NXNW Oktoberfest

Ryan and Sarah love beer and never miss an opportunity to raise Luke right.

That's right, Luke is too cool for Bud Light.

We went to the North by Northwest Brewery Oktoberfest to enjoy some local beer...

...yes... we enjoyed most of it before we remembered to take a picture...

...and we also got to check out the polka bands, although it was a little too crowded to dance. But we all enjoyed the music!

Luke got the opportunity to show off his many faces to our fellow revelers.

And he tried out the bounce house...

...although he didn't get much beyond the entrance and never got up to jump.

But we did meet up with Adolfo and Pinty the Bear! We'll definitely be back at NXNW next year!

A day in Spokane

We drove from Montana back to Spokane the day before our flight back to Texas. We enjoyed an hour or so at Riverside Park downtown, where Luke enjoyed running around...

...looking around...

...and riding around!

He also got to check out the geese in the river...

...and walk over a bridge all by himself!

We had a great time in Spokane for the short time we were there, and followed up our trip to the park with Thai food with my cousin, his wife and their daughters. Lovely end to a lovely trip to the Northwest!

Family reunion, part 3

As the reunion came to a close, we gathered together for some photos. Some gathered a little easier than others.

 Luke managed to stay in the vicinity of his cousins for long enough to snap a picture or two.

The grandkids were able to hold a little more still.

But my grandparents were happy to surround themselves with the great-grandkids, too.

We also got all of us together in the meadow - one big, happy family.

Luke had a blast with Gramma Anna and Grampa Ed. He got to spend a lot of time running and climbing and getting dirty and chasing his cousins around. I'm so glad he had the chance to visit my grandparents at their wonderful home.

Family reunion, part 2

We drove around Flathead Lake and visited a couple of other breweries the next day while Luke stayed at the house with Grandpa John. First, Flathead Lake Brewing Company in Woods Bay, where we picked up a growler and shared a couple of pints around.

Then, we visited a quilt shop and an antique shop. No, there are no pictures. Sorry!

After that, we drove further around Flathead Lake and found Tamarack Brewing Company in Lakeside. We had some excellent food and excellent brews, followed by some excellent photo opportunities outside the brewpub.

Sarah turns 30!

What?! Sarah is 30??

Yep, Ryan invited some of our good friends in Austin to come out to Polvo's for some tasty Mexican food, margaritas, and hanging out to celebrate! Luke got to meet Carl and Katrina's daughter, Laura, and they enjoyed showing each other their eating skills.

We had a good (and diverse!) group, including Carl and Katrina (from TLU), John and Jose (from the local TV scene), Pastor June and Carey (from church), and Sara (one of Sarah's high school classmates). And Ryan and Luke, of course!

We ended up staying out very, very late and Luke ended up falling asleep at the table.

But we had a great time, and we're so glad everyone could come!