Birthday celebration ~ #1!!!

This year my birthday went on for a few days with much celebration & fun!!! 

It began on my actual birthday 10/23 with a PARTY ON THE GO...

My friend, Jennifer planned a day full of surprise & sheer fabulousness!!! Lauren, Nat & I met Jenn at 12:30 and the fun began right then...I entered the "PARTY WAGON"...it was decorated with pretty pink cotton puffs on my side of the van to represent some of my favorite things which are ~ polka dots, pink & all things vintage!!! 

This brought such joy to my day!!!

Next stop was for lunch...

TACO TIME ~ it's at the tippy top of my most favorites so we went through the drive thru and went up to Manito Park and ate it there.

2 Crisp Taco's & STUFFED Mexi fries with ranch dressing!!! That's what I ALWAYS have & this day wasn't any different!!!

Whenever sitting in the birthday seat I was to wear the pretty pink boa! :)

The next stop & surprise was just that  ~ A COMPLETE SURPRISE!!!

We pulled up to St. John's Cathedral and I could not figure out what Jenn had in mind for this stop! She went in ahead of us girls and spoke to the secretary and before I knew it I was being ushered into the sanctuary to PLAY THE PIPE ORGAN!!! Jennifer knew I played the piano & the organ and wanted to hear me play the pipe organ...IT WAS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!

Glad it came back to me since I had not played the organ in about 12 years!!!

BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL!!!

MY FRIEND JENNIFER~WHAT A TREASURE!!!

NEXT STOP & SURPRISE...
Drove out to Rockford and went to Hurd Mercantile ~ a store I wanted to visit but hadn't yet ~ Jenn remembered!!! What a girl!!!

Words cannot express how thankful I am for this dear friend!!!

So much fun ~ shopping, spending time with my girls & just being together!
Hurd Mercantile is definitely worth the drive out to Rockford!!!

YET ANOTHER STOP & SURPRISE...
Jenn dropped Lauren & I off at the drugstore in Fairfield and said she & Nat would be back for us! I sure did wonder what was going now!!! She came back about 15 minutes later and took us down to the city park where she had a party set up in the pavilion!!!
THE REASON FOR THAT:
 She wanted to celebrate where & how our friendship began which was at Farm Chicks but knew she couldn't have a party at the fairgrounds so next best place...the spot where the original Farm Chicks show took place. The pavilion at the park {in Fairfield, WA} is directly in front of where Jenn's spot used to be! Now you can bet that made me teary eyed!

Jennifer's {vintage} tablecloth ~ birthday on one side ~ Christmas on the other!

Alittle chilly ~ glad for a {vintage} quilt!

Even the graffiti is sweeter in Fairfield!!!

 

 

SOOOOO MUCH FUN!!!

Last stop ~ at my mom's ... I wanted her to see the party wagon. We called her and said we would be to her home in about 30 minutes and when we arrived she had set alittle party up for the 3 of us! It was so sweet!

So very grateful for this lovely lady who gave birth to me on
10/23
at 10/23 a.m.

This day was such a blessing to me and one that I will always remember fondly!!! So many great surprises and all with people I love so dearly!!! 

THANK YOU JENNIFER ~ you are truly amazing!!! 

SWEET MEMORIES

My Poppy {my mom's dad} & I shared the same birthday!

 I was born on his 50th birthday in 1967!

It made celebrating our birthdays all the more special! It's hard to believe this year as I turned 45 he would have been 95...especially as I look at this picture from our birthday party in 1975!!!

Poppy lived to be 89 ~ and was a wonderful grandfather to me and I cherish all the sweet memories through the years. Highest on my list is every Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. ~ SHARP ~ he came and picked up my sister Laura & I at our home in DuPont and took us to breakfast at VIP'S in Nisqually! We lived at 705 Louviers Ave. and he and Granny lived at 206 Brandywine Ave., just 4 blocks away from us! The joys of small town living!!!

This picture is one of my favorites of us and as I look at it I remember how much I LOVED that orange flowered shirt! :)

MY BLUE HEAVEN

I could just get lost in this sea of blue...

Today is my Natalie's 17th birthday!!! Again this morning I woke up wondering where all the time has gone and how fast the days pass by! One day she was a little tiny baby in my arms...

and I blinked and now she's this AMAZING individual...

Just a few things I ADMIRE about this girl...

~ she's not afraid to try anything

~ she's so loving & affectionate

~ she's so helpful

~ she's so talented and can do ANYTHING she puts her mind to

~ she's tenderhearted

~ she's generous 

~ she's STRONG physically, mentally & emotionally

~ she's a hard worker

~ she's a loyal & wonderful sister

~ she's a phenomenal granddaughter

~ she's a GREAT cook

~ she's a fantastic friend to so many

~ she is such a sweet daughter to her dad & me

~ she gives the BEST {squish} hugs

I could on all day with this list ~ you get the picture...I just absolutely love & adore my youngest child! It is truly a privilege to be her mom! I also know for sure that her dad is just as proud of her and counts it a joy to be her dad!!!

