The Things They Say...

A couple cute things C and E have said as of late...

After returning from our family reunion yesterday and having been away from our house for almost 6 weeks combined, Chloe stood in her room and asked me,
"How long are we staying here?"

Tonight at bed time both were asking for prayer for specific things...both saying that thinking about babies made them feel funny. (?!?!?!?!) Chloe said that it was making her tummy feel funny. Eli, his armpits. Again...(?!?!?!?!?!?)

So I prayed for C's tummy and E's armpits to not feel funny.

What, oh what, does the Lord think of prayers like that? Do you think they make Him giggle?

Me too.

Today's Misadventure...

The more I think about our day today, the less real it seems, the more freaked out I get and the more grateful I become all at the same time.

We were returning home today from my parents' house. The shlep northward has become old hat to us. We can guess our ETA based on the landmarks that we pass. We have also become well acquainted with the times that we should and should not try to make it through the ATL with the rest of the whole cotton-pickin world. (after 9am and before 3pm, respectively)

We knew we were pushing it...but today is Wednesday after all and maybe people won't be in such a hurry to get home on a Wednesday and we will be in the HOV lane...yadda, yadda, yadda.

Turns out traffic is not what we should have been concerned about.
Nope.
Flooding.
We should have been concerned about flooding...

Okay...so it was raining-ish. Here and there. Pockets of rain. or maybe buckets of rain in parts. But we can deal with a little rain...Kevin is from Washington State after all. Except I was driving.

Still. It's raining. I am dealing. We are moving right along.
Traffic begins to slow a bit. I tell Chloe: 'look over there at the wall under the underpass...it looks like a waterfall!' And then, 'yeah, looks like a river over here in the shoulder.'

The traffic in front of me is merging to the right.
In my mind, 'oh, the water must be too high on the left shoulder, we will all need to move over to the right.'

No problem. Turning signal on. Creep. Wave. Creep. Wave. Merging right slowly but surely.

Jacked up pick up trucks barrel somewhat carefully through the deep water...some SUVs just make it through with the water now up to their tale pipes. A semi truck in front of us sludges his way through the high water to reveal that not only are the left 2 lanes filling with water, the right 3 lanes are quickly following suit. We are seriously watching the water rise before our eyes. A car tries to make it across and is abandoned my 3 people in the middle of the newly forming lake in the heart of I 75/85.

I am freaking out a little inside. I can hear water splashing against the side of our van as trucks attempt to pass. Vehicles all around us are lame ducks wondering what the heck to do.

A woman pulls her car head on in front of all the cars from an on ramp and attempts to turn around. I look her straight in the eye (because the front of her car is maybe 3 feet from the front of my car) and mouth, "what are you doing?!?!?!"

At this point, I am watching the driver and passengers of the abandoned car attempt to walk to the side of the road. The water was easily up to their knees and at one point one of the girls was up to her armpits in flood water. I start to vision Kevin and I carrying Chloe and Eli and our DOG through the flood waters. How on EARTH are we going to keep our dog with us in this mess?!?!?!? More internal freaking out...trying to appear calm for Chloe who is giving us a play by play and announcing every few seconds, "I am getting scared." Eli, bless his heart, slept through the entire misadventure. He will remember this story only second hand.

Meanwhile, crazy-turn-around-lady is in fact turning around in front of me. If I could see her now, I would apologize and tell her she is a genius. Because, not only did she turn that car around, she drove right up the on ramp in the wrong direction, but to higher/drier ground.

BRILLIANT! I inch her direction. Pause for a split second for Kevin to take this photo and follow her all the way up that ramp in the wrong direction.

We wove through the city and eventually found our way back to I85...farther north...where it was dry.

I am sure that this day will be burned into Chloe's memory for the rest of her life. I know it will be mine. I thought it was scary. Kevin thought it was cool. We are all thankful to have gotten out of that mess just in the nick of time.

Last of the WA Posts...

I am coming to a close on the Washington posts...

Soon I will tuck them away into the July folder where they belong.

Here are some pics of our last couple days at the beach.

 Serious. Shiner.

E tripped at Uncle Rob and Aunt Nichelle's house and slammed his chin into their back deck.

We were so thankful that stitches were not needed,  no teeth were lost prematurely

and his tongue was left in tact.

Yep.

That's a bald eagle.

We see them fairly frequently at the beach.

Yet, every. single. time. I see one, I freak out.

"Look A BALD EAGLE!!"

I have vivid memories of these being on the endangered species list when I was in elementary school,

so when I see one, it feels miraculous.

every. time.

 The sand dunes.

Kids have been playing in these for generations.

