2012 we made memories :: family

I guess you could say I got a bee in my bonnet or maybe it was just the impending new year and realizing I didn't get outside hiking nearly as much as I had wanted to this last year.  Either way, yesterday I was googling online and decided that we would wrap up 2012 with a hike as a family.  Where would we go??? I punched in some stuff to do a search online and came up with some options. Wanting to stay within an hour of home we decided on Lena Lake.  It looked to be a great option. Not too far (about 5 miles for lower Lena Lake hike) and only about 45 minutes from us.  So we woke up this morning, packed up a lunch and headed out stopping at the ranger station along the way just in case we needed some kind of pass to go into the park.  We were very politely informed we were welcome to head up towards Lena but it was very possible we would be unable to get to the trail head.  P-shaw is what we thought.  We have a Jeep, chains and know how to drive in the snow.  It will be no problem.  She suggested we wait until we get up there and then, if we do, we can get the pass right at the trail head. It is almost as if she knew we were in for an adventure.

 

We hopped back into the "Jeep" and headed towards the Canal.  It took us a little longer to get the Forest Road 25 than we thought but once there our excitement for our impending adventure grew.  The girls snapped out of their almost slumber and began excitedly looking out the window to see if they could see any wild animals being sure to ask every 15 seconds if we were there yet. Had our vehicle come to a stop yet? No, but they insisted on asking if we were there yet anyway.

 

We only had to go 7.5 miles up this road to get to the trail head . . . . we made it about a mile before we hit snow and by 2 miles we were driving in the only tracks in the 1+ feet of ice packed snow that was on the road.  Driving outside of the tracks wasn't even an option.  Robb commented that it was almost like being on a roller coaster because our tires just went the way the previous tracks led us. As we jerked here and there in our "Jeep" and Olyvia asked every 15 seconds if we were there yet and I gripped the handle on the door as we jerked too close to the edge of a cliff I was sure we were going to go over, Ellie all of a sudden broke into an exaggerated rendition of Silent Night Holy Night.  All I could do was break out laughing.  It was like an episode from a television show that none of us were getting paid for.  We reached about 4 miles in and Robb said we should probably stop as the snow was only getting deeper and he was already concerned as to how we were going to turn around.  So we stopped and got out, deciding to just explore from here.  We really couldn't beat the view - it was beautiful.

 



 

 

 

 

 

And the girls didn't seem to mind that it wasn't where we were supposed to be going.  Personally I think they were just glad to be out of the car. I know I was. :)  And so we spent the next hour hiking along the road, following the river and exploring the woods. 

Upon returning to our "Jeep" we made our first attempt at turning around. Oh I should probably mention here that we discovered we, in fact, do not have our chains. Yay! Using a log I found on the side of the road I dug out some of the snow in the middle of the tracks to allow for the tires to more easily turn around. Attempt 1 - completely unsuccessful.

Robb decided it would be best to just drive in reverse the 4 miles we drove to get where we were.  Ok.  Why not?  And so we proceeded to go backwards. Me clutching the handle on the door trying not to gasp every time we came near the edge of the cliff.  I was sure at any moment we would pitch over the side and be unable to stop seeing as we weren't even able to get enough traction to turn around.  We came to an area that appeared to be a better place to turn around and again attempted.  I should probably also mention here that it happened to be at a narrow place in the road flanked on one side by a steep drop off into a ravine. Yay again!  I decided it would be best to close my eyes and pray. So I did.  Attempt 2 - completely unsuccessful.

Reverse for another few hundred feet and then again Robb thought we had come to a place that would be better suited for turning around and began to attempt to reverse the "Jeep" to the right into the first part of a three point turn.  Instead of pulling backwards and then coming to a stop, our vehicle seemed to fish tail and then swing around to then land, yes land, in a position perpendicular to the road and then get stuck. No forward motion successful. No reverse motion successful.  I meekly suggested maybe we needed to get out and attempt to dig out the snow around the tires. Robb quietly and in muffled tones agreed and we both got out and attempted to dig out the tires.  I will mention here that this is when we discovered we had no implement useful for shoveling.  We came on this adventure fully prepared.

