Our weekend in Seattle

We have had a great weekend in Seattle. We drove up on Saturday morning arriving just in time for Mom's clam chowder , biscuits, and apple pie. It was delicious!

Later we drove to downtown Seattle where we stood in line for an hour at the Sheriton Hotel to see the Gingerbread Houses displayed. The theme was nursery rhymes and after architects designed around the rhyme, chefs made it happen. The event was to raise money for juvenile diabetes. There were a total of six--they did an amazing job.

After that we drove to Candy Cane Lane in the Ravenna neighborhood to look at the lights and back to Mountlake Terrace where there was a street with lights.

Sunday after church and dinner we went out to see more lights. This morning we were able to take James's sister Ann out to breakfast, and then, we were able to stop by Lynnwood and see John, Anne, Titus and Ginny at Anne's mom's home before they headed back to central Washington and before we headed back to Portland.

Fall Family Get-Away

We are on a family trip to Redmond Oregon where we are staying at Eagle Crest Resort. Aaron and Lauren are part of 'Worldmark' and assisted us in securing reservations. We have been blessed in that the weather has been so good. We have had 70 degrees during the day, but must admit it is very cold at night. There are deer walking around, or sitting and resting everywhere--out the window, walking around, etc.

We are in three separate condo's (which are next to each other) and James and I are sharing with Josh, Kaija and Sophie. Our condo is the hub or beehive of activity. We eat all our meals here and this is where the main visiting takes place.

We arrived late afternoon and made things simple by having Papa Murphy's Pizza. It was fun to sit around and talk and see the little cousins interact. After we all had a swim in the pool, the kids went to bed where they fell asleep immediately. Thanks to baby monitors, we were able to gather for a devotional and share our thoughts and feelings with each other. It was a wonderful evening!

Today we have participated in activities in groups as a whole and in smaller groups. We all enjoyed a walk along one of the paths at the resort where we could look down on the Deschutes River and then we followed a switchback trail to the bottom of the canyon. Then in the afternoon, some played racquetball, some swam, some just relaxed, Josh studied and James and I drove to Sisters and then enjoyed another walk. We all met up for dinner at Niblick and Green. Since it is Aaron's birthday on Monday, we all came back and baked cookies, visited and let Aaron open gifts.

Tomorrow is church, early. Then after lunch we will head back towards Portland.

Jay's 2nd Birthday

We all celebrated at Matt and Katherine's tonight. Jay was so excited! This morning when I told him 'Happy Birthday' he let me know the name he wants to be called is 'Boo'.

After dinner the kids all sat still long enough for a picture. Here are Ella (4), Sophie (4m), Logan (3), Jay (2), and Olivia (1). They are such cute kids!

Katherine made a 'Thomas the Train' cake and Jay loved it. Then all the kids participated in the present opening.

Our Motorcycle Trip

We left on Monday morning, flew to Salt Lake City, to pick up a motorcycle James bought. Mary picked us up at the airport. I rode around with Mary, while James rode behind us getting accustomed to the feel and the controls of the bike.

We rode up to Ogden and looked at the house that James lived in between the ages of three and six. We also saw Marlon Hills Elementary where he attended kindergarten. We were only with Mary for a few hours, but we were so glad to be able to spend time with her.

We left there and rode to Delos and Bonnie's--my uncle and aunt who live in West Haven, UT. They had cooked an incredible dinner for us. Pork, home made bread, and potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and pineapple cooked on the grill--it was so good! They had homemade raspberry and strawberry ice cream as well as peach and pear cobbler. Again, we were only able to visit a short time before heading off to bed, but we enjoyed our time with them.

The next morning we left and drove to Logan to see Don and Kathleen. We were able to visit with them before heading north to Rexburg.

We had planned to take the scenic route through Star Valley, however that plan was nixed when the rain started. Fortunately, we were able to dive into an Arctic Circle in Soda Springs, Idaho and watch as it rained so hard the drops were actually bouncing back up off the pavement! We listened to the thunder and watched the lightning and the wind. Finally we got on our rain pants and heavy coats, braved the elements and headed over to Pocatello and up I-15. When we were almost to Blackfoot, we saw a transformer blow in vivid blues and greens and a crow take flight. As we got closer, we could see that the lines over the freeway were swinging and mid section there were two more bright flashes as they connected with each other. James slowed down and then opened the throttle and we hurried under the wires to the other side. We enjoyed our ride together, but grateful to arrive in Rexburg--wet--but happy to be out of the wind, thunder and lightening. We had a nice evening visiting with Kris and Brent.

