Was trying to think of some kind of clever reason why it has ben 10 months since we last blogger here. But that would be a waste of time...no execuse!
I think most/many of you connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc and get a view into what we are doing on a regular basis so hopefully you have been in the loop. Overall, the Seattle Jensen family if doing awesome. Continued to be blessed with great jobs, a great school community, healthy kids, and loving family.
Biggest recent highlights:
1) Maddie starts middle school - Hard to believe it, but she is a 6th grader!
2) 80+ Days of no rain - Yes, we are in Seattle still. Just had an awesome run of weather.
3) Steph and Mike are now inside of a year of being "over the hill" and turing the big 4-0
4) Kenzie has found her sport..Soccer!
We will definately try and keep this up to date more, but if you need to know about what we are up to, here are links to our other "social" networks;
https://www.facebook.com/mjensen73
https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.c.jensen
https://twitter.com/mjtwit
You can also find us on Instagram User: mjtwit
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Seattle Jensens - 2011 Year In Review
Unfortunately our family blogging has been a little less frequent then we would have liked. If we would have, then there wouldn't be a need for an “end of year” recap. But, oh well...here we are. Sitting down and looking through the 2011 calendar, one common theme that we saw was “New” - there was a lot of new things we experienced which kept us on our toes, and moving fast...just like we like it! So, month by month here is a short recap of some of the highlights from 2011.
January
We kicked off the new year with Mike starting a new job. After 10 years with Daptiv, it was time for change and on the 1st day of the new year, he started at R2integrated, a Digital Marketing and Technology Agency. Based out of Baltimore, MD they started an office here in Seattle and have been growing ever since. The most exciting part for the kids is the fact that their office is right above Krispy Kreme in SODO.
February
We celebrated Kezie’s 6th Birthday on the 18th. She is full of energy, loves school, and her friends. Her favorite game to play is “store”, where she scans and bags just about everything in the house. I think we have bought the same book a dozen or more times.
March
In addition to celebrating another birthday for Steph :-) the exciting news was that Maddie had the opportunity to put on the Hope School uniform for the first time by joining the 5th/6th Grade basketball team. They were a little short on girls for the team, so they invited some eager 4th graders to join in. This was a great chance for her to play for her school, with friends and get ready for this coming season.
April
Maddie turned double digits in April, the big 10. She is growing up fast...really fast. She enjoys all kinds of sports, enjoys her friends, school, church, etc. In April we also fit in a few of our favorites, with a visit to the Oregon coast for Easter, and then the annual kids fishing derby at Maggie lake. Both were fun, as always, and we look forward to them again this year.
May
The sports theme continued into May as Maddie tacked on her 3rd sport, softball. This is her last year before they really start playing by the rules. She is on the fence if she wants to keep going, so we will see. We were also able to get Kenzie back into soccer, as she joined forces with a friend. She was a little scared to get back into it, but we are glad she did. Her first game...3 goals!! It is now her favorite sport :-)
June
The girls wrapped up a successful school year...Kenzie “graduated” to 1st grade, and Maddie moved on to 5th grade where she is most excited about, you guessed it..having a locker. In June, Steph also changed her working status from contractor to employee with AnotherSource. She is still part-time status, which she loves as it allows her to get the girls from school and have some time to herself.
July
Hola...Gracias...Muy Bien...Adios....Tequila - Just a few of the words that we got very familiar with on our fist trip to Mexico. We packed our bags and headed to Cabo with our parents and Steph’s sister’s family for 8 days. We enjoyed a ton of quality time by the pool, with drinks in hand, and tried to just relax. It was a great time and we look forward to going again sometime.
August
We celebrated a big milestone, our 20 year High School Class reunion. Our class was pretty small (only 32) but we had a great turnout over a weekend with day 1 at Beveridge Place, and day 2 a family picnic at Lincoln Park. Great to see how everyone has changed, or for those lucky ones, NOT changed. In August, we also enjoyed a week with Ben and Lauren, who were visiting from California. They stayed with Nana and Papa J while Jeff and Amy prepped for the arrival of baby #3 (Nathan). The cousins had a great time together, with time on the beach, Mariners games, etc.
September
After a fun summer, the girls headed back to school. Maddie moving to 5th Grade with Mrs. Hood, and Kenzie starting 1st Grade with Mrs. Hartley at Hope Lutheran. It felt like we extended summer just a bit longer as Ryan, Stacey and the boys were here for a few days as well. Luckily the weather was still nice and we were able to spend some time at the Lake, enjoying the “relaxation station.”
October
After taking in our very first Sounders game around Mike’s birthday in September, we followed that up with our October highlight which was attending the US Open Cup final, which the Sounders won! It was their third straight, and it was an awesome experience. We are all now kind of hooked on the Sounders, so we will probably be going to a few more games in 2012.
November
The big milestone in November was the Hope Auction on 11-11-11. Steph co-chaired the auction and helped coordinate the biggest event ever for the schools. All the hard work over the course of nearly 6 months paid off, as the event raised over $100,000. It might be tough to get her to sign up for it again soon, but she did an awesome job! For Thanksgiving, we enjoyed a great meal with great friends, and played in the annual Turkey bowl. A tradition we started a few years back that has steadily grown each year. Fun times!
December
No doubt that we are truly blessed. Our family, our community, our health, our friends, our jobs. We are thankful each and every day. We pray that you, and your families have a happy, joyous, hope filled New Year!
January
We kicked off the new year with Mike starting a new job. After 10 years with Daptiv, it was time for change and on the 1st day of the new year, he started at R2integrated, a Digital Marketing and Technology Agency. Based out of Baltimore, MD they started an office here in Seattle and have been growing ever since. The most exciting part for the kids is the fact that their office is right above Krispy Kreme in SODO.
February
We celebrated Kezie’s 6th Birthday on the 18th. She is full of energy, loves school, and her friends. Her favorite game to play is “store”, where she scans and bags just about everything in the house. I think we have bought the same book a dozen or more times.
March
In addition to celebrating another birthday for Steph :-) the exciting news was that Maddie had the opportunity to put on the Hope School uniform for the first time by joining the 5th/6th Grade basketball team. They were a little short on girls for the team, so they invited some eager 4th graders to join in. This was a great chance for her to play for her school, with friends and get ready for this coming season.
April
Maddie turned double digits in April, the big 10. She is growing up fast...really fast. She enjoys all kinds of sports, enjoys her friends, school, church, etc. In April we also fit in a few of our favorites, with a visit to the Oregon coast for Easter, and then the annual kids fishing derby at Maggie lake. Both were fun, as always, and we look forward to them again this year.
May
The sports theme continued into May as Maddie tacked on her 3rd sport, softball. This is her last year before they really start playing by the rules. She is on the fence if she wants to keep going, so we will see. We were also able to get Kenzie back into soccer, as she joined forces with a friend. She was a little scared to get back into it, but we are glad she did. Her first game...3 goals!! It is now her favorite sport :-)
June
The girls wrapped up a successful school year...Kenzie “graduated” to 1st grade, and Maddie moved on to 5th grade where she is most excited about, you guessed it..having a locker. In June, Steph also changed her working status from contractor to employee with AnotherSource. She is still part-time status, which she loves as it allows her to get the girls from school and have some time to herself.
