PRIEST LAKE

In early August we had our 2nd annual summer vacation at Priest Lake. It's in Idaho just NE of Spokane. It's a beautiful, serene lake with completely surrounded by pine trees. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing.

Water Sports at Priest Lake

We did a lot of waterskiing and kneeboarding. I was so excited to use a real kneeboard, except I played Wii tennis for 2.5 hrs straight the previous day. My muscles ached so bad I was too sore to kneeboard. I did try and was able to get up but just wasn't able to stay up. I had 15 bruises by the time I was done! It was worth it though. I was so disappointed though as last summer I was able to get up and get proficient 'knee boarding'. The difference was that I just used a foam skimmer board. It wasn't as long, heavy nor did it require getting the knee strap on. I'm going to do it next year though!!!

My nephews are all total water boys! They practically live in the water the whole time we're there. Matt's a killer slalom skiier. He looks so smooth as he glides across the water.

Cavanaugh Bay

We went down to Cavanaugh Bay at Priest lake quite a bit. It was really close to the beach cabin my parents rented.

We met a couple that were from Britain. I just loved their accent. They were there with their entire family. I was quite impressed in that the couple were divorced, but the x-wife and husband were still best friends. He said they just can't live together.

He was telling us how he learned how to water ski barefoot. He learned from one of the world's best barefoot skiiers. It was really interesting. The husband reminded me a bit of Ralph Lauren. Enjoyable talkers...and I emphasize talker.

Lost in Walton Country

I was late heading out to Priest Lake from Seattle. It's a longer drive than I remembered. By the time I actually got down to the the lake it was 9ish, so it was dark. So not good!

I couldn't call my dad as I didn't get a cell phone signal. I was completely lost. The road system really isn't a road system. It's miles of long dirt roads. I was starting to panic a bit as after an hour or so I wasn't any closer. I was about to accept the fact that I may need to sleep in my car.

I decided to go to the bar at Cavanaugh Bay. I was about in tears by then out of frustration. The bartender was so nice! He's like, "You're literally a rock throw away from your cabin." I was so mad when I finally got there as it was the first road I came to when I was looking, but I didn't realize you had to go down the end of the road where it looked like it required a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Nice!

RULE BREAKERS on ROUTE 15 and OTHER INTERESTING STORIES

**Rated: PG-13

I started riding the bus when I moved to Seattle to commute to work as it’s much cheaper than driving. It’s provided many interesting experiences to say the least. Although I get frustrated at times riding the bus in all truthfulness I do prefer to ride the bus as it’s economical , and it is nice to be able to just relax and not have to navigate in traffic.

The problem arises in that I'm someone that has a major germ phobia. Let’s just say I carry hand sanitizer with me. I’m the one on the bus that doesn’t hold the rails with my hands unless I absolutely have to. I use my coat sleeves instead. If I must use the railing, you’ll be seeing me get out my hand sanitizer. I never knew this about myself, but I have certain unspoken rules about riding the bus.

For example:
1. If there are free seats, do not sit next to me.

2. If you have a particular foul odor that emanates from oneself, please try to find seating elsewhere.

3. If you sit next to me, please be courteous and only take up your ½ of the seat.

4. Do not sit on my lap!

5. Be aware of my personal space.

I guess I assumed most everyone else had these same rules. I’ve quickly discovered that that is not the case. For those unfortunate not to know my rules, many have been known to suffer the wrath of the Aimster-- which is not a good thing! It’s like these out of body reactions that I never would’ve imagined! I become a totally different person. My sister gave me a bar of soap. It’s called ‘Bitch Soap’. She wrote in Bus, so it say ‘Bus Bitch Soap’ which I hate to admit it but pretty much describes me. Not good!

Rainy Days & Sundays Always Get Me Down

Okay Sundays don’t get me down, but rainy days sure do when it comes to riding the bus. It was a wet, rainy day here in Seattle.

I was on my way to work. I hate riding the bus on rainy days. The windows get all fogged up, and the air is so heavy and humid. Plus, any unpleasant smells are 10x’s worse! This particular day was especially bad as it was pouring rain.

