maldo madness

2009-05-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

pffft.

It's been awhile and of course "stuff" has happened but I have not visited here. Obviously.

Last weekend we journeyed down to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to spend time with family and witness our son graduate from college.
Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Mitchell started his transformation into responsible college graduate shortly after he turned 21 by acquiring this tattoo. This is his own design with "Psalm 150" engraved on the bottom. Look up that chapter and it's all about praise!!

The night before graduation my son and cousins hang out for a few cold ones. The cousins, Danny and Alfredo, will graduate from UNM next year with their bachelor degrees.

Graduation Day! This was Saturday, May 16, and Mitchell dressed appropriately for the occasion. He actually lost the tassle for his hat and his godfather, Doug, loaned him the wrist strap from his camera.

After the ceremony Mitchell poses with his Ogren grandparents from Los Angeles.

It was a wonderful weekend in New Mexico. There were many family members to enjoy and lots of sunshine!

FAMILY, you gotta love 'em

2009-02-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

When my brother-in-law, Bob, passed away, the girls and I caught the Amtrak train and spent two days traveling down to Los Angeles. At the service for Bob, some folks from his church spoke of his unshakeable faith and his passion for prayer. I knew Bob was a church-guy but I didn't know how deeply he loved God. I'm glad folks shared.
Though the reason for gathering was sad, all the brothers and sisters (and more) got together for Annie and her kids. We managed to get in some smiles together at dad's place. The Original Ogrens
Johnny started it! He and Carolyn posed first and then got all of us into the act. Here the original six pose together. Front row (left to right with birth order): me (5), Jeane (1), Annie (2), Patty (4). Back Row Boys (left to right): John (3) and Paavo (6).

John and Carolyn striking their pose.
They're pretty terrific and they live in New Mexico.

Scott and Katriina stop for a photo opportunity. Scott is our brother we picked up when Dad married Linda in 1992. He flew in from Colorado with his youngest, Pete.

Annie and some of her gang.

The youngest is Kayla and Katriina is the eldest of Annie and Bob's four kids. Kevyn looks a lot like his dad and is a strong young man.

The fourth kid is Kristen and she had left for home before we started snapping pictures.

Below is Kristen and to the left is her eldest, Adrian.

My younger brother, Paavo, and his two kids, Courtney and Kirk. Paavo has a heart of gold and is always good for a hug! He lives on the Central Coast of California in beautiful San Luis Obispo.My closest sister, Patty, with her husband, Bill, and some of their gang. The eldest kid, Leila, is in school in Virginia, but Emma and Patrick were able to join everyone in LA. They live on California's central coast also in Santa Maria.

Here's grandpa with Peter. Peter is grandchild #20 for Dad and Linda.

Catherine poses with her 'nino, Paavo. These two have something special together.

Leilani. Of all my nieces and nephews, Leilani is the eldest. (Pete's the youngest.) I sometimes refer to her as my Bicentennial Baby as she was born in the summer of 1976. I was fortunate enough to be staying with Jeane and Glenn when Lei was born. Unfortunately (for me) Jeane didn't like hospitals and opted to give birth at home. I took off when she went into labor and spent a couple of days with Annie and Bob. (Jeane ended up having all three of her children at home with no complications. What a woman!)

<--Patrick, Leilani, Emma, Mitchell (he took the train in from New Mexico), Kayla

Oh, yeah. Steve was there too!

January, 2009

2009-01-20T10:30:00.000-08:00

There's a song stuck in my head that has played itself continuously over the past week: Children of the Heavenly Father (Words by Karolina W. Sandell-Berg (1858))
I've copied down a couple verses that have found their way into my head and heart this week.

Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

Of course there's more to the song, but I've focused on these verses as we face the loss of my dear brother-in-law, Bob. He moved from this earth into the presence of God this morning.
Bob's been a part of our family for over 30 years and as his health deteriorated over the past years, his good heart, his love for the Dodgers and his love for God did not. (I love you, fire-breathing dragon.)
Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. He has gathered Bob to Himself and He gathers us and holds us in our sorrow -- especially my sister, Annie, the children and the grandchildren. Indeed, we all have a place of refuge in our Heavenly Father.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2009-01-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

Reflecting on 2oo8

January – February Steve went on a missions trip to Uganda, Africa. It was radical in many ways…it impacted Steve as he went out there, it impacted me as I held down the fort at home, and it impacted the clinic (employees come and go for various reasons). Most important to me was to see how Steve worked in Uganda. He participated in medical clinics akin to what he does in Longview, and unlike at home, Steve got to preach God’s Word in churches. It excited me beyond words to know that he got to preach! Steve’s traveling buddies from Longview were Barbie Morrison and her daughter, Mariah. Since the trip we’ve been blessed with getting together with the Morrison family on several occasions – Barbie and husband Frank have become our (coffee) drinking buddies.

