The things on this list I've done are in bold.
Started your own blog – Um, Hi, you’re reading it.
Slept under the stars – I can thank my parents for many a camping trip when my brother and I were kids…we loved to spend at least one night sleeping outside the tent…plus we liked to camp in our back yard J
Played in a band – Does Jr. High Band count? I was first chair trumpet…if not, I’m sure playing guitar on Rock Band counts
Visited Hawaii – twice – once the summer after I graduated HS, we went to Maui (I had mono) and the second time on our honeymoon, we went to Ohau.
Watched a meteor shower – Curtis and I purposely got up at 2 something in the morning to see it…thankfully we could sit on our deck and watch from our backyard.
Been to Disneyland/world – DisneyLand once, in 1988…I think it’s time for another trip…our family was more into Magic Mountain and Great America.
Climbed a mountain - does a butte count?
Held a praying mantis – eeewww, NO.
Sang a solo - at church, when I was little, in a Nativity performance.
Bungee jumped – not so much with the heights.
Visited Paris – thank you Juniors Abroad.
Watched a lightning storm at sea – well I wasn’t so much “at sea” when we watched the lightening storm, but we were on the balcony of our hotel in Hawaii, watching a lightening storm over the ocean.
Taught yourself an art from scratch – does color by numbers count? I’m seriously NOT artsy.
Adopted a child – no, but that may become an option one day…
Had food poisoning – not that I can recall…but probably.
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty – no, but I saw her thru my window on the plane as we landed in NJ on the way to Italy!
Seen the Mona Lisa in France – again, thank you Juniors Abroad…but since you never know which day the “real” Mona Lisa will be out, I could have seen a replica.
Slept on an overnight train – from Austria to Germany and from Germany to France…courtesy of Juniors Abroad!
Had a pillow fight – in Jr. High, at a sleepover
Hitchhiked – no, thank you!
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill – actually, no, I haven’t
Built a snow fort – since we live in snow land, I’ve built several with the neighbor’s kids
Held a lamb – at the petting zoo.
Gone skinny dipping - :)
Been to a Broadway show in NY – I’ve been to two in London…so I guess technically, it’s a No.
Ran a Marathon – ugh.
Been in three states at once - two, but not three I don't think…maybe someday I’ll visit the Grand Canyon and that place where you can be in 4 states at the same time…
Ridden in a gondola in Venice – it started raining…not fun
Seen a total eclipse - yeppers.
Watched a sunrise or sunset – watched the sun rise as I flew towards it on my way to Italy…but seriously, we visited Virginia Beach one summer and got up early to see it rise and I’ve seen plenty of sunsets at the Oregon Coast.
Hit a home run – does it count if it was with a fat bat and whiffle ball?
Been on a Cruise – going on one in a few weeks! Mexican Riviera!
Seen Niagara Falls in Person
Visited the birthplace of your Ancestors – some, but not all….still need to visit Sweden and Ireland.
Seen an Amish community – thank you mom and dad…it helps that my mom is a teacher…all family vacations had to be educational (mom’s requirement) and include some kind of roller coaster (dad’s requirement)
Taught yourself a new language – I learned several words and phrases in preparation for Italy, Austria, Germany, and France.
Had enough money to be truly satisfied – seriously, who’s going to answer “no” to this one?
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
Gone rock climbing – no thank you…I don’t like heights.
Seen Michelangelo’s David – a la Juniors Abroad (I’m pretty sure we had the best trip that year, although the New Zealand crew would object).
Sung karaoke - :)
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt – no, surprisingly, we never got to Old Faithful on a family vacation, or when I happened to be in Wyoming for Amy’s wedding (Marisa and I missed that day).
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant – I was with our youth group once and we all pitched in and bought some food for a homeless lady from DQ.
Visited Africa – not yet…
Walked on a beach by moonlight - :)
Been transported in an ambulance
Gone deep sea fishing – no thanks!
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person – very, very cool.
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris – very windy!
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling – just snorkeling…in Hawaii and will go when we’re in Mexico!
Kissed in the rain -
Played in the mud – I was such a tomboy when I was a kid…
Been to Grace Kelley’s grave in Monaco
Gone to a drive-in theater – There used to be one in Grants Pass, and of course, I’ve been to the one in Newberg.