Some people apparently didn’t have an umbrella and/or the time to run back and get one. One man got on that was so soaked that he had H2O trickling down his face! It was as if people had showered in their clothes. My jeans were wet up in the thigh area as I had to keep my bag on my lap. It took 2-3 hrs to dry at work. I was grateful to have remembered my umbrella that day. It’s definitely no fun to get caught in the rain.

Rule Breaker #1 on Route 15 - IKES...SPIKES!!!

I was waiting to get on the bus one evening to head home. There was a rather tall man next to me. He had blue hair and a dog collar around his neck. The dog collar has spikes that were huge-- must’ve been about 2” in length & 2” thick.

When the bus came he totally jumped in front of me and everyone else for that matter and got on. RUDE! The bus driver was trying to lower the step, so someone could get off that needed assistance. This man just jumped on without any consideration to anyone getting off or on the bus. The bus driver was like, “Sir…sir…..” The guy just completely ignored him though.

When the older couple that had been shoved past were able to finally get on the bus they gave him a dirty look and said a few expressions of irritation. The guy’s response was, “Shut up fat ass!” Nice intelligent come back there. Oh brother! I was tempted to say, “You really don’t have much room to speak!” But I decided it would be in my best interest to keep my mouth shut. No need to get home with a black eye. He was a bit scary. Smart move I think.

Rulebreaker #2 on Route 15 - BUMMER!!!

I was riding the bus home one night. The bus was packed. It was standing room only. I was sitting in the seat in the back that faces the back door. It’s parallel to it. It’s the only set of seats that is arranged like that.

A man got on the bus and attempted to sit down between myself and the lady next to me. Now there is no room for three! I don’t think I would’ve been so upset if he’s asked first, but he just turned around and starting sitting down as he was asking. It’s like someone driving and signaling as they are turning instead of before. As he was attempting to sit down, one bum cheek landed on my left thigh and the other bum check on the lady’s right thigh. I was livid. I yelled at him and said, “Get OFF #%#!%!#!!!”

I totally shocked myself as I’d never cursed at someone out loud. He got off quickly to say the least. The lady next to me in turn said, “Sir, there’s not enough room for you.” Okay…let’s just say she put me in my place. I like to think I’m a Christian person. Nice going Amy! That was a good lesson for me.

Rule Breaker #4 on Route 1 - FULL MOON

I always love a full moon. It’s so beautiful. There is a certain kind of full moon, however, that I don’t care for. A man got on the bus in Belltown. He was obviously homeless as he was dragging his wet sleeping bag behind him-- just like Lynos of Charlie Brown-- as he got onto the bus and found a seat. In the process he was getting everyone wet in his path.

As he was attempting to put his sleeping bag underneath his seat his pants fell off. He didn’t have any underwear on at all!!! Luckily, he had a T-shirt on that was long enough to cover his front private area. Unfortunately, however, not long enough to cover his bum. I didn’t notice at first that his pants had fallen. I quickly realized it as I literally heard gasps. I felt especially sorry for one young lady he totally gave her a FULL moon as he bent down. The thing that infuriated me was that he just took his time to pull up his pants. Most would be embarrassed and pull their pants up as quickly as possible-- not him! When he finally got his pants back up he took his seat.

Okay…I realize the bus is much cheaper and environment-friendly but please!!! $54 a month for a bus pass shouldn’t warrant mooning. Let’s just say it was not what I was expecting as I started my day. I took it upon myself to go up to the bus driver. I told him that I thought he should ask this man to get off the bus as he had just mooned everyone, but he didn’t! I was so upset that I didn’t say goodbye to him that day as I got off the bus just to show him I was not happy! Like that really affected his day! :)

Rule Breaker #5 on Route 15 - SIGN BENDER

When my sister, Mindy, first moved to Seattle and started riding the bus, my dad was a bit concerned. He told her, “Avoid eye contact.” This has become a family joke as any crime prevention person would tell you that you want to be observant of the people and environment around you.