March – April Softball season got us out of the house and into the park again. The season began with us bundled up in winter coats and hats and this year we didn’t move far from that mode of dress until June. Stephanie got to play on two teams – her regular 12&under team and as a guest catcher on a tournament team. On both teams she played with the Stout girls, Toni and Keana. Turns out, the Stout family joined the Three Rivers Christian School (TRCS) family in September and the Maldo family has enjoyed getting to know those Stouts over the past months, particularly through volleyball. They are totally crazy!! OooRah!

May We traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to congratulate my nephew, John, on his achievements at the University of New Mexico. He graduated with a degree in physics and is now involved in graduate studies in Boston. The weekend was great family time for me as I got to hang with my dad and my big brother. I still have a picture on my refrigerator of the three of us at the Isotopes baseball game that weekend. Good times.

June Another school year came to an end with report cards, graduation and saying, “good bye” to students. Every year there are a few kids who leave in June and don’t come back in September; I get pretty emotional about losing them.
Although softball season ended for Catherine in May, it continued until mid-June for Stephanie. She finished up on Father’s Day with a tournament in Chehalis.

July This summer we took another road trip with the Richards family. This time we journeyed to Los Angeles where we stayed with Dad & Mom in their “movie star” house. For the second time we went to Disneyland with Steve’s high school buddy, Clark, and enjoyed a hot, busy day at the park. We continue to hang with the Richards (game night at their place this Saturday) and are planning a trip to Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone Park this next summer.

August For a few years, probably five, I’ve been chatting online with gals in the Christian Women Today (cwt) chat room. A few summers ago, while spending time in Los Angeles, the kids and I hooked up with chatter Linda at her home. My kids were lecturing me regarding online-stalkers while her grown kids made sure they were at her house during our visit. The both of us were well-guarded as we met face-to-face. (We both think that our kids are over-protective!!) In August, Linda came to visit us in Washington, bringing her mom and her aunt with her. We had a great time and Steve extended an invitation to her to come back any time…with or without the “Baldwin sisters.”

September Another friendship I’ve gained through cwt is with Anne. Now, everyone loves Anne. On her way from her home in New Zealand to her niece’s wedding in the UK, Anne stopped by the west coast to meet some of her online friends face-to-face. She started in Los Angeles visiting Linda and then flew up to Washington where I got to introduce her to baseball. We shared Starbucks atop the Space Needle in Seattle and toured the submersible Alvin in Astoria. While flying kites at Long Beach we decided that I must go to New Zealand to decide which side of the Pacific has the better beaches!
September ended with a great weekend trip to Los Angeles. All the Ogren originals (and many more) got together to surprise and honor Dad on his 75th birthday. Hanging with my family (including steps) was an absolute blast. I don’t see my siblings often and to see all of them at once was spectacular. Happy birthday, Dad.

October – November School got off to a great start and by October we were in full swing. Both Stephanie and Catherine played volleyball for TRCS and between teaching and volleyball I spent so much time at school that I almost missed the colors of autumn. Fortunately I woke up before it passed. Catherine had a terribly successful volleyball season and we rejoiced as we traveled around the state for district games and for the state championship. It was just a couple of years ago that TRCS started a volleyball program and this year we went to the state championship! Hard work, dedication and persistence paid off.

December This year we were surprised by snow! We’ve heard of it before. We’ve seen some before. This year we lived it! Three days before Christmas break the snow started falling and it didn’t melt until after Christmas. I don’t love the cold, wet snow and I was stuck in the house for the most part since the roads were caked with ice and snow throughout town (and much of Washington). I particularly missed getting out for Christmas activities; we missed a lot this year.
The year ended with Catherine in London with the Cheerleading All Stars, Mitchell home from college for a spell, and Stephanie turning 13!

As I write this on New Year’s Day, it’s snowing again – an interesting beginning to a new year?

LONDON

2008-12-29T22:20:00.001-08:00

Since arriving in London (safely) Catherine has called home a couple of times. Her voice is very chipper, she giggles a lot, and she says that she's tired! They've been so many places and seen so many things!

Here are a few photos she's been able to send to us already.

Catherine and Lauren at the Tower Bridge.

The girls with their cheerleading smiles and uniforms.

The three girls together: Lauren, Catherine and Dawn.

2008-2009

2008-12-29T15:49:00.001-08:00

How are you finishing off 2008? I hope peacefully!!

We had snow for almost two weeks (very unusual for us), and I was hoping that as it fell, it would thaw out quickly. That did not happen and on Christmas Day it was a winter wonderland in our town.

The snow fell Christmas morning and kept us indoors and away from our plans. We had planned to head up to Seattle and spend the night. December 26 is Stephanie's birthday and she loves to shop in Seattle (after-Christmas sales) and visit the Experience Music Project. We hoped to do things for Stephanie's birthday on Friday before dropping Catherine off at SeaTac Airport for a 6 o'clock flight.

