Crestview Dr.

The new house on Crestview Dr.- 36 weeks pregnant

The view from our front porch- on a clear day you can see some peaks in the distance

Chip and I (and Kessler) assembling the two cribs- feels good to actually be getting ready

The weeks are blurring... Kessler, what week are we?

Not too many pictures, but a few capture this busy and exciting time. We are LOVING our new house and neighborhood. Great people, great views, great space...not sure what else we could ask for right now. It has been a flurry of gathering random things- a trash can for that bathroom, a bed set for our room, random missing items for babies' arrival, wood to burn in the stove, etc. The list has seemed endless, but slowly and surely we have chipped away at it and are feeling pretty settled and ready to bring two new family members home. In addition to the nesting, Chip has started his new job on the trauma team and is loving it as well. He is putting all that he worked so hard to learn the past few years to work while gaining even more skills and experiences as well. So far, it seems to be a good fit!

So, we are down to the final moments. Doctor told us last week to come to our appointment tomorrow "packed and ready" just in case. Hopefully we have another week for them to grow and develop in the womb, but if that is not the best place for them anymore, bring it on! We can't wait to meet them!

Synchroni City

Family photo in the POD. Kessler seemed worried that we were going to forget to pack her. She would crawl into the POD whenever given the chance.

In the last four weeks-

• Pack Portland pad into a POD
• Give two weeks notice and wrap everything up at work
• Say goodbye to our friends in PDX
• Research future places to live once we arrive in UT
• Make the drive, in two days, with the remainder of our things, two cars, and the dog to UT (nice stop at Josh’s parents in Boise along the way)
• Settle into Chris and Erika’s guest accommodations
• Have family dinners and play with Finn
• Find a house to buy
• Buy it
• Realize we need two four wheel drive cars to live in Summit Park
• Sell the Matrix
• Look for a new car
• Meet our new doctor at St Marks
• Set up a million appts (NST, ultra sounds, and weekly check-ins with the doc)- three in our first week
• Chip- navigate hospital credentialing and Utah PA licensing
  
• Four day breather in Driggs to sit in some silence and contemplate all the changes

Week 32- In front of our amazing accommodations with Chris, Erika, and Finn in SLC. We showed up to a fall extravaganza in Utah.

To do this week-

• Chip- start work at IMC on the trauma team
  
• Close on house
• More doctors appts
• Buy a 4WD car
  
• Celebrate everything we have to be thankful for with friends and family (one of the very things we are MOST thankful for)
• Snow blow the 3 feet of snow that fell at our house so that our POD can be delivered
• Move into new house
• Audrey- try to not help or stress too much- keep babies in so they can go on the list for at least next week…maybe even a few weeks out

Week 33- All of us feeling SO good about our choice to come back to the Wasatch all this place has to offer.

Wow- these lists actually look doable. I mean, they must be doable…we did and are doing them. However, it is amazing the number of details that didn’t make it onto the list, like the 26 (yes, he counted) phone calls it took to get our closing date secured yesterday due to complications, or the number of hours we spent talking about the different approach of our new doc and whether we were okay with it or not. Not to mention the emotional drain of saying goodbye to coworkers, clients, and friends, being 30+ weeks pregnant, and then being in and out of houses trying to find the right place, with some sciatic pain on my end and a twisted ankle on Chip’s to boot! But, we did it…. and we are feelin pretty good about it so far. We feel so fortunate, blessed, lucky, cared for, supported, and loved, which is what has made all of this possible. So, thank you to those of you who have been encouraging, helped us move our stuff, are praying for us, putting us up, making us dinner, and phoning us to let us know you are thinking about us and helping us weigh through tough decisions. We could not have accomplished the tasks above on our own. We hope you all enjoy an excellent holiday this week. Happy Thanksgiving!

Kessler and her new roommate, Hudson.

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." -Christopher Robin to Pooh (A.A. Milne)

Can I get some more (cow) belly!

Our friend, Ben, took some fun photos of us on the river front- love the city in the background- Portland, we are going to miss you!

28 weeks- Here I pose with the twins in my belly and ALL their cousins on both sides of the family. We enjoyed a weekend of visiting in OH and a stellar baby shower put on by Chip's mom.