I actually took my dad’s advise one morning-- not on purpose though. Still think this is good advise, Dad? I was getting off the bus one morning. It seems that the light to the crosswalk is always about to turn to ‘Don’t Walk’, so I was hurrying to catch the light. Apparently I wasn’t watching carefully enough though as I literally ran into a sign and bounced back. Avoid eye contact, huh? Nice going Amy! It’s one of those experiences where you know the bus driver & other passengers must’ve seen you, so I did what I could to maintain some decorum. I tried to act like nothing happened and kept walking. It's one of those times you have to remind yourself, "I'm a confident, sassy woman. I'm a confident, sassy woman."

Rule Breaker #6 on Route 15 - 'IF LOOKS CAN KILL…'

I was heading home after a long day at work. There were other business commuters like myself. Most were reading or just vegging. There was a man though that seemed really intent on chatting. He was really in people’s faces trying to start up conversations.

One lady finally couldn’t take it anymore and said, “Mister we’re all just trying to relax. Please just let us ride in quiet.” He seemed upset and started to move towards her. My initial reaction was that he was going to get physical, so before I knew it I was yelling. I’m like “BUS DRIVER!!!” Then everyone turned around and stared at me. I was not prepared for that. I got tongue tied and didn’t know what to say, but I couldn’t likely just act like I hadn’t yelled, so I said lamely, “There’s a man on the bus, and he’s bothering everyone!” I could tell the bus driver heard something, but the bus was so full with people standing in the aisle that he couldn’t hear what I said. He started driving.

In the mean time the man stopped talking. Let me just say if looks could kill, I would’ve been dead in my chair!!! His look was of utter shock and anger all at the same time. His facial expression was such that I had to look down to keep from laughing at him and the whole embarrassing situation. The lady he’d been trying to chat with looked at me and said, “Well, at least it shut him up.”

Note to self: if you’re going to tattle at least try not to sound like a 4 yr old!

SEATTLE SOAPBOX RACES

Once a year they have the Redbull Soapbox Races in the Fremont area of Seattle. I'd never been, so I was excited to check it out with some friends. It was a drizzly, cold day, but there were still lots of people. I took Lucy, the 4 yr old I babysit, with me as I thought she would enjoy them as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE3XMOyXF7k

There's a lot of excitement. They have it televised on big screens, so you can see it which was really nice. The distance from the start to the end of the race track took each racer about 8 minutes to get down. It took quite a while to see the cars as they came down, so you really had to be on top of your toes. Otherwise it would pass you without you knowing it until it was too late.

There are so many creative cars. It’s a lot of fun. Some of them have dance routines before they get in their cars and start down the race track. We were able to stop and see the cars that had finished racing. They were all parked in an area together. The creativity and work that went into each car was very impressive. There was a sushi, pickle, baby carriage, and toilet car among the many entries. Lucy got such a big kick out of them. She really enjoyed being able to see them up close. She thought is was so funny to see a pickle and sushi car! There was a lot of giggling.

We went to Café Ladro to have some cocoa. I got a pumpkin steamer, and she got a cocoa. I shared some of my steamer with her. I obviously wasn’t being too smart as I just gave her a straw and let her drink from my cup without having a top on it. Not a great idea. The cup spilled all over the table and onto Lucy. We had to go to the bathroom to dry to clean and dry her off. We didn’t have an extra shirt for her, so I just had to take the wet shirt off her and zip her coat on without her shirt. She was good sport about it though. Note to self: make sure there’s a lid on the cup!

ASHER

ASHER is a total cutey pie. He's a boy that I babysit from time to time. He’s just turned 2 yrs old, and he loves to bowl. For his b-day he had it at Sunset Bowl. This picture is of his birthday invitation. So creative.

Whenever I come over he says, “Come on Amy! Let’s go play Wii.” He’s a great cheerleader. He can make you feel like you’re an expert at the game when you really suck.

He often calls me just to talk. It’s so sweet!!! I love it when he calls. If you're going to have a 2 yr old boyfriend, I couldn't ask for better. There's never any miscommunications or drama. He's the best.

I was taking him upstairs one evening to get a snack for us both. As we were going up he said smiling, “Hi Amy!” Love him.

ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING

I babysit Lucy (4 yrs) and Charlotte (18 mo) on a pretty regular basis. They're really sweet girls, and it's been a lot of fun for me.

