Rock Lake Ride

We got a call today from our friends Jim and Shelley! They thought it might be a nice idea to take a little motorcycle ride. Great idea! We met Shelley and Jim at Jim's house. The "Wild Hogs" started up the 4 bikes, and hit the road. What a beautiful day. I think it was about 78 degrees when we started. Perfect. Blue skies, big puffy clouds, and the nothing but road ahead of us. We headed out on the back roads and eventually stopped at Rock Lake. I had never been there. Nice! Just a lake, some fishermen, and two porta pottys. Jim tells us he is a member of the Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce and that is why there are porta pottys there. :-) I mentioned to him he needed to take care of the duct tape on the toilet seat. :-) We headed out again after some picture taking! More back roads, blue sky, and puffy clouds! We stopped in Cheney at an old bar that had tons of dead animals hanging on the wall. Didn't take any pictures there. :-) We just looked at the animals and left. I think that is a "guy" thing. The last 10 minutes of our ride was in the rain. Some thunder too. We got home just in time because it poured after we were in the door. We logged about 140 miles today. Great idea Jim and Shelley! Thanks for calling us.

Birthday Girl

Mike and I spent time celebrating Katie's birthday tonight. She is now 25 years old. It was great fun! We told stories and laughed with Katie and friends. What a great group of friends she has! They even put up with the parents for a while. Katie always makes me smile. Love you Katie! Happy Birthday.

Megan leave a comment! :-)

Pictures Of A Visit

Wednesday night I decided I needed to make a visit to see my granddaughter and my daughter too, of course. Justin was off golfing so I only saw him briefly. We had a great time! "Let's run grandma! "Let's roll down the hill grandma!" "Jump over this grandma!" "Let's watch tartoons!" Everything is an adventure! I love it. LIFE IS TRULY GOOD!

Birthday Motorcycle Ride

Well, we had a very interesting beginning to the day. We left home about 9:30 headed for the Snake Pit in Idaho. The Snake Pit is a restaurant and maybe a small hotel tucked back in the mountains of Idaho. Very rustic. We were going to take the back roads which would make the trip about 110 miles each way. About 20 miles into the ride we were starting to climb a bit and Mike's bike started missing. He said it was bad and we would have to turn around. We did and then his bike was fine. Soooo we turned around and headed back toward Idaho. The bike started missing as soon as we started climbing. This time we were headed back home for sure. Bike acted OK and Mike drove it a little longer and we turned around and headed to Idaho again. No luck. I think we did this about 4 times. Every time we started up a grade he had problems with his bike. Neither one of us wanted to go home so we decided to head south. No big mountains to climb. His bike did fine!!! He is going to get it checked. So on with the ride.

We headed south and ended up stopping at a small town called Rosalia. We actually know a couple that lives there. Of course we did not have their phone number or address but the gentleman that owned the local grocery store was able to tell us where they lived!!! Yippee! We stopped for a quick hello! Pictured below is Julie, Mike, and Joe.

We took a few pictures of the local bar and gas station in Rosalia. The gas station is listed on the National Historical Register. It is pretty cool.




Now comes the bonus of the day. We leave Rosalia and get to Oaksdale. There is an old abandon service station with a small crowd in front of it. A smiling lady flags us down. There are a bunch of people there and they have a BBQ going. Randy(the smiling lady) and her husband Al were cooking hamburgers and hot dogs for anyone that wanted to stop and have lunch. Donations to cover the cost of the food were accepted but not required. The lunch was free to Veterans. We sat down and had a burger with some of the locals from Oaksdale. What a neat thing to do!!! We got to learn a bit about the history of the area and about their town.



From Oaksdale we took the back roads all the way to Pullman, home of the Washington State Cougars. Go Cougs!!!! What a beautiful ride.


We rode 222 miles today. It got up to about 75 degrees with a few clouds hanging around. Perfect motorcycling weather. I think the highlight of the trip was the BBQ and meeting the friendly people of Oaksdale. Thank you Lord for another safe trip. We feel very fortunate to be able to ride in God's Country!!!!!

