Friday

Today is Friday (I love Friday). 

Today I volunteered in Mr. B's class and watched

him ace his spelling test - so smart! 

Today I played army with him - surprisingly fun! 

(his army totally destroyed my army)

Today Beeb cheered with the big cheerleaders during half-time at

the high school football game - adorable!

Today I am so happy to be a mom!

(as usual - in case you thought this was uncommon)

On Friday We Climbed a Mountain

A few months back my friend Jeff contacted me about joining a group he was organizing (most of them from St. Louis, MO) to climb Mt. St. Helens.  AH and I jumped at the chance to join in.  Previously I have climbed this mountain 5 times, though the last time was over 13 years ago, and I was eager to see how the landscape had changed.  For AH it was the final mountain that he needed to summit for him to be able to say that he has climbed all the volcanic peaks in Washington (I tease him that he saved the easiest for last). 

We met up on Thursday night with Jeff and his group for a late dinner at my favorite pizza parlor (Pizza Pete's) in Castle Rock, WA.  It was fun to finally meet everyone and get a sense of who they were and a better sense of their fun personalities.  It was a really outstanding group of people. 

Friday morning we headed out a little later than intended but it worked out to our advantage.  During the night a bit of clouds and rain came in and it took most of the morning to burn off.  We came across several groups of climbers along the trail who had turned back before reaching the top because it was incredibly cold, windy and the visibility was very poor (due to the heavy clouds in the AM). 

The Fearless Climbers

(now we just have to climb 5,000 feet in 5 miles)

My friend Jeff.



AH and I at the base of the boulder field we would be climbing.

Me at the beginning of the boulders (I already need a break!).

The long trek though the boulders.

Mid-way up the boulder field the clouds started to disperse and a view of the valley below is becoming visible.

AH and Brad taking a quick break (at this point our group had broken into two - we wouldn't end up really seeing the others the rest of the climb).

AH and I in the clouds.

There is something magical about looking round and seeing that you are high above the clouds. 

The last section is made up of sand and ash.  It was not as bad as I remember but still a tough section to complete with a very steep incline.

 From the top looking back to what we had just accomplished.  I love this view!

The new dome of the mountain is much larger/higher than my last visit.

Looking to the right of the new dome (Mt. Rainier in the distance). The steep drop off on the left is where the mountain blew out in 1980.

Looking to the left of the new dome. 

AH and I - see I really did make it.

From the top we could see Mt. Rainier and Mt. Hood.  We were only able to catch glimpses of Mt. Adams on the descent due to heavy clouds around it most of the day.

A gorgeous view of Spirit Lake and Mt. Rainier.

 

When you reach the top you a literally standing on the ledge looking down into the new crater dome.  It's an amazing feeling seeing the power of nature up close and personal this way.

If only I could have done this the entire way down!

 AH on a ledge of the boulders during our descent. 

A closer shot.

We made it to the bottom of the boulders.  My legs and feet were protesting greatly at this point so I traded my hiking boots for my super comfy tennis shoes for the remaining hike through the trees back to the car (2 miles). 

To my disappointment we weren't able to wait for the rest of our group to descend.  It was a 4 hour drive home for us and we needed to be on our way to relieve our babysitter near the time I told her that we would be back.  I really missed congratulating everyone on completing this tough climb; I would have loved to have heard their perspectives.  I am really proud that they all toughed it out and made it to the top - that is quite an accomplishment!

Running

I have always hated running. . . really hated it with a passion.  I’m more of a sprinter type and not so much an endurance runner.  Unfortunately as an adult there just aren’t a lot of sprint running clubs so I gave in and started running short distances a little over a year and a half ago when my neighbor and I decided to run a 5k – regrettably we trained independently.  I have had to rework my thinking around distance running and realize that, for me, it is more about distance and less about time, especially when conditioning my body to run any sort of distance for the first time in my life. 

I trained successfully for months but it was lonely; I could never seem to find a consistent running partner.  Last summer I ended up only running a handful of times but played Ultimate Frisbee once a week and that seemed to be enough to make the occasional 5K fun run possible, although I knew I wasn’t doing enough to maintain a good weight or cardio health. 

In the spring of this year our Stake put on a free 5k fun run.  I invited my neighbor (same one as previously mentioned) to come do the run and she and I ended up running it together.  At this point I hadn’t run in over 5 months, due to some foot pain, and was actually very surprised that I completed the course without walking.  Granted, by the end of the run I was seeing stars and my legs truly wanted to give out – but I did it.  It was then that she and I realized we could actually run together a few times a week.  It only took us over a year to come to this realization . . . doh!