29 weeks- another visit to the fantasmagorical Dahlia forest at Brooke's parent's house. Man, what a send off. Lush moisture, we will miss you and all the beautiful things you make possible too!

30 weeks- belly is gettin pretty large at this point. I have gained as much weight as a typical full term singleton pregnancy at this point...and have about two months to go (hopefully). When people inquire about my due date and hear my answer, their encouraging smile turns to a look of concern. Hugh. Things are going to get interesting. ;)

I thought I would try to get one more entry in while I sit here in Portland. Less than 36 hours before we hop in the cars, leave our full POD and empty apartment, for our next adventure. We are moving back to Utah, this time Park City area, to rejoin our community and family there, hopefully with enough time before these babies show up to find a place to live, establish care with a new doctor, and get Chip started with his new job on a trauma team in Salt Lake. We have managed to pack the house, wrap up work (for me), say goodbye to friends here, and line up a bunch of stuff in Utah...in two weeks. There are about a million details that didn't make it on that list, but I have to say, I think we have been surprisingly successful in keeping the stress at bay throughout it all. Some serious team work (and when I say team work I mean I go to work and Chip does everything while I am gone) was in order to make this happen. Hopefully this bodes well for our twin parenting abilities. ...though I am not sure anything can really prepare us for that. At any rate- catch ya on the flip side...of a few borders east!

Lots of pics

First week of school- 22 weeks

Week 24- Top of Saddle Mt with Chip, Josh, and Kessler - windy and only a sporadic view, but I think they liked it.

Week 25- Kessler loves them already ;)

26 weeks- In front of the little castle we rent and live in

Here is the last month of growth in pictures. I go half time at work in one and a half weeks. That will be nice since my energy is not as limitless as I once thought it to be. Sometimes I feel like I mostly work, eat, and sleep (and ponder baby names). The little burritos continue to get to know their surroundings and each other by feeling their way around in there, which is a wild sensation.

We took a crash birthing course last weekend in case we are in the midst of some move sooner than later and aren't able to get any other class in. I am more scared, prepared, and excited for the whole thing. Now I just hope that we get a chance to try. We are looking forward to our next ultra sound to get a look at position and see what we are working with.

I gained 8 pounds in the last three weeks, which is insane, but good. This puts me in the normal range for twins at this stage. I still have absolutely NO appetite. In fact, most of the time the thought of food repulses me. But, I have done my best to cram lots of calories in anyway. So, feels good that it is paying off.

Oh, so what else are we doing besides getting ready to turn our world upside down? Chip is just working on a few minor things like trying to find a job, which will determine where we live and whether we need to make a move or not before our new friends arrive. He is getting quite a few interviews literally all over the country (Portland, Cleveland, Salt Lake, and Bozeman). And, we really have no inkling as to how this is all going to work out. I can honestly say we can can not see past two weeks from now...and even that starts to get foggy. What great practice in "living in the moment".

3,100 miles

...of love and fun. We had an incredible jaunt around the Northwest. Unfortunately, our camera broke on day three of our fifteen days on the road. Thanks to some surrogate cameras and sharing, we have a little bit of proof that we DID make this journey. Otherwise, the moments will have to be preserved by words in this entry, stories we will tell of adventures had along the way, and of course the images burned into our memories.

Highlight Canyon- Bozeman, MT

First, we started in Montana. We had one night in Missoula where we had the chance to enjoy dinner with some great friends (Mason, Anna, Ian, Adam, Kathy, and Hazel), meet their amazing new family additions, and let enough of that Missoula charm sink in to get us thinking about how great it would be live there again.

Then, we visited Bozeman, where we also got to visit with special people (Sarah, Tanda, Justin, Kelsey, Michelle, and Dan), eat a grilled masterpiece as we did so many times with this crowd when they lived in Portland, got a hike in, and explored this town which is quickly taking a top spot on our short list of places to live.


