Couple 'a things

If you haven't received an email from Makena regarding her school magazine fundraiser, let us know! They are hoping to raise enough money to start all of the after school programs back up again - sadly they just don't have the funds for those kinds of things anymore.

I got my bone density test results last week, and they were a bit abnormal so I had an appt. this morning with my doctor. She says my back looks great, but my hip bones are a bit too narrow for my age. So...she prescribed me some calcium and vitamin D supplements and says that should be just fine. I only have 3 more days in the boot and then I need to take it VERY easy for at least a week while I start physical therapy. I also had some blood work done today to make sure that my thyroid was still doing okay - I'll get the results on that later in the week. Boy...I feel like I spent half of my day at Tuality.

Makena finished reading the Twilight series last week - she borrowed the book from a friend but then had to return it. That meant that I had to buy the last one to catch up...I'm not done yet and she still can't talk to me about it! : ) I found a new vampire series for her to start on. Hopefully we'll enjoy this one just as much.

We are hoping to get up to the lake again this weekend. We had beautiful 90 degree weather yesterday and another warm one today; although it's supposed to continue to cool down from now on. I'll enjoy all that I can tho!

Happy last day of September!

Super Saturday!

I spent 6+ hours with the Relay For Life of Hillsboro 2009 Committee today. I think we got a lot accomplished and we are looking forward to a great Relay Season! If you or anyone you know is interested in being on the Committee (or sub-committee) we still need lots of help!

Jamie had gone up to the lake to readjust the dock system to fit our boat and wave runners. Chad went with him to help get it all done. Makena decided that she wanted to spend the day with Kylah and Kallie (oh, Auntie too of course) so I took her there during my meeting. I spent a few hours there when I got back, and Kylah was eager to show me how she runs and rolls into her bouncy house. She even told me that she runs so fast; it may get windy! : ) (love that kid!)

you've got to enlarge this one - too cute!

hehehe...there is so much going on in this picture. Kylah is rolling with a handfull of grass (shhh...don't tell Dad), Kallie is being bounced around and trying to hanging on to Makena, and Makena's face cracks me up as Kallie is pinching her.

Ivie wanted to play too

This is the face I got when I said I didn't want to go back outside.

How CUTE are these piggy jams?!?

Tip for a better life: Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

"Why I smiled today" - I love spending time with all of the kids!

Salishan Resort

Wow...I didn't realize that I had missed an entire week of blogging! I know, I know...what a slacker.

We arrived at the Salishan Resort on Wednesday afternoon for a business conference. Yesterday Jamie went golfing in a tournament...his group didn't win. I didn't golf...I napped in the room, went for a walk with Moxie, read a book and watched some tv - loved it! A lot of cocktails, mingling, cocktails, introductions, cocktails and food later; we're now getting ready to go home. Jamie didn't make it up at 7am for the breakfast (who eats at 7am??) as well as decided not to go hear the speakers - we were just here for all the cocktails and mingling of course!

I'd like to stop at the Christmas Cottage in Lincoln City as well as eat lunch at Mo's - LOVE Mo's chowder bowls! I always enjoy looking around the Christmas Cottage for new ornaments - they actually have quite the collection of Christmas pigs as well.

Okay - I'm getting told to get off the computer...

"Why I smiled today" - we had a yummy lunch at Mo's! Our bellies were warm & full for the ride home.

8th annual Family Day

Today marks the 8th annual Family Day - a day to eat dinner with your family. It is a national movement to inform parents that the parental engagement fostered during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep America’s kids substance free.

From 2003 to 2008 research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has consistently found that “compared to children who have frequent family dinners (five or more per week), children who have infrequent family dinners (less than three per week) are two and a half times likelier to have used marijuana and tobacco and one and a half times likelier to have drunk alcohol.” Pretty impressive for just eating a meal together, right? Dinner just happens to be that one time of day that busy families might have an opportunity to sit down and spend a few minutes with each other.

Tip for a better life: see above

Happy Birthday Tracie & Martine

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRACIE & MARTINE...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!

(I'll spare you my singing again...)

Martine's 40th!

We celebrated Martine's 40th birthday last night. We had a great time - lots of laughs!!

Tequila shots...no thanks!

sorry about my singing here...can't carry a tune!

Rick gave Martine a sippy cup, Milk of Magnesia and an AARP card

Sorry Martin...I'll always spell it Martine. : ) Happy 40th - we love you!

100 posts!!

Yeah me (can you see me clapping?) on posting 100 times already!!

The guys did it!!

Yesterday seemed like such a long day (and I didn't really even do anything!) Jamie, Martin, Rick & I left at 7am to haul The Monster up to the lake and over to Walden Island. Our first 'bump in the road' was the tire on the trailer blowing. Luckily, this happened just as we were pulling on to the road to the lake...Jamie just drove really slow for that last 1/2 mile. I even hobbled along with the truck and took a picture. *Click on a picture to enlarge it. There is some video added.*

Next thing you know...that battery is dead on The Monster. A little time was spent getting a new battery in (from our boat) and then it was started!

The Monster sure looked smaller once we got it off the trailer. Whewww!

Rick and Martin tied the dock system off while Jamie practiced driving for a bit. Then Jamie drove it up onto the dock system.

Then we had to figure out how to distribute the weight throughout the dock system as the center was a little too heavy. After a couple of different tries...they got it figured out. (We have to give Rick some credit here.)

Then we were ready to pull it across the lake. Rick and Martin felt MUCH better about riding on the dock after seeing how secure it was.

And after going around in circles a couple of times, we finally got going. (We now have to give Jamie some credit here). He had to tie off at the front of the boat and drive backwards across the lake.

shhh...couple of bad words in this video...oopsss

Once we got over to the island, the dock was secured and Jamie drove it off onto land again! Then it was just some maneuvering to get it up to our property.