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Taken a martial arts class
Swam in the Mediterranean Sea
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen
Sold Girl Scout cookies – never a girl scout, but I like to purchase them :)
Gone whale watching
Gotten flowers for no reason – thanks, hubby!
Donated blood, platelets or plasma – twice, that’s all I’ve managed with my inherited phobia of needles and blood…ask me what happened to my dad at my birth! Not so much with the supportive husband…he fainted J
Gone sky diving - again, fear of heights.
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp – yes, the Dachau “Work Camp,” in Dachau, Germany
Bounced a check – Poor college student.
Saved a favorite childhood toy – I still have a couple stuffed animals.
Visited the Lincoln Memorial – another educational family vacation…
Eaten Caviar - gross.
Pieced a quilt – again, not so crafty/artsy.
Stood in Times Square
Toured the Everglades
Been fired from a job - just once, not fun.
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London –
Broken a bone – broke several in my foot
Been on a speeding motorcycle – we used to ride minis when I was a kid (told you I was a tomboy).
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published a book
Visited the Vatican – very cool, we were there during Jubilee…
Bought a brand new car - they 2 I've owned have only been new to me.
Walked in Jerusalem
Had your picture in the newspaper – thank you high school soccer
Read the entire Bible
Visited the White House – a la family vaca 1996
Killed and prepared my own meat – NO WAY, even though the hubster tries to convince me I need to go hunting sometime.
Had chickenpox
Saved someone’s life – I used to be a lifeguard in high school and college…performed CPR once.
Sat on a jury - been called two times, but always have gotten out of it, even though I TRIED to get on once…they wouldn’t take me because I knew the detectives that investigated the alleged crime.
Met someone famous - nope.
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Great Salt Lake
Been involved in a law suit – a convicted child molester tried to enter the pool facility where I worked one summer…I was called to testify since I was the manager, but they never could get to trial since he skipped town!
Owned a cell phone
Been stung by a bee
I tag: anyone who hasn't done it and wants to.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Thankful
Here's a rare occurance: our boss told us to close the office and go home at 2pm today! Since I've lived here, we've never had a snow day, only the occasional close early days. We got about 10 inches in 4 hours...that's a lotta snow!
It feels like Christmas out of a movie here. There is something about this time of year that draws reflection...reflecting on the past year, and looking forward to the New Year. Sadly, part of my job is notsofun – I see a lot of foreclosures come across my desk and I can't help but feel sadness for those families. A home lost, a dream spoiled. As I sit in my comfy, overstuffed chair, next to the Christmas tree, I can’t help but feel blessed. Sure, I have struggles and times when I can truly feel the weight of the world on my shoulders (good thing I have Curtis to rub out those knots), but I am one lucky girl. I have a roof over my head, a job to pay for that roof, a husband to share things with under that roof, friends to entertain under that roof, family to host under that roof, pets (who just want to love us and be ascloseaspossible) to keep warm under that roof, and memories to make under that roof.
My mind drifts to the Doxology:
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Merry Christmas!
It feels like Christmas out of a movie here. There is something about this time of year that draws reflection...reflecting on the past year, and looking forward to the New Year. Sadly, part of my job is notsofun – I see a lot of foreclosures come across my desk and I can't help but feel sadness for those families. A home lost, a dream spoiled. As I sit in my comfy, overstuffed chair, next to the Christmas tree, I can’t help but feel blessed. Sure, I have struggles and times when I can truly feel the weight of the world on my shoulders (good thing I have Curtis to rub out those knots), but I am one lucky girl. I have a roof over my head, a job to pay for that roof, a husband to share things with under that roof, friends to entertain under that roof, family to host under that roof, pets (who just want to love us and be ascloseaspossible) to keep warm under that roof, and memories to make under that roof.
My mind drifts to the Doxology:
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 15, 2008
3 Degrees
Yes, that was the temperature as I left this morning for work. My car didn’t even get warm enough on the way to work (and I was nice to her, let her warm up for 10 minutes before leaving). I drove to work on a sheet of ice…we were eating dinner at a local diner with some friends last night and the de-icer truck went by. Curtis joked that maybe they were spreading water to make it look like they’re doing something. J We didn’t’ get quite as much as the weather forecasters said we would (10-12 inches, we got maybe 3-4). I guess we were overdue for winter. I kept saying that all the nice weather was making me nervous for what it would be like when winter actually hit. Then, when I left work tonight, I'm pretty sure my car started spitting ice crystals at me out of the vents when I started her!