Next stop, a mini reunion with the Eddy St girls centered around the beautiful wedding of Amy and her now husband, Andy. What an adorable couple- seriously. Pictures to come of this one. My favorite story of this weekend- Amy getting a call on Friday from her cake person explaining that the night before a bear broke into the garage where Amy's cupcakes were stored...and ate them all- She was trying her best to get them all made again. HA! Only in MT, eh? I really do miss this state. Otherwise, awesome times were had all weekend catching up with the girls and other college friends in stunning Red Lodge. Congrats to Amy and Andy!


Next, on to Chico Hot Springs with mom and dad DuRoss for a night (a special treat and gem of a location they discovered years ago...I swear, they have a nose for cool places) and then on down to Driggs for two more nights. We didn't necessarily intend to go this far, but we hiked 10.5 miles and almost 3,ooo vertical ft. of elevation one day. Green lakes was our destination and well, once DuRoss boys get on a mission, it is hard to turn them around even if it is really hot, you are 5 months pregnant with twins, and others barely have cartilage left in their knee joints. Just kidding...it was a beautiful day and the desire to complete the mission was shared by all. :)



Salt Lake City was the next destination, also filled with lots of hugs, laughter, memories, and smiles. In a lot of ways it felt like we never left our home town of 8 years and amazing playmates and friends made there. And in other ways, there were so many new (or a lot more grown up) members of families, new homes, and other things to catch up on! Our dear friend, Katy, hosted a baby shower for us at her house. It was really special and meant so much to us that so many people came out to show their support and celebrate our pregnancy with us. We were/are very touched. And, to top it off, the rain (yes, rain in Aug in UT- unheard of in itself) cleared in time for the party to be held outside AND created the perfect conditions for us to get a huge DOUBLE RAINBOW across the sky. I told Katy she really went above and beyond it getting that all ordered. I mean, the cupcakes were really enough. Several hikes and BBQs later, we were forced to leave this comfy spot on our trip, hoping for job opportunities here too, and the chance to return sooner than later.

Finally, we rolled into Lake Tahoe after spending a night with Katy's parents in Reno on the way. In Tahoe we stayed with with one of Chip's classmates (or ex-classmates I should say...maybe colleague is the best word) who lives on Donner Pass and happens to have a spare house slopeside. The accommodations were luxurious and it was the perfect mellow end to our whirlwind visiting tour.

We were glad to roll back into Portland, sleep in our own bed, and not have to get in the car for more than a commute. So, here we are, trying to figure out what the next step is. Or, maybe the next step is trying to find us. Either way, we'll let you know what happens next as far as jobs and whether we are making a move or not.

P.S. One boy, one girl.

Have I mentioned that we are having one boy and one girl? Before being pregnant, I thought that "pregnancy brain" was the silliest symptom. I mean, really? Of course you are a little distracted...you have a life growing inside of you and a major life transition on the horizon...one is bound to be a little distracted. I mostly thought it was an excuse for everyday mistakes.

Well, like most things I thought about pregnancy (and parenting for that matter....and trust me, I have had my fair share of thoughts on this subject)...I intend on "eating", renegotiating, and forgetting about most of it. This is a humbling affair, and we have barely begun. gulp.

So, let me clarify for any friends out there who might still share in my prepregnancy judgment of the ridiculousness of "pregnancy brain". It exists. I feel sometimes like my brain skips a beat, things are transmitted, but not picked up. And, it is not just my brain multitasking the idea of what we are about to dive into. In fact, as I have mentioned before, it is almost like my brain FORGETS that the rest of my body is manufacturing a few extra people down there in the middle section....AND it forgets what you just asked me, people's names I have known for years, or that I already mentioned in the blog posted only two days before that we are having one boy and one girl.

Belly

With everything going on, I have not had time to post any pictures of my expanding belly. So, here it goes. I am not going to post every week that we have missed, I will do something with that at the end, but here are a few to see the progression. Baby A and B are moving around a lot these days. I think they are holding dance parties...maybe jumping up and down in their bunk beds...or, just getting to know each other through the silky 2mm thick amniotic sac that separates them. They are moving strongly enough that Chip has been able to feel them on the outside, which is pretty cool. And, I don't think I have mentioned on the blog yet that we found out at our last ultra sound that we are having a girl and a boy! Most excellent.

