Adventures of Hoybooks

Kate Movie Wednesday

2012-02-08T11:47:00.001-08:00

Let's call this, "Happy baby because the sun is streaming in the window".

Sunny Skies

2012-02-08T11:35:00.000-08:00

(Is it bad for me to say that one of my favorite times of the day is when little K is napping and the house is quiet and I can sit down and post some photos to this blog? Well, I'm going to say it. It's my fav.)

Today, the skies have turned on the faucets again, but for the past 5 days, we have enjoyed sunshine around this gloomy state. Blue skies, crisp winds and sun. Lots of sun. Kate and I enjoyed lots of walks over the past weekend and we got in some family time last Wednesday. It continues to amaze me how just the tiniest bit of sunshine can brighten our whole week and rejuvenate our souls.

Family Resemblance

2012-01-26T12:21:00.001-08:00

Kate is starting to look like B more and more each day.

Kate Movie Wednesday

2012-01-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

This is a series of two films we like to call, "Gimme the stuff."

Chillin' in the Vallis

2012-01-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

What I think I like the least about our Kate schedule is that we rarely get time together as a family. B works most weekends, so Kate and I get a lot of one-on-one time. Lately though, I feel like I have been getting the hang of this mommy thing and I've been scheduling our social calendar full with activities.

On Sunday, we had a date with Uncle Craig and Aunt Bridget in Corvallis. It was absolutely puking rain so we just hung out at their place and played with the kiddo. She adores them!

Her first cooking lesson with Aunt Bridget. Kate, the food goes in the pot, not you.

Sitting like a big girl with Uncle Craig.

Oh, geeze, what else are they going to put me in?

Daddy and Daughter

2012-01-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

What I think I like best about our Kate schedule is that we each get our own time with the little honey. While I know that Kate is her happiest self when we are both around, the time that we spend with her one-on-one is so important.

Want to know who she likes the best? Her daddy, of-course. He can make her giggle like no one's business and when he walks in the door from work, want to know what her face looks like? Glee. Absolute glee.

Saturday Shout-out

2012-01-14T17:58:00.000-08:00

Rockin' my pink JD t-shirt in honor of my Opa.

I love you Opa!

xoxo Kate

P.S. Opa, right after this photo, I pooped on this shirt. Sorry.

Kate goes for a swim

2012-01-14T17:53:00.000-08:00

We took Kate to the rec center last weekend for her first swim. She LOVES the bathtub so we figured she would love the pool--a HUGE bathtub! I think she was a wee bit skeptical about her first dip, but we totally understand. It is a big world out there and it's definitely hard to be so small.

Kate Movie Monday

2012-01-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

Another Monday. Another work week. Another Kate movie!

This one is titled, "Kate throws the toys". Let the fun begin!

Yowza

2012-01-09T15:46:00.000-08:00

Your white knuckle experience for today. Yikes.

Rice cereal...yummy.

2012-01-04T08:45:00.001-08:00

Yeah, yeah, I realize that this blog is definitely turning into Kate's personal photo album, but when she does things like this, how can you not post it?

Kate rang in the New Year with a new food: solids! Here is her first experience with rice cereal. Yum.

An epidemic

2012-01-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

Through my job at REI, I've become a little bit more aware of a certain epidemic spreading across our great nation: nature deficit disorder. Sounds a bit overdramatic for something that doesn't seem that important, but as I've come to learn, this is serious business and something we should all take note of.

Nature deficit disorder refers the increasing amount of time that our children spend indoors and the decline in their participation in nature-based outdoor activities. If you read about the numbers here, you'll find that it's shocking. Exposure to nature and the outdoors not only positively supports a child's quality of life, but it leads to a smarter, more imaginative, cooperative child.

Both B and I had the great fortune to grow up with unlimited access to the outdoors--in our neighborhoods, at the farm, on vacation. So, naturally, we want the same for Kate. To that end, I have been taking her for walks in Tryon Creek State Park, a natural area about a mile from our house. She listens to birds, looks at trees, babbles at the trail as we stroll along. We're hoping we can raise a child who will ask us if she can go play outside. No, we want her to ask us when she gets to play outside again.

To read more about the benefits of time spent out with Mother Nature, visit this blog: The New Nature Movement.

And then there were presents.

2012-01-02T16:03:00.000-08:00

Kate is one sharp little cookie--she knew exactly what to do when presented with something in wrapping paper on Christmas morning. She put her game face on and dug right in.

Baby on the loose!

2012-01-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

Kate figured out how to roll from her back to her tummy this past week. And then she figured out how to roll from her back to her tummy to her back to her tummy, etc. Look out folks, nothing is safe now.

Yesterday, I set her down on the floor, left the room for about 10 seconds, came back and saw this:

She was completely content with her predicament. Oh, and she wants to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Family Photo Shoot

2011-12-18T21:06:00.001-08:00

Kate's First Christmas

2011-12-17T15:43:00.000-08:00

Somehow, I'm not sure what ninja-like stealth force is responsible, but somehow, having a baby makes time go faster. I'm serious. I have never been more aware of time in my entire life. It was October like two seconds ago.

Which means when Thanksgiving rolled around I was all, "What?" Which also means that I was caught completely off-guard when December hit just two short weeks ago. Christmas was coming. Very, very soon. It's not that we have lots of shopping to take care of--I shipped our last packages out yesterday--or that we have lots of parties and events to attend. It's just that this is Kate's first Christmas and I did not want to disappoint.

Last Monday, we introduced her to what is fast becoming a Hoybook family tradition--cutting down our Christmas tree at a little tree farm. We headed south toward West Linn on a sunny and chilly morning and got Kate's first Christmas tree. Tuesday night, with her guidance from the comfort of her bouncy chair, it was decorated.

Merry Christmas!

Finding her voice

2011-12-11T18:12:00.000-08:00

Oregon the Beautiful

2011-12-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

Check out this amazing time-lapse video shot in some of the most beautiful places in Oregon.

Life as we know it

2011-12-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

Our new weekly schedule:

Sunday: B works. I stay home with Kate.

Monday: B works. I work from home and take care of Kate.

Tuesday: I work from 9am to 5pm. B stays home with Kate.

Wednesday: B works from 7am to 1pm, comes home. I hand Kate off to him and head to work, 2 to 9pm.

Thursday: B works from 7am to 1pm, comes home. I hand Kate off to him and head to work, 2 to 9pm.

Friday: I work from 8am to 1pm, come home. B hands Kate off to me and heads to work, 2 to 8:30pm.

Saturday: B works. I stay home with Kate.

Whew.

Sweet Girl

2011-11-27T09:47:00.000-08:00

My girl and her daddy

2011-11-20T20:41:00.001-08:00

An Achievement

2011-11-19T15:13:00.000-08:00

My girl and me

2011-11-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

Making the most of it

2011-11-08T17:18:00.000-08:00

This is my last week of maternity leave. *sigh* I'll be honest, it will be difficult to go back to work. Kate truly is my daily dose of all things sweet and adorable and I will miss her tremendously. So, this week, we have been trying to make the most of our time together.

