and our family as could make it gathered at Sarah's and Chris' home to honor the birthday boy. A few days previous to the party, on his actual birthday, Sarah gave Chris her gift to him, which was a Wii system. So yesterday we all had a chance to try it out, and to add to his collection of Wii games and accessories with our various gifts to him. Sarah made a fabulous
dinner for all of us, and we had a wonderful time. Congratulations on your birthday, Chris! We love you so much.
Usually Chris and Sarah play their Wii on their regular television, but with the crowd they had invited, it was fun to enlarge the screen by quite a bit. Chris' brother Jon brought a sheet and a projector, and with a little ingenuity the screen was soon very HUGE!
Here Chris' dad tries his hand at golf. He and Chris are actually taking real golf lessons together these days, so this was a good time for them to practice their skills! In the background are Chris' Uncle Michael, his sister Jen, his cousin Gina, and his Aunt Laura.
Jake takes a turn.
We got Chris a Spider Man game for the Wii. Go get 'em, Chris!
Chris' lovely birthday cake - which was actually a luscious confection with multiple layers of chocolate mousse, crushed chocolate cookies and Heath bars, and whipped cream - SOOO yummy!
Sarah and me.
Beka, Hannah and Sarah, with Goliath warily looking on.
Sarah and Mark play air hockey - it was a riot to watch. Sorry the video is pretty dark, but you can get the idea anyway.

Thanks for hosting such a fun-filled evening, Sarah and Chris!

Mom's party and Ben's proposal

This is the setting for Mom's 80th birthday party last weekend - the Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center, located right on the beach in beautiful Santa Barbara.
Before the party, we all gathered for family pictures of various combinations. I don't have pictures of everyone, but here are a few. Below is my brother Chuck, his wife Laura, and their three kiddos: Jon, Charlie, and Vanessa.
This is my cousin Julie, her husband Randy, and their daughter Chloe. Chloe and our Hannah now attend the same university here in Oregon, but Maui is home to her family.
Our lovely daughter Sarah and her ever-handsome husband Chris.
Me with the birthday girl.
Below is my sister Andrea, her husband Eric and their darling kids Margot and Reed.
Mom with the about-to-become-engaged couple, our son Ben and his now-fiance Christine.
Mom and most of her grandkids.
My brother John, his wife Barbara and their children Charlie and Emily.
Our crew - sorry about the glare.
Our five.
I have a dear cousin in Rhode Island who was not able to attend the party, but two of her daughters were there: Megan and Hannah.
The large room where the party was held.
Below is a picture of me with my childhood friend Shelly. I had not seen her since my wedding day 36 years ago, and we had lost touch in the meantime. What a joy (and shock!) to see her again and catch up on our lives. She is a district attorney in Nevada. We don't plan to lose touch again!
Each family group did a skit/performance of some kind. Here my Palmer relatives do their schtick.
Here is our group doing our take on the Beach Boys' 1960s hit "Barbara Ann." But we changed the words to say "Pat and Mike," after the birthday girls.
Here we are again. I'm thinking it was pretty much a disaster, but it sure was fun!
The D.V. Olsons performing their gig.
The Alexander crew doing their thing.
Then the grandkids did their number, "Wind Beneath My Wings."
After that came the "Happy Birthday" song. The twins loved every minute of it.
And of course, no evening with the twins would be complete without hearing them sing. They did several numbers from their repertoire. Crazy and fun.
And just when we thought things were winding down (Christine had already changed clothes), Ben took hold of the microphone and called her to the front. And there, on bended knee, he asked her to be his wife. And as you know from my previous post, or if you read our kids' blogs, she said YES. CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Her beautiful engagement ring.
Mark and me with the happy couple.
An engagement kiss to seal the deal.
Love you, Ben!
Mark hugs them both. If Mark's eyes look a little teary, it's because he was crying for joy.
So that was that. The party was complete and a good time was had by all. It was so beautiful and wonderful and memorable and more. I love you, Mom. Thanks for being such a role model to me and to all of us.
On Sunday morning, Mark and I, Sarah and Chris, Jake and Beka, and Hannah all went to church with Mom. She told me the next day that of all the things that went on over the weekend, that having us in church with her was one of the most meaningful to her. The ladies of her church made the cute Valentines above and enclosed them in the bulletin. And since today's Valentine's Day, I thought it was an appropriate way to close this post. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, EVERYONE!

