Happy Thanksgiving!

I am feeling very blessed this Thanksgiving. True we don't have a great excess, but I have a safe place to live, my immediate family close my, easy access to clean clothes, water, and a abundance of food. We had a fun day with the kids yesterday, they are all healthy and happy. What more can you really need?

I also just read the book "The Poisonwood Bible", by Barbara Kingsolver. It is a story that takes place in Africa. I have always known the conditions that some people live, and that there are wars and corrupt governments, and how children in developing countries go hungry. But this book really put a face on that suffering for me. It is a story of an American family that goes to Africa on a mission trip, in the late 1950's. The book encompasses cultural differences, politics, family dynamics and so much more, it really moved me. It made me feel guilty for living in such a country as I do with so much waste, greed and over consumption, while I go about carefree while there is such suffering to other humankind. Especially while America exploits other countries to ensure they have cheap coffee, bananas, diamonds, rubber, etc.

This book really made me realize how lucky we are to live in the country we do, where we are safe, well fed, and have so many opportunities it is overwhelming. It made me think of a program that we had donated to previously, Compassion International. In the process of digesting the book I felt very moved to DO something, so I decided to start sponsoring a child. For just $38 a month you can provide funding to ensure the child is given adequate food, shelter and schooling. Without an opportunity at an education where would any of us be? We opted not to look through all the pictures of needy children and try to pick which one to chose, instead letting them choose for us a child who has gone the longest with out a sponsor. I know it isn't a huge difference in vast enormity of how many children go hungry every day throughout the world, but to that one child it will make a world of difference, and I am content with that.

I have made a decision to be more aware of need around me and am looking for other ways to help in my community locally as well. I think Thanksgiving is a great time to really look at what you have and give thanks for it, and give to those in greater need if possible. It is not easy, it requires you to get out of your comfort zone a little bit.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Love to all, I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Grapefruit Sugar Scrub

This is a body scrub that you can easily make at home, and mostly with ingredients you already have. I promised my sister I would post this recipe. I gave her half of my first batch, and we both loved it, and are now both out. I love how easy it is to make.

The recipe:

1 1/2 C Sugar

8 drops Grapefruit essential oil (not really needed if you have scented castile soap, and no essential oil)

1/4 C Jojoba Oil **
1/4 C castile soap (scented or unscented)

Slowly add each ingredient in, thoroughly stirring in before adding the next.

If you have especially dry skin you can add 1-3 teaspoons of raw honey, and use slightly less than 1/4 C castile soap

**Jojoba is the best, it is most similar to our bodies natural oils, but sweet almond, grapeseed or Olive oil work as well. I used olive oil this time around because that is what we have at the moment, and my skin was feeling extra dry.

Asheville, NC

Well we made it, we are offically relocated. And for the most part our drive out here took a week and was basically and fortunately uneventful. We stopped in Salt Lake City to visit my parents and have "Canadian Thanksgiving" or Thanksgiving early because I won't be able to get back that soon. It was wonderful. We also stopped in Summit County, Colorado to visit Joey's sister, and catch up with a bunch of his friends. After that we drove as much as we could stand, and got here as fast as we could to get all the driving over with.

We are slowly getting settled in. We hung out with the kids on Thursday a no school day, and all weekend. It made moving here and all the hassle of moving seem well worth the effort. We celebrated Raine's 10th birthday with tasty homemade dinner, and enjoyed each others company.

Joey has already started working! I feel so blessed that he has already got work, even if it is a 4 hour drive, and the job will only last two weeks.

Today I ventured out to ride my bike to the Farmers Market. I was spoiled in Corvallis and I didn't even realize. Corvallis has bike lane's everywhere there is traffic enough to need them, and flat. Here it feels crazy to be so close to traffic, and the hills are everywhere! It is more hilly than living downtown Salt Lake, where there was a steep hill but it was basically only the one. But I made it (after a hilly wrong turn on mountain terrace drive, big mistake...) and got home just as the sprinkling rain turned to torrent. I made it without getting totally soaked, just mostly. The tasty (and locally made) tempeh bagel sandwich I made, with a side of fresh cherry tomatoes was totally worth the effort.

