We Ain't Rednecks

2011 recap

2012-01-15T23:27:00.000-08:00

Well, It has been too long since I have been on here. And looking at most of my blog list, probably hardly anyone noticed. I have spent the last few weeks trying to decide if I was going to continue. I am hoping that our lives have settled down a bit, and I can get back into the habit of posting regularly...mostly for the purpose of recording our family history....journaling...and if anyone is interested, they can continue to follow.

2011 was quite a year for us. Good, Bad and Ugly...that is for sure.
Jeremy's schooling...3 months away from home and countless hours at the Fire Dept...and unfortunately many, many more hours than we anticipated....even worst case scenario. BUT...he finally got his calls completed this week! so, we can move on to the next phase...
Lori's Breast Cancer ordeal. took pretty much all of 2011! she had one final (hopefully) surgery last week. Fortunately, she seems to be cancer free...we hope she stays that way.
Her cancer prompted me to finally get my first mammogram at 45...well, probably 44. which turned out fine.
When Jeremy came home from Idaho, he brought a friend, classmate...Sam, with his dog, Ottis. They ended up living with us for about 7 months off and on, sometimes his wife would come and stay. They were in the process of relocating and finally moved up here in November. We love them, and really enjoyed having them with us.
We also had some other friends live with us, while they were in the process of relocating and finding a job. They were a family of 5. They mostly slept in the Motorhome and shared the house, kitchen, so they wouldn't go stircrazy in there. They were with us for about 3-4 months. It went amazingly well, I think we all felt amazingly blessed through the whole ordeal. They expected to be here only a week or so tops, but life didn't work out that way. They had little ones 4 and 6, which was a joy to have around again...and a teen daughter whom Kas LoVeD!!!
About the same time everyone moved out, we found out the house of our dreams was for sale, and we actually had a shot of getting it. We were able to move in on Nov 12. My birthday present. :) I painted all day for my birthday. Everyone was super busy....so I bought myself a pie, and we basically ate it on the fly...but it was still an incredible birthday. I was moving into a dream house that would be ours!!!It is a big, beautiful house, with a big shop, and 10 acres. We are in heaven...pretty much.
We felt very humbled, awed, blessed. It has been truly amazing. I think we have experienced enough in life to know that we can't take anything for granted....so, our amazement still continues...
Business is still going. I don't think we could live off our construction income if we had to, but it is definitely a nice supplement. We feel totally blessed in that as well, because many businesses are going under. At first it was out of towners, which was good, but then some of our friends started going under, especially ones who were hard workers with mad skills....people we care about...and it didn't seem so great. We have had to take more jobs that we normally would have turned down, when construction was booming, but such is life. It will be interesting to see what 2012 brings. Will things continue to go down, or gradually start picking up??? we shall see.
2011 was a big year for our kids! Kasidee entered Jr High this year, and turned 13 at the end of the year...which put us into a new era....of a family of teens! All of my kids being out of Elementary School was a weird thing.. it had me freaked out for a bit. My daughter going into 'the big school' also was a little hard to take. But, we are moving forward...and adjusting to this new phase. Elijah is taking drivers ed...and will get his license. and Kaleb officially started dating in 2011!
We also have a new dog, Jack. He's a male boxer about 4 years old...I think. Great dog. pretty much.
I almost forgot 2 things.
My parents and Amber are here for the winter. Our house has somewhat of a mother in law apartment attached, so they are staying there. They have been helping out a bunch with updating the house and outbuildings, and stuff. They have been a great help, and good to have around.

and....Almost my whole Simpson family came for Christmas. It was soo great having everyone here, and we really missed those who couldn't come. I hate living away from everyone.

Well, I think that is the highlights. We feel very blessed, and are grateful that the hard things, have worked themselves out, and the blessings have been incredible. I forgot to mention sports....soccer, football, karate/mma, baseball, basketball, wrestling....we are busy, busy, busy..and very proud parents. They guys have also been working on kayaking (thanks to Sam) and surfing.

It will be interesting to see what 2012 has in store for us. Hopefully, Jeremy will get his paramedic, and still have a job by the end of the year, and we will have done a bunch more to our place. I know we can count on continued blessings, even along with the hardships. But, knowing that the Lord is with us....helps us get through every situation.

wow!

2011-08-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

I am soo behind! and have so much catching up to do....I just did a long post and totally flubbed it, cause I posted stuff I already had and didn't realize. This is going to be harder than I thought. and I already knew it was going to be hard! ugh!!!!! Oh well. We will see how it goes.

while Jeremy was gone, we had more wrestling and Kas was involved with basketball, which she really enjoys.

I refinished this shoe rack... to the green...which I liked much better...

I have really been enjoying bike riding. and every chance I could get the kids out with me I would.

more work....rot repair...pretty common on the beach. especially with houses built from out of town contractors...they just don't get the sideways rain! ;)

I refinished J's dresser! hehe. I don't know if it will be his style....but it is mine. :) and he wasn't here to object! doesn't it look beachy! :)

Lots of friends over.....

It's been so nice living closer to friends....

Easier for them to get over here....

We had some good storms. I was out at the Jetty quite a bit getting good, big wave photos! I love it!!!

We did a few hikes.... mostly in Quinault. The joys of hiking in a rain forest in the winter... the waterfall's also the trail! :)

We kept ourselves very busy. Which made the time fly by! But, I was very happy when March rolled around and we were close to Jeremy coming home!

2011-02-06T18:43:00.000-08:00

Well, Jeremy has been gone now for 5 weeks.

We weren't going to be able to see him for another 2 weeks.

That wasn't acceptable to me...

So we made arrangements and planned a meeting! :)

Pendleton...

Thursday night....

Jeremy got out of his schooling at 5 and I could leave by around 12 or 1...so it was going to be perfect!

Well, I made arrangements for the kids and stuff

and headed out.

I was soo excited, even for the short time we would be together.

I got a few books on cd...because I was going to spend plenty of time in the car.

In fact...I think I spent as much time in the car, traveling as I spent with Jeremy!

Jeremy thought he was going to be able to get out of class early, but he ended up being late...

so I drove the extra 45 or so miles to LeGrande.

I reached him around 8:30 or 9:00.

He'd gotten a room for us.

and was at the store getting snacks for us.

and a swimsuit for me...I forgot mine.

and they had a hot tub.

We relaxed in the tub, which was great after the long drive.

had a picnic on the bed! highly recommended! ;)

and just enjoyed being with each other!

oh how I miss that guy!

The next morning I gave him a haircut....

in the tub...so it wouldn't make a big mess.

I can imagine what the cleaner thought with the scragglies we didn't get! ;)

After checking out, we had a few hours...

we tried to find a scenic route.

The view was pretty.

But, we couldn't find many roads into the mountains.

We both had to leave in the early afternoon..so, after a few hours...we had lunch.

We tried to find a restaurant...but settled for Denny's.
Ate lunch. Dreaded the fact that we were leaving each other.
But, also being anxious to get on the road, so I wasn't home too late.

Realized we kept forgetting to take a picture together!

Made a few attempts.....but got a few good shots!

And then we were off. While J was getting ready to go, I willed myself to not cry...

I would see him again in a few weeks...

and I had a lot of alone time ahead of me.

I did pretty good...

I think.

I am so glad we were able to make the arrangements.
It was soo nice, and needed...for me.
and I got some good shopping in to and from! ;)

I am so proud of J. He is doing such a great job.
I am proud of the kids...and the help they have been throughout this whole thing.
I am grateful for our friends and church family...we have been truly blessed!
Life is good. Dreams do come true!

the ups and downs

2011-01-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

So, I mentioned in my Christmas post that we made a quick trip to Utah. I don't think I mentioned that it wasn't planned, but I begged, and wonderful J made it work. While I was thinking on going, I kept thinking of Lori...she's had a rough few years getting hit with the economy problems and stuff...and so I wondered if that was why. I had her and Matt for Christmas this year, and I wondered if that was why...But, I just felt the need to spend time with her a bit more than the others. We did have a wonderful time...even though it was a super short visit. And I was very grateful.
Little did I know, within hours after we rolled out of town, Lori noticed a lump in her breast. She is only 30, and has had cysts or lumps develop on her body...can't remember what they are called.....that aren't anything. So, there was a little worry, but nothing major. We had a similar scare with Jessie a few years ago that ended up fine.
Well, Lori has cancer. Breast Cancer. I think it is non invasive....It is amazing the things you learn, when it is you or your sister or mother with the dreaded disease. The words all of a sudden have so much more meaning. She has had 2 practically polar opposite opinions. She wants to be healed. She doesn't want to have to be cut into. She probably wants to wake up from this bad dream and just go on with her already difficult life...where she was already putting her trust in God that things would work out for her beautiful little family...even if that meant not exactly the way she imagined or hoped.
Now, she has to make the hard decisions....surgery...and how invasive do you go. take out the lump, take out the breast. take out both...just to be safe. take out all the girl parts to be even safer..... where do you go. where do you draw the line? or...eat better, take nutritional supplements and pray for a healing? There are soo many options. But the wrong one could be detrimental.
She has 5 kids. The baby isn't even one yet. Her big kids aren't even teenagers yet!
I think for the most part this type of cancer doesn't kill.
But, it can. complications can kill. It can spread. Is she more suseptible? What caused it? Why didn't it happen to me? I'm the older sister. She's the little sister. The one we protect.
But, here I am. about a 1000 miles away.
Not able to do much to help.
Except pray.
and send good thoughts.
wow. life can throw you for a curve sometimes.
It does seem like she is being brave, and responsible and mature, and faithful through the whole ordeal.
I do have confidence that she will handle this step in life very well....
and then be able to move on to bigger and better things.

January

2011-01-28T12:51:00.000-08:00

We have looked forward to 2011 with anticipation. and here it is. I can't believe we are already through January! wow!
Before we were even home from Idaho, after leaving him behind, Jeremy'd researched and set up skype. He ran Kaleb through the motions so we could talk to him right off the bat. We used it every day for a bit, and now use it occasionally, but I was amazed how much nicer it was to actually see J while I was talking to him. And look at his nice back drop. :) I love technology...and how easy it is to keep in touch with each other.

We had snow....but just a bit. I was excited, but it isn't great for trying to caulk siding on a house! :)

We had to get the trash trailer unstuck....thankfully Dad was here to help.

Which reminds me, Mom, Dad and Amber came to visit for 2 weeks. Mom had a cast on up past her elbow...I can't believe I didn't get a photo of it. In fact I don't have any photographic evidence of their visit, except for a few of Dad helping us at work. I was soo busy those few weeks, that I failed big time in capturing their visit. Sorry. which makes me think that Mom probably doesn't even have a photo of her with her cast. dang!
Anyways, we had a great time with them here, except that I had to work most of the time. They will probably be back soon.
Kaleb had a few meets for us to watch and did very well.

We got a job where we had to replace old posts...because of the rotting brackets...stainless steel people... which was a fun change of pace, except I guess the hand digging that had to happen. Fortunately I was busy doing something else.

old.....

new.

Jeremy missed a fire. I don't think he was disappointed. I am sure he would much rather be doing what he is doing right now.

We have had some gorgeous sunrises. I don't usually get up early enough to enjoy them...and I live it the perfect place for them. this photo doesn't even come close to doing it justice.

and amazing sunsets these last few weeks. once again...the photo doesn't do justice.

Jeremy is doing great. He is mostly loving his experience. He is learning alot, and meeting alot of great people. I think I already shared a link to follow along with his life at maltezemisfits.com .
We have been busy, sometimes lonely, sick, happy, blessed, learning, growing, stretching.....already this year. It will be interesting to see what next month holds.
Tonight Elijah has a campout. Kaleb has an away tournament...so there are already more adventures ahead.

Christmas

2011-01-16T22:39:00.000-08:00

I hate to say this...but I lost alot of pictures from Kas's birthday and Christmas and our trip to Idaho and Utah. I am hoping to find them eventually but as of now...they are gone. Sooo disappointing.
BUT....we did have a wonderful holiday.
School let out,
We had Kasidee's birthday party with her friends.
Branch Christmas Party
Took Kas out to dinner for her birthday.
Sunday J had to work..but was able to get off early...8 pm I think...so we decided to leave for Idaho at midnight.
Stopped after 3-4 hours and slept at a rest area...oh how I love traveling in the Motorhome! Early the next morning we headed out again...with a great head start. We had a good trip down. In Motorhome, towing the bike.
There was ice...and we actually had an hour or 2 of scary roads...suvs in the ditches all over the place...but we drove slow and got through fine.
Arrived in Idaho Monday evening.
Tuesday we ventured out to Meridian to find J's school. Guardian College. He met one of the ladies who's helped him through the registration process.
After checking out the school and stuff we helped some friends move into their new house. and did some errand running.
The next few days got us ready for Christmas and starting school for J. Such an array of emotions.
We had a pleasant Christmas Eve with all the Randy Towery family, where I met Tammy and Tom's 2 babes (soo sweet). UnclePaul and Aunt Barb McKnight and Buffy (cousin) and her family. It was great seeing everyone, and such a change of pace, with 5 babies under the age of 1 at the party....It was wonderful! :) I was in beautiful baby heaven!
We spent Christmas day with G and G Jello. Very nice, mellow day. We spent most of it watching old movies...and somehow started watching the old Star Trek movies...not exactly a favorite of mine, but they were pretty funny! :) and the kids loved them. After that we watched one a night. :)
Sunday afternoon We headed to Utah to visit my siblings. It was a quick trip....we left tues afternoon....but well worth it. I love hanging out with my family, and miss them terribly.
I visited an old friend, dinner with family again and prepared to head home...oh the torment...leaving J behind.
But, we managed. And headed out Saturday morning. Our trip home was uneventful, except that my allergies got out of control! I was soo sick by the time we got home. Kaleb drove a bit, which helped...and I just trudged along so we could get HOME. I just wanted to get on with things so it could be over sooner!
When we got home I took some drugs and promptly fell asleep.
Sunday morning, I figured I wouldn't make it to church cause I felt so lousy the day before. But, I woke up at 9:35 and really didn't want to miss...so we rushed around and was only a few minutes late 10:00. It really was pathetic..but I was glad I went.
Monday everyone started school. Back to life. The first few days we could just pretend J was on duty...working a 48 and then 72...etc... But, after a few days reality hit!
Now we are down two weeks. J is loving his schooling and doing great! and we are fine here. Mom, Dad and Amber are here for a few weeks...Mom broke her arm the day we drove to Idaho...So we are pampering her.
I know the time will go by fast and not fast enough. I am so proud of Jeremy and all he has done to prepare for this time, and for his schooling. He went above and beyond to make it as easy for us as he could.
So, while he is there, schooling, studying, doing clinicals and various hospitals, and catching up with his family...we are here, schooling, working, living regular life, wrestling (or cheering on the wrestlers), seminary...etc. It has been crazy busy. but good! :)
We really appreciate all the help and encouragement from all our loved ones.....family and friends. It has been amazing!

