All I want for Christmas......

are Cars 2 shoes, Mom and Dad!!!! So the story goes like this.....I get a call on Sunday and on the phone this little voice says...

"Ganma, I have supwise for you!"

"you do?"

"yep"

"what is it?"

"I have new shoes"
"what is on your shoes?"

"Cars 2 and I have new shirt too"

"wow, you are pretty excited!"

"wuv you, bye ganma!"

So then Ryan gets on the phone and I mention how excited Wyatt was about his new shoes. Ryan is cracking up and says "Mom, he doesn't have new shoes or a new shirt. I don't know where that story came from!! The surprise he was supposed to say was that he was calling you!!!!" I laughed so hard.

So guess that little guy needs Santa to bring him new shoes and a shirt....he's wishing for it, mom and dad!

I AM.....

I AM......

i am: recovering from an incredible relay: 200 miles

i think: I need more sleep

i know: who loves me

i want: someone to clean my house, other than me!

i have: to be better about studying my bible

i dislike: getting up in the morning

i miss: my kids

i fear: being in an accident

i feel: blessed

i hear: quietness (it really does have a sound!)

i smell: coffee

i crave: peach pie

i cry: when I think about my dog

i usually: take a bath at night to relax

i search: for ways to be more efficient

i wonder: if I will really make it through this training

i regret: doing housework when I could have played more with my kids

i love: my husband

i care: about my family and my country

i always: want my kids closer

i worry: about how my kids will make through these tough times

i am not: going to whine about petty things but think about those who are protecting me and sacrificing so much

i remember: when I could make out a to-do list and get it done in a day!

i believe: in God, in having morals and letting my boys be his own person

i dance: when no one is looking

i sing: to make me happy

i don't always: say the best about others

i argue: just to argue because I love to debate

i write: on my blog

i win: the award for being crazy about running

i lose: at most sports

i wish: that I didn't have to work

i listen: to opera when I run

i don't understand: accounting

i can usually be found: at my computer

i am scared: that I won't be around to see my grandkids grow up

i need: to spend more time with God

i forget: what I went into that room for.....

i am happy: when I am taking pictures and seeing life through my lense

Hot Air Balloon Festival

On the spur of the moment we decided to make a 45 minute drive at 5am in the morning to watch the McMinnville Hot Air Balloon Festival Launch. A total of 15 balloons were airborne by 7am and it was so much fun to see! The event took place on the grounds of Evergreen Aviation Museum. Here is a pictorial of some of our pictures (only took 183 pictures this time!!! he,he!)

Devil's Punchbowl

We discovered the punchbowl on our run and decided to hike down the beach and up the steps to the top to look down into the bowl. It was a minus tide and we were amazed to see how much of the punchbowl was exposed.
101 steps is all it took to get from the beach to the road and viewpoint for Devil's Punchbowl.
The tide continues to go out...the locals told us the water gets pretty high up in the bowl during high tides.
View from the road on top.....it is rare to see this much beach. We decided to see if we could find a path that would take us down into the tide pools.
And we found it! It actually was a pretty easy hike down and we were rewarded with amazing sea life.
The view into the punchbowl.....
Purple and orange starfish littered the beach along with the clams and shellfish clinging to the rocks.

The water lines tell the stories of high tides.
The view out to the ocean....this is where the water comes in during the tide changes...
Another opening...this is the one we walked through.


It was a great hike and we loved the time we spent in here. It made our day!

Now this is summer!

Ahh, camping on the coast......the best weekend getaway! We managed to get some down time after my first eye surgery (cataracts) and pitch our tent. We joined the private practice team and were blessed with a beautiful weekend. Blue skies, very little wind, warm days! This is why I live where I do! We are an hour away from the beach and the camping is the best!
Never say never, though! We did pitch the tent (after I said NEVER AGAIN....we took the grandkids camping two years ago and it rained so much we had to literally bail out the water and I wasn't looking forward to tent camping ever again!) and it actually was very nice.


The evening was pleasant, even though the wind increased. We watched a beautiful sunset.
Love this guy!
Love the tranquility of the ocean....
Some one made a palm tree stand out of kelp/seaweed! Pretty funny to see it just planted on the beach.
The next morning I went for a short 6 mile run with Diane, one of the owners of the clinic. We had a great run and stopped off at Devil's Punchbowl. The next post will describe this phenomenon in more detail!

We spent the day hiking with our newest member of the team, Bailey and her husband Ryan. They were a lot of fun and we enjoyed the sunset together.
Someone on the beach made the route markers....these were part of the trail markers a lot of early travelers used to mark the way for others following. It's just a mixture of rocks stacked and each in unique.

Saturday night's sunset was again nature's show!
Ahhh....fireside.....
One of the most interesting facts about this beach are the "octopus trees." These are very old spruce trees that grow roots above ground due to the high volume of rain and wet that this area gets through the year. These roots were so big, that kids were playing around them and making forts.
A great weekend getaway....ready to go again soon!

Summer?? Really???

We took a break from my running schedule and work to spend a night at Crater Lake Lodge. This trip was a Christmas gift from my sister and one we so were looking forward to! It had been a wet, cold spring and early summer in our area but never did we expect to see all the snow at the lake! There was still 5 feet of snow and the rim drive and hiking trails were still closed due to snow.
This was our view of the lake when we arrived.....it was foggy, grey, and misty/rainy weather. It didn't bode well for a summer retreat but here we were, committed and ready for a relaxing two days!

The lodge is beautiful; rustic with no phones or TV. We turned off our phones and grabbed our books and sat by the fireplace. It was magical.
We managed to get in a little hiking and picture taking! Most of the paths were snow-covered but we ventured forth and discovered some plant life making a determined effort to coax summer into reality.


The lake is spectacular and changes colors with the sky. Of course, it was mainly grey and foggy but still breathtaking.
My favorite spot.....the fireplace in the main lodge.

We woke up to a sunrise that surprised us. We expected more fog but the clouds parted and we witnessed a beautiful sunrise.


Our exit through the park on the way home was so pretty. Even though it was July, we had a blast playing in the snow. Only wished we had brought our snow shoes - who would have thought to do that???