Hiking with our little Ewok at the Tualatin Wildlife Refuge.

Seven States

2011-11-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

We have been recently been competing with Ryan and Dacia to see who has visited the most states. Ryan is in the lead and one ahead of me with 37 states as I sit pretty with 36. The rules are that you have to have set foot in that state--alas, airports don't count.

Well, Kate is only 11 weeks old and she already has seven states. She picked up Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming on our road trip and she just added Texas and Nebraska last week. What an experienced little traveler!

Here is our fabulous trip home, by the numbers:

New states Kate visited: 2

Flights taken: 4

Flights Kate slept through: 2 Yay!

Miles traveled by air: 4,070

Miles traveled by car: 816

Great-grandmothers visited: 2

Grannys visited: 1

Grandpas visited: 2

Omas and Opas visited: 1 each

Texas high school football games attended: 1

Pounds of delicious Texas food consumed: too many to count.

Baptisms performed: 1

Godparents met: 2

Combine rides taken: 1

Combine rides Kate slept through: 1

Nebraska friends visited: 12

Amount of homesickness acquired: tons.

B's Granny and Kate get acquainted.

Kate and I hang out at the Magnolia, TX pumpkin patch.

The whole family--Mark, B, me, Kate, Flora and Linda.

I honestly think this is our first official family portrait.

Randy and Tippy keep a watchful eye on Baby Kate as she goes for a ride in the swing.

Kate's baptism in Wayne.

Friends and Godparents--Liz, Abbie and Tom.

Four generations.

Kate and Oma hanging out at home.

A farm kitty gives Kate the once-over.

Another farm kitty comes in for some snuggles and possibly a little drool.

Baby's first combine ride was a smashing success. Obviously, Kate thinks so. B with my Uncle Don.

Enjoying the Wayne Herald.

Harper and Kate--six weeks apart, already best friends.

Omigosh, my friends had kids! Ben, Christian, Kate, Hudson, Skyler, Harper and Cadence.

Tummy Time Talk

2011-10-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

Where do you think she learned dolphin-speak?

Beavers and Wildcats, oh my!

2011-10-09T16:44:00.001-07:00

While we were in Yellowstone, we saw bison, elk, geese, moose, swans, etc. But, apparently, we needed some more wildlife action so we headed south to Corvallis over the weekend to see the very rare Oregon State Beaver and ever elusive Arizona Wildcat.

Kate is obviously not impressed with the Pride of all Oregon, the Oregon State Marching Band.

We were cheering for Arizona so the game didn't go our way, but a good time was had by all. Kate loves football games!

The Great Traveling Kate!

2011-10-09T11:46:00.003-07:00

When we told people we were going to take Kate on a week long road trip, we were met with many skeptical looks. I'm not sure anyone really thought it was a good idea. Well, my friends, she got along fantastically.

It is a little different traveling with an infant, I'll admit that for sure. Instead of driving to Red Lodge in one day like we probably would have, we took two days there and two days home. We quickly learned that when Kate was done being in the car seat, she was DONE. But we also learned that she loves being hiked around in the Baby Bjorn, doesn't mind having an entire queen-size bed to herself and absolutely LOVES the new stuffed moose we got her in Red Lodge.

Sometimes, traveling requires two pacifiers.

Showing Mom on the map where we need to go. Idaho!

Kate and her new fuzzy friend, Reggie the Moose.

This is what happens when I tell B that Kate needs her diaper changed and that we should pull over at the next convenient place. He takes the very next exit and we end up here...

Jellystone!

2011-10-09T11:46:00.001-07:00

After "surviving the Beartooth Highway", we headed into Yellowstone and spent Sunday and Monday checking out the sights in the park. I've been to Yellowstone twice--once when I was 9 years old and then again when I was in high school--so it was interesting for me to experience the park as an adult because everything seemed so different that it was like it was new again.

We didn't have enough time to stop everywhere, but we made it to Mammoth Hot Springs, the Norris Geyser Basin, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River and of-course, Old Faithful. On Monday afternoon, we headed south along Jackson Lake and the Teton Range toward Jackson and our hotel for the night. Stunning fall color!

Kate won't remember it, but she had a great time.

Big Sky Country

2011-10-09T11:45:00.001-07:00

B was recently presented with the awesome opportunity to shoot a wedding in Montana. Of-course we took advantage and turned this business trip into our first official road trip as a family of three.

We left on Thursday, spent the night in Coeur d'Alene and then arrived in Red Lodge, Montana on Friday evening. What a great little mountain town! Lots of shops, galleries, restaurants and great views. Kate and I spent the Saturday cruising the sights in town, while B shot a gorgeous wedding in the countryside near Joliet.

Downtown historic and scenic Red Lodge, MT.

On Sunday morning, we got up early and prepared ourselves for the Beartooth Highway, the highest pass in North America which tops out at 10,947 ft. The Highway connects Red Lodge, MT with the Northeast gate of Yellowstone National Park. It's the craziest series of switchbacks that take you up above the tree line, past alpine lakes and over a high plateau into Wyoming. An absolutely stunning drive.

A brand-new Olson

2011-10-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

With all of the excitement surrounding Kate's arrival, I fear she has stolen a little bit of thunder from the newest Olson family addition. Bridget and Craig tied the knot on September 3rd on a gorgeous sunny day in Oregon City.

Congrats C & B! Bridget, welcome to the family!

A revelation

2011-09-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

Kate and her new friend Clyde. Kate is 6 weeks old. Clyde is 5 months old. Ladies and gents, we have a big girl on our hands.

A heads up

2011-09-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Just a heads up Kate: this will not be the last time you get your diaper changed on a picnic table by a river.

Back on the trail again

2011-09-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

The hardest part of pregnancy? All of the inactivity. All of the "don't go skiing, running, hiking, rock climbing, cycling, etc." Now that I'm getting back to my normal size, I'm anxious to be active again, doing everything we love. First up, hiking.

We took our first hike as a family on Friday afternoon--a scenic stroll along the Clackamas River.

B explains all about trees and the sun and wolverines and the mystery of Sasquatch.

All primed for a picnic table diaper change.

Happy hiking family

Kate does a photo shoot

2011-09-20T16:58:00.000-07:00

Some shots from recent photo shoots with Little Miss Kate.

Two weeks old

One month old

Kate learns about football

2011-09-20T16:54:00.001-07:00

Since Kate's parents grew up in Nebraska and Texas, she is bound to have football in her blood. Well, Husker football in her blood anyway. We introduced her to football over the weekend by taking her to our local high school for Friday night's game and then carting over to Ryan and Dacia's on Saturday for the Husker/Husky game. She thoroughly enjoyed herself.

Kate, chillin' with Dad at Lake Oswego High.

All dressed up in her Husker best for Saturday's game.

Athlete of the Month

2011-09-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

One month of Kate

2011-09-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

So, little miss Kate Suzanne has been in our lives for one month. B and I always say that we can't remember what it was like before we met and now, we can't seem to remember what it was like before Kate. She really is the light of our lives. We are getting a reasonable amount of sleep as we are starting to figure out her eating and napping habits. And, believe it or not, but I take a shower almost everyday. Unheard of, right?

