Family Camping Trip to Newport

"Smoke follows beauty"

Well, we're trying to make camping a annual occurrence (at least!) . . . but we're not quite to the "tent camping" point. And, it's not because we're wanting to play it safe; it's because we're two parents who work full-time and don't have time to pack all that STUFF! So, instead, we trekked off to a yurt in South Beach (down in Newport, Oregon) and had a terrific time!!

The weekend of September 12-14th was a real blessing, here's some of the memories (in no particular order):

* FREEZING the night we arrived: It had been in the 90's when we left the Willamette Valley in shorts and t-shirts and we arrived about 9 PM to a cool, damp wind and goosebumps! Thankfully we didn't need to set up a tent because we had our yurt (heater included) to keep us warm. For those of you who haven't done yurt camping, it's handy because we had a bunkbed with a twin mattress on top and full mattress on the bottom. And, we had a futon, table, and chairs. Plenty of room for our lot!!

Here's our yurt

Animals aren't allowed in the yurt and so Kali kept pushing it right to the line. . .

Instead, the dogs slept in their crates in the back of the Jeep :>)

* We had a lot of fun with the dogs -- especially enjoying Kali's experiencing the "wild" for the first time (she's nearly 2 years old and we missed our camping trip last year). Her ears perked up to every little sound, she smelled everything (and attempted to crawl under the yurt), and had her tail wagging almost non-stop! Between her mushing us on the beach and figuring out how to untangle herself from the trees (she was on a 30 foot leash tied to a tree) -- she was a lot of fun!


Specifically, on our first day she chased off some sea gulls picking at a crab. When she went to sniff the crab, she was surprised to find that it was still alive (and wiggling ever so slightly -- poor thing!). Kali thought that this was a wonderful toy and so she picked it up and tossed it into the air repeatedly. She would tire of it and go to explore the rest of the beach, but whenever the sea gulls tried to come back she would chase them off and toss the crab a few more times. (What a goof!)

Also, my parents came camping with us and had brought their dogs: Lira (a lhasa opso) is known for stealing toys and treats from other dogs. . . Well, our dogs had bones to chew on and so Lira tried to steal the bone from Kali. . . . Kali jumped up, growled at her, and threw her big malamute body between Lira and the bone. (No agression, just protecting her "treasure.") We laughed as Kali kept burying her treats at the campground and then unburrying it and moving it whenever anyone came near. . . . Seriously, she's a goofy dog! Great entertainment!

* SMORES: Camping isn't camping without smores. I got a kick out of Joel and my mom comparing techniques to create the perfect smores. The kids, Dad, and I all just hold the marshmellows over the fire and call it good, but Mom & Joel have to move the logs around to get the embers just right and then toast them ever so precisely. It was very funny! (And, there were the obligatory comments about how I'd burnt the hot dogs . . . cracked me up!)


* The Beach. . . The beach is one of my favorite places in the whole wide world. The waves are so life-giving and spiritually refreshing and the windy beach is soothing. I LOVE IT!! And, God blessed us: Our second (and last) day there, we had a beautiful, sunny day with about 70 degree weather. There was a slight wind and it was perfect! The kids built sand castles together, Oliver (our jack russell) chased sea gulls, and we had a fun time.


Seems like a majority of my shots at the beach are "butt shots" -- Faith gets so busy playing she just doesn't want to pose for me. I don't push the poses because it's so good to see them having so much fun.

Joy

Elijah and Oliver. . . Do you see Elijah's wet pants? ;>)

* Walks through the campground: Mom & Dad didn't get a spot next to us and so we spent quite a bit of time trekking from one spot to the next. Even the trek to the beach was about .5 a mile: Funny thing is that Elijah wanted to complain about the walk but Isaac had just come back from a camping trip with his best friend, Jacob, where they had done a 10 mile hike and so Isaac told Elijah "this is nothing!" ;>)


* Faith packed for herself. . . Again, we are two full-time employees and parents. . . I made the mistake of letting Faith pack for herself. What does this mean? She packed slippers and costumes to wear -- no shoes and nothing warm. So, Saturday morning Grandma watched the kids while Joel & I made a run to Walmart for some clothes for Faith. Fortunately their summer attire was on sale and so we were able to buy sandals for $1 (Praise God!). Needless to say, I learned that Faith isn't quite ready to pack for herself!