Yet again I’m behind on my blogging, so here is a bit of a catch up (sorry for the lack of pictures, the camera died a very sad death, involving stairs, and the new one hasn’t arrived yet…did you get that one, Santa?)
It seems like Curtis and I lead a pretty unadventurous life, we have friends we hang out with on the weekends, but we rarely go anywhere other than Bend. We’ve been having MarioKart tournaments (it’s a whole new experience on the Wii!) and Curtis is currently perfecting his pool game on WiiPlay.
We got some high elevation snow the first weekend of November, yes, higher than we are at 4200 feet, so Curtis and I, along with our friends, Scott and Star decided to take the quads up to the lakes and go for a ride. We went up past Little Cultis and rode the quads up to Irish and Taylor lakes. The boys got their fill of snow for a while and I, well, I got to bundle up in my snow gear.
Back in mid-November we said goodbye to a friend who was headed out to boot camp for the Marines. In proper form, we all played one last round of MarioKart and listened to Elvis and Ray Charles’ Christmas (2 favorites of the boys…yes, we listen to Christmas music over the summer).
Nov. 16 I drove over to Portland for a surprise party for Marisa. She was very surprised and it was so nice to see college friends again. After dinner, several of us went back to Hannah’s and played Rock Band. I am a TERRIBLE drummer! I could keep the rhythm, but couldn’t manage to hit the drums at the right time.
My friend Star and I have been reading the Twilight series (seriously, you need to read the series if you haven’t yet) and we went to see the movie on the weekend it opened. There were LOTS of girls there and a few board looking boyfriends/husbands who had obviously been forced there against their will. I’m guessing they would have rather been at the new Bond movie.
Thanksgiving: we hosted again this year, 14 people! My parents and brother came up for the long weekend (yea!). Also in attendance were Curt’s parents (Don & Martha), Curt’s cousins (Rick, Linda, and Ricky), our adopted “grandparents” Irv and Pat, and our friends, Scott and Star. The boys (Curtis and Scott) had decided they wanted to fry a turkey (yeah, I’m thinking it, too: BAD IDEA: boys, fire, hot oil…), but they did a really good job. We had plenty of turkey as I roasted another one in the oven “just in case.”
Friday we didn’t get up early, but we did go see the new Bond movie and wandered around Fred Meyer a bit. We had all been watching Food Network in the morning, as if we hadn’t eaten enough the day before, we had to watch people make more yummy food. Rachel Ray made Turkey Croquettes with Mushroom Rosemary Gravy, so mom and I thought we’d try our hand at them. We modified her recipe a bit….for the breading, we added chili flakes for some heat and we just used what leftovers we had in the fridge. They turned out pretty, pretty good!
Saturday mom and I picked up Curt’s mom and we hit some of the sales. I think we thoroughly wore Martha out. We made it home just in time for the Civil War to start.
Sunday my parents left pretty early…mom needed to finish her lesson plans and they needed to visit Grandma since she’s stayed home to visit with my aunt and uncle who came to visit from Virginia.
All in all, it was a great weekend, but I was exhausted! Monday rolled around and Alli emailed me to see if their visit Dec 5-7 was still on, yeah, sorry, Alli, I totally forgot you were coming! So, all week, Curtis was put to work helping me get the house ready for guests! We took them down to the big city of La Pine on Saturday night to watch the Trucker’s Light Parade. Basically, people decorate their trucks with Christmas lights and we have a parade. Lots of the local businesses get involved, so it’s lots of fun, even if it was about 30 degrees outside. There was much Wii playing and movie watching and good times. Well, except for the part when the dogs decided not to like each other. We love hanging out with them and the kids, they are so much fun.
All week last week we were gearing up for winter to hit. At about 1pm on Friday it hit. It’s a good thing and this year I found myself not really dreading the arrival of snow. I’m sure my tune will change when it’s May and I still can’t plant flowers, but hey, at least it’s pretty.
