Monday, August 29, 2011

HaPpY BiRtHdAy Jeff!

I've had the pleasure of sharing 22 birthdays with my man.  I met him when he was only 25 and here we are 22 years later and let me tell you, Father Time has been kind to my handsome husband.  It does help that he comes from good genes and that i take he takes such good care of himself or could it just be a lot of 'good living'? 

I got up extra early and ran 18 miles in honor of Jeff's birthday on August 23rd. Wasn't that nice of me? :-) I asked him to come home early because we had 'plans' for him. He was hoping it would be fishing but instead we all went for pedicures. That's right, your eyes are not playing funny tricks on you...PEDICURES! Jeff had lost one of big toe nails several years ago and it never grew back just right.  It had literally turned into a hoof. It was time to try and make that toe somewhat pretty again so we headed over to my favorite place and thought we should all join in on the fun. Jeff and my toes and feet got scrubbed and rubbed and the girlies got a fun little color change on their piggys. But having a pedicure was not enough and i scheduled a massage for him afterwards. Hmmm.....what do you think? Was i unconsciously trying to hint what might be nice for my next birthday? :-) He came home all groggy from his rub down and we didn't let him sit still for too long because it was the perfect night to head to Jake's in Steilacoom and eat on the balcony. We had yummy food, drinks and watched the sun set on the perfectly still water. We headed home with full bellies but not too full because we still had a five layer yellow and chocolate cake to dive into. And no matter how overloaded your tummy is, your mouth always has room for dessert. Can i get an Amen?


Girlies with their Super Hero!


Who is that behind those Foster Grants?

Getting lots of help blowing out those candles.
It is so hard to buy the man who has everything or should i say who buys himself everything the perfect gift.  Fortunately, i was able to score a fly fishing casting class on Green Lake online and made reservations for the following Saturday after his birthday.  A funny, while making the reservations.  I asked the owner if he would mind if ours girls tagged along for the lesson and his response was, "Sure, just as long as they don't watch".  Love it! 
I'd only been to Green Lake once when i did the 3 day Breast Cancer walk several years ago and i had forgotten how beautiful it was.  The weather was amazing and everyone was out, walking, running, strolling or whatever got their fancy that morning, but it was buzzing and i loved all of the positive energy floating in the air. 
We met up with our instructor who seemed like such a youngin' but let me tell you, he had the perfect temperament to teach.  So Jeff thought i should give a go at it as well, and since we were still technically celebrating his birthday, i thought i should be extra nice and try it out. Guess what?  I sucked wind.  I could not quit 'flicking' my wrist.  I tried and tried and just could not stop.  So instead of having no sound as my line flung through the air, i had a 'crack of a whip' sound instead.  I quickly claimed, "I don't think fly fishing is for me".  Our instructor swiftly corrected me and said, "Fly fishing is for everyone".  So, i sucked up my pride, gave it another shot and.... sucked wind even more.  And friends, here is my confession, I DON'T LIKE TO SUCK WIND AT ANYTHING!  I tried for a whole hour and felt defeated by the rod.  I wanted to go find a pair of running shoes and run 5 laps around Green Lake just to prove that i don't suck wind at everything, but that wasn't going to happen.  Instead, our instructor Quinton was gracious and attempted to convince me that he could not get fly fishing down right away either, mind you he was only 12 at the time, but needless to say, he 'tried' to make me feel better and it did because i then laughed and that is the best medicine of all to get over sucking wind at something.

Thought we were going to head home after Jeff's fly fishing casting lesson but instead we hung out, ate lunch at some 'famous place' that was not so good, had some really hard snow cones, again, not so good and let the girls dip their toes in Green Lake.We then decided to head over to Shilshole Bay along with the rest of Seattle, to let the girls play a little more in the sand.  We ended the evening with dinner at Anthony's on the deck.  Ahhh........

It was a day where we cherished where we lived.  The water, the sun, the atmosphere and good living..that's what it is...good living and loving, that is keeping my husband looking so darn good at 47!
Happy Birthday Honey!

What the heck is Bella doing here? :-)

Nice form Jeff!

Lily trying to get to the bathroom...fast!

Really, who takes photos in the bathroom?

Yup, i take photos in the bathroom.

Is this sign great or what?

Now Bella is a natural.

Grace's treasures....i know, gross.

Look at all of these pretty flies. The girls were trying to figure out if they would look better in their hair or ears.

Over priced, not so good famous place we ate. 

Add caption

Jeff's snow cone.

Shilshole Bay.

My handsome man.





Another perfect sunset.......

Friday, July 29, 2011

July.....

Nothing fancy....just a post of photos i've taken during the month of July.
I can hardly believe it is almost over but i am looking forward to it.  The 7 day forecast is promising to be favorable for August, but then again, it really means nothing.  When your 10 year old asks, "How can the weather people have jobs?  They are always wrong"...you know then, you just have to take it day by day when you live in the Pacific Northwest.  But let me tell you though, i've surely been enjoying the last couple of sunny days.  Bring em' on!  The Allen Family is SO ready for summer to finally begin!

One of the girlies favorite pastimes.

Remnants of 4th of July lingering on the fingernails.


Setting aside the flip flops to feel the sand between the toes at Owen Beach.


Pretty blue eyed tan girly....

Pretty cocoa skinned tan girly....

Pretty double digit BFFs

Ever wonder if your child was born in the right era? 
The things this child can make on her own never cease to amaze me.

Father/child camp out at Fircrest golf club.

And Jeff surprising me with Kenny Chesney tickets for a girls night out,
 while he had his 'girls night out' camping.  Yup....he's a keeper!

Cleaning the fish they caught at the Father/Child camp out.

Pretty little girly who is not bothered by nasty old raw fish.
By the way, we made fish tacos with the fish they caught...YUM-O!