Kate is developing quite a personality already--her two favorite things to do? Stare at the sheep that run in circles above her crib and poop in a fresh diaper that has been on her butt for about 30 seconds.

Five Years

2011-09-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

Kate's First Week

2011-08-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

Some photos from our first week at home with Kate. She eats and sleeps and we sit and stare at her. It's turning into a really nice routine.

Fashionably Late

2011-08-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

After waiting nine months and one week, our little bundle of joy finally arrived on Saturday. We are thrilled to introduce Kate Suzanne Hoybook, born at 7:18pm on Saturday, August 13th. Weighing in at a healthy 9lbs. 9oz. and measuring 20 1/2 inches long, she was delivered via c-section after about 30 hours of pretty hard labor.

I'll let the photos B took during the whole process tell the story. Kate is absolutely perfect and we couldn't be more in love!

Due date, schmu date.

2011-08-09T08:04:00.000-07:00

As our official due date, Friday the 5th, came and went, I'm starting to feel like I will be pregnant until the end of time. So, to make me feel better, here is a list of animals that gestate longer than me.

Manatees. 13 months.

Camels. 14 months.

Donkeys. 14 months.

Giraffes. 15 months.

Walruses. 16 months.

Whales. 19 months.

Elephants. 2 years.

Sharks. 2 to 3 years.

There. I sort-of feel better. Come on out baby girl, it's time!

Together as Two

2011-07-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

As the arrival of our little one quickly approaches (one more week! Yikes!), B and I have been taking every opportunity to remind ourselves, "Now, why did we do this? We had it pretty great just the two of us." We've been going on dates--out to dinner, to a movie, a fun day trip to Bend a couple of weeks ago--stuff we won't necessarily get to do very often once Little Miss is here. And it has been great. The two of us have a pretty good time together, just take a look back in this blog. The adventures are plentiful.

So, then, why did we do this? Because we were ready for our lives as two to change. We can't wait to take the little one on our adventures, show her how to camp, ski, hike and ride bikes. Yeah, we had it pretty good as two, but three is going to be awesome.

Nice Little Saturday

2011-07-28T08:31:00.001-07:00

Katie and I packed up the bump, my cankles and my five chins and hit the Lake Oswego Farmer's market yesterday. This is my favorite time of year at the market because you can get any fruit or veggie under the sun. Our haul included fresh baked breads, peaches, raspberries, cherries, green beans, habenero jelly and tomatoes. Oh, and Katie's 40 pounds of fresh flowers. :)

Berry Pickin'

2011-07-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

Julia and I took her girls, Eden and Haley and her niece Kaelynn, blueberry picking out on Sauvie Island today. We ended up with over 16 pounds of berries and three very dirty babies. Success, full success.

The bump celebrates America

2011-07-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

The bump and her best friend, cankles, enjoying some grub on the 4th of July.

The bump goes to the beach

2011-07-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

Cannon Beach, OR

Husker Girls Weekend

2011-07-03T11:07:00.001-07:00

Remember this? And this? Oh, and how could anyone forget this? Well, it was that time of year again--the annual Husker roommate reunion. However, due to a certain someone (ahem, me) who had travel restrictions due to a certain other someone (ahem, Baby H.), we decided that this year would be a girls-only trip and that they would come to Portland. It. Was. So. Great.

Jody, Gwen and Liz flew in last Thursday night and quickly proceeded to forget that they had children and husbands. Yeah, yeah, they remembered to call home and of-course we talked about them, but when it came time to deciding how we would spend our three short days, no one had any trouble coming up with ideas. Gwen's request? "Let's just go to a store and stay in there as long as we want, and then maybe try some clothes on. That sounds awesome."

After that, I knew exactly what to do. Shopping, lunch out, pedicures, a movie in a theatre, dinner out, a drive to the coast, more shopping, dinner at home, relaxing. We covered it all and managed to get in some great girl time in the process.

Love these girls!

Freshly Showered

2011-06-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

It really is a good thing that pregnancy is nine months long. You need ALL of that time to prepare for this little life to invade yours. Where is this child going to sleep? What will she wear? How will she eat? Not only do babies need a lot of love, but apparently, lots of stuff too.

Luckily, I have great friends and they have stepped in to help. Linda, Sarah and the ladies at work threw a shower for me over the weekend and it could not have been sweeter.

At least Baby Hoybook now has something to wear. :)

This onesie says "My daddy is my PAPA-razzi!" True story.

All of the lovely ladies from work. Thank you for such a nice shower!

33 weeks

2011-06-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

Birthday Girls

2011-06-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

Our favorite little twins, Eden and Haley, turned one on Saturday and celebrated with cupcakes in their backyard. Have you ever seen such cuteness?

The bump does trail work

2011-06-05T09:39:00.001-07:00

Happy National Trails Day!

Cape Horn scenic overlook trail, WA

Check it out!

2011-05-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

New logo, new website updates.

Bryan Hoybook Photography Co.

www.bryanhoybook.com

Love it!

Meemaw and Pop Pop

2011-05-31T11:57:00.000-07:00

As we focus on the very important task of naming our little one, we also have a take long, hard look at what we will call the future Grandparents. Lots to decide. Will we let baby decide? Should we pick a name and then just start using it? Who knows how it will unfold.

We do know, however, that Meemaw and Pop Pop are no longer in the running. We tried it out over the weekend, as my parents were in town for a pre-baby, pre-wedding visit. We spent Saturday working on some sewing projects for the nursery, they headed to Corvallis on Sunday for a wedding update and then we all did errands in Portland on Monday. Lots of big events in the next couple of months for the Olson parents--they are gaining a grandchild and a new daughter-in-law. Such happiness.

They left before the official naming could happen, but we'll get it figured out. Nana? Granddad? Gigi? Popo? The possibilities are endless.

What the cuss?

2011-05-31T11:56:00.000-07:00

B, still obsessed with the moles, attacks a hill in progress with the most sophisticated of mole deterrent equipment: an ice axe.

Thoughts on pregnancy

2011-05-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

As we enter our 30th week of pregnancy, I've been reflecting a bit on the experience and some of the interesting encounters I've had in the past seven months.

Honestly, and I probably shouldn't say this because some women 'round the world might hate me, but it has been a piece of cake. No morning sickness--just that "I drank too much last night" hung-over nauseous feeling for the first few months. I can still tell the difference between my ankles and my calf muscles. No back pain to speak of yet. Three pillows seem to be the magic equation to get a night of sleep. Of-course I've had all of the other normal symptoms, but the majorly annoying ones? Not so much. It's been fun to watch this belly expand and to think about what this little one is going to look, sound and be like. We are so excited!

The most interesting and fascinating part of pregnancy for me has been dealing with the general public. For some reason, having a huge belly signals to other people that it is OK to just say and ask you whatever they want.

For example, I'm standing in line at the grocery store. Complete stranger in front of me turns around and says, "When is your baby due?" (This question is completely normal and I'm happy to answer it.)

I say, "In August."