Kas turns 12!

2011-01-16T17:30:00.001-08:00

My beautiful Kas turned 12 in December.
I can hardly believe it....seeing as she is my baby and all.
She is growing up to be an amazing, beautiful young woman.

She was very excited to move up at church.
Which is usually the case...no matter how much we love Primary, it is soo great to move up to YW.
The last few years I have seen more and more of who Kas really is....

a lover of nature.....

A lover of beautiful things.

An adventurer spirit....who's not afrai to work hard for something good....

A lover of the outdoors.....

Athletic....

A lover of animals....

Beautiful....

She learned how to make fruit smoothies this year...and loves them.

She loves cooking in general, and making new things

Adventurer, athletic, outdoorsy.....

A lover of beautiful things....

She loves babies and little kids.....

Even though I don't have photos of these...

she also LOVES her best friends,

and her cousins.

She loves writing, and drawing, and crafting... ( www.ktaffeestales@blogspot.com) I think

She's a lover of books.... (like her mom) :)

She's smart, wise, clever...amazing!

I am so proud to be her mom...and to see both her dad and myself in her...but especially herself.

She is an amazing young woman...

Happy Birthday Girl!

new school year!

2010-12-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

First day of school
Kas is in 6th grade...which means our last year at the grade school! I really can't believe it! It is amazing how our lives change and revolve...and I know, it's the old cliche....but so quickly!

Kaleb is in 10th grade and Elijah is in 8th...so I have a kid in each school! Amazing!

I should have a photo of Jeremy slaving away. He has constantly had a book with him the last few months. About the same time the kids started school, he started his online classes for his school in January. He was always studying and taking tests online. It has been a great blessing for him and we are very proud....because as most of you know...Jeremy and books haven't really gotten along very well in the past! :)

And, we should have a photo of me...at about 6:30 am heading out with the boys, in a dress...to teach Seminary! I am loving it, spending alot of time studying...The Doctrine and Covenants this year...and going to bed early.

In fact, Jeremy and I have basically switched rolls...now, I go to bed early and he is the one up late on the computer! Pretty funny.

It has been a great school year so far.

Kas has received 2 student of the month nominations this year. She finished out her soccer season, really enjoying it. She opted to not do volleyball this year, since it ran at the same time.

A few weeks ago, Elijah came home with three awards: Principal's Honor Roll...with a gpa for this semester of 3.49 to 3.99!!! I think it helps that most of his good friends are also very smart. :)

He also received the 'Outstanding Effort in Physical Fitness' award, which is no surprise...he usually excells on those days were they count how many of each....And, he was also nominated for the SEAHAWK of the quarter! Way to go Elijah! Doing well in sports and academics! He had a great year in Football this fall...their team only lost to one school. He was one of the team Captains, and really played great this year. Now he is onto wrestling...and having a great season so far!

Kaleb decided after a few teachers encouragement, to go out for football this year. This is his first year, so he didn't get much playing time....but we expect to see great things from him in the future. He realized he likes it pretty well, so I think after all was said and done was grateful for the encouragement. He just had his first Wrestling meet last saturday and wrestled very well. He is wrestling at 152 this year, up from 140 and 145 from last year. We will see where he stays. We have encouraged him not to drop weight much....so we will see.

Oh, and Kaleb also completed his drivers training this fall. He has been a busy kid! Seminary at 6:30, school, football, drivers ed (three nights a week) and not home until after 8 pm!!! and then all over again the next day!!! But, he's handling it well!

We are very proud of all of our kids. They are all talented, determined, amazing people. It is fun watching them grow and develop...and I know these next few years are going to be amazing.... driving, graduating, girl/boyfriends!!!! missions!!!! it's just crazy to think about! BUT, we love it!!!

a jam making fireman!

2010-12-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

While I was in Bellingham picking up Kas over the summer, Jeremy saved a few flats of strawberries from the dump. They were leftover from a ff breakfast. He wanted Strawberry Jam... I was impressed by his quick thinking.
I wasn't going to be home in time, so I told him to freeze the berries...which he did.
But, when I got back and mentioned I was going to make the jam, he said he wanted to do it. (thanks to Lacy for mentioning that a jam making fireman would be hot!!!)
Kas and I brought the stuff down to the station, and then we taught Jeremy how to make Jam. Fortunately, he had no calls while they were working. :)

Another answered prayer!

2010-12-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

As most of you know...we moved into a new house in Sept. I haven't been able to get it nice enough to take photos...to share, but here are a few from before we moved in.

I have to tell you a little about the amazingness of this whole thing.....

We have been looking for a place to move for quite awhile. The house we were in was so run down, and falling apart...and the landlord wasn't helpful on getting stuff taken care of. We lived on some beautiful land, which is what drew us there to begin with ..... but it just has not been working for awhile....but,

It is hard to find rentals in Ocean Shores that are big enough, nice enough, at a good rate. I don't want a large house, but wanted sufficient for our family. Our last place was 3000 sq ft...so we were used to a bit of space. I really couldn't even imagine living in the average size home for here...around 1500 or so. We also have alot of stuff: tools, forms, vehicles, trailers, outdoor gear...so, that requires space, plenty of parking, and decent garage...shop....etc. Needless to say, our house hunting had not gone well.

Then, one day I was highlighting a friends hair, and she mentioned that the house across the street from them had been vacant for a long time...New house...For Sale.... I thought, yeah, there are a lot of those around here...but most people don't want to rent them out. Her husband, who just walked in, mentioned the builders name...who was someone we did work for! So, I immediately started scheming...Maybe.... but I had to do a drive by first, to make sure the house was big enough for our family. At the time we were seriously thinking of moving into a tiny house....another new one, owned by a friend...but I just knew that was going to be too hard... Anyways, the house was definitely big enough...and nice enough.

I talked to J, he called the builder/owner who said they had just decided to put it available for rent! The timing was perfect. They were willing to negotiate the rent to fit into our budget....and we started moving!

I love our new place. It is on the bay...and I have a beautiful view. 4 bedrooms--so the kids each have their own room. Close to the church, schools, stores, etc...so we can ride our bikes much more. It is just perfect for what we need right now. As you can see from the above photo...there isn't alot of parking. and we have actually turned the front lawn into parking. so, even though...it keeps the redneck in us, we have plenty of parking now. We are renting with the option to buy in a year, if we want..where Jeremy already has ideas on how he can throw a shop on our lot. we will see. But, we are feeling very blessed. Maybe I will have more photos posted soon.

I like the lighting......

Big, beautiful kitchen. love it!

It is common here to have the main living areas on the second floor....for the view I imagine, which is something I really like...second floor living. It makes our house very bright, and full of light.

My soaker tub!!! bonus!!!

Master Bath...I wouldn't have picked this style, but I love it....

Family/tv/game room downstairs. Kindof small, but definitely workable.

2010-11-30T23:13:00.001-08:00

I am sorry my posts are soo long! I try to make them shorter!!!

Anniversary Ride July 2010

2010-11-30T21:19:00.000-08:00

You know...I thought I already blogged our anniversary ride, but I guess I just fb'ed it. We waited until July to go...when we had a bit more time, and while the kids were away. We had 3 days...so decided to do the Olympic Penninsula loop. I have lived here forever, and had still not seen the upper part of the Olympic Penninsula..so this was a perfect opportunity! We went to Sol Duc Hot Springs last year, and decided that would definitely be a stop this year. Except we were going to camp this year. We stopped at our usual favorite spots on the way...Kalaloch, Forks, etc... But also tried to make decent time.

We made it to camp at Sol Duc. We got the bike unloaded, the tent set up and then took a nap! Yea, we're getting old! ;)

It was soo nice to get the boots off! I loved this shot of our different boot sizes!

This is out of sequence, but lunch at Kalaloch.

We had a fire. I brought s'more stuff.

Chacos.

There's a trail that leads to a waterfall.

It was beautiful!

I love the Pacific Northwest rain forest!

Drive by of Cresent Lake, which is between Sol Duc and Port Angeles.

Cresent Lake....gorgeous! First time for me!

Port Angeles

Port Townsend ...as you can see we scored with the weather. It was gorgeous!

Our destination! The Inn at Port Ludlow! I'm in love!!!

Really liked the room! And I definitely used that tub! after 2 days of riding!

We traded the champagne in for truffles. yumm

There were soo many cute touches in the Inn. I would have posted more...but this is already very long....so I didn't.

Yummy breakfast.. The eggs looked like sour cream dollops.

the view from our room. sorry about the screen....

the back of the Inn.

Loved it! We will definitely be back!

So, we thought we would be adventurous for our ride home. Instead of taking the highway, we decided to go over the mountain....

Our nice wide road narrowed!

Oops... road block! We thought we could get around those trees....and move a little stuff...and keep going....

Until we saw where the road had caved in! No getting around that! Dang...

All we could do was turn around and hope to find another route!

We worried about that we would hit another block and have a long ways to backtrack...especially after we started climbing!

and reached this spot!

Umm...we were up there a ways!

My hunny on the bike with all the gear.

This is the road I didn't want to take back down! scary!!!

The road got pretty small! with tall grass in the center in some spots! I started to wonder what we would do if we had a break down! We had the gps...that worked up there...but I had no idea how far we were from civilization! It was a little freaky...but soo exciting as well!

the view was InCrEdIbLE!!!!!

See the road we took! Crazy!!

The road is getting bigger....a good sign! :)

We were very happy to find this road! back into civilization!

We made it to Wynoochee Lake! wew!!!

Enjoyed our lunch there. Wynoochee Lake is only about an hour from our house.

And then I found that my transplanted Hydrengeas had bloomed while we were gone. Sweet surprise!

It was such a great trip!

Jeremy and I were married 16 years ago in May. It has been quite a ride...but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am very blessed to have J as my eternal companion!

Answered Prayers

2010-11-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

I had the sweetest experience this morning.
J just pulled a 3 day at the station....which means a 72 hour shift. He got off at 8 this morning. I am not sure why, but day 2 and 3 into his shift I was having some major anxiety. It is something I deal with periodically...so not really anything new.
It was especially cramping my style this time cause I first needed to go to the dentist (1 hour away) yesterday and then today I needed to go to a root canal specialist in Olympia (1.5 hours away).
I did not want to go. The first night I didn't sleep most of the night because of my anxiety. Last night I did sleep well, but woke up many times..worrying about the drive in the morning. I had to leave right at 8 am to get there...basically after my seminary class, I wasn't feeling well...was discouraged about another root canal...worried about some loved ones in hard situations, and then just having basic anxiety. And, then to top it off, we had a storm last night...winds, rain...not too bad, but enough to add to my worry.
I obviously needed to get the work done, but was seriously considering changing my appointment to give me a few days to get over my anxiety...but I knew that wasn't smart either.
When I woke up I decided I would prepare like I was going, but if I was still anxious about it, I would cancel when it was time to go....after seminary. While I was teaching my class I got a text from Jeremy...who'd been up most of the night running calls....I know ..... I heard them.... ;)
I hadn't told Jeremy of my stresses...and my struggle with not wanting to go. I hadn't really had the chance, but also knew he had a busy day ahead of him with construction after being at the station for so long.
BUT, he told me to call him before I left. While I was giving my lesson, I'd pretty much resolved to myself that I would get the dang thing out of the way...and that I needed to quit being a wimp. When my class was done I called....and J told me that he'd realized this morning that he should take me! I almost started crying. I probably should have been a big girl and told him I could go on my own, but I couldn't. I just felt so grateful....
My prayer was answered.
I am grateful for a husband who listens to promptings...and still takes time out of his too busy days to let me be a wimp...and I am grateful to a Heavenly Father who answers those prayers that remind me He listens even to the little problems.
I am blessed.

Bellingham Trip July2010.

2010-11-28T14:35:00.000-08:00

So, this is old news, but I haven't posted it yet, and have cool photos to share....so...I am attempting to catch up. Sorry It has taking me so long...I have been such a slacker and am hoping to get better.
So...towards the end of July I went up to Bellingham...For Brooke's Baptism, to pick up Kas, visit my family, see the boys....etc. Grandma Clea planned a cousins week with all theGrandkids that could come, Jake and Olivia had moved up there, and Carrie came to visit. It was an awesome trip.
I love this photo of Emily and Kale...at Brooke's Baptism.

A shot of Jake's cute family.... We are so excited to have them in Bellingham...and hope it is a great change for them.

Brooke with her Simpson and Johnson Grandparents.

Elise and Seviah came with Carrie...Seviah and Brooke were inseparable.

After Brooke's Baptism, we went to a park, for food and relaxation. It was very nice.

Some of the girls also made Tanner a birthday cake...so he blew out some candles. Tanner is 12!

Kas and Maddy slept at Jessie's most of the time.

Lilah was soo happy to see Kas. She'd been in Utah for a month.

We picked berries...and taught the girls how to make Jam. Elise was very happy to make some for her family....since Lori couldn't be there. She took the job very seriously and did a great job.

Like I mentioned earlier, Grandma planned a cousin camp....which gave the mom's a bit of free time. Carrie and I took advantage of that and camped out at their place and then went on a hike with dad. I can't remember which hike it was, but it was beautiful. I hope to take my family there sometime.

Dad and Carrie.

I brought Lilah...who dragged me the whole way up...well, until Dad took her to give me a break. She has too much energy for my good! ;)

It was such a beautiful hike.

I love Mt. Baker!

Beautiful all the way around.

Carrie and I relaxing at Mom and Dads. they got the hammocks out for us, the sun was shining. It is soo peaceful there. We loved it...except I guess Carrie did have an allergy attack...I think. I guess I loved it....maybe it was more stressful for her! ;)

Gramma wanted to take the kids on a Ferry ride. We decided to go with them. We didn't ride the HYAK, but I took a photo of it just because! HYAK is our high school Mascot.

The kids were soo excited getting on the Ferry. You'd think we were doing a cruise or something. It was fun watching! I think most of the kids had been on the Ferry before but didn't remember.

Maddy with her wind blown hair!

The views were gorgeous!

Grampa being Grampa!

More gorgeous views!

Grampa, Em, Ellie, Carrie, and Grandma

It was really a gorgeous day!

We got off at Friday Harbor for ice cream....had the choice of getting right back on, or waiting about 2 hours...Grampa decided he didn't want to wait around, so we got right back on....oh well.

Jessie enjoying the sunshine....or showing off... ;)

I just love this...

And this. I always think I would love a sailboat.

Part of the clan

I didn't see the boys much, since they were in their classes...training.

They were having a great time. and only a few times felt like they were missing out. They love their classes...and worked really hard this summer.

