Summer Concerts

It started one night at Cub Scout pack meeting...a conversation...then a little internet research...then a few credit card purchases...then 3 nights full of music and memories.

Night #1...HUNTER HAYES

These tickets were a birthday gift from Jordan to her friend Emily.  They spent the day at the Evergreen State Fair and the night at the concert (also at the fair).  Since this was a pretty small, inexpensive venue, I was able to get the girls great seats...I think they were in something like ther 4th row!  (You can tell I wasn't there, because there are no pictures!!)

Night #2...TIM MCGRAW

Seeing Tim McGraw was what started the hunt for concert tickets.  My friend mentioned she was going to see him at the Stadium of Fire in Utah.  After a few minutes searching for airfare, I quickly realized that taking my girls to Provo was not a realistic option.  Then I realized Tim McGraw was actually preforming at the Washington State Fair (only an hour away).  Needless to say, I just had to buy tickets...and I was saving us money, right?!

(Too bad I didn't get a picture of the slimy guy in white jeans country dancing with his girlfriend all night...that alone was worth the money!!)

Night #3...ALAN JACKSON

 Once I was on the Washington State Fair website, I spotted Alan Jackson tickets!!  Tina and I had spent a summer or two in between college semesters rocking out to Alan...and Tina's birthday was coming up...and I just couldn't resist.  After this purchase, I realized I was slightly obsessed and quickly put an end to my concert ticket buying...if I hadn't, I'm sure Mike would have after seeing our credit card bill.  But boy am I glad I bough the Alan Jackson tickets first!  Such a great night (minus the drunks behind us)!

It POURED with rain!  By the end of the night we were absolutely SOAKED!

The Fair 2016

Our experience at the fair this year was much better than last year...when we didn't go on any rides, and Kya was so sick she could barely walk or eat and we had to leave the rodeo early because she thought she was going to throw up.

Last year at the fair

This year, I took the kids on a weekday, they brought some friends, they rode the rides, we watched the shows, Jordan got to go to the Hunter Hayes concert, and we ate the food...the only drawback is, we probably spent 10 times as much money--yikes.  

Jordan even went back with her friends for another day of rides...that time using her own money!!

Tyson told me he HATES rides, so Kya invited a friend to go on rides with her.  Then, of course, when we got there, Tyson changed his mind.  The girls were nice enough to let him tag along for a few of the tame rides...when they moved on to the scary rides, Tyson was more than happy to hang out with me and Summer.

Kya and Caroline

Tyson's two favorite rides

Summer found this ball and would not let go of it.  So we had to carry it around with us the entire day!  I swear whoever won it, just ditched it so they wouldn't have to carry it around...luckily we had a stroller.

This might just be my favorite thing at the fair--the baby pigs!!!  Only 4 days old!!

Oh, and this is my second favorite...the lumberjack show...I know, I'm a redneck.

This was Summer's favorite...walking around the hay bails and collecting (fake) eggs from the (fake) chicken.  We were there FOREVER.

 

And while Summer was sleeping, Tyson and I had our first ever funnel cake (for only $11).  It did not disappoint!!

Then after Summer dropped Tyson's $9 cheeseburger, we found the cheapest dinner possible, $3.75/slice of pizza.

Our plan was to leave the fair by 6ish, but we were there at least until 8:30pm!

Camping with the BFF

Ginny and I have been best friends since we were 11 years old.  Which means, we stumbled through those teenage and young adult years together...dreaming of the day we would have husbands and children of our own.  Not just that, but that AND...we'd do it all together.

I went and messed things up when I got married and moved far away.  Ginny and I of course stayed best friends, but a lot of the big stuff we didn't get to do together.  I didn't get to go to her wedding, we weren't at the hospital to see each other's kids be born, and our kids aren't inseparable like we were.

Now that we live close again, we try to make up for the time we missed.  We meet up for dinner regularly (each driving one hour and meeting in the middle), and we drop by whenever we have the chance.  But this summer we really stepped it up by taking a camping trip--TOGETHER.  And boy did we have fun!!

When we were trying to decide how long to go for, I realized that I hadn't been camping as "the mom" for more than one night at a time!  So I decided 3 nights was my absolute max...so that's what we did 4 days and 3 nights.  I could barely fit everything in my car.

We camped at Zion's Camp (a church owned campground in Bellfair, WA).  We had super warm, beautiful weather and our cabins were closest to the lake.  We set up our cabins (which were one room each with 8 sets of bunk beds and plastic covered mattresses) including our very own clothes line.

The lake was my favorite part of the whole trip.  The first few days we basically had the entire thing to ourselves.  We paddle boarded, canoed, swam, jumped off the dock, slid down the slide, rode the pedal boats, pushed each other off the dock, played in the sand, floated in tubes, jumped off the life guard stand, learned to dive...and the list goes on.  

It's strange to me that Summer really doesn't like to go in the water...all my other kids loved it at her age.  But she is happier sitting on the sand and playing with her bucket and shovel.  I took her out on the tube with me, but most of the time she was crying to get off.

The first night, the kids swam until dark.  We were the only ones there and it was still nice and warm.  Jordan and Kya worked on their diving!

 

 On our last day this group of kids spent probably 3+ hours on this floating dock.  Just pushing each other in until there was only one left standing.  It's amazing that nobody got sunburned.

All the food turned out really great, which is a bit of a surprise since we are amateur campers.  Our foil dinners were the biggest project and they were delicious.  It was nice to have a fire every night...and smores.

These two just couldn't get enough of each other!  It's really one of the first times I've seen Summer actually "play" with another kid who wasn't in our family.  They were having little conversations, playing hide and seek, getting super dirty, it was so cute.  I see an arranged marriage in their future.  

We made some great memories, and I hope our kids grew a little closer together.  We may have to make this a new tradition!

The Lake and Beach...in WA

While living in California, the beach became one of my absolute favorite places...EVER.  I loved the soft sand, the sound of the waves, and the warm sunshine.  I even loved that exhausted feeling I'd get after spending the day in the sun and trudging across the sand holding far too many chairs, towels and sand toys.

Every summer since living in Washington, I have missed my California beaches.  But as the years have gone by, I have learned to love the lake just as much...in fact, the lake has some things to offer that the beach does not.

The kids LOVE jumping off the dock!

Swinging on rope swings 

Floating in floaties

 Or off giant rocks

Throwing rocks in the water is another fun thing...at least for the little one

 

And sometimes you can even find a lake with some sand. 

And beautiful sunsets.

The actual beaches here in WA are nothing compared to CA...but we still manage to enjoy them just as much!  And the lack of waves is actually kind of nice for the little one.

You can actually float in an inner tube if there's no waves

And stay pretty close to the water

And play in puddles

And this isn't a bad view from my beach chair either;)