On Sunday, Curtis and I joined some friends on a Christmas Tree Hunting Expedition (we already purchased ours at a lot…it was for a good cause, La Pine HS Baseball). There was about 19-20 inches of fresh powder on the Cascade Lakes Hwy, but we all have trucks and just plowed our way thru the snow. Curtis and Scott brought their quads so they could take the kids on rides. We built a fire to defrost our toes and fingers after hunting for the tree, which was found, chainsawed down, and transported safely back to “camp.” Ike and his family brought a Coleman camp stove and heated up the homemade chili they’d made…YUMMM. So, after the kids were thoroughly and completely tuckered out, although I’m not sure who was more tired, the kids, or the dad who had to drag the kids around on the sled, we packed up and went home to warm up and relax and get ready for another work week.
Yet again I’m behind on my blogging, so here is a bit of a catch up (sorry for the lack of pictures, the camera died a very sad death, involving stairs, and the new one hasn’t arrived yet…did you get that one, Santa?)
It seems like Curtis and I lead a pretty unadventurous life, we have friends we hang out with on the weekends, but we rarely go anywhere other than Bend. We’ve been having MarioKart tournaments (it’s a whole new experience on the Wii!) and Curtis is currently perfecting his pool game on WiiPlay.
We got some high elevation snow the first weekend of November, yes, higher than we are at 4200 feet, so Curtis and I, along with our friends, Scott and Star decided to take the quads up to the lakes and go for a ride. We went up past Little Cultis and rode the quads up to Irish and Taylor lakes. The boys got their fill of snow for a while and I, well, I got to bundle up in my snow gear.
Back in mid-November we said goodbye to a friend who was headed out to boot camp for the Marines. In proper form, we all played one last round of MarioKart and listened to Elvis and Ray Charles’ Christmas (2 favorites of the boys…yes, we listen to Christmas music over the summer).
Nov. 16 I drove over to Portland for a surprise party for Marisa. She was very surprised and it was so nice to see college friends again. After dinner, several of us went back to Hannah’s and played Rock Band. I am a TERRIBLE drummer! I could keep the rhythm, but couldn’t manage to hit the drums at the right time.
My friend Star and I have been reading the Twilight series (seriously, you need to read the series if you haven’t yet) and we went to see the movie on the weekend it opened. There were LOTS of girls there and a few board looking boyfriends/husbands who had obviously been forced there against their will. I’m guessing they would have rather been at the new Bond movie.
Thanksgiving: we hosted again this year, 14 people! My parents and brother came up for the long weekend (yea!). Also in attendance were Curt’s parents (Don & Martha), Curt’s cousins (Rick, Linda, and Ricky), our adopted “grandparents” Irv and Pat, and our friends, Scott and Star. The boys (Curtis and Scott) had decided they wanted to fry a turkey (yeah, I’m thinking it, too: BAD IDEA: boys, fire, hot oil…), but they did a really good job. We had plenty of turkey as I roasted another one in the oven “just in case.”
Friday we didn’t get up early, but we did go see the new Bond movie and wandered around Fred Meyer a bit. We had all been watching Food Network in the morning, as if we hadn’t eaten enough the day before, we had to watch people make more yummy food. Rachel Ray made Turkey Croquettes with Mushroom Rosemary Gravy, so mom and I thought we’d try our hand at them. We modified her recipe a bit….for the breading, we added chili flakes for some heat and we just used what leftovers we had in the fridge. They turned out pretty, pretty good!
Saturday mom and I picked up Curt’s mom and we hit some of the sales. I think we thoroughly wore Martha out. We made it home just in time for the Civil War to start.
Sunday my parents left pretty early…mom needed to finish her lesson plans and they needed to visit Grandma since she’s stayed home to visit with my aunt and uncle who came to visit from Virginia.
All in all, it was a great weekend, but I was exhausted! Monday rolled around and Alli emailed me to see if their visit Dec 5-7 was still on, yeah, sorry, Alli, I totally forgot you were coming! So, all week, Curtis was put to work helping me get the house ready for guests! We took them down to the big city of La Pine on Saturday night to watch the Trucker’s Light Parade. Basically, people decorate their trucks with Christmas lights and we have a parade. Lots of the local businesses get involved, so it’s lots of fun, even if it was about 30 degrees outside. There was much Wii playing and movie watching and good times. Well, except for the part when the dogs decided not to like each other. We love hanging out with them and the kids, they are so much fun.