She fires back with, "do you know if it is a boy or a girl?"

Me, getting shifty and annoyed, "we decided not to find out."

Her: "Oh, then you must have a long list of names, what are the options?"

Me: "We're keeping it a secret."

Her: "Oh, good idea. My sister just had a baby seven months ago and they..."

I quit listening and politely smiled as it was then time for her to pay and be on her way.

Or this sampling of gems:

"I didn't know anything about this! How long had you been trying?" Hmm, I hardly know you, that's not something I was sharing with the world.

"Was this planned?" Hmm, I'm 31 and have been married for five years. You do the math. But, really, how is this an appropriate question for any pregnant woman?

"You're huge. Does your skin hurt?" Hmm, thanks for calling me fat and no, my skin does not hurt.

I love talking with my friends and family about these things, but the complete strangers with their barrage of questions is so weird to me. And what is even stranger is that other pregnant women do not do this. I've been around other pregnant women at work and not once have we compared due dates or swapped baby names. It's just weird, awkward and weird, and that's all I can say about that.

Pregnancy is amazing and I've been so fortunate to feel great for the duration so far. I'm still hauling tents and tables to events at work, still swimming and working out, would love to be hiking if it would ever stop raining. I hope the last two months fly by smoothly and we can get started on our life together as not two, but three.

Me at the Cape Horn Lookout after a debris removal project. Just another day at the office.

Sun Seekers

2011-05-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

That was it, I'd had enough. Enough of this rain and cloudiness and ick. B and I had Sunday off so in honor of my first Mother's Day, we drove east and found it. The sun.

Spring's Hottest Fashion Trend

2011-04-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

This year's spring trends are surprisingly, very wearable. 60's coats, high-waisted flare jeans, mix-match prints, preppy accessories, citrus colors and (yay!) comfy clothes. But I happen to think that spring's hottest fashion trend is: the bump. It is the perfect accessory for any outfit or any occasion. I've put a couple of outfits together below.

Pool-party bump. Just toss a bump on with that bikini, grab your virgin strawberry spritzer and get your butt in the pool!

Tennis bump. The perfect add-on to a Nike tennis outfit for time on the courts during the first sunny day in months.

Wetland Restoration bump. When one is volunteering in the Tualatin wetland, one should always wear comfy, breathable shirts and durable jeans. And of-course, a bump.

College bump. What's the perfect accessory for a Easter Day walk around campus to see the nuclear reactor building? Why, a bump!

A fond farewell

2011-04-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

So long toes, have a great summer. I'll see you all again in August.

The signs of spring

2011-04-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

Blooming flowers, sunshine, warmer temps, the pasty white legs of Portlanders. All sure signs of spring.

What is the number one sign of spring at the Hoybook house? B, watching a mole hill form in the yard from the kitchen window. This is followed by him running out of the garage with a rake in the hopes that he will catch the little bugger. He doesn't and the mole lives to dig another hole, another day, but it had to be the funniest thing I've seen in a very long time. Thanks for the laugh honey. I'm sure the neighbors don't think you're crazy at all.

The bump goes to Seattle

2011-03-24T19:56:00.001-07:00

We were in Seattle last weekend for the wedding of our friends, Mike and Suzanne. We also managed to squeeze in some face time with Jen and baby Addison, who flew in from St. Louis and also Alyson, who drove up from Portland.

We lucked out and got a beautiful weekend--sunny skies both days. Pair that with the spring flowers at Pike's Place Market and you have yourself the first day of Spring my friends!

Portland's biggest fear: weather

2011-03-17T08:43:00.001-07:00

Tuesday was an unsettled day, weather-wise, in the Portland area. Heavy rains at times, light showers at times, lots of wind. But the news-making weather didn't happen until around 9pm. B and I watched the opening segment on the 11 o'clock news to find out the details:

Opening broadcaster: "It's been a wild day in the Portland area and we have our chief meteorologist standing by for the latest, but first, let's head out to Megan who is live, on location. Megan, what can you tell us?"

On-location reporter, on the street outside the studio: "Well Steve, you're right, it's been a crazy day. Just about two hours ago, around 9 o'clock, we witnessed a bright flash followed by two loud booms. We're not exactly sure what the booms were, but we did visit with the Colby family awhile ago who will tell us about what they heard."

(Colby family proceeds to talk about how the loud booms rattled the windows at their house.)

About this time, B and I looked at each other, speechless, and turned it off. Hmmm, bright light followed by loud booms. This town is crazy.

I also witnessed the bright light as I pulled in the driveway from work. I came in the house and said to B, "I think I just saw lightning." He said, "Yeah, maybe, I think I just heard some thunder." We did not say, "OMG! What was that? We better call the news!" If Portland experienced just one, mild, mid-west thunderstorm, I think people would freak out and probably call 911. We tend to not experience "extreme" weather in these here parts so when it does happen, look out. Chaos.

Snowpocalypse 2011!

2011-02-27T17:31:00.000-08:00

This was the scene on Thursday morning on our street around 8:30am.

This scene caused all the early morning news shows to go on "extended team coverage" with several reporters "live, on location".

This scene also caused every school district in the area to shut down for the day.

Everything melted by 10am.

I will never understand this town.

Brother!

2011-02-23T17:13:00.000-08:00

If Mindy wasn't enough of a distraction last weekend, I got another one on Thursday when Scott flew in for 5 days. He had just spent time in Orlando at a golf course conference, time with Ma and Pa in Nebraska and we were the last leg of his trip. He was pretty sick when he arrived so we didn't do too much, but B and I got he and Craig out on cross-country skis on Saturday, Craig and Bridget took him to the coast on Sunday and then Bridget made us all a delicious dinner on Monday night in Corvallis. The rest of the time was spent just hanging out which was actually pretty perfect.

I just love those Olson brothers, they're a pretty good time.

The ski trail at Bennett Pass.

Craig showing excellent "I'm standing perfectly still" form.

The boys try to look epic with Mt. Hood in the background. Only Scott succeeds.

B rips the skins and drops in one of the snowy glades.

The Olson kids.

Sharing the load

2011-02-16T16:52:00.000-08:00

Who knew that being pregnant was hard work? Did you know? Oh, you did? Well, I just figured it out. It apparently takes a lot out of a girl to grow a human and I think I've only begun to realize the severity of it. Sure, the first two months were a bit of a hint: December and January flew by in a haze of nausea, lack of motivation and yawns from the couch in front of the TV. (I think the only really active thing I managed to pull off was going skiing and I only managed to do that for 2 hours before I was completely exhausted. Boy, I'm a weenie.) But, I just wasn't prepared for how tired I would feel at 8pm or how I always seemed to want to take a nap at 3pm everyday. Hard work, I tell you. Hard. Work.

But, February has arrived and with it, the second trimester. The glorious second trimester that I've been hearing so much about. "You'll have so much energy! You'll feel great!" Well, I'm still waiting for that to kick in, but while I wait, I had a wonderful little distraction named Mindy come visit for the weekend.

