Heroes

I find myself seeing heroes everywhere I look lately - people who are related to me, people who I've never met, my friends - I'm blown away by the positive impact they are having on my heart and soul. My parents and grandparents have always been the heroes closest to me, but as I spent the weekend camping with my aunts and uncles and cousins I came to realize just how lucky I am to have these fantastic people in my life. I've always loved them but it's been too easy to forget that so many people don't have families like this - full of everyday heroes!! I am blessed.

I also have some pretty amazingly dedicated friends as well - from raising thousands and thousands of dollars for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society year after year to taking their triathlon training to a whole other level - 14 TNT friends just finished Ironman Canada yesterday!!! Sheryl, my most spectacular tri training partner, being one of them!! I am so amazed at her dedication in this endeavor - 15:11 had her crossing the finish line!! I cried tears of immense pride as each of these 14 marvelous people crossed the finish line last night and wondered about the thoughts going through their minds as they each reached their destination of being an Ironman or Ironwoman.

I cannot finish this post without a link to a website of an incredible mother, wife, woman, beautiful child of God who teaches me something every single day without even knowing me ~ http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

Wedding, Winery, and Waterfalls...oh and Cock Rock

Another weekend full of the great outdoors :-)
Saturday, Steve and I went to my cousin's commitment ceremony out in wine country at La Bastide at Domaine Margelle Vineyard. What a perfect place for a wedding!! It was an outdoor evening wedding and we got to see the sun setting over the vineyards - beautiful!!

Yesterday the kids and I headed to The Gorge for two more falls. I know in the pictures, poor Jack looks bald, that's 'cause he is. I decided to try out the 1/8" setting on the clippers - OH MY!

We started at Wahclella Falls. I forgot my forest pass and we had to pay $5 and I was sure hoping it was going to be worth the fee - and it TOTALLY was!! One of my favorite waterfalls of the Summer. The hike in was terrificly beautiful through the canyon and once we got to the waterfall, it was fantastic (my pictures do not do it justice) and the best part was all the massive area below the falls where we could eat lunch and play. I love the blurry pic of Mai where I caught her mid-jump. The kids loved, loved, loved it!

Then we headed to Latourell Falls but I somehow got off the old HWY and onto 84, so we stopped in at Rooster Rock Park for some fun at the playground and on the pier out to the Columbia. Cock Rock was noted by Lewis and Clark back in 1805, but the name was later changed to Rooster Rock so as not to offend the genteel public :o)
There's a nude beach there, too, but we didn't see anyone out - the kids would have thought that was pretty funny!

We headed back up the hwy to find Latourell Falls and it was a blast, too. A man died there several weeks ago, falling 250 feet to his death. I guess he was trying to get a better picture of the falls - how awful! We stayed on the GROUND FLOOR of this waterfall and it was as safe as could be for the kids. A quick hike in and we went right up as close as we could and got blasted and wet. Then we followed the trail a bit further to a picnic area for a snack before heading back home. It was a fantastic day! I have so many waterfalls I want to return to this Winter when there is more water or freezing. This has been such a fun project this summer! Next Summer we're thinking "Beaches"!!

11 More Waterfalls, A Day at the Beach, and a Party...Argg...

We had a fantastic weekend with all kinds of stuff going on. Friday, the kids and I headed down to Silver Falls to meet up with Mom. We were able to add 11 waterfalls to our journal this weekend!! After that we headed down to Eugene for the night before driving to the beach on Saturday morning. On our way we stopped at Sweet Creek Falls which was indeed a sweet little spot. I had a humongous craving for a bowl of clam chowder so we stopped at Mo's in Florence, which isn't Mo's anymore, but still had some good chowder. Mai showed us how efficient she is with her "chapsticks" as we sat on the outside porch to eat and listen to beach music (aka: some guy singing Jimmy Buffet songs :o) and then we were off to the world's largest seacave ~ "Sea Lion Caves". The sea lions were outside sunning on the rocks so we didn't get to see them up close, but it was still amazing to be in the cave. We headed less than a mile away to a perfect little cove at Heceta Head and the kids played and played. Sunday was my nephew's pirate birthday party so I sugared the kids up for several hours of cake and candy and fun before heading back home. I think we're back in the swing of things for the week. We've got one more camping trip planned the week after next and then I can't believe it's football season and school again! Time flew by this Summer!!

Pac Crest 2009 video

Kiara Tackles the Trails #15 Lower Macleay and Waterfall Chronicles

Sunday was FULL! The kids and I headed to the gorge to hike in to a new waterfall - Elowah Falls. It was fantastic. We had a lot of fun playing near the falls in a big rocky area that had lots of adventure. Arrived home to find Ki chomping at the bit for her turn so we headed to Forest Park and did a little bit of Wildwood, but mostly the Lower Macleay trail along Balch Creek. It was named for an early Oregon homesteader who gained notoriety when he shot and killed his son-in-law. In 1859 he became the first man to be legally hanged. I love the old timey pictures like this one of these women (maybe one of them is the daughter of Balch?) where they look so stern!! They look so bad-ass :-)I need to hook up with a trail running group. I miss my TNT peeps.

Slow Dance

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?

When you ask: How are you?
Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,
Not seen his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time
To call and say, "Hi"?

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower.

Hear the music
Before the song is over.

- David L. Weatherford

An American Businessman...

I just finished (in record time) reading The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. I will have lots more to say about the book in the coming week, but I wanted to share one of my favorite fables that he also shares in this book (and you'll see where my mind and heart are at these days). If you haven't heard this story or one like it before, enjoy...

An American businessman took a vacation to a small coastal Mexican village on doctor's orders. Unable to sleep after an urgent phone call from the office the first morning, he walked to the pier to clear his head. A small boat with just one fisherman had docked, and inside the boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.

"How long did it take you to catch them?" the American asked.

"Only a little while," the Mexican replied in surprisingly good English.

"Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" the American then asked.

"I have enough to support my family and give a few to friends," the Mexian said as he unloaded them into a basket.

"But...What do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican looked up and smiled. "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Julia, and stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor."

The American laughed and stood tall. "Sir, I'm a Harvard M.B.A. and can help you. You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. In no time, you could buy several boats with the increased haul. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats."

He continued, "Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village, of course, and move to Mexico City, then to Los Angeles, and eventually New York City, where you could run your expanding enterprise with proper management."

The Mexican fisherman asked, But, senor, how long will all this take?"

To which the American replied, "15-20 years. 25 tops."

"But what then, senor?"

The American laughed and said, "That's the best part, when the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."

"Millions, senor? Then what?"

"Then you would retire and move to a small coastal fishing village, where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos..."

JACK LOVED THIS STORY!!

A Little Better

So we're moving up from the wheel barrow to an actual pool that is not a "turtle pool". When I was walking Ki yesterday, I saw a neighbor had a pool for sale for $45 so I grabbed it up and Steve tried to figure out a spot in our very sloped and bumpy yard to plant this sucker. We've got it in the best spot possible, but it's impossible to fill it up all the way without doing some major work in flattening out our yard (which we are too lazy to do). But for now - lot's of fun in the sun - cool fun ;o)