How is it that summer has already come and gone? This summer seriously flashed by. I tried and failed to really savor it. We were just too busy. Mostly with fun things and family so I guess that's not too bad but the lazy days of summer seem to be a thing of the past.
School started at the end of August and September began with the Funky Junk Antiques Show. This is the vintage show that is always held in Sandpoint, Idaho over Labor Day weekend. I spent the last two weeks of August in a frenzy preparing to send the kids back to school and preparing for this show.
Funky Junk is hosted by my friend, Jennifer Wood, and her husband, Nathan. It is always fun and many of the vendors are good friends. The theme this year was Wagons Ho!
The show was even more fun because we had a bunch of family in town...with Jordin and Ramon moving back and Kirk and Meki visiting again...and my cousin Paul and his family came for a visit too. It was quite the party!
We had our usual three booth space... this was my section.
My mom's section.
Stacey's section: Although she and my mom had quite a bit of overlap.
My mom is really evaluating how much longer she wants to continue on with being part of Sisters Creed. She is winding down. It is a lot of work and she is still working full time as a CEO as well and she needs to be thinking about retirement and not running herself ragged. I think it is a good idea. At least at this show she had a lot of cute helpers. :)
Zoey, Ailey, Kaiden, Bryn, and Jaylah
And maybe a non-helper too!! Ha ha!! KIRK!!
Whitney and cute Quinn
We were so glad that Kaiden got to come up with Kirk and Meki for a bit this summer. He wasn't able to come up with them earlier. Those are some cute cousins!!
We were so busy with family at the show that we didn't take very many pictures. I'm glad that we got one with our good friend Rebecca. She is moving to the Midwest in a few months and we will be sad to see her go. We love her Peace Within clothing line!! What are we going to wear?? Lake Geneva is going to be lucky to have her!
RJ sporting his Peace Within gear!
It was fun to spend time with family after the show and to have several big family dinners. How are these two cousins...Kirk and Paul...all grown up with families of their own. So crazy.
We had some crazy family dinners!!
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| Zoey and Bryn |
One morning I woke up to this... Fall had arrived.
We had a great show and I did well. It was nice to have Labor Day Monday to recuperate. We left the lake Sunday night and met up with Paul and Whitney and their girls for brunch before they drove back to Portland. It was so nice to have several days to talk and catch up. Much needed with the tumultuous extended family drama of the past year. I really appreciate Paul and Whitney and the lengths they go to to stay connected. It was nice to spend time with several of my cousins this summer and I hope that things continue to improve... if slowly.
We also had back-to-school nights at the high school and at the elementary school. So fun to see Ms. T. who wanted the update on Ailey and is so happy to have Bryn in her class this year. Kameron has one of Reilly's beloved teachers too. That makes it fun!
Ailey got her official uniform and she is looking more high school-y every day. She has to wear this to school on game days. Dance Team is in full force (Has it ever not been?). She has been dancing at Cons (Pep Rally Assemblies) and at Football games. It has been fun to watch her!!
Ailey is one of two freshman on the team. She is still their little high flier and is constantly being hoisted into the air!
Bryn started her XC season. She is doing double duty again and running on two teams...her elementary school and on a city team. She is doing great and enjoying it. Her city team coach is our friend Mark. He is in our ward and the husband of my good friend Caroline. Her previous XC/Track coach of several years is coaching another team in the valley this year so we were glad that Mark stepped up to coach her team. He ran XC for BYU and is doing a great job with the kids. Plus her old coach is still at all the meets and yells at her and cheers her and their team on too.
Her first meet of the year was extra exciting because Grandma Judie and Grandpa Joel were in town from Utah. They visited with us for four days on their way to Oregon for Holly's wedding. (Joel's youngest daughter). We had a lot of fun with them and had a great visit.
Bryn LOVED having Grandma and Grandpa there cheering her on at the finish line. She was so excited that they got to watch her run...and so were they. It is hard for them living far away and missing out on all of the kids events. Thank goodness for social media and blogging. What a blessing!
Bryn celebrated her awesome performance at the meet by taking Grandma and Grandpa to one of her favorite bakeries for giant pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Then we took them on a stroll along the Spokane River. The weather was gorgeous!
Ailey had dance team practice, Kameron was working, and Reilly was meeting us later so Bryn had Mom and Dad AND Grandma and Grandpa all to herself for most of the day. She was THRILLED! This is one of the areas that we like to put in to paddleboard and kayak. It is so pretty!
Tyler and his mom.
The Spokane House was a fur trading post where the Spokane River and the Little Spokane River meet. It was the British-Canadian Northwest Company's farthest outpost. The volunteer couple who were giving the tours had also been summer tour guides at the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse on the coast. Judie and Joel have spent a few summers being tour guides there too and they hope to go again next summer. They enjoyed chatting with their fellow tour guide friends. It's a small world.