Mindy is also pregnant, about a month farther along, so we definitely lived it up for the weekend. Two pregnant girls on the loose, watch out Portland! We shopped, watched the food network, snacked, got pedicures, went to a movie, commiserated together about how tired we were. It was positively "girls gone wild".

No, actually, it was better than that. It was time spent with one of my best girls. I'm so lucky we get to go through this together.

This may come as a shock...

2011-02-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

Baby Hoybook is due to arrive on August 5th.

"Where the hot girls wear glasses."

2011-02-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

Finally, someone is making fun of Portland.

Play Date

2011-01-17T10:08:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like a day on the mountain with your best friend.

Workin' Hard for the Money

2011-01-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you mix 700 people, 250 pairs of snowshoes, 28 degree snowy weather and Mt. Hood?

Just another day at the office.

The REI Team after a long day at Winter Trails Day last weekend.

Cousins and Grandkids

2010-12-12T19:24:00.000-08:00

Completely Blessed

2010-12-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

There are people in this world who grow up without someone to look up to, to be their role model for a whole host of things--being married, being a good parent, being a good steward of the land. There are people in this world who grow up without someone to come to their volleyball games and basketball games and track meets and marching band contests. There are people in this world who grow up without someone to give them M&M's. There are people in this world who grow up without a Grandpa.

I'm not one of these people. I grew up with an amazing Grandpa. He taught me how be a good partner to my husband-- listen, respect, let him be right some of the time. (He was married to Grandma for 62 years, he knows what he's talking about.) He showed me how to be a good parent-- discipline, compromise, but most of all, love. He taught me to take pride in the land-- Nebraska farmland or Oregon wetland, all have their purpose and place. He cheered me on at countless volleyball games, basketball games, track meets and marching band contests. He was always so proud of my accomplishment. I can't eat M&M's without thinking of him.

Grandpa passed away last week and I already miss him tremendously. There is no one to take his place. And really, no one ever can.

La Nina strikes again

2010-11-27T11:12:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting for La Nina to arrive all year. La Nina means lots of snow and lots of snow means lots of skiing. When we started making plans for Thanksgiving at the cabin in the Wallowas, La Nina was on our side, dumping snow on the mountains just in time for some cross-country skiing.

Here's the thing about La Nina. She can be a loose cannon. The "mountain snow" started falling in town on Tuesday and turned our plans upside down. Snow covered roads from The Dalles to La Grande and highs of only 7 or 8 degrees at the cabin. Yikes. So, as you can imagine, we all scrapped plans for Thanksgiving at the cabin and Craig and Bridget came up to Portland for a couple of days. We managed to do cabin things like puzzles and play chinese checkers and of-course, drink an obscene amount of wine and eat an obscene amount of turkey. And, we did non-cabin things like watch an obscene amount of college football. But cabin or not, we have a lot to be thankful for and that never changes.

The Vanilla Ice Project

2010-11-21T18:51:00.000-08:00

Winter has descended upon Portland--it's been raining for oh, like ever, the snow is starting to pile up, it's cold and crisp in the morning and it's dark at 4:30pm. In a valiant effort to prevent the Hoybook household from falling in the depths of severe cases of SAD, we decided to buy ourselves some cable television. (Actually, to be completely honest, after we moved, we couldn't get our digital converter box to work anymore and football season was beckoning.) Anyway, part of the "welcome offer" was that we get all of the channels (yes, ALL of them) free for three months. Three glorious months.

Well, what I thought and predicted would happen, has. I watch junk. More specifically, reality television junk. I keep up with the Kardashians, know the details of the lives of crazy Beverly Hills housewives and am getting caught up on past seasons of America's Next Top Model. I know! Junk right? I should use cable for good, but instead, I use it for evil. If you haven't seen me for week, check the couch.

On Friday night, B and I were doing a little channel surfing and since we have ALL the channels, you can surf upon some interesting stuff. So, when we saw "The Vanilla Ice Project" pop up on the menu, we bit. "The Vanilla Ice Project" is a reality show on the DIY network which follows rapper Vanilla Ice around Palm Beach while he buys, fixes up and flips a 7,000 square foot mansion. He has this tattooed posse that follows him around to do some of the dirty work and on Friday's episode, he was wearing a shirt with a handgun on it followed by the words "Pimps & Ho's". It's mostly ridiculous.

Ok, ok, it's definitely all ridiculous, but here's my question: what came first?

Did they find Vanilla Ice and say, "Hey Vanilla Ice, what are you doing these days?" "Oh, you're flipping houses?" "We should make a show about that."

Did they have a show about flipping houses and sat around a table and thought, "Who would be the best host for this?" "Oh, yeah, Vanilla Ice!"

Talk amongst yourselves. I have to go, there's a Project Runway marathon on.

Oh Beaverton, you're so charming.

2010-11-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

How can anyone resist you?

Autumn in the Gorge

2010-11-10T11:16:00.001-08:00

Last week, the Friends of the Columbia Gorge led a guided hike for the REI staff. What a Gorge-ous day!

Portland Migration

2010-11-10T11:10:00.000-08:00

This has been a year of old friends for me. Back in March, a good friend of mine from college, Luke, came for a visit to see his brother. We had great dinner and drinks with B. Then, in September, another good friend from college, Marissa, came to Portland on a work trip. We spent the day together, taking in the Portland sights. And finally, over the weekend, Sarah was in town from San Jose. She used to live in Portland and moved a couple of years ago. It was so great to see her again and to meet her bf, Brian. I love that with all three of these friends, we could pick up right where we left off, whether it was eight years ago (Luke), five years (Marissa) or just four (Sarah). I'm so lucky they call me when they are in town!

Time to turn the heat on

2010-11-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

Soggy Sneakers

2010-10-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a soggy wet mess. But that didn't stop me! I spent Saturday working in the bike mechanic tent at the Harvest Century ride and then Sunday morning on the streets of Portland cheering on Kendra in her 10th marathon. Even though I was soaked pretty much the entire time, it was a great preview of the La Nina headed our way this winter. Bring it on!

Katie and I waiting for Kendra at the finish.

Kendra (her 10th marathon on 10/10/10), Katie, Jody, me

End of the Year Garden Report

2010-10-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

Another year at the garden has come to a close. Not to be dramatic or anything, but it was the worst garden in the history of gardens. Let me explain. You see, this was a tough year for gardens in the Northwest. We really didn't have a summer. It rained the entire month of June, it really didn't get hot all summer and then it rained again most of September. This is great for all of the folks who moved to Oregon to get away from the heat, but its absolutely horrible for our gardens.

Early in the season, I was having the best luck with greens and snap peas and green beans--oh boy, did I have green beans. And broccoli. We ate pounds of broccoli. Around the end of August, all of the "cool weather" crops had bolted and it was time to get excited about tomatoes and peppers. Because the early growing season was so wet and because the deer fence was working so well, the tomato and pepper plants shot up like rockets, full of stems and foliage. The fruit started to set on and I started to get worried about what I was going to do with 150 tomatoes. But then, nothing happened. The days stayed cool and the nights stayed even cooler and the green tomatoes just sat there. I had plants full of green tomatoes for about a month, tiny little peppers and okra plants that never got taller than four inches. However, we started to get lucky and the weather got a little warmer, so I thought maybe things would work out.