July
Hola...Gracias...Muy Bien...Adios....Tequila - Just a few of the words that we got very familiar with on our fist trip to Mexico. We packed our bags and headed to Cabo with our parents and Steph’s sister’s family for 8 days. We enjoyed a ton of quality time by the pool, with drinks in hand, and tried to just relax. It was a great time and we look forward to going again sometime.
August
We celebrated a big milestone, our 20 year High School Class reunion. Our class was pretty small (only 32) but we had a great turnout over a weekend with day 1 at Beveridge Place, and day 2 a family picnic at Lincoln Park. Great to see how everyone has changed, or for those lucky ones, NOT changed. In August, we also enjoyed a week with Ben and Lauren, who were visiting from California. They stayed with Nana and Papa J while Jeff and Amy prepped for the arrival of baby #3 (Nathan). The cousins had a great time together, with time on the beach, Mariners games, etc.
September
After a fun summer, the girls headed back to school. Maddie moving to 5th Grade with Mrs. Hood, and Kenzie starting 1st Grade with Mrs. Hartley at Hope Lutheran. It felt like we extended summer just a bit longer as Ryan, Stacey and the boys were here for a few days as well. Luckily the weather was still nice and we were able to spend some time at the Lake, enjoying the “relaxation station.”
October
After taking in our very first Sounders game around Mike’s birthday in September, we followed that up with our October highlight which was attending the US Open Cup final, which the Sounders won! It was their third straight, and it was an awesome experience. We are all now kind of hooked on the Sounders, so we will probably be going to a few more games in 2012.
November
The big milestone in November was the Hope Auction on 11-11-11. Steph co-chaired the auction and helped coordinate the biggest event ever for the schools. All the hard work over the course of nearly 6 months paid off, as the event raised over $100,000. It might be tough to get her to sign up for it again soon, but she did an awesome job! For Thanksgiving, we enjoyed a great meal with great friends, and played in the annual Turkey bowl. A tradition we started a few years back that has steadily grown each year. Fun times!
December
Finally, as we reached December we headed into “busy season” - with holiday parties, tree cutting, school programs, work events, Santa Visits and family in town, we had it all. We made a joke, but partly serious, about how we would love to hire a video crew to follow us around over the Holidays. So many experiences, laughs, etc that at times are tough to believe happened, but they did. Finally, we wrapped up the month and the year celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary on New Years Eve.
No doubt that we are truly blessed. Our family, our community, our health, our friends, our jobs. We are thankful each and every day. We pray that you, and your families have a happy, joyous, hope filled New Year!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Making Christmas a bit brighter for another Family - Our Extended Family Tradition
The Holidays are a time when traditions are both formed, and played out. Going to grandma’s house, baking cookies, cutting down the family tree, etc....and our family is no different. For as long as I can remember we packed up and headed to my Grandparents house on Christmas Eve for a BIG extended family get together. We shared food, fun, games, and of course gifts. As we got older, some people moved away and the crowd got smaller some yeara, but we still had our tradition of getting together and sharing the Holidays with each other.
After a number of years of just exchanging gift cards with each other, and following the passing of my Grandfather the summer before, we started a new tradition, a tradition of adopting a family in need and spending our time and money on making their Christmas a little brighter. We worked with our Church that helps hundreds of families each year, and picked from a handful of families that they felt would be the best fit for us. Over the years we have helped single parent families, families going through medical issues, and families that are homeless. Each has their own story and circumstances that we embrace and do the best we can make things a littler better.
Usually right after Thanksgiving we contact the Church to let them know we are “in” for another year and they give us a few options to pick from. This year, they started with one, knowing that our family would be the best fit to try and help. It was a family of 8; Mom, Dad and 6 kids - ranging from 2-16. They have landed on tough times, and have been living in a homeless camp. Their needs were minimal; some clothes, blankets, gloves and maybe a bag to put their belonging in.
So, let’s just stop here for a second. Can you imagine this? A family of 8 with no home...a bag for their belongings would be great?
When we heard this, we knew we wanted to help, but a family of 8 was big commitment. Even for our extended family, we were concerned if we could make an impact. Sure, all they wanted was a bag for their thing, but we knew we wanted to do more than that. We reached out to the family and everyone agreed that we COULD do this, so we made it happen. Over the course of the next few weeks, we accumulated clothes, toys, blankets, etc. We also went to a local custom print shop that was able to help us order duffel bags at cost. They also dipped into all their “seconds” and was able to provide even more clothes for the bags.
The above picture are the 8 bags filled to the brim with all their goodies the day before we delivered to the church to then get to the family. Seeing the product of our hearts coming together for another family was pretty cool. I can honestly say, that this is one of the best traditions we have started. It is something we will continue to do...and I would encourage anyone reading this to start this up as well. If you think it might be too much to take on, think through it again....you can make it happen!
Monday, August 1, 2011
A Long Overdue Update..."S"ummer Edition
Well, this is kinds of embarrassing...just noticed that we have not posted a blog update since April. Yikes. To be honest, we really havent been doing much of anything..just a lot of sitting around, watching TV, etc. Pretty boring. Yeah right!
Where to even start....
Softball - Maddie played her 4th season of Softball. She has improved a ton year to year. This was the last year in the "development" league so she needs to decide if she wants to move up to 12U and play the real deal. We will see.
Soccer - We were finally able to get Kenzie out on the soccer field this spring. In her first game, what does she do...she scores 3 goals! She went on to score a bunch more over the season, and above all - she had fun! She is excited to keep it rolling in the Fall.
School - The girls wrapped up their school year at Hope. Maddie is now on to 5th grade (wow) and Kenzie moves up to 1st Grade (double wow). They love their school, their friends, the teachers, etc.
Summer - Well, the story here is that it is just now showing up. Where as a lot of the country has suffered from heat waves, the good ole Northwest has been basking in 60 degrees and cloudy. The joke is that summer usually starts on the 5th of July..this year it wasn't until nearly August. The good news is that the forecast is for a stretch of nearly 10 days above 70.
San Lucas - Technically it is Cabo San Lucas but I'm trying to stick with the S theme. Our big summer vacation was with the extended family for 9 days in Cabo. Other than a jaunt across the border to Tijuana back in 1994, this was the first time to Mexico. We stayed at Villa Del Palmar, just a few minutes from Cabo. Bottom line, we had an awesome time. Lots of sun, sand and sillies (wow, the S's are rolling). We look forward to making a return visit sometime.
Seattle Visitors - OK, I'm struggling to keep the S thing going now. We have been lucky to have a number of visitors come on through Seattle as well. Our good friends the Landskovs (minus Jeff) were out in June...and are back again (plus Jeff) now. We miss them since the left to Colorado last summer. Steph's Grandma and Aunt and Uncle just wrapped up a quick trip out for Steph's cousin's wedding. It was a great few days with them. Finally, as we speak, the Lakewood Dynamic Duo of Ben and Lauren are on their Northwest Tour. They are giving Mom and Dad a little break before their new little brother arrives at the end of the month. We always love having visitors, so come on out and visit!