All week last week we were gearing up for winter to hit. At about 1pm on Friday it hit. It’s a good thing and this year I found myself not really dreading the arrival of snow. I’m sure my tune will change when it’s May and I still can’t plant flowers, but hey, at least it’s pretty.
On Sunday, Curtis and I joined some friends on a Christmas Tree Hunting Expedition (we already purchased ours at a lot…it was for a good cause, La Pine HS Baseball). There was about 19-20 inches of fresh powder on the Cascade Lakes Hwy, but we all have trucks and just plowed our way thru the snow. Curtis and Scott brought their quads so they could take the kids on rides. We built a fire to defrost our toes and fingers after hunting for the tree, which was found, chainsawed down, and transported safely back to “camp.” Ike and his family brought a Coleman camp stove and heated up the homemade chili they’d made…YUMMM. So, after the kids were thoroughly and completely tuckered out, although I’m not sure who was more tired, the kids, or the dad who had to drag the kids around on the sled, we packed up and went home to warm up and relax and get ready for another work week.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Yikes!
I have no excuses for not blogging for the past few months...well, maybe just one...after staring at dual monitors all day at work, the last thing I want to do when I get home is play on my computer and I can't do any posting from work.
So, without further delay, here is the big ol' update:
The remainder of the summer consisted of:
Visiting Crater Lake with our friends.
We hiked down the trail and the boys took a swim and the girls stuck their feet in.
A visit from our friends, Erik and Allison and their 4 beautiful children.
Watching the Olymipics. I heart my DVR.
Our 4 year wedding anniversary.
Visiting my family for Labor Day Weekend.
A visit to Erik and Allison's at the end of September. Reunificaiton with my friend, Faith. Playing at a park in Newberg with Allison's kids and Aj's kids.
The UCLA vs. Oregon game.
An impromptu trip to the valley to participate in cider making! That was a great trip, there was lots of reunification with college friends and their spouses. It was nice to interact with my friends and thier kids, rather than watching the little ones grow up over their mama's blogs.
I think I'm now officially ready for fall. I've been drinking cider, making baked goods with apples, and buring my Pumpkin Spice candle.
So, without further delay, here is the big ol' update:
The remainder of the summer consisted of:
Visiting Crater Lake with our friends.
We hiked down the trail and the boys took a swim and the girls stuck their feet in.
A visit from our friends, Erik and Allison and their 4 beautiful children.
Watching the Olymipics. I heart my DVR.
Our 4 year wedding anniversary.
Visiting my family for Labor Day Weekend.
A visit to Erik and Allison's at the end of September. Reunificaiton with my friend, Faith. Playing at a park in Newberg with Allison's kids and Aj's kids.
The UCLA vs. Oregon game.
An impromptu trip to the valley to participate in cider making! That was a great trip, there was lots of reunification with college friends and their spouses. It was nice to interact with my friends and thier kids, rather than watching the little ones grow up over their mama's blogs.
I think I'm now officially ready for fall. I've been drinking cider, making baked goods with apples, and buring my Pumpkin Spice candle.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Floating
Sunday afternoon was so nice that we decided to float part of the Deschutes near Sunriver. Seven of us packed up and headed out. The girls pumped up the rafts while the boys shuttled the cars to the take out point. There is a nice current going, so you don't have to paddle if you don't want to, and the river is still high and cold. There are no rapids to speak of where we were, but the float was nice and relaxing. Some of us are a nice shade of lobster, even though we bathed in sunscreen.
A side note: Curt's mom recently had a bone tumor removed and we just found out it is NOT cancerous! Praise the Lord!
A side note: Curt's mom recently had a bone tumor removed and we just found out it is NOT cancerous! Praise the Lord!
Poor Maverick!
Last week I noticed a boo-boo on our cat, Maverick’s arm. He’d been licking away and was creating a nice bald spot. I thought it might be ring worm (although, he is an indoor cat, so I’m thinking one of the dogs must have brought it in…I’ve been washing everything!), so I made an appt with the vet for Saturday morning. She took a look at it under the special blacklight and figured it is a mild case, so we were given some antibiotics to give him and this lovely accessory:
Poor guy has to wear the collar because he won’t stop licking it. He is constantly running into the walls and just looks so pathetic. If you sneak up on him and call his name he gets all confused because he can’t see you. I’ve been giving him extra treats because he just looks so sad.