Anyhow, those are some of the memories. . . Here's a few more pictures just for fun :>)

The kids watched "High School Musical 2" on the car ride over and then again in the yurt. . . Technology addicts!Isaac didn't want his picture taken which led to all sorts of brotherly-fun and wrestling! :>)

Oliver was constantly getting himself tangled up. . . crazy-making dog!

Special memories. . .

Isaac's favorite memory: Getting to see Grandma and Grandpa.

Elijah's favorite memory: Getting play with the dogs and having smores and "the best part was spending it with my family."

Faith's favorite memory: "It's something that you get wet and it's water. . . I gave you a clue!" . . . Playing in the ocean!

LOVE these kids!!

Faith turned 6 years old!!!

My baby is growing up and I don't like it! This September Faith turned 6 years old. . . She's learned to tie her own shoes, she can put her hair in a pony-tail, and she's pulled her own teeth. . . . She's definitely growing up. . . I pray that this process slows down!

Admittedly, I've had baby urges lately: hormones? or the fact that my baby isn't a baby anymore? Alas, we are done in the baby department -- but, still, I've been very blessed to be given three wonderful children to raise :>)

LOVE these kids!!

Here's some birthday pictures:


Grandma came down on her birthday and brought her a gigantic teddy bear (which Faith named "Sarah" -- her favorite name!). Here they are "cuddling" as she watches Barbie and the Diamond Castle (one of her birthday presents).

Faith still sucks her fingers and clutches bear against her cheek when she's resting. I know that someday soon we'll have to work to break those habits since odds are that the sucking of fingers will mess with her teeth. But, it's also comforting to see that she's not all grown up yet. Know what I mean?


One of her favorite presents was the Playdoh Octopus set. . . She'd been asking for it for several months but both Joel & I haven't been big fans of playdoh since the boys were big on having pieces tossed elsewhere and then mashed into the carpet. But, as a special gift, I opted to take a chance and get her some Playdoh this year. She, Joel, Isaac, and Elijah were teamed around the little table (one that Joel & his brother played at as children) and had fun. [Note: Mom was busy taking pictures!] She's done really well at keeping it picked up and has had lots of fun playing with it :>)

Faith's birthday menu? (Note: family tradition is that the birthday person gets to pick their menu for their birthday.) Faithy chose McDonald's cheeseburger and chocolate cake!

Here's my growing girl. . . 6 years old and a happy, well-adjusted kid. . . VERY loved!

I'm WAAAAYYYY overdue to blog. . . so keep posted. . .

I'm going to be posting tons of pictures. . . But, in the meantime, here's what's happening at my house:


The kids are playing video games and Elijah has had his "girlfriend" Savannah over. . . Looks like Isaac (top bunk) is playing and everybody else is just watching.


Where do they learn these behaviors? "I learned it by watching you, okay?!?!" . . . One of Joel's favorite pastimes is to play World of Warcraft on his computer. He's sent me links to the "World of Warcraft Widow's forums" -- are there any other widows out there?

And me? Alas, no picture of my happenings today. . . I'm sitting on my bed, propped up by pillows, with "Something to Talk About" paused on the DVR. I can hear the kids sifting through legos in their room. . . And I thought I'd upload pictures and blog. You know, a typical Sunday.

Happy Belated Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday dear. . .

. . . Elijah (3rd)
. . . Faith (9th)
. . . Dana (11th)
. . . James, Sarah, and John (17th)

Happy Birthday to you!!!

As taken from: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.internet.is/mvala/birthday_monkey.JPG&imgrefurl=http://metropolitanlady.wordpress.com/2008/06/18/happy-birthday-mom/&h=301&w=363&sz=20&tbnid=iqM9PqseTWIJ::&tbnh=100&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbirthday&usg=__a37Kr8JrqTrxtQmqW65oQGU0FxQ=&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=4&ct=image&cd=1

BELATED: First Day of School Pictures

New School Shoes
(Elijah in Sketchers boots,

Faith has "High School Musical" shoes with pink laces she tied herself,

and Isaac in camo Converse)


Can I tell you how totally cool my kids are? Isaac just entered 7th grade and is on his first football team -- strut and all. It's really cool to see the self-esteem that goes along with the encouragement and being one of the "guys." We can expect he's at least a half-hour late as he hangs out after practice (since we live on the other side of the field) . . . cute.