Well, I think that will do it. It's funny how the summers seem to fly by. When we were kids, it felt like they went on and on. As always, we will try our best to stay a bit more current. You can always find us on Facebook or Twitter (http://twitter.com/mjtwit) for "real time" updates.
Adios!
Where to even start....
Softball - Maddie played her 4th season of Softball. She has improved a ton year to year. This was the last year in the "development" league so she needs to decide if she wants to move up to 12U and play the real deal. We will see.
Soccer - We were finally able to get Kenzie out on the soccer field this spring. In her first game, what does she do...she scores 3 goals! She went on to score a bunch more over the season, and above all - she had fun! She is excited to keep it rolling in the Fall.
School - The girls wrapped up their school year at Hope. Maddie is now on to 5th grade (wow) and Kenzie moves up to 1st Grade (double wow). They love their school, their friends, the teachers, etc.
Summer - Well, the story here is that it is just now showing up. Where as a lot of the country has suffered from heat waves, the good ole Northwest has been basking in 60 degrees and cloudy. The joke is that summer usually starts on the 5th of July..this year it wasn't until nearly August. The good news is that the forecast is for a stretch of nearly 10 days above 70.
San Lucas - Technically it is Cabo San Lucas but I'm trying to stick with the S theme. Our big summer vacation was with the extended family for 9 days in Cabo. Other than a jaunt across the border to Tijuana back in 1994, this was the first time to Mexico. We stayed at Villa Del Palmar, just a few minutes from Cabo. Bottom line, we had an awesome time. Lots of sun, sand and sillies (wow, the S's are rolling). We look forward to making a return visit sometime.
Seattle Visitors - OK, I'm struggling to keep the S thing going now. We have been lucky to have a number of visitors come on through Seattle as well. Our good friends the Landskovs (minus Jeff) were out in June...and are back again (plus Jeff) now. We miss them since the left to Colorado last summer. Steph's Grandma and Aunt and Uncle just wrapped up a quick trip out for Steph's cousin's wedding. It was a great few days with them. Finally, as we speak, the Lakewood Dynamic Duo of Ben and Lauren are on their Northwest Tour. They are giving Mom and Dad a little break before their new little brother arrives at the end of the month. We always love having visitors, so come on out and visit!
Well, I think that will do it. It's funny how the summers seem to fly by. When we were kids, it felt like they went on and on. As always, we will try our best to stay a bit more current. You can always find us on Facebook or Twitter (http://twitter.com/mjtwit) for "real time" updates.
Adios!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
March Madness - Jensen Style
Seem like every month goes by faster and faster, but there is no doubt that this March was one of the craziest of all time. Yes, it marks the end of College Basketball season, dubbed March Madness, and for the Jensen house it was just that. Things started off with business trips for both of us, Mike to Baltimore for his 1st company meeting with r2i and Steph to California with Another Source. Our trips actually overlapped a bit and we were lucky to have the grandparents available to get the kids to/from school. Next on tap was Steph’s birthday weekend with lots of friends and family, including a surprise visit from our good friend Leighellen. The next couple weekends were packed full of School fundraisers, Friends Birthday parties, and basketball tournaments. Oh, actually the month started with a basketball tournament too...and Oh, it was non-stop basketball nearly every day!! Maddie had the amazing opportunity as a 4th grader to represent her school (Hope Lutheran) on the 5/6th grade team. With that came daily practices and/or games and a new kind of busy. Mixed in with all of that was also a practice for Spring Soccer, and getting Girls Softball kicked off. We knew heading into it, that it was going to be packed, but as it is all past us now, looking back we realize it was nutty! But in the end...it was totally worth it!
Maddie was coming off another great season with the local YMCA and we could tell that she really enjoyed playing basketball, so we she asked if she could play on the school team we wanted to encourage her to keep going. She, along with 3 other 4th graders joined the 5/6th grade team and did an awesome job. They contributed, were great teammates, and most of all had a great time. At the end of year tournament we were so proud when Maddie was recognized most for her attitude and her smile. She is one happy kid, and does everything with a smile...win or lose, basket or no basket, she just loves playing the game. We are looking forward to many more years in the bleachers, cheering her and her friends on...and next year we will be a little more prepared for the Madness that comes in March.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Another Successful Basketball Season
It seemed like we just got started, but today marked the end to another successful basketball season for Maddie. Along with her buddy, Mikayla, they were the M&M's. Here is a picture of them after their big Win today.
It was great to see how much the girls improved this year...at the same time, they had no problem scoring baskets. One game we counted nearly 40 baskets made! Kinda crazy for 9-10 year olds. Maddie got off to a slow start in December when she wasnt feeling too great, but that barely held her back. She hustled all the time, was aggressive, learned to pass more (she likes to shoot), and most of all had a smile on her face. Something that even her coach pointed out today when handing out trophies. Speaking of aggressive, she even got a little experience going up against some girls that like to "mix it up" - and she hung tough!
We are super proud of her and her commitment to the game. We love her spirit and desire to get better. Tough to teach that kind of stuff.
It was great to see how much the girls improved this year...at the same time, they had no problem scoring baskets. One game we counted nearly 40 baskets made! Kinda crazy for 9-10 year olds. Maddie got off to a slow start in December when she wasnt feeling too great, but that barely held her back. She hustled all the time, was aggressive, learned to pass more (she likes to shoot), and most of all had a smile on her face. Something that even her coach pointed out today when handing out trophies. Speaking of aggressive, she even got a little experience going up against some girls that like to "mix it up" - and she hung tough!
We are super proud of her and her commitment to the game. We love her spirit and desire to get better. Tough to teach that kind of stuff.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
2010 - The Year of CHANGE
With our annual Christmas card, we typically have tried to include some sort of summary of the year’s events, but as the holidays approached we realized we needed to spend some time thinking through it more versus just whipping something together. Plus we needed some more time to come up with a creative way to describe the year that was, 2010. It might sound a little boring, and maybe a bit cliche, but in looking back there was one word that continued to come to mind when thinking of 2010, CHANGE. Granted, change is happening constantly - it’s the one thing you can count on...but for us, this was truly a year of change. To help describe it, we converted CHANGE into an acronym and thought of 6 words that describe our year.
Cherish - We use the word cherish to describe some key changes this year because it marked some milestones in our lives; After over 10yrs, Mike and Daptiv parted ways this summer. He described it in more detail here. At the same time, after a number of year focused solely on the kids, Steph got back into the working world doing recruiting for a company called Another Source, and loves it! Maddie (9) and Kenzie (5) are changing all the time and getting bigger every day. Hard to think that Maddie will be 10 next year! Great memories and experiences that we will cherish for sure.
Hope - Hope filled our lives a lot again this year. From a phyical perspective, Hope Church and School continues to be a big part of our lives. Mike is Chariman of the School Board and Steph helped with Sunday School and a number of other things (too many to count.) Emotionally, we felt a lot of Hope this summer as Mike went through job transition. We had a ton of support from friends and family as he started his journey to find something new. There was no doubt that Hope filled our family day in and day out this past year.
