WinSE Family Picnic

Michael's big team at work had a family picnic and it was so much fun.

I can't tell you how much James loved the bounce house. He didn't even care when a mom called him "her," when a kid fell on his head, or when we let him fall out the entrance. Oops! He just ran around and clapped and smiled.

Michael and I had fun walking around in these hamster ball things. But they were pretty toasty inside.

We also had a great time on the zip line, although my landing wasn't the most graceful thing. We stood in line next to a guy from church- small world.

James was a bit too tired to enjoy the awesome slides.

Our family, after eating and playing. I'm just rocking my Olympics hat, no big deal.

I am so grateful that we are at Microsoft. Even though we are far from our dear families, the Northwest is a gorgeous and friendly place. Michael's bosses are kind to him, they recognize his hard work, the company treats our family well, we have benefits, Michael enjoys his projects, and Microsoft is doing really exciting things in the technology world.

Derby Days

Our town has a festival called Derby Days and we went with a family from church. We saw some intense bike races and we enjoyed some delicious funnel cake.

This is my friend! Yes, I have a friend! They are also our playdate buddies and we love spending time with these nice ladies. (I think Michael was trying to get the babies to smile for this photo.)

Our first adventure was the carousel. James had a lot of fun... until it started. It went pretty fast.

We love spending quality time with Michael on the weekends. James has started showing a preference for Michael when he's around. This is cool and only makes me a little jealous. It is sweet and sad when James cries seeing Michael leave for work.

I may have just entered this photo of James into a cute baby contest.

We looked at all the vendor booths to find this balloon. And by then, James was pretty zombified.

Fambly, a wedding, and a funeral

Claire decided to fly home to Chicago to surprise the family. I was missing everyone, so I went to surprise them as well. I had a great time hanging out with these lovelies during my very short trip.

I also got to attend the wedding of a dear high school friend. Stacy is honestly one of the sweetest people I've ever known. She and her new husband, Andrew, seem so happy together. I haven't been able to meet up with her in a few years, so I'm ecstatic that she is moving to Seattle.

An unexpected part of this trip was attending my great Aunt Edith's funeral. She passed away in Utah, but her funeral was in Kentucky where she lived almost her whole life.

I got to know Aunt Edith over the last year and she was always so nice to me. She said she loved me in her southern accent in a way that made me believe her. She always wanted James to "give her some sugar."

The first part of our trip in Kentucky was driving around to see places from Grandpa and Edith's lives.

Where Grandpa lived from age 12

 Where my mom would visit her Grandma and Grandpa Hubbard

A picture of a lumber mill like where my grandpa's dad worked

Aunt Edith's home before she moved to Utah

A pretty Kentucky view

We ate lunch at a lodge overlooking a state park

Lots of people came to Aunt Edith's viewing and funeral. She was a middle school English teacher for decades and some of her students came.

 Small town where the funeral home was

At the cemetery

Aunt Edith's daughter, Sherry

Grandpa's sister, Doris

Grandpa's parents, Thomas and Bessie

Uncle David, Aunt Kelli, Grandpa Hubbard, Doris's son Benny, Mom

James and Aunt Claire

 Four generations: (from the right side) Claude and his first baby Terri, her first baby Hannah, and her first baby James

 The Kentucky roadtrippers (bathed in a heavenly light)

On our way home to Chicago

On our way home to Seattle