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IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

We left for the valley last Saturday and just arrived back home yesterday. Dave had a Portland State University football telecast. He started doing those last year when it was obvious that the NBA was going to go on strike. We knew that we were going to be missing a chunk of income, so that extra work was welcome. This year, there will be a full basketball schedule, but when the opportunity came up to work more football on TV, he jumped at it. While Dave was busy with the game, I picked up my granddaughter Ashtin to take her out for lunch and shopping for her 13th birthday. It is sure hard to believe that she is a teenager already! Anyway, it is my thing to take each granddaughter out to lunch and shopping for their birthday. I think she and I missed last year, so I wanted to be sure that we got together this time! We ate at the Red Robin (where else?) and headed to the mall to check out the big sale they were having at Justice (that's a shop just for girls). Ashtin found a couple of pairs of jeans that she tried on and liked and since she is rather hard to buy for that was perfect for Grandma. The bright pink and royal blue jeans looked so cute on her that I was glad she found something she liked. We had a great time.

Since Dave's birthday was Monday (Labor Day) and Ashtin just had her birthday, we decided it was time for another celebration. This is something we do every year sometime between their two birthdays. Dave and I packed up the Dewey family and headed down to our other daughter's place in Silverton. It was a hot day and they have a swimming pool for the kids to splash around in so everyone was ready for a little R&R. It's always so relaxing at their place - we really need to get down there more - especially in the summertime! Leslie fixed a nice lunch and we topped it off with birthday cake. After we finished eating, Leslie let us glean her garden and I came home with beans to dill. I also got a sack full of apples to make applesauce later. Leslie had purchased several pots full of flowers so Lara and I helped her plant them while Dave helped Jason fix his riding lawn mower. It was about 90 degrees that day, so we didn't spend a lot of time working! While we were there, we found out that they are going to add to their menagerie. They got another laying hen the next day and they're going to get several more just for stewing. They also are going to get some more hogs. The pigs will just be for market, the girls won't have to train them like the others. Oh yeah, then there's the cow! Sometime soon, theyll be getting a critter to raise for beef!

It was back to school for all the granddaughters this week and boy were they all excited. Lara's two oldest, Jadyn who is in the 4th grade and Jaysa who is in the 2nd grade started at their newly built school, Trillium Creek in West Linn. It is a beautiful school and the girls are enjoying their new surroundings. Jordyn who is 4, started a new year at her pre-school (Lilly Pond) and so everyone got to go to school. My other two granddaughters - Ashtin is in the 8th grade this year and Paige is in the 5th grade - were also anxious to go back to school.

We stayed in West Linn through Wednesday because Lara had another chemotherapy session and I wanted to be with her. She is doing great but had a few side effects after the last dose so the doctor tweaked her treatment. Even though she is blessed was a thick head of hair, it was no match for the chemo and by Saturday it was coming out by the handfuls. We have a friend who is a beautician and she offered to come over and cut Lara's hair off. So, armed with a bottle of wine to toast her new look, she now doesn't have to worry about how her hair looks anymore. She has a wig that matches her real hair perfectly and you can't even tell she is wearing one. I think she looks beautiful but that is because her heart is showing her real beauty.

As I mentioned, we got home Thursday in time for our much needed haircuts. Our woman who cuts our hair took the month of August off so we were way over due. In fact, the granddaughters had given Dave's eyebrows names because they were so shabby and they reminded them of squirrels. It feels good to be sheared once more. I also got busy and made Dilly Beans from the beans I picked from Leslie's garden. I got 6 pints from my pickings.

Now it is time to pack the suitcases once more as we are taking off again today for a mini steam meet at Siltcoos Lake for a couple of days. Then we have to skedaddle up to Hillsboro on Sunday to make it to my nephew's wedding that afternoon. We will stay in West Linn for a couple of days and then on Tuesday we have reservations at The Oregon Garden Resort for our 47th wedding anniversary. We will meet with our financial advisor on Wednesday and then come back to Silverton to have dinner with our daughter Leslie and her husband who have a wedding anniversary on the 13th of September before we head home again for a couple of days. Wow, all this traveling at one time after spending all summer at home!