JD Image Consulting

Well, I have gone public! Here is the business card to prove it! Now on to writing the book!

The Quinn's Visit

My sister Tanya and her husband Tom came to visit us for a few days on their way back to Utah. After sitting on the freeway for an hour due to a hay truck catching on fire and setting the surrounding area on fire, seeing a movie to wait out the closed freeway, and eating dinner, they finally arrived! Safe, sound, and very tired.

We were excited to show them around Oregon. Unfortunately for the 2 days they were here, Oregon was having a heat wave. 101 the first day and 103 the second! Okay, to some of you this is just called summer, but here in Oregon, it is a heat wave! So day one was spent playing the Wii, having lunch and riding the Trolley around Oregon City. The Trolley is a summer favorite for a few reasons. The first is that it is free! It is an hour ride around Oregon City and the driver tells you all about the history of OC. We love to get off at various stops sometimes, like McDonald's for ice cream! Another reason we love it is that it is open aired and very antiqued.

We started the day at Mike's Drive-In. A great local joint with seasonal berry shakes. Tom, Tanya and I all had Mike's Special Deluxe. It is a very tasty burger with fresh (I have mine grilled) Walla Walla onions, Thousand Island dressing, lettuce, tomato, bacon, Tillamook cheese, and a fried egg! It is the best ever! Of course, you can fill your arteries clogging, so I only go there when we have guests in town. Oh, they do serve a lot of other great items, but once you have had the Mike's Special Deluxe, there is no going back! It was all washed down with fries and milkshakes!

We stopped at McDonald's for a bathroom break. We stopped on Main St. to ride the elevator. In case you did not know, Oregon City is the only place in the United States with a vertical street! And again, it is free! You get a wonderful view of downtown Oregon City and the Willamette River and Falls. Of course we went in the Coin Collector. It is a wonderful shop full of toys and antiques of various sorts. For someone my age, it is like walking in to the toy closet at my mom's house when I was growing up! They have toys and games and things that I have not seen since I was a little girl! I have really enjoyed taking my sisters there when they come to visit because a new memory always comes back to one of us and we have fun remembering together! When our Trolley journey was done, it was off to 7-11 for Slurpee's'! We went to Tony's Fish Market and Tom and Tanya bought fresh salmon, which Tanya prepared for us for dinner! It was delicious!

At Mike's

The first bite

The Trolley

At the Interpretative Center

Good night song by Uncle Tom

On day 2 we decided to beat the heat and head for the coast! It was supposed to be a beautiful 83 degrees, clear sky and sunny. So we packed our swim suits and headed for Rockaway Beach. It was so nice to leave the 103 degrees that we did not think for one minute to pack sweaters. Well Tillamook and Rockaway were a crisp 62 degrees, foggy and very windy! Oh well, it is the Oregon Coast, was I really expecting Florida?! (Well, yes as a matter of fact!) We had another wonderful day together as we toured the Tillamook factory, ate our cheese sandwiches and ice cream. Then we headed north about 20 minutes to Rockaway Beach. We lasted about an hour and then it was back to the car and hot Portland we went. It was so nice to have the Quinn's come and visit with us. We really enjoyed being with them and hope to see them again soon.

On our way in for ice cream!

Fun in the sand!

Thank heaven for showers!

Wii

John has been wanting the Lego Indiana Jones game for the computer. I wanted to get a Wii for Christmas, so after our garage sale last weekend, we bought both! Mark and I are not what you would call "gamers". The Leapster has been great for the kids. But since John has started school, he is learning all about games from friends. So, we decided to get one that is more interactive and physical, if you will. I really don't know if "Wii" made the right decision in getting a video game system at this age? (pun intended)

I can not believe how much John is loving the game! I actually have to set time limits! It has been useful in the way of punishment though. I have finally found a privilege that I can take away that makes him more aware of his actions and mouth. Today I let him play as much as he wanted. He played from 9:30 am until 8:00 pm! The only reason he stopped was that we turned it off and made him eat food! He took potty and M&M breaks, but no other! So now tomorrow he does not get to play at all. He will have to help the family do yard work.

The Wii is fun to play and watch others play. It cracks me up to watch and listen to Mark and John play. They both blame each other and the game. We must have bought a broken game because it does not work right for them! So I wonder, how many other broken games are in homes around the world? The odds can not be in only our favor, can they?

Move outta the way Alison!

Florida 2008

Family and Fun in the Sun! That is how we describe our trip to Florida! We really had a wonderful time visiting with Grandpa and Grandma Davis, the Williams family, the Stoddard family and Uncle Jason. Every day consisted of getting up, putting on swim suits and having fun until dinner time. It was so nice to spend time with loved ones. We look forward to seeing them again!

John's catch
Dead fish, algae, and jelly fish, that is what the beach was made of!
Fun at the kiddie play area
Alligator & crawfish filled Jennifer's craving
Having fun in the surf
Alison's catch

She said

While reading a Fancy Nancy book before bed, Alison asked,

"Mom, is poop a fancy word?"

The Princess Party

Alison wanted a Disney Princess Party for her birthday. She asks at least once a day when we are going back to Disneyland. So I decided to bring Disney Princess' to her. All the guests wore their best princess attire. We had a lot of fun dancing, playing games and eating cake and ice cream. Which the girls decided to put their faces into! It was a magical day for Alison and she had a lot of fun. That night when I was laying with her she said,"I wish my party was longer! Mom, you took some gorgeous pictures of me today!"

Oh how lovely!

Good Times

Where is my Fairy Godmother?!

Silly Girls

Priceless

"Happy Birthday"


The Royal Cake

Dancing

The invitation

Game time

Decorating crowns

Our Pretty Princess

Alison Turns 4

Happy Birthday to our sweet little girl! She started the morning off with a chocolate doughnut picked out especially for her from John. He was wrapping her present the night before and he suggested that we go buy her a princess balloon. What a sweet brother! So off to the Dollar Store we went to get a balloon. The doughnut store is on the next block so we had to get her favorite, chocolate icing with sprinkles! She loved her gifts and that kept her entertained all day long.

In the afternoon we headed to Build- A- Bear Workshop to make Hello Kitty. This had been on her wish list and Grandma and Grandpa Thompson had given her a gift card to help get it made. She had so much fun stuffing her, grooming her and picking out clothes. Hello Kitty even got Hello Kitty underwear, Hello Kitty purse, and Hello Kitty hair bows! That is one lucky kitty.

Alison requested Red Robin for dinner. We went and it was John's special job to help me tell the waitress that it was Alison's birthday. He was so proud of himself for telling her so they could surprise Alison with a fun hat they made and an ice cream sundae! John even benefited from that because Alison did not want it.

She had a great day and got everything she wanted! Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Davis for the darling outfit and Gabriella Barbie Doll. Thank you to John for the Prince Barbie Doll. Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Thompson for the gift card. And of course, thank you to mom and dad for the Disney Princess Carriage, High School Musical Dance Mat, and July Barbie Doll.

Happy Birthday from Red Robin
Hello Kitty from G & G Thompson
Princess Loot
"Just what I wanted"
Yummy doughnut for breakfast