After a lot of laughs and many different ideas...The Monster was finally over to Lot 36 (that's us)!

Jamie took us to lunch at a little place down the road - good thing, I was hungry after all that work (stress)! : ) Then we were back home around 6pm, and Jamie was snoring by 9pm.

A couple of signs that I liked in the bar. (I was thinking of you Tam.)

I'm there!

Oh good, I thought it was just me.

Martin's favorite

Rick also took some photos and video - hopefully I'll see that soon and can post those too.

If you build it, they will come...

We left early this morning to haul the floating dock pieces up to the lake. We put together a big enough dock to float over 'The Monster' - that will be tomorrow morning, so stay tuned! : )

Look Duane...Jamie is on the phone again! : )

It floats! And, after a few changes, we got it the way we wanted it.

It was nice to actually be of help today. I walked around as easily as I could, but was still able to help Jamie put together the system. Plus, I make quite a good Supervisor!

She did it!

She did it - Makena got her ears re-pierced with cute little sapphire earrings. I was shocked at how little and quiet the piercing guns are now - finally!!

Do you think she's mocking me?

She's already bought some cute little panda earrings and another set of misc. ones. Now...she just has to wait 6 weeks to change them out. : )

Couple 'a things

I forgot to mention last week that I had my first Caretaker Committee Meeting for CASA. This was an interview type meeting (in front of a committee) to decide if the foster family would be able to adopt my CASA child. We were very excited to find out that they have been accepted and we can now being the adoption process! I'm so happy that he will have this wonderful 'forever family' that he's been with for over 3 years now - he is a very special little boy! I will stay as his CASA until the adoption and then be given a new case. It will be sad for me to leave him tho...

I had my bone density scan today - to check for any signs of osteoporosis. The doctor was thinking that my foot sprain may have something to do with this. I won't get the results back for a week or so tho. It was a scan of my hips and spine (lower back) and it was pretty cool to see the image right there as they did the scan.

Delaynie Olivia Hess arrived yesterday! She weighed 6lbs 3oz and was 19" long - we can't wait to meet her! Congrats to Tiffany & Shayne!!

Makena didn't end up getting her ears pierced yesterday - the place didn't have anyone working then. So, we are going to try again today. She already has a list of earrings that she wants.

We bought the second book in the Twilight series yesterday (New Moon). Makena and I both read the first one (Twilight) in about a day...and were eager for the second. She got to read New Moon first and it's killing her not to be able to talk to me about it. She's even cried in a couple of spots and I remind her NOT to say anything! : ) Guess I better go buy the other two now... We don't usually buy books - we like going to the library every week or so - but the wait for these was too long.

Tip for a better life: Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.

"Why I smiled today" - Makena was up reading New Moon bright and early this morning before school.

Walden Island - Day 34, 35 & 36

We arrived at Walden Island much later that we had planned on Friday - it was getting dark. BUT now that we have lights, it made things much easier!! We were invited over to our neighbors for a couple of drinks and "news". There has been a lot next to us that has been empty for years - the owner doesn't do anything with it but let it grow. (And, he apparently hasn't been the most popular neighbor on the island.) The family on the other side purchased it, so now we really will have a neighbor there. We aren't at all sure what they are going to do with it (I don't think they are either - they just wanted it cleaned up) but we will also share the pathway as well as boat house/moorage area. I'm hoping that once all of the weeds & fallen trees are cleaned up, that will get rid of some of the mosquitoes!!! It was good news for all of us.

Saturday was a fairly quiet day for us. Jamie made us breakfast and then Makena and I spent most of the day just reading. It took most of the early morning for the fog to clear, and then Jamie went out on the wave runners for a while. I did get a bit more organizing done as I bought a large 4-shelf unit out for food, dishes and extras. Jamie and I sat out by the fire that night - we hadn't had one in quite a while.

Makena loves 'cooking' now

Sunday was another beautiful day though, and I wanted to get Makena out on the wave runner so that she could learn to drive it. She did great! We were only going about 5 mph for a while (I was thinking it was going to be a l-o-n-g day) but then she got more comfortable and we were up around 30. She was laughing (mostly at Jamie being goofy) and I think she really enjoyed it. I will be on it with her for quite a while.

I took this by just holding out my camera

Our floating dock system (J&R website - by me) is supposed to be here tomorrow and then Jamie & I will take it up to the lake on Friday. He's supposed to be bringing over 'The Monster' on Sunday. I'm not sure if I'm going up that day or not...it may be a bit distracting trying to get a 6,000 lb piece of equipment over to the island!

Friday stuff...

We are heading out to the lake again today after Makena gets out of school. It's supposed to be another beautiful weekend - enjoy!! Hopefully this time we'll be able to get Makena back out on the tube or learning to drive the wave runner.

Jamie & I went to Happy Hour (two of my favorite words!) at Portland City Grill last night. Unfortunately we didn't get a table next to the windows - the view is gorgeous from there! We did have a nice time tho and met up with a couple of Jamie's friends.

Oh, yes, I am feeling much better after the alfalfa issue. The alfalfa that I had been eating was recalled due to some Salmonella - I just couldn't figure out why I was feeling so bad every couple of days. Well...every couple of days I was eating alfalfa sprouts on a sandwich. I'll leave out the details, but I am feeling much better now and am staying away from sprouts for a while!

I've been meaning to post some pictures that my aunt Tami took while visiting Garibaldi last month. She got a new camera and took some great pictures (if I do say so myself). I don't think I've ever mentioned it, but if you click on any of the pictures that are on the blog you can see them bigger.

"Why I smiled today" - my momma & Gram