The bank has become quite steep and we have a clearer understanding of how erosion may effect the landscape etc. but still a super fun way to spend a couple hours.

Chloe carved her name into the bank for the first time this year.

 Passing the tradition onto the next generation.

 Swinging with Boppi in the secret hide out.

 Kayaking with Daddy.

(this is the best way to get a close up view of the seals!)

Exploring the marsh.

The Sand Castle

Kevin's brother Rob started the sand castle tradition years ago when his girls were small.  It is a ton of work and I am pretty sure Rob has threatened retirement for the past couple years at least.  But this year the whole family contributed to the shoveling and piling, shoveling and piling.  It is serious work.  A wheelbarrow is even involved.  Serious stuff.




  The beginning of the monstrosity. 





  There is a moat all the way around it.  The goal: pile the sand as high as possible.





 Doesn't McKenna look like she should be on Survivor?

We thought so too.

There was rumor of a battle between her and Uncle Michael...thus the war paint.





 Once the sand castle is finished (which only happens once the tide is coming in) it is a race against the tide.

Who can stay on top of the sand mountain the longest?





  Water is rising!

Island is shrinking!!





 Jordan and McKenna (along with a few Hanson cousins) beat out Chloe and Eli.






I think everyone started coming in at this point.

It is always fun to see how the sand castle holds up after the tide.

We are proud to say that this year it last for several days, slowly returning to the bay.   






   The moat made for days and days of imaginative play.

Boat races, crab habitats, jumping from island to island.

Good times.

We Now Return To Our Regularly Scheduled Program...

Meanwhile...

Back in Washington State...

I have mentioned how 'all into any thing sea creature' Eli is...

Well, dogfish are one of the smallest shark creatures and they happen to live out in the bay at the beach.

It also happens to be somewhat of a tradition for the Williams boys to try to catch them.

Eli had not had the privilege of catching one...

Until this summer.

The boys head out pretty early in the morning. Which is easiest for Eli..because he stills rises with the dawn...sigh.

They were out there for a couple hours...all four of them in that little dingy that washed up on the beach winters and winters ago.

They did not come back empty handed!!

Eli caught his first dogfish!!

(and by caught, I mean was in the boat with the boys, possibly reeling a couple times...but mostly watching and listening to the big boys giggle and whoop and holler....)

Chloe has gone dogfish-fishing before...

this year?...

not as excited about it as you will see below...

LOOK AT THAT THING!!!

I am sad to report that this particular dogfish may have been a bit disoriented after all the paparazzi finished catching pictures of it...we did our best to right him...but are pretty sure the seal got him after he was released. Our sincere apologies are extended to him/her and their family.
Mr. Seal, you are welcome.

See?
Not so excited.
They feel very sandpaper-ie...and are surprisingly heavy.
All in all...a memory maker with Daddy and the Uncles.

Unrelated portion:

Do you use Blogger??

Can you tell me why Blogger is making all my spacing look so very spread out?

I have been trying to ignore it and not be annoyed by it...

but I can. not. any longer.

It is driving me crazy!!!

HELP! TUTOR ME!

Help me make my blogs not look so space-ie!!

PLEEEEASE!!!!

and if you can help me know how to make my pictures always bigger that would also make my day.

mkay. thanks.

Lunch from a Truck...

While at the beach, I read a bunch of Sunset Magazines...and according to them, Food Trucks are all the rage. They are popping up in big cities from coast to coast. I'm not talking about gross sub-par cafeteria food...these things are supposedly making gourmet food...or at least really good eats.

Kevin was shocked at my interest and willingness to eat out of a truck. It is not something I would typically be excited about...I am one of those people that dislikes being seated near the kitchen of a restaurant...the smell of industrial cleaning products and wet food makes me lose my appetite quickly. (am I alone in this quirk??)

That, combined with the nickname 'roach coaches' (you know how I feel about those wretched creatures) you would think I would turn my nose at the chance...but I was intrigued and always willing to attempt to be trendy even if just for 15 minutes.

Rob said that there were several around where he works in downtown Seattle.

We were in.

So he found a listing of all the Food Trucks in Seattle, their serving days and general location to find them. (as in...on the side of the road somewhere between 'x' and 'z'.)

We decided on the Taco Truck...because why wouldn't we want to eat the best food on the planet out of a truck??

We stood in line with lots of other people...

these aren't other people...these are our people...

Jordan, Nichelle and McKenna (aren't they lovely??)

That's the Taco Truck there in the background...

it is literally just parked on the side of the road.

Apparently...these days...

If you park it. They will come.

And surely people don't line up for food poisoning, right???

