Coming home

We leave our hotel in one hour.

It has been a wonderful trip! We:
saw Alcatraz
ate at Fisherman's Wharf (seafood and sourdough bread)
got some chocolate at Ghiradelli's
toured Muir Woods
drove across the Golden Gate Bridge
went to Chinatown and ate at a place with a duck in the window
walked around Union Square
saw the "Painted Ladies"
saw Janis Joplin's house
walked and walked and walked

We are ready to see Nora again but will miss the "vacation life" we have enjoyed the past few days.

If you ready this today, please pray for safe travels home.

Oh, and I filled up my card in my digital camera, so I will have lots of pictures to post.

We're here!

We arrived in San Francisco yesterday morning! It is currently 7:35am here and we are getting ready for our day.

My legs are sore today from walking the hills. Hopefully I won't require a wheelchair today or have to kick Elyn out of her stroller to get from place to place.

We are going to Alcatraz this morning and spending the day in the Fisherman's Wharf area. We are ready for some good seafood!

Tomorrow we are going to rent a car and see some big ol' trees.

We will be coming home Tuesday. With some very tired legs.

The milkshake

Yes, there is actually a recipe for "Trashcan Milkshakes". I have added it to the bottom of this post. For those of you who have never had the opportunity to partake...well, you have missed out on one of the greatest delicacies EVER. It ranks right up there with caviar and champagne. Why they don't have it on the menus in 5-star eating establishments is a mystery to me.

For those of you wanting to make it at home, here is how we did it.

It feeds about 180, so if you are going to make it, make sure it is family night and everyone is at home.

Or it is neighborhood night and you are bringing the dessert.

Get 16 gallons of chocolate ice cream and throw it down on cookie sheets.

Cut the ice cream into chunks. You'll know they are small enough if you start to lose the feeling in your fingertips.

Pour 16 gallons of ice cream chunks and 14 gallons of milk into trashcan. Don't worry, it was brand new and cleaned out.

Using trolling motor or drill with grout mixing attachment, stir until desired consistency is reached.


Pour milkshake mixture into pitchers and serve.

And enjoy!!!!


Tahkodah Milk Shake
(courtesy of Camp Tahkodah Cookbook and Lee Fouts)

Ingredients:
16 gallons chocolate ice cream
14 gallons of 2% white milk

Equipment needed:
**new 30-gallon plastic trash can soaked overnight with bleach water, then washed out with hot water and soap
**electric trolling motor (or drill with bit) thoroughly washed with hot water and soap after soaking in trash can full of bleach water overnight
**4 or 5 pitchers for dipping and pouring
**2 or 3 large knives or pastry cutter for ice cream cutting
**paper cups, napkins, wet cloths for clean-up and a battery for powering trolling motor (or extension cord for drill)

Slice the chocolate ice cream into chunks and put int the trash can. Add milk until 1/3 full. Begin to mix with motor. Alternately add ice cream and milk. Serve immediately.

Getting you up to date

It took FOREVER to download 200 pictures to blogger...FOREVER!!!!! I started Friday night, had a very busy weekend and extremely limited computer time, and didn't finish the 200th post until Monday afternoon. Oh, blogger, why are you so slow to put pictures on?

Glad you all enjoyed it. It was fun to re-live the past 2 years through the pictures.

Speaking of pictures, here are some to let you know what has been going on with us. I am going to try and post pictures of the trashcan milkshake before we leave for our trip Friday. But that is an entirely different subject. I get a little teary-eyed thinking about leaving Nora. Okay, enough of that...on to the update...

Matthew's mom and stepdad came to visit us a few weekends ago (actually, just for a Sunday). They had a good time with the girls and managed to get a family picture of us. The only one we have had taken since Christmas.

Here is Elyn doing her Army pushups. This girl amazes me with her strength. She is so determined to move forward! Tonight at church, she was up on all fours and rocking. Slow down!!!!!!! She is not even 7 months old.

My grandmother sent Nora and Elyn a package last week. Here they are opening it and inspecting the goodies inside.

Nora and Elyn reading the card

Saturday was Race for the Cure. I love this "race" and have been apart of it, in one city or another, for the past 7 years. We had 45 sign up from our church to be a part. It was a beautiful day, starting off a little chilly but ending up very nice.


One of the survivors, our good friend Jasmine, with her husband Josh.



Elyn and her friend, Caleb. He is 6 weeks younger than she is. Aren't they cute!

Monday, Nora's friend, Gibson (aka "Bibson") got to come over and play. They had the best time! It was so nice for me because I didn't have to do much entertaining. They played outside most of the time Gibson was here. One of their favorite games was to climb up into the swing...

fall out...

run to the flower beds and run back to the swing and start all over again.

Eating lunch

Relaxing with some Dora after playing outside for so long.

Elyn was relaxing too. Here she is with her friend.

Monday night was a beautiful night so we went outside to paint...

with water. Hey, Nora thought it was great and enjoyed cleaning off the rock. Whatever works, you know.

Nice mohawk, Elyn.

200!!!!!

I began this blog June 15, 2006. Who knew that I would stay dedicated to it. Although, several months were lean post months, I have enjoyed (and will continue to enjoy, I’m sure) my time in "blogland".

I thought and thought about something creative to do for my 200th post, but I think all of my creative juices left me when I gave birth to Elyn. Maybe when I finish nursing her, they will return.

I thought about listing 200 things about myself-but I don't think I even know 200 things about me, so that is out.

I thought I could list 200 reasons why I am glad that I blog...ummm, I only have like 10.

So, I have decided to post 200 of some of my favorite pictures since June of 2006...which took much longer than I thought it would. These are probably not going to be in order because I don't want to take the time to rearrange 200 pictures, but they are in order by months (June 06, July 06, etc.). The brown-headed baby at the beginning is Nora and the one at the end is Elyn. Enjoy and I'll see you back for #201.