Rafting trip via disposable camera...

Oh how I wish we had waterproof housing for my camera (which costs more than my camera, lenses, accessories all together!)...the graininess of the following photos kind of makes me shudder but what can you do?  What did we do before being able to preview the photos and discarding the ones we didn't like?? Only about 14 of the 27 photos came out useable.

{You can still right click the photos to make them larger, but I wouldn't recommend it...just enhances the graininess, lol}

 Woulda been good photo if did have the paddle in front of my face!

 Rico & John after playing Trust...

Happy 4th!

Last night, Amanda, Shane, Stacey, John and the 4 kids met us at Celebration Park in Federal Way for the Red White & True Blue Festival.  Rico & I went a little early to stake out a good spot to set up camp for the fireworks.  We found a great location right outside the area where they would be shooting off the fireworks, slightly on a hill, so no one could get in the way of the pictures.  Yay, no power lines this time!

True to the Northwest tradition, it was cloudy and threatened to rain the whole time.  It was only about 65 degrees when we got there, so by the time night fell, we were all shivering because the wind was whipping around.

You'd think, slight wind, better fireworks because the smoke would be blowing away...that's what I thought too...unfortunately, when the wind blows the smoke, it also blows the fireworks away...logical right?? So a lot of the shots ended up like this:

But I did the best I could with what I had and I adore my husband for sticking through it because I know he wasn't as enthusiastic about seeing the fireworks as I was.

Cameron

Abbey

Stacey & Conner

Conner

Fun w/ Bugles!

Cameron

Fun pile!

Conner

Lilly

My handsome husband!

Mandy & Lilly

Conner

 We did get front row seats to crazy police drama (there was a fight, people got maced, cuffed then hauled off!) just before the fireworks started, but things calmed down once everyone started paying attention to the light show.

And just for fun, a comparison from last year to this year... Emerald Downs 2009