On Sunday, June 7th, John celebrated his 31st birthday. He really didn't seem to like this idea much. He even worked his second job in the morning, I think to get his mind off of it. I'm thinking that from now on, he just needs to stay "30" because this concept of being 31 is really making him grumpy. After he got off work, we took him to lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Here are a few pictures of our day.
Over Memorial Day weekend, we finally made the drive to Montana to visit with John's older brother Joe and his family in Kalispell. The drive was a 10 hour long one but the girls were really great. Thank goodness for the dvd system is all I can say about that! Half of the drive was gorgeous. The other half was as dull as can be. But we made it in safe and sound as long as you don't count the busted windsheild that we now have thanks to those big trucks vs. construction areas with extra debris! Anyhow, we spent the first night getting in a nice swim at their athletic club. On Saturday, we drove up to the top of a mountain where we got an awesome view of the whole city and more. Later that evening, we enjoyed witnessing Joe in action at his Saturday night contemporary church service.
Sunday we drove to Glacier National Park where we spent much of the day checking out the gorgeous views and hiking through the mountains. Maybe when the girls are older I will enjoy this type of thing more but at this age, I'm terrified the girls are going to get too close to the drop offs or to the rapids. So much of the day I was a bit on edge if you could imagine. :) 
On Monday, we headed back home only this time it took us 12 hours due to the holiday traffic trying to get through the Snoqualmie pass which is gorgeous by the way. Other than the traffic the trip home was an easy one. I have to admit that while I had a good time visiting with the family, the highlight of the trip for me was seeing that Cracker Barrel sign off the highway in Missoula, Montana. It's one of my favorite places to eat and there are none in Washington or Oregon, so needless to say I was quite happy to see that sign. The food was so dang yummy too! Ahhh, I can't wait to move back down south one day. Until next time...
On Wednesday, May 20th, Ashley graduated from Carousel Preschool. Her class met at Sunnyside beach in Steilacoom. We all had a fun time crab hunting for the little guys that were hiding under the rocks. Ashley had a great time with her classmates and her teacher, Mrs. Ruth. She misses school already. Unfortunately, Ashley misses the kindergarten cutoff by 6 days this year so I'm trying to look into as many loop holes as I can to try to get her in but short of moving away for six weeks where she meets the cut off, I'm not sure if it's going to happen. Keep your fingers crossed for me! 
Wow, so after having horrible eyesight for almost my entire life I decided to make a BIG change in my life with a lot of help and support from John. Wearing contacts and glasses really isn't a big deal to most but when you're wearing contacts and still can't see the little words on the television ten feet infront of you it's pretty bad. So on Friday the 15th of May, I took the plunge and had PRK surgery. This was not my first choice as it's way more painful than Lasik. But after meeting with the doctor, I found that my eyes were not really the best candidates for lasik and that PRK was a safer surgery for me. So later that evening, I went back and had the procedure done. All in all, it was a simple process. Especially once the valium kicked in. There were some yucky details that they don't tell you ahead of time about how when the laser is shooting beams into your eye, you can actually smell your eyes burning. YUCK! Each eye took about 15 seconds of actual lasering and after both were done I sat up and could actually see everything in the room as plain as day. I don't think that I've seen that well without glasses or contacts my entire life. So after a few tears and happiness (please remember the valium influence here) John drove me home. I will skip all of the details of my weekend of hell that followed this wonderful day but let's just say that the severe pain kicked in about half the drive home and didn't leave until four days later. Thank goodness for percocet is all I have to say. As of today, my eyes are doing great. I have another check up this Friday so we'll see what they say. I have great sight in my right eye. It seems to be really clear to me. The left eye still has a fuzzy spot now and again but with this surgery it supposedly takes up to six months for the vision to stabilize so wish me luck! :)
Before the surgery after they dilated my eyes. Crazy huh?
At my 5 day check up. Saying good bye to my glasses for good!
