Motivation

So for those that aren't on facebook I have just finished this little fitness challenge at my local gym. I am already having a hard time staying motivated to continue with my daily workouts. So, I found some upcoming races in the Klamath Basin that I would like to run in. Now, if you know me at all you know that, I am not a runner. This is something that does not come natural to me and I really have to force myself to do it. However, I know that it is a great way to stay in shape and it's fun to participate in some of these local events.

Here's the list-

Lake of the Woods-15k or 2 mile
Ralph Hill-5k
Crater Lake Rim Run-6.7 miles
Moore Mountain Trail Run-Half Marathon (this one isn't until mid-Sept. so I have a little more time to get in shape for it)

Hopefully, by posting this I will be motivated and stay on track!

Long lost blogger!

Yikes, has it really been so long since I blogged?

I guess so, maybe it's all the facebook craze that has kept me from posting.

The kids are all doing great. Teagan is in her last few weeks of preschool, Blake is praying for better weather so he can play baseball more and Penelope is enjoying whatever life brings her way.

Stan and I are doing good. He has been enjoying his brand spankin' used fishing boat. I think we are all ready for summer or something other then cold. We are excited for camping, fishing and bbq.

Hopefully, I will update more often.

California

Our trip to California last month was great. We had fun at Disneyland, California Adventure and San Diego Zoo. We also had a chance to see Stan's brother and some of my family.

We have been back in the normal routine of life for a few weeks. Stan started a new job, which has been fantastic and I have been working out a lot. I'm in a fitness challenge at our local gym and trying to get in about two hours a day there.

We are looking forward to some spring weather in the next couple months.

Hope everyone is doing great.

Tagged

Ok, I was tagged by my friend Nicole, so here goes.

FOUR PLACES I GO OVER AND OVER AND OVER:

Home Depot, Walmart, my Mom's, the Laundry Room.

FOUR PEOPLE WHO EMAIL/IM ME REGULARLY:

I don't think I can name four (pathetic)

FOUR PLACES I LIKE TO EAT:

Moe's (especially the Newport one), Joe's Crab Shack, Cancun, Nibbley's

FOUR PLACES I’D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:

hmm..maybe just a spa or Mexico or visiting some family (Shelly & Chris or Steve-O) or having coffee with Sherri.

FOUR TV SHOWS I COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER:

Journeyman (which isn't on anymore), Contender, Biggest Loser or most of HGTV.

If you read this I'm tagging you!

Helmet?

This was an early Christmas present that Stan got for the kids. It's a sled that resembles a snowmobile. I wasn't sure about it when the box said to wear a helmet. As you can see we always follow the rules! The kids LOVE IT......Stan is pulling them behind the quad in these pictures and I love how Teagan has time to wave!

Christmas

Just a couple pictures from Christmas Eve and morning. Teagan and her two cousin's had matching dresses (so fun!) Blake was totally surprised to find a "hard" bat in the tree and Penelope loved all the little things. And Stan is just too cute for me not to post his picture in his new Oregon Ducks hat!

Back in the blogging saddle

Well, here we go. My effort at a real post, the first in months.

The kids are (of course) counting down the days until Christmas. Teagan keeps reminding us that it is not just about presents, however, she would really like her own kitchen, tie shoes and a REAL Goldfish. Blake wants baseball "stuff", especially a catchers helmet and glove and Penelope doesn't have a clue whats going on but she likes to play in the Christmas tree.

We are trying to settle in to our house. It would probably go better if I would stop painting, but I'm not settling on a color I don't like. So, that leaves one option...repaint. I am almost done...just one stretch down the hallway. Then I will finally finish my Christmas shopping. We picked a crazy time to move in...not only are we swamped with holiday things...just moving in and finishing projects has consumed us. Which will lead me into letting everyone know that we are not sending out Christmas cards this year. I decided we would do a Happy New Year (or it may even turn into Happy East) cards. Things are just too busy and I thought it would be one big thing I could cross off my list.

We are really enjoying being back in Klamath. (We do miss our friends in Hermiston) Things seem to be working out really well and I am SO excited that we are not traveling this holiday season.

Stan has been busy with work and things at home. He has put down beautiful wood floors in our house! He is so good at projects he really does great work.

I have been painting and doing lots of Christmas things. I have also been helping coach a basketball team which I am loving! It is so nice to be involved in a hobby/sport that I really enjoy. I am coaching with my old high school coach so it is really a kick!

Ok, well I think that is the best I can do for now. I'll have to work my stamina back up for this serious bloggin' stuff.

Teagan's Christmas Program

Small update

So I'm sure this is the most lame update to do since I haven't posted anything in nearly three months. But...this is all I can manage right now.

We are doing great! Teagan is loving preschool, Blake is loving Teagan being in preschool and Punky is just loving life.

We should be moved into our new house in the next week and then I promise I will post on a regular basis. Although, I'm not sure if anyone even checks our blog anymore. (If you do could you leave some kind of comment so I don't update it for myself)

So....in a nutshell....we will be settled (finally) in a couple weeks.

The Rehearsal Dinner

The wedding (see previous post) was wonderful but I think the rehearsal dinner was a blast!!