After lunch we stopped by my sister Kelley's house to pick up a piece of furniture that she had for me. Joel and Tyler loaded it up and then we drove out to one of the hydro dams that Tyler inspects. Judie and Joel were very excited to see and learn more about Tyler's job.
Long Lake Dam is really pretty and is one of Tyler's favorite dams.
Then we headed back home and met up with Reilly and Hunter. Grandma and Grandpa were excited to meet him and gave him their stamp of approval. :) We all went out for dinner and had a fun night as a family.
Sunday they came to church with us which is always fun! We don't have many visitors at church since most of our family aren't members. So it is always fun to have a full pew. Also, Reilly's good friend/quasi-boyfriend/make out partner from high school...ha ha...Nate returned from his mission and was giving his report. Nate served his mission in Southern Utah and spent part of it in Judie and Joel's ward. Joel was a counselor in the bishopric when Nate was a missionary in their ward. One night he and his companion went over to Judie and Joel's house for dinner and Nate was like..."Uh...why do you have pictures of Reilly Johnson!?!" They were THRILLED to inform him that she was their granddaughter!! Ha ha!! They took good care of Nate and kept him well fed while he served in their ward. Anyway...it was just by coincidence that they were in town on the exact Sunday that Nate had his welcome home. It was fun for all of them to see each other and to reconnect. Also the grandparents loved hearing Kam bless the sacrament. These might seem like little things but they are extra special to us.
After church we had a fun picnic and FHE at the park. Grandma brought some of her family history things to share with the kids. She had a lot of special family stories to tell and they enjoyed hearing them. Plus, Grandpa Joel had McKinnon family stories too since he is technically my cousin (my great-grandpa and his grandpa were brothers.) So even though he is Tyler's step-dad he is related by blood to our kids and to me and it has created a very special bond. He is very much a grandpa to our kids and we just adore him. He is looking more and more McKinnon-like as he ages. When we were over at my sister's house I asked Kelley, "Don't you think he looks like a McKinnon?" There is definitely a family resemblance. Maybe it was the short-sleeved cowboy shirt with pearly buttons. :)
Reilly wasn't feeling well so she missed out on the fun we had at the park. It reminded me so much of going to the park with my Grandma and Grandpa McKinnon. We would take a picnic and lawn chairs and they would tell us stories about our ancestors and we would play games with our Grandpa who was always up for blindman's bluff, sheep over the river, and kick the can.
We played Kubb and Corn Hole for hours.
We also found out something interesting/disturbing... Ailey was showing us how you can find cousins nearby with the family search app. Joel and I had just been laughing and retelling the story of how we found out that we were related and how I was totally freaked out thinking I was related to Tyler just weeks before our wedding. When...dun dun dun...Tyler and I used the app to see if we had cousins nearby and of course Joel popped up for me but DISTURBINGLY so did TYLER!! My nightmare came true! Luckily we are only 10th cousins once removed...ha ha... and we assumed that it was from our shared Mormon Pioneer history. But...NO! Tyler and I are 10th cousins once removed via my GRANDMA MILEY!! That is my mom's grandma...not a member of the church... and completely random! We share a common ancestor from England. My Grandma and Grandpa Miley bought the lake property over 100 years ago. Tyler was as smug as ever thinking that he always had an extra sense of belonging at the lake and in the Ellersick family. Hilarious!! He was thrilled. How crazy is
that?!
It was fun to have Judie and Joel here and we had a great time! Their trip ended up being about three weeks long as they traveled with their trailer and camped along the WA and OR coast. They went and visited the Cape Disappointment Light House which is currently under construction and to all of their favorite spots. They had a great time seeing all of Joel's kids at Holly's wedding.
Joel walking cute Holly down the aisle.
Ailey performed at her first football game half time show. It was fun to watch her and to actually go to a high school football game. It's been years!! It's been since Reilly was on the dance team and we were watching her perform at half time. :)
Bryn had another city XC meet. This time Reilly and Kameron were able to come and cheer her on. Ailey had dance. This was a rough meet. Bryn wasn't feeling well and said that her foot hurt. She did not place as well as she had hoped to and was a little teary at the end. But we all went out for breakfast and had a fun morning anyway and she cheered right up.
I also found this little gem on my phone later that day!! Like father like daughter!!
Ailey went to her first stake dance!! Oohh la la. She had a GREAT time and danced the night away.
Bryn ran to be one of the 4th grade ASB officers in student council. She had to write a speech and everything. She worked really hard on it and was super nervous.
