Family Tree

My dad turned 75 last week. Clearly a big birthday and I wanted to give him something that was thoughtful and would mean something to him. Even though wall real estate is a rare commodity in my parent's house so I knew what I was planning was a risky move.

The Family Tree idea came to me nearly a year ago when my mom announced our family reunion at Bear Lake that would take place over my dad's birthday. Being the prolific procrastinator that I am I spent an entire day making it the day before Sir Luke and I left. Despite the rushed nature of the project it came out splendidly.

 I used the Martha Stewart leaf punch to make all the leaves and designed the tree's branches and roots with scrapbook paper. The wood grain paper was perfect for the trunk. The background paper is made with an old map of California I got at the BYU library back in 2005. My dad's family has been in California since the 1850s so I thought it was fitting. I wouldn't even have thought of it if Sir Luke hadn't mentioned it.

My dad loved it!

For Amy

Red Sox

We did so many awesome things while we were visiting Sir Luke's family in Boston. One of my faves was going to a Red Sox game.

James didn't get to go but he knew how to suit up.

 I've been wanting to sing Neil Diamond with thousands of people for a long time...dream fulfilled.

This was pre-official Red Sox shirt purchase. I felt a little out of place in the closest thing to a red shirt I had. Ben and Rebekah already had their Sox garb so they fit in with the crowd.

 I was surprised at how small the stadium was compared to Dodger Stadium. This lead to a lengthy debate between Sir Luke and myself about the difference between stadiums, fields, parks etc. Needless to say I won. The point being I thought Fenway Park was so charming. The hot dogs didn't hurt either.

Thanks to Greg and Jennifer for taking us and Ben and Rebekah for joining the festivities.

Homers!

While Sir Luke and I were in Boston working for the man we got to have a lovely dinner with Matt and Christina Homer. They were excellent company. I miss these chaps.  Thanks to Mr. Homer for having long arms and getting us all in this photo together.

Isn't Sir Luke a stud? I think so.

I love him.

Whale Watching

There are SO many things we've done in the last couple months. Incessant traveling got me totally backed up on sharing our awesome adventures.

Life goal: Whale Watching - FULFILLED!

On memorial day we went whale watching with Sir Luke's Dad, Greg, his brother, Ben and Ben's lovely wifey Rebekah. I had SO much fun! They said there weren't a lot of whales to be seen but I begged to differ, granted this was my first adventure, so what do I know. I was super stoked that we saw any at all!

One of our more favorite things from the morning were watching the seals swim around and play at the aquarium there in the harbor. Rebekah said they looking like hot dogs with faces when they came towards uus! I couldn't stop laughing because she was totally right.

Quilting

So this is the final product of my first real size quilt. I love how it turned out! My dad even loved it, he wanted to keep it. Love you dad, but this baby is mine! I used Amy Butler's Aspen Quilt Pattern.

I had some extra fabric so I made a little matching pillow. It's a little wild but I like it, and the pom poms don't hurt.

I promise, quilting isn't as hard as you might think. If you are thinking about it, give it a go!

Thanks for all the help Mom!

Neptune's Net

My friend Keri J and I get together whenever we can. She goes to school for spies in San Bernadino and obvs I live in the LV so it's not super often when we can spend time with each other. But when we do we always have a lot of fun.

This trip we had a lovely lunch in Malibu along the beach at Neptune's Net. If you have never been...GO! It's tasty tasty. I wasn't about to pass up some fried shrimp and ships, a-mazing.

There was also a fat little bird sitting a foot away from me waiting for a morsel of food. I wasn't about to fork over an ounce of my meal, even if he tried to look super pathetic.

 We also went to Malibu Yogurt for a treat and watched the final of the Ghana Uraguay game. The entire store was glued to the TV, especially the guy behind the counter. It was so intense!!

Love you Keri J!