We typically watch this video every year before we head over to the grape stomp. It's hilarious. You have to watch it. It starts a little slow, but give it a little time; you won't be disappointed.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Stomping my feet
It's that time of year again. Grape Stomp 2008! This is the fourth annual stomp at Chateau Champoux (pronounced shampoo). We've been every year. And usually we roll over there with 10-plus people. I'd like to see that number at least twice as big this year. I want to make sure all my friends and family know about it and have a chance to plan for it.
(That's Abby stomping away in the barrel, and Taylor is kindly encouraging her from the side.)
When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.Saturday, Sept. 13
Where: 524 Alderdale Road - south of Prosser, WA
Tickets: $45 per person if you want to enter the stomp contest, and $35 per person for non stompers
What: BBQ lunch and wine tasting in an idyllic setting
Details: Teams must be signed up by Sept. 8. Stomp begins at 11 a.m. and teams must be signed up by 10 a.m.
Who: for tickets and team information call Judy at 509-894-5005
Web site: http://www.chateauchampoux.com/
My stomping team has placed 1st twice and 2nd once. I'm looking for the trifecta this year. The prize for first place is significantly better than second.
(Team Business Time takes first!)
I look forward to seeing you all there.
Dustin
Dustin
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Man weekend 2008
For a number of years now I have congregated with my college roommates (they’re also my best friends) for one long weekend during the summer for a “man” weekend. We leave the ladies behind and head out to Quilcene, WA on the Hood Canal. There were eight of us this year: Matt Metsker, Taylor Swedberg, Tim Reeves, Peter Plantenberg, James Aires, Matt Kellen, Corey Bedient and myself. No, Corey did not live with us in college, nor did we hang out with him in college, but he is a great friend and is welcome to hang out with us any time. I am blessed to have so many best friends who are believers.
The only downside to this year’s man weekend was that it landed on the same weekend as my five-year anniversary. Let me ask you this, “what kind of wife lets her husband go to a man weekend on their anniversary?” The answer is, “the best wife ever.” For those of you who were at man weekend, if you haven’t said thank you to my wife for letting me go, now is as good a time as any.
James’ grandparents have owned a rustic cabin on oceanfront property in Quilcene for the last 30 years. They are generous enough to let us borrow it every once in a while. The beach is brimming with oysters and clams. To get to it you have to boat or hike in. There is no electricity. The running water comes from a nearby creek. The bathroom is an outhouse in the woods. We hunt for some of our food while we’re there, and cook just about everything over the fire pit. It doesn’t get much manlier than that, now does it?
Granted, the hunting we do is dropping crab pots to the bottom of the ocean and picking clams and oysters up off the shore. And, if we’re really lucky, James will catch a fish off the shore. I’ve only seen it happen once though. Some might not think of this as traditional hunting. Regardless, it takes work to pull the pots up, cook the crab, clean the crab, and then eat the crab. Same goes for the clams and oysters. But, they’re worth the work. There’s nothing like fresh (and free) seafood.
The longest traveled award goes to Matt Kellen this year. He flew in from South Africa to take a break from his missionary work there. The rest of us came from Bellingham, Bellevue and Tacoma.
While we’re at the cabin, we usually take on some insane project. Previous projects have included a driftwood fort (which we later burned down), bonfires as large as houses, restacking rock cages around the cabin, and a monster slingshot that can shoot rocks the length of a football field or farther. This year we moved the stairs in the front of the cabin to another spot on the deck. It took some serious engineering and manpower. The creek had risen up and destabilized the stairs over the winter. They were unusable. We took care of that though. We even added a few touches of our own to give the stairs character. (The picture below shows the stairs we moved, and if you look closely the bottom stairs are made of rock, driftwood and sand.)
Granted, the hunting we do is dropping crab pots to the bottom of the ocean and picking clams and oysters up off the shore. And, if we’re really lucky, James will catch a fish off the shore. I’ve only seen it happen once though. Some might not think of this as traditional hunting. Regardless, it takes work to pull the pots up, cook the crab, clean the crab, and then eat the crab. Same goes for the clams and oysters. But, they’re worth the work. There’s nothing like fresh (and free) seafood.
The longest traveled award goes to Matt Kellen this year. He flew in from South Africa to take a break from his missionary work there. The rest of us came from Bellingham, Bellevue and Tacoma.
While we’re at the cabin, we usually take on some insane project. Previous projects have included a driftwood fort (which we later burned down), bonfires as large as houses, restacking rock cages around the cabin, and a monster slingshot that can shoot rocks the length of a football field or farther. This year we moved the stairs in the front of the cabin to another spot on the deck. It took some serious engineering and manpower. The creek had risen up and destabilized the stairs over the winter. They were unusable. We took care of that though. We even added a few touches of our own to give the stairs character. (The picture below shows the stairs we moved, and if you look closely the bottom stairs are made of rock, driftwood and sand.)
