Family Vacation on a Budget

My long-time childhood friend, Jenny, and her family came to visit us for a few days. They live near Corvallis, OR; it was a long drive and I'm glad they made the trip. There were no guests here, and Doug, Heidi, and Cierra took a road trip; therefore, we had the ranch to ourselves. They had a mini vacation, staying in the cabin next to ours and doing many of the activities we do with our guests. The weather was cold on the day we planned to raft so instead we rode the pony, played on the zip line, fished in the pond, and made apple cider. The next day we watched the Bigfoot Days Parade and had lunch at my parent's house. I'm hoping Jenny will send me some of her pictures since I only caught the horse ride. Leo and Taylor brushing Domino.

James and Leo.

It was fun to see Annika wearing lots of hand-me-downs from Taylor and Lauryn.

A highlight for me was taking a hike with Jenny on one of the trails that leaves the ranch. We took Lauryn and Annika in packs on our backs. At one point we had to make our way precariously across a creek. It reminded me of a photo we have of Jenny's mom, taken by my mom: Barbie is hiking near a creek with Jenny in a pack on her back. I'm sure my mom was giving me a ride too. Would anyone else like to come for a budget vacation? Although James offered to help us finish the Laundry room, we didn't make him work that hard (besides moving some big pieces of furniture and pressing eight jugs of apple cider).

First Day of School

Taylor's first three days of school were outside at a nearby camp ground where they did outdoor and watershed ed.

Some new friends. The girl on the left is the only 2nd grade girl. She is the one who painted Taylor's nails on the bus while traveling to outdoor school. The girl on the right, Rose, is the only other kindergarten girl. She has a sister Lauryn's age and a mom who has a lot in common with me. Yay for new friends!

They could be related. Lauryn and Ruby, Rose's little sister, got to eat snacks, play in the dirt, and ride around in matching backpacks at outdoor school.

Junction Elementary school currently has 22 students K-8 and one teacher. Fortunately for Taylor, most of the kids are in kindergarten and first grade.

Running Blog

So I've just created another blog. I have a lot of time to think while I'm running and often times I'll think about blogging and then I end up blogging about running which I'm pretty sure doesn't interest lots of people. My solution is to have a separate blog about running and my experiences related to the sport. You can check it out at www.wildrunnergirl.blogspot.com

Rafting

Yesterday we got to join our guests on the class II float trip on the river. My kids looked so cute in their river attire that I took way too many pictures. Our hats are all buried in a box so Lauryn got to wear this hat of Cierra's. It was the smallest I could find.

Taylor with her current friend, Rebekkah from Germany and Spain.

Lauryn loved the water and was not afraid of swimming in the river as long as Mom or Dad was holding onto her.

The girl on the lap is Caroline, Taylor and Lauryn's cousin.

Lauryn is trying to ignore me in this picture because she wants to put the rock in her mouth and I won't let her.

Grandma Heidi and Lauryn in Rock Creek at our lunch stop.

Yay for rapids!

Ranch Photos

Taylor is enjoying ranch life. She gets a new friend every week that we get new guests, and she has gotten to join in on the horse riding.Without Taylor around to entertain Lauryn, I have become Lauryn's best friend. Here are some pictures from a walk around the ranch and the zip line.

It was rainy and cold the first week we were here. It's hot again now.

Flat Butt, Big Belly

That's how I feel after our 9+ hour drive on Friday and our 5 hour drive yesterday; we have another 5+ hours to go today. I've been eating granola bars, preztle sticks, and donuts. Ugh!

Now I know that all of our belongings can fit into a 17 ft uhaul, a 24 ft uhaul, and a pick up truck. Goodbye San Leandro! We're offically out of the Bay Area now.

My Highway

This is my new running ground. I leave the ranch driveway and turn left or right for a jog on Highway 96. On Saturday I ran for 12 miles and saw three cars, three deer, one piece of litter and one osprey. I can think of worse places to run.