Halloween

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 this is out of order but Nikki was just so excited about her sucker from A&W kids meal. You don't even know.  (p.s. I feel like getting woopie cushions really excited is always a little sketchy, don't want to get them too excited).

just making rootbeer in our bathtub looking like a witch. the fog was flowing out of the bathroom. it rocked.

roommates: Nikki (woopie cush), Becky (Jackie kennedy w/o the hair), Liz ( i just can't find her), the scariest robber you'll meet.

why i ever thought this costume was a good idea is beyond me.

the queen of hearts and a mad scientist

maybe i bought a baby shirt and maybe i stapled the bottom and maybe i painted a dollar sign on it and maybe i filled it with socks.

soccer players! their costume is very believable.

roommate liz and her sister.

hard day.

i don't know how to rotate it but this is us at the end of the night, being all hyped up on Nikki's AMAZING homemade rootbeer. mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Crafternoon

Banana bread MMMmm

 Today was my day off and I was feeling very crafty and bake-y. And this is what happened...

weathered wood! ahaha. I don't know if it's the ribbon or what but this isn't as cute as I imagined it. I might have to do a little somethin-somethin.

It's going to be OCTOBER! Halloween month! Ellen's birthday month!! I <3 October. I spray painted this tray (from the D.I.), I bought the candlestick from all a dollar for 25 cents! who knew? and then I spray painted it. (The tray is still not dry 6 hours later... but eventually that stuff will be on the tray.)

and I even used my new hot glue gun. and I had no idea it was possible to improve on a hot glue gun but they did, it has a glue catcher and it's cordless! ya ya.

Conquering the "King"

Dad's annual King's Peak backpacking trip. We made it to the peak this year! August 1-4

Before.

I had to put a bandaid on my foot to prevent a blister.

Ellen made a dirt face.

Perfect blister-free combination for a moment.

Made it to the meadow!

We set up camp at Henry's lake, which is about 8 miles in. It's basically flat so it's not a hard hike, just long when you're wearing a pack. But the bushwhacking at the end is always exciting, especially when you run into logs you would not have been able to see from one foot away. or 2 out of 4 people just disappear down into the bushes because they've fallen into unforeseeable rivers.

enjoying the sunset on our first night at camp

I heart this picture.

"Hey boys." I still don't understand why, but she could not hold this pose for more than literally 2 seconds at a time and it was pretty hard to get a good picture.

oh. mah. goodness. Golden Sky. uh-may-zing.

cousins!

breakfast in bed (hot cereal and hot cocoa...mmm)

right after sunrise on the morning we hiked to the peak

got a swirly? or slept with a hat on? who knows.

The bottom of ...dun dun dun...."the chute. "This picture will never do it justice. The angle looks all wrong and the top that you see, is not the top. I can't even explain it.

view looking out at the tundra (?) from the bottom of the chute. It is so pretty out there!

And... Voila! We're at the top of King's! Just that easy, just that quick. not.

Runners and primary-song-singers and wait-for-my-parents-for-2-hours and it's-my-50th-birthday fellow peakers.

The "trail" from the top of the peak, which goes down into a basin type thing. This part was a cinch to climb up after the chute. it's not near as steep. I loved climbing over all the boulders instead of just hiking, it was way fun and different than normal hiking.

so once you get down from the "trail" in that previous picture and walk a tiny ways through the basin you get to the top of the chute. when i took that first picture of this from the bottom, we were maybe a half inch (picture measurements, not real life measurements) away from that lake. This picture does a little more justice and lets you see how steep it is. Oddly enough, I like hiking up this better than hiking down. Our campsite is over by one of those 3 far lakes you see.

our favorite chute

Temperature control (down sleeping bag on head in sun-warmed tent, feet outside)

Those lawn chairs were the best idea ever. He could have sold them to us for $100 bucks and we would have done it.

Who's socks are that clean- after an 8 hour hike, no less. seriously.

Our campsite was invading the sheep grazing fields. Don't worry, if you "ruff" at them they will run away quicker than you can blink your eye.

deformed shoulder blade.

keeps your: ears warm, hat on, and your jaw warm.

I love it here. So I danced. (also. notice my "cute" outfit on this day. I even matched, imagine that.)

seasoned travellers.