Tanner turned 12! He had an official birthday party. It was soo cute, cause Shayne was trying to plan something spectacular for his party...but most of his cousins wouldn't have been able to come. He told his dad that he just wanted to have a party with his cousins. So we went to Whatcom Falls, played in the water and had pizza and ice cream cake. The kids had a great time. It is awesome to see the cousin love....living in Alaska, I didn't grow up with my cousins..so I am glad our kids get to a bit more.

Whatcom Falls is great for cliff jumping. Most of the kids went off this one...not too tall. Some of the Moms went too. Not me. I had the camera!

Elijah waiting for his turn.....
and jumping!

I think this is Kas....

Sorry, my pictures are out of order...and I can't get them to get in order...

Tanner cutting his birthday cake. Using the sword is a fitting tradition in his family! :)

We had such a great week there. J stayed home and worked. I brought Kas home, and Left the boys, for another month or so....which is always hard for me to do. I love my kids and love having them around. But, am also so grateful they can take advantage of Shayne's studio and spend time with Family.

catching up

2010-10-06T09:35:00.001-07:00

hehe. I just read my last post, and so much has happened since then. It is awesome. I am planning on just doing a quick recap, and add more and or post photos later. I have had so little extra time lately....but have so many post ideas....we will see what wins out in the end...knowing me. I won't ever get around to expounding on things. ;)

WE MOVED!!!!!! that is part of the reason I am so behind. we had a month to move from our old place to the new one, and it still wasn't enough time! Life is so crazy busy right now.
So, we are back in Ocean Shores, in a beautiful, new house on the bay side of the penninsula. It is always fun trying to resituate everything in the new place. I have had a bit of a time with it. I don't know what to do with all my decor, cause we don't want to put alot of holes in the new house. I love being in a new place...but it is also scary for me, cause i worry about every scratch, stain or nick we might create. Also, being a builder, I see all the little mistakes...and want to fix them. some of them are fixable and some aren't. Oh well. We are renting with the opportunity to buy when J is done with school....we will see! The week we moved in some lady approached J at the lumber store, asking if we were locked into this house cause she had one down the road with a shop...and she just knew she could help us get financing! Pretty funny. But, we will stay here at least until J is done and then who knows!

J is doing his online classes. He stays up half the night working on them. I feel so bad for him....moving, 2 jobs, being a dad and school for him...which means crazy time and little sleep. He actually got sick right along the mix...which is very uncommon for Jeremy. do you think it slowed him down? Hardly!!! He's an animal. J was worried about doing well with his classes (he is taking online classes right now) but he is doing great. I am very proud of him.

Even though the building industry has slowed down a bunch, we are super busy and seem to be getting busier. It is such a blessing for us. Hopefully I will post more about it, cause there is a cool story behind all that. BUT, we are especially grateful cause we are hoping we can have things paid off enough with extra reserve to help while J is away at school. Huge blessing!!!

Elijah started football like I mentioned earlier, and so did Kaleb much to everyone's surprise. He didn't start until school started so he is just now eligible to play. We don't have a jv team here, so he is on the varsity. We don't anticipate him playing much this year, but he has gone in a few times and is enjoying it. They have a decent team....won a few, lost a few, so.....we will see.
Elijah is doing great. He is definitely one of the stars on his team. they had a good win and a horrible loss already this year. Elijah is still one of the smallest guys on the team, but he won't let people get by him...and is hard to catch. He made his first touchdown in the first game! It was awesome.
and not to be left out...Kas is playing soccer this year. This is her first year, and she also has some natural talent. She is really enjoying it. They barely have enough teammembers so she gets a lot of play time....everyone does!

Seminary is going great. I have 5 kids who regularly come, which is awesome. they are all great kids, who make it fun! I have been blessed with being able to get up...another big blessing. I am really loving the study time, and what we are learning. So far, it is a great experience. I was released from my sunday school class...but still have my relief society position. Hopefully that will change this weekend.

Alot of people have been moving out of our already little branch. the elder's Quorum Pres, the YM Pres, the YW counselor, the Branch Counselor, the RS pres, and now maybe the new RS Pres, the other pianist..now we only have 1 who is confident to play in Sacrament Meeting! .....it is just crazy....
Lots of changes....and prayers for new members to move in!

We had wonderful visits from My parents, and Amber and Jeremy's parents within about a week apart. We loved spending time with all of them. It is hard living so far away from all our families and many friends.

Well, I think I about have us caught up. Life is good, we are very blessed. and feel soo grateful.

oops. I forgot one major important thing. Kaleb is driving! He got his learners permit. I let him drive home from Hoquiam....well, from the outskirts of Hoquiam. He has had some drive time in our yard and stuff, so I felt pretty confident. Until we went through the hills....scary! but we survived. He is always driving now. On saturday J had to do a dump run. He let Kaled drive his (standard) truck, with the full trailer to Hogans Corner....which is about 5 miles maybe....through Ocean Shores...and then bring it home empty. So, he's had his permit less than a week...and Kaleb is driving a big, jacked up truck, hauling an empty trailer, through town, and about 30 miles...driving stick shift!!!!!! crazy! but, the Towery way!!!!! I guess he almost hit a guardrail...but an inch is as good as a mile, eh? and stalled out at a turn in town..and kindof blanked out! :) but he made it! Glad he has his dad to teach him that kindof stuff. I won't even drive the trash trailer to the dump.....mostly cause I don't want to back it in...but....pretty soon I can take Kaleb and he will do it for me! :)
We are definitely moving on to a new phase of life...where the kids can drive! YIPEE!!!!

the year of new things and adventures

2010-08-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Kas spent a month in Utah by herself with family! never done that before!

I received a calling in RS....I think I had another RS calling for a few months years ago. I my adult life I have spent very little time in sunday RS meetings.

A few months later, I recieved a new calling..where my others will go away...Seminary Teacher. I have been wanting to teach Seminary. But, I don't like getting up early. I have been anti getting up before 8 pretty much my whole life. Now, I will have to get up earrrllly! I know it is possible, cause I did in the mission. But...scary! I am such a night person. BUT...I am soo excited. I love to study the gospel and don't do it nearly enough on my own. I am going to become one of those wise women who seem to know all the answers! ;) hehe. I can hope. :) Kaleb will be in my class and I will have 3, 4 maybe 5 other kids. realistically, probably 2. ;)

Jeremy is on his way to Paramedic School this winter! He's been working on making this happen for a few years now. And, amazingly it is all coming together! He will be able to keep his job, which is awesome. He will go during constructions slow time. So, hopefully we can keep that going as well. Everything is finally falling into place for it to work. It seems amazing. He will go to Boise for a 3 month intense course and then do his clinicals back here.
I love how everything is falling into place. :) blessings

This year Kaleb turns 16. 10th grade. Big things in the LDS life...becoming a priest, dating, driving. BUT. He also did very well for 9th grade. He made the honor roll...3.5-4.0! We were amazed. Kaleb doesn't really like school. and has always struggled with his grades! I was proud!

I also got the boys to read the Hunger Game series. that is a miracle. :)

Elijah is starting football this week. this is not a new adventure...but still pretty exciting. We know he will do well and are excited to watch him in action.

He got home yesterday...YAH!!!!

Kaleb had his first jiu jitzu match tonight. He said it was awesome. We weren't able to make it, since it was in Bellingham. But, can't wait to see the tape.

Anyways, lots of new and exciting stuff. maybe more to come. we will keep you posted. I still have to post my Bellingham trip. someday. :)

All is well. All is well.

2010-08-04T23:44:00.000-07:00

...gird up your loins,

fresh courage take....

our God will never us forsake.

And soon we'll have this tale to tell....

All is well...

All is well.

We sang the song in church a few weeks ago...and I don't know why I really heard those distinct words this time. But they hit me.
We are all going to have experiences in our lives...similar to the pioneers. We won't have to walk the plains. But sometimes we will have to see those we love pass on, or struggle through financially hard times. We might have to do without for a spell.

Or feel betrayed,

or ridiculed,

or harassed.

We might have to work harder than we ever have and than we think we can.

Our lives might turn out very different than we ever imagined.

Well, I think our lives WILL turn out different than we ever imagined.

BUT

when God is on our side...or when We are on HIS side....

all is well.

and then each experience will be a badge we wear...

a story to tell...

an entry to write...

a memory to reflect upon.

Because we survived.

We did the impossible...

the unlikely.

the improbable.

...and it is amazing.

One time years ago...when I was going through an especially difficult time in my life, I was given a blessing. And in the blessing I heard....all is well....all is well.

It was very touching, because even though life didn't feel 'well' at the time, I knew it could be. Hope is an amazing thing.

But what was even more amazing is that things started opening up for me.

Things I really never could have imagined.

But things the Lord knew were in my future.

All was well. I just needed to wait a bit to see it all unfold.

In my mission we had so many amazing things happen all the time. Sometimes they were really good amazing, but many times they were crazy, freaky, 'you will never believe what happened to us' amazing. We started having contests with some of the other missionaries over who had the craziest experience each week. There were some weeks we just KNEW we were going to win...but sometimes a set of Elders would come up with something even more unbelievable...It was so crazy. And it seemed like for a time we had a great story EVERY week!

This time in my life was also what I thought of...when I was singing...

and soon we'll have this tale to tell....

While we were going through some really hard things...either my comp or I would mention...we're going to win for sure this week! and all of a sudden we were relishing our crazy experience. :)

I know easy entertainment...what can I say.

but, it gave us a totally different perspective! We couldn't wait to brag our 'story'!

Wouldn't it be great if we could do that with all trials...'just wait til soandso hears about this!' instead of the standard pitty party! :)

Some of my most challenging experiences have become some of my most cherished memories.

learning how to lean on the Lord

feeling peace amid the storms

experiencing the plan of salvation first hand as loved ones takes the leap into their next estate and KNOWING they are still with us

overcoming weaknesses

All is well...All is well!

Poker Run

2010-07-19T23:38:00.000-07:00

Malteze Misfits are doing a poker run for the Sun and Surf Weekend...so we did a trial run one day. Started at the fire dept. Here's my man! :)

Quinault was the 2nd stop

we had lunch there at the cafe. Quinault Lake.

Seabrook was next. love the sign. I want one.

We went home and to work. but the next stop is the Green Lantern. and then back to shores. The first stop was the Motorcycle shop in Hoquiam. That is where J will be stationed. I won't be able to go....helping with the 24th celebration interferes! busy weekend. but, it was a great ride.

part 3 Idaho Trip...little Simpson Reunion

2010-07-19T19:00:00.001-07:00

The second reunion was at SageHen Resevoir an old hangout that we loved. We invited G and G Towery along, which was fun. They have a cute little trailer they have had for forever, they are working on restoring...this is the new toilet! gotta love it! The outhouses were real outhouses...no flush toilets or running water...so I REALLY appreciated my flush toilet in the motorhome. I am getting soft.

Gramma wasn't feeling well, but we got her in the water, which improved her health immensely! She loves water and kids...so she was right in her element.

The kids also LLLOOOOVEDD the water. It was a little chilly...but still fun! Beautiful day!

These girls were inseperable. see their matching outfits! :)

Hike.

Don't they look soo happy! :) I really think they were btw...they are just too cool to smile.

There is a photo somewhere of Jake and Judd posing at this pipe when they were younger...they were recreating! with a little help! :)

beautiful hike to a waterfall. The kids all worked together to help each other over the hard stuff...it was awesome.

Glenn is soo funny.

I did lots of haircuts...hid the hair behind a log. wonder what people will think when they find it. Is that littering? I guess hair isn't biodegradible.

Elijah learned a few new songs...and did a lot of practicing. the cute trailer and truck.

Emily was winning Grandpa Randy's heart.

watching the storm roll in. Every night a lightening storm came across the lake. Pretty awesome.

One night gave us hail. and a ton of rain. Nature is amazing. We kidnapped Lilly as much as we could.

Lots of cousins=Lots of fun!

The boys rode on our way out of camp. Getting ready to go.

brothers.

Lilah with her head out the window.

14 miles of curvy, dirt roads...perfect for the TW200's. The boys loved the ride.

Back on the highway. getting ready to load up.

They got pretty good at it. Salmon river

Looks like a friend from caldwell...the road was lined with fishermen rigs.

Long ride home.

Did I mention Elijah did alot of practicing. good thing I liked the song, and guitar music. :)

Every aspect of our vacation was wonderful. We had a great time....well, except Glenn's foot....We were very grateful for all who worked to make it wonderful for us...and for such wonderful families!

phase 2 Big Simpson Reunion

2010-07-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well, we had our Big reunion at the ranch again. We love it up there and were really glad J could come with us this year. I didn't get good photos but they'd made a lot of improvements on the lodge this year. The horses were out in the field when we got there which the kids loved. Bryan came out a day early to let us have extra riding time. He is GREAT.

The kids were happy to see their cousins.

While we were walking around the first few hours, Jeremy pointed out that my toenail was hanging! GRRRoooosssss! I didn't even feel it. It was crazy. I had to peel the rest of it off. There was soo much dead skin around my nail....it was soo ugly!!!!!but thankfully painless!

I told you we had a good horse ride. Jeremy and Elijah enjoyed helping with the horses. I didn't get any photos though.

The next morning they had the flag ceremony which is awesome.

Elijah helped raise the flag.

Dad's siblings were each on a horse. It was cool. and they all seemed to handle the horse very well.

Dad and LuretaLeland

Leonard and Doris

Nolan, the oldest....

all lined up...

My cousin, Flent singing the National Anthem...

This is Bryan's family...the cowboys of the Ranch. Aren't they cute.

One of the horses spooked from the flag...so, Bryan took her out to get her accustomed to it. It was fun watching.

The wagon and rides were a new addition. Fun rides. I missed them..cause we found something a little more exciting.

Grandma Doris with her grandkids. I just loved the shot! Glenn got in a motorbike accident, where he tore up his heel and broke a few bones. Here's my man doing what he does best! Everyone was grateful to have him around.

The 2 funny things that happened, was while J was working on the foot, and Glenn was in a ton of pain...he took a break to take some photos of the injury! soo funny! Also, about 3-4 people offered their pain drugs. We found out there was a great supply of drugs at the reunion. And everyone was soo generous! ;)

I went with Carrie to take him to the hospital. I figured she would appreciate the company...and support. ( I really went so I could take photos of the process! HA)

We had to go down to Eagle...which was a bit of a drive. We were very grateful for the pain meds Glenn was offered when he started feeling a little relief from the pain. The urgent care in Eagle was great. They said Jeremy did a great job with his butterflies...

It was pretty gross....

cleaned up and ready for sutures!

14 stitches, and 2 crushed toes. This definitely put a damper on his trip, but he was a great sport!

Saturday was the auction, which is always a hit. I got a few great things. It did get hot though. so J took off his shirt to work on his farmers tan!

We had a great time...I didn't take as many photos as I should have.

We also had a talent show the night before. and My friend Lotus came up with her kids which was an awesome treat...and I didn't even get photos!

next will be our small Simpson reunion.