Poor guy has to wear the collar because he won’t stop licking it. He is constantly running into the walls and just looks so pathetic. If you sneak up on him and call his name he gets all confused because he can’t see you. I’ve been giving him extra treats because he just looks so sad.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Man, I’m tired!
Where do I begin, I guess where I left off, eh?
I completely forgot to mention our celebrity sighting while we were at Belknap. Saturday night, we went to the Holiday Farm Resort for dinner. This restaurant/resort, as well as the local General Store, another restaurant, and an Inn are all owned in part by Kail Harbick, who just so happened to be on Big Brother 8 last summer. The bar tender/office manager called her to come over and meet us. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me, which I seem to be doing a lot lately!
The weekend of June 21 and 22 we spent in Grants Pass at a cousin’s reunion. Many of my mom’s 18 cousins on her dad’s side got together. I think there were 10 or 11 of the 18, which is pretty good! Saturday morning Curtis and my dad went to a classic car show at my parent’s church while mom and I headed over to cousin Jill’s house on the river. My mom is #3 of 4 kids and we were only missing one of my 8 cousins. We now have standing invites to visit Marsha in Kauai, and my cousin Emily and her boyfriend Steve in NYC! Our camera and my parent’s camera failed to make appearances at the reunion, but I’m trying to get some from my aunt and cousins.
My great aunt Nita is the only one left of her 4 siblings and spouses, so it was a great treat to visit with her. I’d forgotten how much she likes to talk! I haven’t seen her in years, probably since high school or college. When we used to take trips to Southern California, we’d always stop by aunt Nita’s and uncle Charles’ place in Oceanside. Nita’s son, Neil has been working on our family tree. He’s discovered that we have an ancestor that was one of the minutemen during the Revolutionary War. Then, when it came time for the states to ratify the Constitution, he voted “no” because he thought it gave the government too much power. But, it was approved on Feb. 6, 1788 and Massachusetts became the 6th state. This stuff is so fascinating. I think he’s gone back about as far at the 1300s.
Good times were had by all and there was even a pig roast (I may never eat pork again after seeing the little piggy on a spit with his little hooves tucked up under his chin-y chin chin.)
Fourth of July: My parents came to town and we had a blast. Thursday night we took them to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. Friday we went to town and watched the La Pine parade, then everyone came over to our house for a BBQ (Curtis is perfecting his Tri-Tip, so yummy!). One of Curt’s co-worker’s dad has box seats for the Bend Elks (a collegiate summer team), so we went to the game and then they let us out on the field so we could watch the fireworks from Pilot Butte.
Friday we got up early to go rafting, just a quick trip through some great rapids – the trip is called the Big Eddy Thriller. I can’t believe we’ve lived here 3 years and this is the first time we’ve gone rafting. I’ve discovered a couple other places to float, and we have plans to do that soon. After rafting, we took a much needed rest and then met up with Curt’s parents and headed for the Crooked River Dinner Train. It was enjoyable, and we saw lots of nice scenery.
Sunday we went to church and then met up with Curt’s parents and headed into Bend to eat at Pilot Butte Drive-In. My dad had wanted to go there all weekend, so we made a special trip into Bend just for him. On the way home, we stopped by Lava Butte and did a quick “hike” to Benham Falls. I use the term hike loosely as it is pretty much just a walk down a dirt path. When we were coming back, we met several Sherriffs and Forest Service personnel. I figured something was up, and unfortunately, I was right: a local ER Doc drowned in the falls.
I think that just about catches you up on the latest Bauman adventures. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but there is lots of linky love. :)
I completely forgot to mention our celebrity sighting while we were at Belknap. Saturday night, we went to the Holiday Farm Resort for dinner. This restaurant/resort, as well as the local General Store, another restaurant, and an Inn are all owned in part by Kail Harbick, who just so happened to be on Big Brother 8 last summer. The bar tender/office manager called her to come over and meet us. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me, which I seem to be doing a lot lately!
