Skater Boy

Zac is always watching the teenaged boys in our neighborhood work on their skateboarding skills in the middle of the cul de sac, so when he had an opportunity to work on his, he took his skateboard out to the street and hopped on like he was an old pro. Here's some video of his talents. However, the video doesn't show the long steep hill that is the street leading up to our cul de sac, to which he was heading downward. Sadly, all his mom could do is laugh while filming the disaster-waiting-to-happen, hoping Scotty would intervene. Nice mom.

End of an Era (1958-2009)

Well, this is my blog and the point of my blog is not only to keep family and friends informed on what's going on with the Wahrmunds, but also to journal my own thoughts. I feel a real sense of sadness right now with the news that Michael Jackson has died. Yes, I will be the first to admit that he turned pretty wacky in the last 15 years or so, but I remember when he was "normal". I remember the posters I had on my walls and all the albums - yes, back in the day of actual vinyl albums and cassette tapes. I have always loved music, since the time I was old enough to operate a record player I was listening to my dad's records. In the late 70s early 80s, Olivia Newton John and Pat Benatar were among my favorites, but Michael Jackson was my number one at one time. The silver glove, the high waters, the penny loafers - I loved it all! Regardless of his personal life, I truly appreciated his talent and the music that he made. Thriller was one of my first albums. In fact, I was lucky enough to get TWO. I had left my first copy in the sun and it warped. It would no longer play without skipping on my Fisher Price record player and I was devastated. After serious begging of my parents, I finally got a new copy and I cherished it. I don't think I knew of anyone who didn't have Thriller, or couldn't name at least one song they liked. Jay made fun of me today when I was singing one of Jackson's tunes - he accused me of not having listened to an MJ song in forever until today. But he is wrong. I have quite a few songs on my iPod by the great King of Pop; "Don't stop til you get enough" is currently one of my faves. After the non-stop tributes to him today on the radio, I have been reminded of how much I love his music and that of the Jackson 5. It is truly timeless. He is an icon, no matter how you look at it. Every corner of the world spoke the language of Michael Jackson and they will continue to do so for generations to come. This is my small way of honoring this entertainer whom I embraced at such a young age. I am saddened by how his life ended up, plagued by scandal and personal struggles. I choose to remember the Michael that made me a fan, not the one demonized in the press. Thanks for the memories, Michael. I'm a fan forever. May you finally rest in peace.

Father's Day with the Bakers and the M's

I bought tickets for my dad and me to go to the Mariners game for Father's Day about a month or so in advance. Jay and the boys were going to do their own thing. But then about a week prior to Father's Day, my friend Suzanne from Alaska called and said she was trying to plan something special for her hubby Mark and their son Rush. She was thinking of sending them to the Ms game. Afterall, Rush just turned 13 and the Wahrmunds live right near there, so what the heck? Oh, and it was a good excuse for me to do something special for Jay, too, by getting him & Scotty tickets and enjoying a weekend with a buddy. All her secret scheming worked out perfectly and Mark and Rush arrived on Saturday evening. Jay and Mark jumped right into the buddy ol' pal routine and apparently they had a lot of catching up to do because they were up til after 3 AM in the backyard sitting (and drinking) around the fire pit. Sweet Mother, how do they do it? I don't think they realized they had to get up in less than six hours to head to the game. Needless to say, they were dragging a bit early in the day, but all turned out fine. The Mariners won, the guys liked their seats behind homeplate (part of the surprise), and Rush even got to run the bases after the game. Oh and it was good to spend the day with my dad at the ballpark. It was a fun visit and good to see the Baker boys again. I only wish Suz and the girls could've come. They were our neighbors in Juneau and good friends and I miss our late night game nights! Ah well, maybe someday we'll be neighbors again.....thanks Suz for the great plan!