Carrie Underwood Concert

"I think music in itself is healing.
It's an explosive expression of humanity.
It's something we are all touched by.
No matter what culture we're from,
everyone loves music."
~ Billy Joel ~

Going to a concert is just about my favorite thing to do. It had been a while and as soon as I walked into the arena I was reminded about how I love listening to the music. Cheryl, Shannon, and I met for dinner. We walked through Riverfront Park on our way to dinner and the river was breathtaking. A picture will not do it justice. All the snow we had this winter is making the river a sight to be seen.





Yummy dinner was served at Rock City Grill. Pizza, calazone, and salad!


Then a walk back through the park to the concert. Shannon said if they sold a CD of the music that was playing while we waited for the stars she would buy it. Fun country music! I would have to agree with her. Here we are waiting anxiously.





Josh Turner came on first and boy was he good. We all thought that he could have been the headliner. He has such a deep, deep, powerful voice. His speaking voice is so deep it was hard to understand what he was saying at times. He sang for a little over 1/2hour.






Then Carrie Underwood. What an amazing voice that girl has. She is a fabulous singer. She shared some fun things about her life. Where she grew up, she dips her fries in mustard not ketchup, she sings about wild things but isn't wild herself, she likes to shop when she is on tour and more. Great role model for the young girls! It was a fun filled evening and I can't wait until next time!!!!

Whew! Wedding Saturday

By Sat. I was exhausted and all I had to do was be there each day. The Varisco's had to be more than exhausted at this point. Michel and Steve must have been too. We did some sight seeing on Sat and some shopping. Then it was nap time for me. I had to get rested for the CRAWFISH FEED! The post wedding party was at F and M Patio Bar. Michel taught us all how to eat the little critters. I watched but didn't eat them. I think Mark won the prize for the most crawfish eaten. I must put a disclaimer in right here for my family. THERE IS NO PRIZE! If you are curious about the prize disclaimer look at the comments on the Bloomsday post. A fabulous band played at the feed, Rebirth Brass Band. Wow! They were unbelievable. I am pictured with Michel's mom, Jill. She is a special lady!

We topped the evening off with a Snow Bliz at a local shop. Walking into the shop was a blast to the past. Mike said, "These are just snow cones" when he walked in. A customer in the shop said, "You aren't from here are you?" They were similar to a snow cone but so much better!

The Wedding Friday

Rain, rain, go away come again some other day!!! It rained until at least 3 PM on Friday. The skies never really cleared up but the rain stopped. Even as the wedding started it looked like the rain could start falling but it never did. Michel and Steve were married on a foot bridge that crossed a bayou. They had their first date there and Steve proposed to Michel on the same bridge. Very romantic. Afterwards more food,fun, and a fabulous band!!! A Life Memory for sure!



After the wedding it was off to the Carousel Bar in the Monteleone Hotel. That is where Mike and I stayed. It was jam packed with people celebrating Michel and Steve's future! The bar is circular and actually turns slowly around. If you are standing behind someone and talking to them you have to pay attention. You could end up talking to a different person if you don't move with them.

Wedding Thursday

The weather in New Orleans was pretty nasty at this point. Lots of rain! The wedding was outdoors so God was busy listening to a lot of prayers about the weather. We picked the Doolittle family up in the AM from the airport. Exciting to see them all but especially you know who! Ryland. He is such a happy boy and growing up so fast.

The rehearsal dinner was Thursday night. The Cochon Restaurant was the site of the celebration. It has been rated as the 5th best restaurant in the United States. The food was incredible. Alligator, rabbit, roast pig, crawfish pie, shrimp, and even moonshine. The highlight of the evening for me was listening to Michel's and Steve's friends and family get up individually and talk about the impact the two of them have had on their lives.