While we were working on digging out the tires I hear the door of our "Jeep" open, lots of giggling and then "don't eat the yellow snow." I froze. What? No way. I stood up. Yep. My youngest daughter was off on the side of the road going to the bathroom.  She saw me and exclaimed "Look mom, I am going in the woods all by myself. I have never done this before."  Oi vei.

I returned to my digging.  10 minutes later Robb said it should be good.  I stepped aside, he was able to slide the "Jeep" into a position that faced it in the correct direction.

Today, this last day of 2012, we made memories!

chocolate covered potato chips? yes!

Recently glancing through Picky Palate's Facebook page and came across this post.  It took me less than a second to respond.  Chocolate covered potato chips are 100% of awesomeness.  You may ask how it is that someone gets to a point where they even know the answer to this question.  I suppose you are right to ask.  It isn't like potato chips are included in chocolate fondue parties.  A potato chip is not your typical dipping option for a pot of melted chocolate.  That said, if you are looking for a scrumptious little salty sweet treat than I would highly suggest chocolate covered potato chips.

Anyway . . . just my opinion. :)

mader family at island lake :: photography

This fall I have had so many great opportunities to photograph some amazing families.  The Mader family was no different.  A few favorites from this great photo session.  Thank you Leah for sending me a message.  I hope you love them as much as I do.

 

 

hager family at lion's park :: photography

I love that I get to help families capture moments of time in their lives.  Children grow so fast, time flies by, and I get the blessing of being able to stop time for them.  Even if only briefly.  Most recently I received an email from a fabulous family that I had taken photos of over a year ago.  I was so excited to get to shoot them again.  We met up at their house for a few snapshots before heading downtown to Lion's Park.

 

 

Their children are three of the sweetest, most fun loving and energetic kids. They really made my job such an easy one.

 

 

 

Fall really is a great time to get family photos to use as Christmas gifts or put into cards sent out to family and friends for the holidays.  I look forward to the fall shoots I have coming up in the next month and can't wait to share them with you all.

o christmas tree :: family

"o christmas tree, o christmas tree

thy leaves are so unchanging

o christmas tree, o christmas tree

thy leaves are so unchanging

not only green when summer's here

but also when tis cold and drear

o christmas tree, o christmas tree

thy leaves are so unchanging"

 

 

Every year (OK, not every but almost every) we head out to get a tree usually going to a local u-cut lot to pick out the best manicured, hand raised specimen for our living room.  There was a year we hung bows from our windows, much to our children's dismay.  Then there was the time a couple years ago we made the horrible mistake of a trip to the mountains for a tree due to the encouragement of our oldest.  This year we didn't let her persuade us and we loaded up into the truck to head to Hubert's Tree Farm in Seabeck, Wa.  We had gone there years before and had good luck so we thought we would try again. We met up with my parents and headed that way, each in our own truck.  Of course as soon as we arrived out there the rain was falling full force.  After driving around to the different areas of trees, we came to a stop at a Noble area and all bundled up, including my dad with a garbage sack wrapped around his casted foot, began to tromp around looking for the perfect one.  My mother is quite partial to Nobles and it didn't take her much time at all to find the just right one.  We loaded it into their truck and then headed to the Grand Fir area to look for the perfect one for us.  I was determined to have a "full" tree and we traipsed around for what the girls will exclaim as being "forever" but was really no more than 10 minutes and finally came upon the perfect tree.  It really was a successful and not to horrendous of an experience.  We then headed to our respective homes (sending the girls with my parents for a day of hanging at their house) and after dropping our tree off, Christmas shopping we went. 

 

 

 a group effort to get the perfect noble for mom & dad's house.

 

 

 finally found the just right one for our living room - yes, a little tall but perfectly narrow!