If you are looking for a great place to hold a reunion, or just take your family to the mountains...check out the ranch. You will not be disappointed.

www.idahoguestranch.com

part 1 of Idaho Trip

2010-07-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

We are soo excited and anxious for our Idaho trip. Visiting family...er babies...and 2 reunions, going to 2 beautiful places, riding, and just getting out of town! A much needed vacation.
I can't remember the last time J went with us for our whole vacation...We usually leave early and then he catches up with us along the way. So, this trip was an extra treat!
As I mentioned on facebook...we had a flat less than 20 miles into our trip! well, I guess this wouldn't be considered a flat!

J's bike is on the spare! oops! Elijah will take care of that for us! HA!!

And we didn't even time it! Oops. we found out we didn't have the star wrench though! J was working right up to the hour we left...so the kids did all that packing! They were awesome..but did forget a few things. ;)

Back on the road.. We went straight to Les Schwab...and while waiting to fix the tire, we reorganized the trailer...lightened the load a bit...in hopes this would not happen again! Fortunately, no other problems!

J let me shop at the outlet mall out of troutdale, which was awesome.

and then we decided to hike up Multanomah Falls.

It's a little over a mile to the top. So, a nice hike. The kids and I did it a few years ago..so we were eager to take J.

The landing on the top.

I actually got E to smile! amazing. He's been only doing the serious shot lately.

We gained quite a bit of elevation in that mile. cool rock wall...

back at the bottom. Great hike for anyone traveling through!

We didn't leave Multanomah Falls until 7. We obviously weren't going to make it to Caldwell that night....but we traveled til late, and then slept at a rest stop...I don't even remember which one.

We made it to Idaho the next morning. It was a good trip. I love having the motorhome and being able to stop and sleep when we need to, wherever we are at!

We did a few errands tues afternoon in Caldwell...and then that night we headed over to Wendy's to meet Kalli and Dylan....weeeee!
Here's Kalli with her dad. She is soo cute.

And here's Dylan's foot...as big as J's big toe! ;)

I had a great time swapping babies. They are both adorable and were super sweet. I didn't get many photos..cause I was busy! :)

Here's big girl Ashlyn...

And, the Big girl Megan! :)

Wednesday after more errands, we went to Pickle Butte to get some riding in. Earlier in the day we set the kids up with more gear...E got 2 shirts and pants, Kaleb got a new shirt and Kas got some pink pants...and can use E's other shirt. So they were all decked out to ride. My kids are pretty conservative riders...but I am also grateful they see the value in wearing their gear.

I couldn't believe how the TW200 didn't look soo huge with Elijah anymore!!!

Since E fixed up the other TW for himself Kas inherited his old bike. We weren't sure how she was going to like it or even be interested, but she was, and did very well! :)

Here's J giving her pointers!

Taking a little break.

great shot of Kaleb

After their break, Kas was done, so J got to do a little riding.

Kurt came out. We were hoping his girls would ride with us, but they were at camp. maybe next time...

Gramma and Grandpa came out and Grandpa even gave into the temptation to ride! wooohooo! We couldn't get Gramma to get on with him though! ;)

We had a great time. I didn't ride at all.....too busy taking photos. ;) I wanted to give the kids all the time.... cause they don't get to ride as much as they want. :) yea...that's why! :)

The next morning we headed up to the ranch.....

part 2 soon to follow!

random

2010-07-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

Kas accompanied a friend during the parent's tea show. She is pretty much teaching herself. She did a great job. Last day of school with Hannah. And Mrs. Joy. Kas really enjoyed her class! On to 6th grade! craziness!

I decided not to take photos of the boys on their last day.

It's not cool for them.

I wondered what they would do if I popped out the camera at the high school!

HA!

I know I posted this on facebook, but I wanted to tell a little of the story.
J and E found this babe at a job.
Well, when I showed up a few days later, She was still laying around.
She was tiny. I parked right by her. I had J come over to see her and he confirmed she was probably the same.
I had him put his hand out so I could show how tiny she was.
but it scared her off.
we found her in the bushes.

She literally was only about a foot tall.
It was such a neat experience.
Her mom and sibling came back for her later.

This is what we were working on, while we gawked at bambi...
One day while we were working, we heard a helicopter..
so went to the jetty to see what was up...
my cute girl, with her cool sunglasses!
I think they were training.Lilah will do anything to get to the window!
She has the most incredible poses at times!

She loves hanging out the window....

and following the cars going by!

next up....our amazingly fun reunion trip!

hopefully I will have time to post soon!

Relay for Life

2010-06-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out how to download my photos onto the computer so you get the update on our Relay For Life experience. It was an incredible experience.
This is our booth for the Malteze Misfits..the motorcycle club that J is a part of. Our friend Travis (another Misfit) manned the booth most of the time. We had great neighbors. Next year we will do more with it. Being our first year with a booth, we had alot to learn...but I felt like it went well.
We were scrambling, trying to get everything together even up to the last minute...so I missed the first lap--which I wouldn't have walked. That belonged to all the survivors! J said it was amazing and very touching. The track was FULL with cancer survivors. We even had 2 relatives taking that walk. The track was full and it was probably only a small portion of cancer survivors in our community, let alone those who didn't survive. It is crazy!
Then they opened it up for all the walkers, and we started walking. It was crazy...knowing we were beginning the long slow process...24 hours to go! :)
so, we walked and walked and walked.....and walked....
This was a perfect time to people watch. There were other 24 hour walkers, many friends, many interesting characters...

These are a few of Elijah's friends....
When it got dark we took a bit of a break to light luminaries that lined the track. They also had luminaries outlining HOPE in the stands. It was quite a sight...all in memory.....

I thought walking all night was going to be killer, but I actually really enjoyed it. There were people coming and going all night. Music playing. Energy. I double dosed my yolis and made the kids drink them as well, cause I know they helped me stay awake and sane.

Kaleb challenged us to do it without caffeine or energy drinks. J and I did split a mountain dew, but other than that we didn't have any other stimulants.

It did get cold while we were walking. So, we had to bundle up a bit.

Or use a blanket. Isn't she cute!

Here we are later in the night. I don't think I got a photo of Kaleb with his book. He brought a book and would walk while he was reading. He said the only problem was it was a conversation starter. People asking what he was reading. Thinking he was clever, crazy...or whatever! Made him look like a reader. He said it was a nice way to kill the time.

I don't know if you remember but last year he had a hard time in the night...sleep walking, which some of us were a little guilty of...halucinating, etc. but he did much better this year.

This is when the sun is just coming out. We survived the night. Now just 12 more hours or so. I think that had to be the hardest...and then when it was 10 more hours, and 8 more hours...etc. Those are still all incredibly long periods of time. And thinking we had to continue that much longer just seemed crazy!

Kas did take a little nap in the night. 24 hour walkers are encouraged to take 10 min breaks each hour, so every once in awhile J would set his alarm for 8 min and take a bit of a nap. It worked for him, cause he can fall asleep in an instant! not me! but I would take rests. Elijah was having a rough time early in the morning so I forced him to take a little nap...but not for long. His friends didn't think he could do it without sleeping so he was determined. But he was also crabby! so I did the mom thing and put my foot down.

Se the lady on the right of Kas. She was also a 24 hour walker. Can you tell she is walking at a pretty hefty pace. She was amazing! She must have been in great shape.

My feet were killing me. hot spots which turned into blisters. I was doing whatever I could to get relief. I took my shoes off and walked on the grass...which felt nice to a point. I wore hiking boots cause I thought they would give added support, but I think they made things worse. Finally J put ice water on my feet, which felt soo great.....

and accessed the damage....no wonder they hurt!

Our friend had a better idea. I think this is what I am doing next year! ;) She really didn't have it so easy. Her team was a bunch of high school students! ;) The last few hours they gave away energy drinks! I was impressed J didn't take one, or 5. even for the ride home. I wondered if they were cold. sooo tempting......

Kas's friend walked the last few hours with her. They found a face painting booth... we didn't see much of her then, but she did continue to walk! ;) when she wasn't prettying herself up!

On our last hour Kaleb did a flip on the sidelines. I was freaking....envisioning landing on his head. He was soo tired...but he landed! and did great. Crazy!!!!

At 6 they gathered us all together so we could do our last lap. I was really hurting and walking very slow by then. But, when we started the last lap, I couldn't even imagine having to do one more...so I ran! I RAN!!!!! I couldn't believe it! And I cried the whole lap. I couldn't help it. THe kids had started before me...and as soon as I started J ran with me...It was awesome! After the last lap, they had announcements, which we skipped. We'd taken down our booth while we were walking, with the help of Travis...so we were ready to go.

The drive home was soo loooonnnng. But we made it!

J had to work the next morning. I had to wear slippers to church, cause there was no way I was going to get my feet into shoes.

I had blisters under both big toenails.

And 7 blisters on the rest of my feet! J had a bruise on his insole... we all had aches and pains. and a little sunburning. We had a great time. It was soo nice working on something difficult together. Just a reminder of what family is all about. J decided he was going to focus on doing relay for life as his event instead of the stair climb. We can do it together and hopefully do more good. Expect donation requests near the end of the year. We weren't very aggressive this year, cause we were soo new at it all, but we will be in the future. It is for a good cause! :)

If you ever get a chance to participate at a relay for life, or want to come and join us, I would highly encourage it! you won't regret it.

I did the thing

2010-06-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

I DID THE THING I FEARED THE MOST, EXCUSE ME WHILE I CHEER, FOR NOW I STAND A STRONGER (WO)MAN, AND ALL I'VE LOST IS FEAR!

that is one of my all time favorite quotes....I found it while I was in the midst of living my greatest fear, and felt like it was a message from God. I have a mind riddled with anxiety. I fear EVERYTHING in some way or another! Many times I sell myself short. Sometimes I like to take the easy way out...(when eternal consequences aren't involved). And, lately my life is leading me to fight some of those natural tendencies...in a good way.

Last year Kaleb did the relay for life in a big way! At 14, and his first time at the event he became a 24 hour walker. I know he had no idea what he was getting himself into. We didn't even go, and support until the morning of the second day. after he was about 14 hours into his walk. He walked all night by himself. His friend who challenged him to do it went to bed sometime in the night. He had support from wonderful women from our local grocery store...But, those of you who know Kaleb, know he doesn't like to be a bother. So, he mostly fought on himself. Our family was soo impressed with his efforts, we decided to join him this year. We became a team, and with the Malteze Misfits, have each accepted the challenge to walk the full 24! MY only excuse for not doing it, will be for the safety of Kas. I am not totally sure that an 11 year old going the full 24 is such a great idea. But, anytime I mention that to her, she reminds me she's a Towery, and a TOUGH CUSTOMER! which is a nickname her dad gave her when she was about 2. Sooo. It seems she's not going to let me use her as a scapegoat!
Anyways, I am excited about it. but also extremely nervous. I am in ok shape. and lead a fairly active life. But, I also like to be on the lazy side, and don't like pain and suffering!
I really feel for this cause. Cancer has affected my family. and I know the likelihood of getting cancer is good. It is too much in my family for my immediate family to get away scott free! I want to fight this disease! I want to help eliminate the pain it cause. I want to sacrifice in memory of those who have fought the good fight, either til the end or until they beat it. I have soo much admiration for those who've done so....
So, I will be plugging away tomorrow. Fighting my own fear of laziness...wimpiness....pain....for those I love! Please say a prayer for us! :)

Another challenge I have accepted at this time is going off sugar for 6 weeks! I love sugar, and have been a constant advocate of it's beauty! But, I have also been able to eat it in moderation, for the most part, and not suffer too much from the consequences. I have had good genes...where for the most part I could eat mostly what I want and not gain weight. Well, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. I have put on enough lbs...that I feel like I need to take more drastic measures. I don't diet well, and actually don't believe they are good. BUT, I am going to do a drastic one...hoping to jumpstart a slight lifestyle change. 6 weeks without sugar (namely chocolate, and chocolate chip cookies) is the hardest part. and alot of the same old food. I love food and variety. But 6 weeks is doable. So, here I go...on another fear...that I will fail. That I will have wasted time, money and effort in another attempt of no change! Here's to SUCCESS and doing something that seems near impossible for me...I know many people do it all the time! WOOOOHOOOOO!
I will keep you posted!

2010-05-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

I went on a field trip with Kas and her class today to some tide pools at the res. Of course our group was 'the girls' again! The 'guides'--or scientists were awesome. One was from NOAA, another from the Seattle Aquarium, and then there was a biologist from the Quinault tribe. They gave a class to the parents (or chaperones) showing us what we are to show the kids. It was a great way to do a field trip.

We saw alot of starfish and anemone.

The girls were having a blast finding stuff. The rock formations were awesome!

We also did some cave exploring. They were determined they found some bones in the back of one cave. They also convinced a bunch of other kids to go in and check it out! Pretty funny!

We were also able to see Plankton in the water and learn about how it affects the shellfish. It was a wonderful field trip. The weather was good, the ride was short. I love hanging out with Kas and her friends!

day 4 Homeward Bound

2010-05-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

So sunday morning we head home. But before we go....we are treated once again to a wonderful breakfast...and no pictures to prove it! Crepes!!! with strawberries, bananas, and nutella! YUMMERS!
Mom also made some granola bars, and I made the second batch of fudge!

While we were packing and loading up the car, the kids played Rock Band!

We stopped by the Portland temple on our way out of town. Ted, Kat and their family actually dressed appropriately. Aren't they cute!

Kas had a great time with Macy and Emma

Our group of 'girls' with Carter and Case. Ted was a big part of our weekend....but didn't want to be included in the 'girl shot'! Thanks Ted and Kat for taking in such a big group. We really were spoiled!

After the temple grounds, we went to my Old Mission Comp, Stephanie's. They had to get to church and we had to get to the train depot, so we weren't able to stay long, but it was still fun to say hi. I didn't take photos, since it was such a quick visit, even though I could have, I guess...they were all dressed in their sunday best!

It was such a great visit but as usual, I was happy to get home! I missed my boys! and I started getting sick on the way home! good thing I was able to sleep it off the next day!

day 3 part 2

2010-05-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry this is taking me so long to post. But, this is a continuation of Saturday of our Portland girls trip. I did forget to mention that Saturday morning we were spoiled with blueberry pancakes made by Ted. He'd had them at a restaurant where the blueberries were blended in the batter, so tried them out on us. They were bright blue and yummy. He also made chocolate chip pancakes and regular ones.
I also did hair earlier in the day. sideways braids. on Kas and Emma.
aren't they cuties! You can definitely see the resemblance.

The kids played dress up.....all throughout the day.

Cutie got his nails done, and was seen wearing a tutu...even wanted to take it home!

Don't you love seeing a man at the sink?!!!!!For dinner we had Ted's famous ribs. It's a secret recipe he got from a friend. They are tender, flavorful and yummy.

