Wow! My last post was celebrating the start of summer and now we're officially over half-way done (by Alaska standards). I guess we've stayed busy -- with a trip to California for the kids and I followed by another trip to California for Greg and I. Both trips were fantastic and met wildly different needs. We had a great time connecting with family and sharing important milestones like Doug's high school graduation in early June. The kids are at a good age for travel and really connected with all the family in California. They enjoyed Disneyland, the beach, the Hemet Western Center Museum, and an excursion to Los Angeles for "Les Miserables" while we were there. And most importantly, they enjoyed fishing with Papa, tennis lessons, outings with Grandma, visits to Aunt Laura's pool in the afternoons, and visits with Grandma Bennie.

Greg and I enjoyed another outing to Napa to celebrate my 40th birthday a few weeks after we returned. I will never complain about birthdays -- growing "old" sure beats the alternative. It was absolutely rejuvenating to spend a few days with my husband holding hands, eating exquisite meals, drinking fantastic wine, and enjoying Laura and Troy's company.

So, now back to our previously scheduled summer. We're all taking golf lessons this summer -- Christopher's start this afternoon. We have some play dates for the kids scheduled. I'm working on home and garage organization. I've talked with my client and know they're planning to move forward with Phase II of the project I was working on last year, but don't have a timeline. I'm enjoying the break from the responsibilities of work and am planning to take advantage of the flexibility in the schedule to have fun and to finish things around the house.

In the meantime, a few random photos of the summer thus far....