Adventure - Our year was filled with adventures as well. Mike, along with two friends, headed to the western outskirts of Vancouver Island to Bamfield BC for a open water fishing trip. 8+ hours of travel, 3 on a windy, dirty, bumpy road made for quite a trip...Oh, and they brought back lots of salmon and halibut that filled the freezer. Our big family adventure was to Disneyland in August. Our summer was wrapping up quick and on a whim we decided to book a trip to the happiest place on earth. 5 days at the park, where we also stayed at the Grand Californian hotel...right next to California Adventure. The kids had bunk beds, and we loved every minute of it! We are always on the lookout for fun family adventures.
New - No cars, houses or boats..Not even new pets. When we think of new we really think of new situations and new relationships. Having Mike at home this summer to hang-out with the family more was something totally new. Sure we had vacations, but it was a treat to have the entire family together. Meeting new friends, personally and professionally was also a big part of our year. Through school and church, as well as through professional networking, new relationships were formed. Finally, when we think of new, we think of new perspectives and understanding what is really important to us and how good we have it. So, while it’s easy to get caught up in new “things” - we are most happy with the new situations, experiences and perspectives that 2010 brought us.
Growth - With change comes a lot of opportunity to grow in many different ways. One growth area for us was when we had good friends (Landskovs) move away. We had grown very close to them, so that was a tough transition...but thank goodness for Skype and Facebook for the ability to stay in touch. Our girls are growing like crazy as well. Kenzie is about 3 inches taller than Maddie was at the same age, so she is sprouting up quick. Maddie is playing all kinds of sports; softball, soccer and basketball and loves to learn new things.
Exciting - There was a lot of excitement this year..probably more than we would have liked. Much of the excitement revolved around Mike’s job change, but the exciting part was the variety of conversations he had with so many different people and companies. It was exciting to see the various relationships being established and the opportunities that presented themselves. It was also exciting to have family visit during the summer, during the fall and now during the holidays. We always enjoy having family in town to visit and become tourists in our home town and hit all the great spots.
So, there you have it. 2010 was a year for change. Sometimes change can be scary, uncertain, and even difficult, but with it all we felt blessed to be surrounded by amazing friends and family that brought us through it all. We wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Cherish - We use the word cherish to describe some key changes this year because it marked some milestones in our lives; After over 10yrs, Mike and Daptiv parted ways this summer. He described it in more detail here. At the same time, after a number of year focused solely on the kids, Steph got back into the working world doing recruiting for a company called Another Source, and loves it! Maddie (9) and Kenzie (5) are changing all the time and getting bigger every day. Hard to think that Maddie will be 10 next year! Great memories and experiences that we will cherish for sure.
Hope - Hope filled our lives a lot again this year. From a phyical perspective, Hope Church and School continues to be a big part of our lives. Mike is Chariman of the School Board and Steph helped with Sunday School and a number of other things (too many to count.) Emotionally, we felt a lot of Hope this summer as Mike went through job transition. We had a ton of support from friends and family as he started his journey to find something new. There was no doubt that Hope filled our family day in and day out this past year.
Adventure - Our year was filled with adventures as well. Mike, along with two friends, headed to the western outskirts of Vancouver Island to Bamfield BC for a open water fishing trip. 8+ hours of travel, 3 on a windy, dirty, bumpy road made for quite a trip...Oh, and they brought back lots of salmon and halibut that filled the freezer. Our big family adventure was to Disneyland in August. Our summer was wrapping up quick and on a whim we decided to book a trip to the happiest place on earth. 5 days at the park, where we also stayed at the Grand Californian hotel...right next to California Adventure. The kids had bunk beds, and we loved every minute of it! We are always on the lookout for fun family adventures.
New - No cars, houses or boats..Not even new pets. When we think of new we really think of new situations and new relationships. Having Mike at home this summer to hang-out with the family more was something totally new. Sure we had vacations, but it was a treat to have the entire family together. Meeting new friends, personally and professionally was also a big part of our year. Through school and church, as well as through professional networking, new relationships were formed. Finally, when we think of new, we think of new perspectives and understanding what is really important to us and how good we have it. So, while it’s easy to get caught up in new “things” - we are most happy with the new situations, experiences and perspectives that 2010 brought us.
Growth - With change comes a lot of opportunity to grow in many different ways. One growth area for us was when we had good friends (Landskovs) move away. We had grown very close to them, so that was a tough transition...but thank goodness for Skype and Facebook for the ability to stay in touch. Our girls are growing like crazy as well. Kenzie is about 3 inches taller than Maddie was at the same age, so she is sprouting up quick. Maddie is playing all kinds of sports; softball, soccer and basketball and loves to learn new things.
Exciting - There was a lot of excitement this year..probably more than we would have liked. Much of the excitement revolved around Mike’s job change, but the exciting part was the variety of conversations he had with so many different people and companies. It was exciting to see the various relationships being established and the opportunities that presented themselves. It was also exciting to have family visit during the summer, during the fall and now during the holidays. We always enjoy having family in town to visit and become tourists in our home town and hit all the great spots.
So, there you have it. 2010 was a year for change. Sometimes change can be scary, uncertain, and even difficult, but with it all we felt blessed to be surrounded by amazing friends and family that brought us through it all. We wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Getting Involved Early
Last weekend a long time friend Tracy Dart, and her team of walkers, set out on the Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk here in Seattle in support of Breast Cancer research. Their team collectively raised over 40K dollars through dontations, sponsorships, etc! Tracy is a 2-time survivor of Breast Cancer at just the age of 35. Being a long time friend, and someone our age, this has hit home as we have see her attack this head on and be a huge advocate for a cure.
So, when the opportunity came up to support Tracy and her team, we decided to help..and we being the entire family. During the fundraising phase over the summer, Maddie and Kenzie overheard details about the situation and wanted to lend a hand. They used their skills and interest in making beaded bracelets to make a slew of pink bracelets to sell at our family garage sale. Using materials we bought for them they, along with some friends, spent the time to make the bracelets for the sale. The first go around generated over $100! Later, at another fundraising event, they raised another $100. It might not seem like a lot, but for these girls it was a fortune. More importantly they felt like they were really helping and contributing.
Fast forward to last Saturday while Team Tracy was pounding the pavement on Day 2 of their walk. We made the drive up to Everett to be at a cheering station for the team. However, the station wasnt just for them, it was for the thousands of people walking. Walker after walker came by, with smiles on their face (despite the pain of being on mile 30 of 60), genuinely appreciative that we would take the time to be there. Right in the mix were our two girls, cheering, clapping and encouraging them to keep going. It was right after I took this picutre that it hit me...
Here are our two little girls, cheering on these people that are raising money for a cure to one of the worst diseases out there facing women, breast cancer...this is for THEM. It is because of what these walkers are doing TODAY that will give our two girls hope for a cure in the future. While I am hopeful that a cure will be found a lot sooner, the reality is it that it likely wont be for sometime, and who will benefit from the things happening now? ...these two little girls!