We couldn't get the recipe from him but found a few clues!

temp, smoking racks, butter, apple juice.....

We all loved them. Afterwards we sat around the fire, ate s'mores. Emma led us in a story where we go around the circle each sharing a sentence to the story. It was fun.

Some were quite animated.

and thoughtful.

Later Ted played the guitar. Emma also got hers out. I love this picture.

Tim also sang some interesting songs. I didn't know he was so musical. It was a great night.

Day 3 Aunt Fern Party

2010-05-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

So, friday was the Family Party at Mac and Fern Belnaps, Mom's aunt and uncle.
There were quite a few family members there--aunts and uncles, cousins...etc...
Here's Fern.

Edith.

Fay (a Callahan aunt who married a Despain)...mom comes by her looks honestly...don't you think!

Fern has done a lot of family history. She always has great stories to share. She showed us some dishes from some of the greats.

Tim in the corner, cousin Susan in the middle.

Carl, mom's cousin serenaded us throughout the day. He's very musical but just picked up the guitar on November. He was incredible. btw the sunglasses are for his blindness, not 'cool factor!' :)

The three sisters. Great group of women whom I love very much.

Fern showed us some old photos. I took pictures of pictures. didn't turn out grea, but better than nothing.

Grandpa and Grandma like I remember. Jo and Carrie Despain. Grandma's parents.Mom's siblings. I think this is when mom was my age. probably at Grandma's funeral. We realized she was my age, and mom is her mom's age when she passed away.

mom is in the middle with the scarf. remind you of anyone?

Mom's family. She is the one in the middle that looks a little like Hannah. Grandma Onita is the one sitting. Isn't she cute? Fern is the one closest. She's pretty cute too.

While we were in the bedroom looking at photos, Mac was protecting Cutie, while he was sleeping. cutecutecute!

We had a great time reaquainting ourselves. It was a good day.

but while we were visiting, Hannah broke her finger.....rescuing a golf ball! the things big sisters do!

more to come later!

Day 2 Girls weekend

2010-05-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Okay. On day 2 Mom and her sisters had planned a trip to the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens in Woodland, WA. Lilacs were their mom's favorite flower (I think) at least they make me think of Grandma Callahan. It was a bit of a drive, but beautiful....we are in the Pacific Northwest. :)
But, before we left we were treated with Kat's Buttermilk Biscuits. Did I mention she is a southern girl and knows her way around the kitchen? Oh yeah, we also had scrambled eggs and bacon. Soo yummy. I think I am going to have to get some buttermilk and attempt to make them myself.
After breakfast, we loaded up the car and headed out. Ann stayed home after having a horrible night with her allergies. Ted stayed home with the kids. Kas stayed to play with Hannah and Emma and had a great time.
This is near Ted's house. Isn't it gorgeous! We took a tour of the house and then the gardens. Anyone who knows me knows I love all things old...houses, quilts, furniture...etc...so, I really enjoyed the house...and took way too many photos. Here are a few....

Isn't this beautiful? The tour guide in the parlor played piano for us. It was lovely. She also gave a little speil about Hulda Klager and her place. She became a pro at hybrid gardening...and developed beautiful lilacs.

And sold them all over the world. She did some amazing things in her life. cute little rocker....

My sister Jessie, Kat-Ted's wife, and Aunt Deanna.

The kitchen. Isn't that stove beautiful?

Jessie mentioned how this kitchen looks alot like hers. I love the character of old homes.

This house was under flood water for 6 weeks in 1948. here's the water line...

I bought a few raffle tickets for this beautiful quilt. Maybe Kristy will help me get this one too. ;)

Enclosed porch. Sisters, Carrie and Amber.

Did I mention I also love old chairs?

And old beds? Lovelovelove this bed! and do you think that is a bed pan under the bed? And what is the horseshoe shaped thing at the end of the bed?

Wedding dress? beautiful.

Look at these boots.

Look at this gorgeous dress!!!!! I dared Carrie to try it on. It would have looked gorgeous on her. She wouldn't! but we wanted to steal it!

Another gorgeous dress.

I want this trunk. Another thing I LOVE!!!!!! red even. It actually looks alot like mine..except mine isn't red.

and these hats!

I would take this one.

So, this looks like an indoor outhouse. Not sure what it is....Beautiful back deck. Tools in the shed. or garage. and now onto the flowers.... The thing about Lilacs...they are beautiful, but also smell soo wonderful!There were soo many varieties.

I hate to say it...but I did see some fondling as well. soo soft...wonderfully smelling...

And then of course there was a gift shop. with cute things.

Jessie guarded the plants Aunt Deanna bought. We all wanted to get a few, but knew we couldn't transport them with all our luggage and or on the train. Mom did get a few shoots though.

On the way home we stopped at a mexican restaurant for lunch. No photos.

And then that night we had teriyaki salmon, Jessie's jojo's, and probably other things I can't remember. We were thoroughly spoiled. I also made fudge to share. :)

Carrie and I did get our walk in...in hopes of counteracting all the good food we ate.

Portland Girls Trip

2010-05-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

Mom and her sisters planned a sisters reunion. They invited their daughters...and 4 of us were able to attend (Lori is too pregnant). We were able to stay at Ted's house near Portland..where we could meet, and or become reacquainted with Ted's new wife, Kat...visit other relatives, and just have fun.
And, we had a great time.
Kas and I went to Centralia thursday morning where we would meet Mom, Amber, Jessie, Ann and Cutie. We gave ourselves enough time to get a little shopping done. Kas got the bright, lime green chucks she's been pining over, and i got a few things. It was good. ;) We don't have many opportunities to shop at the beach. Look at these totally cool benches at the train depot. I want one.

Here they are!
Ann and Cutie off the train..Mom and Amber...

I don't know how I missed a photo of Jessie. But, she also got off the train.

We got something to eat for the road, and then headed to PDX to pick up Carrie! weeeee....so exciting to be around my sisters...and mom...and aunt... I love my family.

Then we headed over to Ted's house. The rest of the night was pretty casual...visiting, eating, hanging out..wonderful.

Carrie and I decided we would get in a good walk every night...to help counteract all the eating we were planning on doing. We got a few miles in, but I felt like such a wimp. aches and pains and all...but good.

I love being from a large family. I love my siblings, especially my sisters. I love their spouses. I love having the opportunity to spend time with them.

I have so many photos, that I decided to make this weekend into a few posts.
.

Vancouver BC temple trip

2010-04-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

So, we were able to take a quick trip up to Canada to attend the Vancouver BC temple, in Langley. British Columbia is where J served his mission. He has fond memories of the area, and the BC temple is now in my parents temple district. It's a beautiful, fairly quick drive from their place....except for the border crossing. Going into Canada was fairly quick. And, amazingly we were there in no time. Isn't it beautiful. It is a small temple, but still something like 20,000 sq feet. ;) There is also a brand new chapel beside it...with a stake center (or much larger chapel) just down the road. Pretty interesting.

For the tour, we went into the new chapel and waited. We really only had to wait a few minutes...barely long enough for a 'washroom' break, and then it was our turn. I think they had tours going out ever 3-4 minutes, and they were taking about 25 people through each group. They then take us in a classroom and show a video about temples and the history of the church in that area.

Then we get the grand tour. they had the sidewalks over to the temple covered..which was very nice. There were volunteers at the entrance giving us booties and even assisting in putting them on. They are used to keep the carpets clean. I saw a girl all growd up that I knew when we lived there. That was awesome. There ended up being quite a few friends working that day that I had the chance to see.

While we were walking over to the temple a guy started a conversation with Kaleb...asking where he was from and such...He then mentioned that he and another guy there had served their missions in the area. I told them J had also...and after a bit of talking they all realized they were in the mission together...just at different locations. So, of the thousands of people attending the open house...3 missionaries serving at the same time....some 17 years ago...were in our small group of 25. it was crazy! and awesome.

I can't seem to be able to post a link...but if you go to lds.org

go to the newsroom

go down to the article on the Vancouver BC Temple open house

there are pictures of the inside of the temple.

It is very beautiful.

they used local artists, with artwork depicting the area. and featured the area flower in the decor. It was very beautiful. Jessie said that when Jonathan went through he noticed how you could not see any nails or nail holes..that were covered. He's done a little construction..so he had a keen eye for the minute details. Anyways, as all temple are, it was gorgeous...

After the tour, we were invited back to the cultural hall in the church for cookies. I can't imagine how many cookies they had to purchase for the open house. They appeared to be costco cookies.

I heard that just last saturday there were 6 thousand visitors...and this open house went on for 2 weeks. that's alot of cookies! :) they also served lemon water and cucumber water, which I had never tried before. It was good. I saw some other friends working there. ;) (I love my Bellingham people!)

It was a wonderful experience. I am soo glad we were able to go, and bring the kids. As is the custom for Temples, Only active, worthy adults may enter the temple after it's dedication. Youth 12 and older are able to go, only to the baptismal area, to perform baptisms for the dead. So, this was a great opportunity for our kids to see the inside of the temple.

The entrance. I am sorry my photos aren't very good. It was raining...or had been...I didn't put alot of effort into them...just got the necessary ones done. ;)

family shot.

Everyone walking back to the car.

Jessie taking photos also.

We saw this cool bridge near the temple site. I forced J to take us over it just so we could get a better view.

the golden eagle is represented

isn't it cool?

We wanted to stop and get souveniers, but I couldn't find anything convenient...so we didn't even stop anywhere else.

When we got back to the border crossing, it was quite a bit longer. .8 miles to be exact...thanks to our GPS! the kids in the back...and Lilah...she doesn't stay home yet...

we're getting closer....our frustrated driver.....

Jessie, Mom and Amber came along for the ride. It was going to be a short visit...They'd been earlier in the week at different times, so could tell us how their tours were different. Amber looks a little grumpy. I don't think she was...just didn't realize I was taking a shot I guess. the kids messing around in the back. I love having the suburban, and being able to carry a car load of people. :)

getting even closer....time to get out all our documents...3 birth certificates, 4 enhanced licenses, 1 passport, and one rabies paper! there were 4 or 5 booths open, so they were moving along pretty good, but it still probably took us 45 minutes to get through that .8 miles of vehicles.

The rest of our trip was just as quick. I forgot to mention, we only got to Bellingham late, friday evening....and had to leave Saturday afternoon. It was a very busy, beautiful, hectic, weekend.

Now I am excited for J and I to be able to do a session up there. :) Hopefully this summer sometime, while the kids are up there for Karate.

field trip

2010-04-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

Today I was able to go on a field trip with 'the girls' ..... and a few others.....

Here's my favorite 'girl'. isn't she a cutie!Of course we were at the back of the bus!

I couldn't fit all of the back seaters in.....

We went to look at the shore birds at the bay. There is a nice board walk, nature trail at the Shorebird National Wildlife Refuge.We saw mud instead.....low tide...the birds were with the water... We had an awesome guide, with a great scope...and did see a few bald eagles.

and, of course I got some poses!

Can you tell they all agreed on a look today?

hats

braids sunglasses. jean capris.

they had to look cool for the birds...of course!

there's something about bikes!

2010-04-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

So, the other day J, a friend and I went on a bike ride. We had to go to Olympia for some errands, and our friend tagged along with us. It was a beautiful day for a ride and we had a great time. We also had a very interesting experience.
While we were there I had to run to the beauty supply for a few minutes. I walked in with my riding gear on, while the guys stayed on their bikes right outside the door. As soon as I walked in, 2 girls from the back came up to see if I needed help or anything. One walked up to the door and just watched the guys for a bit and said she wanted to take her 15 min break and take a ride. I laughed and told her she should. She was soo funny, arguing with herself how she didn't even know the guys and maybe they would kill her, but she really wanted too. I took her my coat, and told her they were my husband and friend...safe...and they would love to give her a ride. I also told her if she went for a ride, I could shop longer....So, she goes out and asks. And then also asks if they will kill her if she takes a ride. It was soo funny. watching the internal struggle. and knowing she was totally safe.
J was like..'oh yeah...totally....ride with him! ' Our friend has a nice harley...a little easier to get on and off, but I also think J felt a little uncomfortable taking a girl on a ride with me right there. While she was gearing up, she was still a little apprehensive about riding with a stranger, so I told her they were firemen, thus safe! It was funny.
The other funny part about this story was the other girl working. While I was shopping she said, 'I need to see this, don't steal anything.' and then walks out to watch! I laughed soo hard. especially at the fact that her friend had my coat and helmet. I couldn't actually steal anything. It was cute.
I think bikers always like admirers. ;) fellow free spiriters!
maybe I should have tried for a discount!

2010-04-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged about it yet...and will, but the Freeman's came for spring break. Kas and Melissa are great friends, but something happened where Melissa felt the need to sock Kas in the eye! look at that form!!! (btw..this photo is deceiving, because I am certain Melissa is at least an inch taller than Kas) anyway...she got her square in the eye......and created this.......

this is a lousy shot...too bright...cause it was a decent black eye! As you can see...Kas wasn't mad at Missa. Good thing, cause they were only about half way through their visit.... I am just kidding... the real culprit of the black eye...is Lilah. She was sitting by Kas, swung her nose and smacked Kas in the eye. It was crazy. But gave her a killer black eye.

Look how innocent she looks! Then next day she jumped up on Kas, and got her again...on the other eye. She left a tiny mark, that fortunately didn't turn into another black eye. But, Kas's eye was discolored for at least a week. crazy!

I did think it was about time we officially introduced you to Lilah our newest family member. We have been talking about getting a dog for awhile. But, with Delilah (bunny) and all our chicks and Teaka..we weren't too gung ho.

But, one day we were driving by PAWS...the local animal shelter...and noticed the animals outside. We decided to stop in and take a look. BIG MISTAKE. we are suckers. and wanted to take most of them home with us. Of course, I looked at the beautiful husky type dogs. But, we have house dogs, and big, hairy huskies really wouldn't work. J and Kas went straight to Lilah and fell in love instantly. She jumped up and was friendly, but not barking a lot, and not freaking out. We talked about it, got information, said we needed to think about it, and left. We drove a few blocks talking about pros and cons, turned around and gave the man $95 and took her home. CRAZY!!!

first off.....we don't pay for dogs. But, we felt like paying the shelter was more like offering a donation. ;)

we weren't 100% sure we were ready for another dog.....

She's a fixed :) female, which is what we want, but Teaka, our old, fat dog...doesn't like anyone else to reign on her parade.

The shelter offers a 90 day trial...so...we figured what the heck.

We both strongly feel that every kid should have a dog. ALL of our kids love animals, and she did seem like a good dog. anyways.

her name was LILAH-- how sweet is that? amazingly she is about the same age as DELILAH...coincidence???? meant to be???

she's pretty well trained. a little hyper, but just a sweet, smart dog. She hardly sheds. :)

The kids LOVELOVELOVE her. Teaka tolerats her.

