Crossing off number 6! Bend, Oregon (part 2)

Well, the day has finally arrived when picknik.com no longer lives so I had to find a new photo editing procedure and It's killing me!  I've been on photobucket.com for the past hour and not got anything done.  I know this will just take time...but if any of you have any other suggestions of websites where I can edit pictures let me know.

So today there aren't any picture collages and I hate it because I love them...but here goes...

We started the day off by driving up Pilot Butte.  From the top we could see SOOO many snow covered mountains. Mt Bachelor, Mt. Washington, the three sisters, 3 fingered jack, and Mt. Hood..I think...

 I forgot to add in the last post about the funny story about when I told Deci we needed to start packing for our trip.  It went something like this:

Me: "Deci, we need to start packing for our trip."

Deci: "But I hate packing!"

Me: "I'll pack for you."

Deci: big sigh, "Ok, but do we have to pack the table?"

Me: "No, we're only going for the weekend."

Deci: "Ok, but can I take my pink blanket, big dog, my elephant, and my bunny?" 

Me: "Sure."

I think the 3 moves we've made in the past year and 1/2 has made its toll on Deci....I mean, the table? really?  She honestly thought we were going to have to pack the whole house and move again! ha!

 I loved seeing all the big white puffy clouds!  When it's cloudy where we live, it's CLOUDY...like you-can't-see-the-sun cloudy!

 Journey decided to sleep though this adventure.

 Next, we went to go hike to a water fall and found a nice man on the way back to make this picture of us.  Notice Deci with No shoes...hiking with no shoes. yep.

 Deci started out with shoes on but remember when I talked about getting these boots for $3 at a thrift store...well thrift store shoes aren't always the best.  They wouldn't stay on her feet right and when she ran they started sliding off...it was just easier to take them off.

 Lava Fields.

 We were talking with some married couples the other day about this hiking trip.  These married couples don't have kids yet and I guess Q and I feel it's our responsibility to warn them how hard it can be with kids...  This hike was 1/2 a mile (there and back) but felt like we hiked 10 miles.  This picture below was at the water fall and at this point we were both carrying kids and they weren't cooperating at all...

 After this we went back to the house and canceled our plans of going out to eat because we were exhausted.  It was very relaxing and we taught Deci how to play the board game Sorry.  Then when the girls went to bed we opened a bottle of wine and Q and I played the game Sequence. I LOVED not having television or internet.

We didn't go to bed so early and I regretted it later when Deci woke up screaming around 12ish and got in the bed with us.  I think around 1ish Journey woke up crying (which is weird because she's my kid that sleeps all night, every night).  I tried to put her in the bed with us but Deci was taking up 1/2 the king size and Q was taking up the other 1/2.  So we went to the bottom of the bunk bed where Deci started off sleeping.  Journey wouldn't go back to sleep.  I think she finally went back to sleep around 3 then I woke up hearing this beep...beep...beep...beep sound coming from downstairs.  At first I thought it was the house alarm but knew it would have been louder.  I went to wake up Q but when I got out of the bed Journey woke up.  Q went down stairs and it was just the kitchen timer going off...I'm not sure why...  We finally got back to sleep and woke up Sunday and headed home.  It was a very fun family weekend.  Just what we needed.

Crossing off Number 6! Bend, Oregon (part 1)

  I made a list (Here) of places and things I wanted to do in Oregon in 2012.

We are slowly, oh so slowly crossing them off our list.  Currently we've only crossed off 2.  Some of these things are expensive...mainly expensive to drive to some of them and frankly we just don't have the time or money BUT we were blessed this past weekend to be able to spend time in Bend, Oregon.

See, I don't know all the details (I wish I did) but there is a guy...(or a family) out there that built a house in Bend for pastors and their family to go to get away for FREE!  Crazy, I know! We found out about it because of the pastor at the Shift in Albany.  (Thanks Brad and Naomi!!)

On the road.

 The house we stayed in was BEAUTIFUL!  And the BEST part to me was how kid friendly it was.  The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the playroom.  Then they had a baby room with a baby bed! If you're a mom you know how hectic it can be going on vacation when you still have a baby sleeping in a baby bed.

 This isn't even half of it! 5 bedrooms.  The house was huge and we had it all to ourselves.  Oh and no internet or T.V.!  I just so happened to love that.  It was much needed family time.

We woke up to a little bit of snow on the ground the next morning and decided to drive out towards Mount Bachelor.

Look how blue that sky is!  Q told me on the way over that it's sunny in Bend 320 days out of the year! What? And why aren't we living in Bend?? haha...no seriously... 

