An Oregon Running Weekend

This man is a flat-out inspiration. Last fall, after training while on deployment, he came home and ran back-to-back half-marathons. He wanted to qualify for Half Fanatics, and one of the ways to do it was running a half on two consecutive days. He searched for races and found two in Oregon that would work. We booked hotel rooms, loaded up the girls and headed out on a road trip. 

His first race was the Columbia River Power Half-Marathon in Umatilla on Saturday. The course was kind of neat, crossing the McNary Dam on the Columbia River so that he got to run across the dam and into Washington before crossing back into Oregon. The girls and I met him at the finish line with cheers of, "Go, Daddy, Go!!!" After he'd showered, we loaded up again and headed west along the Columbia River to the next race. The drive along the river was beautiful. The fall scenery was gorgeous and that alone would have made the trip worthwhile.  

The final stop of the weekend was in Hood River for the Columbia River Gorge Half-Marathon on Sunday. We loved the quaint little historic town of Hood River, and we stayed at a nice hotel right on the water. We had the most amazing river views right from our balcony. On Sunday morning Jay ran his second half. He had another great race and we were so proud of him. Two half-marathons in one weekend! Needless to say, he was pretty tired for the drive back home to Washington... 

A wave for the fans

Perhaps the most amazing (crazy) part of this whole running weekend was that he ran both races on his torn ACL. He was scheduled for knee surgery the coming week, and knew it was going to be awhile before he was back running. But he did it! Powered through and met his Half Fanatics goal just like he wanted to. I took him to the hospital for reconstructive knee surgery two days later, and his Half Fanatics shirt and bumper sticker arrived in the mail shortly thereafter while he was recuperating on the couch. I told you this man was an inspiration. The recovery has gone remarkably well, and I know there are many more races in his future. Next up, he's looking at doing full marathons and ultras. Let the running adventures begin!

Soccer Season!!!

We signed Kate up for the fall soccer season in Washington. She loved every minute of it! Two days a week wasn't nearly enough for her, she was wishing for every day to be a soccer day. And it was thrilling to watch her play! She is a little natural out there. Not necessarily because she knows all the ball handling or strategy yet, but because she is just an out-n-out go getter! There is no shyness or diminutive stuff where this little girl is concerned. She is right out there in the middle of the action the entire time. She knows how to be aggressive, she's not afraid to go after the ball, she can score goals. It's awesome to just watch her go for it, and have so much fun while she's doing it.  

Working on some ball handling


Out having fun!

Always going after the ball


Scoring drive...


She shoots...


She scores!!!


Go Green Hornets!!!

Skagit Flats Half-Marathon

On a very warm weekend in early September, we crossed Puget Sound and headed north to Skagit County, WA. Jay was running in his second half-marathon, and the family was coming along to cheer him on. We went the day before, stayed in a hotel, shared a very nice family dinner, and took the girls swimming in the pool. The day of the race dawned sunny and very warm, not always what you expect in Washington. The course was very flat, so that was a bonus for Jay. But the heat got to him a bit. 

Though it might have made things a little tough on the runners, the warm sunshine was perfect for the spectators. We cheered our runner on as we saw him coming down the final stretch and finishing in the stadium. 

Here he comes!...


Way to go, Jay!!!

Admiring Daddy's cool finisher's medal

A Celebration Fit for the First Day of School!

At our house, we love school! And the first day of the new school year is cause for celebration! All of us, old and young alike look forward to it with loads of anticipation and excitement. For me, part of the joy is remembering back to my own school years and how much I loved practically everything about it: the new school supplies, new teachers, new lessons, and especially new books to read. Now the girls have the opportunity to experience these same things, and it's so fun to realize they are getting just as much joy from it as I used to.  

Everybody ready to head to the bus stop

Big smiles for the first day!

First Day of Third Grade

Good ol' Bus #59

After the girls got back home we all sat down to a delicious little meal. We even broke out the fancy glasses, bought some flowers, and made up place cards. And we enjoyed hearing the complete rundown of the first day back at school. This year it was a little poignant, knowing that this would be the last few months at their school in Washington before we moved. But the extra time we took to celebrate the day made it feel all the more special.  