It isn't Corvallis, but we are slowly trying to make it home.

Climbing South Sister, Joey's Birthday

We took advantage of the long weekend and met up with some friends and climbed South Sister for Labor day. I was determined not to slow the group down so I hiked fast enough that Joey recommended I slow down. I was very satisfied with myself.

Since Joey has been working out of town, and gone all week I put together a lil bit of a birthday for him and invited Andy and Andi to come down from Portland to enjoy Corvallis.

We had a lot of fun I made Mexican food and apple pie for dinner (Joey's favorite), then we went downtown for a wine tasting and music. Sunday we went out for breakfast and then hiking in the McDonald Forest

As the song goes... we'd rather live in their world, then live with out them in ours

Well we have debated over the pros and cons, but ultimately nothing matters more than being in the kids lives in the coming year. They moved a little over a year ago and we don't want to miss out on another year. We have decided to make the move to Asheville, North Carolina next month.



Its a bit overwhelming because we don't have jobs or a place to live yet, but I hope with a month it will all fall into place.

A trip to the East coast... and back

I flew with Ocean, Raine, and Layke to Asheville, North Carolina on Thursday night. Their school starts there today. We sure miss them. The house seems so quiet. Toys and clothes strewn around the house and yard are suddenly a precious proof that they were here in Oregon. I can't wait until we can live closer to them!

Some pictures from my phone of our fun at the airport.

It was pretty hard saying goodbye to dad so the first thing we did for distraction was stop by the toy store in the Portland airport. Layke pick out this cutest and snuggliest little stuffed animal. Raine got a puzzle cube which I didn't get a picture of.

Sister snuggles waiting in Charlotte for our transfer to Asheville.

Raine caught a nap.

I had the kids tell me their favorite things about their visit, and I wrote it in our sketchbook. It was fun to reflect on all the fun we had together.

Eating Subway waiting for their mom to pick them up.

Laykes Birthday

Ocean Raine and Layke had a water fight with some of the other neighbor kids. This a picture of the big bucket of water balloons they filled up.

This year Layke didn't want cake. She wanted pie. We were at a local bakery and she spotted just the perfect apple pie. We used some fun and different candles that had different colored flames that matched the color of the candle. Snazzy.

and per family tradition we relit the candles

so everyone could help blow them out

Layke picked out most of her presents so this is her pretending

to not know what she is unwrapping...

This one was a actual surprise. She wanted "spy gear" this year.

This is what we came up with (walkie talkies). They had lots of fun using them.

Ocean and Raine both got small presents as well.

After dinner, pie, and presents we decided to use up our left over fireworks. I had lots of fun taking pictures.

Out to the Ballgame 5k

I have been slacking off on my running schedule while the kids were here, as I expected I would which is why I scheduled myself to run a 5k. Whenever our schedule got crazy and I was tempted to skip running, I remembered my upcoming 5k. I have ran at least 3x a week even if it was a quick. Not too bad considering the lovingly drastic change of schedule. Raine and Layke even timed my speed workout one day which was fun to have company for.

My goal was to improve my time by 3 minutes, my wonderful husband pointed out that was a bit ambitious, and told me that 30 seconds was a very reasonable improvement. I started off pushing a bit too fast (I couldn't help it, I was excited and ready to run after waiting for the race to start 30 minutes late), and got hot and a bit tired but still cut my PR time by 2 minutes! (to 28 minutes) I was excited. Joey, Ocean and Layke came to watch the race (Raine was at a friend's house) it was fun to have a audience.

I'm still not running terribly fast, but I am getting faster and have grown to love running more. I am looking forward to the upcoming events in our area, including a 10K trail run... Can't wait!