We have a lot of land for her to run. She takes turns sleeping with everyone. no one appreciates the 5 am wake up call to let her out...but at least she doesn't leave us treasures in the house! :)

and so far, things have been okay with the chickens, though she is VERY preoccupied with the bunny. We aren't quite sure what she wants with the bunny. intrigue, or lunch????

Anyways, we feel like we scored!

So, here's the public service announcement part.....

if you are thinking of getting a dog....

go to the local animal shelter.

but, only if you are serious.

they are all begging...take me, take me, take me.

some of them don't say anything, but just stare...pppplllleeeeaaaseee...

As you can tell, she is loads of entertainment, has lots of love, gives me an excuse to get out and walk, and is a great new addition to our family.

an embarrassing moment

2010-04-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we were sitting in church during a testimony meeting. We were listening to an emotional testimony when Jeremy nudged me. I looked over at him and he motioned for me to look the other way...at our son. I won't name names to preserve embarrassment...but one had been rooting through my purse looking for gum. He found this and thought he'd scored! Unbenownst to him, I'd realized I'd found a perfect carrier for something besides gum. My son...the unnamed one...had it open, up about chest level on the back pew.... not very discreet...with the most confused look on his face! I grabbed it, and slammed it back into my purse....and tried my dangdest and failing miserably to keep a straight face. I could not stop laughing. I would not look at my unnamed son....or J...for fear of totally losing it. I guess that will teach him for trying to steal gum from me! I guess it should teach me also...for not using a gum container for something else. but it probably won't. It just works too perfectly! at least half of my family knows to stay away from it now...so..it should be good!

Happy Birthday Kaleb and more!

2010-03-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

Last week was Kaleb's birthday!

15 years!

amazing.

Grandparents Simpson and Amber came the day before.

They brought the much loved Costco Chocolate Cake.

We had cake and such on his birthday, waited til sunday for his Birthday dinner.

and will have a party with his friends on monday!We love Kaleb very much.

He is such a blessing for us.

He was the first grandchild on both the Towery and the Simpson side, so he was much loved.

He has that awesome, curly red hair.

We thought he was going to be shy, but he isn't.

He's just not super social.

He has a great heart, and likes to do what's right.

I feel very honored to be his parent, and I know J feels the same.

I can't believe it was 15 years ago...that we first met him.

Next year he drives.

and girlfriends will be a possibility...

He'll graduate in 3 years.

a mission in 4......

and then who knows what!?

I am excited to see what lies ahead for Kaleb!

Fortunately, like I mentioned earlier, Kaleb's birthday coincided with a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Simpson and Amber. One day after the kids were out of school, we went down to Damon point. I know I Have posted about Damon Point numerous times...and I am somewhat sorry you are getting another one..but not sorry enough! ;) I LOVE IT THERE!

Mom loves agates, and that's the best place to find them, so we went searching!

This Photo is just for GINA.

Kas found a treasure this time...and Grandma helped her haul it back. It is a window frame it seems. She knows I like old windows, so she brought it back for me. It is on the porch now. ;)Mom found a piece of driftwood that resembled a dolphin.Kas also found this. not sure what it is. But she liked it...so...it came back too.Elijah brought a full size shovel so he could dig. He would walk aways and then dig, and then walk somemore and then dig. Pretty funny!
The kids were waiting for us when we got back.I told Kaleb I needed something to carry the shells, rocks and agates in that was also handy. So, he made this for me. worked perfectly. Our treasures!

Damon Point! Where the posts are--used to be the road until we had a big storm. they used to be only about 5 feet out of the ground. It still amazes me how much power nature has! It is amazing!

While we were working J and Chase were working....on a bulkhead! It turned out great.

We've had some good, creative jobs lately! ;) I like it!!! But, I was glad I didn't have to help build the bulkhead. It was a rough job. Lots of shoveling, in the water!

We had a great visit with Mom, Dad and Amber! I am grateful they are retired now and have more time to come see us!

Beach pics

2010-03-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

I figured out how to download the photos from my phone. I must say I found some interesting stuff on there! :) Before I post the photos from our beach walk tomorrow, I wanted to post these of jelly fish on the beach we found. I think a few months ago, at Kalaloch. We see small jellyfish pretty regularly...or chunks of them... but these big ones are not as common. You can totally see their guts!

Yesterday, we were at Damon Point. It is where the bay meets the ocean...so there is basically a spit of land, with the bay on one side and the Ocean on the other. It is about a 2-2.5 mile walk to the end. If you go at the wrong time, you can get stuck out there because the tide will go all the way across. It is a great place to find agates, and other beach treasures. And a great walk.

There were quite a few patches of shells. Not sure why.

We also found a few starfish, which is not a common sight at this beach.

Elijah found this long rope and decided it was his beach treasure! He hauled it back to the car, which was over a mile away.

Occasionally Kas or Kaleb helped. I didn't touch the thing! ;)

I was really impressed they made it. I half expected Elijah to give up. It was a fun day!

Weatherwax

2010-03-13T23:46:00.000-08:00

Today I wanted to hike, so we decided to check out the Weatherwax Trail. It is a very controversial area of Ocean Shores. Originally bought by the city as an investment, but after a vote by the citizens, can't sell it to help the city's debt. Many of the residents don't want to lose the natural habitat. I decided that we should probably see what all the fuss is about. Also, since it was a late start, this was a very convenient place to hike. btw...J was working today, so he didn't get to play with us. One of our first shots had me sold...do we live in a rain forest or what! I love moss covered trees!

Someone donated benches along the way that suggest relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet.

Do you see the kids in the tree? isn't it an interesting looking tree? I imagine it looks completely different with it's leaves. Maybe we will have to come back in the summer!

the trail parallels a powerline road.

Teaka came along. We wore her out.

and, back at the trailhead!

Unfortunately, it was a very short trail. I was expecting a few miles. But it was nice. Kaleb said if he lived in town he would run it regularly.

It was funny, that we brought day packs with snacks and drinks, and maybe walked a mile or a mile and a half. We definitely looked like tourists!

We decided we didn't get enough hiking in, so we went out to Damon Point and walked. I left the camera in the car and only took phone photos. If I figure out how to get them on the computer, I will post some of those.
We had a great time finding treasures. Elijah found a huge rope, that they drug back to the car. Kaleb wanted to haul back a crab pot he found, but gave up rather quickly! We found cool rocks, shells and Kas even brought back a starfish. Hopefully it will survive the pond. Starfish are not common sights here.

It was a good day!

sidewalks

2010-03-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

The job we did yesterday was fun and cool. Our clients had a landscaped back yard with gravel pathways. They decided to concrete the pathways. That is where we came in. Even though they mostly just followed the existing pathways, I still felt like J and Chase did a great job forming them up. We just poured these yesterday, so they are not stripped yet. Porbably an exposed or stamped top would have been better, but the clients wanted a broom finish...which still turned out great and was a little complicated with all the curves.

There are existing stone steps throughout that were incorporated into the concrete.

This is the kind of work I love doing....creative, and makes a big difference.

I love my job!

We still need to do the sidewalks on the sides of the house and maybe eventually the front, leading to a driveway. Should be fun.

yoli

2010-03-08T09:03:00.000-08:00

So, a few months ago I was introduced to another multi level type company. I have a brother in law who is quite successful with this type of business. One day my sister told me about this new company they were going to start. It was brand new, and they knew some of the founders and her husband was pretty excited about it. When he does mlm, he doesn't work his business the traditional way, by talking to family... but I started asking questions. I am not good at mlm. I always get excited, because of the possibilites, but I am not motivated, and outgoing enough to work the business successfully. BUT, I knew Glenn was. So, I was a little intrigued. Especially about the product. It was a drink. Made of whole foods. flash dehydrated. and then preserved in a blast cap, for convenience and max nutrition. You put the blast cap on to your water bottle, popthe product into the water, mix and enjoy. Their premise is that the pre mixed drinks that we buy at the store gradually lose their nutrition while sitting there waiting for us to buy. So, they make it convenient for us to mix our own drink, which gives us the maximum nutritional benefits.
I loved the concepts, but worried about the taste. We finally got a sample. And, it wasn't bad. Tastes a little like less sugary tang. I could handle it. especially ice cold.
BUT, what really amazed me, was how I felt when I drank one Yoli a day.
I had energy.
not the nervous kind, that you get from caffeine.
but the kind that makes you want to get up and do something.
I had motivation.
I had a better sense of well being.
I couldn't believe the good I was getting from just one drink a day.
I got to where I craved it....in a good way. cause I knew it was good for me.
I am becoming a morning person.
It is much easier to get up and take Kaleb in the morning.
And, if I drink a yoli while I am taking him to seminary, I have been known to come home and jump on the treadmill instead of back in bed.
I love yoli and think it has improved my life tremendously.
and I am grateful!
BUT
I have also been reminded how much I don't like mlm. and constantly feel tempted to just throw in the towel....The drinks are a little spendy...$3-4 a pop. and we have been living pretty tightly these last few months. If I was a better salesman, my business could support my new habit. but, I am not.
I have also seen what I consider shady sales tactics on some of their sites. I HATE that! and can't believe it works. I get very frustrated with that. and with bothering people, or worrying about offending someone by asking if they might be interested. It is just a business that doesn't work with my personality.
But everytime I think about quitting. I realize how much personally I have gained from feeding my body healthy stuff.
I am a big fan of feeding the body, rather than giving it supplements. and this really works with my ideas.
so, I keep at it.
for now.
and see what the future holds.
I guess yoli has come out with a sports drink as well.
similar to gatorade.
but better.
I haven't tried it yet, cause that isn't my concern.
I know they plan on coming out with other things to add to their blast cap.
We will see.
If you might be interested in extra energy
good energy.
a sense of well being.
and feeding your body.
check yoli out at http://www.yoli.com/
and let me know if you want to try a sample.
I will share.
btw....if you think some of their site is tacky too...remember I warned you. just overlook that and look for the good. it is there!

I guess I should give you a product list:
pomegranate
Alka-Plex
acai extract
goji berry
resveratrol
OxyPhyte white tea extract
enxymes
probiotics
Manatau

It also contains: no preservatives, no pasturization, no sugar, artificial colors, fillers or caffeine
but does contain: live, active ingredients, high ORAC antioxidants, Low Glycemic Index, Stevia Reb-A,

10 mile hike on the beach

2010-03-07T21:58:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago the Scouts did their 10 mile hike. They started at the church and hiked to our house. As you can see, Ocean Shores was very cooperative. The weather was beautiful. notice the new sidewalks in Ocean Shores along Chance.

On the beach they were pretty spread out.

Rest and posing.

Walking along Connor Creek. Almost done. Some of the boys were pretty tired by this point. One even called his mom to pick him up at about 5 miles...the joys of cells phones! When I was a scout we had to walk the whole way, or get left behind....oh wait, I was never a scout. ;) But, J did say when he was a scout if he would have held anyone up or given up they would have gotten a boot in the behind. a pointy cowboy boot at that! Times have sure changed! :)

On the dunes....even closer.....

Hmmm. I don't know why we didn't get a shot of them lounging on the couch. They made good time. I was amazed. and only minus one boy! Pretty good. I know there were alot of sore feet that day.

I was hoping the boys would post this, but they didn't so I don't have any personal experiences with this activity except I dropped our boys off at the church and saw them all come straggling in. Kaleb and Brandon even ran the driveway. Pretty impressive!

Beautiful evening at the beach!

2010-03-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday we went to the beach. It was a beautiful day. We forgot it was a clam tide. This is out at Roosevelt beach, probably less busy than town...but still lots of clammers. Since we've moved here, we've only gone once. I know, silly....but we don't really eat clams. Elijah goes with friends now, and we use the clams for crab bait.....
Anyways, I love seeing the line. Here's a night vision. When it is busier, that is a sureal sight! While we were driving down the beach, in our new to us suburban :)....so glad to have a beach worthy vehicle again.... we came across this cool castle,and abandoned fire. So, we decided to stop and keep them company.This is the boys! They are growing up so fast...well, except for Elijah. ;) He's staying short! But soo cute!Kas tended the fire most of the evening.

some family shots. Kaleb looks a little emo here, so we did another .....a little better, but still not great......
yeah, this is more like it.....We were parked right under this cave. too much of a temptation for the boys. They were up there in no time.

And then came down and challenged us to go. I couldn't resist. I don't want the boys to think I'm a wimp. I will admit I was a little winded...but that wasn't my biggest problem.

I don't really like the heights thing..so, I stayed back in the cave a little...where I had to worry about a cave in. silly anxiety. makes me crazy! :)

J helped me down. I probably looked a bit like an old lady coming down...not wanting to look down, or fall. But it was worth it. Later we were walking down the beach and a friend drove by high fiving me. I think he saw me climbing...I kindof forgot we might have had an audience...maybe I should have tried to be less of a scaredy cat and old lady coming down!

We had a great time. Made a vow to get out to the beach and bonfire more this year. We rarely do it, and people travel for miles to have the opportunity. :)

randomness

2010-03-06T16:16:00.000-08:00

This is what we do at our house when we skip....ahem, er...are home sick from school!We have had some gorgeous weather lately. Even close to 60 degrees out....I would venture to guess, which is pretty amazing for the beach in March!
So, we went down to the jetty to enjoy the weather a bit. The sea was pretty calm. The sun was shining, the sky was blue. Beautiful!!!

You can see we have had major waves....I think this year I have seen more driftwood out here than ever before!

We had a Valentines Dance at our church. There were about maybe 20...probably less...people there. We really need families to move here...please.....

J was on duty and Kaleb stayed home, but we still had great time.

Kas and H full of drammma!

Del is teaching Kas a few moves. I think he got ahold of about every female there...while his wife took photos!

Elijah's obligatory dance with his mother.....which I think he pretty much hates! :)

but, it is important to get him ready for 14!!!!! and dances!!!!!!! ;)

Kaleb finished off his wrestling career with the Outstanding Freshman award. I think I mentioned that he got 5th in regionals. It was located at Tacoma Baptist....I wanted to show you what their gym looked like, cause I was impressed. Anyways, back to Kaleb. We thought he ended the season very well and are proud of the work he put into it.

