Harvest Days Parade

This year my dad is running for a position on our school district's school board. He's been quite the busy body making sure he's doing everything he can to get his name out there. And what better way is there than being in a parade? None. None ways is better.

It was really cool getting to see the behind the scenes of the parade that I had been to so many times before.

Cody even got to meet his childhood hero, Ronald while we were waiting!

matching letterman's jackets!

We went to our local cool cars guy (aka Cody's dad) for the sweet ride that Cody and I would drive while the rest of the fam (dad, mom, connor and katie) handed out flyers with my dad's face and info on. Little did I know that being in a parade isn't stop and go and feels like it's taking forever. I don't know if we were just behind some very efficient parade vehicles/walkers or what but we literally ran through the parade. I was supposed to just sit in the car with Cody but after seeing everyone fall behind I jumped out told my dad to stop handing out flyers and just keep up with the car and started handing out flyers myself. It all was a crazy blur but it was definitely a fun one.

my mom made my dad an awesome shirt, one half was a Battle Ground high school shirt the other half was a maroon shirt (representing Prairie High school, the other school in the area)

this picture comes with the funny story: after the parade when we tried to exit the parking lot we were trying to get out but there were still some stragglers of the parade but right when we had a clear shot a float with girls on the back decided it was a good idea to literally throw five handfuls of candy right in front of our car for the kids on the opposite sidewalk from them landing right in front of our car. We had to sit there another five minutes while the kids (and some adults) picked the candy up. We just sat there and laughed thinking did that really just happen?

Afterwards we stopped and said hello to the Wadleigh's who were right in choosing to sit and enjoy the fair with the little ones that join in on the unknown craziness.


After that my family headed off to the North Stake's Pioneer days (which ironically my dad was in charge of). Cody and I decided to go to the Harvest Days festivities instead but should've chosen the Pioneer days because the Harvest Days was kind of a bust. (Text messages from my family full of baby goats and kittens taunted me the rest of the day.) We also were going to go drop the Corvette off back at Cody's parent's house and go swimming but a phone call telling us that one of Cody's tires was flat changed up our plans a wee bit. But it was still a fun filled day and I loved getting to tell lots and lots of people that my dad is a great guy who can make a positive difference in the schools that I grew up in.

check out his website: www.mitcht4bg.com

07.04.13

We had a really good Fourth of July this year. I was lucky enough to get the whole day off of work which meant that we got to spend time with both of our families.
We started off the day with a classic BBQ at the Taylor household. My mom decked the yard out with the cute idea of making a star stencil and using flower to turn your ordinary run-of-the-mill yard into awesome USA yard of patrioticness.

he was actually yelling that as he skipped through the picture

My dad went for a tri-tip this year (as opposed to just burgers or some steaks) and let's just say I will gladly welcome any change that is that tasty! We got to have it thin sliced on some buns and yummy thicker cuts. Be jealous other Taylor's.

My dad also had the fantastic idea of playing a game of kickball. Highlights included a double play by Megan, Jeff sliding back to first but getting nailed by Cody and Olive kicking the ball and then thinking it was soccer, kicking it repeatedly all the way to first base. And it's not a Taylor BBQ with a good game of croquet! Thanks to Connor it was extra festive for the holiday. And I'm not one to brag, but I will: I won (which doesn't happen very often, though I get close a lot)!

Flag parade!

Rowie loved her flag

Cody's "America Face"

Olive was making the cutest faces talking to Cody

See?

Olive is licking her lips when all the desserts got places in front of her

 

 

Our park planted these ugly trees next to our yard so I decided to tie the branches together in loops when I lived at home so I told Connor to jump through one

So of course he did. *hidden bonus: mitch photobomb*

how cute is that swimsuit?!

She was being a bird flapping her arms through the water so Megan thought she's give her a lift. Too cute.

 We then headed out to Cody's parent's house for part two of our day. We had been having a huge heat wave the week leading up to the fourth so getting to swim in the in-law's pool was something that I had been anticipating quite a lot. The neatest part about going to Dave and Julie's is with their view you get a valley full of firework. It's pretty much firework surround sound and we get our own good little show with some fireworks people bring.

'merica

Cake pops!

Made by yours truly. It's not summer until you've had a fruit pizza. *blueberries provided by my parent's awesome blueberry bush

I was messing with my DSLR camera and was so pleased with the awesome fireworks shots I managed to get!

Sparklers

I never want anything more from the Fourth than a day full of good food and family and friends and this year fit those requirements to a tee. We sure are blessed. 

A Day Off Well Spent

After a crazy week at work I was elated to get a text from my friend Chantelle (the one who got me to go to China with her) saying she was finally back in Washington! She has spent the last two years living a crazy life teaching middle school on an Indian Reservation in Chinle, AZ. She recently got accepted to Michigan State Law School on a full-ride and just found out she got into the very exclusive King Scholars Program (only 20 students are chosen in each class). She starts in August and I have been anticipating her arrival back home for her month-long summer break for a very long time. All of my friends seemed to have ended up in different states after I came home after college and I very much miss my female compadres. Don't get me wrong I love hanging out with Cody but sometimes all I need is some good girl time.
So Monday I got the text that she was back in town and that we were to hang out lots and lots and I spent no time waiting. Today was my first day off and I've been itching to go on a hike and we've had gorgeous weather that I hadn't been able to enjoy so we took to the outdoors. Since the Wadleighs and Connor and Katie have been frequenting the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge I've been really wanting to make my own journey out there.

*Pictures have been altered; It was a clear blue gorgeous day with the brightest of greens everywhere. I just thought I'd have a bit of fun with the look of the pictures.

I meant to talk to Megan or Connor about where to go or what trail was best but forgot so after minimal internet research we kind of just winged it. I found an online brochure for a trail head that seemed like a perfect easy loop trail. Well we went to the "trailhead" that I found directions to on the internet and it took us to the place that I'd gone with Megan before. We started out on the trail but found part of it closed off because they were spraying weed killer so we took the other path. After many decisions at forks in the trail and back tracking and re-choosing a path because we hit a dead end and after lots and lots of mesquitos (we had been warned about the bugs and were luckily prepared with spray) I was getting curious if this was really the loop trail I had found on the internet. We even passed a lady going opposite ways on the trail but then somewhere down our path came face to face with her somehow and figured we were failing at this so-called "loop trail" and decided to go back to the car.

**At the first trail head you have to cross a arched bridge to get from the parking lot to the trail that goes over these train tracks. When we were headed back to the car we were lucky enough to catch one that went right under us!

Back by the car we found a brochure (which we could've gotten at the beginning) and looked at the map and found out that the place that I thought was the only entrance to trails at the refuge was actually an entirely different section.

 So after some good navigating on Chantelle's part we found our way to the probably more visitor friendly entrance and trail (including an auto-route loop) and found the Kiwa Loop Trail that was our intention all along.

The refuge is gorgeous and so serene (and this part of the refuge didn't have any mesquitos!). All you have is wildlife and happy songs of birds surrounding you. We saw lots of birds but obviously aren't Connor and Katie and couldn't identify any including two beautiful bald eagles about 20 feet above us in the air.

A really neat bridge that was part of the trail that let you walk over the water

It was definitely a most needed nature refresher and a bonus that I got to share it with my closest friend that is one of my biggest blessings in my life.

I loved all the pretty yellow flowers that lined the trail

This is from a little outlook shack that gives you a great view of the area

and now for some fireworks ♥