Here it is, several months later, and she and I run 3 to 4 times a week together for usually 3.5 miles each run.  I don’t think I could go back to running by myself; I’m just not that motivated.  We enjoy a half hour of sharing thoughts and ideas while simultaneously motivating each other to push a little harder or go a little farther – which is especially helpful on days when energy levels are lagging.  It has been really nice and has strengthened our friendship tenfold. 

As a result of more time spent running than ever before there are two things that I recognize that I knew before but didn’t really “know” before.  First, sleep really affects my energy level and second, food does the same thing.  I really feel (and I mean “really feel”) the difference in my ability to have a good run (good run is defined as “feeling revived and energized at the end of the run”) vs. feeling sluggish the entire run and exhausted by the end.  This has been the most powerful motivator for me, personally, to eat the very best foods and get a good night’s rest.  Prior to this I haven't physically felt how sleep and food combine to give me more energy, but that probably indicates how little I had consistently exerted myself in the past.

This morning I got up at 6:30am (of my own free will, be amazed – this is surely not normal behavior) to ensure that I would have time to eat a good breakfast well before my 8am run with my buddy.  It is a beautiful September morning, cool and crisp with full sun.  It was glorious to be out basking in this pre-fall splendor and, surprisingly (at least to me), really loving to run.

School Grump

My usually sweet sweet Mr. B has started off this new school year in a most exemplary way; he's had a perfect behavior chart 3 days in a row!!! 

Unfortunately it appears that being on his very best behavior at school is sucking him dry of all cheerfulness and agreeability.   By the time he gets home he is cantankerous, disagreeable, difficult, unfriendly (insert all other synonyms), etc. 

I am really looking toward the near future when his body and mind have readjusted to the strains of school and he comes home acting relatively normal again.

The New School Year

School preparations began last month as I updated the kids wardrobes.  It nearly killed Beeb not to be able to wear her new duds for an entire month.  It took me several days to sort out the old clothes and wash, fold and put away their new clothes.  Mr. B wardrobe was in especially bad shape - none of his jeans fit since he has grown so much and his shirts were all just a tad too high on his belly.

Sunday night AH gave Mr. B a hair cut.

Monday the school had a "meet your teacher" event and the PTA offered up ice cream for the kids.  Beeb was very nervous despite my reassurances that her teacher was a super nice lady (she is one of Mr. B's previous teachers).  Once she met her new teacher and had a tour of her new room she was bubbling with excitement. 

Mr. B was also a bit nervous.  He hid behind me when we first entered his class room but his teacher was quick to come warmly greet him, show him his desk, and reassure him that she was happy to have him in her class. 

The kids asked to have spaghetti for the "night-before-school" dinner - always one of my favorite so I was happy to oblige.  Yum!

Finally the first day of school arrived bright and early this morning.  Both kids were still a bit nervous and acting goofy (driving their mother crazy) with eager anticipation.  Mr. B tried to wear the same clothes that he wore yesterday. . .  right out of the hamper (they must have passed the sniff test).  I used my mom-in-chief powers and vetoed the dirty clothes.  It's nice to know the slovenly ways of men starts young and is instinctual. 

 

Beeb has had her new outfit picked out for weeks and prayed for a mild weather day so she could wear long sleeves, long pants and massively furry Sherpa boots (Costco's version of Uggs) .

(Note: Beeb didn't need a haircut so I let her have a feather attached to her hair last week.)

The first day went off without any issues.  Mr. B had a perfect report from school and Beeb has already made new friends that she is excited about.  Tomorrow they start riding the bus (I insisted on driving them today) - I'm not too wild about it; I like driving them to school and picking them up right after.  Is it bad to secretly wish that one of them would get kicked off the bus and I would have to drive them to school each day?  I didn't think so.

Beeb Logic

Over the weekend the kids and I attended a BBQ put on by our church.  It was a lot of fun for all of us. . .  too much fun for some.  Mr. B had a few incidents during the event and on our walk home I had a discussion with him about his behavior and how he would make amends.  Beeb, ever curious about her brother's mishaps, wanted to know what "amends" meant.  After explaining it to her she looked at me and asked, "Then what do they call it for girls?"

Happy Birthday to {ME}!

I have a little less than an hour left of my actual birthday. It's been a great week. On Monday I went up north to visit my mom and sister where we did the usual June birthday gift exchange (my mom once asked me, when I was 8 months pregnant, if I could hold Beeb in until August since June was already pretty full and we didn't have any birthday's in August - nice try mom). The kids and I spent the whole day there and enjoyed a delicious lunch, some great beach play/talk time and lots and lots of dog "kisses" from my mom's poodle, Paddy. 