8 weeks- at home

14 weeks- Mt Hood

18 weeks- Ladd's Addition Rose Garden

21 weeks- Driggs, ID

We are currently at 22.5 weeks. I have had some restless legs, but the nausea is mostly gone. I can't wear normal pants for quite a while now, these two seem to be low riders. I definitely feel like more of a scatter brain at times, and will cry often, even at a sweet commercial on the radio advertising Cheerios. I haven't felt hunger since about week 8, and can't imagine what it will be like to really crave food again, but I do my best to get in as many calories as possible in a day and eat things that are good for all three of us. I guess I can say that overall, I just feel different. This pregnancy thing is totally consuming, in a good way of course. I guess how else to prepare us for the ultimately consuming job of parenting these little ones once they arrive. Can't wait! It will be our honor.


"Love is all fun and games until someone loses an eye or gets pregnant."
-Jim Cole

Many moments

Some catch up is in order. August was one of the most eventful months we have had...ever! At the beginning of the month Chip was still in Ecuador. He returned to Portland and settled in for only a few days before family starting arriving for the graduation festivities. Graduation was incredible- gorgeous weather, amazing company, and a laughter and tear filled speech delivered by one our closer friends in his class (awesome, Fred). But that isn't all. There were a few certificates that the students voted on and awarded their own classmates. Chip received the one given to the classmate they "would most like to work with in the future". Wow. And I get to live with the guy. It is that good too. Award appropriately granted.

The whole weekend was filled with excitement and sadness- so often those two walk hand in hand. Everyone was excited to be done with school, but sad to leave the nest of school that this class really got comfy and close in.

As part of the many moments we were graced with during this long weekend we also got to include our parents in the ultra sound where we examined what seemed like every organ of our growing babies bodies AND found out gender. We are going to be joined on this adventure with one boy and one girl! Yahoo! I was mostly excited to see their little hearts still beating and legs and arms moving around...and they are the cutest legs and arms I have ever seen...just sayin. We were grateful to share this experience as new parents with OUR parents.

Thanks to our parents as well as Chris, Erika, and Finn who joined us for all the formalities as well as walks in the park, dinners, blueberry picking in the neighborhood, hangin in our hot duplex (95 degrees- no AC- awesome), and lots of laughter. Now, one day to pack and then we hit the road for 15 days to make a clockwise loop around the Northwest hitting our home towns of past as well as a few other favorite spots. Hoping that all the time in the car and on the road will help us ferret out where we might live for the next few years. We'll see!

This quote isn't exactly true, but seemed to fit Chip's life the last 15 months and so I guess we decided not to stop the streak just because he graduated. I will say that some semblance of routine has been nice since we have returned. ;)

"I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine." ~Caskie Stinnett

In Food

So, while Chip was gallivanting (okay so he was working..whatever) in Ecuador, our dear friend(and one of Chip's classmates-kind of a regular on the blog) Josh, moved in with us. Aside from the incredible company he provides, he is an excellent cook. I was really struggling to eat when he arrived and mentioned that if he wanted to take over dinners, that it would be greatly appreciated. He took over! We ate fresh, local, excellence all six weeks. Let's see, there were the quinoa veggie burger lettuce wraps, the chicken enchiladas, homemade pizza, soba soup, a constant supply of greens and basil, and so many fresh and stir fried vegetables it would be ridiculous to mention them all.

He has a way with herbs, flavors, and presentation (hence all the photos- I wanted to consume twice- once with my eyes, then with my mouth) that coaxed me into eating really well. Baby A and baby B are very happy about this...and so was I, of course. In addition to dinners the house was stocked with fresh local fruit as we foraged the neighborhood, picking at least 20 pounds of blueberries and 15 pounds of plums from various neighbor's trees. Gotta love Oregon's bounty. Thanks, Josh for joining the four of us for six weeks! We miss ya already.

The Incredibles

It has been hard to be apart from my hubby for six weeks with limited communication. However, I feel so grateful and fortunate to have such incredible women in my life... a handful of which I have gotten to spend the weekends with this July, making my time without Chip very fun and eventful. First, Mindy and her friend Kyra came into town to do a downhill race at Skibowl up around Mt Hood. I have never seen this stuff live before -insane. And, Mindy and Kyra BOTH were standing on the podium by the end of it. That's right, that's how I roll...with the winners. Seriously, their guts, beauty,and brawn are incredible.