Me being a goofball

Teagan sportin' the grass skirt

The groom (my cousin) playing a game

Blake partying with a buddy

Teagan and Brynn being cheesy

Summer Pictures

I decided today is the day I am going to update the blog. We have some great pics from some summer that I have yet to post....so we'll begin with a wedding back in June. Teagan and Blake were the flower girl and ring bearer (along with my cousin's daughter) for my other cousin's wedding. What a fun time we had!!!

These two little cousins danced the night away!

The amazing cake by Myriad Cake Design.

The bride, Bri, and groom, Joe.

To Us!

Happy 8th Anniversary to us!!

Speed Bump

So we have hit a speed bump in our "plan". Last week we had two great offers on our house, this week we are back to no offers.

Isn't it funny how we say God is good when everything is coming together just liked we had hoped and prayed. And then the second things start slowing down, turning the other direction or even stopping we begin to doubt.

I start doubting myself, my plan, my wisdom and worst of all I start doubting God. Why is that?

I know, I know. It's because we are human. But seriously when is my faith really going to grow? When am I really going to let go of my plans and my desires and trust Him completely? Will I ever? Will this battle continue all the days of my life?

I'm sure God rolls his eyes at me when I begin to let worry, fear and doubt creep in. Just like when my kids don't trust me....I laugh at them. Where is their faith? Don't they know I am their mother? I would never put them in harms way.

Maybe I need a timeout. Maybe I need a good whoopin'. Or maybe I just need to grow up in God!

I found this quote by Martin Luther King Jr. "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

This step of faith that we have taken is a big one. It might end up being steeper, longer and harder then we thought. I can either keep going up or fall back down, however, I have a feeling that to get where I want to be I'm going to have to climb those stairs sooner or later.

A BIG Thank You!

Whoa! What a whirlwind these last couple weeks have been. So much to post about but first I would like to tell all of our friends and neighbors in Hermiston THANK YOU!!

We had so much help packing and loading our UHAUL, what a blessing!

And to all of our friends that stopped by, invited us over and wished us well, THANKS!

These last two years have been, well, strange. We have never lived in limbo and uncertainty for so long. (I promise we are not as unstable as it may have appeared)

We are so happy to have a direction and be working towards a goal. What a great feeling that is!

So, to all of my Hermiston friends, thank you all for the impact you have had on my life. Whether big, small, in person, via blog, daily, monthly, often or not you all have left a footprint on my life path. I will never regret my time there and all the amazing people I met.

Catch up

Once again I have been really bad at blogging but I will try and catch everyone up on what's going on.....

-We are in Klamath Falls.
-Stan is in school full time and working part time.
-We have an offer on our house, PRAISE GOD!!
-The kids are in VBS this week, and loving it!
-We are still searching for a house in KFalls.
-The end of July we will be in Hermiston to pack up our house.
-We are LOVING being close to family.
-We are really LOVING being back at our church.
-I miss my friends in Hermiston.
-I miss my house in Hermiston.
-We feel like God is at work and alive in our life.

Isn't it amazing to be able to have so many emotions, thoughts, feelings, strengths and weaknesses all at the same time?!

Penelope Jane

Happy Birthday, Penelope!

We can't believe how fast your first year of life has gone. You have been such an amazing addition to our family and fill our hearts with much joy.

Your spunky laughter lights up a room and your sweet cuddling makes my heart melt. Teagan and Blake adore you and your love for them is evident.

We love you Punky!

Early morning head fog

Do you ever think it might be better to just insert an IV of coffee rather than drinking it?

This is one of those mornings!

New things coming

It seems like I'm saying this all too often lately but.....where has the time gone? I can't believe we are well into June...and where is the summer weather?

It's been tornado alley here lately. The kids pool has now been deflated because 1) it's been too cold to play in and 2) it was flying into the neighbors yard due to our blustery wind.

We had a little early bday get together for Penelope and her/our friend Mya. They are only one week apart (and we won't be here for their actual bdays) They are complete opposites....Mya has a ton of hair, Penelope not so much. Penelope is a lot of chunk and Mya is a tiny little thing. They are sure cute though.

Things are really changing for us. Friday is officially Stan's last day of work, YIKES!!! Sunday he will be leaving for Klamath Falls while the kids and I stay here. Stan will be spending the first few days next week getting things set up at school and hopefully securing a job. Yes, you read it right, he is going back to school. WOWZERS, you say, we have been talking about this for a long time it is just a big step for us. How does the only provider of a family of five quit his career and go back to school? Well, there are lots of details that I will spare you from, I will simply say that we feel like God is with us in our journey and we are excited to take this step of faith.

The kids and I will head to KTown around the 24th of June. We are hoping to have an offer on our house by then. We have dropped the price again.....so we have reduced the price by $30,000....somebody is going to get a great deal! So once again, if anyone knows a buyer in the Hermiston area give us a shout.

We are SUPER excited to have a plan and be taking action. It has been quite the journey the last couple years. We know we will be able to look back with much wisdom and see all of the lessons we learned.

Penelope

I love this girl!! She has been such a wonderful addition to our family and I can't imagine our unit without her. It's is so hard to believe she is almost a year old. Where has the time gone?!? I just had to share this picture of her snoozing in my bed. I love her chunky Punky cheeks.....

Wildlife

Here's just a little of what we saw....I couldn't believe these deer, people were feeding them right from there hands. The whole place was seriously one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.