Yes, we're back from our trip to Eastern Washington. In fact, we've been back since Monday evening, but I haven't managed to write since then. So, here goes...

Bethany's end-of-school program last Friday morning was nice and simple. The kids all went bowling afterwards; Bethany had a great time. I think I'd enjoy bowling a lot more myself if I got to use the gutter guards.

That afternoon was Field Day at Mount Vernon Christian School. I was one of the many parent helpers there that day, and it was pretty fun. The kids are split into many teams of about a dozen, mixing the Kindergarteners through fifth graders. There are only ten kids in the Kindergarten class, so each team had one of them. It was great to see kids of all ages working together to compete in various events, including many normal track-and-field events and some more interesting events, like a water balloon toss, walking with an eraser on your head, etc. It was a very rainy day, but it barely rained at all while the kids were on the field, so the whole event turned out quite well.

The rest of the family met us at the school, and after Field Day was all over, we left for Eastern Washington to see our friends the Boons. It was a decent drive for the Friday of Memorial Day weekend; not too much traffic.

We had a really great time with the Boons – mostly a relaxing time of being away from home and other responsibilities. The Boons have two girls of their own, so our girls always have a great time. The older girls spent a lot of time outside in their huge yard; they've got a swing set, lots of grass, dirt, and rocks, and even a litter of five cute kittens.

We adults played cards in the evenings, ate lots of great food, drank more alcohol than I’ve ever drunk in a weekend (don’t panic – that would be two hard lemonades and a daiquiri), and relaxed as much as possible. Greg and I even managed to fit in two games of Risk. His dice were gracious hosts.

The view from their house includes farmland and horses; in fact, from the window, we watched a horse give birth! Amazing how quickly a foal gets on its feet; Rebecca is still trying to figure out how to get from point A to point B.

The wives took the younger girls shopping on Monday, so the husbands took the older girls to the “dinosaur park” that’s nearby. After a great barbeque lunch on Monday, we finally had to say farewell. I wish we’d have stayed a bit longer, because we soon hit standstill traffic outside of Cle Elum, and spent a couple of hours driving a handful of miles.

Still, we finally got past the traffic and made it safely home before the Mariners game was over. A great Memorial Day weekend that I hope we can repeat in the future.