Lyndale Field

This season I am in Super-9's on the Tampa Bay Rays. It's the first time I've done kid pitch. The first kid pitch game I was the third pitcher. I struck one guy out and closed the game for a win.

Heading out to either short stop or second base, those are my favorite positions in the field.

Here I am up to bat. See that ball going up? It's a pop fly going foul.

I am always ready to play baseball!!

Here is my team. We always line up to get our positions for each inning. We have had a great season. Today playoffs start! Gotta go!!

(Photos compliments of the Coaches, they've been amazing!!........ by Mom)

Snoqualmie Falls

Those pics were all taken by Shayna, by the way. We are out on a birthday weekend with friends and hiked Snoqualmie falls.

It was a great hike... we hadn't quite expecited that is one of the most popular hikes in the Seattle area, and especially today! We were a little overwhelmed by all the people but managed to find a spot down by the river to "call our own".
Well worth the effort and thanks big thanks to Marilyn for all the support!!

As for camping... Cheryl had some huge revelations this weekend, geting to manage the Winnefred on her own. First little mishap was when one of the girls locked our bathroom door, and shut it... and we have no key??! It took me a few tries but I did manage to get it unlocked with our handy dandy all purpose screwdriver, that I thankfully just packed up yesterday. Revelation: do pack everything.

The second is that we decided that the printer is going on Sabbatical. So it was there... just calling me.... until it finally got a message into my thick skull that I can print pictures on the road! Low and behold, I plugged that baby in and scrapbooked a cute little momento for the girls this weekend. It was pure joy. Second revelation: do pack everything.

So we're off to rejoin Greg and finish getting the rest of our stuff.... here are a few more photos of the campgound here... WE LOVE IT and hope to have a few more retreats here before we head out. Thanks for checking in!!!

Weekend: Success!!!

Fall City

Well! I'm paying $2.oo a day for wireless up here so thought I better use it. We are 4 days to inspection and Greg is busy painting up the house... while I escape to an RV resort for a b-day weekend for Shayna. This time with friends. We'll hike Snoqualmie falls tmw, but until then, here are pics of the day....Enjoying Winnie.....
Enjoying the pool.....
Enjoying the fire.

Nite nite! Time for Felicity!!

LA weekend

Sometimes we do crazy things, and then sometimes... even crazier. This weekend Shayna and I drove the van and a few things down to LA, as part of our downsizing efforts. The main two things to transport were our two kitties...

So the plan was I get the cats into the box and then drive to school and get Shayna, and we get an early start on Friday. Well the problems started with "I get the cats into the box." Those kitties were so on to me... I got scratched, ditched and evaded in enough manuevers that I had to botch that whole part of the plan, and bring in reinforcements!! So I went and got Shayna first. That was a better plan.

Then we hit Mariner traffic in Seattle, and three hours later we were barely in Olympia. But the cats settled in and we were determined to visit our dear friend Jessy before the night was over... and we did it!! Squeezed into Coldrock in Salem right at closing time and YaaaaaaaaaYYYYY! (We love you Jessy! thanks for the visit!!)

We then made it on to Lebanon by midnight, where we slept so good and only slightly ticked off our friend"s cat Heidi, who hissed at us all night from the door. We woke up to a beautiful morning in Oregon, visited my aunt and uncle in Eugene for breakfast, and away we went....

The cats did great and we trucked through California all day on Saturday. At one point we stopped for a break (in the 102 heat) and decided it was safe to let Ginger out for a stretch. Here we are in the desert....Doesn't that look like fun? We made it to LA by 11pm, everybody in one piece. I was feeling quite accomplished (even though I could hardly walk, my knees and feet were so swollen!)

The next morning the serious fun began. It was Shayna's birthday, and my mom treated us to a horse back ride in Rancho Palos Verdes.

What a great way to start off her special day!!!

Then we had a little party in her honor... got the family all around

Had a little b-day cake....

Gathered up some cousins and had a little Wapshaw fun.....(a lot of fun, actually!..)

