Who Is Erika Anyway?

Milestone in our home this week, my little brother became a teenager on Thursday. Now I could say James is the greatest little brother I have ever had and he is, ( he is also the only brother I have) Just kidding, James is fantastic brother we often get along though not without our disagreements. I remember Mom telling me the story of how when James was born and I went to see him, I loved going down to the nursery and looking through the window at him, however I wanted the pink baby (the girl baby next to him.)  It makes for a good story now and the picture below is proof that I loved my new brother.                                                               Holding James At The Hospital  James and I have always had a pretty close relationship and I have my parents to thank for that. They have and do make James and I...

It was a sad morning of packing up and cleaning as we prepared to make our departure from the cabin, after we loaded up the trailer and said good - bye to Uncle Rick and Auntie Al we all climbed into the jeep and drove off.                                                       Group picture before taking off A great surprise that I wasn't expecting was getting to see my cousins when we stopped at the farm. They have just moved from South Carolina and I hadn't seen them in a while or had the chance to meet my newest cousin Henry. He is so adorable I can't wait to get to know him better over the years. I had a really fun time reading books with Mary Katherine and visiting with Abby, getting to know here better. They are two really sweet girls I am a very lucky cousin.                      ...

It was a slow morning we had a fantastic breakfast of french toast, bacon, fruit, and coffee lovingly prepared for us by my Aunt and then we all went off and did our own thing for a bit. James and I decided to watch the same episode of Wallace and Grommitt again because it was stuck in the VCR player ( yes I know some of my dear readers may not know what this device is message me I'll explain) and we couldn't get it out to put anything else in. Before you knew it Mom had made popcorn and we were all gathered in the living room laughing to a man and his dog with a sheep rustler mystery. (If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it. it is a riveting plot :)  Finishing the movie we all felt like we needed to get out and do something so we all loaded up and went down to the Go - Kart rink where Dad, James and Uncle Rick all proceeded to chase each other in a circle having the time of their lives.                         ...

 I awoke to the cabin coming to life. Sunshine through the windows, voices from the kitchen, coffee brewing, and creaking of floor boards. I rolled over giving one last thought to staying in bed and them decided to get up and find coffee. After retrieving my beverage I sat down at the table and visited with my Uncle while Dad cooked up pancakes and sausage. We all ate the delicious breakfast and got ready to go for a bike ride.  With air in all the tires, day packs ready and water bottles filled the six of us (and Roman) took off for the discovery trail that you can enter at the Seaview approach. It was a lovely day for a ride and the it was a nice trail that went through the dunes and was an easy ride so you could just enjoy the views.                                                           My bike on the trail   ...

We decided to stay at the cabin mostly today. James and I rode our bikes into town where he got a new hunting hat from a shop called Storm'n Normans and I found a cute skirt from a shop called Beachcombers.  We came back to the cabin and then we all spent the day reading it was really nice.  It is amazing to me how a book transports you to another world. I love it, I have been reading books for as long as I can remember and now I am working my way through the classics. When people ask me what my favorite book is I can never tell them, I can't even tell them what my favorite genre is. It is kinda like when someone asks me what my favorite song is and I am like "Depends on what day you ask me." I really have my family to thank for my love of books and reading, my mom taught me to read when I was young and helped me find books I was interested in. Dad and Mom both have been there when I needed a new book to read or a new type of book. Anyway back to the trip....  After...

On Thursday we decided it would be fun to go down and poke around in Seaside. So after breakfast we all loaded up into the jeep and off we went through Ilwaco over the Astoria bridge and into Seaside. After finding a parking spot we walked around, explored the crazy mirrors at the Candyman's sweet shop and got a free salt water taffy. We had a blast exploring the aquarium and feeding the seals which was my favorite part and now I desperately want a baby seal. They are just so cute with their big eyes and when the clap their hands, it just makes me so happy.                                                                James feeding the seals                                                   ...

I am tired, sun burnt and happy. The sun came out today and boy did we enjoy it. After sleeping in a bit, eating breakfast and regrouping ( as my dad always calls it) We went to explore the fun intriguing little shops here in Long Beach.  It was great fun pointing stuff out and posing for funny goofy pictures and most of all as you probably are all very tired of me saying making memories. Until looking in these shops never did I realize you can get almost anything you want with your name on it and clothing will go up if you want your current location on it. I found all sorts of neat items, but not anything I couldn't live without.                                                                                                  A must stop ...