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!

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.

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!

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!

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

Good luck Landskovs...we love you guys!

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!

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.