Impatiently waiting the start of the race...

This is one thing I love about kids. They always find something fun to do. The race started 30 minutes later than advertized. I was getting very frustrated, Ocean and Layke? Got busy playing. Checking out the beautiful, tall bamboo, and the excellent climbing tree.

Pre race BBQ... grilled veggies and shrimp

Camping at Ollallie Lake

The Marshmallow Princess

On the drive home

After we got home we showered, dressed up and went out for dinner.

It was a perfect end to the weekend

What summer is all about

Swimming at the pool,

Going to the beach,

Going to music concerts,

We saw The Newsboys, and Superchick

beating the heat with cold ice cream and popsicles,

Cooking and eating outside,

And generally just enjoying being together!

Smith Rock Sunrise Classic

This weekend I ran the Smith Rock Sunrise Classic 10k. We drove in late Friday night, and camped at Smith Rock State Park. I woke up with eager anticipation of the coming morning, wondering if it was time to get up yet.

I figured my 10k time would be about double my 5k time. It was hot, and the last two miles were uphill which was challenging, so I wasn't expecting a great time, but I made it exactly to the minute I predicted. I was happy with that. And I can't wait until my next race!


After my race we went camping at Lava Lake. It was wonderful. The perfect way to unwind after my first 10k. Saturday we napped, and set up camp and generally enjoyed ourselves. Sunday we hiked a few miles to nearby lakes.

As a side note I wore my comfy, sturdy, non plastic flip flops hiking, and got comments about how the (very flat) hike must have been hard wearing them... My wonderful husband pointed out that I had just run a 10k and could handle the terrain. Why is it some people believe only hiking boots are appropriate for hiking? I don't understand...

We are looking foward to the kids visit soon. I will keep you posted! They will get here the 19th.

Green Like God

I read this really interesting book yesterday. Its title is Green Like God. Another find of my husbands from the new release section of our Public Library. It is basically a Christian view point of the "green" movement. Its basic message is that Christians should be more environmentally conscious not because its cool or popular but because the earth is God's creating and he has given us stewardship of it. In disrespecting the environment with our American life style of over consumerism and wastefulness we are disrespecting Gods creation and in turn God himself. It was a very powerful message, and something that I strongly believe.

I have always felt close to God while in his creations whether it is mountains, oceans, rivers, marveling at plant and animal life, the starry sky or the full moon I have always felt his presence. I do not find it possible that it all happened by an evolutionary accident. I know there was a higher power overseeing the development of mankind. I am very grateful for the opportunities in my life to help others appreciate the beauty of the world around us.

Take time to spend an extra minute outside enjoying nature today. Take time to appreciate the natural world. Even if you don't believe in a higher power there is something to be said about connecting with the Earth. Connecting with your place in the universe.

Happy Independence Day!

I hope you had a enjoyable Independence Day. Joey helped me host the Independence Day Celebration for the residents at my work.

Then we met up with some friends and went camping for the weekend. It was very nice. We did some hiking, swiming, Joey did a little bit of kayaking, I even had veggie hot dogs. And a good amount of enjoying the company and relaxing

I found a good steep hill and used it for training for my upcoming 10k. I am getting very excited for it. I am feeling ready and feel I am running a lot stronger than before. I look forward to challenging myself.

What did you do for your weekend?

A Midsummers Night Run

I did the Midsummers Night Run just for fun, because it was in Corvallis, and was a fund raiser for a local high school's Track and Cross Country team, and because I thought it would be good practice for my upcoming 10k in July.

It didn't quite go as planned. It was very hot, and there were big hills which I wasn't prepared for. But I had fun, and surprised myself by beating my personal record by 12 seconds. It was a good course and I have gone back to that area to challenge myself on thse same hills to help improve my speed and strength.

Smith Rock 10k here I come!

I love Corvallis

My love for Corvallis grew even more today.