The weekend of June 21 and 22 we spent in Grants Pass at a cousin’s reunion. Many of my mom’s 18 cousins on her dad’s side got together. I think there were 10 or 11 of the 18, which is pretty good! Saturday morning Curtis and my dad went to a classic car show at my parent’s church while mom and I headed over to cousin Jill’s house on the river. My mom is #3 of 4 kids and we were only missing one of my 8 cousins. We now have standing invites to visit Marsha in Kauai, and my cousin Emily and her boyfriend Steve in NYC! Our camera and my parent’s camera failed to make appearances at the reunion, but I’m trying to get some from my aunt and cousins.
My great aunt Nita is the only one left of her 4 siblings and spouses, so it was a great treat to visit with her. I’d forgotten how much she likes to talk! I haven’t seen her in years, probably since high school or college. When we used to take trips to Southern California, we’d always stop by aunt Nita’s and uncle Charles’ place in Oceanside. Nita’s son, Neil has been working on our family tree. He’s discovered that we have an ancestor that was one of the minutemen during the Revolutionary War. Then, when it came time for the states to ratify the Constitution, he voted “no” because he thought it gave the government too much power. But, it was approved on Feb. 6, 1788 and Massachusetts became the 6th state. This stuff is so fascinating. I think he’s gone back about as far at the 1300s.
Good times were had by all and there was even a pig roast (I may never eat pork again after seeing the little piggy on a spit with his little hooves tucked up under his chin-y chin chin.)
Fourth of July: My parents came to town and we had a blast. Thursday night we took them to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. Friday we went to town and watched the La Pine parade, then everyone came over to our house for a BBQ (Curtis is perfecting his Tri-Tip, so yummy!). One of Curt’s co-worker’s dad has box seats for the Bend Elks (a collegiate summer team), so we went to the game and then they let us out on the field so we could watch the fireworks from Pilot Butte.
Friday we got up early to go rafting, just a quick trip through some great rapids – the trip is called the Big Eddy Thriller. I can’t believe we’ve lived here 3 years and this is the first time we’ve gone rafting. I’ve discovered a couple other places to float, and we have plans to do that soon. After rafting, we took a much needed rest and then met up with Curt’s parents and headed for the Crooked River Dinner Train. It was enjoyable, and we saw lots of nice scenery.
Sunday we went to church and then met up with Curt’s parents and headed into Bend to eat at Pilot Butte Drive-In. My dad had wanted to go there all weekend, so we made a special trip into Bend just for him. On the way home, we stopped by Lava Butte and did a quick “hike” to Benham Falls. I use the term hike loosely as it is pretty much just a walk down a dirt path. When we were coming back, we met several Sherriffs and Forest Service personnel. I figured something was up, and unfortunately, I was right: a local ER Doc drowned in the falls.
I think that just about catches you up on the latest Bauman adventures. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but there is lots of linky love. :)
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Belknap Hot Springs
Last year, Curtis and I spent the weekend at Belknap Hot Springs for our 4th anniversary. We loved it and had a blast. My parents surprised us at Christmas and gave us a gift certificate to go back, so we decided last minute to spend the weekend of my birthday there (my 29th birthday was on June 7th). Last year, we hiked up to the Blue Pool (as suggested by the firendly Forest Service man). We didn't make it up there this year, but a couple we met hiked up there and emailed us some pictures.
A little history: EWEB (Eugene Water and Electric Board) diverted the McKenzie River about 6 miles above the Blue Pool for electricity for Eugene/Springfield. At the Blue Poole, the McKenzie popped up out of the ground and started running down it's old riverbed. Last year this is what the Blue Pool looked like:
Looking directly at where the waterfall should be.
Where people would come out after hiking OVER the waterfall.
The view from the top of the waterfall.
This year, we've had such a wet/snowy winter, this is what it looks like:
We had a very nice time, just relaxing. It rained part of the time, so we watched PS I Love You - I haven't cried that much during a movie since watching The Notebook.
A little history: EWEB (Eugene Water and Electric Board) diverted the McKenzie River about 6 miles above the Blue Pool for electricity for Eugene/Springfield. At the Blue Poole, the McKenzie popped up out of the ground and started running down it's old riverbed. Last year this is what the Blue Pool looked like:
Looking directly at where the waterfall should be.
Where people would come out after hiking OVER the waterfall.
The view from the top of the waterfall.
This year, we've had such a wet/snowy winter, this is what it looks like:
We had a very nice time, just relaxing. It rained part of the time, so we watched PS I Love You - I haven't cried that much during a movie since watching The Notebook.
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