Okay, back to reality.

Well, really- life is just not as fun when you aren't with your family, when you have to work and enjoy responsibilities, and once you've realized you've finished breaking dawn. This is my state right now. SO- I thought I'd recap all those fun memories. It's going to be a big one, so I just never felt like getting around to it until now- so here we go!

First things first. ARNOLD FAMILY REUNION '08! We were at Trillium Lake, OR. It is located at the base of Mt Hood. It was a beautiful area and I didn't get ONE mosquito bite! Perfect. We stayed 4 nights. I think I realized I really am only a 1 night camper kind of . I really enjoyed myself and everything- but I also enjoy getting a good nights rest...which I didn't exactly get ONCE! A humongo crow was screaming is crow call early early EARLY in the morning. Pretty much ALL of us wish we'd brought a gun. Really. It was that bad. But the first night, everyone was just getting there and getting set up. There were so many cute little kids- I loved it! Sometimes lots of kids can get overwhelming and annoying- but I just thought they were incredibly darling and just wanted some of my own. Well anyway- we sat around the camp fire, everyone else ate crab....I hate crab- everyone in my family LOVES it- my dad had cought 24 crabs in the ocean that very morning, so they were fresh as can be. I'm sure everyone loved them. Went to bed, woke up early from the crow, and we really just hung around! I think that we went to the lake that day- I didn't exactly get in...I floated around though. It really was a good lake, pretty warm for a lake- but it was windy! So, it was way cold if you touched the water and pulled out. Anyway, the next day I got in the lake because I didn't want to stink. I don't think it improved my situation much, to be honest with you! Well anyway- some events included making shirts, telling stories around the campfire, eating DELICIOUS food! Seriously, I ate way better on that camping trip than I have in like 2 years (since I've been married...hmmmm I should probably step it up a bit) going to the lake, megan teaching us salsa-way fun, and coloring with children. It was way fun, and just way nice to be around my entire family:) Here are some pictures.

THIS, is Miles. This was the first time I'd seen him. For those of you who don't know- this is my brothers little son. I absolutely fell INLOVE with him. He was so scrumptious and I just loved him to peices. Sometimes he was absolutely wonderful and happy with me.


Other times...not so happy...
We made t-shirts. It was lots of fun.

Clay drew Lightnight McQueen on his- looking off of my mom's tablecloth. Of course, it looked exactly like the pictures:)


Here is my bro and I posing...

Greg brought a tight rope, and I totally regret never doing it- but I saw pictures that my mom took when Clay did it. Megan said that Clay was the fastest to catch on. I'm not surprised....


On Monday we headed back to the coast. It was wonderful. We mostly just lazyed around- watched tv-lots of lost- we hooked my mom, grandparents, and sister... the last couple days were the jam packed ones:) Of course. This was the sunset we had the first night. Lovely!

On wends or thurs- we saw whales pretty close up. I couldn't snap a pic of when we could see them, but I thought it was funny how much Amy and Clay were enjoying it. They stayed for a loooong time looking in the telescope. I was fascinated... for about...mm...10 minutes? Once I see something, unless it is constantly changing- which it wasn't- I get bored quick. Anyway, here they are. So funny.

This is one of many nights. Clay eating crab. I just wanted to document it- people are treated like Kings at my house- all the crab you can eat, fresh from the ocean that day. My dad LOVES to fish and crab. Clay actually went fishing in the ocean one day...he threw up 3 times! Yikes! I felt bad for him. Unfortunately they didn't get any catch that day, but they got HUGE crabs, which Clay was way excited about.

This is Clay in my mom's green house. I wish I would've gotten a pic of the whole thing- it's awesome. But there is a little snake that hangs out there. Clay went in EVERY day to see if it would come out for him.

My Grandma and Grandpa got to come for a few days, that was really fun. I'm so glad they did- Here is a pic with my beautiful Grandma:)
Friday we went to Strawberry Hill. It is this place about 15 minutes from our place that has all these rocks and sea creatures sticking to them. I've finally decided, I like having other people go- but it freaks me right out. I know it's not that high up off the ground, and if I fell it'd be in the ocean or the sand, but I am just SUCH a scaredy cat! I am so scared to jump from rock to rock, even though Clay does it so delicately and easily- it isn't that easy for me. I lasted about 5-10 minutes and went back up to read my book on a bench. Much better. But here are some pics of the others enjoying it.
Can't you tell how much fun I was having?

