I’m 41 today!

The kids were far more excited than I was!  Dwayne made me my favorite breakfast, omelets, and the kids all dressed up special for my birthday.

 

Dwayne’s parents were in town.  I had hoped they could make it for our schools Veteran’s Day assembly, and they did!  Richard, along with the other veteran honorees were thanked in person by every student in the school.  It was a pretty moving assembly!

 

Kyla and Grandma made the cake earlier in the day and Wesley and Piper got to decorate it after school.  It was a special day, so we all had dessert first before Dwayne took me out to dinner and a movie for the evening, leaving the grandparents in charge on the homefront.

 

One reason I appreciate Darlene is that she probably take more pictures of our family than just about anyone else (except you, Sus!).

 

We went to downtown Bothell to the new McMenamins Anderson School—extra fun for me, because before McMenamins was this extra fun hotel/ tavern /sportsbar/ brewery/ restaurant/ theater/ pool, it was home to the alternative school that I taught at for 3 years. (I was in a portable out by the skate park, both of which are gone and the space much approved on.)  It’s all the old gym, cafeteria, main office, woodshop, etcetera, but so well redone.  It’s very fun. 

 

And what was extra fun, besides being able to order a cocktail in the theater, which everyone knows makes Bond movies more coherent, was that the hotel is chock full of Bothell history, and if you wander up to the third floor, north side, you will see this picture:

It was the SAS staff holiday party from 2003 or 2004!  I’m in the front row, red blouse.  Larry Goldberg is behind me and my sister-in-law, Sandi, knew him just after this, when he left SAS to teach chemistry at SPU where she was a student.  Oh, I have fond memories of this staff. 

I really don’t do much to figure out ahead of time what I want my birthday to look like (I’ve got kids, it’s probably going to turn out to be all about them anyway), but this one turned out exceptionally well.  Thanks, family!