Samantha turned 11 on Saturday. She is getting so old. We celebrated her birthday today with some of our family. Samantha would tell you that her favorite present was her guitar. Here is a picture of Samantha with her new snazzy guitar.
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Last night we went to the Puyallup Fair. It was a lot of fun. We saw the animals, food, canned/baked goods and Samantha won a cell phone. That was probably her favorite part. A lot of the booths have wheels to spin. Samantha went to the ATT wireless booth and spun the wheel. It said free cell phone with $25 card purchase. So we figured they would give her a sticker or piece of candy since she is only 10. But they gave her a Go Phone (pay as you go). So now she has a phone that is for emergencies only and she can call Tyler and I or anyone else who is on ATT/Cingular for free. She was very excited. The guy said, “You’ll probably be one of the first people in your class to have a phone,” she said, “nope a lot of them have phones.” It made Tyler and I feel old. We didn’t have phones until after high school and they were HUGE. I guess every 10 and older needs their own phone these days. 
Here are some pictures from the fair
Watching the Bees
Samantha petting the goats.
Sam, Dad and Finley Getting a Foot Massage
Fin as the Cow Who Jumped Over the Moon.
Samantha as the Cow Who Jumped Over the Moon
Well summer is coming to an end – Samantha and Jen are back to school, the nights are getting darker sooner and the weather is changing. We spent a lot of our time at the pool this summer. Most recently we ended our summer with a wedding. Jennifer’s step-sister Katie got married on September 8th at Fort Warden. It was a weekend event with lots of family and friends. We had a great time.
Samantha started 5th grade this year – wow how time flies. She seems to be enjoying it so far. If you ask her how it is she’ll say, “fine”. Not much for giving details.
Finley will be 5 months old on Wednesday. We can’t believe that either. He is talking alot, teething and trying to crawl. So far he has only mastered the rolling around the living room and can get up on his arms and try to move or on his legs, but he hasn’t put the two together yet.
Tyler is enjoying his new job. He has taught some interesting classes, All about Bacon and a really cool quick breads class. Tonight is off teaching a class with ingredients from places within 250 miles of here.
Jen is back to work. Only part time this year, but seems to be doing lots of work. Hopefully in a few weeks things will slow down.
Finley and Samantha at Katie and Nick’s Wedding
Uncle Kevin and Finley
Grandma and Finley
Finley Enjoying the Wedding Dinner
After 6 months at Opal with LONG work hours and just a few days off Tyler has taken a job that he officially starts on Tuesday.? He will be a culinary instructor for a private culinary school in Seattle called Culinary Communion (www.culinarycommunion.com).? This job is a change, but he will be home more often and we are all excited about that.? The school is geared towards private individuals who want to take classes here and there.? They have a lot of fun classes as well as culinary trips.? Check out their website.