Clearly I hope they can avoid this all together, but I know by getting them exposed this now, they will continue to aware...they will continue to support...the will continue to have hope. Plus, if at some point in their life they become directly impacted by this disease, they will know that they can fight through it. So, we are excited that they are getting involved at this early age and taking an interest in supporting the efforts that they will benefit from in the future.
So, when the opportunity came up to support Tracy and her team, we decided to help..and we being the entire family. During the fundraising phase over the summer, Maddie and Kenzie overheard details about the situation and wanted to lend a hand. They used their skills and interest in making beaded bracelets to make a slew of pink bracelets to sell at our family garage sale. Using materials we bought for them they, along with some friends, spent the time to make the bracelets for the sale. The first go around generated over $100! Later, at another fundraising event, they raised another $100. It might not seem like a lot, but for these girls it was a fortune. More importantly they felt like they were really helping and contributing.
Fast forward to last Saturday while Team Tracy was pounding the pavement on Day 2 of their walk. We made the drive up to Everett to be at a cheering station for the team. However, the station wasnt just for them, it was for the thousands of people walking. Walker after walker came by, with smiles on their face (despite the pain of being on mile 30 of 60), genuinely appreciative that we would take the time to be there. Right in the mix were our two girls, cheering, clapping and encouraging them to keep going. It was right after I took this picutre that it hit me...
Here are our two little girls, cheering on these people that are raising money for a cure to one of the worst diseases out there facing women, breast cancer...this is for THEM. It is because of what these walkers are doing TODAY that will give our two girls hope for a cure in the future. While I am hopeful that a cure will be found a lot sooner, the reality is it that it likely wont be for sometime, and who will benefit from the things happening now? ...these two little girls!
Clearly I hope they can avoid this all together, but I know by getting them exposed this now, they will continue to aware...they will continue to support...the will continue to have hope. Plus, if at some point in their life they become directly impacted by this disease, they will know that they can fight through it. So, we are excited that they are getting involved at this early age and taking an interest in supporting the efforts that they will benefit from in the future.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Time flies when you're having fun!
Hard to believe that the last post here was "Goodbye June, Hello July"...and next week Oct will be here. Where does the time go? It has been a busy few months, and we will do our best to recap all the highlights from the last few months.
July - Friends and Family
Like we have the last few years, we headed to Maggie Lake for the 4th of July. We are always amazed at the amount of fireworks that this community puts together...the show goes on for hours, both on the 4th as well as the 3rd. We had visits from The Lakewood Jensens (technicall that was June, but oh well) as well as the Willow Glen Perrys. Always enjoy hanging out with family, and getting the cousins together. Lastly we had the chance to spend a few days with our friends the Landskovs at their cabin. Unfortunately, they moved back to Colorado in June, but made a trip back this way for some time at their cabin. We had an awesome time! Maddie found a new hobby...Kayaking!
August - Travel Adventures
In August we had a handful of trips. Mike joined two friends on a fishing adventure to Vancouver Island. It was a kind of fishing that he had never really done before, out on the open ocean. They caught Salmon, and our favorite Halibut. The "catch" filled the freezer and we are experimenting with all kinds of fish receipes. After coming back from that trip he then headed down to San Francisco for a conference. With his job situation it was a great networking opportunity. Only regret was that Steph didnt come down with him as he got to stay at the Ritz Carlton at Half Moon bay...right on the ocean..right on the golf course. However as a family we wrapped up summer by heading down to Disneyland for 5 days. It was a spur of the moment trip as we found great airfare. The weather was awesome, there were hardly any crowds, and we did EVERYTHING while we were there. It was a great way to wrap things up.
September - Back to School
After a busy labor day weekend, and celebrating birthdays, the kids headed back to school. Kenzie started Kindergarten, while Maddie is now a big 4th grader. Both at Hope, and both now full time..and both wearing uniforms! Kenzie loves every part of school, and Maddie is as sharp as a tack.
We also just wrapped up a visit from our relatives from Nebraska who came out to Seattle for the UW vs Nebrasksa football game. We had an awesome time with her cousins and their kids, all who stayed at our house. Little crazy, but the girls loved playing together, and we loved catching up. A tradition we always have is to go on the Duck boats...the kids love..and we love it. Always seem to learn something new about the town we live in!
Aside from all of this, we continue to fill our days with Soccer, School and Work. Mike updated his blog about his new opportunity with MangoSpring. It is part time right now, but we hope that with some of his help it will move forward and become full time by the end of the year. Steph is working part time doing recruiting/interviewing for AnotherSource. She loves the flexibilty, the opportunity to engage with people, and the team she is on. He boss, Marcie was just honored as one of the "40 under 40" by the Puget Sound Business Journal.
Well, that's it in a nutshell..Time flies when you're having fun, and we have been having a lot of fun for sure!
July - Friends and Family
Like we have the last few years, we headed to Maggie Lake for the 4th of July. We are always amazed at the amount of fireworks that this community puts together...the show goes on for hours, both on the 4th as well as the 3rd. We had visits from The Lakewood Jensens (technicall that was June, but oh well) as well as the Willow Glen Perrys. Always enjoy hanging out with family, and getting the cousins together. Lastly we had the chance to spend a few days with our friends the Landskovs at their cabin. Unfortunately, they moved back to Colorado in June, but made a trip back this way for some time at their cabin. We had an awesome time! Maddie found a new hobby...Kayaking!
August - Travel Adventures
In August we had a handful of trips. Mike joined two friends on a fishing adventure to Vancouver Island. It was a kind of fishing that he had never really done before, out on the open ocean. They caught Salmon, and our favorite Halibut. The "catch" filled the freezer and we are experimenting with all kinds of fish receipes. After coming back from that trip he then headed down to San Francisco for a conference. With his job situation it was a great networking opportunity. Only regret was that Steph didnt come down with him as he got to stay at the Ritz Carlton at Half Moon bay...right on the ocean..right on the golf course. However as a family we wrapped up summer by heading down to Disneyland for 5 days. It was a spur of the moment trip as we found great airfare. The weather was awesome, there were hardly any crowds, and we did EVERYTHING while we were there. It was a great way to wrap things up.
September - Back to School
After a busy labor day weekend, and celebrating birthdays, the kids headed back to school. Kenzie started Kindergarten, while Maddie is now a big 4th grader. Both at Hope, and both now full time..and both wearing uniforms! Kenzie loves every part of school, and Maddie is as sharp as a tack.
We also just wrapped up a visit from our relatives from Nebraska who came out to Seattle for the UW vs Nebrasksa football game. We had an awesome time with her cousins and their kids, all who stayed at our house. Little crazy, but the girls loved playing together, and we loved catching up. A tradition we always have is to go on the Duck boats...the kids love..and we love it. Always seem to learn something new about the town we live in!
Aside from all of this, we continue to fill our days with Soccer, School and Work. Mike updated his blog about his new opportunity with MangoSpring. It is part time right now, but we hope that with some of his help it will move forward and become full time by the end of the year. Steph is working part time doing recruiting/interviewing for AnotherSource. She loves the flexibilty, the opportunity to engage with people, and the team she is on. He boss, Marcie was just honored as one of the "40 under 40" by the Puget Sound Business Journal.