Next up, Katy came into town from SLC for what has become her annual visit to Portland. We made our way to the coast where we found crab to eat (despite rough waters making harvest difficult and a serious search necessary), a spot to camp on the beach (barely though- let's just say we woke to the sound of the ocean being a little too close for comfort and only escaped flooding by about three feet), and beautiful flowers to photograph (as seen above). We also pledged most of our stomach space to berries and sent Katy home with enough to make smoothies for a week. It means so much to me that Katy visits every year. Seriously, incredible.

And then, I traveled to Eugene...two hours south of Portland to visit one of my college roommates from Montana. We picked up right where we left off about 10 years ago... gettin active, eating well (I have to give Dana props for keeping up with the pregnant-I-have-to-eat-every-hour girl- man, I am high maintenance these days), talking, and talking, and laughing, and of course, some shinanigans (as pictured above- at one point, the security lady told us we were being watch "from all angles"). I love how some relationships, even without being touched, age like a fine wine. Friendship itself, incredible.

Four months

Chip is still in Ecuador and I have been so fortunate to have my weekends full of fun, making the time apart easier. I will do an update about the action packed visits as soon as I finish gathering pictures.

For now, just an update about this incredible journey we are on...the one that never stops growing and changing even when I'm sleeping. I will update with pictures once Chip is home too, but for now, you will have to conjure your own. Like this one... I have been nauseous since about week 7 on and off throughout the day, forcing myself to eat most of the time, not actually throwing up often, but getting pretty close and going through all the motions daily. And I think finally, I have turned a corner at 16 weeks, but not without a grand finale.

I was busy at work and did not get the mandatory snack/meal in within the every two hour time frame. I attempted to calm the nausea with a banana and some pumpkin seeds I had in my desk before being able to get to lunch at home. As I am driving home, in a company van that someone else will be using within the half hour, I start to feel really sick. Thinking, "this too will pass" and trying some breathing, I keep driving. Only to figure out quickly that this is no false alarm. "I really don't want to clean this van out" I say to myself and quickly pull over, barely making it out of the car and to some landscaping to catch my snack from earlier. It was a rough go...probably worst one yet. Sweaty, sticky, and out of sorts, I look up from my delivery only to notice that I just helped a good handful of people work towards meeting their diet goals for the day as they pushed their food and drinks aside at the outdoor cafe seating in front of me. awesome. I waved, smiled, resisted the temptation to explain myself (they deserve to have a good story too after having to watch that- let them make up whatever they want!), hopped back in the van and drove home to clean up. How about I leave out any pictures of that one.

On a nicer note, the belly is growing, and it blows my mind that there are two people inside me. I have watched so many friends and family go through this process, but being in the driver's seat is a pretty different perspective. When people find out why I am getting fatter they ask, "Are you excited?" ...of course I am excited. But, it is true that you can not live in a constant state of excitement. However, I get these little intense moments of excitement. Like the other day, I was walking the dog on our usual route that we have been doing for over a year now. I know the houses, the kids that come out, the cracks in the sidewalk. It must be this familiarity with all the exterior stimulation that allowed some deeper sense of self all of a sudden because I looked down, saw my bulging front side through my now tight t-shirt, and literally, it took my breath away. I was in complete shock and awe of what is going on, what we are in for, what we did...as if I was noticing it for the first time. But really, that is the crazy part. I have thought about it a million times. Chip and I talked about "our kids" before we talked about getting married...something seemed safe about that, probably because it seemed so far off and unreal. And now, here we are, IN it. Whoa. Life just makes me dizzy sometimes. So, will update soon with some great pictures my guest photographers have taken while Chip is south of the border.

Hasta pronto!
Instead of a quote- a random thought.
Coolest thing in my opinion about the bunkers being 16 weeks old is that they can supposedly hear things now. Seems like a major mile stone to me- music, laughter, voices, music, Kessler's bark. Yeah!

Happy 4th!