All of that would have been enough, but we even got an EARTHQUAKE after the party!! All that plus a BUCKET OF COOKIE DOUGH made it, according to Shayna, "The Best Birthday ever!"

The next day we made sure the kitties were settled in and said our goodbyes. God bless you,

Buttercup and Ginger, and all our family and friends in LA!!! HUGGGGGGGSSSSSS!!

We hope to see you again

soon.

Woodinville

The horse I rode tonight was called "Blanche". I was pleased that I got a black horse because all the other horses I have ridden were brown. She had a braided mane. I practiced posting and learned to steer with my reigns in one hand. I had a different instructor this time and her name was Mary. I had fun and look forward to riding again (how about a trail ride on Sunday?) Thanks Gran! See you soon! ~Shayna

Happy Mother's Day

My one wish of the day was to get out of the house..... and take a new family picture for the blog. We enjoyed a picnic at the park and came up with some new photos.

Josiah is trying to grow his hair out, but after I viewed this picture I convinced him to let me cut it. Then we started really letting all our hair down.
Overall, it was a relaxing day and so nice to be outdoors, I really am looking forward to a year of it soon. We ended up with the new photo up top. Happy Mothers Day, me!!!

I have wished for a bomb, but not the....

Bomb Squad??!!

Hello friends!! The Kalers are still serious about this sabbatical thing, though I realize now in the packing process why so many people "have always wanted to do that..." and never did. It is a hellofa lot of work.

We have found rentors, moved in a Pod in our driveway, and are fixing up all the tweaky things about our house. Cheryl goes from thrilled to panicked.... thrilled as I find old Starbucks cards (sorry Tina, I'm using 'em this time....) and uncover all the wonderful scrapbook paper I forgot I had... as well as a very cool, compact scrapbook organizer thing that will go in Winnie. I have determined, YES, I WILL SCRAPBOOK!! We'll just print up those pictures at random Costco's across the nation and be good to go. We hope. Anyway....

The panic moments are coming with more intensity, lasting longer, and closer in between. I have equated this whole thing to labor... I have sweared I would kill greg (he almost ran over our Quilcene tree today, parking the van on the lawn....) and it does feel awfully painful at times. I keep sight on the baby in the end but amidst the sweat and tears, I do forget. I only hope I can sigh with a newborn's equivalence of joy, freedom and love when this baby births on the open road! But for now? Call the doctor!! I'm even considering drugs!!

So back to the house. One of the tweaky things we decided to fix is our garage. It was one of those "we should have done this a long time ago" projects, and took the help of our good friend RJ to get it done. We (I say we, like I did any of it? wait... I helped...) WE put up drywall around all the walls. Prior to this, we had insulation hangin out all over the place and only one corner covered with peg board. It was tacky, for sure. We were going to leave the pegboard and decided while we're at it, might as well dywall the whole thing. Dad would be proud, no Mickey Mouse garage for us!! So Greg and RJ went to taking down the pegboard...

and discovered this strange little can hiding behind one of the studs. It looked.... explosive??!! Army looking thing with a pin.... could it be a bomb? so Greg decided to play it safe and call 911. The police arrive and don't want to touch it. They call their supervisor. He arrives, and decides to send a picture to his supervisor. They forward it to... the bomb squad. They arrive, verify that it is a "1960 tear gas" can, had not yet been used. Can you imagine? What the heck did someone hide that thing in the garage for? And aren't we glad we found it? Maybe they were gonna come back and raid the house. Maybe they were saving it for when the dinosaurs returned. My mind goes all kinds of places but.... lets just say I'm glad its gone.....

and our garage sure looks nice now!!

It makes me be a little more careful with my words, because I swear last week (in one of my labor pains) I was wishing for a bomb.... that all the starbucks cards and scrapbook paper I find are not worth sifting through all the rest of this junk.... ay we did think, let's just blow it up...

or, not!!!! I'm sure our neighbors will be real happy when we finally clear outa here. What's next??