Well, that's it in a nutshell..Time flies when you're having fun, and we have been having a lot of fun for sure!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Goodbye June - Hello July!
Wow...time flies when you are having fun. Seemed like just the other day the kids got out of school and we had the whole month of June in front of us. Now we are past the 4th of July, summer has officially kicked into high gear and we are just a few weeks away from August! Yikes!
June marked the end of a couple things. First, another awesome school year. Maddie finished the year with straight A's all 4 quarters. Steph and I are thankful for both Maddie's desire to learn and for her awesome teachers at Hope. We are also puzzled on where she gets it!! Kenzie officially graduated from Pre-School and is ready as ever for Kindergarten. She has a huge heart and love helping out whenever and whereever she can. Prediction for Kenzie's profession was a teacher and we can believe it. The other end, was Mike's 10 year long run with Daptiv. He bloged about it on his new blog (http://mikejensen.posterous.com/) and is taking it all in stride. Daptiv was a great place for him to get a ton of experience and he is excited about finding that next challenge. It couldnt have come at a better time with the summer in front of us and opportunity to be with all the girls a little more. He is actively networking and meeting a lot of great people so we are excited about what might be next.
In June we also went on a group camping trip with a bunch of friends. The same group where we have always had some kind of "run in" on our adventures. One time it was a huge rainstorm the day we arrived...the next time it was an ER trip after a knife/carving incident. This time, no major injuries, but the weather got us again. First night was great...second night was OK...but the next morning..the morning we were packing up and heading home..DOWNPOUR! Either way, it was a ton of fun with great friends. Later in June we also had the chance to hang out with the Lakewood Jensens who were up for their annual NW visit. We packed the days with fun times, and the kids loved every minute of it. I think all the cousins were up early every morning asking what was next. Our highlight was probably the Lincoln Park trip where the kids played on the ZIP line, worked on a little curve ball with Ben and enjoyed the swing set. Always great to see and hang out with family and the cousins!
As we moved into July, we hit July 4th weekend. Fingers were crossed that we would get some great weather for a change, but that was about 3 days late (just wrapped up some 90 degree heat). Either way we made the best of our time. Friday night we had dinner with Jenn and Tracy who were staying down at Hood Canal. It was a great time to catch up and make some smores. Saturday was the big Tahuya Parade. A parade where anyone that really wants to, can be in the parade. Usually some great "floats" that make us all chuckle.
There are hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, etc...An all American experience. It was great to have the Doerrs and the Millers there with us...so along with all our family we had almost an entire block of chairs saved on the parade route.
That night was a prelude to the Fireworks show for the 4th. When the 4th came, it was GO TIME....The folks on Maggie Lake spare no expense and really do it right. 2 1/2 hours of non-stop fireworks...and BIG stuff..no roman candles and sparklers...big stuff like Lake Union stuff. Anyway, it was a great show, and a great time. The girls even got a chance to get in the water...Weather didnt stop them!
Whew...so here we are. Post West Seattle Summer Fest (aka Sidewalk sale) and in mid-July. More family coming to town in the next couple weeks and then we are on the home stretch for back to school in August. Let's not get there too fast!
June marked the end of a couple things. First, another awesome school year. Maddie finished the year with straight A's all 4 quarters. Steph and I are thankful for both Maddie's desire to learn and for her awesome teachers at Hope. We are also puzzled on where she gets it!! Kenzie officially graduated from Pre-School and is ready as ever for Kindergarten. She has a huge heart and love helping out whenever and whereever she can. Prediction for Kenzie's profession was a teacher and we can believe it. The other end, was Mike's 10 year long run with Daptiv. He bloged about it on his new blog (http://mikejensen.posterous.com/) and is taking it all in stride. Daptiv was a great place for him to get a ton of experience and he is excited about finding that next challenge. It couldnt have come at a better time with the summer in front of us and opportunity to be with all the girls a little more. He is actively networking and meeting a lot of great people so we are excited about what might be next.
In June we also went on a group camping trip with a bunch of friends. The same group where we have always had some kind of "run in" on our adventures. One time it was a huge rainstorm the day we arrived...the next time it was an ER trip after a knife/carving incident. This time, no major injuries, but the weather got us again. First night was great...second night was OK...but the next morning..the morning we were packing up and heading home..DOWNPOUR! Either way, it was a ton of fun with great friends. Later in June we also had the chance to hang out with the Lakewood Jensens who were up for their annual NW visit. We packed the days with fun times, and the kids loved every minute of it. I think all the cousins were up early every morning asking what was next. Our highlight was probably the Lincoln Park trip where the kids played on the ZIP line, worked on a little curve ball with Ben and enjoyed the swing set. Always great to see and hang out with family and the cousins!
There are hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, etc...An all American experience. It was great to have the Doerrs and the Millers there with us...so along with all our family we had almost an entire block of chairs saved on the parade route.
That night was a prelude to the Fireworks show for the 4th. When the 4th came, it was GO TIME....The folks on Maggie Lake spare no expense and really do it right. 2 1/2 hours of non-stop fireworks...and BIG stuff..no roman candles and sparklers...big stuff like Lake Union stuff. Anyway, it was a great show, and a great time. The girls even got a chance to get in the water...Weather didnt stop them!
Whew...so here we are. Post West Seattle Summer Fest (aka Sidewalk sale) and in mid-July. More family coming to town in the next couple weeks and then we are on the home stretch for back to school in August. Let's not get there too fast!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Watch out Golden...Here come the Landskovs
We knew this day was coming, but goodbye is never easy. Today we said our final goodbye to the Landskov family, great friends that are moving to Golden, CO. We have grown close to these guys over the years, especially since Luke and KK are 1 week apart. They have developed a special little bond while growing up together. So, aside from the Moms and Dads struggling and sheding a tear (or two), it was tough to see KK start to cry as she said bye to her little buddy. We plan to stay in close contact with the Landskov, and although this goodbye was tough, we are anxious to see them again soon. We snapped this quick photo before we took off
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Good luck Landskovs...we love you guys!
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Good luck Landskovs...we love you guys!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Memorial Day Weekend
Better late than never, but wanted to recap our memorial day weekend trip to the cabin. We got a little later of a start since Maddie had a softball game on Friday, but it actually worked out well. We grabbed the early morning ferry and were up to the cabin by mid morning. It was a a mini-garage sale weekend, so while the crew was in the garage trying to move some high quality merchandise, I decided to take advantage of no rain, and headed out onto the lake to fish. My "vessel" of choice was the paddle boat.
I was surprised that no one else was out there, and the fish must have been hungry, because they were biting!
Then later in the afternoon, Steph, Maddie KK and I headed back out in the boat...and luckily the fish were still biting. By catching some fish, we had the opportunity to feed the resident eagles..yes feed the eagles. You have to check out the video below where the eagle swooped down to gobble up the fish we threw out there. This was actually the 2nd of 3 times we were able to do this. It was awesome to witness, and something we will never forget. The kids are still talking about it.
