Twins Falls

During Thanksgiving we went hiking with Alexis' dad, Von, up to Twins Falls. The moss on the trees and the twist and turns of the branches made me fee like I was walking through a Dr. Suess forrest.

Through twisty forest I will go
Not on my head but on my toes

I will not eat the fuzzy moss

Nor will I stop to brush and floss

Up and over the rainbow limb
I'll blaze the trail and sing a hymn

It is not hard, I can find my way
To see the first waterfall cascade

Oh, there are other people hiking today
But I will not stop and ask to play
(Evan, Derek, Greta, Alexis, and Von)

Instead I will join them on their hike
We have to walk it's to hard to bike
(Evan, Holly, and Greta at the 2nd Falls)

Up and down and all around
I'll stop and pose then head on down

But how will I get down
I am too tired to hike...

Maybe I could ride a moose

Or catch a ride on a train's caboose

Or could I said sail down the river

While reading the book, The Giver

Perhaps I will kayak down the roaring falls
And then swing from branches big and tall

That's it, I know how I will get down

I will ride a moose,
Then jump onto a train's caboose
Then I will sail, kayak, and swing from tree to tree
I cannot give up, I must go on, till the journey ends for me

Pumpkin Carving 2011

One sunny fall day we carved our pumpkins. I decided to go for silly face. Evan and Greta helped their parents carve theirs. Then when we took the carved pumpkins outside Evan and Greta wanted to do a photo shoot.

Alexis and Greta carving away

Alexis and Greta's Jack-O-Latern. I think this Jack-O-Latern looks mischievous. "Sure; I am innocent".

Derek and Evan hard at work.

Derek and Evan's Jack-O-Latern. "Ah, yep I am goofy."

Holly's Jack-O-Latern. "I am all mixed up."

Life is good.

Thanksgiving 2011

This year, under the tutelage of Kathy (Alexis' mom), Alexis and I cooked a Turkey and all the fixings. I made 7 layer dip (a Leonard favorite) for the football games, homemade rolls, and mashed potatoes. Alexis made a sweet potato pie, 6 cup salad, gravy, and stuffing. COSCO made the pumpkin pie for us. The food was great and cooking a turkey is not as hard as I thought.

I was worried that I would add too much flour and they would be heavy but they turned out really light and fluffy.

The bird is ready! Alexis gracefully places the Turkey in the oven.

Von teaching Derek how to carve a Turkey.

L to R: Von Kays, Greta, Derek, Alexis, Evan, and Kathy Kays. Dinner is served.

Part of Derek and Alexis' Thanksgiving traditions is the creation of a Thankful tree. Every day you write something you are thankful for on a leaf and add it to the tree. There are a lot of things I am thankful for and have been greatly blessed by the Lord. Evan is adding a leaf to the tree.

Greta, in her Turkey hat made at preschool, adds one more thing she is grateful for.

Northwest Whiplash

One thing about living in the Northwest is the potential for whiplash is higher due to all the spider webs. There has been many times when I am walking along and find my face covered with cobwebs. It usually causes a startling jolt (hence the whiplash) and quick move of the hands to free the face.

Boeing Classic

Back in August, I got to to be a spectator at the Boeing Classic. Since, Alexis' mom lives in Snoqualmie she receives 4 free passes thisChampions Golf Tournament. I really enjoyed not only the golf but the beautiful setting in which the golf course is located. It is absolutely gorgeous.

Must be rough to have to shoot from the ruff in such a beautiful place.

At the tee on the 12th hole there is a view of Snowqualmie Falls.

The beautiful view of the 13th hole. I spent a lot of time at this hole and the 17th hole because you could watch the golfers both tee off and put since it was a par 3.

Mt. Si in the background of the 14th hole.

The 17th hole was my favorite. We just had really good view of the golfers teeing off and then putting. On the last day of the tournament we were at the 17th hole and there was a guy snoring nearby. He slept through some amazing shots. When Cochran birdied on this hole to tie for first place with Calcavecchia going into the final hole, the sleeping spectator finally woke up from the cheers of the crowd.

View from the 18th fairway.

View from the 18th hole; isn't it just spectacular. I really did enjoyed the golf even though most of my pictures are of the landscape.

Since Cochran and Calcavecchia were tied after 18 holes they had to play the 18th hole again. It was pretty exciting and here is Calcavecchia making his winning shot.

Since it is called the Boeing Classic, Boeing has a flyby each year. This year a 787 Dreamliner was the star of the show; it was pretty neat.

The pilot on his way back towards us tipped the wing.

Mt. Si is in the background.

Fall Photo Shoot

I have really enjoyed the beauty of Fall this year. The colors are so vibrant and stunning. Yesterday I took some time to capture the trees amazing transformation.

Becoming a Green River Community College Gator

After 20 applications I finally found a job at Green River Community College (GRCC). I am working as a Program Coordinator for Disability Support Services (DSS). Yes, I have entered a world of acronyms.

I am starting my fourth week and it is hard to believe that I have almost been there a month. I really love the GRCC campus; it is surrounded by woods and very close to the Green River (hence the name). The campus reminds me of lot of Germany (even the rough toilet paper). I remember as a child in Wurzburg walking down a path to collect snails and there was a school hidden in the forest.

This is not the best picture but it is the only one I could find on the Internet. Anyway, you can see the building set back in the trees.

There are quite a few trails around the campus that I run on during lunch. There is a trail that has a lookout of Mt. Rainer. I haven't seen Mt. Rainer from this point due to cloud cover but I have faith that some day I will.

This from the Mt. Rainer lookout. Hwy-18 is below.

I work with 2 other women and they are great co-workers. And lucky us we work in a condemned building. It is freezing in the building too. One day I wore 2 shirts, a pull over fleece, and a zip-up fleece to stay warm. On the job listing it said that the applicant should be able to work in temperatures 15 degrees higher or lower than 75 and now I see why. :)

It is interesting how much the Community College setting reminds me of teaching high school. My first day there I was ease dropping on some students conversation and felt like I was back at Highland. Overall things are going pretty well and I am grateful for a job.

Since I don't have a car yet I am using the bus. It takes me about an one hour to get to GRCC. I enjoy this quiet time and use it to read. I have not had any weird bus incidents but I am sure they are coming. Oh, I did over hear one guy tell his friend that he liked a job because "1........ and B......".