Then there's Faith who is 6-years-old and just entered kindergarten. She's SUPER excited to finally have homework like her big brothers and we've even given her some chores for around the house (putting away silverware, picking up shoes, putting dishes in the sink). She's sooo anxious to grow up and she's learning so much: wanting to do her own hair (sloppy pony-tails and pig-tails) and she learned to tie her shoes in about 5 minutes! We were very impressed!

Finally, Elijah just turned 11 and is in 6th grade. He's trying to adjust to life without Isaac as his constant companion -- he hasn't liked that Isaac has been busy with football! Unfortunately when we tried to sign Elijah up for Pop Warner football he was too big for his age range. We're hoping to get him started with wrestling or something in the winter. In the meantime, he's a MAJOR video game addict! Sweet, hormonal (a.k.a. "emotional") Elijah -- I take comfort in remembering that Isaac went through this too (and will again). God love the poor kid as his body starts changing!

So, there's a bit of the news at our house. . . Enjoy the pictures!

Faith headed in for Orientation & to drop off school supplies (she picked out her outfit)

Kindergarten!!

Elijah (still a sweet kid), Isaac (too cool), and Faith (ready to go!!)

P.S. Honest to goodness! Faith said, "I have a passion for fashion!" Friday when she got to dress herself for the day (no school meant no uniform) -- too funny!

Confession: I Love John Denver!

I've been watching a John Denver special on PBS (one advantage of a flu bug is the time spent vegging out) and it brings such warm, fuzzy feelings. The show features some footage of John Denver way back when (late 70's) and I have vague, early memories of watching him with my parents. . . . My parents were big fans and tried to live the life John promoted: family, love of nature, singing with the acoustic guitar. Watching him brings back those memories. . . Mom singing to us with her guitar and Dad tucking me in at night. Do you know what I mean?

Mom had the record, "An Evening with John Denver" (released in 1975 - the year I was born) and we'd listen to it over and over again. I can picture our living room with the record album propped against the stereo (not a "stereo" by today's standards -- but one of those old stereo's that was the size of one of today's small entertainment centers -- with the speaker on the bottom and a record player, 8-track, and radio up on top - the hinge lid). . . listening to the music while I helped Mom by dusting or singing along with it. My favorite song was "Matthew" and I'd ask to listen to it over and over again.



Now that I've grown, other songs speak to me. . . Sweet Surrender ("Lost and alone on a forgotten highway - traveled by many, remembered by few. . . ") . . . For Annie. . . Then there are the songs that make me laugh like Toledo, Ohio ("I spent a week there one day") or Forest Lawn and then there are the oldies by goodies like Grandma's Feather Bed and Country Roads Take Me Home. . . I've grown up and have, since, bought the CD of "An Evening with John Denver" and there are heartfelt moments on sunny-drive road trips through the country where I will roll down my window and proudly belt out "Thank God I'm a Country Boy!"

In the meantime, I'm enjoying this warm, fuzzy feeling and happy memories with listening to John Denver. Thank you, John, for the music and love! Praise the Lord (and God bless John Denver)!

I have vague memories of watching this on TV. . . John Denver and the Muppets - what could be better? :)

Happy Anniversary!

Today is Joel & my 13th Anniversary. . . so much has happened in those many/few years. . . Three kids, two dogs, two college degrees, 3 years in the military, and too much life to count! I know that we were young when we married but looking at these pictures reminds me of how very young we were (and skinny!) ;>)

Take a walk down memory lane with me. . .

1.) Here we are at the rehearsal -- both Joel & I were very excited! Joel spent the night with his buddies and arrived late (later than I expected, I should say) on the morning of the wedding. Whew! He made it! :)

2.) Here is Becky Schmitt and Diana Herb helping me get ready (all those little buttons at my wrist) -- I was nervous and excited!


