Guys Gone, Girls Night Out.

 The boys are still on the High Adventure trip, so Jenna and I are living it up while no one is watching.  Here we are having our favorite desserts: Very Berry Sunday and a double dipped Chocolate Ice Cream Bar. The treats were wonderful, but the company even better.

We have missed the boys, but really enjoyed our time together. We've been out to dinner, shopping, to the club, gone for walks and watched some fun shows together. Jenna is a riot to be with and makes me laugh with her fun joke and impersonations.  She has also given me multiple piano and guitar performances just like old times. We will all miss her when she goes back to BYU,

TASTY!

Surfing, Rootbeer and Birthday with Shaun

 Shaun and Keith have become surf partners this past year.  They like to hit the waves early morning in Santa Cruz, surf until the afternoon breeze comes in and then head to Grandma Mills house to do some yard work for her.  This week I tagged along and had a great morning walking the beach and reading my book while they surfed.  After their yard work, we treated ourselves to an early dinner and Fudruckers.

 My Braces are still in place.  I haven't gotten use to them yet. I'll be getting fall out from this meal for the next few hours until I can brush my teeth when I get home.  I think all parents should have braces so that they can sympathize with their kids; I never realized what a trial they are.

I am c

 It was a really hot day and we couldn't resist the $1 ice cream cones.

 Pralines and Cream

Shaun opted for the cookies and cream shake.  What happened to the Butters and Mills tradition of only getting the best and most economical deal.

ROOT BEER BREWING IN CERES!

Shaun has taken up Grandpa Sherman's legacy of root beer brewing.

 The last batch Shaun made got left in the trunk of the Camry after a family get together and exploded the next day while Jenna and Riley were driving home from church, They didn't know what had hit them.  It was later that day we discovered the four Ikea bottles in bits and pieces along with a root beer soaked trunk.  It was a mess, but smelled great; probably Shaun's most potent batch yet!

 This batch was prepared especially for the fourth of July.  Shaun didn't even need to use Grandpa's light to keep it warm.  It was nearly 100 degrees in the garage that week.

Shaun keeps twicking the recipie using Riley and Connor as taste testers.  They like the the sweeter more yeasty versions.  Shaun plans on expanding his production when he gets the recipe just right. He has discovered that Root Beer making can be a dangerous business with the car explosion last month and nearly loosing his finger this week when he opened a bottle top with his bare hands. The lid grazed his fingers as it rocketed off the top and hit the wall two rooms away.  The bang was so loud, my head rang.  I am staying clear of his openings from now on.

 The Butters Family Tradition Continues

Shaun's Birthday July 6th, 2013

The Sushi Garden

 Now that the kids are older, we have a tradition of choosing where they'd like to go and eat for their Birthday dinner.  Shaun chose his favorite "The Sushi Garden." 

 This little restraunt only seats about 30 and we had to wait in line so long we finally opted for the Sushi Bar instead of a table.  It was a lot of fun watching the sushi chef work his magic all night, it was world class entertainment. Shaun enjoys making sushi himself and now knows all the tricks of the trade.

Shaun chose his favorite "Rainbow Roll" and we had to take a picture it looked so beautiful.

 Riley's roll was a little unconventional; smoked salmon, cream cheese and the traditional sushi ingredients deep fried.  It was called a Phillidelphia Roll. All of us agreed, that his was the best!  I wonder what a traditional sushi chef would think of this combination.

 Connor enjoyed his pot stickers, california roll and teriaki chicken.  With a few chop stick lesson from Riley he was able to eat his entire meal with proficiency, even though he wouldn't try the raw fish.  Maybe we'll  have another oriental elder in a few years.

 The food was great, but the company was far better!  It is so much fun to have adult children. They are my best friends.  Life just keeps getting better and better.

The managment somehow figured out that it was Shaun's birthday and served this special birthday plate without the imbarresment of singing. My favorite were the ice cream balls covered with Mochi.  I think that we'll be going back for more of those.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAUN!

 No cake or candles for Shaun.  Instead we celebrated with his favorite ice cream bars from Costco; double dipped with extra nuts.  It doesn't get much better than this.

