Harvest Ball

On  Saturday October 16th the Noftle's, Andersens, Jenks, Allreds, and Stewarts attending the 25th Harvest Ball put on by the Tri-Cities guild in support of Seattle Children's Hospital.  Jackson and several others were featured patients, and Jax had the job of introducing the keynote speaker.

Regular sized Jackson standing next to Giant Jackson!

In front of the dessert table, I look much happier when I am in front of the dessert table. 

                                                                          Our table

                                                   Just like I set the table for dinner at home.

                         This was a black tie optional event---we were the only ones who optioned out!

                                 Jackson and Grandma Louise, enjoying the $100.00 a plate event.

                   Justin and Heather--they proved their friendship--who else would give up a Saturday night to see some sweet, elderly, lady, skin spilling out of formal gowns?

Miss. Maddie--at some point I have got to get her and Jax together for fun before these events happen so she will like him enough to go on stage with him--it would make them both less self-conscious.

Let me put the menu down just in case any of you were looking for a dinner idea for tonight:
Appetizer--Buttered seared scallops in a sweet pea puree, micro basil, fried proscuitto and truffle oil with little acorn cracker     Salad--malabar, golden pea tendril, sweet tango and mizuna wrapped in cucumber with harvest apples, foil brick blue and candied walnuts served with house vinaigrette      Intermezzo--green gage plum sorbet      Entree--nouvelle mixed grill, roasted veal loin filled with chantrelle herb mousse, tasmania ocean salmon, morel glace de' viande, sweet walla walla onion cream, classic pear potato, butternut in grand mariner caramel cream, fresh white and green asparagus in roma ring, fresh baked dinner rolls with butter.

Flaunting her "black tie" beauty---I will forever be upset that I didn't snap a picture of Courtney as each course of the meal was served---little Miss Smiley here got more peeved looking with each dish---she wanted the happy meal apparently!

                  Dessert Dashing Dad, making Courtney smile about the food for the first time all night!

                                           Jackson doing his part for Seattle Children's hospital.

                                         He introduced himself as "Jackson Noftle" or Mr. January in your calendars!

            Jax and two other patients--who missed their high school homecomings to help with the fundraiser.

Maddie and her Grandma Nany--luckily I had the Star Wars book in my purse---I really should clean that out before black tie events---put the Iliad and the Odyssey in, or something more highbrow!

                       The Invitations to the event had Jackson and Maddie (they are hard to see but trust me not my photography skills!)on them---not bad that they made both "designs" since there were 25 kiddos.

Beautiful Maddie and her heart buddy Teagen grace the cover of this years Calendar--so young to have a cover shot already, I'm still waiting for mine.

And Mr. January himself lives in my house---I'm honored, I really am.  Nights like tonight bring back to me what an amazing kid Jackson is, what he has endured, since the age of 4,  and the kicker is -- what he has to still endure in his future.  He is my hero.  Thanks Mom, Dad, Courtney, Justin and Heather for paying threw the nose to support Jackson tonight.

10-10-10=40 years?

The numbers add up to 30 but, in fact I am 40 today.  Oh well, I've looked into it and there is nothing I can do about it!  Last week was wild in four days we had 9 games to attend.  Some at the same time, I only saw 5 of them but to be honest I felt like I had not missed any of them!!  I loved complaining about it last week but in reality I was fine with it.  I knew it was Carter and Zoe's last week of soccer and I really enjoy Sammi's volleyball and Jackson's football games.  For the next 13 or so years I will happily attend every game my kiddos are in.  Still Friday night after the football game in Yakima it was wonderful to stay in town with no kids---just Michael and I.  We stayed at the Rosedell Bed and Breakfast and as is becoming the custom with me we met with the "colorful" folks! 

If you remember last year Jax and I stayed in a hotel for Chemo and ended up at the hotel while it had a Burlesque Dancer convention there.  Weeeelllll our Bed and Breakfast hotel owner/hostess was, up till a year ago, and bartender/"dancer" (her quotes not mine) in Vegas.  Her husband was helping her, but now he is back in Vegas because he works for the Sultan of Brunei, and Prince Jeffery need him at the mansion in Vegas---of course your standard ho/hum couple!  Also staying at the Rosedell was a couple who were ghost hunting, but luckily enough Michael and I were staying in the Turret room and only the Red Room is haunted-phew!  You can't make this stuff up.  We got to church in time and then tonight we were supposed to go to Courtney's for Sunday dinner.  When we got there I walked in to 75 people yelling "surprise".  I was VERY!  It was embarrassing to be the guest of honor but so fun to have so many people I love all together.  There was lots of yummy food and a chocolate fountain, and Courtney had everything set up so darling.  Lesa Buster and Katie Allred made a DVD of pictures of me and that was so fun too.

