This past week marked the 1 year anniversary of a couple things...One, our Blog...our small place on the Internet that hopefully is a good way to keep people up to date on the happenings of the Jensen Family here in Sea-Town! Second, and much more important, is when we learned from Jeff that Amy had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. It is funny the details you remember when certain things happen...we were having dinner when my Mom called with the details of what had occurred that day and what was going to happen. As a way to help spread the word on how things were going, we used the blog to get the message out. I got a little "geeky" and started using Google Analytics to see where all the hits were coming from to get updates. It was amazing to see how many people were coming to get information in support of Amy.
One year later, the Lakewood Jensens have created their own blog (thelakewoodjensens.blogspot.com). As you can see from her 1 year update, she has not only beaten this but is moving forward full steam ahead. We are so proud of her courage and determination to get through this. I dont think any of us can imagine what she, Jeff and the kids had to go through. Thank you to everyone who kept them in your thoughts and prayers.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
San Diego Trip Re-Cap
Again, we apologize for the drought of updates. Since the Holidays we have been busy with Hope Basketball...2 games per week. The season is rolling right along. This week we have our annual HIT tournament which is a warm up for the big LEST tournament in Portland. We are having a good season with 18 kids and two teams. Like previous years, we are blessed to have a bunch of great kids that give it their all. We will keep you posted as we get to LEST (Feb 14-16).
Last week we had the opportunity to be in San Diego. My company (Daptiv) was putting on our annual user conference and we decided to make it a family outing. Normally our user conference has been in Seattle, but we decided to branch out a bit. The event was held at the Paradise Point Resort in San Diego. As we were getting closer, and the event was finally a "go" (we were a bit short on attendees for a bit), Steph and Stacey had the idea of a surprise trip to celebrate their dad's (Bruce) 60th birthday. So, on the 18th, the four of us and Bruce and Sheryl grabbed an early flight, with a layover in San Jose where we picked up Ryan, Stacey and Haas, then onto San Diego. Upon arrival we made the ritual visit to In-n-Out burger.....double-double, animal style!!! There just isnt anything like it. We checked in to the resort hotel, then made our way down to the restaurant for dinner.
Day 2 brought a nice sunny day, so we decided to hit some sights. We grabbed the Coronado ferry to Coronado Island, then made the trek down Orange Ave to the Hotel Del. Along the way we found a cool spot for brunch, then found a beach-side bar to just hang out in the sun. After a quick walk around the Hotel Del, we grabbed a bus back to the Ferry landing and then back into downtown SD. By this time the kids were wiped out. The minute we got back into the car, they were out! It didnt help that Maddie came down with "the crud" during the day...we actually had to make a stop at Rite Aid while over at Coronado to help get her fever down. The tough thing about her being sick is that she gets the stroller ride....and KK gets carried!!
Day 3 took us north of San Diego to....LEGOLAND. We had no idea what to expect, but we were all pleasantly surprised. There was a ton to do and a ton to see. We were amazed to see all the structures created out of legos....From Animals to the Taj Mahal, everything was made of legos. Check out the slide show for examples. We closed the park down at 5pm and then headed back into San Diego. We ended up in Old Town for some authentic Mexican food. We caught the end of the Packers/Giants game, then headed back to the Hotel.
Day 4 was transition day. Everyone except for the 4 of us had to head home. After a farewell trip to In-n-Out, they headed off to the airport. We then headed up to visit Uncle Devin and Aunt Jan. We were hoping to be able to see them a bit more, but with all the activities in days 1-3, then with the next few days booked with work stuff, this was really our only shot. Maddie enjoyed their dogs, home made cookies, and soda :-)...Unfortunately, Kenzie was starting to come down with the same "crud" that Maddie had, so she was kind of out of it. We headed back to the hotel around 6 so that I could make it to the opening night of the conference at 7pm.
Day 5 was the big conference day for me. I had to deliver 2 presentations, and be a part of another. They all went well. The girls laid low at the hotel, trying to just relax. By this time, Steph was also battling the "crud" so it was tough.
Day 6 was the last official day of the conference for me and it went well. The girls, feeling a little better, hit the San Diego zoo. Steph was pretty impressed by the Zoo.....how could you not be impressed with a Zoo that has their own double decker tour bus...yikes! That night, the girls helped me shop for the Daptiv employee party, but had to do so during a major rain storm. There was literally almost a foot of water in the parking lots.
Day 7 was head home day....we took off around Noon, and made it home by 4pm. We were ready to get home. Unfortunately Steph is still trying to shake the bug, while Kenzie appears to have finally got over it as of yesterday (Saturday). Maddie was back in School on Friday and went to a "girly" birthday party on Saturday.
Whew...I think that covers it. Here is a slide show of pictures from the trip. Thanks for checking in!
Last week we had the opportunity to be in San Diego. My company (Daptiv) was putting on our annual user conference and we decided to make it a family outing. Normally our user conference has been in Seattle, but we decided to branch out a bit. The event was held at the Paradise Point Resort in San Diego. As we were getting closer, and the event was finally a "go" (we were a bit short on attendees for a bit), Steph and Stacey had the idea of a surprise trip to celebrate their dad's (Bruce) 60th birthday. So, on the 18th, the four of us and Bruce and Sheryl grabbed an early flight, with a layover in San Jose where we picked up Ryan, Stacey and Haas, then onto San Diego. Upon arrival we made the ritual visit to In-n-Out burger.....double-double, animal style!!! There just isnt anything like it. We checked in to the resort hotel, then made our way down to the restaurant for dinner.