She was elected by her classmates and is really excited to plan activities and spirit weeks. She takes it all very seriously!! We celebrated with donuts at the new donut shop...Hello Sugar. They have mini-donuts in all different flavors. Very cute but if Kameron were there he would have needed to eat like three boxes! Ha ha!
Like I said before Bryn is running for her elementary school XC team too and they had their first meet. It is always fun to see all the kids from our ward and stake running and all the kids have a lot of cheerleaders with family and friends. Bryn's city team coach had his own kids running on the school team too so he was there and was giving Bryn pointers and coaching her. I saw him down at the starting line giving her a pep talk. I love it.
It worked because here she is sprinting to the finish line!! Bryn did great and qualified for All-City!!
Also...my roses have been particularly STUNNING this year!! I have so many old lady flower photos. You wouldn't believe it. I will only post this one. You're welcome. Maybe...
Ailey and I were able to sneak away for a little impromptu Mother/Daughter date! Oh to be a little twig that can slurp down huge chocolate chip frappuccinos!! Notice the two straws? I only allowed myself two slurps but they were divine. Ailey is also very paranoid that she is going to get coffee accidentally in her frappe so she always makes me taste it first so that she isn't corrupted!! :) Apparently she doesn't care so much about me. Ha Ha!
Bryn's early morning piano lessons and practicing are going strong:
I was also working on projects and getting ready for this show. It is one of my favorites. My mom and I were vendors together this year. It is a Friday night and a Saturday show. All of the tents are lit up on Friday night and it is pretty magical!! My mom also declared at this show that she is done with shows. She got a little booth space in a local shop and she is going to be doing that instead of shows from now on. She has a Christmas show coming up and then that is it. I think it is a good idea. These shows are a lot of fun but also super physically exhausting. All the hauling and lugging... luckily she had a lot of helpers again...Tyler and all of our kids and Hunter. Hunter is really become quite the expert at show tear down!! I don't think he realized that he signed on for all of that when he started dating our daughter!! Ha ha! But he shows up at every show and helps out... unasked. Very sweet.
Here are some pictures of our booths from the show:
My tent by day....
My mom's tent...
Ready to sell!!
Tyler was a great helper too especially making sure that all of our lighting was working! That is CRITICAL when you do an outdoor show at night!!
Hanging out with some of my vendor friends prior to the show starting. The people who make this vintage world go round really are some of the best! They are the sweetest and most supportive people!!
My booth...after dark.
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| My mom's booth...after dark. |
The weather was great! There were big crowds...live music...good food! It really is such an awesome event!
Some sweet helpers stopped by! These two cuties love to work in the booth and are excellent wrappers and baggers!!
Then we got up the next morning and did it all over again for day two of the show!!
Bryn had another XC race that morning that I sadly missed because I was working but she had Tyler, Kameron, and Ailey there to cheer her on. She kicked butt and came in SECOND!! She stopped by the show to tell me the exciting news. She was heartily celebrated by friends and customers!! So cute.
The next day Stacey and I headed up to my mom's to sort out and go through her big shop at her old house in Sandpoint. There was so much Sisters Creed stuff and we made some good headway on one of her storage units. (She has multiple.) It was a long and exhausting day especially on the heels of the show. But my mom really needs to dejunk and I was glad that Stacey and I were there to help her because we are RUTHLESS!!! No dithering or hesitating...just..."Do you still want this? Yes or No! You have 5 seconds to decide and then it is GONE!!" Progress was made!! Hallelujah.
Both girls had doctors appointments. This particular day they got five shots between them...including flu shots. Poor suckers!! But they were troopers and we headed to Starbucks for lunch before they went back to school. Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos are back! I got my own this time!! And yes... I tasted them all to make sure no one was slipped some coffee! Ha ha!
In other exciting news... our boy asked a cute girl to Homecoming!! He did it very secretively and all on his own. He claims that I am *too excitable* about things like this!! True. On his own he came up with a cute and funny poster to ask her. He went to the craft store and bought stencils!! Glory!! I am rubbing off on him in some way. He is crafty!! Move over Kirk...there is another Brothers Creed member!! He went to the store and bought flowers. Thankfully Ailey was in on the plan by this time and helped him pick out some nicer flowers. Her retelling of that whole episode is hilarious!! Anyway...the girl that he asked is in his early morning seminary class so he left a little bit early and was standing outside their classroom door as everyone was leaving with his poster and flowers. So cute. It nearly makes me cry...seriously...I'm guessing this is what Kam means by *excitable*. :) She said YES and then Ailey was given permission to inform me. HA HA! Can I tell you how much I love that fact that Ailey goes to school with Kameron and tells us all about his mysterious life. Girls tell you everything!! Boys...not so much. Kam will talk but he has to be in the mood and basically the planets have to align. Ailey is full of all kinds of interesting fun facts and information. Like this little gem: "Kameron is surprisingly popular." Ha ha!
