Memorial Day/James' Birthday

Memorial Day weekend and James' Birthday fell on at the same weekend. We were just getting home from vacation so go anywhere was basically out of the question, we got stuff at home done. I had been putting off any planting until we got home so that they didn't have a chance to croak (yet). I did some weed pulling on Saturday, since no one had lived in the trailer for over a year it was WAY overgrown. So I made a little headway but there is plenty more to be done. If anyone has the urge to pull any weeds (nice big ones too) all you need to do is call!

The front flower bed, weedless (for the most part, the green is tulips)!

Sunday morning before he left for work, James built me an 8' x 3' raised bed for growing veggies!

Monday as soon as James got home from work he got to open his gifts and have cake (secretly fulfilling my desire for Chocolate Cake for breakfast), he got Legos and had it assembled before he went to bed for the morning!

James wanted dark chocolate cake with dark chocolate frosting, wish granted!

Thats is what I have for now but more to come!
We were at the boat last weekend spending time with my dad for his birthday!

More Vacation Pics

Vacation Pics!

Our Condo (Center Left-with blue windows), we stayed on the South side towards the back but it was still amazing!

Sign marking the end of the Lewis & Clark Trail

An awesome Pic that I didn't realize turned out so well until I got back home!
This is one of my favorites, we were down here picking up firewood!

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, one of two we went to see!

Overlooking "Deadmans Cove"

Nice view of the lighthouse from the North Jetty

The last night we were there we had a sunset campfire on the beach...
That we put out as soon as it was almost gone so we could go jump in the hot tub before it closed!

On the way home we stopped (briefly) at Multnomah Falls, before we hurried on home to get Maggie before the kennel closed!

Well that is it for our vacation pictures, I took over 100 pictures while we were gone so you all got to see the highlights. If you feel so inclined to look at ALL of them let me know I am sure I can make it happen!

A Wonderful Week!

We got home yesterday evening from a wonderful week away at the Oregon Coast! It was quite the road to get there but totally worth it and we got to see great friends and family along the way! We left Pullman early Friday (5-15-09) morning to get to Everett where my best friend since High School, Cheryl had just had her baby girl Haily Rae on Monday (5-12), it was so wonderful to get to meet Hailey for the first time, and see Cheryl and Brent as great parents!

Baby Hailey Rae

Me and Hailey, she is so tiny!

Just us girls!

Then after spending an hour with the newly expanded Crance family we headed down to Olympia to stay with my Aunt and Uncle for the night. That trip from Everett to Olympia was THE worst traffic I have ever been in! But we got through and had a great night of dinner, wine, and fun games! The next morning my Aunt took us to see the capitol and to this great bakery in Olympia that I haven't gone to in years and that James had never been too, James LOVES bakery's and all the yummy baked goods they sell! Needless to say we had plenty of baked goodies to take with us to the ocean! Then after a light lunch we said goodbye and headed on to the next stop, via some outlet shopping, and ended up at our great friends the McCarrell's house in Hillsboro, OR for the night. Again great food, and fun conversation with friends we haven't seen in quite a while.

Jesse and James--- Jesse is going to school to be an optometrist, he was practicing on James!

Sunday brought BEACH DAY! We and the McCarrell's headed out to Cannon Beach for the the Low tide so we could check out all the cool ocean life in the tide pools, it was very neat but the weather was a bit windy and cool. We still managed to have a great time and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

We all had a great day on the beach, Jayden more so once we put some pizza in her!

Star Fish in the tide pools!

Girls on the beach

Jayden playing in the surf!

Skipping down the beach!

The rest of the week we stayed at one of our condos at Seaside, OR and had a great time! We had a small room, with a tiny kitchen and it was perfect. Plus the grill out on the balcony helped as well. We spent time walking on the beach, checking out the shops, and heading down to Tillamook for a tour of the cheese factory and the Air Museum.The whole trip was so nice to be out and away to relax and spend good quality time together! James and I feel now ready to take on the summer projects and the task of pushing to get our house built!

Laying on the beach flying our kites!

James and his Fighter Plane Kite (our resort is the big one in the background)

Me and my dragon kite!

Tillamook Cheese!

An old Flight simulator, he was so happy to be in there!

A Secret Beach

Enjoying the "Fun-Bike" rentals on the beach!

View from our Balcony

I have a few more pics to put up, but for now this will do, I hope I get around to the rest because they are pretty great. But for now I am heading out the enjoy the sunshine here at home! We hope you all have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend, we will be recovering and relaxing again after being away.

