My Birthday

Friday evening after work we went to Nicky and Bill's house for dinner. The food and company were fantastic. The girls especially enjoyed jumping on their large trampoline in the backyard. After dinner we all went to the south "Y" and played table-tennis, air hockey, and foosball. It was a lot of fun.

Saturday morning I went to Learjet to work on my database. At about 9:30 I met with my CS665 project group at one of the public libraries. We had a productive meeting. I would have gone back to work following our meeting but Kirsten made me return home to spend time with her and the girls.

After seeing the girls have so much fun on the trampoline Kir and I decided to get one for them. Jenna and I took the truck to Sam's and picked it up. She helped Kir and I set it up. We didn't tell Skye about any of it. When she finally opened the door to the backyard the trampoline was already up and we were working on the enclosure. She was frozen with excitement at the door; her mouth gaped in disbelief. We enjoyed our time with Jenna and she seemed to enjoy herself also.

Saturday evening Kirsten got a babysitter so we could go out. We went to dinner then the book store to read books and talk.

Sunday morning I went to Learjet again to work on my database. On the way home I stopped by the Whitcraft's to pick up a birthday gift they had for me. They were celebrating Alex's birthday and were preparing for her big first birthday party. They gave me a couple of very soft Old Navy shirts that will certainly be good for my marriage:) Later that afternoon I opened presents and we had Kirsten's amazing chocolate cake. There were no big plans which allowed me to do whatever I wanted. It was a PERFECT birthday!

Busy Sunday

Yesterday was exhausting! It was the second day of the September UTA. Three of us watched training videos. At 11am we were released to go home, get our families, and take them to the picnic. It was nice to be able to spend the afternoon with the girls and to watch them play on the playground. They had a live band and, as usual, gave away many donated prizes. Kirsten won a $20 gift certificate to Bath and Body Works (or one of those girly stores).

Our next door neighbor, Roscoe, is having his 80th birthday on the 26th. His daughter planned a birthday open house for him at her house and invited us to come. We pulled into our driveway after the picnic so Kirsten could grab a few things. The little girls and I stayed in the van. Skye asked me, "If we're going to Roscoe's birthday party why do we have to stay in the van?" It was a fun time and the food was excellent!

At 7pm my CS665 project group met at the WSU library. We decided to build a database for a video rental chain. We discussed possible entities, attributes, and relationships. It was productive. I really like the other two people in the group and think we'll work well together.

When I got home Kirsten's sisters were chatting on the computer. I always enjoy their Sunday evening chat sessions. Kirsten is always worried I'll say the wrong thing as I often don't agree with them. I learn a lot about Kirsten by getting to know her sisters. It's too bad my siblings are too self-involved to make the time or too computer illiterate to have an online chat.

Julie's Birthday

Tonight we went to Julie's surprise birthday party. Derek had been planning it for weeks. He sent invitations to 40 people and ordered appetizers. He told Julie they would be spending the evening together at a restaurant then catch a movie. To his horror she told him--rather emphatically--that she didn't like the restaurant he planned to take her to. Derek then scrambled with the logistics of changing all his plans and notifying the guests.

It was a great party! Many of Julie and Derek's families and friends were there, including Julie's brother from New York City.

The best part of the party was seeing Julie so happy. We also go to enjoy belly-dancing. All evening belly-dancers entertained us with their clinking, shaking, and swaying to the music. Skye and Jenna were enthralled and memorized all their moves. Soon the two of them were doing their best belly-dances in the aisle. It was fun and cute. Coincidentally we didn't bring our camera.

This weekend I have Reserves. I went in early to launch out some jets. I marshalled one out then one broke. We spent all day troubleshooting and fixing a static leak. Joe tightened all the fittings until it leaked good. Tomorrow is a family day picnic. I think I'm helping to cook. It should be fun if it isn't too hot.