 

 

robb and ellie grab and away we go.  olyvia exclaimed she was WAY to cold to assist. 

 robb making sure the tree was fully shaken of its dead needles . . . later proved to be unsuccessful.

 

 

UPDATE:  Massive needle loss in less than 10 days without the tree actually being dead and we were on to tree no. 2. Solved by undecorating, quick trip to Central Market and redecorating.  Hoping this second one will make the cut and last until Christmas.

gobble gobble day ~ a day to give thanks

Ever year our Thanksgiving is overtaken by "have to be here" and "have to be there" and "don't want to disappoint them" and "she wants us to do this" and "he wants us to do that."  We find that we are so overtaken with what everyone else wants of us and go go going that we forget the reason for the season.  We forget to focus on giving thanks because, well we barely have time to breath between all the places we have to go and people we have to see.  This year we decided to do it different.  Wednesday we headed to my sister's and spent the afternoon and evening with her and her family and went back there Thursday morning and spent all day there.  It was wonderful to spend so much time with them.  They just recently moved closer to us and it is wonderful.  We spent Wednesday evening laughing with the girls, getting Thanksgiving dinner prepped and then heading to the movies, just my sis and I, to see Breaking Dawn p.2.  It was a great movie and all in all a great evening.  Thursday was filled with giggling girls - the three of them can't help but giggle when they are together, crafts, fabulous food, movies and dominoes.  All together it reminded us of all the many things we have to be thankful for.  Thank you sis for inviting us into your home to hang out for a couple days and have a truly wonderful Thanksgiving.

 



I should probably add a little disclaimer for this last photo.  This month Robb has been participating in Movember. :S  As much as I love my hubby and I love his desire to draw awareness to prostate cancer, I disliked the mustache that was a part of this awareness.  In fact, it pretty much creeped me out.  By Thanksgiving we were almost there - one week away of the much awaited removal and I just couldn't not have a photo.  As much as the facial hair caused me serious trauma, I wanted to have photographic proof that this month had actually occurred. And so, the last photo.

today i marry my friend :: sara.albert.hanna

I can now official say I have shot a wedding in the rain, learned that I should have either not worn mascara or worn waterproof and through it all the bride was ecstatic.  Cold, windy & wet but a true success.  The bride considered the rain good luck and both her and her beautiful maid of honor donned the most fabulous rain boots for the occasion.  Here are a few of my absolute favorites from the day. Best of luck to all three of you, Sara, Albert & Hanna.  You are an absolutely beautiful family deserving of all that the Lord has blessed you with.

location:port gamble & point no point

 

fall at kopperskogen

True fall, one of the shortest seasons in the Pacific Northwest but also one of the most beautiful.  This year our summer went well into October and it wasn't until late October that true fall hit.  The crisp air, beautiful sunny skies (when it isn't raining that is), bright copper leaves and the fun of Halloween.

Fall isn't complete without an afternoon carving pumpkins, baking pumpkin pies and pumpkin bread, fresh cooked applesauce, and of course Halloween.  This year it was great having my sister and her family close by so that we could all get together and go trick or treating together.  My dad, having just had foot surgery, and mom hung out at Hot Shots Java while Robb, my sister and I quickly lead the three stooges around downtown to get their treats.  The weather was very unpleasant but it didn't dampen their spirits any.  For that matter it didn't damped our spirits any either although when the rain started coming down in buckets we did pick up our speed a little and might have skipped a few of the stops. :)

 

As we were walking around we realized that Olyvia is definitely in a transitional period of time.  I can hardly believe it.  Time has gone by so fast and here she is such a spunky beautiful spirit trying to figure out where she belongs; with the little kids or the big kids. It is such a tug at the heart strings watching her at this point in her life.

 

 

And then there are these two little spunky energetic kiddos.  They are like a drug for each other, feeding off of each other minute by minute. It is such a joy to watch them together; inseparable.