The only downside to this year’s man weekend was that it landed on the same weekend as my five-year anniversary. Let me ask you this, “what kind of wife lets her husband go to a man weekend on their anniversary?” The answer is, “the best wife ever.” For those of you who were at man weekend, if you haven’t said thank you to my wife for letting me go, now is as good a time as any.
I look forward to many more man weekends in the years to come. I only hope that they never land on my anniversary again.
Here's a funny video of Taylor mimicking a crab.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
More and more beautiful
As Abby mentioned in a previous blog post, she puts her wedding dress on every year on our anniversary. This year was no exception. She looks just as beautiful in her dress this year as she did on our wedding day.
I won't forget how beautiful she looked when I turned around in the sanctuary and saw her for the first time in her dress. She was sparkeling!
2006
2007
2008
(If you're wondering where 2003, 04 and o5 are, they're not digitized, yet.)
I won't forget how beautiful she looked when I turned around in the sanctuary and saw her for the first time in her dress. She was sparkeling!
2006
2007
2008
(If you're wondering where 2003, 04 and o5 are, they're not digitized, yet.)
Most amazing wife ever
When I arrived home on Monday after camping all weekend, this thought popped into my head: my wife does everything in marriage (including anniversaries) better than I do. (That's meant to be a compliment.) Let me explain what I arrived home to; I think you'll come to the same conclusion.
When I returned home from "man weekend", I found a gazillion things that Abby had done for me while I was away. When my ride pulled into the driveway, I saw the yard had been mowed. That's the first time Abby has mowed the yard since we've lived here; it'll be four years in September. Then, when I walked inside I found a note and several kinds of candy and baked goods laying on the kitchen table. I turned around and noticed the pantry had been completely cleaned and organized. (You don't know how much heart burn that pantry has caused me over the years. I'm a little anal-retentive when it comes to being organized and clean.) I found several more notes; each one dealing with a different love language. (If you've never read the book The Five Love Languages, then you should.) By this time I was feeling pretty loved. Acts of service is definitely one of my love languages. I walked out to the garage to put a few things away and noticed that the paint brush had been used. My jaw dropped and I quickly went outside to find that she had painted a good portion of the side of the house while I was away. Not only had she mowed the yard, but she painted part of the house. Simply amazing. I took a few of my bags up stairs and to unpack and found another note. By this time I was scanning the house for other amazing things she had done. I found the bedroom closet cleaned and organized and a note on the bathroom mirror saying she missed me. I went into the guest bathroom to open the window and noticed a shower head laying in the tub. I quickly put two and two together and ran back to our bathroom to find a brand new shower head installed in our shower. It was a rain shower head from Costco that also had a detachable shower head. I've been asking for that for more than a year now.
At some point during the surprises I called Abby at work to relay to her my sheer surprise and shock. I think she was smiling on the other end of the phone line. I went through everything I had already found, and then she said, "oh, that's all you've found?" I was like, "Are you joking?" We hung up and I proceeded about my business.
I was cleaning some clams in the kitchen and reached over and grabbed our scissors out of the knife block. They were in the same place and looked and felt very similar. The only problem was these scissors had a blue button on them. I looked at them, looked at the knife block, and then I freaked out. Abby had bought me a set of J.A. Henkels knives from Costco. They're amazing! I've been complaining about our knives for years. Once you have nice knives, you never go back.
And real quick, I found our junk drawer to be completely organized with everything in its own, new container. She had also purchased a new set of non-stick frying pans. They don't have the little bolts from the handle on the inside of the skillet, just like I wanted. And, last but not least, we're going to Hawaii either in August or November.
Notice how many times I used the words "I, me and my" in this post. If I spent a little less time focusing on myself and a lot more time focusing on her, then I might be able to keep up with my wonderful wife. She is truly an amazing wife. It is a blessing to be able to say that our love is stronger now than ever before! I can't believe we've been married five years. She sets a standard so high that I can barely keep up.
When I returned home from "man weekend", I found a gazillion things that Abby had done for me while I was away. When my ride pulled into the driveway, I saw the yard had been mowed. That's the first time Abby has mowed the yard since we've lived here; it'll be four years in September. Then, when I walked inside I found a note and several kinds of candy and baked goods laying on the kitchen table. I turned around and noticed the pantry had been completely cleaned and organized. (You don't know how much heart burn that pantry has caused me over the years. I'm a little anal-retentive when it comes to being organized and clean.) I found several more notes; each one dealing with a different love language. (If you've never read the book The Five Love Languages, then you should.) By this time I was feeling pretty loved. Acts of service is definitely one of my love languages. I walked out to the garage to put a few things away and noticed that the paint brush had been used. My jaw dropped and I quickly went outside to find that she had painted a good portion of the side of the house while I was away. Not only had she mowed the yard, but she painted part of the house. Simply amazing. I took a few of my bags up stairs and to unpack and found another note. By this time I was scanning the house for other amazing things she had done. I found the bedroom closet cleaned and organized and a note on the bathroom mirror saying she missed me. I went into the guest bathroom to open the window and noticed a shower head laying in the tub. I quickly put two and two together and ran back to our bathroom to find a brand new shower head installed in our shower. It was a rain shower head from Costco that also had a detachable shower head. I've been asking for that for more than a year now.