The photographer, Mike Dean, took our pictures with each of us "apart" with our family prior to the wedding and saved our "together" pictures until after the wedding (so Joel didn't see me in my dress until the actual ceremony). Here's some of the better pictures:

3.) This picture cracks me up because it really captures the youthful cockiness of Joel. . . He was two weeks from turning 18 years old. . . He strutted when he walked. . . He was a great kisser. . . He liked to give me that sly smile. Here he is having a "guy moment" with his brother, Krag -- his best man. Krag is the one who introduced us: He was fresh out of the Navy and started attending the community college where I was a freshman and we hit it off. I was dating someone else and my friend, Tammy, had a huge crush on Krag -- so we hung out talking and I heard stories about his suave little brother. During winter break Krag invited me and my friends over to play cards and I met Joel -- Joel was grounded and stuck at home & my boyfriend was back home with his family. . . We laughed, cheated at cards, and eventually fell in love. Wowee! See why Krag's the best man? ;>)



4.) My friends cracked up when, after many many pictures, I sat down with Sarah on the steps of the alter to relax until it was time for the wedding :>) Can you believe that Sarah was a mere 9-years-old then and is now 22-years-old and a Registered Nurse down in Medford?!? She's grown into a absolutely beautiful woman and one of my best friends. . . I'm glad we shared this special moment.

5.) During the wedding ceremony people commented on the beauty of this moment. . . lighting our unity candle and sharing a special moment. Admittedly the day was blessed -- end of September is often the rainy season but our day was clear with a rainbow outside. . . We were both happy but also joked about the fact that everyone probably thought it was a precious moment and we were both feeling beads of sweat sliding down (and wanted to itch!). Alas, this is a wee bit typical for us: great friends joking and sharing time as opposed to having romantic moments. . . Ahh well.


6.) When we were finally wed, we had the usual "Wedding Party" picture -- many thanks to all our supportive friends! Pictured: Becki, Melissa, Diana, Sarah, Jonathon, Joel & Elizabeth Priddy, Mandy, Krag, Dustin, Kevin, and (little brother) Tim.

7.) First dance. . . Danced to "One boy, one girl" by Collin Raye

8.) The Toast. . . Krag then Diana then, one by one, each of my siblings toasted us. VERY cool!

9.) Here's a picture of us feeding each other cake. . . Always the question: smash it into the face or feed gently? Joel strongly believe that you need to feed each other gently as it's a sign of respect and trust -- we were nice to one another ;>) Isn't he cute?


10.) Ahh, the wedding mobile. . . That car served it's purpose but it was an AWFUL old car! When we gave it to Mom & Dad to donate to charity -- Joel had replaced the head a couple of times and the front driver's seat was propped up on a block of wood. But, we were a poor, young, newlywed couple and there are memories associated with it :>)

11.) Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Joel and Elizabeth Priddy:

So, there you go. . . That's where we were 13 years ago today. We missed our first three anniversaries together because we were apart for the military and other bits of life happened, and, today I've had a slight case of food poisoning and Joel's battling a bug too. . . Par for the course? Ahh, but we've hung in there and 13 years later, we're still Mr. & Mrs. Priddy. . . pretty good for a couple of young kids getting married ;>)

One last pic just as a P.S. -- Joel's cousins, Mandy & Jonathan, were our flower girl and ringbearer -- they were too cute!

A Once in a Lifetime Event. . .

What do you get when you:
- take two huge pots of noodles (4 packages)
- 2 pots of oatmeal & barley
- 3 boxes worth of instant mashed potatoes
- some canned peas, carrots, and cranberry sauce
then team 8 boys (Isaac, Elijah, Jacob, Cody, Brandon, Christopher, Joshua, Mason) and Faith?

Elijah's 11th Birthday Party. . . With a Food Fight theme! The boys have been asking me for a Food Fight birthday party for about the past 3 years and now, with Elijah having just turned 11 and Isaac(12) - they are the perfect age for this experience. So each kid was armed with a can of whipping cream and silly string. . . we established some ground rules and then had about 20 minutes of wild fun :>)

Here are the results:

BEFORE: Ready, set, go!

Isaac learned that you shouldn't take the cap off a can of whipping cream, put the can in your pocket, and then bend over ;>)

Daddy taught Faith to put the whip cream in her hand and then throw it. . .

Cody

Isaac & Mason


Silly string & whipping cream :>)

AFTER: The picture doesn't nearly do them justice. . .


Brandon


Jacob (Isaac's best friend) and Chris (Elijah's best bud)

Elijah and Mason -- a happy birthday boy!

And what next you ask?

Dishes. . .

Video games. . .
A Happy Birthday!!
Then, hopefully, they will sleep tonight :>)

Praise the Lord for Elijah and may this year be truly blessed. God, please continue to guide his life and may his life be filled with even more joy than he experienced today. . . that is my birthday wish for him.