 Heavy Heavy Hang Over. Traditions don't die easily in our family even in adulthood.

 Shaun got some strange gifts: Goat cheese, crackers, pineapple licorice, piano music, clothes and a funnel for his root beer brewing.

 It is hard to believe that our family started with this great guy 29 years ago. I can remember his first birthday when his favorite toy was a wind up train.  He was so excited with it, he wouldn't unwrap any of his other presents. Shaun has been a great son and wonderful brother. We look forward to celebrating a great many more birthdays with him.

Jenna: Home for the Summer

 Everyone loves having Jenna home for the Summer!  This picture was taken outside Red Lobster after Keith's Birthday Dinner. Jenna and I had salmon, Riley had a combination plate and Shaun had trout....it wasn't his favorite.

 

 Jenna enjoys a moment with Brianna; one of her best friends and teammates at Connor's graduation.  It is hard to believe that Jenna graduated from the same school just four years earlier.  Now both of these girls are in college.

 Jenna has become a herbal tea connoisseur.  Sometimes she drinks so much she become inebriated.

 Here we are again1

 We've been to the beach more times than I can count this summer and Jenna likes to sunbath more than surf lately.  But here she is in her wet suit heading out to boogie board some excellent waves at Manressa. Riley is in the bottom right practicing with the skim board.  We all had a great time together.

 Girls day out started with lunch at Panera Bread; it was tasty!  Later we drove all the way to the Livermore Outlet Mall and found some good buys.   Amazingly enough we saw Aunt Joleen and Amber there also; it's a small world. I imagine that shopping women find each other more often than not.

 Here we are again at the beech.  Keith and the boys headed out for the High Adventure trip. Sadly Jenna and I were home alone, so we decided to crash their beach party. We went a different route and made it 2 hours! I am not sure if the route was shorter or my foot was heavier than Keith's on the gas pedal.

 Shaun was kind enough to walk us up to the car and send us on our way to the Santa Cruz Board Walk. The scouts were sleeping over at Sunset State Beach and then going kayaking the next day, then on to white water rafting.  If Jenna and I could figure out how to crash those activities we would.

 Shaun always takes extra good care of Jenna and she does the same for him.  He'll bring home 50 cent Burger King ice cream cones and she'll make him his favorite egg sandwich.

 After getting lost on our way to the Board Walk, we finally found our way with Jenna's iPhone GPS; what did we ever do without that. We parked in the boon docks so we wouldn't have to pay for parking; another Butters/Mills tradition, and this is the view that greeted us.

Jenna is the best part of the view to me!

 We headed out past the Dream Inn and found ourselves at the pier in no time.  After looking at every restaurant and menu, we decided to go to Woody's for sandwiches and fries!

 We weren't disappointed, everything was delicious!  To top it off, we had a table next to the window with the seagulls, kayaks and a sailboat to entertain us.

 Jenna really was the best entertainment as usual !

Tonight was Dollar Rides at the Board Walk and Jenna is ready to hit the lines.

'

 We passed by fried Twinkies and Oreo's without a second look. I was tempted when Jenna told me about the toilet seat sized donuts.

 Amazingly we meet our next door neighbors on this ride...who would have guessed.

 The lines were long, but the surrounding where ideal and the company, the best!

 

This was our last ride, which we waited in line for nearly an hour.  By the time we were on the ride I was so nervous!  It was amazing flying up in the air, over the beach and water with so many colored lights on the board walk below. I don't think there could be a more beautiful or fun setting for an amusement park.

  Jenna and I screamed until we were hoarse and then powered walked to our car for the long ride home. This time Jenna drove through the windy Santa Cruz mountains and I literally had to lay my seat back and not look, she was going so fast. It was almost as if I was on another ride.

 This picture was taken today.  After Jenna got off work, she quickly changed from her surgical scrubs, puts on her suit and made her lunch before we headed out to the club. Jenna knows how to enjoy her summer! She also knows how to make it special for us.

 Shaun is going to be hungry when he sees this!