-home

10. driving behind this guy-
he didn't know what to do with me. he kept turning his 107 year old body around to try to wave me by but- no thank you sir. i was perfectly content driving 2 miles an hour and watching him in his real deal farm shirt manage that hay croppin choppin machine. it was like a welcome home gift sent from the alfalfa scented glory angels from above.

9. the parade through down town kennewick-
i love the vibe of the easy to impress crowd, watching my babies get a proper dose of "survival of the fittest" when it comes to rounding up the thrown candy off the street and spending a glorious eastern washington morning with a man in awkwardly short jean cut offs.............
and then there's paying tribute to my alma mater.
this blood runs orange and black forever.
and i'm totally ready for the crap my sister's going to brutally give me.

L-L-L-I-O O-O-O-N-S L-I-O O-N-S LIONS WIN!

and it was too cute watching brooks learn and practice the princess wave-

8. taking this family's picture-
i was in an apple orchard, waiting for clients to show up for their shoot, and i fell in love with this little mexican family. he was loading apple crates with an old forklift and she was trying to not let her babies get run over by that forklift. i asked them in my most hideous spanish if they'd like their picture taken and after further explaining my request in an even more hideous combination of spanish/english/japanese/sign language- they could tell i was on the verge of begging and so they consented.

now what in the hell am i going to do with it?
j/k. i got their address and i'm mailing it to them. maybe i'll send it out with my own xmas cards this year. that would be hilare. to me at least. and really confusing for my grandparents.

7. hanging with my besty-
there's just something amazing about being with the girl that knew you through your thick eyebrows unwaxed upper lip era and has been laughing at all of your jokes for the past15 years.
she's all grown up now with a real job and stuff.
i realize that i'm still not when i see her worried face as she watches me have funny bad influency conversations with her teenage son. making her an uncomfortable parent is probably #7 1/2 on this list.
plus- having someone that's totally game for getting an irresponsibly gigantic diet coke and pedicure at a moments notice is pretty much priceless.

6. the farmer's market across the river-
i have a confession to make. when i'm buying produce at my local safeway and i notice that the little sticker on the apple/nectarine/onion/plum lists a city from my hood, i cry. every time, i shove that freshness into my face and try to smell the wind, river, essence of my mother- you know- my home. so, i did not skip a stroll through the farmers market in pasco on saturday mornings. all you need is a pocket full of cash, a love for hardworking farmers with dirty hands and an empty stomach primed and ready for a loaf of cinnamon apple bread and a side of the sweetest white donut peaches on the planet.

i think it's the perfect way to start a sunny fall weekend.
and looky here: even big city boy brandon loved it-


5. perfect scenery for family photos-

are you kidding me?
apple orchards and vineyards dripping with heavy clusters of white grapes.
gives me a photography shoner just thinking about it.
it really is so so beautiful there and it didn't hurt that the weather leaned on the side of....PERFECTION.
can't wait to go back and do some more this fall!

the wagars
click here for more

the mccains (my little brother's family)
click here for more

the mounces
(still in the editing stage. will post asap!)

the whitneys
click here for more

4. free babysitting-
ok. so that's just a funny way of expressing how much i love watching my parents be grandparents.
they love my babies.
my babies love them.
brandon and i can go to a movie with friends and not worry about the dreaded "come home- your baby won't stop crying" phone call.
if we weren't so hungover from all the nectarines, we probably would've stayed out later.

3. driving georgia-

i named her after the girl in high school that beat me to every guy i liked.
she was tall, gorgeous and a little dirty.
just like my borrowed jade green truck.
i loooooved rolling down the windows and squinting through the bug splattered windshield.
i loooooved not giving 2 shits about being seen or my messy hair or the weird burn marks throughout her interior.
i loooooved calling bryce to come get me when i decided to take her off road, got her stuck and then realized that i my shoes were too nice to try to unlodge her all by myself.

there's just something about driving an old pick up.

2. BFCF
stands for Benton Franklin County Fair.
should stand for: Best Effing Country Fun
it's so amazing and the main reason for our trip home.
i needed the opportunity to teach my kids about the things that really matter in life like:

how to manhandle a corn dog half your size-

what it's like to eat God's greatest gift to man-

how amazing cousins are-

what attached goose feathers feel like-

how to feel pride for your home grown "binny pig"-

what a pig lying in sawdust smells like -

that piglet's butts are as cute as human baby butts-

what a real woman is made of-

how if feels to have one fierce mini horse named midnight between your legs-

that the glow of carnival lights at night makes everyone happy-

how to be a big boy and go on the merry-go-round alone
(so mommy doesn't puke)-

how to talk a carny into letting you ride the ferris wheel even if you're 8 inches too short and without a rides bracelet (wink)-

and what the world looks like when you're way up high-

1. evenings outside with my parents-
there are some ocassions where you're so happy and content that even the thought of going inside and grabbing your camera seems silly.

thanks mom and dad for loving us.
thanks for the roasted marshmallows, bedtime stories, hand holds, songs, interest in my life, buckets of attention, energy & love.
you two are my #1 and always have been.
i love you.