The weather cleared up Friday and we drove up to Seattle for Catherine. At the airport we hooked up with her friend, Lauren, and Lauren's mom, Dawn. The three of them were traveling with at least 3o other cheerleaders to London. This past summer, Catherine and Lauren secured spots on the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) All Star team which will be marching in a New Year's Day parade in London. Several family members and friends have helped us out with the expenses for this incredible trip! (Thank you.)

Tower Bridge...the view from the hotel.

Lauren and Catherine ham it up at Catherine's 10th birthday. The theme was "disco party." Catherine and Lauren at Cheer Camp (Summer, 2oo8) with other team members from Three Rivers Christian School.Dawn at summer cheer camp...she's the coach.

Catherine and Lauren have been wonderful friends for years! I am looking forward to seeing pictures and hearing of their London adventures when they return.

So the big girl is gone, the little girl turned 13 and the boy is home for semester break. The snow is gone (yea! yea! yea!) and now I can see green grass in my backyard and the black pavement of the road in front of my house! That whole "White Christmas" thing is so overrated.

I hope y'all have a blessed transition from 2008 to 2009!

MORE SNOW PICTURES

2008-12-21T09:33:00.000-08:00

Icicles hanging off the north side of our house.
The longest is about 2.5 ft. (0.76 m)

I've never seen this at my house before!

While Steve and I ran errands around town Saturday, the

kids were smart enough to play in the snow.

Catherine and Steph pose for themselves while someone gets a shot of Mitchell "boarding" down the south side of the house. These kids are in the habit of taking wheels off skateboards and riding the decks on the snow. This time, however, Mitchell had a little run-in with a bush catching a branch in the face. That's going to leave a scar.

By the time Steve and I were done running errands, enough snow and ice had accumulated so that we couldn't quite make it up the hill and home. We tried putting chains on the tires but they didn't quite fit so after abandoning the car on the side of the road, I walked up the hill to home. Through the snow...wind blowing in my face...toes getting cold...(dramatic enough?) Okay, we left the car four houses down the street.

Evolution of a snowy backyard.

Wednesday, December 18

Friday, December 19

Sunday, December 21

ALMOST WINTER

2008-12-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

So volleyball season ended and I took a nosedive in regard to the blog. I'm sorry. But I'm back!

Officially winter begins in two days, but our wintery weather arrived two days ago.

We woke Wednesday to an inch or so of snow, and school was cancelled for the day. We had spent Tuesday afternoon and evening at basketball games at school and the girls stayed up late when we got home to finish their homework. (They make me so proud!) They were a little bummed that after all that effort, they were not going to school.
Stephanie was especially bummed as her basketball game (final one of the season) had also been cancelled.
The snow has stuck around and we've even gotten more, so school was cancelled Thursday and again today. Three days off on account of snow is very rare around here! It's a bummer too as I missed sharing Christmas celebrations with my students and colleagues. We don't return to school now until January 5.
In the meantime, Steve goes off to work faithfully, braving the snow and ice. For all who live where it really snows, this is nothing. For those of us who grew up in Southern California and have learned to live with rain in Washington, this is a big deal! Humor us, please.
Finally, Mitchell has come home for Christmas! He drove from Albuquerque, NM, leaving Monday morning and arriving here Tuesday evening. (He met us at the school during the basketball games.) I am very excited to have him home, and I am very grateful that he arrived just before our big storm hit. God takes very good care of us all.

Here are a few pictures I took around the house this morning. Maybe later I'll venture outside and take more.

My cat, Little Sox, is spending more time indoors than out these days. (He's very cuddly.)

Catherine's dog, Meeko.
He ferociously barks at the snow as it falls. I'm pretty certain that he will drive me crazy.

This is Candy, Stephanie's cat.

She's very independent.

As I was wrapping up this blog entry, I got a visit from some friends. The deer are hanging out in the backyard again! (Did I mention that I grew up in L.A. and this stuff is really cool to me?)

THE DAILY NEWS

2008-11-12T15:18:00.000-08:00

http://tdn.com/articles/2008/11/12/sports/preps/doc491a74f623696371687645.txt

Check it out!

Our local paper has done an article on our volleyball team and it came out in today's edition. I'm so excited I can hardly teach!

COLOR

2008-11-11T15:49:00.000-08:00

This shot is of my backyard. We are blessed with a greenbelt behind our house that won't be developed and will remain a haven for the deer, raccoons, and other critters who visit us from time to time.
On Saturday, October 25, we took a drive up north to Tacoma where Catherine had her final regular-season volleyball game. On the drive up I was struck by the colors everywhere! Fall had arrived, the leaves where changing color and I almost missed it. I had been spending too much time in my classroom and in the gym, and my short drive to school doesn't show me much. So the next week I determined to change my pace and make sure I noticed the changing colors. Our town is so pretty this time of year!

