Little Things Here and There

Sean was drawing using the pictures from the books as a guide.

June is going by fast.  The look and feel of things are changing, warmer sun, the light feel of t-shirts, more children playing out in the neighborhood...  Long rainy days of the Pacific Northwest is almost over and we waited all autumn, winter and spring for our glorious summer.

The Campbell household usually goes through a tough time about this time of the year.  The changes such as the end of school year, summer vacation, and what's to come after summer is terrifying for Sean.  The things we usually look foward to can seem like a growing dark shadow to a child like him.  When he is anxious, our stress level tenfolds since he is more prone to throw a Godzilla sized tantrum for a tiny conflict.  We are battling this challenge by staying cool and consistent, but it isn't easy.  He is a keen observer and quick learner though, so I hope he finds a soothing way to calm his anxiety.  He is getting better every day now, so I am sure he is on his way!

June is a busy month with big events like Mike's birthday, Father's Day, and graduation from kindergarten.  I will sure to write about those topics later, but I wanted to take a note about my early summer pleasure, Copper River Salmon!  love salmon in general, but ever since Jen introduced me to the very special fish last year, I had been looking forward to eating it and thinking of ways to cook it up perfectly.  I got a sockeye the other day from Costco and pan fried it with olive oil and lemon juice after salting it for half an hour.  The fish itself has great flavor, so you don't need to add a lot of seasoning.  The voted best recipe for Copper River, according to Seattle Times, is to pair it with a cranberry rhubarb wine reduction, but I personally like it simple.  I am looking forward to getting the king salmon next.  That is the crown jewel of Copper River.  They are the kings!

Apart from the salmon, Mike had a mini triathlon on the first weekend of June.  He felt great and placed decently.  He had hoped he swam better, but he kicked butts in bicycle.  Above all, he had fun  competing and I am happy he is getting out there and staying physically fit.  Being off the radar from racing and exercising myself, I have a lot of respect for him for keeping a strict work out schedule even though he is tired from work and family responsibilities. 

I had an exciting outing with Jen last weekend to Portland, but it is getting late and I will write about it next time!