Then, I saw Linda at work and she delivered the blow: "The deer tore the fence down and got in the garden." I drove out to the garden telling myself that last year, "the deer only ate the leaves, they left the tomatoes alone, everything will be fine." But it wasn't. Everything was eaten. The leaves, the green tomatoes, the poblano peppers, even the jalapenos. Good lord, do I hate deer.

So, the garden report ends up like this. Tomatoes? Fail. Peppers and okra? Fail. Feeding the deer for the second year in a row? Success. Full success.

Walla Walla Washington

2010-09-27T09:48:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid, summer held all sorts of possibilities. Day camp at Bressler Park, Girl Scout camp, church camp, swimming lessons and the annual Olson family road trip. But most importantly, summer included a "vacation" with my Grandparents. I would pack up a little bag and spend three or four days with G&G in Scribner. We would play cards, go for walks, visit Great Grandma in the nursing home, read books, go to the pool, take lunch out to the boys in the field, pick flowers and I would sit a the table and color for hours. It was one of my favorite parts of my summer and when I look back upon the time we shared, I feel so lucky.

Lucky because now, I feel like I'm running out of time with them. When you're a kid, time seems to stand still for everyone else but move for you because you grow so much. But when you're an adult, you realize that time moves at the same pace for all of us. So now, I take every opportunity to get some of that time back. G&G were in Pullman visiting Marilyn and Tim this past week and I drove out to Walla Walla on Saturday to meet them for the weekend.

At the Sheep-to-Shawl festival in Walla Walla.

Two if by Land

2010-09-23T21:59:00.002-07:00

Now, since we were back in Anacortes and all the way up north in Washington, we couldn't help ourselves and pointed the Jeep east to North Cascades National Park. We drove highway 20 through NCNP by gorgeous Diablo Lake and then through the Methow Valley to Winthrop, Wednesday night's campsite.

Thursday morning, we awoke to rain on the tent and three ducks quacking around outside. We fueled up with cinnamon rolls in downtown Winthrop, which by the way, is all done up like an Old West town. Great and weird all at the same time. We then headed south toward Oregon.

Evening view from Pearrygin Lake State Park campground.

And, since we were so close, we took a small detour into Leavenworth, which by way, is all done up like a Bavarian village. Again, great and weird all at the same time. (P.S. We saw no less than five Husker fans in and out of the Leavenworth shops. GBR!) Then came lunch in Yakima after driving through more apple orchards than we could even count. I think all of the apples of the world come from the Yakima valley and by golly, I think I'm right.

We rolled into Portland around six tonight and started the long process of unpacking and drying out gear. Another adventure completed. What to plan next?

All Aboard

2010-09-23T21:59:00.001-07:00

And now, a word about the Washington State Ferry System.

I have never been on a more organized public transportation system in my life. It's absolutely the best. The ferries were on time, clean and safe and ride was smooth like butter. The ferry people were always helpful, telling us where to park our bikes, answering questions, providing directions with a smile. Plus, you buy one ticket, in Anacortes, and then you can basically ride as much as you want. We rode four ferries for $16. Four bucks for a boat ride? I'll take that any day.

In the Rain Shadow

2010-09-23T21:58:00.004-07:00

Since we were already in Seattle and since we had a gift certificate to a hotel in Anacortes, we decided to turn the football game into bike-touring road trip. Our plan? Spend Sunday night in Anacortes, hop the Monday morning ferryto Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, bike around it, camp, hop the Tuesday morning ferry to Orcas Island, bike around it, camp, summit Mt. Constitution, hop the Wednesday morning ferry back to Anacortes. Yeah, yeah, it's an ambitious plan, but definitely doable. As you know, we're definitely hard core.

Sunday night's view from the hotel window. Bleak.

Monday morning ride preparations at the Anacortes ferry dock.

View of ferry dock at Friday Harbor. Bleak.

But the biking gods shone down and cleared away the clouds just as we pulled out of Friday Harbor and pointed our bikes toward Roche Harbor on the north side of the island. San Juan Island is full of great things to do and see. Most of the island is reasonably flat farmland, with vineyards, pastures, cutewooded B&Bs and of-course, sculpture gardens.

Our lunch stop at the W.B. Sculpture Park.

Roche Harbor.

Monday night campsite at San Juan County Park.

Tuesday morning, we got up early and headed south by Lime Kiln State Park back toward Friday Harbor. This was our best chance to spot some whales, but we kept looking out on still, quiet water.

We caught the Noon o'clock ferry to Orcas Island and headed north toward the east side of the island and our Tuesday night campsite at Moran State Park. I now know why no one ever talks about how great it is to bike on Orcas Island. Because it sucks. Sure, the scenery is gorgeous--Orcas is more mountainous than the other islands-- but all of those mountains mean lots of climbing and our bikes were pretty loaded down. So when we stopped for gelato in Eastsound around 5pm, we were pretty tuckered. I'm not sure who said it first--"you know, we should just get a hotel"-- but that's all it took. B was on the phone, finding us a room. It was a great decision. We had already abandoned our Wednesday morning plan to summit Mt. Constitution, the highest point in the San Juans at 2,409 feet, so we took showers, had some great Mexican food and got a great night of sleep. We are so definitely not hard core.

We took off bright and early Wednesday morning back to the ferry dock and headed east for Anacortes.

Conclusions, i.e. lessons learned:

1. This was our first bike tour. We'll definitely do another one, but B didn't like the trailer one bit. We'll do a rack with panniers for him next time too.

2. We will not be biking the San Juans again. The whole time we just wanted to be out on the water. We will come back for sure, but next time, on a boat.

Battle in Seattle

2010-09-23T21:58:00.003-07:00

I had been waiting for last weekend for almost a year. Last year, Dacia and I discovered that Washington, her alma mater, would be playing Nebraska in Seattle in September. We immediately asked for time off at work and made plans to go. And, as if that wasn't enough, I rallied the cousins and got us all together for the game.

We headed up Friday night and drove the entire way through pouring rain. Saturday's forecast was looking bleak as it proceeded to rain all night. But, the football gods shone down upon us and the clouds parted just in time for kick off.

The game went our way--Nebraska, 56. Washington, 21-- and we had such a great time! Husky stadium is definitely the loudest place I have ever been. Ever. I thought games in Lincoln were loud, but they don't even compare. When they would score, the place would absolutely erupt. The fans were super nice, the band was fun (half-time show was a tribute to Lady Gaga) and tailgating was out of this world. Find me another place where you can go out on a boat at half-time and get a beer. We can't wait to show Ryan and Dacia a good time in Lincoln next year.

The Battle in Seattle crew: Carrie, Dan, Ryan, Dacia, me and B.

Pretty much every Husker fan I know this side of the Rockies was there. Jody and I pose with Barrett, his first Husker game!

The rest of the weekend, we spent with the cousins. Pizza, beers and the Arizona game on Saturday night and then breakfast in Claire's neighborhood on Sunday morning before they flew out to Nebraska.

