I'm Back!

It has been a busy spring! But summer is finally here and now I just might have some time to get caught up on the blog before school starts again in August. First I need to figure out how to connect my camera to this computer... Here's one picture from our jazz concert night. Tina, our conductor, made the dresses for the girls. I'm wearing my granny's hat and my great grandmother's beaded sweater. Besides band concerts, we've had lots of field trips, River Olympics, bridal showers, graduation, and weddings to get ready for and attend.

Fall and Winter

We threw together these costumes for Halloween in about ten minutes with Heidi's help. Taylor was Little Red Riding Hood, and Lauryn was a pumpkin.

We had three litters of puppies at the ranch this fall. The dad was a stray dog from somewhere down the road. I'm happy to report that both of our dogs are fixed now and we'll have no more puppies. Peter and I found it difficult to get into the Christmas Spirit this year, so our Christmas Tree hunting was left up to Taylor and me. We hiked up to the shooting range, cut this cute tree down, carried it home, and decorated it one afternoon. We had some beautiful weather in January. One afternoon we took a hike up Clear Creek. This is at the 10-mile bridge.

Confessions of a New Twilight Saga Addict

I've spent the last three weeks of my life engrossed in the four books of the Twilight Saga, by Stephenie Meyer, like it was a true addiction; even now I'm feeling withdrawals. I was hesitant to read these books in the past for the following reasons:

1. Vampires? Really? I'll stick with my realistic fiction, thanks.
2. 500 plus pages per book? That will take me forever...
3. What's all the hype about? If I read them will I become obsessed too?

I started Twilight the day after Christmas and ignored my family and all responsibilities during that last week of vacation as I finished it and New Moon. Knowing that I was choosing to read over all other activities, I started to feel a little guilty. I would even sneak in a few minutes here and there, and if Peter came into the room, I'd hide the book, not wanting to see him roll his eyes at me again. Once he realized I was in it for the long haul and that the books seemed to be good for our love life, he didn't bug me about it anymore. In fact, he picked up Twilight and read it in a few days, both of us becoming sub-par parents.

Once school started again, I was eager and motivated to get all of my "chores" done as soon as I got home, so that, at 7:00PM, after putting the girls to bed, I could sit on the couch and read until 11PM, or whenever I started feeling guilty for staying up so late. I continued to neglect other things in my life; our band music arrived and I didn't practice my flute, I missed two weeks of volleyball because I wanted to finish Eclipse and then Breaking Dawn. I didn't allow myself to feel too bad about it, after all, I was enjoying my new routine too much.

Now that I'm done with the books and I've seen all three movies, I'm feeling a bit lost. I find that I'm not motivated to do any chores, and I spend lots of wasteful time on the internet or daydreaming about being a vampire. Last night, not finding anything to satisfy my mind, I picked up Breaking Dawn and reread the last chapter. Is this what it feels like to have an addiction? It does make me feel better to know that I'm not alone. There is quite a fan club out there for these books and for good reason. If you haven't read them yet, you should. Just beware that you will most likely leave your "real world" for a time, and you might have difficulty readjusting once you're through.

I Got a Job...

...and my blog has suffered the consequences. My teaching job was only three half days at first. Then it became five half days, and on the 24th of January it will be full-time. I'm very glad about it and I'm hoping that I will still be able to keep up with things at home. Here's a smattering of pictures since September:The first day of School for Taylor and me. I'm teaching the upper-grade class at Taylor's school, six miles down the road.A week after school started, Peter and I took the opportunity of a quiet weekend to get away. We left the girls with Heidi and Doug and camped at the mouth of, the appropriately named, Rock Creek. The next day we hiked up the creek for a few miles. We didn't get as far as we had hoped but were happy to make it to this beautiful pool:Lauryn ready for her first day of preschool. She attends the Head Start in Orleans three days a week and loves it.

Late in September, Jenny and James and their two adorable kids, Leo and Annika, came for a visit. This year the weather cooperated and we were able to go rafting.James and I kayaked. Despite the nice weather, it was very cold.

Summer Time...and the living is Easy

I can't believe that summer is coming to an end! School starts tomorrow for Taylor and me--I got a part-time teaching job at Taylor's school--and next week Lauryn will start preschool. Here are some pictures of our summer, which passed all too quickly. The girls at a birthday party.

My summer crafts: making lavender wreaths, wands, and saches.

The girls and I spent nearly every afternoon swimming. We'd go to the pool, pond, or a nearby creek or river.

The Fair! Why is it so much fun to see your children experience the things you loved as a kid?

A ride I've always wanted to try but never have. Taylor loved it.

Finally, a day on the river! We were so busy with guests this year that Lauryn and I didn't raft much.

Peter, teaching Taylor the art of rock-jumping.

Taylor going solo.

June and July

Having uploaded all of these pictures and more on Facebook, I didn't realize how behind I was on my blog. Once again I need to catch up.
Bear LakeIn June the girls and I tagged along with my parents and their friend Andy on a hike to Bear Lake in the Siskiyou Wilderness. It was a 6-mile hike, round-trip. We hit some snow which made our decent to the lake and climb from the lake challenging. It turned out to be an overcast and cool day with patchy sun. My Mom and girls are trying to soak up the warmth while they can.We had fun fishing, catching a fish with every cast. Lauryn got to reel this one in. Her first fish!At this point in the hike, Taylor was saying, "I never ever ever EVER want to do this again." Then she made it to the saddle and sat down on a pointy stick which went through her pants and poked a deep hole in the back of her thigh. We were glad Cathy had a first-aid kit. Taylor now has a scar that will remind her of this day.Bren Visits
Bren came to the ranch for a few days and we had so much fun. I hadn't laughed that much in a while. I took a boat down the class II section with Bren and two MMR staff. Taylor and Lauryn got to go on Peter's boat.Lauryn, enjoying a cold drink at the take out.Trinidad 2010
Our annual trip to Trinidad was a bit different this year. Peter only made it for one day (He was busy with Ranch work), and the girls and I stayed in a tent next to Mom and Dad's cabin. The weather was also unusually sunny, warm, and windy. This meant awful fishing but lots of beach days. We celebrated Taylor's sixth birthday at Bren and Neil's place in McKinleyville with a BBQ, cake, and presents. Bren and Laura made this delicious cake.Taylor had many requests for this birthday cake and Bren did a great job meeting them. She even made pink whipped cream. Yum!This gift was the biggest hit, even with the adults. The morning of our boat ride was foggy, but it was still beautiful and fun. We got to see seals, all kinds of birds, and an otter.We hiked Trinidad Head and this time we made Lauryn walk the whole way. She did a great job. Later in the week I ran these same trails and counted over 20 bunnies!

The top was really windy. My cousin's son, Josh, looked like an inflated wind-man you see at car dealerships.

Taylor, sporting her new sunglasses.

Watching our fireworks on the beach, a new tradition started last year. Happy 4th of July!

More of May

Wildlife Images came down from Cave Junction for the Watershed Ed. Fair at Taylor's school. It was pretty impressive when the presenter took the Bald Eagle out of its box. We see these birds all the time around here, but they're always very impressive close up. We went to the coast and discovered Bounce-A-Palooza in the Eureka Mall. It's similar to Pump it Up except that it's always open to drop-ins. Taylor and Lauryn loved it...and we loved that they slept the whole way home.

After giving Lauryn a cute haircut, she decided to take the scissors to her own hair and did this:

She was pretty embarrassed about it, and we had to wait until she fell asleep to take a picture. Fortunately the way her hair parts naturally covers it up.
Taylor's school came to the ranch for a field trip and they released the trout they had raised into the pond.