Also since Kam is a boy there is no photo proof of how he asked her or any pictures after... he isn't a real picture taking kid. Let's be truthful here... he DESPISES it. Any pictures that you see of him on this blog is under threat of death if he doesn't get in the picture and be nice. So this might be the only picture you see of his date... her FB pic that I stalked. She's cute. She's in our stake but I don't know her or her parents but I hear great things about her!
Speaking of Kameron and pictures. He got his Senior pictures taken finally. He is terrible about keeping me informed of dates and when these are due. I had to call his school and even the office ladies were baffled as to when senior pictures were due. Thank goodness for talented friends! I called Amy and she squeezed him right in. I just sent him downtown to his photo shoot all by himself. Again... He gets very grouchy at things like this. 17 is precious.
Amy also took pictures this month of Ailey and Bryn for the Better Than School Pictures mini-sessions that she does for us every year. The weather was gorgeous. I can't wait to see them. I am super glad that Amy is so great with all of our kids (she is also Ailey's YW president) because 14 is also precious.
Ailey waiting for her turn to get her pictures taken:
And...that is why I leave it to the professionals!! The weather and the park were so pretty that I took some pictures of my own. I love Manito Park so much!
One of my very favorite nights occurred. I look forward to it all year long. The Spokane is Reading author night. This year our town read:
It was a fun and quirky book...much like its author. Tyler read the book too and we had a fun mid-week date night downtown for dinner and to hear Amy Stewart speak.
She was fantastic! This is our 4th year of participating in Spokane is Reading and it doesn't disappoint. It is so great every year!! Listening to authors speak about their books, writing process, research, and characters is one of my very favorite things to do.
I also met Rebecca in Coeur d' Alene for a few hours after the Mad Hatter show. We like to talk shop and shows and business and personal development. I love it! It's always fun and enlightening. There is a new bakery in CDA called Woops! (Not sure why?) that she thought I would love. I sure did!!
Need I say more? :)
This place is so cool! It has huge two story windows...gorgeous light...historic architecture... and a black and white interior...and MACARONS!! When can I move in?? It also has great pastry, coffee (according to Rebecca) and really good hot chocolate. It was a great way to spend an afternoon.
At Bryn's next city XC meet she freaking KILLED IT!! She came in FIRST!! I thought we were all going to lose our minds!! Her previous coach was screaming with excitement and her current coach was super excited and we were...BEYOND... excited for her!! That lucky side braid and lucky ribbon must have done the trick! Ha ha! She is very superstitious about that!!
We celebrated her hard work and dedication with Starbucks hot chocolate and donuts! We also went to see the gorgeous dahlias at the park. They were enormous! I need to grow some next year. Yes, more flower pics!
Bryn showing that the flowers were bigger than her head!!
That dahlia garden is amazing!!
We also attended the Lucky Vintage Fall Festival. This time as shoppers and not as vendors. I don't think I could've done three shows in September! But it is always fun to attend. Several of our good friends were vendors there and it was fun to visit with them. Our sweet friend Celeste of Flea Market Style magazine, Where Women Cook, and owner of Chaps, Lucky Vintage, and Paper and Cup...hosts this event. Celeste is a busy and an amazing whirlwind of a woman and one of the most loving and supportive people that I know!
Love my friend Deb from Serendipity!
Rebecca had a booth there too and our friends Kathy and Jennifer. They were busy selling so I didn't get a picture.
There was live music, great food, and good shopping. We got some fantastic greek food from our favorite food truck and I found some cute Halloween decorations. It was another fun afternoon in a pretty setting.
Hangman Creek
We also attended the mission farewell for one of Kameron's best friends, Caden. He leaves for New Zealand in a few days. It was awesome to see Caden all missionary-like. Even though it wasn't our ward, Kameron was asked to sit at the sacrament table. He sat up there with his other good friends, Nick and Tyler, and they blessed the sacrament. What a great group of boys! I am so glad that Kameron has such good friends and I am not just referring to his LDS friends. His best friend since 1st grade...Jonathan... is one of the best kids that I know. He has been such a rock and a great friend to Kam. They are each super involved in their own church youth groups but they support one another and come to each other's youth group activities and bring extra friends with them. It is a beautiful thing. I just can't believe that they are a seniors this year!
This month has been super busy. I am hoping for things to quiet down a little bit in October. I also had multiple Primary meetings and I have been putting together the Primary Program. I will be glad when that is over!! I missed book club AGAIN this month which bums me out. We read A Tree Grows In Brooklyn which I read years ago for another book club. So I guess that worked out ok.
I can't believe that it is already October and that Homecoming and General Conference are this weekend. It's starting to get colder and the leaves are changing colors. Here's to savoring the season!!
