Making Model Cars

Lon gave Kip his first model car kit for his birthday. Here is Lon coaching Kip on how to put it together. I'm curious as to what the toenail clippers were for... But as you see, the car turned out great. Lon had a father-son moment with Kip, and got to pass on one of his hobbies, which made him very happy. If you can't read the box, it's a '57 Chevy Belair.

More of Debbie's visit

I stole this picture of Debbie in the river from her camera. It was actually taken before she got here, while camping with some friends. Don't you love the hat? She's Texas all over! Kip took the one of her and me in our dining room, and also the night time photo while walking Blizzard in the Battlefield. (I'm thinking of making him my official photographer.) Deb and I were wild women back in the day, in our 20's, and it was fun reminiscing with her. Next time, we'll have to return the favor, and go visit her. We do have other people in Texas we could see while there... right, Jill? :)

Debbie comes to Virginia

My friend Debbie came to visit from Texas for a week. I haven't seen her in about 6 years, so we had some catching up to do. She brought me this really cool wine bottle re-corker, with a bottle of wine, naturally! We ran into our friend Kevin at SplashDown, and had Ingrid and her family over for cocktail hour. We all worked together long, long ago at AAA.

Kip turns 12!

Kip turned 12 this month, and we took him with some friends to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He especially liked when the Aurors came to fight the Death-Eaters. I especially liked when Harry and Cho kissed! ha ha. We came home for ice cream cake and boy-type fun until their moms rescued us. I think one balloon out of a dozen survived the melee. Later, I took Kip to Toys R Us to spend his birthday money on a new PS2 game. At the table we have (clockwise, L to R) Fareed, Taylor, Bailey, Kip and Fayez. That's Fareed with the balloon, and Fayez and Bailey on the couch while Kip opens his dragon from Taylor.

Kip Goes to Camp

I dropped Kip off for Boy Scout camp on Sunday, where he will be until Saturday. It's his 4th year, and he has been looking forward to it, especially because his friend Taylor, pictured here, is going this year. His favorite activities are archery, shooting, swimming, and boating. He signed up to work on 5 merit badges! If he completes them he will be a happy camper (pun, ha ha) at the next Court of Honor. This year he felt comfortable enough about his feelings to admit he'll miss us. Of course we miss him too, but it's a great opportunity for him, something every kid should have a chance to do. See you soon, buddy!

Finally finished!

The kitchen is finally done! The new fridge came yesterday and it seems HUGE compared to the old avocado green one from 1972. It really helps, with the new lighter-colored cabinets, countertops and flooring, to make the room look bigger and brighter. Believe me, it needed all the help it could get! There's Kip's yellow Lab, Blizzard, coming to see what Mommy is doing sticking her head in the window, taking pictures. (I had to stand on the deck and take that shot through the open window because the room is so small)

James and Shirley Tobias Wedding

7-7-07 is supposed to be a lucky date for a wedding. It seemed to be the case today. The groom is from India, and the bride is from Ireland. You might think the reception would be awkward, but the opposite was true. There was no "these people" sit at this table and "those people" sit at that table, and eye each other warily from across the room. Both sets of parents mingled and socialized like old friends, danced to each other's music, and had a great time. Here's a rare picture of Lon and me together... dressed nicely, even!