I stepped out of the car and followed my friends down a forested path to an overlook of Boundary Bay.  Upon looking down, I stared, speachless, amazed.  Below me on the rocks, soaring in the air were Eagles, adults and juveniles. I watched rooted to my spot. Then realization hit and I was scrambling for my camera, my lens, kicking myself for not bringing my 70-200.  I laid down, not caring what I was laying on, and inched myself to the edge and stared taken photos. Their white heads showing up against the rocks and the water. I silently stayed there for a while enjoying the moment.  We headed down to the beach, wandering in and out of sunlight, in a tunnel of dark evergreen trees.  Magical almost, intimate, private. Stepping onto the beach, I sucked in my breath. They were there along the rocks, soaring at the base of the cliff, screeching from the trees.  Quickly laying down my belongings, I started to walk, slowly across the beach so not to scare these birds.  Hunters actually. I kept my camera ready, wanting to capture these hunters on film. I could only get so close and so I would wait, snap a few photos and move closer, hunker down and watch and take another photo.  Waiting for them to look, to fly, to stretch out their talons.  My friends waited patiently for me as I stalked these birds, watching and photographing the power as their wings lifted their huge bodies off the rock, the regalness of their stance on the rocks, their grace in the turns in the air, the rush of wind as they maneuvered their bodies through the thick branches surrounding this oasis of rocks.  We walked along the shore, talking, ambling among the rocks, listening to the eagles behind us. There were remnants of human occupation of this area, rusted out large containers now part of the landscape, almost beautiful in their own right.  A testimony of how we as people can make a mark upon a place but without care nature will overtake it and erase most of it until all that is left is rust soon to disappear too.  We returned to the eagles surrounding this calm pool of water. The tide was out and this pool remained, with large rocks creating the barrier between it and the sea.  The eagle perched upon the rocks looked as if they were attending a council meeting, solemn and important.  We sat and watched, pulling out our food, we ate lunch with the eagles. Eating lunch, watching them, so close I was overcome with the realization of how amazing this experience was and how blessed I am to live in a place that I could lunch with the eagles. So grateful for my friend who asked me to go with her to this amazing place, who remembered how much I like eagles, who was content to just wait as I photographed these amazing hunters.  Thank you Susan.

Yesterday this boy turned 18. In the eyes of the law - an adult. In the misty eyes of a parent, a lifetime of memories. This adult thing is quickly becoming a reality and then he will be gone. Last week he received his notice to register for the selective service. I've never received that letter. Oh, I knew that guys had to register but I just didn't think about it. It wasn't part of my world yet it is part of his. Today he returned home from school with his cap and gown. A reality of the end of high school. The start of the journey of adulthood, of being his own man. I guess I'm ready. It is a strange feeling. I see that he's ready even if he is fighting it in his heart.  It seems so strange to realize that I have an 18 year old son. I barely feel older than that myself sometimes. I wanted to celebrate this milestone birthday as a family and so something. We had sent him to Washington DC earlier as a birthday/graduation gift/spring break hurrah, but I wanted the day to be special. It started ok, with crepes filled with nutella and then lunch at Old World Deli but it quickly dwindled from there.  The gift that Lona and Job got him didn't arrive in time and so they made due with a card and some rolos. He just wanted to chill and play Xbox but that wasn't a birthday.  He's having a bunch of guys over on Friday night to play pingpong, pool, Xbox, maybe soccer, grill hot dogs and have a bonfire. I wonder how that is going to go. Some kids I know, some I don't, some I only know through the Xbox. It's a birthday celebration but not really because he isn't telling anyone that we are celebrating his birthday.  He just wants to "chill" with his friends before summer really begins and kids go their different ways. I guess that is what a graduation party is but there are so many that we decided to have a going away party in August instead and this relax no-agenda one now. He's maturing and letting go of so many kid things.  The change of style is nice, even a professor commented on it.I'm excited to glimpses of the adult he's becoming.  The laundry nagging bit though probably won't change.

I really don't know what goes through his mind.  Sometimes I think there is a disconnect with reality but once the idea has formed there is no changing it by outside force.  So in his mind he decided on a pool table.  My house is packed.  There is no room for a pool table and I figured there was no chance on him finding a half way decent one so he started to peruse Craig's list.  He searched and searched. Everyday he would look.  Nothing in his budget. A week went by and then another and pretty soon it was a month, then a month and a half.  I wasn't worried but I should have been.  He finally found one and I said no way.  The key was to show his dad and that sealed the deal. They went to look at it.  It was decent, not great but the slate was in good condition.  Yeah. For $20 we bought a project.  In order to bring this said project home, we needed to clear out the garage. No, it isn't in the garage, it's in the family room.  However to put it in the family room, we needed to move some stuff to the garage.  It was a vicious cycle that forced me to do some much needed purging. I was ruthless with my own stuff and hoped that the kids would be the same way.  Sort of.  We did get rid of the matchbox cars, and some plastic toy figures that we used in math so long ago. I made Job go through his collection of Nerf guns and get rid of broken ones. And then we started to sink money into the project.  First it needed some balls and then a couple of cues and some chalk and while we are at it we should get new felt.  The green felt had holes in it, lots of holes.  A week later, the slate was on the frame and the felt was spray glued to the edge, the bummers were on.  However, the bummers really need to be refelted as well as replacing the feather strips and the pockets needed to be replaced. Right now the pool balls drop onto the floor. That isn't going to work for me. Oh and the corner miters are missing so that needs to be ordered as well. Part of the facing wood is missing so I need to get that cut and stained and put on.  If I do that I might as well do all of it so that it goes together so I should also replace the legs just so that it looks decent and not like it's one step away from the landfill.  So my plan for that room has totally changed and now I'm trying to make it look like a great teen/guy hangout room.  Help!

So this was Isaac's last year to play high school soccer.  He played JV.

 He was placed on the JV team.  Many of his classmates were on the Varsity team. I was sad I wanted him to make varsity. He was fine.  He wanted to play and he knew that if he played varsity he would play the bench.  While being on JV he played almost every minute of every game. He became a leader on his team and by playing center defender he would call out instructions to his teammates and encourage them. He would  explain things to his wing defenders and made some great friends this way.  At night when he didn't have homework he would get onto the Xbox and play FIFA against some of his team mates.  His last game, he called me and texted me to show up 10 minutes early.  I tried my hardest to get there.  I was in south Bellingham and drove home to grab my camera and then to the school.  I pulled into the parking lot because I didn't realize that this day I could have driven all the way to the field. I had maybe twenty minute warning to be there early.  I had no idea why just that he said please.  I didn't make it.  Turns out they were honoring the seniors and even though he was on JV he and two others were being honored as well.  I really wish I had known.  He didn't know until then.  When he walked over with flowers my heart broke.  The only time he was being honored for being a senior and I missed it.  He didn't get recognition for chess, and he didn't play tennis due to school.  I felt horrible. With the first there are so many things that I mess up on and this was an easy one, and I messed it up.  He was so gracious.  He came over to me and gave the flowers, took a selfie with me and said, "It's ok Mom, I love you."  Sometimes he melts my heart and other times I just want to beat him. His youth group leader came to watch his last game and Isaac gave him a man hug afterwards and said thank you.  He also walked over to the Ref and chatted with him.  He had worked as his AR just the day before so was chatting with him.  Then when his coach wasn't looking, he took the gatorade bucket and dumped it on him. I think most of his team mates really liked him.