Our trip to Yellowstone was nixed because it was so wet and cold. James spent the next day preparing for the ride back.

We headed home on Thursday morning
After a three hour delay due to it being 32 degrees and the battery was not good on the bike, this nixed our trip up around Stanley, Idaho. Instead we had a race with time across the lower half of Idaho to Boise where they had the battery James wanted. That night we stayed in Ontario.

We drove home Friday. We planned to drive across the center of Oregon, but that plan was nixed because I got sick and so we rode I-84 on home.

Yes, I love traveling on the motorcycle! We were out in the elements which is exhilarating and can (I am sure) be terrifying although I never felt that. We had better views of the world around us and I was mesmerized by the mountains, rock formations, and the changing sky as well as the Snake and Columbia rivers. It was a great experience.

The one drawback is that I caught a cold, and lay awake for five hours Thursday night---Did you know that you can't sleep on the back of motorcycle?

Labor Day Weekend

We decided to go to Seattle for the weekend to paint Mom's deck. Lauren, Logan and Olivia joined us since Aaron was in Maine at a TDI Fest. We drove up in their Passat--the drive was beautiful, and the kids were so good. When we arrived, Mom had just had a luncheon at her home and so we feasted on Quiche, rolls and cinnamon rolls, as well as fresh baked apple pie. James immediately started working on the deck.

Saturday James and Mom worked on the deck and Lauren and I took the kids up to the mall. As I watched kids buying their back-to-school clothes, I took a step back in time--I remembered the excitement I felt as I had new dresses made by Mom and new saddle shoes. I loved buying a new box of crayons and felt really important when I got older and needed a Pee Chee folder. I remember using paper sacks as book covers and doodling all over them. I felt excitement getting my sons ready for school, new clothes, new shoes, sports fees, all this was exciting to me. I was grateful I had a school fund to help finance it! I loved watching them get on the bus everyday, and yet I missed not having them at home. I miss that Back-to-School feeling.

We brought Ivars, a family favorite, home so everyone could enjoy fish, chips and chowder.

Sunday after church we went to Terrace Creek Park. When I was a little girl we used to drive by this park on our way home from Primary, only then we called it 'Candy Cane Park'. The kids had so much fun sliding down the slides and swinging on the swings.

Stenquist Family Reunion

It has been a great trip and we have had a wonderful time! Time is passing by far to quickly! We spent Monday and Tuesday visiting with Mom's siblings Delos (Bonnie) and Shirley (Jerry). Mom took us all to Jeremiah's in Ogden for dinner and it was nice to sit and talk. That evening I drove to Bountiful with Kris and we visited with my sister-in-law Mary.

Last night was the Stenquist Cousin Reunion here at Kris and Brent's. There were about 40 people who came and while the kids played ball and jumped on the trampoline, we ate more food than you can imagine and visited. I thought how it wasn't that many years ago I was the one running around in the grass with my cousins. The years fly by so fast!

Tomorrow morning Mom and I will get in the car and drive back to Gresham.

Yellowstone

Mom and I had a pretty uneventful trip to Rexburg, Idaho. We discussed several times about wanting to take the turnoff to Arco at Mountain Home. In the end, the decision was made for us as we watched huge billowing fire clouds in the distance. Then when we stopped for diesel in Mountain Home we saw four fire trucks as they screamed past us and we were surrounded by five additional fire trucks filling up at the station. Yes, the Highway to Arco was closed due to fire. In the end we drove the same way as always--by interstate.

We arrived at about the same time as Kris and Brent. It is so good to be here! Mom treated us all to dinner at Applebee's. As we walked in the restaurant door I immediately saw Kristi--one of the nurses I work with at Adventist in Portland. Then when I rounded the corner, I saw Marilyn, we had palled around and studied together in Nursing at Ricks College so many moons ago. It was fun to see both of them!