We wrapped up the only sunny day we had with a fire at the fire pit...Good times!
I was surprised that no one else was out there, and the fish must have been hungry, because they were biting!
Then later in the afternoon, Steph, Maddie KK and I headed back out in the boat...and luckily the fish were still biting. By catching some fish, we had the opportunity to feed the resident eagles..yes feed the eagles. You have to check out the video below where the eagle swooped down to gobble up the fish we threw out there. This was actually the 2nd of 3 times we were able to do this. It was awesome to witness, and something we will never forget. The kids are still talking about it.
We wrapped up the only sunny day we had with a fire at the fire pit...Good times!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The San Francisco Treat
Last week, we took advantage of a business trip to San Francisco to pack up the family for a short mini-vacation. While Mike was in meetings for a conference, Steph and the girls toured the great town of San Francisco with rides on the cable cars, a stroll on fisherman's wharf, a visit to the wax museum, etc. They had 1 1/2 days to wander the town and see the sights. Luckily the weather held out...it was actually nicer in Seattle the few days we were there.
After the conference was over, we all packed up and headed down to San Jose to visit The Perrys. It just so happened to be Haas' 3rd birthday party, so we couldnt resist the opportunity to stop in and celebrate. Stacey and Ryan threw a great "Garbage" themed party for about a dozen other kids... garbage was littered in the backyard, kids picked it all up (ok, most if it) there was a garbage truck cake and garbage bag races. One of the highlights for Maddie was that she was able to read the stinky story to all the kids...she did an awesome job, and many of the parents were wondering if she could do story time next weekend too! We had an awesome time (like always) and cant wait for the next time we can get together.
After the conference was over, we all packed up and headed down to San Jose to visit The Perrys. It just so happened to be Haas' 3rd birthday party, so we couldnt resist the opportunity to stop in and celebrate. Stacey and Ryan threw a great "Garbage" themed party for about a dozen other kids... garbage was littered in the backyard, kids picked it all up (ok, most if it) there was a garbage truck cake and garbage bag races. One of the highlights for Maddie was that she was able to read the stinky story to all the kids...she did an awesome job, and many of the parents were wondering if she could do story time next weekend too! We had an awesome time (like always) and cant wait for the next time we can get together.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Maddie Turns 9!
This past weekend we celebrated Maddie's 9th birthday. Like everyone knows, these birthdays are not just one day, rather they stretch out over many day..but hey, isn't that how you'd want it too! Things going rolling on Friday when she brought home her report card.....straight A's for the 3rd straight QTR!!!! Nice Job Kid.
We kicked things off on Saturday evening with a visit to old faithful, The Spaghetti Factory. Maddie has always loved this place (just like her mommy and auntie) so we got all the grandparents, and even great grandparent down there to celebrate.
On Sunday, we had a bowling party with Maddie and 15 other 8/9 year old girls!! Wow. The girls did great, and a fun time with it all. 2hr of bowling, homemade cupcakes from mom and sherbert ice cream...doesnt get any better than that!
Sunday night we met up with our friends; Jenn and Glenn and their two boys Owen and Ian. It was like 70 degrees so we headed to the beach. Although it technically wasnt another celebration of just her birthday, we had a great time playing on the swings, slides, and the whale.
Finally, on Monday, her actual birthday, Maddie had fun filled day. It started with a class field trip to the aquarium, planned I'm sure just for her birthday :-)...then later a ride on the Water Taxi to another favorite spot of hers, Red Robin. I think she likes all the attention and people singing to her!
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We are very blessed to have such a great little girl. She has always been positive and we love that about her and love celebrating her birthday. Happy Birthday Binks!
We kicked things off on Saturday evening with a visit to old faithful, The Spaghetti Factory. Maddie has always loved this place (just like her mommy and auntie) so we got all the grandparents, and even great grandparent down there to celebrate.
On Sunday, we had a bowling party with Maddie and 15 other 8/9 year old girls!! Wow. The girls did great, and a fun time with it all. 2hr of bowling, homemade cupcakes from mom and sherbert ice cream...doesnt get any better than that!
Sunday night we met up with our friends; Jenn and Glenn and their two boys Owen and Ian. It was like 70 degrees so we headed to the beach. Although it technically wasnt another celebration of just her birthday, we had a great time playing on the swings, slides, and the whale.
Finally, on Monday, her actual birthday, Maddie had fun filled day. It started with a class field trip to the aquarium, planned I'm sure just for her birthday :-)...then later a ride on the Water Taxi to another favorite spot of hers, Red Robin. I think she likes all the attention and people singing to her!
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We are very blessed to have such a great little girl. She has always been positive and we love that about her and love celebrating her birthday. Happy Birthday Binks!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Spring Break Recap
Last week we had that chance to get a few days out of town with our good friends the Doerrs. In a last minute thought, I got a hold of Roslyn Properties and they had this house for rent at Suncadia. 4 bedroom, 3 bathrooms, game room, etc. Sounds like the perfect option for us. As luck would have it, the weather decided to act up. The night before we left, about 4 in of snow fell in the mountains, and in the morning tractions tires were required to get over the pass. We had to google what a "traction tire" is to see if we had them and if we needed to get some chains. As we pulled away from West Seattle, we had decided to make a pit stop in North Bend, and good thing, because I-90 had just closed! oh boy, here we go. By the time we got to North Bend, the pass had re-opened, and the snow had stopped...but as we looked over to the west a storm was looming so we decided to get going.
Our drive over the pass was pretty uneventful, with the exception of having to stop to fix our windshield wiper, which was literally barely hanging on. We rolled into Suncadia and found the house. It was exactly what we expected, and started to settle in.
A little light snow started to fall so we decided to head into town for some "supplies"...and by the time we got back to the house, there was a legit 1-2 inches of snow on the ground. The kids immediately threw on their snow gear (which was a last minute add to the list) and headed out to the golf course. The house was about 20 yds from the 4th hole, and a nice small slope..the whole 4th fairway was quickly covered and the kids got to work on their snowman!
By the AM, we had a good 4-5 inches on the ground, with some steady flurries....The kids headed outside right after breakfast and we played for HOURS. By early afternoon, the sun came out and we had a giant snowball fight before all the snow started melting away. With the sun out we headed out on a drive up to Lake Cle Elum and along the way we came across a heard of Elk feeding on the hillside. Our car missed them on the way up, but we snapped a few pics on the way back...pretty cool to see.
For dinner that night we headed to one of our long time favorite spots, Village Pizza in Roslyn. We used to always go there when we went rafting on the Yakima river. They are famous for having Trivial Pursuit cards all over, and more importantly honey for the pizza crust. We wrapped up the day by checking out the Suncadia lodge, which was also pretty cool. By that time, almost all the snow was gone, and the views were pretty amazing. This is a shot of the Cle Elum river from the back side of the Suncadia lodge...I started to get the itch to grab a fly rod and go fishing!