At some point during the surprises I called Abby at work to relay to her my sheer surprise and shock. I think she was smiling on the other end of the phone line. I went through everything I had already found, and then she said, "oh, that's all you've found?" I was like, "Are you joking?" We hung up and I proceeded about my business.
I was cleaning some clams in the kitchen and reached over and grabbed our scissors out of the knife block. They were in the same place and looked and felt very similar. The only problem was these scissors had a blue button on them. I looked at them, looked at the knife block, and then I freaked out. Abby had bought me a set of J.A. Henkels knives from Costco. They're amazing! I've been complaining about our knives for years. Once you have nice knives, you never go back.
And real quick, I found our junk drawer to be completely organized with everything in its own, new container. She had also purchased a new set of non-stick frying pans. They don't have the little bolts from the handle on the inside of the skillet, just like I wanted. And, last but not least, we're going to Hawaii either in August or November.
Notice how many times I used the words "I, me and my" in this post. If I spent a little less time focusing on myself and a lot more time focusing on her, then I might be able to keep up with my wonderful wife. She is truly an amazing wife. It is a blessing to be able to say that our love is stronger now than ever before! I can't believe we've been married five years. She sets a standard so high that I can barely keep up.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
I remember it like it was yesterday
So Dustin always gives me a hard time about not writing in the blog, so I figured I'd start on a very special note for me. Some of you may know that Saturday, the 19th was our 5th year wedding anniversary. I do remember the day very vividly and every year I go back in my mind to how wonderful the day really was. I love to put on my dress (a tradition that I've kept every year on our anniversary) and I love how every time I take it out of the closet, it's even more beautiful than I remembered. The day back on July 19th, 2003 was super hot (my favorite) and I remember getting ready for everything and putting on my dress. I really did feel like a princess. There were gorgeous flowers (roses, sweet peas and hydrangeas). There were tons of family and friends there to help celebrate with us. And although it was just a day to everyone else, for me it meant getting to marry my prince. We said heartfelt vows and I knew that it was just the beginning of a lifetime with my one and only. Not every moment has been pure bliss, but I honestly believe that I married the best man in the world. Dustin is so incredibly kind and caring. He does numerous things around the house, tells me every day how beautiful I am (even on the days when I absolutely don't feel like it) and honestly cares for my well being and does anything just to make me happy. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful husband. God definitely knew we were a perfect match. So as I reflect on one of the perfect days in the world, I am so thankful for it and for what a great husband I have because of it. I'm so excited for the next 5 years and where God will take us. It's been a great ride so far and I can't wait for what's next!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Second best dentist visit ever
I had my second best detist visit ever today. Now that's saying something! There aren't too many times in a person life when they can say they had a good visit to the dentist. I have two distinct ones that I cherish.
The first one happened when I was 15. I got my braces off after three years of torture. It was a wild and wonderful feeling to reclaim my mouth once the braces were off. Shortly after I got my braces off, the orthodontist was kind enough to insert a permanent retainer into my mouth. It sat behind the bottom front row of teeth, right in front of my tongue. It's remained there ever since.
Well not anymore. That annoying, canker-sore causing, food catching piece of metal came off today. Last night when I was flossing, part of the cement that holds the retainer in place popped off. I called the dentist first this morning to see when I could get in. It's mighty difficult to eat anything when a metal bar in your mouth is flopping around loosely. They got me in at 3 p.m. And it was gone by 3:30. An hour later and I'm still rubbing my tongue against the back of my teeth enjoying the wild sensation of smooth teeth.
(Note that there is no longer a metal bar behind the bottom front row of teeth!)
Things I'm looking forward to doing without a metal retainer in my mouth:
The first one happened when I was 15. I got my braces off after three years of torture. It was a wild and wonderful feeling to reclaim my mouth once the braces were off. Shortly after I got my braces off, the orthodontist was kind enough to insert a permanent retainer into my mouth. It sat behind the bottom front row of teeth, right in front of my tongue. It's remained there ever since.
Well not anymore. That annoying, canker-sore causing, food catching piece of metal came off today. Last night when I was flossing, part of the cement that holds the retainer in place popped off. I called the dentist first this morning to see when I could get in. It's mighty difficult to eat anything when a metal bar in your mouth is flopping around loosely. They got me in at 3 p.m. And it was gone by 3:30. An hour later and I'm still rubbing my tongue against the back of my teeth enjoying the wild sensation of smooth teeth.
(Note that there is no longer a metal bar behind the bottom front row of teeth!)
Things I'm looking forward to doing without a metal retainer in my mouth:
- Flossing without special gadgets
- Biting into an apple like a normal person
- No more food getting stuck behind/under the retainer
- Fewer canker sores
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