we kicked it off last night with his birthday barbeque, where we invited family, friends and neighbors over for a backyard party. we weren't sure how the weather would do--last year, it was too warm for us to spend too much time outside, but we also knew that we'd invited too many people to all comfortably sit inside. thankfully, the weather was gorgeous and the only complaint was the flies that came out when the food was served. justin's dad and step-mom had come down from west virginia for it, as well as family in the area and several of the neighbors from our street. we grilled out, enjoyed side dishes that other people brought, and listened to a custom playlist that justin created just for the evening.
as the evening began, his mom and mike had him open one of their presents early. it was a "birthdays bite!" dog that could be signed by people attending the party. the dog was decorated with several "30"s and "over the hill" and featured huge glasses and bushy eyebrows. it was a hit!
a close-up of the dog.
here's a picture of some of the family that was visiting. my dad and joy came in as well and brought some teriyaki beef skewers that were quite popular among the guests. he's always comfortable in front of the grill.
justin in front of his cake, with 30 candles lit. we counted 'em!
and a shot of the cake before the candles were blown out. we got this custom made by "your perfect cake" here in town, and it was delicious! we had them put a steelers jersey on top with justin's last name and (of course) the number 30. there's also a steelers logo airbrushed in the background...
this tied in well with the steelers' pre-season game that was on tv last night. the guys were in and out of the house checking on the score.we spent the rest of the evening playing yard games like bocci and catching up with our family and neighbors. we missed several of our friends that were invited, but we're sure we'll get to see them soon!
today, we celebrated by going out the lunch after church and watching movies around the house. justin's taken the next couple of days off while his dad and kim are down here, so they're heading to the beach tomorrow while i have to work :(
in the meantime, i have pictures on reflector.com from my saturday morning volunteer work with university million meals, a special event planned by "stop hunger now" to help put an end to world hunger. i helped bag meals of dried vegetables, rice and soy with about 250 other volunteers during my shift, one of three that would happen through out the day. then i took pictures to use for a slideshow (i love turning my every-day activities into photo jobs!)
my brother has a job! he's the new band director at frink middle school about 45 minutes from here. we wish him the best of luck as he starts his new job tomorrow. he's already had an interesting week with a snake in the band room, finding a set of hand chimes that he wants to incorporate into general music classes, and not getting his class lists until a few minutes before open house.
i'm starting with outpatient therapy clients this week at work. i am so excited about this and think that my clients and their families are awesome. it's a refreshing change of pace.
tonight, we're saying goodbye to the olympics. i'm encouraged that it will only be a couple more weeks until real tv shows start back up! this has been a real crazy summer as far as tv is concerned, and the pickings have been quite slim. they've started playing previews for some of the upcoming fall shows, and i'm excited to finally have some decent tv back on.
no plans of yet for labor day weekend... we'll probably be figuring that out at the last minute.
that's all for now. later, y'all.
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