I Spy

For my birthday my sister, Judy, made a beautiful lap quilt. It is an "I Spy" quilt. Well, I tried it out this last weekend when we went to the Dalles to visit Ryan and Kristin and the kids. It was a hit! The kids sat on the couch with me as we searched for Popsicles, dragons, soccer balls and more. Later we spread it on the floor and discovered more great treasures. When we were packing to come home Dylan said, "next time you come, Grammy, you can bring your I SPY quilt." It was so fun to sit and discover together. Thanks, Judy, for the great treasure!

If you look closely at the picture my sister found random fabrics and created pictures within the quilt. You know the books where you say, "find a crayon, or a clown" and they search the pictures. The concept is the same. The quilt itself is beautiful and timeless and the colorful patches catch the eye and the imagination. This gift will certainly get lots of use over the years.

WICKED

Last week Craig and I were able to travel to Portland via Sammamish to see the play Wicked. It was fabulous! Can I say that too many times? It was amazing! We drove with Judy and Beau, who was a great sport since he had major surgery the day before. When we arrived in Portland we checked into our hotel right on a beautiful river downtown. Craig and I went exploring while Beau rested his sore leg and back. Walking through downtown Portland was so much fun, wet, but fun! They have beautiful little parks and interesting shops. We had no immediate timetable or restraints, the gift of empty-nesting!

Room service delivered a yummy dinner while we prepared for the eight o'clock show. Of course, there has to be a glitch. I forgot my black tank top and had to use a safety pin instead. It didn't look as cute but there was no time to run to a store. As Craig and I were finishing our last minute preparations we received a phone call. The play didn't start at eight but at seven thirty! Yikes! It must have been hilarious watching us run down the sidewalk pushing Beau in a wheelchair trying not to miss the opening.

The play was beyond wonderful! Even though I missed the first number of the second act, that's another story, it totally exceeded my expectations. The cast was superb, including the understudy for Glinda. Awesome

The next morning we were able to attend the Portland temple before we headed back to Sammamish. Stunning! I love going to different temples.

Because it was General Conference weekend and we didn't need to be back for meetings, Beau and Judy had to put up with us until Sunday afternoon. Poor Parnells... We came back relaxed and rejuvinated. What a great Spring Break! Dare I say, we had a wicked time!