It must be good.

and safe.

The menu was written on a chalk board that was attached to the side of the truck.

Once it is your turn, you give your order to Mr. Taco (I didn't actually get his name)

He shouts your order to the cooks in the truck,

he adds your order up in his head,

you pay him cash or he swipes your credit card with one of those fancy iPhone thingies.

Drinks are swimming in ice in a compartment inside the truck.

Take your pick.

In no time,

some one inside the truck shouts out your order

and you pick it up from a window.

Chicken tacos with onions and cilantro.

SUPER. YUM.

We walked to an outdoor eating area within Rob's work complex

and enjoyed our eats.

Food Truck attempt numero uno...

SUCCESS!

If I lived in Seattle, I think I would make it my personal goal

to eat lunch at every Food Truck in town at least once.

The Measure of a Good Day...

The majority of our days at the beach ended in a beach fire.

GrandBob is a professional fire builder if you ask us...

Always careful to start it off small with orange embers for perfect marshmallow roasting...

which Boppi was so kind to stock up on for our visit...

S'mores were more often than not, our second dessert.

Sticky faces, salt watered hair...


smokey smelling clothes and filthy feet...



These are good measures of a good day...
While I have no photographic evidence of the filthy feet,

it is safe to say...


we had LOTS of very. good. days.

Friends

It is such a blessing to have friends on the other side of the country...we wish we could see all the special people over there...so if you are reading this and we didn't get to see you...please know that we would have loved to.

We found ourselves juggling quite a bit this trip...so the times we were actually at the beach, we found ourselves somewhat reclusive...the beach is one of the only places we really unwind and completely veg out...we needed a lot of that this summer.

We did get to see a few of you and we are so grateful.

Jody

is a new friend that I met in cyberspace...she and her family moved out to Olympia this year and it was serendipitous for us to meet in real life. She has been a gift from God to me this past year. I will never be able to express how the Lord has used her in my life.

(dang self portrait...the chins! mine, Jody, not yours...how don't you have chins?!?)

The Nelsons.

Where to even start with them. We are life friends. We have been a part of each others ups and downs for the past 10 + years. We were at AIM together another life time ago...and have shared much of life since then...

It was fun for the boys to be reunited...

they picked up pretty quickly...

Oh how I hope you have a lifetime of pictures like this...

Scott's face is my favorite in this picture. Laugh out loud funny.

Sisa, fer realz, I can not imagine life without your friendship.

The way you love Jesus and others teaches me every time I talk to you.

He fills you with wisdom, encouragement and Truth.

I have gleaned all of these things from you and being friends with you makes me a better person. You are so dear to me.

I am so glad we could pick up where we left off...

wish there weren't so many states between us.

Carrie, I am not sure you even read my ramblings on here...

which is totally fine by the way. ;)

But if you do...I want you to know...

I am forever thankful that the Lord allowed us to find each other again after college

and that you have been a consistent godly influence in my life.

I love your sure and steadiness...you bring calm to many storms.

I admire you so.

Family

This was a rare day where we were all out on the beach.

Lowest tide pulled us all out to explore.

I love how Eli and GrandBob are standing exactly the same in this picture!

Planning to frame this one!

The cousins: McKenna, Eli, Chloe and Jordan

Nichelle and McKenna

Kona the Goldendoodle...

Lover of water, fetching water bottles and chasing seagulls.

Discovering sand dollars!

Boppi taking a break with us on the beach...

Us and a good way to see how far out the tide can be!

At night, the tide comes all the way to the breaker wall.

Races on the beach with 2nd cousin, Olivia.

The Williams Family Photo 2011

Lazy Days of Discovery...

One of our favorite times to explore the beach is at Low Tide.

The lower the tide, the closer we can get to the drop off.

(where the Sound gets really really deep, really really quickly)

There are always super cool sea creatures waiting to be discovered!

(and I know you will appreciate all the official names that I share about these sea creatures...

We have books, people. Very informative books.

Remember my post about Eli's obsession with all things sea creature?

Well he is basically in HEAVEN!)

Our accidental version of Abby Road...

I like this picture because it looks like they almost have their arms around each other in a moment of sibling love...
they really do love each other...they really do love each other...they really do...

That's a baby flounder (or sole)...
their eyes are on the top of their head (see the two bumps?)
and they swim sideways!
Very cool fish, indeed!

A large Kelp crab (common name: Spider crab)
We only see big ones like this at low, low tide.

Me and E and a Sunflower Seastar

Everyone else with the seastar

Feet on the Northwest beach...

pretty much always have a little seaweed tangled

on some part of your foot or leg. :)