After biking around with Joey this weekend, and with the promise of less rainy weather I biked to work today. Its really not that far, and I have been feeling guilty for being an oil consumer, and being part of the reason for the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
The route to get to work was incredibly less complicated than the route I took from our last house, its basically a straight shot. Not only that but I realized that all the major stoplights on my way have bicyclist sensors. No more waiting for a car to come signal the light to change, or having to push the pedestrian button. To top it off, the travel time totaled 15 minutes. It takes me 15 minutes driving. I don't want to ever drive again.

Corvallis also has very affordable day camp options. Ocean, Raine and Layke are coming in July to spend a month with us. I'm very excited. So I have been looking for some activities to do while I'm working, I plan to reduce my hours to between 24-32 or so, which leaves those hours to be filled. The Parks and Recreation Department of Corvallis offers day camps M-TH starting at $35/week. Some of the Day camps offered elsewhere just about cost enough that it wouldn't make sense for me to work at all between the camp fee, cost of special activities and all the time and energy running them around to various places.

Another thing I love about Corvallis. We went Strawberry picking this weekend. Heavenly. I made Strawberry Jam, froze some of them, and we ate plenty. But we quickly realized that we would need more Strawberry Jam. So we are going back this evening. There is a farm about 5 miles from our house.

Another thing I love is going places and being recognized, and treated like a friend. Today at work I took a group out for lunck and the owner and several of the workers recognized us, and wondered how we were doing and were very accompdating and very nice, just like we were their good friends. We hadn't been to that particular resturant in about 6 months or more. It was a pleasant surprise.

Corvallis doesn't have a Walmart. This is a fact that I love. We do have a Kmart, a Fred Meyer and several Safeways. But we we also have a fun food Co-op of which I am a member, and a wonderful downtown area filled with various locally run shops.

Corvallis has a wonderful farmers market. As I'm sure that many areas do. Ours is along the river front, and there is always fun life music.

Basicly I'm in love with Corvallis. We will eventually be moving to North Carolina to be closer to the kids, (and I'm sure I'll love Asheville) but for now I'm enjoying Corvallis to its fullest.

Four days of Utah fun

Wow. This trip to visit my family was extra jam packed with activity. I hardly had time for eating, sleeping, or showering...

I went thrift store shopping and found a super cute shirt and pair of shorts,

ate at a restaurant I had never been Eggs in the City

and had an amazing veggie-stuffed omlet,

enjoyed the sun at Sugarhouse park (you should see my tan line),

had fun visiting and catching up with my mom,
and sisters about their jobs and life in general,

Made us breakfast, then took my little sister shopping at the Mall

to find a cute outfit to celebrate her birthday, very belated,

did some body decorating henna with two of my sisters in celebration of being together and for our upcoming race,

went rock climbing,

caught up with some friends from high school Ashley who was cute and 9 months pregnant and Chrissy who I hadn't seen in years,

ran a 5K with Aprielle, and

cheered on my sister Clarissa running her marathon,

and my parents in their half marathon,

AND right before getting dropped off at the airport I helped my brother move his things into his new house.


Phew...

I loved it. The first day was the most relaxing. I hung out with my sister Aprielle until she had to get back working to get a paper turned in on time. I didn't realize how busy I would be. I had a fantastic time though.

We had a crazy rainy rock climbing adventure I'll have to post about after I get the pictures from my sister. I brought my camera, but forgot the memory chip, and found precious pictures of the kids I didn't know I had and didn't want to delete. So I took pictures with my phone, and everyone around me took pictures... Just not accessible to me right now.

When I got back to Portland I was really looking forward to Sunday sleeping in, and enjoying some down time. My husband was excited to get out so we met up with one of the guys he works with, and his wife and children and went hiking to the Menagerie Wilderness. We got home with just enough time for some serious chilling. It was a wonderful long weekend, and I was glad to be back to work so that I could relax a little bit. :)