Day 2 brought a nice sunny day, so we decided to hit some sights. We grabbed the Coronado ferry to Coronado Island, then made the trek down Orange Ave to the Hotel Del. Along the way we found a cool spot for brunch, then found a beach-side bar to just hang out in the sun. After a quick walk around the Hotel Del, we grabbed a bus back to the Ferry landing and then back into downtown SD. By this time the kids were wiped out. The minute we got back into the car, they were out! It didnt help that Maddie came down with "the crud" during the day...we actually had to make a stop at Rite Aid while over at Coronado to help get her fever down. The tough thing about her being sick is that she gets the stroller ride....and KK gets carried!!
Day 3 took us north of San Diego to....LEGOLAND. We had no idea what to expect, but we were all pleasantly surprised. There was a ton to do and a ton to see. We were amazed to see all the structures created out of legos....From Animals to the Taj Mahal, everything was made of legos. Check out the slide show for examples. We closed the park down at 5pm and then headed back into San Diego. We ended up in Old Town for some authentic Mexican food. We caught the end of the Packers/Giants game, then headed back to the Hotel.
Day 4 was transition day. Everyone except for the 4 of us had to head home. After a farewell trip to In-n-Out, they headed off to the airport. We then headed up to visit Uncle Devin and Aunt Jan. We were hoping to be able to see them a bit more, but with all the activities in days 1-3, then with the next few days booked with work stuff, this was really our only shot. Maddie enjoyed their dogs, home made cookies, and soda :-)...Unfortunately, Kenzie was starting to come down with the same "crud" that Maddie had, so she was kind of out of it. We headed back to the hotel around 6 so that I could make it to the opening night of the conference at 7pm.
Day 5 was the big conference day for me. I had to deliver 2 presentations, and be a part of another. They all went well. The girls laid low at the hotel, trying to just relax. By this time, Steph was also battling the "crud" so it was tough.
Day 6 was the last official day of the conference for me and it went well. The girls, feeling a little better, hit the San Diego zoo. Steph was pretty impressed by the Zoo.....how could you not be impressed with a Zoo that has their own double decker tour bus...yikes! That night, the girls helped me shop for the Daptiv employee party, but had to do so during a major rain storm. There was literally almost a foot of water in the parking lots.
Day 7 was head home day....we took off around Noon, and made it home by 4pm. We were ready to get home. Unfortunately Steph is still trying to shake the bug, while Kenzie appears to have finally got over it as of yesterday (Saturday). Maddie was back in School on Friday and went to a "girly" birthday party on Saturday.
Whew...I think that covers it. Here is a slide show of pictures from the trip. Thanks for checking in!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Yes....we are still here.
Yikes...I looked at the blog and January 11th was our last post. Sorry for not posting updates sooner. I wish I could blame it on being in major depression after the Hawks debacle in Green Bay (chhhoookkkeeee), but I cant. That was bad, but it has just been busy busy. Basketball is full speed ahead, and we were planning for (and just returned from) our trip to San Diego. We have a ton a pictures and plan on a "San Diego" post this weekend....stay tuned!!
Friday, January 11, 2008
A full week of basketball
Well, the first full week back to work also meant a full week of basketball. As you might recall, I help coach the 7-8th grade Boys at Hope Lutheran. Cary is the head coach and I help out. This week we started out with a game on Monday against Shorewood. We thought it was at their gym, they thought it was at hillcrest, so we got started a little late. Ended up playing at our gym. Our "Blue" team (aka 7th graders) won, and our "Gold" team (aka 8th graders) lost. Tuesday, we played another game, this time against Concordia Tacoma. We got access to SLHS so that was fun to play on a bigger court. We lost this game too, but just by 4 points. Too many missed layups and turnovers. Our point guard hurt his wrist and another starter suffered a mild concussion after taking a hard charge. Wednesday and Thursday there was practice, and then tonight we played Zion...at Zion (Snohomish). Down 3 players we brought up a couple "blue" players and won. First half was slow, second half we played really really well.
Anyway, BBall season is here! I dont think we have a week this busy the rest of the season..thank goodness, but it was a good test to get us ready for all the end of year tournaments.
Anyway, BBall season is here! I dont think we have a week this busy the rest of the season..thank goodness, but it was a good test to get us ready for all the end of year tournaments.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Happy New Year
Well, this week we closed the books on 2007 and fired up 2008. Monday, New Years Eve, also happened to be our 12th Wedding Anniversary. To ring in the new year and celebrate out anniversary, we headed up to the Maggie Lake cabin with the kids, Bruce, Sheryl, Ryan, Stacey and Haas. The hood canal area was hit pretty hard with our big snow/rain storms a few weeks back, so we had a chance to see some the "creeks" that were now rivers. Up at the cabin, we were fortunate to come upon snow..probably about 3-4 inches, fully packed down, with about a 1/2 in of ice on top. This made for a great time trying to sled down the driveway. In the absence of sleds we used garbage can lids, bird seed bags, etc. The Bird Seed bad was the most effective on the thin sheet of ice. As you can see from the slide show we also made an impromptu boat trip on the lake to re-secure the dock. Maddie and Uncle also ventured out on the Paddle Boat. All in all, we had a great time. We wish everyone a happy and safe new year!
This week meant heading back to the "routine". I started back to work on Wednesday, and Maddie back to school on Thursday. Kind of nice to ease back into thing a bit. Next week will be a tough week with Basketball kicking into full gear. Games on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Friday's game is at the infamous Zion Snohomish and the carpet court. Should be fun!
This week meant heading back to the "routine". I started back to work on Wednesday, and Maddie back to school on Thursday. Kind of nice to ease back into thing a bit. Next week will be a tough week with Basketball kicking into full gear. Games on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Friday's game is at the infamous Zion Snohomish and the carpet court. Should be fun!
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