We decided to stop on the way to play in the snow...but my feet kept sinking a foot into the snow...Deci was the only one who could walk on the snow without caving in so we decided to get a picture of me and the girls and get out of there...

It didn't work so well.  The sun was SO bright.  We're not so use to the sun where we're from.  Plus Deci just wanted to play and Journey was screaming.  Good times.

(I found deci's boots at a thrift store for $3.00! I love them...but not so good for hiking...more about that in part 2)

Next we went to the High Desert Museum.

Journey loved the turtles.

Watching the Otter.

Can I just tell you about this awesome stroller we just so happen to find at a yard sale this weekend in Bend???  Deci's friend's mom has one of these strollers and I was so envious of it.  It's like a double stroller but not as bulky.  Deci can either stand or sit.  It's such a perfect stroller for our girls age.  We forgot our stroller at home.  (we currently don't have a double stroller) We passed a yard sale sign.  Pulled in and found this stroller for $50! I think they sell at Target for $125 and this one is in perfect condition so I would say we got a really great deal!

And Deci loves it.  We used it all weekend.  Can you tell I'm proud of this find? ha! :)

Ok, well that's it for part 1.  I'll try to post part 2 tomorrow.

 

Top 10 Places to go in Oregon in 2012

1. Crater Lake. I've heard so much about this place. A good friend said that he was more impressed with this place than the Grand canyon....I've never seen either but that's hard to believe. The complicated thing is that this place is hard to get to during the winter because of the snow.

2. Redwood National Forest. From what I understand most of the Redwood forest is in California but I think it overlaps into Oregon...right?? Regardless, I can't wait to see these massive trees!


3.  Cannon Beach, Astoria and the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I put these 3 together because I believe we can mark all 3 of these off in one trip. Cannon Beach has the famous Haystack Rock. Astoria is where they filmed The Goonies!!! We love that movie. Also, I just found out today that, Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Short Circuit, and Come See the Paradise were all filmed in Astoria also.  I want to go to the Tillamook Cheese Factory because they make the most amazing cheese ever!


4.  The Roloff Farm. Aka "The little people in a big world" farm. If you know me, you know that I LOVE going to see places that I've seen on TV. I'm quite the reality TV junkie. This wasn't one of my reality TV addictions but I did see it several times. We wanted to take the girls there in October to get a pumpkin but we never made it.


5.  Snow Tubing at the Willamette Pass.  Actually just Snow Tubing...but the Willamette pass, I believe, is the closest place to our house. I really want to take the girls. I think Deci would love this.



6.  Bend, Or.  I've only drove through Bend. Some of our friends spent some time in Bend and their pictures make me want to go back and actually get out of the car. I hate to admit it but we haven't even been hiking since we've been here. It's hard with kids. I think Deci would be able to hike an easy trail but we don't have a pack were we could carry Journey. I think Bend would be a perfect place to go hiking.


7.  The Oregon Zoo. Portland, Or.  We went to the museum right beside the Zoo but it was too cold for the Zoo that day.  We have been trying to plan a trip back since.  The hard thing we are figuring out about planning outdoor activities in Oregon is that you have to plan them in June-September because of the rain.  I guess after we've been here a little while longer we won't let a little rain (and cold) slow us down...I hope anyways...


8.  Mount Pisgah.  Our neighbors said this is one of their favorite places to go to hike that's local.


9.  Ride a bike through town, around town, and on the bike paths by the river.  This may sound silly. I live in a town where EVERYONE rides their bike. There are two-lane bike paths going through town. I love riding bikes but for some reason here it intimidates me to ride. Q rode his bike to work a few times. I would love for us to be able to ride together but then we have kids...which doesn't slow anyone else down in the city.  I've got to figure this out...It's just as simple as spending a couple of hundred dollars on a bike trailer....that's all... ;)



10. Watch a race at Hayward Field. When we were praying about moving to Oregon I remember seeing the Olympic track and field trails on TV. It was here at Hayward Field. I remember seeing the blue sky (it must have been summer.) and the big white puffy clouds float over the bleachers and that is when I decided I must watch a race there.  The 2012 Olympic track and field trails are being held here and I would love to get a ticket...from what I hear they are hard to get. (and expensive) Maybe I'll be a stalker and just go walk around close by and see what I can see.


Well...that was a long post.  Who's coming out to visit me in 2012?? Who wants to help me check off my to-do list?? :)

Seattle: Day 2

We woke up on day 2 and went to Pike Place Public Market.

Sea creatures everywhere!

Deci tried Strawberry Bubble Tea. It had tapioca pearls at the bottom. I wasn't a huge fan but Deci loved the strawberry taste.

We walked to the original Starbucks and got coffee then headed to Beecher's for the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had!

Next stop: The GUM Wall! Deci had to add her gum to the collection.