Our visit to Westmont

In 1975, Mark and I graduated from Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts college in Santa Barbara. And oftentimes when we are in Santa Barbara to see my mom, we head up to our alma mater to check it out. This time we were particularly interested in walking around the campus, as Westmont sustained substantial damage in last November's Tea Fire. We were quite shocked at what we found. The fire could have been much worse, but it was definitely bad enough. Westmont lost five buildings in the fire, more than 40 students lost their dorm rooms and possessions, and many faculty lost their homes (I think around thirteen faculty families). Westmont's amazingly beautiful campus is one of its biggest draws, situated as it is in the hills of Montecito, with ocean views and meticulously maintained gardens. The fire did much damage to the grounds, and it will take time for everything to recover.
Mark stands by some of the many burned tree trunks.
The stained glass window in the prayer chapel. The fire burned so closely to the chapel, but thankfully it was spared.
Mark stands in the arbor, where you can see the plants that once grew over the structure are all burned.
The duck pond in the background. This area was not so much affected by the fire. Mark and I have many memories of our student days, when we would sit on a bench by the pond and study or just talk.
The beautiful fountain in the courtyard by the administration building.
This is the building where the campus pastor had his office. At the time of our marriage in 1973, our church in Santa Barbara was between pastors, so we approached Westmont's campus pastor about doing us the honor of presiding at our wedding. He agreed, he did our premarital counseling with us, and then he married us.
You know you're in Santa Barbara when the bird of paradise flowers are in full bloom in the middle of winter.
After our walk at Westmont, Mark and I went to the Santa Barbara wharf, where we walked around and enjoyed the closeness of the ocean and also the shops on the pier.Next up - Mom's 80th birthday party!

My next few posts will be an attempt to share some of the highlights of our weekend in Santa Barbara, where we celebrated Mom's 80th birthday. Mark and I arrived on Friday afternoon, three hours later than planned, due to delays at the San Francisco airport. We secured our rental car, then went to check in at the good old Motel 6 on the beach.
The weather in SB was chilly, but the rain that had fallen earlier in the day had stopped by the time we arrived. The picture above was the first one I took once we were in Cali. Love, love, love the palm trees!
Welcome to the FIRST Motel 6 - ever! Who knew that we would be staying in a place of such singular distinction. Most of us Dorr people were staying at the 6, in adjoining rooms. And we were cozy - the rooms were small and smelly, and we were packed in like sardines - but they DID have those cool comforters on the beds that were printed with authentic Motel 6 designs.
That night we all gathered at Rusty's Pizza for dinner. All the assorted Olson siblings, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, in-laws, etc. ate pizza and birthday cake. Here Beka squeezes in some special time with Cecilia Ray, my nephew's daughter. Such a sweetie pie - well, they both are - Beka AND Cecilia.
Chris and Sarah enjoy their cake with two of their cousins, my nieces Margot and Mia.Mom opened her gift, an iPod. We all contributed to get her the iPod and an iHome dock for it. More pictures to come soon!

She said YES

Just a quick note from So-Cal. I have much to write about concerning Mom's incredible birthday celebration last night, but before we get back home to Oregon tonight and blog more, I must announce something wonderful: toward the end of the birthday bash last night, our son Ben took the microphone, called his girlfriend Christine to the front of the room, and proposed to her on bended knee in front of all the gathered family and friends - about 200 people. And she said yes. CONGRATULATIONS to you both. We love you so much. Stay tuned........

Happy Birthday, Mom

On February 9th, my mom turns 80 years YOUNG! She is an amazing woman of faith, strength, and character, and I love her so much. Tomorrow Mark and I will fly to Santa Barbara for a three-day weekend, where we will join Mom, her twin sister "Aunt Mikie," and many other assorted relatives (including all of our own kids!!!). There is a big party planned, and we hope to honor and celebrate THE TWINS as never before. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET MOMMY! SEE YOU SOON.