Enjoying some of our favorite fancy brunch food

Here's to another great year!

Cheese!!!

Nothing better than big, girl grins, especially when one of them is a cute gappy one!

There's a First Time for Everything

Do you recognize the look on my face?

It's a look of pure relief!

Last September, following in my dear husband's footsteps, I ran my first half-marathon. It's an accomplishment I'm still pretty proud of. For my first time, we picked a small race in a small place (The Labor Day Half-Marathon in Elma, Washington) I think there were only about fourteen or fifteen people entered, but it worked out just perfectly for my first go at it. I placed ninth overall, and that's the only time that's ever going to happen, haha! Jay and the girls were there to cheer me on at the finish line. And strangely, despite the relief of finishing and the very tired legs, that's when I decided to keep doing this and began planning for the next one.  

Murhut Falls

Off into the woods we went...
Ready to explore a new spot...



On what would be our very last foray into the Olympic Mountains, we decided to take a side trip to see Murhut Falls. It's always fun setting off for a new destination, each turn in the trail showing you something you've never seen, or somewhere you've never been before. The hike into the falls was pretty, and the falls themselves turned out to be breathtaking. We were glad we'd decided to come see them!


The beautiful falls


This daredevil insisted on the need to see them up close


Photo Op: Chilling on the fallen log at the bottom of the falls




And checking out the cave behind the waterfall


It was quite steep with a sheer drop off between the trail and the falls, so the girls and I decided to enjoy them from a safe distance instead. Though Kate made it clear that if she were older she'd definitely be climbing down there with her dad...I don't doubt it one bit :)

Last Time With an Old Favorite...

We're going camping, we're going camping, we're going camping!
Hey, hey, hey, hey!!!



At the end of August we went camping in our much-loved Olympic Mountains one last time. It was a little bittersweet, knowing that this wasn't just the last camping trip of the summer, but also our last trip to this beautiful part of the country... at least for the foreseeable future. We've had a lot of fun times here!


The girls had fun playing in the cold water of the Duckabush River
... as they always do


The scenery was spectacular!
It's one of the very best parts of camping here!

 

And so is acting goofy around the campsite with Daddy!
Our family seems to be particularly good at the goofy part...

We've made some great family memories here...
hope we find some new camping places we like just as much
when we get to our new home on the East Coast!

Kate's Happy 6th!

MAKE A WISH...

 

...AND BLOW OUT THE CANDLE!

What happens when you're lucky enough to spend your birthday with all of your family and friends in Wyoming? You get extra spoiled with two parties instead of just one, complete with two cakes and the whole shebang!



My sweet Kate turned six this summer! Six!!! I can hardly believe it. The little girl we used to call "summer baby," when she was born, is now an official school-ager! Oh, how I wish I could make time slow down and squeeze out every last drop of little girl goodness that surrounds me. My delightful little girls are growing up much too fast for my liking. I'm grateful for my front row seat in watching all this growing up that is taking place at lightning speed before my very eyes!



We had a lot of fun celebrating this little girl's special day: yummy cake and brownies, some fun presents, and best of all, time with our wonderful Wyoming family, who we don't get to see nearly enough!

I hope you have an incredible year being six, my dear, sweet, little girl!
Lucky me, I get to be there to see you through all of it!

Broncos Stadium... Entering the Land of Tebow

During our trip to Denver this summer we ventured to Broncos Stadium. We had never been there before so it was all new to us. Truth be told, we're not big followers of the NFL, and this was back before the giant Tebow craze that swept the country this football season, so it was more like a tour for some uninitiated newbies. On the plus side, this meant we were more apt to be impressed by everything. 

Part of the tour included the
Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.
The girls had fun dressing up in all
the sports related regala.

The giant skis were cute...


...especially on Ellie!


Maddie as a rough'n tough hockey player


Kate checking out the sweet box seats.
If I could watch a game from here,
I'm sure it would be much more enjoyable!
The view + the comfort = unbelievable!


The girls were fascinated by the logo in the seats, particularly the horse's eye seat. Maddie said that's where she would like to sit. As for me, I'd much prefer those sweet box seats we saw earlier on the tour!
GO BRONCOS!!