This is typical of what you find. Tons of live starfish, tons of sea enenemies, clams, other randomness...

Clay started reading twilight when we were there. He actually really enjoyed it! I was so proud:) He is reading New Moon as I type.
My wonderful sister Megan did my hair for me! She is so kind. And so talented as well. Here is the before- my sister Amy insisted on me making a gross face...

Here is after!

I love it. I really like how there's nothing on my neck anymore- my workplace is very very hot during the day and I ALWAYS ended up putting my hair UP. We watched the Incredible Hulk the other night, and I must admit- I loved that girls hair. Long, think bangs. I kind of regretted cutting for a second. But it's passed. I still really like my hair.

On Saturday we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. They had a new exhibit called "Odd Waters" and it was by far, the coolest exhibit I've ever seen. I've seen bats, turtles, crabs, all sorts of exhibits, and this outshot them by far. Too bad we didn't get any pics really of it. They were just crazy looking fish!

Here are a few of all of us.

Touching stations....okay- believe it or not, this took a great deal of faith for me to stick my hand in the water. I kid you not- my heart was beating really fast the whole time.

This is definitely the coolest of the NORMAL exhibits. The underwater tunnels. These are from the shark tunnel. So cool.

One of the last nights my sister, Megan, showed us how stinking cool she is by fire dancing for us. Here are some pics...

cool huh? She is so awesome! It made me want to do it so bad. It looked way fun.

Most of the time, Clay hung out with Mike...
They mostly played video games upstairs.

Here is just a random pic of Amy and I.
She got to stay with us all week! It was way fun. I wish though, that i'd taken a picture with my mom. It was so nice to be able to spend a week with my parents. I love them so much.
Well, on the way home- I re-realized how sweet my husband can be:) So I'll tell you the story. My mom and I both ordered Breaking Dawn from Walmart.com. WELL, it didn't come on saturday for my mom, so I was like...hmmm that's okay, I wasn't really planning on reading too much while I am here anyway. So Monday rolls around and my mom calls me on my way home, and says, "It didnt' come...." So I'm DEVESTATED of course. I was SO looking forward to getting home EARLY to READ! So I am thinking- well I could buy one and then try to sell the other...feeling guilty of spending money like that...and then it hit me. I could simply TAKE BACK, RETURN, the one from walmart when it did come! Well I told Clay this plan, absolutely ECSTATIC, and he was like...oooooookayyyy...rolling his eyes, of course. Well we figured we'd stop at the next walmart we see off the highway/interstate...whatever. Well we go, I'm so excited I could pee my pants, and they don't have it...uuuuuuuuggghhh. I couldn't hide my dissappointment. I was SO excited to be able to read the book all the way home. Well, my dear husband says, "Well we'll just stop at the next town again and see if they have it". So we think, well lets call my mom so that we can get the numbers of walmarts to see if they even have it first. She gives us 2 numbers of the next neighboring towns and we call, BOTH are sold out! UGH UGH UGH! It wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't get my hopes WAY up. Well we go for a few more hours and are starving, see a target in one of the towns, look at each other in excitement (yes my husband was THAT sweet that he was getting excited WITH me) we pass the exit because we saw it too late...my husband gets off the next exit, turns around back onto the freeway so that we are backtracking in our treck home, and goes to target. Low and behold, BREAKING DAWN! YES! We were sooo excited. Me especially. I almost cried. Really, I think my eyes got moist. Half of my emotions were that my husband was being SO sweet to go from town to town, bear with my pathetic saddened face, and keep trying until we found a book for me. THEN- he didn't complain at all about driving the entire way home! I got in 200 pages by the time we got home. Wonderful huh?

Well, that's our trip in a nutshell. hehe. It's good to sleep in my own bed again though. Now I am working everyday...not really enjoying it at all...and getting to do whatever I want at nights! I like that part. School is in like...a month. How sad. Oh well. We are so close to being done! Love you all!!!!