I am avoiding pictures of my belly (on the blog) until Chip gets back. He wants to be surprised by the change. So, I'll do some catch up in August. Anyway, here are a few shots of our stupendous fourth of July weekend on the coast. The Erkkilas hosted another wonderful weekend, this time at their coastal flat. Incredible company, weather, and food filled our three days there.

It's a....

(Ultra sound of baby A and baby B in their bunk beds on the left- individual shots on the right)

Okay, it is not far enough along to say that part yet. But, after a long and eventful journey, we are grateful and ecstatic to announce that….we are pregnant! With twins nonetheless! I am blown away every day by the idea of three hearts beating inside me- whoa. Although there are some twins in the family…genetics did not play a role in the fact that I have some bunk beds set up and expanding in my uterus. Chip and I tried to start a family for a while and were eventually told that the only way we would have our own children was to try in vitro fertilization (IVF). So, despite the many hurdles that make that option daunting, we went for it.

We have experienced a lot of pain, grief, and anxiety along the way, and are more than willing to talk about the details with people who are curious…or maybe struggling with something similar themselves. Infertility will affect about 15 % of couples, and we happened to not know one couple who had gone through this. We did have a few people to talk to, and that was immensely helpful. And, thank you again, you know who you are. Although it is easy to find oneself going through this kind of struggle mostly alone due the private nature of the subject matter, I don’t recommend it. Please, don’t hesitate to call or check in with us if you need someone or know someone who does need someone to talk to. At this point we are actually very grateful for our experience. wow- never thought I would say that. Of course a positive outcome helps us to embrace this mindset, but even before we knew the outcome we had conversations about the work of art we call “life” and how this was a brush stroke that we did not see coming, but added depth and beauty to our piece.



At this point, we are pretty focused on the joy and anticipation of being pregnant and parents- yahoo! It is so surreal. Due date is 1/5/2011, but many twins come before full term. However, my mom, whom my body is modeled after for sure, carried hers full term and then went 11 days late! So, we will just have to see how this all unfolds. We’ll keep ya updated on the progress here, so stay tuned.

(Us- all smiles after finding out the blood test was positive!!)


"A grand adventure is about to begin."
-- Winnie the Pooh

I'm three...I mean 21.

I have a little catching up to do. On June 8th, our puppilessness turned three...which makes her 21 in dog years...which means she can drink! Despite her parents efforts to pressure her into her first beer, she was quite resistant. She is smiling in this picture, but I don't think she took more than a lick and was not impressed. I guess it is more of an acquired taste than I remember. Guess we'll stick to water for now. Otherwise, our girl is doing awesome. She is as sweet and loving as ever, keeping me company when Chip is out of town or working nights. She guards the house with a really mean bark. In fact, she almost got a letter of complaint from the mail person....she HATES the mail person. But, once anyone other than the mail person comes in the door, she wags her tails so hard her entire body moves. She loves the water, finding any river, lake, or puddle she can (and there are lots in Portland this Spring as we have set records for the amount of moisture we have gotten in the past few months), and laying down in it. We really do love her and can't seem to get enough of her adorable furry face.




On the human front, it has been an exciting month too. I graduated with my masters almost three years ago now, but was not done with the process towards my license. I have been gathering the 2,000 client contact hours, 4,000 work hours, and a slew of supervision necessary to be deemed an official Licensed Clinical Social Worker. And, this past month...I met the mark, passed a local exam (already passed my boards), paid some more money, and received my license. Not sure what this really means. In some states it means I can start a private practice. In Oregon, I could have done that already without it....but personally didn't want to. It basically opens some doors and gives me more options. It also means I have completely made the transition to career number two. I feel pretty satisfied with it for the most part, but would not rule out another morphing of this career or a third entirely different one at some point. At this point we are more focused on making it to Chip finishing up as well and figuring out where he lands a job, and as a result, we land our family for the next stint. Vamos a ver!


Currently, my favorite bumper sticker...
"Wag more, bark less."

