jubilation 51...pikes market people peeping

I could spend hours taking pictures at pikes market.  I don't care about the throwing fish or the fresh fruits and vegetables.  I love trying to capture relationships, creative expressions, emotions, and diversity.  Pike's Market is a hotbed for this, and since everyone is snapping photos, I can be pretty inconspicuous. 

This is seriously one of my most euphoric activities.  Is it strange?  Is it legal?  Is it voyeuristic? 

I guess I do care a bit for the cinnamon roles and pussy willows. 

jubilation 50...our Olympic cousins

We were able to spend an entire day with one of our favorite families.  Every time we see them, which is not often enough, the kids just pick up where they left off, somehow remembering exactly what game they were playing 9 months ago when we last pulled them away from each other.   

 This car sums up the overall theme of Olympia

 Savanna has school assignment where she needs to take pictures in front of historical landmarks with a can of SPAM.  Somehow I ended up being the one lugging the can around in my pocket all weekend.  It was a good excuse to visit the State Capital and catch the end of a guided tour.  

We walked around downtown for a while until we finally found an establishment that would serve more than 1.5 children.  Most of the restaurants might as well put signs on their door that say, "We only serve patrons who staunchly support birth control."  These girls were inseparable and didn't notice our troubles.  There are few people in the world that can get Savanna and Emmy to be really silly and even make up songs about not killing your friends.  Alexis is one of those people.

Two years ago, we hid a time capsule at this state park.  We decided to unearth it today.  Some tree hugging busy body must have stolen it because it wasn't "biodegradable".  

No matter.  We just made another one.  

Nothing makes me happier than seeing kids run down a trail.

 The Pedersen family

These two were quite inseparable as well.  

me and Corey

jubilation 49...spokane is weird

I had five hours to kill today while I waited for our car to be serviced.  I had a cold, but enjoyable time walking around the city, stopping in little shops that I had never been in, meeting Corey for lunch, and reminding myself that Spokane has more than enough weird to go around.  

This is an 'art school' of some sort.  I was too scared to get any closer in fear of getting bludgeoned by a paintbrush or stabbed by a pencil.  

jubilation 48...an after hours window washer

and a cute little assistant to boot.

jubilation 47....nests

jubilation 46

Pretty Positive that I was by far the oldest one at this Barcelona concert on EWU campus.   I was expecting someone to ask me if I was the mother of one of the band members.  When did college students get so young?  

jubilation 45....Made with Love and Coercion

Me upon receiving Valentine:  "Oh, Ansel.  This is so sweet.  Thank you so much!"

Ansel.  "My teacher MADE me write that."

Right before getting in bed last night, Ansel sighed, "I'm so glad this dumb holiday is over."

 Corey is not such a typical boy and every year makes individualized cards for each of the kids.

 Emmy also made individualized cards for the members of her class, adding her own Emmy humor.

 I have insisted time and again to Corey that I don't want him to do anything for me on Valentine's Day because of the cliche cheesiness of it all.  He never listens to me and says that I secretly want something. On our first Valentine's Day together, Corey memorized a Shakespearean Sonnet and whispered it my ear.  I really don't like Valentine's Day, but I love what Corey has done with it.

I guess the flowers softened my heart a little and, miracle of miracles, I got a little crafty.   This 2011 Vanessa is really going out on a few limbs.