Well, this year was my mom's big 60th birthday so we planned a little surprise party for her. My dad whisked her away to the beach for a few days while we got the house ready for the big party. Lots of family and friends were able to make it and I think my mom was genuinely surprised. We had more than enough food and two FABULOUS cakes made by my sister's baker friend.
my mom walking around hugging everyone after we yelled surprise (sorry I didn't get a better picture but my dumb little camera isn't fast enough for that kind of stuff)
Here is my mom blowing out the candles after we sang her a "wonderful" rendition of Happy Birthday.
Birthday cake #1: A chocolate layer cake with chocolate ganache as the filling (yum!)
Birthday cake #2: A pumpkin layer cake with a cream cheese filling...decadent and oh so so so yummy! So good we had the same cake again on Thanksgiving. :)
Here are my parents with The Smith's. My dad and Tim went to Gresham High School together years ago and so Tim knew my parents before they were married. We got to hear some fun stories at the party (ones our parents had not shared with us before, shame on them)
These sweet, sweet folks are the Dick and Rita Owens. They were in Japan with my folks back in the 70's and had a hand in bringing them to Christ. They also had some great stories to share, as you can imagine.
Here is Lori and Karl Kaiser. Karl, as you all know, is my brother-in-law and Lori is his sister. Lori and my mom actually share a birthday, how fun!
A few of my friends even dropped by to wish my mom happy birthday. Here is Rachel (who also brought little Grant and her parents along)
And here is Holli, my dear friend from my old job before I worked at the church. This girl is great and I am so thankful for her friendship and that the Lord placed her at the E company to help to make the not so great job a little bit brighter.
Well, there ya go. It was a fun time had by all. AND, I have to add: I LOVE YOU MOM!!! YOU ARE WONDERFUL!!! This has all probably been more than you really cared to see and read but it was fun to reminisce anyway.
Tabs
Ryan and Michelle's little baby girl Lorelai
Trina and Ashland Moffat playin around with little Jack Gentry
Trina giving Ashland a lesson on satsuma's (she loved them and kept asking for more)
Michelle and Ashland (who is eating her satsuma and trying to say smile at the same time)
my mom walking around hugging everyone after we yelled surprise (sorry I didn't get a better picture but my dumb little camera isn't fast enough for that kind of stuff)
Here is my mom blowing out the candles after we sang her a "wonderful" rendition of Happy Birthday. 
Birthday cake #1: A chocolate layer cake with chocolate ganache as the filling (yum!) 
Birthday cake #2: A pumpkin layer cake with a cream cheese filling...decadent and oh so so so yummy! So good we had the same cake again on Thanksgiving. :) 
Here are my parents with The Smith's. My dad and Tim went to Gresham High School together years ago and so Tim knew my parents before they were married. We got to hear some fun stories at the party (ones our parents had not shared with us before, shame on them)
These sweet, sweet folks are the Dick and Rita Owens. They were in Japan with my folks back in the 70's and had a hand in bringing them to Christ. They also had some great stories to share, as you can imagine. 
Here is Lori and Karl Kaiser. Karl, as you all know, is my brother-in-law and Lori is his sister. Lori and my mom actually share a birthday, how fun!
A few of my friends even dropped by to wish my mom happy birthday. Here is Rachel (who also brought little Grant and her parents along)
And here is Holli, my dear friend from my old job before I worked at the church. This girl is great and I am so thankful for her friendship and that the Lord placed her at the E company to help to make the not so great job a little bit brighter.
There is Bob hiding from Lenny and Ryan's snowballs.
my footprints in the snow 
the flakes comin' down, huge and fluffy
more snow (and it's sticking...but only for about 30 minutes, it's pretty much gone now)
And me, in the snow. Look at that, it's just white behind the trees, craziness! :)
I had to post this picture so I could put it as my little icon. But while I'm at it, I'll post a few other pictures for you to look and laugh at (these are from high school and college).
Ruthie and I headin' out to pick up lunch for the ladies in the office...
Here I am enjoying the coffee that Ruthie so graciously bought for me. She's such a sweetie!
And who says Elvis is dead!
And here are a few pictures of everyone enjoying their tasty meals...
Now, everyone else seemed to be okay with this but I found it to be rather disturbing until someone explained the reasoning behind it. I couldn't understand why they would hide the butter in the middle of the roll and just let you take a bit of roll, butter and butter wrapper (gross!). But then I was told that they do this cause since the roll is warm it will warm the butter and make it much easier to spread. Makes sense but still a little sneaky if you ask me.
And like I said, if your ever in Sandy, check out the Paris Cafe. It has a ton of tasty options for lunch. I honestly believe just about anyone could eat here, from the southern comfort food lover to the health concious vegan. And the prices are good too. They serve good coffee and tea and also have several dessert options that may not be up to Pix Patisserie's standard but are still very delicious looking. Oh, and I can't forget to mention the wonderful atmosphere. They have regular tables, tall tables, comfy chairs and a fire place to snuggle up next to on days when it's cold out (like right now). Now, if your in the area, get over there and enjoy.