Pole, Pedal, Paddle

Well, this time I sat out. Emily and I enjoyed helping the boys gather gear and make their transitions as they teamed up to finish 9th in their age group for men's pairs in Bend's Pole, Pedal, Paddle. It was an incredibly beautiful day in Bend, the boys looked good, and fun was had by all. We would all like to return for a second (or first...or 50 millionth for Kyle's dad and his partner who rocked it in their division) stab at this thing. Emily and I checked out our competition...we can take them. No prob. Thanks to the Erkkila's for putting us up at their place an hosting a great weekend adventure.


“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching.”
-?

3P: 3D: 30M

Day One- feelin good, beautiful forest

Three people, three days, and thirty miles in this third month of 2010 was the goal. Portland has lots of good coffee, beer, food, art, and community to brag about. But, Forest Park is the shiniest gem this place has to show off, in my opinion. The Wildwood Trail offers 30 delicious miles of meandering trail through the rainforest (in one direction! love that!). While access to the Wildwood is pretty easy from downtown Portland, once on the trail, you hardly know that half a million people are gettin it done just on the other side of the ferns, moss, and dense trees you are wandering through. In my mind, the trail running in Forest Park is to runners what the Wasatch is to skiers. So, to honor and completely saturate ourselves in this trail's greatness, we decided to run the whole thing from end to end in one weekend. Kyle joined Chip and I on this adventure. We are grateful he did because without him there I could have just made this whole thing up, and, he carried his camera all 30 miles and documented this adventure like a pro. Oh, and he is a really fun dude that you want along on just about any adventure you embark on.
PS- Kessler joined us for day one and three. She did a great job, but her herding instincts drove her to run a lot more miles than any of us humans. In two days, she probably ran 60 miles. We thought that was enough.

Day Two- muddier, longer, and a bit more pain.

Before you put us up on some pedestal about how healthy we are, let me complete the story by letting you know that part of agreeing to participate in this activity included a commitment to go out to eat each day after we were done running. We rewarded ourselves with treats like pizza, burritos, crepes, beer, and burgers. .. we ate our way through the weekend just as much as we as we ran our way through it. And, it was equally as enjoyable as the incredible trail. We discovered some really stellar spots in the city.

Thanks, to my husband for organizing our put-ins and put-outs ;)...and agreeing to do this adventure even though he has no time to run or train for anything these days (Pretty much we all "off the couched" this....that might explain the pain I am in right now). Thanks to Kyle and Emily for being our partners in crime again this weekend- pictures, shuttling, eating, laughing, and loving the city with us. So much fun. What's next?!

Day Three- 30.25 miles complete!

"A lot of people run a race to see who's the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts."
- Steve Prefontaine (link)

Snooze Button

Haven’t written in a while…again. I did some sand tray therapy as part of my social work studies and one thing that illuminated itself at that time and pops into my head often since then, is the idea that hibernation is good. It works for bears. However, my favorite example, and the one that came to life in my sand tray, was that of a tree. I love trees. I know, who doesn’t, right? But, I have always felt this affinity for them similar to that of my attraction to blooming flowers…or puppies…
(a sunny afternoon at our new favorite back country spot below Mt Hood)


I grew up around lots of trees, especially deciduous ones that put on a fantabulous color show in the fall…and then seemed to hibernate. They would stand there looking dead all winter, getting clobbered by snow, wind, and rain…naked. I felt sorry for them. But, then, come April, they would come back to life, and grow back not only the leaves that they dropped in the fall, but would extend their branches a tad bit further. That bright green tip reaching just beyond last year’s mark... hibernation made that possible. Trees are smart. Some of them give themselves an entire season to rest, shed the excess, and draw into their center so that they may have the energy and ability to grow that extra little bit, be that much stronger, stable, and able to support that much more life. So like a tree, I am…have been… in a bit of a hibernation, at least a blogernation (yeah urban dictionary, what do you think of THAT word?!). And, I trust that upon revival, I will extend my green tips further. In the meantime, doing my best to find center.



(an awesome weekend trip to the coast with Emily and Kyle- skim boarding on the warm, February, Oregon waters)



PS- Unlike the tree, I don’t have to stand still, or naked, to pull into center and regain strength. So, here are some photos from things of the past six weeks. Hasta pronto…mas pronto esta vez.

"Accept the present and intend the future."
- Deepak Chopra