Lesley Party Estacada Style...

This one was all about the dogs.  By my count there were eight dogs that had a fun afternoon romping about as did Walter the cat who was not the least bit bemused by the whole affair.

We were also treated to a mural unveiling on a wood shed which also should get an award for being a 'green' building with the heavy use of recycled materials.  

It was a great afternoon of food and camaraderie with my Lesley friends catching up on family vacations and house projects.  Thankfully there was not too much talk of the impending end of summer that is coming a few short weeks.  

Finally some advice from Linda-Claire, next time I go to Estacada I will remember my double underwear as it can get pretty wild in the woods!

Randy

Pics from Hawaii

I am learning more and more about blogging and all the cool things. The trading card is one such cooli-o thing.

Wild Lesley Party

Well, it took me until almost Wednesday to post regarding the Lesley party at Toni's this weekend.  First, according to the official Catan Almanac I am the reigning Lord of Catan, until dethroned.  Secondly, I did not see Toni wearing a lamp shade, but her dining room table made its maiden voyage into the living room.  This naturally led to some after hours dancing on the new dance floor.  I am not making this up, Nehemiah has some wicked moves, some of which I am sure came via osmosis from Lesley classes.  Also, if you are playing Fascination, make sure you pay your damn dollar for the '12 games for a dollar' special because even the old guy with the lucky poodle in his arm won't bail you out.  Thanks again Toni and Erin for having us, looking forward to the next happening at Margie and Dante's.  

Beach Trip

Thank you Toni and Erin for hosting this month! We had a great time and you were so hospitable. We'll definitely have to have another slumber party and play another game of Settlers of Catan. Randy CAN NOT be the reigning champion. Here are some pics. Those of you that couldn't make it, we all talked about how we miss you and can't wait to see you at another upcoming event.

Summer Fun!

Greetings!  Kelli, Leo, and I just returned from a wonderful weekend of camping at Silver Creek Falls.  Jennifer, your Roth's grocery store was deluxe and provided much needed ice cream relief from the heat on Saturday!  Leo is as tired tonight as when he comes home on a day care day.  

We are wondering what is happening regarding the next cohort gathering.  Who, what, when. where; you know, all the details.  I hope everyone has been enjoying their first couple weeks off from school.  Kelli is busy with summer school and I busy with the teen volunteer program in Tualatin again.  For now, get busy living!

The Bar Mitzvah

Wow, what an event! The Bar Mitzvah was an absolute smash. I couldn't have been prouder watching my son read his Torah portion and standing in front of the congregation as a leader. I have to say that I did NOT cry during the service , made it through reading my little speech to him and then cried during the closing song. I had family in from all over the country - and we celebrated up until today when my sister and neice left town :(

I will post pictures soon.

BTW - I am taking on some leadership things at school next year! I am scared and excited and going to Chicago for some training next month. Stay tuned for details.
Deb

Graduation, etc

Hey Friends,
I too check this blog off and on and I realized that if I did not post something about graduation, no one else would because no one else was there! I was so lonely for all of you. It was an awesome experience and it somehow solidified (Sp?) that I am truly a master, of what...that remains to be seen. The only professor that I saw was Bard. She was the leader in a whole line of faculty. She had on all her regalia and carried this scepter thing, I suppose because she was in the front. Visiting with all the other grads while we were waiting in line, we compared faculty and classes. The only teacher I could find in common was Evette. They LOVED HER. She was their first and last. Another group had her as their Kinesthetic Movement teacher. It was interesting to her their opinions. It was too nice of an event to voice my own opinions. I did not want to burst their bubble on such a happy day. I was from the farthest away. I met one person from Idaho. Overall it was a wonderful trip. Too fast to say the least. It didn't help that I left for outdoor school the day after I got back and we got back home after 10:00 that day. I will show pictures later because they are all on my moms camera. I left mine at home...I couldn't believe it! Not like it was an important trip or anything.

Now for some of the questions. The hoods are mainly black with green (Lesley colors) on the outside. It is light blue on the inside which is the color for education folks. We do not officially get hooded. We just put them on when we are waiting in line. They have mirrors set up with directions for how to wear it and get it just right. Made for some humorous viewing while waiting for the line to move.

We had one huge ceremony with everyone and then we split up into separate areas by degree. We waited in our seats and our rows went one by one to get our degrees from a long table. We walked up a ramp to the stage. Handed them our diploma (in the snazzy green padded folder), they read our name, we shook hands will someone, smiled to the camera, shook someone elses hand, and then went off of the stage. I can't remember who I shook hands with but it is in the main ceremony book. I have extra books for anyone who wants them. I spent most of the main ceremony looking up all of your names! :)

That is the short of it all. We tried to get Sox tickets because they were in town all weekend but alas....they were sold out. We did find a Walmart, which made my mother dance in her shoes. We just had to see if it was like our Walmart. We got lost a lot but saw a whole lot of country side between Boston and Framington.

I hope this is a little look into graduation. I really missed you all there to add some humor during the waiting and some celebration to the finish.

So what's next? Who's house in July? Does anyone really read this thing.....?