Birthday Time!

Somebody blew their candles out before Eric and I were even done singing Happy Birthday to him...

But he did it in fine style, all those candles extinguished in a jiffy.  Not even a chance to make a birthday wish.  Well, when you're a man with everything, what else could you possibly wish for?

Happy Birthday Hon! 

Now, just to put things into perspective, here are some fun facts about the year Keith was born, 1959.
Hot New Toys
Barbie
Chatty Cathy
Troll Dolls
Risk
Fisher-Price Little People
Game of Life

On TV in 1959
Dragnet
The Twilight Zone
The Ed Sullivan Show
Bonanza
Leave it to Beaver
Gunsmoke
I Love Lucy
Perry Mason

Acadamy Awards
Best Picture: Ben-Hur
Best Actor: Charlton Heston in Ben Hur
Best Actress: Simone Signoret in Room at the Top

1959 Prices
Bread: $0.20/loaf
Milk: $1.01/gallon
Eggs: $0.88/dozen
Car: $2,250
Gas: $0.30/gallon
House: $18,400
Stamp: $0.04/each
Average Income:$5,976/year
Minimum Wage: $1.00/hour
DOW Aveg: 679

I have to say that all of those toys were an important part of my childhood, except the Chatty Cathy, never even had a friend with that doll.  But I played Barbies alot, and had troll dolls, and loved my little people!  I remember playing Life with my family, and later as an adult played Risk with my kids. I watched many of those TV shows, I particularly liked Bonanza and Leave it to Beaver.
It's interesting to see how little food has gone up in price compared to cars and homes. 
Sme things have definetely changed in the world, especially when I think how innocent a show like Leave it to Beaver was.  Those were the good old days, for sure!

Eric's Senior Homecoming

Alisa from Anacortes, Thomasn Hovenden, Eric, Kali Quinton, Drew Brownell, and Gigi Yeates

all went to dinner together in La Conner at Seeds.  They liked it but said it was hard food to eat without being messy!  A bunch of other Burlington HS kids were having dinner there as well, and one kid across the room was giving a toast to his table.  Then he said "and here's to the Mormons!"  pointing to Eric's table!    After dinner they came here for dessert and then played a quick round of Curses and a couple games of Pit.  Then it was off to the Brownells for the X-Men movie.

Cakes bites for dessert.  Rich and yummy!

Tiger Tennis 2011

It's been a good season for Eric.  He's played some singles, and some doubles with 3 different partners.  The last couple of weeks he has been paired with Kevin Eubanks, and their styles have blended beautifully.  They were seated 5th in Districts and are now playing in the tournament.  Saturday they won their first match against Bellingham, and have two matches Monday.  Go Tigers!

The Bellagio Fountain

I really love water, and fountains.  Well, who doesn't?  They are so graceful and powerful at the same time.  Combined with music, it's just magical.

More water, this was at the Mirage.

And this gorgeous waterfall was at the new Wynn Hotel.

I love how everything was decorated for Fall.  My favorite colors!

Let the Good Times Roll!

I think we've all been under the assumption that Diane didn't like dancing.  I think this video proves that she's a great dancer, she just prefers wheels!

Las Vegas

Unfortunately, Diane's ankle continued to get worse the day of the race.  By the next morning, she knew she shouldn't even walk on it.  Luckily the hotel had a wheelchair for rent, so Diane spent the next couple of days getting around with a little help from her friends.

During those days we walked ALOT. This is a display garden at the Bellagio Hotel. It's all spruced up for Autumn.

This giant cornucopia was pretty cool.

Along with the giant scarecrow and huge apple made of red roses.

Diane was a very good sport about being pushed around all day, especially when Keith made her ride up the escalators in the wheelchair.  And Dennis was an even better sport.  He was still feeling sore from the run and ended up walking for two!

Aha, the tables are turned.  Time for Dennis to rest his weary legs for a bit. 

This friendly tree actually talked every now and then, welcoming visitors to the garden area.

Kind of reminds me of Treebeard.

There were even horses in this garden.  Up to some sort of trouble, I'm guessing...

This interesting chandelier above me actually has a name. It is a chandelier called Fiori di Como by glass sculptor Dale Chihuly, whose work has been exhibited in every major museum in the world. This beautiful piece is comprised of 2,000 hand-blown glass blossoms.

Gorgeous floral arrangements adorned the Lobby of the Bellagio.  This one's for you, Mom.

Finally, we get to see the Bellagio fountain.  Always a good show.

And what will the music for the fountain show be this time?

Singin' in the Rain!  Perfect on a nice warm day!

St. George Marathon

This is the beautiful St. George temple. 

It's nestled right in the heart of town.  Coming into the city from the South, like we did, the white temple against the red rock backdrop is quite striking.

We prepared to support our runners by driving the course a few times on Friday, familiarizing ourselves with the roads.  This is Snow Canyon State Park, a back road to the course.

We sure enjoyed the sunshine and warmth of the area.

This is where it all begins!

Workers were busily prepping for the next day.

Each state's flag was flying.

Our runner's both hail from the great state of Washington.

Fires are built in the cool morning darkness on race day.  Participants are bussed up the hill starting at 4:00 am, so it's important to keep warm.

Port a potties galore.  Even with this many, the lines for each one went clear across the road.  It's a big deal for 7,500 people to all get their chance in the bathroom!

Keith and I noticed some signs on the way up and decided to put our own up.  This is what we came up with to cheer on Diane and Dennis.

And they're off!  6:45 am sharp, the marathon begins.

Our first chance to see them is at mile 7.  Diane is looking good!

Dennis came by so quick I almost missed getting a picture!

Here is Diane at mile 16.  She still looks great.  Shortly after this she hurt her achilles and hurt all the rest of the way.

At mile 21 we see Dennis, and he tells us Diane is injured and struggling.  She's back a ways  on the course.  Dennis continues his run, Keith starts walking back to find Diane, and I take the car to offer her a ride.  She decides to walk and jog to the finish with her Dad by her side.  He stays with her 'til they get to the finish and Diane reminds him he's not allowed to go through it!

Here she comes!

Unfortunately I wasn't able to be at the finish when Dennis crossed it.  Here they are gathering with McKenzie and her family who also ran.

Awesome job guys!  An amazing feat accomplished.

McKenzie's family has a house in St. George and let us all stay there with them before the race.  They made us feel so welcome.  What a great family, we really enjoyed getting to know them.

Chillaxing after the race.  Great job, we're proud of you both, and loved being there for the big event!