Wrestling is as much mental as physical. Confidence, strength and skill are all very important componants. It was very interesting to see Kaleb work through each of these aspects. He's a Towery...so strength is a no brainer...:)

Now he and Elijah are training with the freestyle wrestlers. We aren't sure yet if they will compete in these events...but Kaleb is enjoying helping to coach the younger kids. Elijah has been sick for each of those practices so far! :\ allergies.

brain block

2010-03-02T20:45:00.000-08:00

I have had a lot on my mind lately. But, for some reason I have not been able to create a post. I have tried a few times, and given up and deleted. I am not sure why. Maybe too much stuff going on. Maybe not enough stuff.
Construction is very slow. I guess that is to be expected, but it is getting old. Maybe things are picking up a bit, we will see if it lasts. This last year we have done more things that were always on our 'never do' list.... like remodeling, rot repair, roofing (we've done a few, but usually turn down). Heck, I even cleaned a house yesterday...which before no one could pay me enough to do!
I don't mind the lean times, and having to be a little more creative with our budget. But, that's usually only fun for a few weeks or months.
Thankfully we have somewhat of a food storage, but in the last few months we have run out of a lot of things we usually ALWAYS have in great supply. (ok, so not exactly a years supply) It is very weird. I keep waiting for a paycheck that isn't already doled out so we can catch up again.
the funny things we are out of......
whole wheat, peanut butter, brown sugar (I buy it by the 25 lb), chocolate chips (I usually have quite a good stock pile of those...) do you see a theme here...I can't make chocolate chips cookies! heaven forbid! ;) and I have been making white bread, (bleh) but low on white flour as well.
Because I live in a small coastal town, groceries aren't cheap here. and we haven't really had enough grocery money to make a trip in to do some real shopping for awhile. well, we did...and got the essentials that we were out of then, like white flour, butter, tortillas..etc.
Thankfully we have had enough $$ to buy the convenient things and/or they have been on sale....like cheese, milk, produce...
But, one time a friend made a challenge on facebook after the Haiti quake, that instead of buying groceries that week, eating what was at home and donating the money you would have spent. Even though, I knew we had much more than the Haitian, and many others, I didn't do it. We were really low on essentials that week. But, we probably could have...and eaten beans and oatmeal for about 2 weeks.... oh yea, and eggs. we have plenty of those! but, I couldn't.... I love food too much!
Gratefully, I still feel very blessed. Our car (main transportation) broke down enough that it wasn't worth repairing. We were able to get into a suburban with no money up front, much help from loved ones, and a little divine intervention. I am soo happy to be in a tall 4x4 with lots of space for kids and gear. I am soo happy I can drive on the beach again without worrying about getting stuck. I am soo happy to be able to actually have a view again while driving! :) we are blessed!
Some friends also gave us a hottub. It is old....probably from the 80's. but with my mechanically minded dh, he had it up and running with minimal cost. It sits out on our back deck (off our bedroom), is small and cozy--just right for our family, and has already brought us great family time. We go out almost every night and enjoy the stars, rain, each others company. We are blessed.
Even though money is tight, we have been able to take care of the necessities. We've gotten into our stashes and been able to make ends meet.
Hopefully, we can go back to building reserves.
1. fill our pantries back up.....I am soo grateful for counsel to have a supply.
2. refill piggy banks, and change cups and savings accounts....those come in handy sometimes.
3. learn lessons from this experience, so this doesn't happen again.
We are determined more than ever to set more money aside for a rainy day. Hopefully construction will pick up and we will make a few extra $$.

I am grateful for this time, but especially that J and I are on the same page and dealing with this together. Actually this has to be a family effort, and for the most part, everyone is working on helping out.
I know that many are struggling right now.
It seems there are more suicides lately.
and lots of big disasters.
Times are HARD.
But, at the same time there are many miracles.
Tender Mercies.
Love shown.
Opportunites for learning...stretching.
Service.
Opportunities to find other talents, and look outside the box.
ALL GOOD THINGS!
WE are BLESSED!

Wrestling Districts

2010-02-07T23:01:00.001-08:00

Before we get into wrestling, I have a few photos to show you......

You just might be a redneck, if you bury your 4x4 on your back lawn! and I mean BURY! btw those are BIG tires! I have huge ruts in my lawn now. I wonder if we will get them smoothed out before the lawn starts growing over them! hmmmmm

You also might be a redneck if you use your barely running piece of junk (don't tell the guys in my family I said that....especially Elijah) truck to get out. Every time they started trying to jerk the truck out, the white beast would stall. It was pretty frustrating! Elijah tried first, and then Kaleb. I think they were relieved when J switched them out and it even stalled on him. I think eventually with the help of the wench (I am not refering to me here!) they were able to get out. The white beast is still in the back yard! I am not sure if they ran out of time, or it wouldn't make it back around! This happened friday night, right before Kas's talent show. We were gone all day Saturday, and I forgot all about it, until I came out ready for church sunday morning, and I had to drive the very muddy truck to church....it is either that, or the motorhome. the car is toast!

anyways......Kaleb had his district meet on Saturday. His coaches decided to have him wrestle 145 because that gave him a sure shot of making it to regionals. He started the season at 140....and then gradually throughout the season worked his way down to 135. So, last week he has been eating ice cream and other goodies to get his weight back up. I think he went in at 137 or 139. Later we heard the first guy he wrestled came down from 160 to 145! gads!!!!

He didn't feel well all day. probably a nervous stomach.

After each round they have to take a rest, so that noone wrestles another match before 45 minutes or so...so the guys will go out on the mat, and play, rest, warm up, wrestle. I love watching them. It is obvious the team is close. they play around a lot.

Here Kaleb is wrestling our heavy weight...I mean he is getting smashed by our heavy weight!

One time Elijah couldn't handle missing out on all the fun. Even though he is only in 7th grade, he has been training with the high school since his season is done...so he knows the guys pretty well. He ran out and tackled a few. I loved how they wrestled with him...these guys are probably practically twice his weight...but also treated him with care so he wouldn't get hurt.

But, they also aren't making it easy on him! :)

See the little brother. The guys will also let him pin them, and wrestle around! I just love it! J kept telling the little guy to elbow his opponant. finally the coach said there are no elbows in wrestling! it was funny! He didn't want J teaching him bad habits even this early on.

Poor Kas, has to entertain herself many times! She has missed many a saturday supporting her brothers! I hope they appreciate it!

In his second match, Kaleb had to wrestle a teammate. I didn't like that too well. Not as easy to tell him to kill him! ;) This is right after his win!

He finished 3rd! which was great. Kaleb is the only freshman in the group...his first opponant was a senior!

I loved this shot! Look how grown up he is! It just makes me crazy!

regionals in tacoma next weekend!

In other sport related news...Elijah started training with the basketball team. He is starting middle of the season, so might not get any game time. We will see. Many of his best friends play and they kept begging him to go out.

I don't know why I have to wait

2010-02-03T21:58:00.000-08:00

until I have a number of things to post before I do....
We have been working on our garage. Anyone who knows us, knows how much junk was in there! It was cram packed full with stuff. Toys...Tools....Junk we don't get rid of...even stuff left here when we moved in. J and the boys (mostly) worked hard to clean it out. kill all the rodents, throw out the bad, give away the good....and we made space....
for a wrestling mat. and a few punching, kicking bags. J also got my work area opened up...but I don't have a photo of that yet. maybe soon.

Kaleb is still in wrestling. Districts is this weekend. Regionals next, and State the following. He is very excited for these Tournaments, but I think even more excited for wrestling to be done. He is worn out and ready for a break. We are too!

Kas's last game is tomorrow. She's doing well. learning. she is probably the fastest girl on the team, and it shows on the court. Just like Volleyball, they play with 6th graders who tower over most of the girls. So, we anticipate a great season next year when they have grown a bit! ;)

Today I had a little time to kill, so I went for a walk on the beach. We are dealing with a few stresses right now, and the ocean is very therapeudic. It was a good walk for me. Time to converse with myself and God, clear my head, and get a bit of a workout in.

I usually don't find agates....and while I was conversing with God, I mentioned that, and how nice it would be to find just ONE! I have friends who have tons. I have one friend...Gina...who probably found hundreds--maybe thousands. and I couldn't usually find any. I am not jealous or anything....I think they just know where to look. and I don't.

BUT, anyways, I mentioned that I would appreciate finding just one....and look how many I found! I whole pocketful! they were even good sized! and all different colors. I couldn't believe it! I must say, I felt loved! and that was good timing for me! I kindof needed it this morning.
I also found some sea glass. I love sea glass. Reminds me of a dear friend...Jenn :

This was my whole stash! I still picked up a few ordinary rocks. either cause I couldn't resist....well, because I couldn't resist. some were the color of my wall in the living room,. others were the beautiful red that I love. or an incredible combination!
I don't know why I love rocks so much. Someday I am going to have a rock garden full of the rocks I have hand picked! :)

the benefits of a storm

2010-01-18T21:13:00.000-08:00

We have had our share of storms this season....fall/winter. high winds. heavy rains. power outages. I think we have had 3 in the last few months! But, I was reminded in the last storm of the opportunity that we have not taken advantage of....BIG WAVES!!!!!!
After the last storm we went out and saw some killer waves, but I forgot the camera...so, today we made it..I think close to high tide, with the camera, and saw some gorgeous waves! Of course, the camera does not do the sites we saw justice! It was amazing out there! I love the power of the Ocean....as long as it stays where it belongs! :)

While we were enjoying the waves I told the kids of their younger years, when we would stand up there while the waves were crashing over us....and they were soo little....what were we thinking!!!!

I was hoping to run around on the rocks a little and get a bit more of a workout...but it was too windy and wet to enjoy...I thought I was going to fall through the cracks and my kids would have to drag me to the car!

Elijah exclaimed that we do not get to the Jetty enough. It is one of my favorite places in the world, so I don't know why. I guess we need to make more time for it!

We were only there for about 45 minutes or so...I would have loved to have walked the beach and looked for treasures...I hear that is another after storm benefit...that we don't do.

But we had a date with J for dinner at the fd. This was his third day on, so I was missing him!

Glad we took the time to visit the Jetty! I do love living at the ocean!

crafting

2010-01-13T20:19:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I think I am going to do in 2010 is craft more. I have really been in the mood to get my sewing machine out and finish a quilt I started last year, and then let sit for months and months.
I am feeling like scrapbooking...which I haven't done for probably a few years.
crocheting is something I do alot of....but have felt the need to hunt down more patterns and do more.
I used to be quite the crafter....but life has gotten in the way and I rarely do it now. I think living on the edge of the earth hasn't helped either...less ideas.....but, I have been blog hunting and have found a lot of cute things. so....it has just fed my desire to create.
Time is what has held me back lately. I don't want to get a project out and not be able to spend good quality time on it. But, I am going to make time....once I get some other things done....like year end books for the business! and winter cleaning!
anyways, I am kindof excited about this desire. My creativity has been hybernating long enough. Hopefully I will have something to show for it in the near future! ;)

a very loooonnng post. sorry

2010-01-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

I have to do way too many of these catch up posts....But, we have been super busy.....with work, the holidays family and wrestling. It's pretty much all been good though, so I am not complaining.

We had a wonderful Christmas. J had to work Christmas Eve, and we were heading up to Bellingham as soon as he got off work, which was Christmas Morning, so...we had our Christmas a few days early so the kids could play a bit with their gifts before we left for a week.

As, I mentioned on facebook, I actually bought a fake tree this year. I HATE fake trees, but it was late in the season and I still hadn't had a chance to get the tree, and I didn't want to pay a bundle for a tree we used for a week! Anyways, I got a small one...it is cute, and convenient, and we will probably end up using it more than I want....But, I still love the real ones. We got this awesome family photo from J's parents! Ryan made the frame. I love love love it! and can't wait to get it up on the wall.

Kaleb got J this present. Can you guess what it was? Amazingly, J couldn't...I think until he felt it. I love the kids' creativity in gift wrap. btw, it's a belt.

Kas loved her pj's dad picked out.

We didn't realize Elijah's pj's were actually boxers. they were in a tabasco bottle bank. oops.

Kaleb's pj's were in a similar container...but a Guiness can. I told him that didn't give him permission to drink it.... ;) I just picked them for the Irish in him. We got the kids the WII for Christmas. Kas got a phone, so now we all have them. and We got the boy's each remote control helicopters.

We spent time in the new firehall....in the bays...flying them. It was fun!

Like I mentioned, we headed up to Bellingham Christmas morning. I loved seeing the packages in the cars on the road. I also loved seeing the houses with lots of cars in front...which meant families and friends were together. Of course we took the motorhome, so had a pleasant ride and got up to the families in time for Christmas dinner.

Shayne and my parents live up in the mountains, It is so beautiful, quiet and peaceful there. We had such a nice, much needed break from all the craziness of life.

For our Simpson gift exchange this year I had Jessie. So, I made her an afghan. I had a hard time finding the perfect pattern, but I did. and I loved it. I wanted something romantic, but not too dainty. I found this pattern that had hearts throughtout. I don't know if you can see them. but I LOVE it. In fact I think I will make one for myself....modified a bit.
do you see the little hearts?
I used a verigated yarn,which made a pretty pattern I think.

Jessie was very pleased. She'd made a masculine afghan for Jonny a few years ago, so, I thought she deserved a pretty one.

Monday after Christmas we went snowboarding. The snow was HARD and we all got a few injuries. but it was still fun. Here's the guys on their last run. Kaleb is behind J.

Snowboarding is a sport we all love alot.

Mt Baker resort.

Beautiful scenery.

We take the motorhome which makes it even more enjoyable.

I loved the drive... the frosty trees.

We were hanging out at Jessie's when Carrie exclaimed that J was such a redneck. I looked out the window and noticed he had MY towel and was wiping the dirt off the motorhome on the spots he wanted to put his bumper stickers! He didn't bother washing the whole thing. Just what he absolutely had too. It was soo funny.

I thought he was sweet letting the girls help though. He would ask their opinions on where they should go. It was super cute.

The boys had one day of class at the studio. Here they are practicing.

Carrie showed us how to make some super cute pendants she learned for a super saturday. We had so much fun...at Jessie's again. They guys went to see Sherlock Holmes.

here are some of them.

They were addicting to make. couldn't stop at just one or two. I think I ended up with 20 between Kas and me.

This photo cracked me up. Kas sleeping with her knee socks! For those of you who don't know...sleeping in socks is pretty much a gagger for me! I know she was doing this just to get me. HA jk!!!

Wednesday morning J and Kaleb left for home....for work and practice. They were a little excited for the ride...and I was just grateful that we had as much time as we did have together.

New Year's Eve was spent at Jessie's again. We had a good time, except that Carrie and Glenn were both miserably sick.

Food was the main event, as always. (and there was some healthy stuff there!)

Jessie has gotten into mediteranian stuff, which was yummy..

We tried deep fat fried ravioli. At first we were breading it and then frying, but all the breading came off in the frypan...so them we just fried them. They were good. If anyone knows the right way to make them, I would love some pointers.

And, our family tradition is MIGHTY MOOSE BITS which was a recipe my parents made up when I was very young and has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. The first time they made them, they used venison...but we use beef now.

bite size beef chunks baked til tender (about an hour) dipped in pancake batter and then cracker crumbs (we used panko this time and they were very good and much easier)..and then fried til golden brown. Serve with ranch, or any other dip. Mom usually makes potato salad with them, and I usually serve them with the raw veggies and baked potatoes. but this year we just did total appetizers. It was wonderful and fun.