  

This is one of my favorite pictures...Jim came home for lunch {June 1995} when we lived on McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma WA and I captured this candid moment...a picture surely is worth a thousand words!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATTERBUGS!!!

my May day baby GIRL ~ 20 years ago

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."

Psalm 139:13

Today is my beautiful daughter Lauren Marissa's 20th Birthday! I can't even begin to know where the time has gone...I remember so vividly the day she came into this world. 

~ The very moment they placed her in our arms...

she slipped into our hearts ~

There are not enough words to describe our precious daughter. She is such an amazing young woman and I'm so grateful to have her in my life. So many thoughts swirl through my mind as I write this...memories throughout the past 20 years...first and foremost though I want Lauren to know how very much I love her and how proud I am of her.

 I can't even begin my life without Lauren Marissa Craft!!!

~HAPPY BIRTHDAY~

YOU ARE SO VERY LOVED!!!

Happy Birthay dear Grammy Pat!!!

Today is our sweet friend, Pat Nave's 70th birthday!!! She is Grammy Pat to our whole family and we ALL just love her to pieces!!! We met the Nave's over 12 years ago when we moved to Spokane and Jim was stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base. We went to the same church...Airway Heights Baptist Church.

When we began attending that church we had decided we would "lay low" and not get involved as Jim had just returned from a year long remote assignment and we just wanted to be together as a family. Shortly thereafter 2 men came to visit us from the church and to get to know us.  Of course before they came Jim and I talked again about not getting involved and such. Al Nave and Carl Whitely were the 2 that came and they both are such endearing, sweet men. While they were there I excused myself to help Natalie finish up her bath. When I came back into the living room, Al said "So I hear you play the piano and organ?"...I replied "yes sir" while I'm sure giving Jim the death glare!!! He said his wife played the piano and he would introduce us the following Sunday.  That's how it all began! We would meet at the church during the week to practice and I really enjoyed her. She invited our family over to Sunday Dinner {kind of a lost art} and when we were done eating, Nat climbed up in Al's lap and asked if she could call him Grandpa. He said YES immediately and told Lauren and Tyler they could also and they could call Pat ~ Grammy Pat!!! I love remembering that day!!!

Grammy Pat and I have so much fun together and enjoy so many of the same hobbies. We have spent countless hours stamping and scrapbooking. She taught me how to can ~ it was a family affair ~ that we all remember fondly. Picking green beans from Grandpa's garden, snapping green beans then finally canning!!! My kids are quite certain that Grammy Pat knows everything and can fix anything. Many of you remember the time Lauren's prom dress did not fit like it had in the store and she did not realize this until 2 hours before prom. I told her an idea I had to fix it and she looked at me quite horrified & SOBBING and said "Do you think you are a seamstress?" {You can probably tell from that I'M NOT} She then said..." I WANT TO CALL GRAMMY PAT...SHE'LL KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!"  We called and she told us to come right down ~ they live only a few miles from us. GUESS WHAT??? SHE FIXED IT!!! Grammy Pat {once again} saved the day!!!

The Nave's have been there for the Craft family no matter what ~ no matter the hour ~ no matter the circumstance!!! They are the BEST and you see why I wanted to wish this very special lady the most wonderful birthday ever!

I apologized to Jim for giving him the "death glare" because as you can tell that was one of the best things he ever did.  I'm so thankful for meeting the Nave's and becoming part of their family!!!

Happy Happy Birthday to our dearest Grammy Pat!!!

We LOVE you!!!

For me you'll always be 18...

and BEAUTIFUL!

Today ~ March 22nd would have been my sisters birthday!!! Laura was 18 when she was killed in a car accident and that was almost 24 years ago. She would have been 42 today!!! I can't really wrap my brain around that fact. Whatever age someone is when they leave this earth is forever how you remember them. At least I do. It's hard to imagine what would have been...Would she have married?...Would I have had the privilege of being an aunt?...We would have gone through life's trials & triumphs TOGETHER ~ as SISTERS. The longing and ache for what might have been I don't think ever goes away. The longing and ache for what you knew to be I KNOW never goes away. I think of Laura Jennifer Miller everyday and I'm so blessed beyond measure that she was my sister.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my friend JEAN

My friend Jean ~ where do I begin ~ I knew her as a little girl then we moved to Pennsylvania when I was 9 but then moved back to Tacoma, Washington when I was 16.  My sister Laura and I spent countless hours at Olson's home...we were always welcome there. We would stay overnight if our parents were out of town, Jean took us shopping, taught us both how to drive a car :), would watch movies and visit for hours with us, cooked with us, was my wedding planner and the list could on & on. 

