Billingham!

No, that's not a typo you see in the title of this post...BILLINGHAM it is! Why the name Billingham you ask? Well, I see this post as a great fusion of all that is Bellingham and all that is Bill. I was out and about this weekend taking a few pics...enjoy!
A view from Taylor Dock looking toward Fairhaven.
Marine Park...looking out to Bellingham Bay - Take 1Marine Park...looking out to Bellingham Bay - Take 2, a different perspective. What a pretty day this was. The sun had just gone down.

Bill has the absolute best ears in the history of cute ears. I love them...so expressive!
Bill is basking in the Winter sun. Ahhhhhhh!

Me! Me! Me! Take my picture please...good times for Bill!!!

Just Plain Fun!

Last weekend marked our 5th Annual trip to Plain, Washington. This getaway has now become one of the great traditions in Plain history and what a great weekend it was! Time was spent relaxing, eating, sledding, visiting and yes...more sledding. A huge thank you goes to Chris and Amy for the wonderful invite once again! Another great year with good times for everyone!

The infamous Beatte cabin. Thanks so much to Gordy and Margaret for having us year after year!

Here is the whole Plain crew, minus Avery. She was upstairs taking a much needed nap...sledding sure does wipe you out!

Lexi and Susan cheering on Chris (of the Roselli variety) as he is hard at work shoveling the track!A classic Plain self-portrait...Elizabeth, Susan, Amy and me. This one took about 4 tries, but we finally got it!

Guess who? Yet another portrait of self...Amy and me. We are standing behind an ice sculpture in Leavenworth. Sehr gut!!The traditional Gazebo Jig, minus Chris (of the Comeau variety). The Roselli Fam is having a good ol' time in freezing Leavenworth!

And, yes...there was sledding and lots of it! Kudos to the event photographer, Brian Viles!

Thanks again to all of you for another year at the cabin, filled with many new memories!

Shrum Family Holiday Fun!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to one and all! The Shrum Family gathered together for Christmas this year and it was a white one! We sure did have a lot of snow!

Ron, Leah and Rowan celebrated their Christmas in London. We sure missed having them here, but we chatted with them on the phone...international good times for sure! Enjoy the pics from our Holiday fun!

Mom and I took a walk to Haggen to pick up some Holiday goodies. It sure was a cold one!Bill loved having Kevin home! This is a rare moment of Bill actually cuddling!Mom and Dad opening gifts on Christmas Eve from Ron, Leah and Rowan! They're going to be stylin' in their new duds!
Mom, Dad, Kevin and I drove down to Lynnwood on the 26th to celebrate Christmas with Rick, Machen, Payton and Bailey. Grandma and two of her girls...Payton and Bailey! What a great shot of these 3 gals!Ron sent Rick a cool shirt from his travels to South Carolina. The shirt matched Rick's cool Christmas shorts perfectly!
Machen and Kevin were battling it out in Wii Tennis. As you can tell from the body language, Kevin was victorious and Machen suffered a defeat!

WiiGMa and BaiWii were driving like pros on MarioKart. Look at that concentration! Wii sure did have a great time playing games!

One of the coolest moments came when Mom and Dad opened a once in a lifetime gift. All the kids gave them 2 round trip tickets to Italy to visit Ron, Leah and Rowan! Here's Dad with their Lonely Planet travel book and their boarding passes. Happy travels!!

Good Times...Holiday Style

A Christmas Gift Exchange...

A gift for a friend...$10. A White Elephant Gift...free. A cheesecake from Costco...$10. A cheesy Holiday vest...$10 (on sale, of course). A memorable and snowy night with friends...PRICELESS. All of these things add up to good times! Santa even found time to make an appearance and pose for a few pictures! I know that both Amy and Angela asked Santa for a sweater vest just like mine!

Angela, Amy and Emily are anxiously awaiting the arrivals of their bundles of joy! This is the first official picture their kids will have taken with Santa!

Santa has checked his list...Chris and Susan have been very good this year!

Nick was the recipient of the worst White Elephant gift in the history of White Elephant gifts! Can you tell what he got?

Annie and Lynda were the recipients of the 2nd worst White Elephant gifts ever. I bet they both wore their new sweaters to school on Monday!

Let it snow! We all took a break from the gift giving to play in the snow!

The Peach Pit...a snowy, winter wonderland!

Thanksgiving in Montana

Nothing beats a trip home to be with friends and family for the Holidays. Mom, Dad and I joined Karen, Dave and Carie, Mark and Max for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. (5 pounds of ham, anyone?) The Tafts and the Shrums together again for Thanksgiving...good times indeed! A great shot of the guys...Dad and Dave.And a great shot of the gals...Mom and Karen!A trip to Taco Treat is an absolute must whenever we are in Great Falls! Who needs a Thanksgiving feast, when you can have a Cheese Crisp with Beef?

Kitchen Makeover: Part 2

The Shrum Kitchen has undergone yet another transformation! Mom and I consulted with Karen, who served as our personal interior designer, and chose the perfect paint color...Spicy Hue. Once that decision was made, there was no turning back! Enjoy the pics of the new and improved "good time" kitchen.

Before...check out the really cool light orange paint.More really cool light orange paint, fully equipped with lovely blue tape!

Karen hard at work. This was the trickiest corner of the entire kitchen and she handled it like a painting pro!After...The final product! Spicy Hue adds spice to any kitchen! A second look at the finished product...the floor, the countertops and the new color. Next up: new hardware for the cabinets!

The Mile High City

The Colorado Rocky Mountain High I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky. The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye...Rocky mountain high. ~ John Denver

Mom, Dad and I were able to spend the Halloween weekend in Denver with Kevin and Dennis! Trust me, our good times were a true Rocky Mountain High! Enjoy taking a peek at our fun!

Mom and Dad taking a bench break along the 16th Street Mall, after some browsing in a few shops.

Kevin in front of the Capitol Building...pondering the education of Colorado's children.Yes...that is Mom running across the street to get to the Capitol! I guess she was really excited to get there! What great form!Kevin and Mom...what a great shot!

Here's Mom...one mile above sea level on the steps of the Capitol.

A classic self-portrait in the smallest elevator in all of Denver!Here we are in Boulder. We drove there for the day...great shopping was had by all! GO BUFFS! Lewis and Clark even made an appearance during this trip! HARK! Yet another self-portrait! I love this one!

Kevin and Dennis with a couple of their new friends. This was outside the biggest R.E.I. we have ever seen in our lives!

A view of Downtown Denver from the apartment. What a view!

Thanks so much to Kevin and Dennis for making all of us feel so welcome at their place and showing us the wonderful city of Denver! Can't wait until our next visit!