Joel, Sander, B, the Space Needle, Kevin, me, John, Claire and Lisa.

Such a great time.

Five years ago

2010-09-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

Five years ago. That's how long it had been since I saw my friend Marissa. Five years, until this past weekend. Alas, I don't have photographic evidence, but I got to spend Saturday with her, showing her around Portland on a day that had to be weather perfected.

Marissa and I lived next door to each other in Neihardt Hall for two years in college and it was so great to see her and catch up. And eat and drink of course! We started out at the Saturday market and then headed to the food cart pod at 12th and Hawthorne for some Potato Champion. (Yep, Portlanders, you know what I'm talking about.) Then we drove up to Mt. Tabor for a view of the city and then on to Widmer Brothers Brewing for Oktoberfest. We topped off her short visit with tacos at Chez Jose with B and then Katie's dance show. Whew.

Great day with a great old friend.

The birds, the birds!

2010-09-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, over the course of about 6 weeks or so, B and I watched the entire Planet Earth series from the Discovery Channel. If you haven't seen it, you should because it is a fascinating look at the wildlife of our planet. Polar bears on the hunt, migrating elephants, the elusive snow leopard.

What struck B and I as the most fascinating though, wasn't watching the great white sharks actually jump out of the water, but rather seeing all of the crazy, neurotic birds of the world. Canadian snow geese that will challenge a fox that is going after its nest. Birds of paradise in Borneo that make clicking sounds and dance around to attract mates. These amazing cranes that migrate over the Himalayan mountains. Birds are fascinating. So, when Alyson and Brad suggested that we have dinner together last week, I said, "Hey! Let's go see the swifts!"

The swifts I speak of are the Portland Vaux Swifts. Every September, around 30,000 of them roost in the old chimney of an elementary school in NW Portland. It's become the event of the fall in Portland--pack a blanket and a picnic and sit on the hill by the school and watch the swifts gather. Then at dusk, they swirl down into the chimney for the night. It's absolutely fantastic. (You can also watch adorable children run around and play and slide down the hill on cardboard boxes, but really, the birds are the show.)

The Swift Watch 2010 Team: Brad, Alyson and B.

Four years

2010-09-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

The Mother of all Relays

2010-08-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

Oh, Hood to Coast. Where do I even start? How can I possibly describe you? The Hood to Coast Relay is this thing almost everyone in Portland, or Oregon for that matter, has done at least once in their life. You get 11 of your friends together and then over the course of 28 hours or so, you run from Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood to Seaside, at the Oregon coast. It's madness, absolutely lunacy, but it was so. much. fun.

My HTC team was dreamed up over a year ago during a slightly drunk installment of the Hotel Emanuel Book Club. We all decided we would run and also talk some of the husbands into doing it too. Well, over the course of the year before the run, three of the girls got pregnant. So, we found some more friends to replace them and then found more friends to replace some of those friends who got injured and finally, we had our team. Van #1: Steve, Pat, Rhiannon, Chris, John and Jessica. Van #2: Chris, Emily, Nandi, Alisa, Katie and me. With another Katie along for the ride in Van #2 as our driver and all-around cheerleader extraordinaire. And on Friday, after long months of running, we finally set out on our relay.

Here is my Hood to Coast experience by the numbers:

Distance: 197 miles

Start time: 8/27/10, 7:15am

Number of teams: 1,000

Number of runners: 12,000

Distance of leg #11, my first leg: 4.39 miles

Time: 37:51

Number of minutes of rest we got at the second van exchange before van #1 radioed that they were on the way: approx. 30

Times van #1 locked the keys in the car: 1

Times we had to have van #2 jump-started: 1

Times Emily and Nandi thought they were going to die on their second legs: numerous.

Quote of the race, from Nandi as we drove by her on her second leg: "It's like the f***in' Blair Witch Project out here!"

Time of day Nandi was running: 12:30am. (deep in the coast range, on a gravel forest road.)

Distance of leg #23, my second leg: 4.18 miles

Time: 37:15

Hours of sleep we got during the fourth van exchange: 2

Hours of sleep during the entire relay: 2

Distance of leg #35, my third and last leg: 7.28

Leg conditions: uphill, in full sun, 11am in the morning, on gravel. i.e. major suck.

Time: 72:51 (Go me!)

Final time: 28 hrs, 46 minutes. Success, full success.

Van #2 Awards (as nominated and awarded by me!):

Spirit Award: Katie D. She was our driver and our cheerleader, meeting every runner at every exchange. It was so nice to see her smiling face as we came into the exchange zone!

M.V.P.: Chris D. for running Emily's third leg for her as her knee was kaputt.

Team Captain Award: Katie A. She herded cats to get us all on the same page for this crazy thing. Her patience should be admired by all.

Hard-core-bad-ass Award: Nandi. She ran all of her legs on gravel, including that horrific leg #21 in the coast range. She's amazing.

Tiny Dancer Award: Alisa. Before her last leg, she was standing in the parking lot, jamming out to some hip-hop. She was tired, she was hungry, she wanted to be done, but most importantly, she wanted to dance.

The "I Survived the Pittsburgh Hill" Award: Emily. For just that, surviving the Pittsburgh hill. It's leg #20 and it's the worst, absolute worst. Em, you're a trooper.

I took some photos, but in the chaos that was "hey, they're coming!" and "you forgot your number!" and "where are my blinky flashers?" I forgot to take very many. To get an idea of what running Hood to Coast would be like, check out the trailer for the upcoming movie "Hood to Coast", due out on 1/11/11.

So, is it weird to say that I want to do it again?

Alone on a Saturday Night

2010-08-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

B is shooting a wedding tonight and I had so many fun things at my fingertips to do:

However, I decided to be lame, stay home and watch this movie instead.

So, sign up for Netflix, watch this movie too, be inspired, go on an adventure.

Day Trippin' in the S-dub-dub

2010-08-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

Southwest Washington is an interesting place. And by interesting, I don't mean "interesting". I mean "interesting". You know what I'm talking about. You know you do.

Dacia, Aurelie and I spent today driving around on crazy forest roads looking for the trailhead to hike up Silver Star Mountain, a hike that I tried to find with Craig and Bridget way back in April. We ended up on the wrong road, ran across some serious K.A. (i.e. knuckle-head action, i.e. crazy kids out shootin' sh*t), turned around, drove back the way we came, found the road we missed and, three hours later, ended

up at the trailhead.

The rest was awesome.

A Night at the Races

2010-08-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves a bike race. The Twilight Criterium last Friday.

My fellow bike racing fans, Katie and Julia. If anyone knows the really tall guy with nice quads that was in first for a couple of laps, please forward his number to Katie. Thank you.

The Party Planner

2010-08-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

Just a few short years ago, I used to not be a "planner." Making plans used to exhaust me. I would much rather just "decide on Friday about the weekend." I planned our wedding in about three months just because I kept putting everything off.

However, my current position at work has changed all of that. I now plan events, schedule events and always look ahead at least two months on the calendar. I am obsessive about the date. I have an online email calendar and a written planner that I highlight and organize. So really, I shouldn't have been surprised when the managers at work asked me to plan a party for the store. Turns out, I'm kind of good at it.

