Our Easter was pretty quiet.  I originally had planned on taking pictures of some little “nests” I had made for our morning potluck – but they all disappeared before I could.

It was a beautiful day tho, and I couldnt let it go by without going outside.  So the dogs and I went to the beach while dinner was cooking.

There was candy involved…

This is how I always picture candy when I try to eat it…It always is running away, begging me not to eat it.  I am a cold heartless person, because I usually eat it.  While apologizing.

Poor candies!

Yoshi and I tried to get an Easter self-portrait.

And that?  Was our Easter in an egg shell.

In a land before the Internet and Text Messaging we played outside for hours at a time, spending long summer hours at the beach, wearing jellie shoes that always smelled like ocean.

We played on merry go rounds…at the play ground.  Falling off, hanging on for dear life and getting kicked in the head was all part of the game called life.

On rainy days we played games like Mouse Trap, Mr Bucket and Pet Shop.

Oregon Trail was a favorite.  Something about being loaded up on a computer chair with your best friends as you navigated a rickety wagon across a computer screen, cheering them along was great fun back in the day.  Until you died.  Then it was no longer fun.

Oregon Trail was one our first computer games that ran from a CD – before that we used Floppy Disks.  We played these computer games on our ancient computers that ran Windows 95, and loved it.

Pogs. Velvet color posters.  Craft loops, Glo Worms and Little Ponies were all part of someones toy box.

Fruit strip gum.

Furbies could teach each other to burp.

Lisa Frank was on every folder and notebook we owned.
Pocket Pets were responsible for getting every kid up at 2 am to feed a digital dinosaur.

Lambchop’s song never ended.  Still hasnt.

Sprinkle Yogurt was all the rave.
Fanny packs (or bum bags) were in style.

And push up pencils were the tried and true way to upset your best friend simply by loosing a piece of led.

What do YOU remember?

She just is!  But some reason, that doesn’t seem to do well in the argument department.  Some reason people I know seem to think that their sisters?  Are better than mine!  And while yours might be your best sister, I have to say, I think I’m pretty lucky to have my sister as mine.  Just sayin’s all.

1.  She’s awesome.  In ways I cant explain.  She just is.

2.  She’s funny.  There are some things that people just don’t get.  But she does.  Inside jokes, outside jokes, jokes in-between and things that are far fetched.  Laughing with someone who is laughing because they genuinely think it’s funny, is much more fun than laughing by yourself, or with someone who just fakes it.  Some things you just cant explain, but laughing…well, that’s just plain funny.

3.  One glance in her direction can tell you anything you ever need to know.  Seriously.  You should try it sometime.  Be it lost in a foreign country surrounded by people you don’t know and cant understand and suddenly…there is that blonde head a few feet away looking just as lost as you are and suddenly you just know.  You’re not alone.  Someone’s got your back, no matter what, and no matter how far away she is.

4.  She’s smart, but not in a rub it in I’m so smart sort of way.  Often I will ask her the stupidest questions, things I should know, but some reason don’t.  And she will answer.  Again and again.  Filling in the blanks in my mind, completing the sentence I couldn’t finish, and correcting the words I misspelled.  Plus she knows just about everything.  Even though she may have told a fib or two in our younger days – I now am smarter for it.  I now know that oatmeal does not come from the pulp mill.  Although I’m still not a fan of it.  Oatmeal or the pulp mill.  Unless your talking about oatmeal.com -then that’s funny.  (See point 2)

5.  She just goes with it.  Painting a wall purple?  Sure!  Going to China?  Right away!  Getting married and moving to England?  She’s all over it.  And if she has doubts about it, she doesn’t let on.  She’s all about adventure.

6.  She lets me tag along.  I know, right?  But still.  There are a lot of people that I just don’t like to be around.  I like to have my time, and have to work up to “Hanging out” with someone.  But when it comes to Amanda?  We pick up right where we left off.  No awkward getting to know you moments, no trying to be someone your not.  Simply being.

7.  I feel like I can conquer the world with her.  Some reason when I am with her, I feel like that song “You and me…were invincible…together.”  Anything is possible it seems when I am with her.  I can be stupid, funny, silly, and my not-so-smart self – and she just goes with it.

8.  She’s always up for a good time.  Be it humoring me by posing for pictures, or taking a shopping cart home from the grocery store.  With her, getting butter at the store is just as fun as going on an extended trip to Scotland.

9.  She designs my blog!  Because of this I am free to change my mind on the whim.  Tell her I want a new header and she’s all over it.  She also draws fun little buttons for me to post every so often.

10.  She tells me when something is stupid, and encourages me to do it anyways.  Like blogging.  And photography.  She always tells me when something is good, and when its not she just tells it straight up.

10.5  Shes my sister.  That’s why.  Even though she is practically a million and one miles away.

Even Judah says “Huh? You think yours is better? Think again!”

In Scotland.

Purchase .89p kites from second hand store, Assemble kites in hostel lobby.  Break one, and piece the second one together.  Throw “Extra parts” away.

With one “Pro kite flyer” and two “Amateurs” pretend to know what you are doing.


Find a very windy and cold location.


Watch kite spin in circles before dipping to the ground.  Realize the “extra parts” were actually much needed parts.  Spend ten minutes retying the kite.

Get tangled in string.

Hand the reigns, er, string to someone else then duck as the kite chases you.

In a last attempt – toss the kite to the wind and hope for the best.

Be shocked that it actually flies!  Off the ground!

Spend the next few minutes watching the “Dance of the kite” until the string is so tangled it wont go anywhere.

Throw string and sticks away.

Save the big yellow diamond as a souvenir.

Sadly, I havent taken my camera out since I have gotten home.  This weekend I finally FORCED myself to.  And then when I was coming back inside, I broke the number one rule of taking Nik out, and didnt have him around my neck, his strap caught something and down he went.  So that kind of put an end to my fun.  Thankfully he was ok, and only broke his lens cover – but I havent worked up enough nerves to take him out again!

Anyways…

The weather has been decent here in the afternoons, which makes Yoshi REALLY want to go outside, and since I feel bad sitting inside on a sunny day I usually agree.

I like to think they both have fun, but Slim usually ends up dog tired at the end.

Can you tell who won?

Eating moss is especially fun.  Atleast, I hope it was moss, her grin seems to say other…

Yoshi and Slim play this game that Amanda and I used to play – run around a car (or couch) and try to tag the other person (or in this case, dog) usually it turns into a bunch of screaming while trying not to get tagged.  Either way, Slim somehow has figured out that if she looks under the car she can tell which way to run…sneaky dog!

This is another one of their games…Always fun and games with them.

Then I thought it would be fun to take cook and take pictures at the same time…THAT was…fun, and challenging.