The next morning we had to up and out pretty early, but we had a small little delay when the power went out about 7am. We headed into town for a nice small town breakfast, then packed up and headed out. On the way home we stopped by Snoqualmie falls for a quick visit. Unfortunately there had been an incident with a lot of search and recovery activity, so we couldn't see a lot, but we got a couple pics of the amazing falls. An awesome couple days with great friend and family for Spring break.
Our drive over the pass was pretty uneventful, with the exception of having to stop to fix our windshield wiper, which was literally barely hanging on. We rolled into Suncadia and found the house. It was exactly what we expected, and started to settle in.
A little light snow started to fall so we decided to head into town for some "supplies"...and by the time we got back to the house, there was a legit 1-2 inches of snow on the ground. The kids immediately threw on their snow gear (which was a last minute add to the list) and headed out to the golf course. The house was about 20 yds from the 4th hole, and a nice small slope..the whole 4th fairway was quickly covered and the kids got to work on their snowman!
By the AM, we had a good 4-5 inches on the ground, with some steady flurries....The kids headed outside right after breakfast and we played for HOURS. By early afternoon, the sun came out and we had a giant snowball fight before all the snow started melting away. With the sun out we headed out on a drive up to Lake Cle Elum and along the way we came across a heard of Elk feeding on the hillside. Our car missed them on the way up, but we snapped a few pics on the way back...pretty cool to see.
For dinner that night we headed to one of our long time favorite spots, Village Pizza in Roslyn. We used to always go there when we went rafting on the Yakima river. They are famous for having Trivial Pursuit cards all over, and more importantly honey for the pizza crust. We wrapped up the day by checking out the Suncadia lodge, which was also pretty cool. By that time, almost all the snow was gone, and the views were pretty amazing. This is a shot of the Cle Elum river from the back side of the Suncadia lodge...I started to get the itch to grab a fly rod and go fishing!
The next morning we had to up and out pretty early, but we had a small little delay when the power went out about 7am. We headed into town for a nice small town breakfast, then packed up and headed out. On the way home we stopped by Snoqualmie falls for a quick visit. Unfortunately there had been an incident with a lot of search and recovery activity, so we couldn't see a lot, but we got a couple pics of the amazing falls. An awesome couple days with great friend and family for Spring break.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Easter Beach Trip
This weekend we set off on our annual trip to Gearhart, OR for Easter. Always a great time to get away, visit the coast, see friends, and of celebrate Easter. With the coast, you never quite know what kind of weather you will run into...could be sunny (one time it was like 80), could be (likely is) rainy, and for the first time this year, it was COLD. By Maddie's account it hailed 11 different times! Here is a look at the kind of storms that rolled in often.
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I actually threw a hail ball at Maddie! Even with all the cold and hail and rain, we made our typical walk into "town" for coffee and goodies.
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After a visit into Seaside to the arcade for some skee ball, we figured we HAD to make a trip to the beach some how, some way...so we drove onto it. There are a couple spots where cars are allowed, so we tried our luck and made it to the beach..luckily we didnt get stuck :-)
Like always, a great trip. This is fun area to come to and the kids love it...wish we could actually come down here more. Actually, there is a nice 5 bd, 2 bath house for sale right across from where we stay...just a cool 1.6M..anyone???
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HAPPY EASTER!!!
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I actually threw a hail ball at Maddie! Even with all the cold and hail and rain, we made our typical walk into "town" for coffee and goodies.
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After a visit into Seaside to the arcade for some skee ball, we figured we HAD to make a trip to the beach some how, some way...so we drove onto it. There are a couple spots where cars are allowed, so we tried our luck and made it to the beach..luckily we didnt get stuck :-)
Like always, a great trip. This is fun area to come to and the kids love it...wish we could actually come down here more. Actually, there is a nice 5 bd, 2 bath house for sale right across from where we stay...just a cool 1.6M..anyone???
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HAPPY EASTER!!!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Softball Season Starts
Today marked the first day of softball season. This will be Maddie's third year, and she is super excited about the new season. Rob McAllister and I are coaching again and looking forward to another awesome season. This year the girls move out of what I call "T-ball" mode and start actually playing the game...outs, counting runs, pitching, etc. For many of the girls this is their 3rd year so they are ready to take this step. In general, at this age, I think they are all ready to start being a bit more competitive.
We have a great group of girls and families this year as well. There are 6 returning from last years team, 4 from another team, and then 5 new girls. A great mix I would say! There are two notable new girls on the team..The first is from a family where we got to know them when we went through birthing classes with Maddie...now 9 yrs later, the two of them are on the same team. The other, is a friend from Maddie's Pre-school class at Hope. With Kindergarten, they went to a different school just down the street, but a few years later, here we are.
We will post pictures throughout the year, as well as give an update on what the team name is once all the girls vote...this was their homework assignment after practice today :-)
We have a great group of girls and families this year as well. There are 6 returning from last years team, 4 from another team, and then 5 new girls. A great mix I would say! There are two notable new girls on the team..The first is from a family where we got to know them when we went through birthing classes with Maddie...now 9 yrs later, the two of them are on the same team. The other, is a friend from Maddie's Pre-school class at Hope. With Kindergarten, they went to a different school just down the street, but a few years later, here we are.
We will post pictures throughout the year, as well as give an update on what the team name is once all the girls vote...this was their homework assignment after practice today :-)
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Birthday Recap
Kenzie wrapped up a full week of birthday celebrations. Starting with sharing with friends on Thursday, moving to her Doll Doctor party on Saturday, and wrapping up with family party on Sunday at the Spaghetti factory. She (and we) had a lot of fun turning five. We caught a few pics of her blowing out all of her various birthday candles
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Happy Birthday Kenzie!
Today little Makenzie turned the big #5. From the moment she got up, she was excited about her day. What may have been the most exciting for her, was that she singing the "5...5 dollar" Subway theme song to match up with her birthday.
The day was packed...from a birthday breakfast, to her shining star day at school, to an afternoon with the Nana's at Bellevue Square, to her birthday dinner with friends...we got it all in. Her birthday doesnt stop here...she is looking forward to festivities on both Saturday and Sunday, so this is technically her birthday week! We will post more pics and updates from all her activities.
Happy Birthday to our little ball of fire...aka...KK!
Happy Birthday to our little ball of fire...aka...KK!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
80's Recap
Realized that we had not updated the blog since the 80's event last weekend so here it goes. The day started early, we were at the grocery store by 10, then to the gym by 11. We got all the big stuff setup before squeezing in a bball game for Maddie. After getting back from that the gym had been fully transformed into an 80's HS dance scene with balloon arches, game area, band setup, etc. We were able to get home, get our "Costumes" on and get back up for things to start rolling. It was awesome to see all the outfits that people put together. Here are a couple pics to give you a taste of it.
Overall the event was a great success, fun was had by ALL, and we raised a bunch of money for the school. It is always rewarding to be part of these kind of things. Thanks to everyone that helped make it happen! From donations, to giving, to helping, etc...It was a Great event!
Overall the event was a great success, fun was had by ALL, and we raised a bunch of money for the school. It is always rewarding to be part of these kind of things. Thanks to everyone that helped make it happen! From donations, to giving, to helping, etc...It was a Great event!
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