So just how did REI Tualatin celebrate being named 2009 Store of the Year? With a BBQ picnic from Bamboo Grove Hawaiian Grill and a guided paddle trip along the Tualatin River.

My view from the back seat of the canoe-- my friend Linda doing the work while I snap photos.

The Evolution of the Party

2010-08-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, the kind of partying I did mainly consisted of birthday parties and slumber parties, making lip sync music videos and staying up as late as possible. As I got older, boy/girl parties were the norm and we'd all roam the streets together looking for something to do. Then I went to college and discovered a new level of partying that mainly consisted of kegs, beer pong, flippy cup and of-course, the inevitable hangover. I think it is fair to say that once I moved to Oregon, my partying got a little bit more low key--instead of kegs, there was always a couple of bottles of wine and while we still occasionally had a house crammed with people, you'd more likely find us with a few close friends around the table. It seems though that the evolution of my party career has taken a new step. B and I hosted our first party at our new house and officially ushered ourselves into an age where we always have to have something non-alcoholic on hand and we can expect our friends to leave by 9:30pm. That's right folks, we threw a party for our friends and they brought their kids.

Last Friday was the First Annual Hoybook Ice Cream Social and Blongoball Tournament. B spent the better part of the week churning homemade ice cream: Rosemary Honey, Triple Dutch Chocolate, Toasted Coconut Lime and Bacon Habanero. I made a Blongoball bracket and we constructed a trophy. And when I looked around, the kids and babies almost outnumbered the adults.

It's sometimes funny how your life changes. How one year, you're hosting a party and making homemade sangria, and the next, you're pouring lemonade and cream soda. But it's also awesome how your life changes. Because these kids and babies are going to need someone to show them how to party and I might just be qualified.

Dinner with the Cabin People

2010-08-01T20:59:00.006-07:00

What started out as a simple invitation to have dinner with my aunt turned into this...

A great night out with members of our West Coast family at one of our favorite restaurants, Nuestra Cocina.

What aren't they telling us?

2010-08-01T20:59:00.001-07:00

When I moved to Oregon, I moved with my good friend Kristina. We came here and lived with my good friends Jody and Travis. Then, I got a job at REI and met my good friend Jen. At that job, I met my good friend Drew and his wife Katie. Things were great for awhile.

I think Jen left first. She moved to St. Louis to be with her now husband Ben. Then, it was Drew and Katie, who moved to L.A. for a job Katie got at Biola University. Jody and Travis left about 18 months ago as Travis' company transferred him to the Bay area. And finally, just last week, Kristina left. She and her fiance Douglas are in the long, cross-country process of moving to Bar Harbor, Maine.

I miss them all, tremendously. B and I have many good friends now, but it's been hard to watch the people that got me settled into life in Oregon leave one by one. Makes me wonder: what aren't they telling us? Is the grass really greener? Well, at least we have four great places to visit now...

Kristina and I after one last meet up for happy hour. We'll miss you!

A beachy Sunday

2010-07-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

Dacia + Ryan = Really awesome wedding

2010-07-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

Our good friends, Ryan and Dacia, got married on the 17th at a gorgeous little B&B in wine country southwest of Portland. B shot the wedding and we were lucky enough to get to stay at the inn for the weekend.

What a gorgeous, simple, casual, relaxed, chill, fun, rad, awesome wedding. A simple lakeside ceremony, a delicious dinner, fantastic beers, fun dancing and a chill bonfire with s'mores. These two know how to throw a party.

Congrats Ryan and Dacia! Wishing you years of happiness!

How to grow a garden

2010-07-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

Put up deer fence.

Plant seeds.

Water.

Ignore garden for weeks.

Come back and harvest.

This doesn't even come close to showing how much green, leafy lettuce we've been eating this month. Plus, this is only about half of the snap peas and the last of the broccoli. And really, I'm surprised those two strawberries even made it home. Usually, they go straight into my tum-tum.

Mt. Adams? Check.

2010-07-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

Mountaineering is an interesting sport. It can be physically demanding, mentally exhausting and awe-inspiring all at once, which is why I always agree to go on a trip when invited. But is it fun? The jury is still out. The top sure is awesome, but getting there? Oh, I've done more enjoyable things in my life. But, for some reason, that moment of glee at the top, makes up for it. We climbed Mt. Adams last week and as I sit and reflect on the experience, I can't remember the climb. But I remember the top. Summit fever--it's what keeps people coming back for more.

B looking south toward Mt. Hood in the distance. Approx. elevation: 7,900 ft.

Me, climbing up through one of the first really big snow fields. All of eastern Oregon at my back. Approx. elevation: 8,600 ft.

Our little campsite on the Lunch Counter at sunrise. Mt. St. Helens is off to the upper right. The long dark triangle is Mt. Adams casting its shadow on southwestern Washington. Elevation: 9,100 ft.

Looking up toward the first false summit from our campsite. False summit elevation: 11,520 ft. The long lines you see running up and down are the glissade trails. It takes about 4 hours to climb from here to the summit and about 30 minutes to get back down.

Me, taking a rest at the stop of the false summit, Piker's Peak. I was in just a t-shirt until this point and then, in usual Gayle fashion, added two more layers and one more hat.

They call it a false summit because you think it's the top. While you're climbing up it, you think, "awesome, the top is right there." Then you get there and see that you have about 700 feet more to go. It's pretty deflating. Once at the false summit, you then have to cross a big snow field saddle over to the real summit.

Looking across the saddle over to the true summit, that little bit of snow sticking up in the upper left. Only 700 more feet up!Celebration on the summit. Elevation: 12,276 ft.Our climbing team included five of my co-workers: (from left) Brandon, age 20; Ron, age 64; Kim, age 40-ish; Caroline, age 40-ish; and our fearless climb leader, Doug, age 50.
B, dropping in off the false summit. It took me 30 minutes to get down. B? About 5 and he loved every minute of it.Descending after our successful summit.Back on dirt. Ron, Caroline, me, Doug, Kim & Brandon.
On the way home, I turned to B in the jeep and said, "I'm done climbing mountains. If someone asks me to do this again, I'll say no." At that point, I remembered how my legs ached and how my shoulders hurt from such a heavy pack. Right now, all I remember is this:

Guess I'll be coming back for more, just like the rest of you.

More photos here: B's Flickr page

The phone's for you. It's crazy calling.

2010-07-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

I answered the phone at work on Monday, the conversation went like this:

Guy: Hi, I was wondering if you knew or had any contacts with anyone that does search and rescue for pets.
Me: Did you lose a pet out on a trail or something?
Guy: Well, we live in the woods and we lost our cat. I know that she is probably dead, but we want someone to come out and find the body so we can have some closure.
Me: Um, search and rescue doesn't do that kind of thing. Have you tried calling your local police department? They might be able to put you in touch with animal services.
Guy: Oh, yeah, that's a good idea. Search and rescue won't do that?
Me: Nope.
Guy: OK, thanks.

Seriously?