LUCY is the most imaginative child I’ve ever met. It’s nice for me as I never have to worry about what we’ll do as she always has some thing for us to pretend and do. She likes me to mimic what she tells me to say. It’s like a Memory game though. I’ve always stunk at Memory. I don’t know how she does it, but if I say even one word off she corrects me. Even if it’s just a ‘the’ or ‘a’. I often have to have her repeat a sentence at a time what she wants me to say as I just can’t remember!

Lucy’s always saying something that makes me laugh. I always know I’ll be in for a laugh when I’m around her. She loves whole-heartedly and can make you feel like a million bucks.

CHARLOTTE is such a sweetheart! When she sees me she’ll say, “AE ME…AE ME” One night after I’d babysat them and put them to bed Charlotte had woken up yelling, “Amy! Amy!” I was so touched and surprised after her parents told me as I was wondering how scary it must be for her to have me hovering over her crib with my big head as I put her to bed.

She’s such a good sport when playing with Lucy. She loves to be included and get to play along. At times Lucy will have me & Charlotte be a character in her always creative play dates. One day Lucy wanted me and Charlotte to follow her, so she sort of pushed Charlotte forward saying, “Come on Toto. Come on.” Charlottes such a trooper and will start walking although I’m sure she has no idea why.

Often times when I come over Charlotte will run up to the door as I come in and show me her doggy & kitty saying, “Doggy…ruff ruff! Kitty…meow meow!”

One day she came up from her nap and she had brought all her friends with her to show me. She had doggy, kitty, orca, baby & snowman. I don’t know how she held them all as I could barely keep them on my lap.

Right now she loves to sing, “Twinkle, twinkle little star.” It’s so cute to hear her get so excited as she sings it.

Isn't it magic?!

I had just gotten Lucy down settled down to bed when she called for me to come down. I came down and she announced she needed to go to the bathroom. While she was going poop, she said matter of factly, “Potty are liquids that our body doesn’t need, and poop is food that our body doesn’t need. Isn’t it magic how the body can make potty & poop? I’m going to ask Heavenly Father about that in heaven.” I didn't know quite what to say, so I said, "Well, it's good to ask questions. That's how we learn." I have to say that 'magic' was never quite the word I've thought about the digestive process.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore!

I was babysitting Lucy & Charlotte one afternoon. Lucy is really into the Wizard of Oz. She was Dorothy, and I was Toto. Charlotte was baby Toto. Our house kept flying up in a tornado. I said jokingly, “We aren’t in Kansas anymore, are we?!”

Lucy determined that the only way we could get back to our home was with an airplane that the help of a crane. At one time Lucy had me pretend to cry. Okay….the things she has me do some times! I’m just so grateful no one can see me. I was pretend crying, and Lucy ran to me and wrapped her hands around me and said very consolingly, “It’s okay…it’s okay.” Then she started to sing to me. I know I’m tone deaf. Boy…Lucy is too. It’s so hard not to laugh as she’s so dramatic as she sings and is hovering over me. She’s so funny. I can’t say I’ve ever been serenaded like that before.

So I take it you DO like cornbread?

One time I was taking home Lucy after church. I had made some cornbread to take over to some friends. I went to drop it off first as it was on the way to Lucy’s house. Lucy saw the cornbread and asked if she could have some. I told her that I was sure the my friends wouldn’t mind sharing a piece with her.

Unfortunately, they weren’t home. Lucy asked if she could still have a piece. I didn’t want to just leave the cornbread on the porch, so I told her she could have it. She was so excited as she explained to me just how much she likes cornbread. She said as she stuck her arms straight ahead, “See, you like cornbread this much.” Then as she stretched her arms as wide as she could she said, “But I like cornbread this much!” After that sales pitch I thought, “How can I not let her have it?” She was so cute about the whole thing.

What'd You Say Amy ___________ ?

One time when I was first starting to babysit Lucy I was taking her for a walk in her stroller around Greenlake. I was talking and all of a sudden Lucy turned around and said, “What’d you say Amy _________?” I thought that it was so funny she called me by my full name. I can't even remember a lot of adult's last names.

How Can You Miss That?!

