GOULD'S HOUSE

We have visitors! Allison and Matthew (my sister and David's cousin) are here. They came in on Saturday and will be here for two weeks. We've done some fun things so far: hiking, Superman Returns, sight seeing, music sessions (Alli and I did not partake in this strange and foreign activity). Today they got to go on the Adventure Kart Tour. It involved a boat, a bus, and some sort of Kart. They seemed to have had a great time. :) Some how Matthew has ended up being the pianist at the Swaim/Miller wedding tomorrow as well. All that to say we've kept them busy and have had lots of fun and much more to come.

I love the 4th of July. I think its because i have such great memories of the day. One year while we were moving my dad did sparklers in the parking lot of a hotel. (Thanks dad for always trying to make a grim situation lots of fun:) Then there is Ketchikan's 4th. The small town parade that everyone watches just to see who is in the parade, the food and game booths that are down in the Tongass parking lot, the duck race, the Ward Lake "airshow", and so much more. Such good memories. This year I'm going to enjoy a nice breakfast with my husband and take the dog for a walk. After we are headed out for Evan and Leahs' birthday/4th of July party. This picture is of my now American husband with his Lady Liberty old navy t-shirt (can you get more patriotic?) and Sydney with her very festive red bandana! Aren't they cute!

The dream is over in all too familiar fashion, England out of the world cup on penalties. Including European championships England have gone out on penalties 6 out of the last eight miajor tournaments. Six shootouts, six loses, you'd think they'd learn how to make a penalty. I blame it on the manager Sven, he has about as much tactical accumen as a tree stump and about half the personality. Frank Lampard was runner up in the world player of the year voting, but was a total waste of time at the world cup. Beckham is way past it and should have been on the bench from the start. Oh well, two years until the euro championships and the next gut blow. I'll be rooting for either france or portugal to win it, as long as it's not germany or italy.