Answered Prayers and Prayer Requests

Ok so I guess this post has been difficult for me to write only because I don't like to share bad news, and I really don't want anyone to be sad for us (some have been). But here goes, in January James and I had some testing done to find out why we have been unable to have children in the over 2 years that we have been trying. Well we finally have answers, even though they are not the easy answers,l they are still answers.
We found out that in order to conceive we will have to go through the process of IVF plus ICSI basically a very long, expensive, and for us invasive treatment in order to have a family. At first the news seemed devastating, but as time goes on we look for opportunities to make the most of this time "in between". In between finding our way with the news, in between sharing with family and friends, in between figuring out when and how we will mange to have this treatment done. We have plenty to keep us busy and that has been very helpful, we are working to get things moving on building a house, we are going on vacations, I am doing some running (this has been my personal outlet for this news), and we are just enjoying being a family of two and a half (Maggie is our half)!
So the title says answered prayers that has been answers to our prayers for patience and peace as this news even still continues to sink in. The first couple days were the worst and now most days I only think about it a little and I remind myself that God has a plan! So I will ask now for continued prayers for patience and peace, these are things that get us from one day to the next, and then also prayers for our bodies because the Doctor told us that our chances are not zero, that a miracle could still happen. As ready as I am for the treatment (because I know this is most likely what we will have to do), I still pray for a miracle if that is Gods will. So we ask that you join as we continue to pray.

Running!

Running to work, running to the grocery store, running out of time, running for fun! Ok so the last one is the one that I am really most excited about! Since the end of December I have been really working at getting my self in shape, no not the dieting way, but the live healthy way! It all started with this grant we got at work to fight childhood obesity and promote healthier living! It's been a lot of fun working on stuff at work for this and then really trying to implement it in my own life.
So I am aiming to eat healthier (I really like not- good-for-you food), and I have gotten back into running! So I was in Cross Country in High School and did run but I was never very good and usually came in last but I enjoyed it. So I am learning to enjoy it again, about 12 years older, and a lot less agile than I used to be. I try to get some run time in after work and it happens about 2-3 times a week and then I am trying to sign up for a few races (aka fun ways to run) here and there with the Hog Jog at the end of April in one of the local small towns and then Bloomsday in Spokane the First Sunday in May. Even though some days its a little harder to get out on the trail, it has been so worth it. I love the time outside and just getting out and MOVING! Its great! I did my first 1/2 Marathon in March, the most I can say for that was Brrrrrr! Oh and OUCH! I did great the first 8 miles the last 5.1 were a different story! But in the end I finished and I look forward to doing a much better job of training for it next year!

Jessie, Anna, and I Freezing before the 1/2 Marathon...There is snow in the hills behind us!

On a different note today is Maundy Thursday, tomorrow is Good Friday and we most of us know what that means, Sunday is Easter! I love Easter, there is so much Promise in the story of the Passion and the amazing and wonderful end of the story when our Jesus conquers death and sin on the cross for us! Awesome! So tonight I pray as we move into Good Friday that you all have a wonderful and blessed Easter and remember the price that was paid and the promise that was made for you! Happy Easter! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Back to blogging!

After plenty of reminders that my blog has been lacking attention over the past almost 4 months, I am back with a renewed passion to share through this blog! If there is any one left to read my random thoughts and oh so sporadic updates I will do my best to post more regularly!

After not having internet in the place where we were living I was trying to get to anywhere that had wireless internt to do my posting, then after moving to Pullman in November I had to wait to get internet here in our house! Ha, internet, always the wonderful resource and yet never seeming to be available. Well all road blocks out of the way here I am ready to rock and roll. Or type and emoticon :)

Fall and winter were quite busy and as I see spring quickly approaching (I hope), it seems that there will be plenty of activities to fill our time.

Fall brought lots of opportunities to be with family, if that meant just a random get together or a holiday we were together if we could be. It also brought time away for James and I. We spent a weekend together in Canmore Canada, and it was WONDERFUL! If you didn't already know Banff National Forest is BEAUTIFUL! We spent about 4 days playing in the Canadian Rockies, going to Lake Louise, riding a gondola up Sulfur Mountain, and just relaxing every evening! It was so great to just relax away from everything going on all the time!

Us at Lake Louise! Beautiful!

Me at the top of Sulfer Mountian in Banff, Canada

My mom and I on Apple Cup day, We were at my house making Lefse!
The "Ladies" in my kitchen making lefse.
Auntie and Conner got to spend an afternoon together while his parents were out!

The holidays have been great. Thanksgiving and Christmas were both spent at my parents house is Spokane with lots of family. The day after Thanksgiving brought an early wake-up call as Ann and Christie and I headed out to the stores at 4:45 am! Sneaking out the house and trying not wake the kids is getting harder... Especially when you can't close the car doors because the baby is sleeping right inside the window! Ha! We managed to pull it off another year, and got some great deals, I think Christie managed to get the most shopping done, she is so organized! The same day as the early wake-up we also went to Coeur d' Alene, ID to watch the fireworks and the lighting of the city holiday lights. It was a busy day but totally worth it!

The Thanksgiving Table.

These girls make me smile, They are my SUNSHINE!

Christmas was just as busy and spent driving on some sketchy roads trying to get to Spokane, and Post Falls. We were in Post Falls with the Nelson family on Christmas Eve, we enjoyed time there with family. Bobbie made a fantastic Prime Rib dinner, it filled us all up to the top! James as always enjoyed some guy time with a pool tournament. Later that night we drove slowly back north Spokane to be with my parents for Christmas morning. My aunt and grandma were here there to spend the holiday with us. It was mostly a quiet day and it was wonderful. The roads were not good enough to get back to Pullman, so I guess and extra day off was nice.