Today the kids took care of their own breakfast so I could sleep in a little.  I found this note on the kitchen table:

Then we joined my friend and her kids on a "birthday hike" to Cedar Butte. It was a really nice 4 mile hike though it dumped rain on us the last half of way back to the cars - but I didn't mind; it was all part of the adventure.

At the trail head: 

Those are some crazy kids! 

Two sweet faces: 

Hunting for a geo cache: 

No geo cache but a toad was found! 

Finally located the geo cache. 

Thankfully Beeb chose the emergency rain poncho as her geo cache treasure. 

In the evening AH's parents joined us for a yummy thai food dinner, cake and gifts.  I'm a practical person and order in my home makes me very happy.  Our everyday dishes are chipped and several pieces have broken and it has been driving me crazy the last couple of years so I was ecstatic when I opened up 12 new place settings (thanks to AH and his parents!).  I love looking into my organized cupboard and seeing these beauties shine out at me. 

It really was a great couple of days that I wouldn't mind repeating next year.

One Heck Of A Long Post. . . Hawaii

My back and side are finally starting to get back to normal.  After enduring 5 weeks of pain my doctor ordered a CT scan and it turns out no kidney stone (though I now know that I have a “duplicate kidney” – kind of a cool fact that I can brag about at parties and in the checkout line at the grocery store).  I’ve been going to physical therapy for a few weeks now and the pain is greatly reduced.  I am able to sit once again and catch up on some much needed blogging.

HAWAII!!!!!

In April we went with AH’s entire family to Maui, HI for 8 glorious days.  Despite our 3:45am departure, to catch our 6:40am flight, we were more than happy to comply if it got us away from this dreadfully rainy winter we’ve endured far far too long (tomorrow is June 1 and it is still raining).

We stayed in Kehei (my favorite “town” on Maui) at the beautiful Mana Kai Maui resort that is situated practically in the ocean.  Our room overlooked the pool and a long stretch of beach – it was a hard view to wake up to each morning. 

Most days were spent snorkeling at “the dump” (the best reef on the island), boogie boarding in the surf at our beach or another nearby beach or playing in the pool.  The kids loved playing with their cousins all day, celebrating all the spring birthdays together at one big party, surfing, and building sandcastles. 

Here’s the daily breakdown:

Sunday, April 3^rd – Arrived.  AH and all the other men took the kids to play on the beach while the wives got us settled in to our condos. 
Monday, April 4^th – Went to Polo Beach in Wailea.  Tried snorkeling but the water was too rough and cloudy (though Queen did see a small red octopus).  We spent the afternoon at our own hotel beach and pool.  That night we celebrated Grandma, Grandpa, Spencer and Mr. B’s birthdays with hamburgers and brownies for dinner.

Sarah in full gear.

Mr. B and Garrett contemplating the task before them. 

The Ladies of Polo Beach 

The Triplets

Beeb was a little nervous about boogie boarding so Tip took her with him.  I think she liked it.

Tuesday, April 5^th – In the morning we snorkeled at “the dump”.  This was Mr. B and Beeb’s first successful snorkeling.  I took Mr. B out and as we backed into the ocean he was freaking out.  I kept telling him to just put his face (his mask was on) in the water until he finally did it and was AMAZED at the fish he saw.  Beeb was freezing (silly girl has no body fat to keep her warm even in tropical water) but I made her stay out until we saw a turtle a short time later.  It was amazing to see these sights all over again through the eyes of our children. 

“The Dump”

There always has to be one that gets sick and for this trip it was Riley - poor kid.   Thankfully he can literally sleep anywhere! (remember him from THIS post) 

In the late morning we drove part way up the Road to Hana. 

This road is not for the queasy:

 

We stopped at mile marker 11 and took a short trail to a beautiful waterfall and lagoon.  AH and Tip did some cliff diving (they live to torment their mother). 

On one trip back up to the top of the waterfall a teenage boy followed them but ended up slipping on the trail and breaking his leg severely (bone sticking out).  All the men in our group spent some time helping to carry the boy (think full grown heavier set teenager) back down the trail while we waited for the fire department and ambulance to arrive. 

While taking a break on this cool fence (AH and Tip were looking for the trail head) the ambulance carrying the boy passed us.

After leaving the boy and his family in the care of the trained professionals we backtracked our way to mile marker 6 to see another waterfall (4 in all on this trail).  We hiked through a bamboo forest and stopped at the second falls.  The men climbed this fall and went on to the next one (which was fantastic – I’ll have to see it on our next trip) while the women waited with the younger kids.