Getting friendly with the slip n' slide again....FINALLY!

A little grass to prove that the slip n' slide does not disappoint.

Perfect little profile.

There are three guarantees in life.  Death, taxes and.....
 my girlies finding a frog any time they play in the backyard.

Grace the animal whisperer, at her finest.


Show off day = Last day of swim lessons. 
Bella wowed them with the back stroke for the whole length of the pool.

Lily moved up to level 3 this summer.  She did arm strokes with side breathing
 for the whole length of the pool.  I can't even do that!

Their biggest fan showed up and surprised them!

Their favorite life guard....Josh.

Getting ready for the last blast off of the season.



The boy doing the swan dive belly flop is the best!

Surprised?  More bubbles....even at swim lessons.

Could it be...white tips on those finger nails?
We've had a little relapse recently...they're coming back!

Found a photo from 4th of July by one of my other budding photographers...Lily.
Happy July everybody!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Heaven has a new angel.

Dr. JOSEPH ROBINETTE

Dr. Joseph Robinette It is with great sorrow that we say goodbye to a truly wonderful man, Dr. Joseph Robinette, whose destiny was to pass away suddenly but peacefully, surrounded by his family, after a life filled with love, compassion, and joyful experiences. Joe was brought up with small-town, mid-western values in LeMars, Iowa. He met his wife, Judy, in kindergarten, and their 45 years of marriage saw them through medical school and their move to Tacoma where they raised their 3 children and watched their 5 grandchildren grow. Joe's medical career in Washington began at MAMC and continued on to private practice at Stork Associates and the GYFT Clinic. Joe touched the lives of many through his 33-year career as an OB-Gyn-Fertility specialist. We think of the countless babies that he helped bring into the world through obstetrics and fertility, and the hands that comforted and healed so many over the years. He was greatly loved and admired for his ability to truly listen and treat the whole person. He inspired trust and loyalty in his peers, friends, co-workers, and patients. Joe was also committed to caring for the under-served of our community, volunteering for the past several years at Neighborhood Clinic, a free walk-in clinic for those unable to access or afford medical care. Joe loved his work, the outdoors, traveling, golfing, writing and playing music, spending time with family and friends, and being a constant companion to Judy (and he sure could "cut-a-rug"). He was a kind, bright, humble, and courageous husband, father and grandfather - a gentle, quiet soul. We will always feel his presence in the legacy of loving and giving that he left with us. In memory of Dr. Robinette, donations may be made to Neighborhood Clinic: 1323 S. Yakima Ave., Tacoma, WA, 98405. A "celebration of his life" will be held Thursday July 7, 2011 at 6:00 pm, at Fircrest Golf Club.

Tonight i had the honor of being at his celebration of life.
Tonight i was reminded even more of what an amazing man he truly was and what a marvelous family he has.  His son spoke from the heart about his relationship with his father and then sang a version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow in honor of his Dad that was so sweet, you couldn't help but weep for his broken heart.  I too met Dr. Robinette's Mom and i felt blessed to be able to share the story of how Dr. Robinette had touched our families lives on so many different levels but mainly to confirm what she already knew, that she had raised an incredible son.
He was the man who helped us conceive our sons Andrew and Benjamin.  Sadly, he was the one who delivered them before their time and mourned with us as our dreams had been shattered.
He delivered my little sister Betty at Madigan hospital back in 1973.
I attended school with his son Jeff and daughter in-law Michelle.
He was the doctor on call last spring when my Mom started hemorrhaging due to complications from her cancer diagnosis.  I'll never forget over hearing a phone call behind the ICU curtain he made in the middle of the night to one of his colleagues, "I have a friend here and we need to help her Mom".  My heart melted.  I wish you could have seen the look on my Mom's face when she came face to face with Dr. Robinette 30 + years later.  She said, "You are still as handsome as you were the day you delivered Betty".  I am certain he blushed.  As you see i have a long history with this kind man.  I will be forever grateful to him and wish i could've told him all of this before now.

Now my funny about Dr. Robinette.  I want to share a letter written to the author of The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy:

Dear Vicki: How common is it for a woman to develop a crush on her obstetrician while she is pregnant? During my pregnancies, I would find myself constantly thinking about my doctor and comparing my husband to him. I noticed how cool and nice he was and how nice he probably was to his wife and kids. At the same time, I felt myself repulsed by my husband. Why was this happening? Strange pregnancy hormones?
--ORANGE (COUNTY) CRUSH

Dear Crush: By my third and fourth pregnancies, nothing could get me to shave my legs, blow dry my hair or change out of my overstretched and shiny leggings except my monthly visit to my obstetrician. I even put extra perfume between my ankles, since he seemed to spend much of his time down there. Somewhere near the beginning of each visit he would ask me how I was, and I would nearly weep with gratitude--he really seemed to care what my answer would be. It's natural to develop strong feelings for the one person you're convinced stands between you and the certain death that labor and delivery might otherwise bring. He's not just a man, he's Superman. Comparing your all-too-human husband to your OB is like Lois Lane taking Clark Kent for granted but smoldering for the man from Krypton. Apples and oranges. Just remember that within a few months you'll go back to seeing your doctor only once a year. You husband will be the guy getting up with the baby in the middle of the night or reassuring you that you really are losing weight, and that big red S on his rumply undershirt will come into clearer focus.

I vividly remember reading this book one night while pregnant with our twins and laughing out loud when i came to this section because i was doing all of the above and even more so. I also ensured that Dr. Robinette would have perfectly manicured toes to peek at as well during my visits. Then i admitted to my husband that i thought i secretly had a crush on Dr. Robinette. His response, "Who doesn't have a crush on Dr. Robinette"?
Ladies, if you've had Dr. Robinette as your obgyn, you know exactly what i am talking about.