The bigger picture is of me in a wig when I was four---Dylan Allred wants to know if I still have that wig!

My star, I wonder if Courtney will leave it up forever.

Somehow a pirate "crashed" the party.  He was so cute we let the little bootlegger stay.

Jackson's best buddy in the world turned 15 today---for his birthday I surrounded him with beautiful girls and took his picture--your welcome Bud.

Kids had Mac and Cheese, and other snacks in the garage, along with a game of water toy sword fighting.

What can I say---love you Courtney, Mom, Lesa and everyone who made 40 fabulous.  Now I've got to go live it up!

How about a little homecoming, a little birthday party, a little road trip, and to wrap things up a wedding??

I specialize in wordy titles if you were wondering.  O.K. hold on to your sideburns, here we go...

The week of September 20-24 was homecoming week in Royal City.  We enjoyed Pajama Day (Sammi snuck out without a pj picture)

Then the High School had Disco day and the Middle School had "Color" day ...(8th graders were gray and green?? go figure)

 Then the high school had generation day, the Freshman were the Babies (big surprise!) and the middle school had Hawaiian day---again Sammi eluded me, it's starting to feel personal.

 The next day was crazy hair/hat day at the Middle School and Movie day at the High School, the freshman were to dress like "Lord Of The Rings"--I'm still looking for the twisted mind that picked that impossible movie---what are you supposed to pull out of the closet for that movie??

The freshman also did their freshman duties by losing at boys volleyball, powder puff football, and the bed races.  Ahhhh the good times of being a freshman, thank heavens they only come once.

  Carter Allred's baby crib, re-crafted by freshman craftsman, Michael Valentine.  Maybe they should start a furniture business....

I bought these "solid gold dancer" leggings thinking ahead to all the many, many spirit dress up days ahead---what are other people buying those leggings for??

           Jackson's hair was black and gold---this led to a mistake I made later that same day.

And here is the mistake, I let the three little munchkins paint their hair for the football game Friday night.  Black was everywhere, on all our clothes, all over their faces, on my walls, ALL over my bathroom.   But no worries, my tears of regret were enough to clean the tub out.

Then on Sunday the Washington version of this gorgeous girls tenth birthday.  Sierra Joli Noftle=10 years old, I can't believe it either.

 We invited this chick, she smiles like a winner and knows the Happy Birthday song--perfect guest.

Aftyn let the rest of her family come too--Adalynn was dressed in all blue--she never let's us down in her dressing blue "phase".

Carter and Zoe wrestling on Sierra's new bedding, it's cute bedding, the fighting gets a little worn looking.

Sammi is trying to prove that watching cake boss isn't a waste of her time---so she made Sierra's cute cake.

When we got to Utah on Monday Sierra was surprised with a birthday party at Grandma Beve's house.  Grandma even invited Aunt Holly and Aunt Heather's families.  As an added bonus Magen's baby, Taytum Tank, allows all my little kiddos to cart him around, they loved it.

                                                      Some of the party attendees...

Tuesday morning we took the kids and Marci and Dallas took the Freeland kids and we all went to "This is the Place Park".  Mountain man taught us how to melt lead to make our own bullets.

We panned for gold.

                   Traded our gold nuggets for commodities (otherwise known as candy).

                                         Rode the wild horses of the west----"Chip and Dale".

Learned that there was a day when doing laundry was even worse than it is today---thank heavens for electricity and front loading machines.

We played hoops and sticks, and sometimes we dropped hoops and sticks, sometimes we caught hoops....

Carters' gold nugget smile reminds me of a toothless mountain man smile....

We went to the village blacksmith shop--you know errands to run metal to bend yada yada yada

                                     We happily took care of all the stock around the place....

Oh, and we done got ourselves some learnin' in at the ole schoolhouse, highly educated pioneers now.

Some did leather stamping, some (little Billy) hit Zoe in the nose with their mallets, to each their own!

But Tuesday night was the real reason for the trip---these two lovebirds tied the knot.  Your looking and Mathew and Gina Noftle.  I think she is going to love us--what's not to love!

At least Uncle Mason wore a tie to the wedding (kind of!), Carter flatly refused--he does have shoes on though, baby steps, baby steps.

Carter's favorite dessert in the world---Cheese pie (cheesecake).

These last two pictures were out of order, they refused to comply and I gave up--go ahead call me a quitter. 

Now I am caught up--until tomorrow.