Barnaclebutt

Okay, I know, you're wondering if I ever have any thoughts that aren't random. Just because I can't think about one thing for more than five minutes doesn't mean I don't do anything deliberate. I do. I plan (sort of), I just...forget...the plan...later.

2. I saw a large lady at the beach in Santa Barbara wearing a skirt with a petticoat, a leather vest, and a cowboy hat with a coon's tail hanging from the back. She was walking two Irish Wolfhounds. Wow, I have been dying to get that off my chest! I think she was Hagrid's sister.

3. I also saw a man on the sidewalk wearing skin tight gold pants, his hair was a white blond mullet and he was singing. Not making this up.

4. Am loving the "Hooked on Phonics" reading program for Ellie. Thanks Aunt Ree.

5. Lastly, how does anyone get anything done in the summer? I feel SO lazy. I'm thinking of renting "24" from blockbuster.

6. Well I have to add one more because now that I told you about gold pants man and coon tail lady I have to tell you about the group of 5 black surfer girls all suited up in wetsuits and talking smack that I passed at the beach in L.A. That was funny.

Honest to goodness my concert going experiences have been very limited and fairly nerdy (Crystal Gail, The Righteous Brothers, Clay Aiken) but last night may have made up for all that!

I am still high today from seeing Coldplay last night! It was such a great concert and I would like to nominate Marc for Father of the Year for having the downright brilliant idea to take Maddie and her friends as her 16th birthday present! Who would have thought we could enjoy her gift so much?

Okay, here are the pictures. We were on the lawn but the band actually came out onto a small stage built on the lawn and played a few songs resulting in some rockin' close ups. Did I say this was a great concert? Alright, I'm still breathing.
All the girls while the sun was still up.


Singing along was SUPER fun.

There was a moment when the band was playing, the paper butterflies were swirling around us, and Marc's arms were wrapped around me so tightly. As I leaned back into him and tried to take it all in...the music, the stars, how much I love him, how proud I am of our daughter...I felt so blessed and lucky. And as Katie said, "this band is so cool!"

We got home yesterday from our wonderful vacation and today it is time to pay for it.

Right before we left we had the incident with the skunk, then my washer flooded the laundry room twice, so I pretty much wiped up all the water with dirty towels and then fled for Santa Barbara.

It was beautiful, the ocean, the flowers... I didn't spend a second thinking about what might be percolating in my laundry room. However, this morning as I unpack and shake sand out of all and sundry I am faced with the fact that damp skunk towels do not just go away (If I only had one wish...).

Still, I am ah, "excited" isn't really the right word, let's go with motivated. Yes, I am motivated to clean out the laundry room and see if I can see the floor once more. Maybe I'll even work my way down the hall and tackle the (also damp) pile of clothes my daughters discarded into the furnace room.

Aaaaand we're back!

You want to know what I love?
The smell of my children after they have been basted with sunscreen, marinated in the ocean, and spent the day toasting in the sun!
Delicious to my taste!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I can't believe I haven't posted pictures from Ellie's birthday! Someone slap my hand.

1. Jonathan puts his poker face to work at the 4th grade "Gold Rush Day."2. Katie is lovely at her 8th grade graduation.3. Maddie opening her new MacBook for her 16th birthday.4. Grandma Diana visits from San Diego.5. Gotta share how lovely the fruits growing in the front mini-orchard are. We have plums, apricots and apple.

And finally, here are some of our 216 Fourth of July photos. Thank goodness I finally learned how to make a collage. We are staying at a great beach house with our new(ish) friends, the Vanhoven family.

We went to watch the fireworks show down by the beach and Marc got us the PERFECT table to eat dinner and take in the show. It was so good!

You can clickity click on this collage to get a better look at the photos.