Thank goodness for washable markers!

I think the title says it all...

All dressed up with nowhere to go...

The other morning Savannah decided to put on all of her dress-up clothes (she had another hat on underneath the white one and a skirt that you can't see) and then picked out shoes for me to put on her. She got very upset when I wouldn't open the door for her to go outside. Don't you just hate it when you've got the perfect wand and 3 purses picked out to match your outfit and don't have anywhere fun to go!

Finger Lickin' Good

I'm a little bit behind in posting this, but I still wanted you to share in the fun...

Over Labor Day weekend, we spent a couple of days in Reno for their Best in the West Rib Fest (or something like that - I'm not sure that's the official name!). We met up with or friends Anna and Keone and Mike and Rachel and ate, ate, and ate for two days. Thousands and thousands of other people also showed up for this street event where award-winning ribs and sauces were sold from booths along with all of the other typical fair food. We had no choice but to try some from several different vendors in order to pick a favorite, and of course Savannah had to try them all too!

We took a break from the heat and the crowds at the big fountain where Savannah would have gotten completely drenched had I let her. (Next year we'll bring a bathing suit!)

That evening, after afternoon naps and dinner (we ATE for two days...) we went bowling along with Anna and Keone.

Can you believe I broke 100 - my best score ever by far! I'm sure I have my "little" good luck charm to thank for that!

Awww, I love hugs! Anna, Savannah's new favorite friend.

And of course, no trip to Reno is complete without a visit to Circus Circus. At least there, unlike the fair, you actually don't have to spend your child's college fund in order to win them a cheap dollar-store stuffed animal. I guess they figure you've probably handed over enough of your money to them playing the big kid games in the casino.

I think Savannah liked the elephants in the entry better than the game area itself!

Further proof...

...of the amazing array of hairstyles possible with this fantastic head of hair.



(Bet you didn't know it's that long!)

A Hair-Raising Tale

This is what I get to wake up to every morning...

It even shocks Savannah when she looks in the mirror.

It's amazingly long when wet...

But with a little brushing and water spritzing (many times a day...), this


turns into this.

What's even more amazing is how in such a short time, this

turns into this.

Here's some just for fun... (yes, that really is her!)


At least now we get "Wow, look at that gorgeous hair!" instead of "Man, look at those cheeks!"

Yum, Dinner!

For his 30th birthday (yes you read that correctly!) Travis wanted to go deep-sea fishing. He loves to fish and since I don't really share that passion I suggested that he ask his dad to go along. So, on his birthday he woke up at 3:30 in the morning, drove to the bay, bundled up against the cold and fog, and spent all day fishing miles out in the middle of the ocean. Now that sounds like a great birthday to me...


He had a blast though and was estatic that he actually caught some fish unlike most of his recent fishing (or sitting and waiting all day and night) attempts. Though the limit was ten per person, they caught about thirty or forty fish between the two of them and shared the extras with guys "fishing" next to them who spent the entire time hanging over the edge of the rolling boat. Luckily, the deckhands filleted the fish before they left the boat...

If not for the cold, the early morning, the fish smell, and the possible vomiting, I would have gone for these views, and for my wonderful husband of course!

Happy birthday, Travis!

Fair Day #2

We had so much fun at the state fair that we decided to go for another evening, and this time we were joined by my sister Ashley who had just gotten home from 8 weeks in Israel and India, her boyfriend, Bill, who was visiting from Oregon, and Travis' parents and his Aunt Robin. It was a much cooler day, but, being a Saturday versus a weeknight, it was WAY more crowded. We had to do some serious hovering to get this table in the shade at dinnertime.


Savannah loved having Bill and Auntie Ashley around!

Because Travis and his dad were getting up at 3:30 the next morning to go deep-sea fishing for his birthday, we were only able to spend a couple of hours there, but did have time to once again hit the petting zoo and the livestock exhibits. Travis and I also had some fun going down the giant slide which I will post a picture of as soon as I can get it from my sister. So, after fulfilling our quota for corndogs and goats, we waved good-by to the fair for another year...