WELCOME to a NEW WEEK!

SOFTBALL IN SUMMER?
Zoe's softball coach and another coach put together an impromptu team of girls last week after being invited to Colville to play a double header and have a BBQ (just for the fun of it). It was great to get so many girls from different teams together onto one team working together. Colville was GORGEOUS! Honestly, I wouldn't mind living there actually. I'll be keeping the area in mind when the job market calls (of course I'd much rather stay put, but hey...I've got to get a job after all these student loans). The team was great. The girls played fair (no chanting even), and were so nice. The team's parents put together a BBQ to feed everyone in between games, and I was so impressed with how the girls on the team let their guests scoop up and sit down first and then went and sat down right with all our girls to get to know them better. The field was really nice too, with lots of picnic tables, BBQ pits, lights, sprinklers, etc. And the view of this area was just outstanding. I can't believe I didn't take a single picture of the girls playing all day....but I did get this one on the way home. This is White Mountain where a wildfire burned over 20,000 acres back in 1988. The new trees have filled in nicely, and the old bare trunks still stand, for miles and miles! It was quite a sight, especially at night on the drive home.

We have a new pet
Well, not that new, we've been watching her for a few weeks now. This big garden spider started out by taking residence in our deck umbrella. After a few "openings and closings" I guess she got tired of having her home invaded and moved down to the deck itself. I'm experimenting with getting a good picture. These are only the first attempts. Hopefully she'll stick around until fall and get good and plump (I did see she had a giant black bug all wrapped up for a meal this morning) and I'll get some better photos.

Racking up the Activity Points...
...for those of you familiar with Weight Watchers (I'm more familiar with it then I wish). I am back on the program and three pounds lighter in two weeks already. My problem is getting up off this dang computer and getting active. Ever since I began my grad program a year ago, I spend more time on the computer and less time doing my body good. So...it's been a big goal for me lately. We headed out on a bike ride with the Streeters the other day and had so much fun. I forget how much I enjoy mountain bike riding, and I'm thrilled to have gotten out twice so far this summer to take in the views (and the hills). Jill showed us this new spot up on the south summit of the Loup. What fantastic trails. They were nice and wide, grasssy in spots, and full of "wild" cows! Just check out that blue sky!

Dylan took this one of Jeff and I

and here's Jill, Steve, and Lyndsi. Yep, Steve pulled Lyndsi in a bike trailer on his ten speed all up and down those hills. Way to go daddy!

And the boys...they did great, even without gears on their bikes.

Have a great week everyone~ Oh, and by the way...I had that tomato sandwich! It was awesome!!!!