Happy Anniversary, David and Nikki

Three years ago today David and Nikki got hitched! Have a happy anniversary, you two! Well, now of course, it's "you THREE," since sweet Adelaide joined their little family in April. Love you all so much! Can't wait to see you SOON! (They are flying to the Northwest today, and will stay through Christmas - hooray!!!)

Happy first anniversary, Ben and Christine!

One year ago today, December 6, 2009, our middle son Ben married his sweet bride Christine.
Their ceremony took place on a lovely beach in Costa Rica.

They exchanged vows of love and commitment to each other.

They played in the warm ocean!

And all was well!

Have a wonderful day today, Ben and Christine!

We love you both so much, and are especially thankful that you are now living in Oregon! God bless you both.

Happy Birthday, David

This is me. The morning of December 4, 1984. Just hanging out, waiting to head to the hospital to give birth to a big strapping baby boy (9 lbs. 13 oz.), David Charles Dorr. And today we celebrate the 26th birthday of that sweet little baby. Happy Birthday, Dave!
Above, at six weeks old.
July, 1985 - seven months old.
Swinging, August, 1985, eight months old.
With his older brothers Jake and Ben, December 1989, five years old.
And now, David is husband and a daddy. Above he is with his sweet little Adelaide, and below with his dear wife Nikki and Adelaide.
Happy birthday, dear Dave! We are SO very thankful you came into our lives. We love you so much. ♥

Pride and Prejudice

A week ago, Hannah and I journeyed to southern Oregon to attend a production of "Pride and Prejudice" in Ashland. The play was so very well done, and once again I pondered the question of why we don't more often take advantage of the opportunity we have of fairly easy access to quality theater. The very best part of the day? No question: spending an entire day with my sweet Hannah. Yes, the food we ate was yummy (tacos for lunch at Agave, and "breakfast for dinner" at Denny's), but just being with my dear girl was priceless!

"Just a minute, Grammy, I'm busy!"

I spent a wonderful afternoon with Ayeresam a few days ago. We went to the park and played on the swings and the slide, we watched the garbage truck empty many bins, we ate lunch, we read lots and lots of books, and we played hide and seek. Then, Ayeresam needed to conduct some important business on my phone. You know, just some texting and stuff...
This takes full concentration, as you can see. Sometimes a guy just has to do what he has to do! Too cute!
"OK, Grammy, I'm ready to play more now."
♥ Love this kid. ♥ SOOO much! ♥

In the Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday Mark and I were invited to go to the Pumpkin Patch with Jake, Beka, and Ayeresam. It was SO fun! First stop: meet up with their family at their house. One of Ayeresam's new toys is a tunnel, which Mark promptly put on over his body in order to surprise Ayeresam when he came downstairs. Let's just say this: it worked great!
Mark popped out, Ayeresam squealed, and we headed off on our adventure. We went to Airlie Hills Harvest Festival and Pumpkin Patch, located about a dozen miles north of Corvallis. Such a fun place. I didn't even know it existed before yesterday, and we've decided we will definitely go back.
The sweet little family at the entrance.
Meeting the resident turkey, who of course is named Tom.
Jake and Ayeresam at the top of the hay slide.
Mark loved the doors on the barn.
Next came the hay ride, which took us on a fun, bumpy journey around the perimeter of the farm.
Safe in Grandpa's arms.
Resting for a spell.
Me, too.
Aren't they a happy, handsome group? Yeah, I think so, too!
Taking a ride in the wheelbarrow.
Touching Grandpa's cowboy hat (thanks for this pic, Jake).
Playing in the wheat bin, which is like a sand box, except the "walls" are made of bales of hay, and the "sand" is wheat kernels. Ayeresam REALLY liked this activity!

Just chillin' with the lovely pumpkins.
There was a huge semi-truck, which Jake and Ayeresam had to check out!
Leaving the farm: Jake and Ayeresam, Beka, Mark, and me. We loved it!

How time flies...

This past weekend, Mark and I traveled to Seattle to attend our 40-year high school reunion. Yes, you heard right - 40 years since we graduated from Mt. Rainier High School! So crazy to contemplate how quickly the years have flown by, and how fun it was to celebrate that milestone with others from our class. One of our first stops after arriving in Seattle was to drive by the house (above) where my family lived while I was in high school, which is now mostly obscured by tall hedges. This was a very small home for our family of eight!
Right across the street from that house is the campus of Highline Community College, where I attended school the first year following my graduation from high school.
Mark and I next drove down to Saltwater State Park in Des Moines. This beautiful little park is on Puget sound, and Mark and I used to go there quite often while in high school. Fun memories!

Next stop was Mark's family's former home in Normandy Park. Many large trees and shrubs obscure the full view.
Friday night we convened with our classmates at the Holiday Inn Sea-Tac, where we were greeted by Doug and his dear wife Kathy. Doug is a lifelong friend and was the best man in our wedding 37 years ago.
A very special delight was seeing Verna, my best friend from high school. Like me, Verna is also married to a man from our graduating class.
On Saturday morning, we had a second reunion event, this time at our high school. Several years ago, the old high school building where we had attended was demolished, and a new campus built in its place. We had a tour of the new facility (very nice), had lunch in the cafeteria, and did more socializing. There are bricks in the entry way of the new school, and we found "our" brick, along with the bricks for Mark's sister Nancy, and their dad George, who was principal of MRHS for two years, including our sophomore year.
My friend Verna and her hubby arrived at MRHS in style!
I just had to take a picture of this airplane departing Sea Tac airport. One of my favorite memories from Mt. Rainier includes the loud roar from departing airplanes, so loud that teachers had to stop their lectures at times until the planes cleared the sky overhead. Apparently this is still the case!
The front entrance of the new high school.

Checking out the new gym. The banner painted across the wall above the bleachers reads: WELCOME TO THE MOUNTAIN - HOME OF THE RAMS (with a mural of Mt. Rainier in the middle).
Such a fun weekend. As one of our classmates said, "We were nice kids back in high school, and we are nice adults now."

"Our voices echo through the halls,
We sing to Mt. Rainier,
Of days gone by, of victories won,
And hours of good cheer.
We'll support the blue and white,
Our colors bold and true,
Both now and in the years to come,
We'll e'er remember you."