On the way back to Kehei we stopped for incredibly expensive shaved ices at a really dirty dog sanctuary/mini-mart (thankfully they ran out of ice so I only had to buy one) and then stopped again at Ho’okipa Beach to watch the amazing surfers.  Uncle T bought a coconut and let everyone try the milk and meat and then we bought the kids some kettlecorn to snack on. 

Wednesday, April 6^th – I joined Grandpa, Uncle T, Spencer and Garrett on a day trip to Honolulu to visit Pearl Harbor.  We took a little 9 passenger plane from Maui to Moloka’i which had the most scenic cliffs and ocean views.  I was very interested in Moloka’i because I had just read a book about the leprosy colony located on that island.  We actually flew right over the colony – I’d definitely like to go back some day and take the mule ride down to the colony.   We then flew on to Honolulu and spent the day exploring Pearl Harbor.  We toured the USS Bowfin submarine wherein I only had half a dozen or so attacks of claustrophobia – definitely not a career for me.  We viewed the movie presentation about the actual attack on Pearl Harbor (it was truly amazing – pure reverence at the end by everyone on the theatre) and then took a boat over to the USS Arizona Memorial.  We ended our visit by touring the USS Missouri and were completely exhausted and ready to head back to Maui.

These seats were way comfy – the big airlines could benefit from them.

Yes that is the wheel of our plane!

USS Bowfin

Target practice on the USS Missouri.

The “baggage claim” at the Moloka’i airport!

Those who didn’t go to Pearl Harbor spent the day playing on the beach or in the pool.  In the evening Queen arranged for some local girls in our church to come by the hotel and teach our girls the Hula (I am sorry to have missed seeing this).  The first hula taught was to the song Pearly Shells.  Grandma got a little choked up as this was her mother's favorite Hawaiian song.

Thursday, April 7^th – Wend to “the dump” in the morning.  Beeb wasn’t interested in snorkeling so I went with Queen and we saw 6 turtles!  We spent the rest of the day at our hotel beach and pool and then in the evening Beeb and I joined other family members on an outing to Lahaina to see some Polynesian dancers perform and ate ice cream – yum!

Friday, April 8^th – We did our usual morning “dump” run and then after lunch we went to Black Rock Beach (hardly any parking stalls – plan ahead and take a taxi in from a nearby mall parking lot).  The Triplets spent their time building sand castle, playing in the surf and then burying each other in the sand.   Mr. B and Garrett spent hours playing in the surf – occasional having to be told to make their way back down to us as they seems to keep heading farther and farther down the beach.  AH, Tip, Uncle T and Spencer did some fun cliff diving and had a quick snorkeling trip. 

The men - standing in warm tropical water (probably gossiping).

That night AH and I took the kids to our favorite Mexican restaurant.   The food turned out to be completely flavorless and gross as compared to our last visit just 18 months prior.  I was so disappointed.

Saturday, April 9^th – We sent to Kalama Park in Kehei and rented surf boards for the day.  Beeb and Brynn were the first to try.  Beeb didn’t have any luck her first ride out and was pretty ticked off.  Queen captured me offering Beeb some sage words of wisdom (I
occasionally have them) – just have fun, laugh and try again. 

Beeb did try again later and got up - success! Mr. B went out twice and had no trouble getting up several times and AH and I managed to surf a few times too. It was a lot of fun (be sure to get the big boards - they are way more stable).

Future pro-surfer Brynn taught us all how it was to be done.

That evening we all spruced ourselves up and had some family pictures on the beach.  It was a bit stormy but we made the best of it.

We clean up pretty well!

Sunday, April 10^th – We attended the local ward of our church for services in the morning and even ran into people we knew.  We spent the afternoon at Maluake Beach (and ran into our friend again!) playing in the surf, snorkeling and building sand castles.   Tip’s family left in the morning so it was our last day there with the entire group.

Some locals has pulled these creatures from the ocean for a few hours – the kids loved investigating them.

All the grandchildren (minus Riley who wasn’t feeling photogenic)

 

Monday, April 11^th – Last day!  We packed up our rooms and played in the pool until we left for our whale watching tour.  No super great whale sightings (some whales but nothing spectacular), but it was fun to be on the boat.  Afterward we explored a bit of the marina and then headed to the airport for our red-eye home (never doing a red-eye again!).

 

It was a super fantastic vacation and the kids are already hounding us to go back – I wouldn’t say no to that.