Alex, Boo and KK Too!

 This year we changed it up to get our Christmas tree.  Our Christmas tree farmer retired two years ago and we were a little heartbroken.  His place was the most basic of basics.  A lot in the back with maybe 80 trees at it's prime.  After cutting down our tree the kids would get a candy cane (the mini kinds) and they would be delighted.  We talked about Old Man Yeager, the owner, frequently. Even when we cut down our tree I could see the farm next door with rides going on (and people spending a fortune on their trees and entertainment!) and it gave me delight that my kids just cared about the tree, carrying it to the car and that tiny candy cane.   Last year we went to another tree farm but it just didn't feel right. We found a wonderful tree. It was about $60 more than Old Man Yeager ever charged us for the same size but it was a good tree.  They had a shaker which delighted the kids to see. The tree was a good one but the memories just weren't...

  I woke up on race morning after an understandably fitful night of sleep.  On the ground the snow from the day before had crystalized more as the temperatures dipped into the low 10's.  I opened the door to feel the temperature and immediately heared the sound of the wind.  A way the can can sound and I only hear when it's cold and dark.  Everything about this morning would indicate that I should question the decision I made to do this race.  But I continued to pack and make decisions on what gear to bring to stay warm and what to leave behind to save on weight.  After parking at the race start the temperature was a balmy 18 degrees.  As I stood outside with my warmest winter jacket and hat on, I could immediately feel my hands getting so cold they couldn't handle movement easily.  With an hour and a half to the actual start of the race I layered my legs in running pants, covered by my ski under layers and a pair of denim pants.  It kep...

The kids have been super excited at the idea of their mom doing an adventure race this October, after watching the season of Worlds Toughest Race so I decided to put together their own mini adventure race which included bouldering, hiking, climbing and mountain biking.  Climbing at Horsethief Butte and biking at Post Canyon in Hood River.  I hadn't anticipated rain but we lucked out and were still able to get it all done, including some rappelling.  The kids had a blast.  Kellan has found his love for mountain biking again after sliding down some of the muddiest trails I think we've conquered.  All the kids rocked rappelling and climbing and the next day we're all a little more tired and subdued for sure.  Nothing like a little adrenaline to calm us all down.  

This morning was such a beautiful day.  The kids spent the night in the indoor tent (aka the parachute) and Boo and I headed out for a dog walk.  The air was crisp, the sun was out with not a cloud in the sky and the birds were chirping all over.  Sunday mornings are already quiet in our neighborhood and these days they're even quieter.  We headed out into our personal National Forest (aka the trails at the nearby business park) and after some ball chasing Chip realized he would much rather run right next to Emmett, who was biking.  I watched the two of them bike and run, zigzagging over the fields and through the trees. This time at home has really allowed the two of them to bond.  Since Chip really was a dog I got for the boys to play with it makes me happy to see how he just wants to chase them all around.

This weekend we continued our excursions close to home navigating our way around town through the green spaces. We found Oregon State Park land that I didn’t even know the town had. On Saturday we spent 3 hours going from the middle school to the high school and Sunday we picked up where we left off and got down to the river, then went back country back to the high school. At dinner, which we had by the Firepit, I asked Kellan what adventuring he preferred and he said “I kind of like the covid times”.  I’m with ya kid! So much great family time, sitting in fields watching sunsets, exploring the world close by and living life at a different pace. It’ll be really hard to go back for me.

This Easter was no different than other years where we headed out on a scavenger hunt.  Since filling time is different these days, we fill time with simple things way more easily, I decided this year should just be long and exhausting.  At the end of it we biked 11 miles and the baskets at the end were at our nanny's house.   A nice treat to see her again too since it's been too long! The day before when we explored Boeckman creek I taught Emmett about reading the GPS coordinates, which came in handy for the first clues.  From there it was a lot of picture recognition and getting them to figure out how to get there.  Navigate really. The kids went to bed tired so I'll call that a win!

Every year I make the kids an adventure book, basically a photo album of trips.  Every year it has big titles like Glacier NP, Bend, cool places far from home.  This year it'll feature pages with "Boeckman Creek", "Fern Creek", all places within a few miles from home.  And all places that are relatively unexplored. Yesterday our focus was on learning to use the GPS and setting way points.  We headed down the street about a mile and cut into the green space of the creek.  We traveled it all the way back to the house.  Somehow we found another bone, a cow bone this time.  And we did stumble on one other person.  Alex was being funny and said "another human?  Now I want a baseball bat".  Not even 3 minutes later she found a baseball bat.  I told her that wish could have been so much better. Amazingly after waking up this morning I'm actually a little sore.  I think that the mileage wasn't great but the constant up and do...

Chasing the Super Moon For someone who thrives by being away from home as much as possible to adventure, I'm surprised to say that I'm thriving in this new Covid world.  Please understand I don't like anything about small businesses struggling or people getting sick of some people having to pull 250% of the weight of helping the world.  But in the small world of my family I love it.  I love not having to commute twice a day for almost an hour.  I love being able to knock out some work and leisurely get breakfast for the kids done without the stress of getting to the school bus.  I love that each kid can pick their pace for learning.  I love all our evenings together without crazy schedules taking us across town and back several times (well, mostly me because I would be transporting a different kid each time).  I love that we have time to go to the park and watch the moon at night.  I love our evening dog walks as a family.  I love the coo...

The woods As we settle into the new normal, entertainment is becoming very different in the household.  While I generally really don't like to stay home, we're now forced to do exactly that.  During the day I work while the kids do their thing.  Next week that thing will include home schooling, but this week was Spring Break so I honored it. Lucky for us we now have our own dedicated instructor in Primitive Outdoor Skills so the kids have been exploring a small wooded area about a quarter mile from the house.  In there they've found deer bones and brought home the deer skull. Licorice root which was cooked up into tea on an outside fire and all sorts of animal tracks and poop. When you find a bone It's a great reminder that wildlife is still right around us. Blooming Trillium

Preparing my office for a Pandemic and getting everyone working in a safe way was stressful and exhausting.  Add having kids home unexpectedly because schools are closed and its another layer of stress.  So on the weekend I absolutely knew I needed to get out into nature and finish the weekend physically exhausted.  We did it safely by not stopping at any place on the way and got out to snowshoe.  The fun really began when we went off trail and started navigating cliffs, steep hills, and icy patches.  While I've been able to read topographical maps, the reality is when following a trail it's not that critical.  In backcountry you get to really use it. Alex had her first snowshoe adventure and while she was exhausted, she did great.  I think teenagers who are really bored being home from school are more excited to head out on crazy adventures!

After a day of basketball tournament games, Sunday was open for adventure. The easy option is always to ski so the plan was to head up as the lifts were opening. When I checked conditions at 5:30 they were already predicting lift closures and high winds. Given that I hadn’t slept well it was an easy decision to put the phone back down and go to sleep. Once I woke up the idea of an entire day at home felt a bit overwhelming. On the flip side, waking up a teenager to tell them we were going hiking also felt overwhelming. Once I woke her up and told her the plan there weren’t any complaints though.  We headed to the coast and hiked Gods Thumb which was crazy muddy and slippery. A few awkward slips and falls occurred which may be caught on camera but we arrived back at the car in one piece.   Just a lot muddier...