Here are some random photos ...Jonny with Kasidee's hat...

Kas with her pendants....

Mom and Jess.....

Amber with the hat I made her.....

We came home friday afternoon. When we were about an hour from home we got a flat tire....on the motorhome! We pulled off onto a good spot, thank goodness! and Kas, Elijah and I changed the tire. We called J and he and Kaleb came to assist, but they were an hour out....

and we had it changed in about 45 minutes!

Elijah is such a stud....did most of the remembering how to do it, and the harder work. I have awesome kids.

We all worked together and did it. I was soo pleased and J was beaming by the time he made it. (we waited for them).

Anyways, we had a wonderful holiday. I felt very blessed throughout it all.....that we could have such a good vacation, and awesome family, and great times.

Now we are back to the grindstone....but still blessed! ;)

New Year, new theme...

2010-01-03T23:36:00.000-08:00

Are you glad to see the passing of 2009? In our testimony meeting today I was a little surprised to hear how happy people were to see it go. I hadn't thought about it. It has been a struggle of a year in some aspects, but also good for us....but I do have family members who have really struggled...so...idk
I don't necessarily have any high aspirations for 2010.
I do hate how people are calling it twenty ten. what do you think?

Well, every year I have a theme for the year instead of resolutions. It really is probably the same thing...different name. and a lot broader...so I have a better chance of accomplishing it.
I really don't recall what my theme was for last year...I guess I should check.

but this year, I picked one that even rhymes.....
BETTER THAN I'VE BEEN FOR 2010. (that is two thousand ten! ;) )
My goal for this year is to do better at the things I know I should already be good at.
be better at loving others.
which includes visiting teaching, reaching out (and not letting my shyness get in the way), service, kind words and thoughts towards others...etc...
better lessons in church...which would include better preparation ( I am a procrastinator), which also goes along with better scripture study, more sincere prayer, etc.
I want to be better disciplined with taking care of my body. I do want to lose a few pounds. I am presently at my heaviest....not counting pregnancy weight...and I am not content to stay there. but I have been terrible at losing weight. I really don't believe in dieting and depriving...and I love to eat. so, I want to use more self control...and learn to eat what is best for me. and not just the most convenient or yummiest. Still totally not sure how I am going to do it...but working on a plan. which will also include exercising.
better mother, better wife, better friend, sibling, better money manager...you know.
Not alot of pressure....because even a tiny bit of an improvement is better. and I am good with that. I have never been a high achiever! ;)

well, now it is out there...and I am accountable to you!

I hope you all have success in your goals as well.

I have a lot of catching up to do. Hopefully in the next few days I will be able to get to it.
we've had wonderful experiences with the holidays and family.....

December

2009-12-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

As you know, we have been focusing a lot on wrestling...it has seemed to overtake our lives lately. Tonight is Elijah's last meet though...so it should mellow out at least a bit, cause now Kaleb is in full swing.

But, December has been much more than wrestling. Christmas is the next obvious thing, but it has also been set aside a bit. This year I was determined to give Kasidee a worthy birthday. Her birthday is on the 19th. It seems to always land on the last day of school before the break...and always right amongst the preps for Christmas or a trip or something. She has never had a friend party. So, this year I promised her we would pull it together and have a party.

Last month Carrie did room makeovers for Maddy and Sadie...which encouraged me to do the same for Kasidee. Her room was not cute at all. I didn't take before pictures, cause...well, I would have been embarrassed. She had the brown panel walls that are common throughout our house. and way way way too much stuff. In her defense, Kas comes by her 'pack rat' mentality honestly. Both J and I would rather keep something-just in case-than toss it...and I think we both picked up those traits from our parents. But, it was amazing how much stuff she had crammed in her room.

Mom, Amber and Jessie were willing to come help me, which I know I couldn't have done it without them. We took everything out, except for a few pieces of furniture that were also getting an update.
Kas told me she wanted orange, lime green and yellow for her main colors. and she likes polka dots. so....we painted the walls green.

When we started I thought I thought I'd made a big mistake....but the next morning, I knew it was perfect.

Her light yellow bed, got a bright yellow wash.....we decided to go bold with the raspberry closet....Kas didn't want a closet door....

and her dresser got a white facelife, with orange accents....isn't it cute!I have a cute old chair that also got a new orange do! and her drafting table got a facelift as well. We loved watching it come together. Originally Kas wanted her great reveal to be at her birthday party, but Mom and the girls came a week early and I wasn't going to keep her out of her room for the week...so, we picked her up,

went to Alex's for dinner...payback for all the hard work.....

do we look tired? we worked hard! :)

and then she saw!
her new room.....
she'd already picked out the comforter...

the bookcase was the only new furniture...before she had 2 small ones and a nightstand full of books...so, this gave her a lot more room. it was from ikea...thanks mom for picking it up for me. It has quotes all over it...in orange! couldn't have been more perfect!

Right after she saw her room Mom and the girls had to leave. They literally worked like crazy the whole time they were here! I owe them bigtime!

But, it was fun!

Elijah got her some hooks for her wall, so when he got home he put those up for her....

cute polka dot hooks.... The beautiful thing, was afterwards...she said she didn't want to put all her junk back in there. Her beautiful room motivated her to throw it out or give it away! Yea!!!!!

I think I scored a lot of mommy points for this birthday present! she loves it! and I do too. double bonus!

The following evening was the work Christmas Party. I think J has worked the last 2 years of it, so it was nice having him there the whole night!

Kas found her friend right off the bat...and they went off chatting.....

Santa and Mrs. Clause came, but I didn't get good photos of them. Here are a few favorite boys in their chairs.

It was funny,...when Santa called each kid up...to see what they wanted. Elijah said--dirt bike (no surprise there),

Kas said-- Pony (kindof no surprise)....and another girl said--Unicorn and her brother said--2 headed snake! another little boy said--an elf, so I can ride him! I think there were a few more very interesting comments, but I think those were the best. Santa was great, though. and went right with it.

I made J dance with me before we could leave. He hates it, I love it.

And then Marsha grabbed him. hehe

I also made the kids go dance. they need to learn how. haha. Lynn, Elijah's wrestling coach and a fellow ff, jumped up to encourage him. He said any wrestler can dance (Lynn is an avid dancer)...and showed him a few moves. It was soo cute!

We had a good time. Reminded me how many good people J works with. So, grateful to be a part of the (now) Public Safety family.

I had to throw wrestling in here...

on Tuesday Elijah had a meet. I missed his first match(but he pinned the guy). His second was with Jessie....

who I think is an awesome kid. He is a great wrestler. and has great sportsmanship. Elijah beat him 4-2 but, it was a close match. He was the kid who was undefeated until Elijah came along! I am such a sucker cause I was glad Elijah didn't pin him.

and then Wednesday night (last night) was the Elementary School Christmas program. Kas and her class sang a song in Polish. Her teacher made the cute costumes. Kas is in the middle.

As mentioned on facebook, I broke down and got a little, fake tree. so, after the concert, Kas and I decorated it.

Now we can have Christmas....but, not before a few more meets, and a birthday party! wootwoot!

Kaleb's wrestling

2009-12-14T11:33:00.000-08:00

Well, Kaleb is off and running with his wrestling. I think I have mentioned it already a bit. Here are a few articles about his first two meets in the local paper.

http://www.northcoastnews.com/2009/12/10/wrestlers-off-to-strong-start/#more-6042

In this dual with Hoquiam, it says he pinned his guy but it doesn't mention that before the pin his score was like 25 to 23! which is amazing. they both worked hard, and it was an exciting match to watch. I want to get the video on here, but haven't figured out how to make it work yet.

http://www.northcoastnews.com/2009/12/11/oh-no-you-dont/

His last meet at Granger wasn't as fun for him. He had 2 losses. The consolation is that the best wrestlers in the state all come from that side of the mountain. But, he still went with high hopes. I hope this just makes him more determined, not discouraged... His next meet is saturday.

Elijah will be done this week. He has 2 more meets. It should be fun!

wrestling

2009-12-06T23:35:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was Kaleb's first meet in Westport. We have heard that they take forever, so we decided to bring the motorhome. I know we are silly and take every chance we can to use it. I'd been sick the day before, so it was nice to think I could go out and take a nap in between matches if I needed to (I didn't). and we could get snacks from out there. When we came home, everyone was sprawled out everywhere sleeping. Pretty funny!
Kaleb did good. It is always a little nerve wracking (how do you spell that) at the first meet, to find out how your kid is faring. I know he has been working hard in practice and training...and we wonder if his mma training is going to help or hinder. He said in mma, it is good to fight on your back....but not so good in wrestling....anyways, he was pinned his first match, but he fought good and showed he is very strong. He fought defensively most of the match, but would kick some good moves out throughout the whole match. I was amazed by his strength, and endurance.
His other two matches he pinned the guys pretty easily. And then first place pinned second place pretty easily...so it seemed like a solid spot for him. I was very happy with the results. I see great things in Kalebs future regarding wrestling.
I don't have pictures...but hopefully will be able to post some of the video....
I am falling in love with wrestling and am glad the boys are in it.
I know it is thought of as an aggressive sport, which it is....where boys fight...which they do, in a sense....but I see alot of life lessons being learned along the way.
One of my biggest concerns with wrestling is the weight issue. I don't think it is going to be much of an issue with Kaleb. BUT, if they handle it right it is a good practice of self control for a good cause....
I have been amazed at the sportsmanship I have seen on the mat. Guys will fight with all they have, and then when it is done they are helping their opponant up, hugging them, shaking hands, etc. showing respect and concern.
We have had a couple of guys come up afterwards and compliment our boys, (one was after a win and the other was after a loss). The boy who lost even brought his buddy by to show him who beat him. They both had total admiration in their eyes. No anger, or jealousy. It was awesome. I have seen teammates cheer their guys on...give advice...show moves that might have helped. concern again.
While they are wrestling...it is just the two boys on the mat. noone can come in and rescue them. The coaches are in the corners yelling out advice they can take or leave. But, ultimately it is up to each one to win or lose.
If you are not aggresive and wait to see what your opponant is going to do (probably more my speed) you are going to spend time fighting defensively...which is hard work and seems it is hard to switch to offensive fighting. It is important to be confident. To know what you are going to do before you get out there and not be intimidated! just do it!
These boys are learning to think and act while they are in stressful situations! if they are in a hold, they have to figure out a way to get out....or listen for their coaches, who see the whole picture and know what is going to work the best. I imagine as these boys grow up and get into real life situations they are going to be better able to handle split second decisions while under stress. They have to do it on the mat, or they are dead!
These were just a few of my observations this last weekend. I am excited to see the season progress. It will be very busy. which is a bit hard to do at Christmas time. but it seems we need to get used to it. This is going to be the norm for the next 6 years ( no, Kas will not wrestle!...even though I did see some girls pin their boy opponants! just can't even imagine being those boys!)

sport update

2009-11-28T13:02:00.000-08:00

Kas finished out her first year in Volleyball a few weeks ago. She had a great time, decides she loves the sport and is looking forward to playing again next year. We saw a vast improvement with the girls throughout the team. Because of changes in some of the other schools--they ended up playing against 6th graders the whole season. So, it will be great seeing how they do next year. Amazingly, there is not a large amount of 5th graders this year, but they still put out quite an impressive team. I imagine almost ALL of the 5th grade girls went out for volleyball. And then Elijah finished out his football season. They didn't have a great win lose ratio, but I think the team did very well. For most of the guys-Elijah included- this was their first year of tackle ball. There were only about 4-5 out of 20 something that were 8th graders. We had a relatively small team....but they play well together and we are planning on seeing great things next year.
Kas is planning on playing basketball next....At the awards ceremony, Elijah got a Coaches award for coachability. They expounded with: 'the ability to take constructive criticism and utilize it to make yourself a better player. Also eager to learn and exerpt abnormal amounts of energy! ' haha...I love that....exerpts abnormal amounts of energy! does that sound like Elijah?

He had such a great time playing and did well. The coaches also said that Elijah was put in his position and then stayed there cause it worked perfectly for him. I think I already mentioned his defense position... but was pretty much the same with offense. He played well, but even better, he had a lot of fun during the season. It was fun being the E-TRAINs parents! ;)

so, now we are on to wrestling. Elijah started the last week of football. Kaleb helped out with the jr high team until the high school season started. Elijah's first meet was canceled due to weather. His first meet was last week and he had 2 matches and pinned both guys at his first ever meet! I think having Kaleb show him what he's learned is going to be a big asset to Elijah. Kaleb's first meet in next weekend. I imagine the next few months are going to be big time wrestling. We try to go to every sporting event...and the high school travels quite far...so...I am sure this is going to be quite an experience for us. but I am excited. The boys have been looking forward to wrestling. so.....should be fun!
We'll keep you posted!

notes from school

2009-11-23T21:42:00.000-08:00

Oct 8

Dear Mom and Dad:

The reason for this letter is to help me achieve my goals. It will help to remind me what I have to do to become a firefighter, pass all of my classes, and help people that need help. I will explain to you how I will do that.

For my academic goal I want to pass all my classes with A's. To do that I will go to all of my classes; do all of my homework, and study for all of my tests. I want to be a positive force in both middle school and high school.

For my career goal I will volunteer at the fire station and eventually become a full time fire fighter. And on my days off I will work construction for TBC Inc......

there is more to the letter, but this is the part that melted my heart. Elijah has always idolized his dad...and here, even as a 13 year old teenager, he still does. Jeremy is a full time firefighter and TBC, Inc is our construction company.
Elijah wrote this letter for his first parent teacher conference which was a few weeks ago. I love that it is soo important for him to help other people.

Kaleb, as a 9th grader also wrote a letter for us. It was soo funny... he is quite the comedian. His advisory teacher didn't give us the letter, but it really portrayed the difference between a nervous 7th grader, and a 'been there, done that' 9th grader. His spoke of working on not being tardy, so the attendence secretary wouldn't harass him anymore and his goal of straight C's! goals to make any parent proud! ;)
Kaleb doesn't have to worry about catching the bus anymore, since he attends early morning seminary....he is always at school early now.
and the C's.....well, we won't discuss that one!
Kaleb has also expressed his interest in becoming a firefighter as well. gone are the days of becoming a scientist. ;) (after actually taking Science, and realizing he doesn't really want to take years of college. haha!) So, I think we are going to become a fire fighter family. Except I don't see Kas heading that way. Maybe she will marry a fire fighter! or become a Paramedic...which I doubt. Earlier she wanted to be a Vet until she found out they did surgery and other gross stuff. Now she is thinking of a groomer! ;)
Speaking of Kas...I am certain if she would have written a letter like that it would have been very well thought out and written and it probably would have also been illustrated!

I love our kids and feel very blessed that they are a part of our lives. They all have amazing talents and noble desires.