Wedding Wednesday

Well, here it is. The wedding trip to New Orleans. We got there about 5 PM on Wednesday the 14th. There was an informal gathering at a fabulous restaurant. Mr.Johns. Yum!!!! Michel's father is one of the owners of the restaurant. Great food and lots of excitment looking forward to the big day.

It was a beautiful wedding and a great party afterwards. It rained most of the day but not during the wedding. Steve and Michel got married on the bridge where they had their first date and where he proposed to her. It was beautiful. The party is still going on if you can believe that. We are all at the hotel that we are staying at now. Even Steve and Michel. Pictures to come when I get home.

Wow Food

It is Friday morning and the wedding is tonight. As usual we have experienced southern hospitality at its best. Last night was the rehearsal dinner and we had tons of food. Alligator, roast pig (I have pictures), rabbit, fish, and much more. It was great to hear everyone talk about Steve and Michel and the impact they have each had on others lives. The guys in the wedding party and the dads went and had a hot shave yesterday. You know, the kind with the sharp, sharp, blade. It has been raining a ton in the mornings and clearing up in the afternoon. Hopefully, it will do that today since the wedding is tonight and it is outside. Ryland, Keri, Mark are here which makes things even more fun. There was a man playing the trumpet outside our hotel yesterday. I was out waiting for Mike to pick me up and the trumpet player got up and talked with me a bit then showed me a $100 bill and said he was finished for the day. Someone had just tipped him $100.00 Wow. Well, I am off to see what today holds in store for us.

Taking A Trip

Well, things are stiring in this household. We have been mowing the lawn, washing clothes, packing, getting ready for substitutes at work and more. Why you say? We are headed to New Orleans! Steve and Michel are getting married Friday night. There is a rehearsal dinner on Thursday night. I saw the menu and didn't recognize the names of the different foods. Should be an adventure! Knowing Steve and Michel it will fabulous. Baby Finn will be there (with Kyle and Kath of course) and I am so excited to see him! Mike is too. There is a baby shower for them on Saturday. Sat. night is another party. Can you believe all this! What a great time it will be!!! For sure I will post pictures when we get home. The picture I posted here is from a previous trip to Louisiana taken at a plantation.

On another note, Katie. Katie is playing in the NWAACC tournament for her softball team this weekend. This is the first time her team has gone to the playoffs. I wish I could be there and at the wedding!! Good luck Katie and team!!!!! I will so miss not being there and I know you will do great Katie!!!!!!

Well, I better get going on packing. Lots of big decisions to me made about what to wear with what you know. :-)

Bloomsday (7.46 Miles) is the History Books!

Bloomsday is in the history books and so is the non-existent contest for shirt color. If you look back on my previous posts the word contest was never mentioned. :-) Katie did guess the correct color but the post was at 9:09 AM and the race starts at 9:00. Sorry Katie too late! I might send her an 8 x 10 of me wearing the shirt.
We had a good time. It was a beautiful day. I do really like the shirts. I am not sure what my time was. It took me longer this year. I am thinking about 2 hours and 10-15 minutes. Mike ran quite a bit so he thinks he was about 15- 20 minutes ahead of me. The results will be on the website http://www.bloomsdayrun.org/ sometime tomorrow. I do know this. Neither one of us got any prize money.

I think about 45,000 signed up to do the race. You have to experience it to really get a feel for how many people that is. The vulture was at the top of Doomsday Hill (3/4 of a mile up) as usual. Lots of bands and water stations. Lots of people in crazy costumes. Mike and I met up when the race was finished and walked through the park. The Spokane River runs right through Riverfront Park and it was looking pretty powerful after all the snow we had this winter.

We made a couple of stops on the way home and red, let me repeat that, red! shirts were everywhere. We will see a bunch tomorrow that is for sure. A Fun Time.

Bloomsday Shirts

Ok, Keri says light purple, Mike says light blue, Patti says tie dye and Jackie hopes for a shade of pink. Steve says dark green. What is your guess on the shirt color? Add a coment to let us know your guess!