table

Last week I shared picture of my new chairs that were a Valentines day surprise from the Mr.
What I didn't share is my new (to me) table that they now accompany.

We've always had an espresso brown counter height table with a hidden butterfly leaf.  I have really enjoyed having it, because we love to entertain and it opens up to seat 8 adults comfortably. 

I thought I'd never grow old of it.
And then one day I spotted a NEW table through the Habitat for Humanity storefront window as I was recklessly daydreaming driving by. I immediately stopped the car and ran inside.
It was love at first sight.

And that's when I decided I was sick of my old table.

I could tell right away that it was a quality piece of furniture.
So being crazy, I immediately moved all the chairs out of the way and got down on the floor. I laid on my back and squirmed all over under the table, looking for a mark/tag.
And then I saw it...
the 2 words that make my little heart go pitter patter:

Pottery Barn.

I got up off the floor and searched around for a price tag.  When I found it, I thought surely there must have been a mistake, because it was marked at $55.
I verified the price and then tried to come up with a reason why I needed (aka: want real bad) it.
After several phone calls to girlfriends for support, I did the unthinkable.

I left the store.
With no table.
Gasp!

I already had a perfectly good dining room table, the PB table lacked chairs, and I had no place to store it.
I thought about the table all week (yeah, I'm shallow like that) and pined over it...just ask my sisters how much I talked about it. I'm pretty sure they all started screening my calls to avoid hearing again about the beauty of it all.

The following Monday (9 days after my first 'sighting') I ran into my friend Kristina out thrifting. I told her about the table and she looked at me like I was crazy for not buying it. I left the store then and there, drove directly back to Habitat for Humanity and was relieved/shocked/in awe that it was still there.
Waiting.
For.
Me.

check out those legs.

I called the Mr. and announced that we were now the proud owners of a table (another one, that is). 
I love the slab top, distressed corners, chunky legs, and the fact that with it's 2 additional leaves it comfortably seats 14. 

And all the aforementioned problems? 
Solved.
Sold the old table. 
Found chairs on Craig's List. 4 of them were free.  I got the other 6 for $20:

A few (million) staples later :

+ Kilz primer:

+ new fabric:

and we have some useable chairs:

Holla.

xo,
tracy

Wings and Waves

Last June a new indoor water park opened about 30 minutes from our house in McMinnville, OR (side note: I am in love with McMinnville.  It is quaint, charming, and I feel tied to it because my family lived there from 1983-1986).  The park is called Wings and Waves and is part of the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum that houses the Spruce Goose, and tons of other planes. 

a picture i took as we left the water park.

We FINALLY got around to taking the kids there.  We didn't tell them we were going until we walked in the doors.  They were so excited:

And I was so excited we waited until the dead of winter to go...when we're all ghostly white and the holiday/post holiday weight is still lingering.
Awesome.

The park was very family-friendly...they had pools, slides, a hot tub, wave pool, and kiddie pools.
The favorite attraction for our family?
Definitely the 4 water slides...after climbing 7,374 stairs (really it was 78, but felt like a lot more.  See comment above about the lingering holiday weight), we found ourselves in an airplane that sits on top of the park.  The slides all start in the belly of the plane and flow down into the rest of the water park:

We also spend a considerable amount of time in the kiddie pool with slides, fountains, and climbing structures:

And of course, our beach bum babies couldn't wait to get goggled up and try the wave pool:

They loved it:

Except 1 little boy...who DID NOT love it and wanted to be held the entire time:

Don't you think Dylan resembles Jim Bruer (aka: goat boy) from SNL in that picture?

Yes? 

And although there are only 3 pictures of me the entire day, I was there...in all my pasty-skinned- chubby glory:

with the babes.

self photos are always so flattering.
not.

always mature.

Dylan thinks I look like a little girl who just got baptised when I'm swimming...no make up and a pony tail will do that to a girl. 
And by girl, I mean 8-year old.

I think the park was a big hit with everyone:

in the hot tub

...even this little boy:

...who finally got up the nerve to test out the waters...as we were leaving:

xo,
tracy