Tuesday, September 11, 2007

TAG- I'm it!

4 Jobs I've Had:
Mom
Speech –Language Pathologist in the schools
Director of Operations for Rehab in nursing homes
Program Manager for Rehab Services in hospital (current job)

4 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:
Gone with the Wind
Sister Act
Harry Potter series
Twisters

4 Places I've Lived
Riverside, California
Lincoln, Nebraska
Lewiston, Idaho
Tacoma, Washington

4 of my Favorite Places to Visit
Hawaii
The Oregon Coast
Florida
Italy- still waiting to go there!

4 Favorite Desserts:
Sherbet
Kolaches
Apple Strudel
Peach Pie

4 Favorite Dinners:
Any Olive Garden dinner that has shrimp!
Spaghetti – the way Greg makes it!
Salmon on the BBQ
Christmas Eve dinner with my family

4 Websites I Visit Daily:
Blog, Scrapbooking.com, Creating keepsakes, Aimee’s blog

4 Hobbies I have:
Scrapbooking
Running
Reading
Working on my computer

A Very Special Man

Neil Odell Warrick
August 6, 1922 - September 8, 2007

Greg and I had the blessing of knowing Neil. He was our neighbor and "housed" our plane in his hanger when we first moved to Oregon. I remember sitting in his kitchen, drinking coffee, sharing stories, while Greg flew around the area. We helped Neil with his garden and often were guests in his home for wonderful dinners that he cooked for us.

When Neil was diagnosed with cancer 15 months ago, we made a special effort to help him with the things he needed done. We tended to his garden; Greg would rototill and I would weed. Neil's greatest pleasure was watching his garden produce so many wonderful vegetables, fruits and flowers, and sharing the harvest with us and many neighbors. Last year, we brought a wheelbarrow down to his home, picked corn, onions, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes and cantaloupe and then wheeled this around to the neighbors' homes, giving it away.

It's so hard to say good-bye to such a dear friend and someone who gave to others so generously. We only hope and pray we made life a little easier and happier for him. We miss him terribly and will always love him.

Good-bye, Neil. We know you are at peace with God and in no more pain. We will always remember you!

From the Statesman Journal:

Neil Odell Warrick
August 6, 1922 - September 8, 2007
INDEPENDENCE - He was born August 6, 1922 in New Raymer, Colorado, where he spent most of his early childhood before moving to Oregon in 1935 with his parents, Edward and Mae, two brothers, Alwyn and Wyatt ‘Bud’, and two sisters, Gretchen and Kathleen. He graduated from Monmouth High School, then served from 1944 to 1946 in the 96th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in Leyte Gulf, Philippine Islands, and Okinawa, Japan, where he earned a Purple Heart.His work experiences included farming with his family, Shell Oil as a delivery driver, and Bishops Clothing Store as a manager. He semi-retired in 1981 to become a private contractor as a “Jack of all trades”, where he found his true passion, before fully retiring in 1991. He was known for his fine woodworking, fabulous soups, and bountiful gardens.In 1950, Neil married Lucile Schwichtenberg in Salem, where the couple made their home until her death in 1991. The couple tremendously enjoyed spending time with family and friends, as well as traveling on many road trips all across America, and their annual trip to the beach with the granddaughters. In 1996, Neil built his home with pride at the Independence Airpark, where he made many friends.Neil is survived by his son, Gary Warrick and daughter-in-law, Chrissie of Portland; granddaughters, Brek Boehmer and Heather Miller of Salem; great-grandchildren, Cody and Bailey Boehmer and Jakob and Caitlin Miller; and friend Wilma Muench of Salem.Neil’s Celebration of Life will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, September 16 at Neil’s home, all are invited to come and share in the final harvest of the garden. Arrangements are by Barrick Funeral Home.

ARMY STRONG 13.1 MILES!

The first annual Army Half-Marathon: September 8, 2007 The race started at 8am!

We had our very own cheering section - Dad, Lauryn, Aimee and Mom! We are blessed to have such a supportive family. Thank you for being there for us.
Ayden and Meysa are waiting patiently for us to arrive at the finish line.


This is about mile 3 - still going strong!
We did it and we're glad it's over!
Greg stood around and took great pictures - glad we are finally in a picture together.
Okay - we're sitting and not wanting to move - do we look like we have any energy left???? Not so anyone can tell!


Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Pool Party!

Nana and Papa have a great pool for the kids so Meysa and Ayden were having their very own pool party. Of course, Grandma was not about to be left out so she joined in as well! And the rest of the gang hung out and enjoyed a cold soda!
Splashing their way from one end to the other!
Who can find the balls on the bottom of the pool?
Grandma Margaret, Ayden, Meysa and Lauryn
Some adult time while the kids are all in the pool. Great fun!

There's a reason they call it Labor Day!

We spent Saturday helping Beth and Bryan with putting stain on the log home. It was fun to help and we got a lot done, but we were tired at the end of the day!
Bryan and Greg working on the peak at the back of the house - we call this the park entrance!!
Dad is busy supervising the ladder work!! He helped on Friday on the garage side.
Margaret is washing the porch railing logs - they're next!!!
Amy was very busy putting up applesauce - she labored all day and still had more apples to do!
So what's this - a break???? Greg decided to swing a bit on the porch with Cedar, another Golden.
Beth says, "I'm the boss here so do as I say!"
Not to worry, Greg is looking it all over so he doesn't miss anything.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Overcoming Fear

Flying in an open cockpit plane, daring roller coaster rides, tandem jumping off a mountain with a paraglider - these things don't scare me. But put me 12 feet up in the air on a ladder or scaffolding and my heart pounds and I get sweaty!! But to prove I overcame - here are the pictures!!
Starting the climb up to the top of the ladder. We are caulking the trim board in preparation for the painter!
Greg has no fear and just moved right along on the rickety old scaffolding!
Notice the difference in posture; I'm not about to let go of the wall! But I did it and we are ready for paint! The hanger looks so much different with the drywall on the ceiling. I'm determined we are NOT putting everything back into the hanger that once was there. It's time to purge and I'm ready. (Greg's not sure what will be left!!!)

Dog Days of Summer!

Western Oregon University offers a dog swim right before they close their pool for cleaning and maintenance, so we decided to take Rusty. He loves his "kiddie" pool at home and loved the one at the pool!! When he first got to the pool, he immediately jumped in the large pool and suddenly realized he couldn't touch the bottom! The look on his face was too funny! It took both the lifeguard and me to coax (at one time, roll!) him into the water and encourage him to swim. He finally got the hang of it, but wouldn't leave the side of the pool. He just swam next to the edge! We all had a great time!!
Rusty discovered the "kiddie" pool after having been in the bigger pool - he's much happier here!!
This was the first timei he went in - he just couldn't wait to get out!!
We had to keep him swimming to the steps; Rusty wanted to climb out wherever he could! The yellow lab didn't like the water at all and kept watching Rusty!!!