In the afternoon Q's dad and Hilde offered to keep the girls so Q and I (along with Wade and Kerrie) could go explore the town. We stopped at the Pioneer Square where we ate at the oldest restaurant in Seattle: The Merchants Cafe and Saloon.

We walked A LOT... I think at the end of the day Q said it was 10 miles.

We ended the night at The Lava Lounge where Hilde's sister works. We also met up with Hilde's youngest daughter Michelle there then headed back to the Hotel to get the girls in bed. It was so nice to have a few hours with Q, Wade and Kerrie to explore!

Seattle: Day 1

Quinton's Brother Wade and his wife Kerrie flew into Oregon on Monday night and spent a few nights with us then we drove up to Seattle, WA to meet their dad and his wife Hilde for a little Christmas vacation. Q and I had never been to Washington before so this was an extra special trip for us. I have a silly dream of visiting all the states before I die. One more State checked off the list! I have quite a lot to go. We got into Seattle. Q drove and I hung my head out the window to take pictures. We got to our hotel, Edgewater, which was AMAZING! We were right on the water and within walking distance of everything downtown. The girls loved the room. Deci found this bear in the room that she loved along with a bear stool (that by the way was really cool) that cost $425! YIKES!

This was our view from our room!

After we got settled in we walked to Ivars to eat. The girls were a little fussy. It was getting close to their bedtime by the end of the meal plus they had been in a car for 7 hours that day so we headed back to the hotel early. I've decided to blog day by day about this trip because it was so much fun, so many pictures, and It may be a while before we take another trip like this. So check back in for Days 2, 3, and 4 of our Seattle trip!

Rick and Hilde's Wedding

Quinton's Dad got married last week at the beach. This first picture is the whole family.

From L to R: Wade, Kerrie, Sheena, Deci, Rick, Hilde, Michelle, Me and Q.

Catching up...

It's almost Fall and I can feel it in the air. I love this time of year, especially now that we celebrate Deci's birthday in the Fall! I'm finally finished with my Summer Vacations. I am slowing down now, relaxing, reading, enjoying life, spending time with my family, thinking about cleaning the house... I am really, really enjoying Deci. She is so funny. Every night we say our prayers before bed and ask her who she wants to pray for. She always says Mommy, Daddy, and Kyle.... every now and then she will throw in another family member but mostly just us and Kyle. (oh and she likes to pray for Matt. Which is so funny to me!) She once asked me to pray for her stuffed animal Dog and then I forgot. After I said "amen" she reminded me that I forgot to pray for her Dog so we had to pray again!

I went to visit the soccer field that I mentioned before in the backyard of my grandads house. We are having a sermon series at church called City on a Hill. We are going to try to reach out to the community and show them that we care. So, Saturday me, Kerrie, Q and Deci went to the soccer field and passed out water to the guys playing. They didn't take a long break so we really didn't get to talk much but we are planning to go back soon.

Also, I went on a girls trip to Destin. These are some of the girls that have known me longer than my Husband, and that's a long time. I met Rachel and Sarah the Summer before Third grade on the Swim team. The rest of the girls follow after...

It's usually months in between times we see each other but every time we get together it's like we have never been apart. I love these girls and enjoyed getting to hang out with them on the beach!!

After I left these girls on Sunday I washed clothes and packed again on Monday and left Tuesday again for the Beach. Panama City Beach to be exact for Quinton's Dad's wedding. I'll be posting pictures from that soon.

Vacation at the Beach!

I realize I haven't blogged in a while and I realize that it's turning into a once a week/picture of the week blog which I didn't intend for it to be BUT this week my blog was so far from my mind and it was nice. I do love blogging or I wouldn't blog but this week we were on Vacation at Perdido Key and it was very relaxing. We went with some of our friends. Well, actually a lot of our friends... 22 of us exactly and one in the oven! Here are some pictures from the week at the beach!

Me and My sister-in-law Kerrie. You can see Deci's head at the bottom of this picture because she wouldn't let go. She was trying to pull us apart. I guess she wanted to be in the picture too. Kerrie's Blog is http://www.kerriewade.blogspot.com/
Kerrie and Deci

Allison and Adam Ragsdale

AnaRuth

The Brown Family

The Stewart's. Jessica (Pregnant with Andeigh Grey), AnaRuth, and Kevin

Deci was not all about taking this picture.

This is one of the nights that we cooked. This was close to the end of the week and I was sick of seafood so I ordered Taco Pizza!

Kiss Kiss

Our View of the Bay from our Condo

Relaxing on the Beach!

Clapping for the Tigers at the Zoo!

Brylee and Deci

Kevin with all the girls from our room.