 Most importantly I KNOW she prayed for me. 

I admired her and always looked up to her. I've always just loved the way she is steady and true. She is the wife to Jim Olson and the mother to 3 wonderful boys {now grown men with children of their own}. She has 3 beautiful daughter in laws which I know make her so happy! She is a VERY proud grandma too!!!

She went through the tremendous loss of my sweet sister and was always there for me as I journeyed through that most difficult time.

Jean taught me how to make Chicken Divan ~ something my husband Jim is grateful for!!!

I love that Jean loves Christmas as much as I do ~ I bought my very first Santa when shopping with her! Now almost 25 years later I have lots but that first one is extra special to me. She bought herself one too! Jean loves to entertain and enjoys decorating her home ~ I love that about her!

I remember after I gave birth to Tyler {almost 24 years ago} and was in the recovery room and couldn't see anybody {I was at a military hospital and they didn't allow anyone except your spouse in} I heard Jean's voice at the nurses station and they weren't going to let her come back to me. I called the nurse and said "PLEASE" ~ she's like my family and I need to see her! :) They let her come back to see me!

I haven't seen Jean much over the last several years since we moved to Spokane however we always just pick up where we left off and I know she's always there for me. After my mom's ovarian cancer surgery almost 4 yrs. ago who do you think came to the hospital to visit me??? JEAN OLSON! Just a few months ago I emailed Jean and asked her to pray with me about something weighing heavy on my heart ~ she sent back a message that said "ON IT"! I love that about her!

She is so constant and true blue!

I just called Jean and ya know another thing I love??? She still has the same phone number she has had for over 30 years and I still remembered it in my head! I love that she answered and she sounds the same...she was just getting ready for Bible study at her home so I'm going to call her back in about an hour...

I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO TALK TO MY FRIEND

JEAN

and

tell her HOW MUCH I LOVE HER!!!

and

WISH HER THE HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS!!!

WooHoo! Saylah Grace's 1st Birthday Party!!!

Saylah Grace and her wonderful mommy Samantha

 I can't believe it... sweet little Saylah will be 1 year old on November 21st! Her party was last night and it was just so much fun! So cute to watch her playing with her little cousins, devouring her first bday cake, dancing around whenever music was played {even if it was just someone's cell phone ringing}, saying some words in her cute Saylah voice and it was just nice being together with her family and friends. Her party was a monkey theme and her mom Sam did such an amazing job with all the decorations! Saylah's Grandma and Grandpa had a yummy dinner {taco bar} for all of us to enjoy. Such a great time was had by all!

 Saylah with her 2 grandma's :) A very cool fact about Saylah's

birthday is she was born on her Grandma Deb's birthday!

Wouldn't that just be the best birthday gift ever??? :)

Saylah with her Auntie LaLa

"The Girls"

Nat, Allison, Lauren & Samantha...these girls have been friends since

they were little girls...they were our neighbors on base. We shared a fence

so our girls used to hop the fence quite a bit to go back and forth! We've

been through lots of life {good & bad} and just love this family to pieces!

Saylah was absolutely adorable opening her gifts...she really

got into it all and just looked and touched everything. 

Such a darn cutie patootie!

Sporting some of her birthday presents!

Doesn't this penguin hat just crack you up? 

Oh My!!! Her first pair of converse! Not sure if

I've ever seen anything cuter!!!

Her very own chair! Saylah's Auntie Allison painted and

decorated this just for her! I thought that was the best!

Just love this one!!!

Saylah clapping {so cute} when we were done singing the bday song to her!

Saylah is sure lovin' her some cake time!

 yum!!!

 Saylah was more than willing to share!

Sharing with her Aunt Natnat...

Saylah certainly demolished that cake!

Here she is with Auntie Allison whom she loves & adores!

Don't you want a bite of this yummy cake now too?

served from the cutest pudgy baby hands...

Party time...Nat, Chloe, Tiffany and Birthday Baby Saylah

 These 2 just absolutely LOVE each other!

.

Wouldn't you just love to know what these baby cousins were talkin' about???

Saylah with Papa Jim

One time during this last summer when we were watching Saylah, it

was time to get her ready to be picked up by her Grandpa Dave. Jim told

Saylah her "real" grandpa was coming to get her...I asked Jim what that made

him...he said "I'm the Faux Pa". Pretty funny! Even though we are not really

Saylah's grandparents we just love her like crazy and are so honored that

her mommy and {real} grandparents allow us to play such an active role in her life!

Pre bathtime...after caketime...

More of the great decorations...

My favorite tho is this picture...

{precious baby hand gripping onto her mama's hand}

this is REAL love

Saylah is such a blessing to all those around her and I'm so happy

to wish my little sugar pie a very blessed 1st birthday!