6th Grade Graduation

My niece, Makayla, had her sixth grade graduation ceremony yesterday. June 17, exactly 17 years after her mom, Nikki, and I graduated HIGH SCHOOL (Good Grief....). She will be entering 7th grade at Central Kitsap Junior High, where her mom and I first met in 7th grade. Some of our same teachers are still there! This is a huge transition for her, going to a new school where several other elementary schools merge. Obviously, an overwhelming experience for any pre-teen, but I have no doubts that Makayla will handle it very well, in fact she will probably be even more driven. Yesterday, before they presented the promotion certificates, the principal and other faculty recognized a dozen or so students with Education Awards. This came as a surprise to all who were recognized and I am really happy to say that Makayla received one of the top honors for Outstanding Academic Excellence. However, this does not surprise me. Makayla once did a full report on German Shepherd Dogs soon after we got Heidi, for no reason other than to study them and learn more about the breed. She actually asked her teacher if she could share it with the class. I don't even know if she got credit for it, but that wouldn't have mattered to Makayla. She does things like that just to do them. I have never known anyone with so much enthusiasm for learning and it really is inspiring. Uncle Jay is one of her heros because he's always introducing her to new things, gold digging was one of the latest. Jay thinks she is the example of his "perfect daughter" because she is a good student both in and out of school (and she's interested in all the crazy things he does). To top it all off, she is an excellent athlete and just recently made the "A" squad of an elite soccer team. I can only pray that my boys follow the awesome example of their cousin. It is a refreshing realization that good kids like Makayla represent our future. We're so proud of you, Max!!

Just Passing Through

The View from Cabin (pic doesn't do it justice)

Pat & Jay playing in the woods

Time to Eat!

Zac and Charli, born just a month apart

The guys with Uncle Tom

The gals

Fellow Coast Guard friends from Juneau, Patrick & Debra Barelli and their six children, Connor, Clayton, Cole, Cooper, Carter and baby girl Charli, are heading cross country to their new duty station in DC. Pat called Jay on Friday because he knew they'd be passing through our neck of the woods after having just gotten off the 3-day southbound Alaskan ferry. Patrick's uncle, Tom Barelli, has a sweet cabin on 10 acres of woods off the Hood Canal and they invited us out to enjoy a huge Italian dinner that he was making. Tom owned an italian restaurant for 30 years, so we knew we were in for some good eating. Jay actually met Tom previously when he came up to visit Juneau and he made a huge spread at that time. Jay raved about it for days, so I was happy to finally meet this blessed man and enjoy a fabulous home cooked meal. Fabulous is an understatement. He fed 17 people and there was plenty leftover. Amazing. After dinner we sat around a bonfire and watched the boys light fireworks. The kids ran around like crazy and the adults caught up, it was a lot of fun and really good to see them again. Good Luck on your trek to DC, Barelli's!!

Fishin'

Scotty has become Jay's best fishing partner and now that they've adopted my dad's little ol' aluminum boat, they take it out whenever they get a chance. Last night they hit Square Lake just a few miles from us and Scotty was very proud of the one fish he caught. He has yet to hold the fish himself, but at least he's got the worm thing down....he'll get there.

9 Years Later.....

We celebrated 9 years of marriage yesterday and it was my idea to take the boys along with us to enjoy the day. We rode the ferry over and went to the Seattle Center. The boys mostly enjoyed the big water fountain and could've probably camped out there all day. There is a lot to do within the center; the Pacific Science Center, Children's Theater, Children's Museum, Space Needle among some of them, but our boys are pretty small still and don't hold their attention to any one thing for very long. So they had a good time just walking around. We did take them 520 feet up to the observation deck at the Space Needle and I got some great pics of the view from way up there. The Mariners are on the road, otherwise you can bet we'd have gone to a game. But it was a fun day in the city. Jay works in Seattle and never has the desire to go over there in his free time unless there's a game, but he agreed to it and we had a good time. Here's some pics from the day.

Green Sox

I couldn't stand a summer without playing softball. After spending three years on the same team in Juneau (well, technically I had to sit one year out due to pregnancy, but I kept score at every game!!), I was nervous about pursuing a new team here in Washington. I had always hoped to play on a team with my brother, an excellent ball player, and moving back to the area my hopes were high. But since sustaining an injury to his back last year, he had to sit this year out. Thus, I decided to put my name on the city league list and hoped to get called up to play by some team out there. Sure enough, the Green Sox rang me just before the season began and I am having the best time! Not only has it allowed me to get to know a whole new group of people, but I am able to continue doing something I love. Play ball. Admittedly, we lost our first few games and we were playing a bit like the Ringling Brothers, but we've actually stepped it up in the last couple games and hopefully we can end with an even record. My dad and his girlfriend, Vicky, have been the only devoted fans we have, never missing a game and always cheering us on. Vicky brought her camera this past game and caught this great photo of the team; we had just tied the game 15-15 when time was called. Yes, we're the Green Sox, but I am the only one wearing green socks.....