By the way, happy birthday!

Adam, the kids, and I spent part of last week with my sister Elsa and her family. Elsa and Chris are buying 3 acres for their new home. We went and saw the property, which has a small creek running through it. Right now it also has a lot of dirt "castles" for the kids to climb.

While we were walking around their property, I spotted Emily, Curtis (4) and India (7) all heading for a nearby dirt castle. Curtis glanced back to see Emily way behind them--her short stride just couldn't keep up. He turned around and affably walked back to Emily, giving her his hand to walk with her. Curtis, you are such a good friend!

Adam and I also spent a day and a half away from the kids. Just the two of us--as it was when we were first married, and like it will be when the kids leave the house. For our Birthday dinner, Adam and I went to a Mexican restaurant with a festive feel and tasty food. Our waitress and another employee sang the Birthday song to us!

We were enjoying our time away so much, we even forgot to wish each other a happy birthday when the real day came. We were heading back to Elsa's house in the afternoon and Adam said, "By the way, happy birthday!"

Tag 2

1. I’ve climbed Utah’s highest peak, Kings Peak.

2. I have lived in unique places, such as Paradise, WA on Mt. Rainier; The Wild Salmon Fish Processing Boat (Alaska’s Inside Passage); Hobart Bay, AK, a logging camp that no longer exists as such; and Kake, AK (have to take a boat or float plane to get there!).

3. My favorite food: mom's recipe for "ultimate vegan chocolate chip cookies"

4. I love dogs. Growing up, we always had a dog. As a kid, I liked to learn about different breeds, I once brought home a stray puppy, and I even had a subscription to Dog Fancy magazine.

5. I have over 50 George Strait songs on my iTunes

Elsa, you're it!

. . . tagged, finally

1. I spend 40 min on the bus almost every week day.

2. I’m married, have two kids, and haven’t had a job for months.

3. I’ve written 8 pages arguing about the definition of the word “promote.”

4. I’m my mother’s favorite son (I have proof).

5. My favorite food is A-1 sauce. If I didn’t have to pay for it, I’d drink it.