One time I went to take Lucy to the playground at Greenlake. I’d never been to the playground before there, so I wasn’t quite sure where it was. I was pretty certain I was in the right area, but then Lucy said, “You passed it!” Then when I realized that I had missed it Lucy said, “Silly Amy!!!” Don’t ask me how I could miss seeing an entire playground. (To my defense the playground was a bit further off the walking path.

Birthday Card

One night I was dropping off a birthday card for Lucy & Charlotte’s dad. Lucy came running into the living room. She had her nightgown on. She said, “Did you bring a card for my Daddy? Is it a birthday card?” When I said it was she yelled, “Dad! Amy has a birthday card for you.”

I was trying to just drop off the card and leave quickly, so I wouldn't intrude. As her dad was coming from the kitchen Lucy ran out again and said excitedly, “’We’re having a special birthday dinner for my daddy!” I said “How exciting Lucy! Well, you enjoy.”

Then her dad came out and asked me if I’d like to join them for dinner. Then Lucy came running back to the door, and she yelled very excitedly, “Bye Amy! Bye, bye! BYE!” I just had to smile. She gets so animated and is so sincere.

Are You Going to Miss Me?

I was on my way out from babysitting Charlotte. Lucy had just come home from school. As I was about to shut the door, Lucy said, “I’m going to miss you. Are you going to miss me?” I said, “Of course! I’ll get to see you tomorrow night though.” I shut the door. Just then she opened it up and said, “Amy, look at the pretty lights across the street, and our neighbor’s next door, AND ours! Arent’ they pretty?!” I said, “They are Lucy! Good bye.” Then she yelled, “I love you! Good bye!!!” Love her. She can really make your day in a matter of seconds.

Dress Up

Lucy loves, loves to play dress up. She has quite a few play clothes that she likes to get dressed up in. She goes from pretending to be a ballerina, Lightning the Queen (from the movies Cars), Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz (picture at left), Puff the Magic Dragon & DoDo the bi-plane pilot. For Puff the Magic Dragon she has a silk-like long scarf that she would tuck into her pants to be Puff’s tail. So funny…

Charlotte has a cute little elastic waist skirt that she has for her to play dress up. It’s strips of pastel colored netting with beads. She loves to have it on. I put it on her once. Then she wanted to wear these Mardi Gras-like bead necklaces. She must’ve had 6 on. They were heavy. She was walking around with her Hawaiian like skirt over her pants and the six necklaces. She reminds me of that seen in ET when Drew Barrymore dresses him up . Not because she looks anything like ET at all but just the outfit. I’ll tell her she looks so pretty, and she’ll say, “Uh huh.”

TEN THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME

1. I lived in Hawaii for 2 yrs but never tried surfing.

2. I’m related to Bob Eubanks from the ‘Dating Game’ thru my mom’s side of the family.

3. I can't whistle to save my life.

4. My dream job would to be a self-employed personal stylist.
I hate selling clothes and don’t enjoy designing clothes even though I always thought I would. I would love to help develop someone’s style and wardrobe though. I think I have a good eye for what looks good on people.

5. I enjoy people watching.
You can get a good sense of someone just by observing them. Sometimes I’ll be staring though, and my sister will be like, “Amy, you’re totally staring!” I’ve been told my facial expressions don’t hide what I’m thinking. Apparently I don’t have a poker face.

6. I've tried balut on my mission in the Philippines.

7. If I could go anywhere in the world right now, I'd go to Italy and make sure to go to the Amalfi coast while there.

8. I love singing while I’m driving, yet I seldom know the words.
I’m tone-deaf, so it’s a bit hard on the ears when others are in the car with me. I’ve also been known to get rather emotional listening to music.

9. I love playing Wii tennis.
I played it once for about 2 hrs straight. The next day I was so sore that every muscle in my body ached. I hit and move around like I’m actually playing tennis. My nephews, however, stand still and still beat me!

10. I got two black eyes at the same time when I was 4 yrs old.
A friend of mine said he’d catch me if I jumped off the stage. Of course, I ended up being heavier than he thought I would be. Apparently, I have dense bones, or I like to assume its my bones and not fat. Luckily, I was too young then to be vain about having black eyes.