'the walk' by richard paul evans :: literatue

On a recent trip to a local supermarket chain, I previewed the books in the bargain bin and came away with this winner.  The walk is an inspirational, heartbreaking and heartwarming novel all at the same time.  It starts pulling at your heart strings from the very beginning.  I loved how all throughout it I could apply what I was reading to my life. . . the life events weren't the same, but the main character, Alan, had many of the same thoughts I do on a daily basis. 

The Walk takes place in Washington State as Alan embarks upon a journey to walk away from the life he knew and find another one.  Written as if it were a journal, you are able to really get inside the main character, feeling his pain and happiness as he sets out on his journey.

**** I highly recommend this easy inspirational novel for all.

'the shipping news' by annie proulx :: literature

Our much anticipated trip down the coast camping with our children was a fabulous adventure.  Other than the amazing time with my kiddos and hubby, I LOVED that I got to devote some time to reading.  Lately I feel like the busyness of work has gotten in the way of some of my enjoyments, reading being one of them.  So I decided that this long weekend I would make some time to read.  My first task was to finish a book I had started awhile back called The Shipping News by Annie Proulx.  A Pulitzer prize winning novel written in 1993 and turned into a movie in 2001.  I have never seen the movie so my judgments about this book are solely due to what I have read. 

Quoyle, the main character, is an emotionally abusive relationship until tragedy changes everything. The book follows him to Newfoundland where he attempts to make a new life for himself under the instruction of his Aunt. You watch him continually allow others to treat him horribly and I almost gave up on the book because of this.  I just wanted him to have more value in himself.  I stuck in there though and finished the book, glad that I did.

** Not a bad book but full of pretty depressing situations that seemed to be avoidable.  I sometimes felt the characters weren't as developed as I would have liked and was sometimes confused with the progression of events.  That said, I enjoyed rooting for Quoyle to succeed, to find himself and ultimately to find real love.  If you enjoy reading literature that steps outside of norms and makes its own rules, then I would definitely recommend this book.

where have i been?

Where have I been?  Got online this evening and realized it had been WAY too long since I last posted.  I really need to get back on here and keep up to date.  Our lives have been crazy busy lately and I have missed blogging but I have so much to blog about.  A beautiful wedding, great senior photo shoots, time with the family at the beach and some amazing summer reading tucked in between.  I am so excited to share it all with you.  I hope you too have been filling your summer with amazing memories and capturing it all in photos you can cherish forever.

Stay tuned... 

fun times with cousins

Some of my favorite memories are the fun times when all the families would get together and I got to spend time with my cousins.  Both my parents come from bigger families and although I don't see a lot of the extended family anymore (other than on Facebook), I very much enjoyed these gatherings.  There was just something about getting to hang out with the cousins that I loved.  I have been thinking about these memories a lot lately as we have been planning and preparing for an upcoming family reunion on my mom's side of the family.  A reunion that almost all of that side of the family will be at. It will for sure be amazing.  I will make sure to post photos of the extravaganza with all of you. :)

The mother of a past classmate of my daughter's asked me to do some photos of her girls with their cousin and I automatically was super excited about the idea.  Remembering fondly my experiences with my cousins, I was eager to help capture a few moments with these three that they would be able to look back on as they got older.

Thank you girls for being such great models for me. :)

another beauty playing dressup

Knowing I was going to take some photos of the girls in my mother's wedding dress, I shared the idea with a friend of mine and she fell in love with it. Hanna was such a sweetie to photograph.  So full of energy and fire. I loved it. You could definitely tell she LOVED to play dress up - Years from now she will also LOVE looking through these photos remembering the fun she was having.

stepping back in time

I have to admit that I am sometimes a Facebook stalker.  Especially when it comes to seeing all the fabulous ideas that some of my photographer friends come up with or share on their pages.  This last January, one of the amazing women I follow (Roxsey Photography) did a photo shoot with her daughter in her wedding dress and I immediately fell in love with the idea.  After asking if I could snag the idea, I got to thinking about how I would want to do something similar with my girls. With the idea now planted I had to figure out how the logistics would work.  My wedding dress is a lot; full skirt, very long train, full length sleeves, and all together very heavy.  Knowing that I wanted to shoot the girls outside in the gardens at Fern Hollow, I just wasn't sure it would work well with my dress.  Then, after talking with my mom, I realized that a much better idea would be to capture them wearing her dress.  A dress that 35 years ago she wore when she married my dad, their papa.

