Granville Public Market-bigger and better than Pike Place!

We took the Aquabus-water taxi across and down the channel

More pics from Vancouver 25th Anniversary Trip

I had to check out Lees Donuts-I got donut holes,
so I could try more flavors...all yummy!

Long Time No...blog....

So it's been a crazy-busy past few months! Is there ever a time that my life isn't crazy busy?? Don't think so...so her goes the recap...then I will go back and expand on the events with more pictures and details later... hopefully...
June 1st we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary-that weekend we went up to Vancouver to spend a few days reminiscing about our honeymoon and how crazy young and in love we were when we got married--back then we took the Princess Margariete Ship up to Victoria and then went to Vancouver for a few days. This year we went to Langley and then stayed a night in downtown Vancouver.

Our beautiful view from the 19th floor balcony in Downtown Vancouver

Thursday Last day of our Cruise...

So Thursday was the last full day of our cruise, the "fun day at sea" according to our Funship Times-Itinerary! We basically laid out in the sun, working on our tans, aka sunburns.. and ate as much of the unlimited soft ice cream/frozen yogurt, yummy food at the Paris all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant, and got as many refills as I could drink on my "unlimited- $30 soda pop card". We also watched the cool ice carving demo. It started out as a 300lb block of ice and ended up as a native american chief. Later that night we took a few photos, joined our table group for one last time in the Destiny Dining Room and then let the girls go dancing at the T-Rex Club, again ;)

Wednesday Evening-

When we got back to the ship we enjoyed the mexican port sunset from the back of the ship.  Then can you believe they had a "late night Mexican Buffet?" It started at 11pm and went till 1am and everything was so yummy and I wish I could have eaten MORE!. The Paris buffet restaurant was full of yummy food, fancy decadent desserts, food sculptures, and even an ice sculpture!

More from our day in Ensenada

We took our time heading back to the ship, and had fun taking lots of random photos along the way--

Ensenada--more day trip pics

After we got dropped off by the tour bus in the "very safe" part of town, ie: one block up from the cruise ship dock, we decided to eat Mexican food at a "real" mexican food restaurant. Kelsey wanted to eat from an "authentic" taco cart on the street, but I said "no way." I really didn't want our "fun day at sea" to be, well let's just say...not so fun... so we settled for the sit down restaurant, that really wasn't that good, along with soda to drink (no tap water allowed either). After lunch we headed across the street to "SWEETBERRY" and the 3 of us split a berry yummy frozen yogurt topped with "Fruity Pebbles".

Then we took a walk around the block and picked up a couple more souvenirs.

Wednesday, Ensenada Mexico

We were welcomed to Mexico by a GI-NORMOUS Mexican flag and so we left the ship by way of the "gangway" but this time onto the pier/port since we had booked a "shore excursion"  to "La Bufadora--the Blow-hole"  (said with an accent of course!) One of only 3 natural blowholes in the world...and a shopping trip to an authentic open-air flea market. We took a tour type bus with a tour guide named "Sunshine" to La Bufadora, about 45 mins outside of Ensenada, where we checked out the spray from the blowhole, had a few authentic photo ops, and then had 45 mins to bargain shop before boarding the bus.

Catalina Island

On Tuesday morning we crossed the "Gangway" and boarded a "tender boat" to head over to Catalina Island.   It was really cool because we watched some Parasailers just off the ship as we headed over to check out the Pier, Marina and a few souvenir Shops.

Spring Break Cruise-April 2010

Over Spring Break, Kelsey, Catherine (her Bestie) and I went on a Carnival Funship Cruise for Kelsey's early graduation present! Our ship was aptly named "PARADISE"! We left from the Queen Mary port at Long Beach Calif, with a stop off at Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico and a "fun day at sea" (which really means get a sunburn while you still can, cuz your heading home to gray skies tomorrow!)

Here are just a few highlights, since we took a few hundred pics!

All Because 2 People Fell in Love

Mom & Dad Metcalf: Charlottesville, VA

Married Over 50 Years ago in the
Idaho Falls Temple
Parents of 10

Grandparents of 59 or (or is it 60?) Grandkids

Great-Grandparents of way more than I can count now...

They taught their children the Importance of Families
& The Value of Work.

They showed them they were important by making time for family events and reunions and also demonstrated how to work hard and value a job well done.

Although they live apart now, due to Mom's Alzheimer's they are still connected on such a deep level and we all know they will be "Together Forever"

Visit with Mom & Dad-2006

David with Mom and Dad----->

UVA Campus Building

Charlottesville,VA Visit 2005

The Metcalf Family Home in Charlottesville, VA. 

David was raised here from the time he was 4 years old years old.

 They moved here when Dad Metcalf became a professor
 at the University of Virginia.

They moved from Michigan to VA with 9 kids and then they had 1 more,
 5 Brothers and 5 Sisters in all!
Brian, Lorrinda, Corinne, Rodney, Robert,
Anna, Laurie, David, Tanya & Shawn

Pictures from one of the many family reunions over the years..

Getting ready to hike to a waterfall in the

Great Smoky Mountains, in Gatlinburg, TN

Mary Robison--My Grammy Mac

So a little while ago, my Grammy Mac helped Alicia make a pie crust at her house, using her special pie pan, (with holes in the bottom)  that was given to her by her mother. She learned to bake her 1st pie crust when she was 9 years old. 

 I baked my 1st real pie crust (from scratch) as an adult!  She told us the pie pan we were using had belonged to her grandmother.

She sent home the pie pan with us as a gift!

Recently after a fall and some other medical issues, Grammy Mac and Papa Lee were relocated into a Retirement/Assisted Living Apartment in Mill Creek. It happens to be just 10 mins. from my house now!

Because they had to downsize, I was able to get a

few more sentimental items:

The Saltine Cracker Tin was used not only for storing crackers, but also by me, as a stool in the kitchen of their home on Lake Washington when I was 1-1/2 to 2 Years Old

The Rolling Pin goes with the Pie Tin and was always wrapped in a

flour-covered dish cloth

The Betty Crocker Cookbook is from 1972 (Kelly this is for you I just wanted to include it in my photos)

The Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chips are because Gram Mac was nearly famous for her extra crunchy, Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies, when we asked for the "secret recipe" she told us it was the one on the back of the Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Bag.     
To think I had no idea all these years!! 

She was also "famous" for her potato salad! Made with the finest chopped potatoes you've ever seen and just the right amount of everthying else she used. One of her "secret ingredients" 
 was a little bit of Dill Weed.

Kelsey's Senior Pictures, A Few of our Favorites!

Somebody in the house has Senioritis! It's Kelsey who will be graduating just 4 short months from now~!! Yikes! Where did the time go?? Just a blink ago, she was going off to Kindergarten at Silver Firs, then before we knew it, Gateway Middle School and now it's nearly the end of her Senior year at Jackson High School.!!

I

These photos were taken by our good friend, Spring, who was so sweet to meet us while we were visiting in AZ. We started at 10a.m. and by 1:00pm when we were done, it was 112 degrees!! That's too Hot!! Thanks to Spring for helping us keep our cool...

YSA's and the CMC Go Bowling!

YSA's= Young Single Adults and the CMC= Cool Married Couple!
David and I went on a "double date" with Brandon and his friend Kaitlyn for the Silver Lake Ward (preference)Bowling Activity. We had a lot of fun, even though, I am one of the worst bowlers in the world!!! (No Joke) I do much better when I go with the younger kids who "need" the bumpers up in the lane...I think I can actually break 100 then!!