Grandma and the kids at and early Christmas celebration!

A great visit from Cheryl and Baby-to-be!

The new year is here and we are looking forward to all that it has to offer! Hopefully we will be building a new home and even living in Colfax again. But all that will come with time, and we have all of 2009 ahead of us!

I hope you are all doing well and that your holidays were wonderful. I will look forward to sharing with you all in the new year! Blessings to you all!

Hiking and Babies!

Well I guess I haven't been as on top of things as I thought I would be! Not having internet access has posed quite an inconvenience. But none the less, we have internet at the moment so I am making the most of it!

Well to catch up on a few more fun events we have done some hiking locally and I recently went to a friends baby shower who is due for twins in less than a month!

So James and I met up with a good friend of ours, Sarah Walker, who has been out of the area and even the country for a while so we really were looking forward to getting to see her! We went for a hike at Mineral Ridge on Lake Coeur d' Alene, it was such a nice morning hike and great time to visit with Sarah!

Always a good time getting silly with Sarah!

Gotta Love a Family Picture! (Christmas Card Maybe???)

Later that week I went to a baby shower for another wonderful friend who happens to be Sarahs sister, Rebecca! She is due to have twins at the beginning of October, but I am betting she goes the middle of September! It was also an awesome opportunity to get to see some friends that I rarely see!

Love Rebecca all cute and pregers!!

Fun Friends Alissa (my former roomie) and Lauren!!!

Keep cookin' babies, We'll see you soon!

In other news we are getting things moved out of our house in Spokane, and either it will sell or we will rent it out. At this point we are really hoping for either option. We are hoping to find an apartment here in Colfax soon also, I guess roughing just isn't really going to work for me after all! But it has worked for the summer! Well, please continue to keep James and I in your prayers as we are still waiting for many pieces of the puzzel to fall into place for building our home!

Summer is coming quickly to a close, the days are still warm but the mornings are brisk and the evenings are chilly... Oh sweet summer we will see you in another year! And we pray that you are all well as you move into fall!

Continued Update!

I am doing laundry once again and decided it might be nice if I took some time to finish the last ubdate that I started! I left off with pictures from the Fourth, and I had a couple more fun things I had pictures from that I wanted to share!
My business trip to Olympia that turned out to be a great visit with my family... unfortunately I didn't take any pictures with my family! I realized it about 300 miles too late! Woops! But I got a couple on Thursday night when I was out with some of the girls from my training!!!

Thursday Night Dinner, a night to relax with the new friends we had made at WIC Training!
Barbra, Molly, Erin, Lisa, and Joy

Rub-A-Dub-Dub 4 WIC Chicks in the Tub!!
Molly, Joy, Erin, and Lisa

An Evening view of the Washington State Capitol

Friday Joy needed to stop in Seattle before we headed back to Spokane, so I spent some time at Pike Place Market, I LOVE THE FLOWERS!!!

My nephew Conner turned one the day after I got back from seattle and it was so fun to see how he changed!

Wow is this for Me???? Does that I mean don't have to share with my sister now???

Hey guys, Where's the cake? You put me in the chair and then left me? Guys? Hey Guys? Where'd ya go?

This is what I mean by cake!

Go Go Speed Racer!

Handsome boy is 1 now!!!!

My 10 year class reunion was a blast! I was a little apprehensive about going at all since it has been 10 year since I last saw most of these people but in the end it was fun to catch up and visit and dream about where we will all be in another 10 years!

Erin, Cheryl and Tara at the Friday Night Party! It was crowded and tooo Hot! But fun to see friends! The Geib Family... Heath, Kelli, Sawyer and Piper! I love this family!!! (Kelli went to Shadle with us)
Jennifer and I, High School Friends and College Roomates!

The Girls from the Commons! Kelli, Suzy, Cheryl, Tara, and Erin
Scott and Stephanie Bontrager (They started dating our Senior year of HS), and their baby Riley, and Kara Belt

And then there is Taylor Jordans wedding, again not a lot of pictures but just enough to remember the day!

I cannot believe that I STARTED babysitting this beautiful girl 16 years ago! It was a wonderful night to Celebrate!

Ok and I thought I better tack on a couple of pictures of our current home! Yeah for trailers in Colfax! It isn't much to many but to us is means so much!

From one end to the other! Thats our dining/living room at the end... our kitchen to your right and the restroom to the left! Our bed is right next to where I am standing :)

The restroom pictures are so that you all know why I will appreciate my master batheroom and spare bathroom so much when all is said and done!
Our toilet!

Our Shower. The shower head comes to about my shoulder, but it comes off for ease of use ;)

The best part about where we live right now would be our wonderful neighbors BJ and Gloria, they are such a blessing to us!

I am looking forward to my next post, James and I took Maggie camping for the first time and found out we have a City Girl for a dog!! Stay tuned!