As soon as O stepped into the dress it became an extension of her personality.  She felt at peace in it and even talked of wearing it when she got married some day. :)

The entire time E had the dress on she was constantly aware of where it was and wanting to make sure it wasn't getting dirty and was still very pretty.  So very fun to be able to take photos of the girls in their grammy's wedding dress.  I know that years from now they will cherish these photos s much as I do.

newest addition to our farm

19 years ago if you had told me I would one day have chickens I would have told you that you were completely out of your mind.  There was no way I was going to live in the country, let alone have farm animals. Proof that you never really know where your life will take you. 

We recently added to our brood of hens with 6 new little beauties; 3 Americanas and 3 Rhode Island Red/Rhode Island White.  We enjoyed them so much as cute little babies but they are already growing so fast and have been moved out of their heated area into their interim coop until they are big enough to move into the main coop with our other hens. Button (my parents' dog) has been with us a lot over the last month.  She thought they looked quite delicious and wants to be next to them every minute she is outside. 

O loves them HUGE, as she does every kind of animal there is.  (She even tries to rationalize with me how slugs are wonderful too as long as they aren't in the garden. We have agreed to disagree on that one.) 

They have outgrown all their baby feathers and are well on their way to being egg producing hens.  What will be our next addition to the Kopperskogen I often wonder. Robb votes for goats but I am still standing strong with a NO to that.  I guess we will see how that turns out. :)

whipping the yard into shape

Without putting it off anymore, and with an intense desire to get our yard whipped into shape.  Using the word yard is probably a gross understatement.  When I refer to our yard, I am actually referring to our 4.7 acre piece of property and getting it whipped into shape is quite an undertaking.  That said, I wasn't about to put it off anymore.  With gravel ordered for delivery, lists of needed materials made, and invite for work party sent out, we started to amp up for the weekend.  As the weekend got closer, the more excited I became. There is something to be said for getting out and digging in the dirt.

Saturday started with sticky bun breakfast ring, fresh sliced strawberries and scrambled eggs fresh from the hen house.  I first came upon the recipe for the breakfast ring on pinterest  it turned out to be very delicious and so easy to make.  It was super easy to make two of and have available for people when they arrived to help with the work party.  Everyone loved it and it has now been added to the recipe box as a must do again.

It wasn't long after breakfast, with the kitchen all cleaned up, we headed outside to get started.  Our to do items included building 100 feet of cedar fence, putting in a new 15'x2' flower bed in front of the chicken run, spreading out 10 yards of gravel over the driveway as well as spreading it around the coop, rototilling all flat un-treed areas and getting it all ready for grass seed, planting all the planters and getting our garden ready to be planted just to list  few.

There is something to be said for snapping on some garden gloves and digging into a big bag of potting soil. The biggest decision was choosing a color scheme by far but after finally deciding on purple and white I was able to come up with some good choices and am excited to see what comes of the plant selections I made.

Friends of ours, Paul and Cheryl, came over and gave us a hand which was much appreciated.  There is definitely prayers of thanks to be said for friends that are willing to get dirty helping you work in your yard.  While Cheryl and I were busy planting flowers her husband Paul was helping Robb to get our fence in. 

Just seeing the fence there (even though all the fence boards are still to be put up) I can't help but smile.  I love that we are going to have a fence there.  YAY! YAY! YAY!  It is going to be so awesome to be able to look out into our yard and not have rusty old cars as the first thing we see.