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

2008-11-10T19:50:00.000-08:00

I noticed that I had not updated this blog in over a month and didn't really wonder why. As my dad would say, "I'm busier than a one-legged man in a shin-kicking contest." I thought that once school got underway, my schedule would click in and turn into a routine. Nothing routine so far!

Both the girls have played volleyball this Fall and while the junior high season is over (and Stephanie has already begun basketball), the high schoolers play on! On Tuesday, November 4, our girls played their first (ever) district playoff game. We traveled up to Taholah, WA and played a heart-stopping match. To gain the victory, one must win three out of five games...we took the first game, Taholah took the second and third games. Our girls didn't want to go home yet so they won the fourth game. On to the fifth and decisive game. While the first four games go to 25 points, the fifth game goes to 15 (and you always have to win by 2 points). So much excitement as we were winning 12-6 and the Taholah Chitwhins ("bear" in the Quinault language) caught up. We went ahead, they caught up. They went ahead and with the score 14-13 in their favor, they served for match point. It bounced off my Catherine's arms and into the corner of Taholah's court! We got the ball back and the point. So tied 14-14 our captain, Myriah serves a nice one, the girls battle it out and we get the point. Whew. Now we have to win by 2 points so Myriah serves again and...ACE! They couldn't return the serve, we win the game and the match and advance to the next district game!! We went wild. My voice has yet to return to me.

This Saturday we traveled up to Lake Quinault to tackle the next round. First we played the first place Lake Quinault Elks and we lost 3 games to 1. It was sad. We still had one more chance...one more match...win and we go to state, lose and we go home. We played Whishkah Valley and took the match 3 games to none! Whoo Hoo! On to state!

The girls will travel to Yakima, WA, Thursday afternoon to play on Friday. They'll be playing at the Yakima Valley Sundome, the same venue that will host Sesame Street Live, the Harlem Globetrotters and Brad Paisley. This is very cool! They play their first game at 2:00 on Friday and if they win, they don't play again until Saturday morning, but if they lose, they play again Friday evening at 8:00. Lose twice and you go home.

I'm so proud of our girls. This is just our school's third year having an athletic team and the girls are doing so well! They even get complimented on their behavior as they visit different schools. It's always my prayer that win or lose, we will be a good reflection on our Lord Jesus.

75 Years and Aging Like Fine Wine

2008-09-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend I jetted down to LA to celebrate my dad's 75th birthday. It was a blast! While on the plane heading home Sunday night, I reflected on the event.
_________________________
"Dad's 75th birthday is coming up next month. Wouldn't it be great if we all could get together for him?"
That's how it started; Paavo threw out the idea during a phone conversation. Steve sent an email and we all started making plans.
Now when I say, "we" I'm referring to the original six siblings -- Jeane, Annie, John, Patty, Paavo and me. We live in Santa Rosa (CA), Lawndale (CA), Albuquerque (NM), Santa Maria (CA), San Luis Obispo (CA) and Longview (WA). Three states for the six of us and the last time we were all together was when Scott and Heather got married.
Scotty -- since Dad married Linda, Scott makes us seven.

Linda & Me

September 26, on a Friday night, Scott, Heather and the boys flew in from Colorado. I followed around 11 pm and Linda snuck out of the house to pick up me from the airport. Dad didn't discover I was there until Saturday morning when he returned from the grocery store with milk, Cheetos and ice cream for the grandsons. I cherish the memory of his face as he saw me and uttered, "What?" I gave him a kiss, told him that I had a Portland-LAX ticket and decided to use it this weekend.
"You've got a birthday coming and I thought this would be a good weekend to use it."
Annie came over and we made pasties.
Who came next? Maybe John and Sam; Scott picked up them from the airport. Leilani and Kakoa...Jeane, Rachel and Jasper...Patty, Emma and Patrick...Paavo, Courtney and Kirk.
Alan and Mickey showed up. Dad took a shower and put on a shirt and tie.
Around 6 o'clock more came -- from Advanced Recovery, LMU, ASM and Finlandia Foundation.
A neighbor came. A long-time friend of Linda's came. The "greats" were there.
It was a house full of laughter, stories, pictures and LOVE.
When it was time to blow out the candles and cut the cake, grandchildren gathered around Dad, and Linda stood by his side. He recited a poem that ended, "...will you still love me when I am old?"
Linda smiled in response and they kissed.

VISITOR FROM NZL

2008-09-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

Anne, my dear friend from New Zealand, came for a visit and I skipped school for a few days to show her around my neck of the woods. We started by visiting the beach on my side of the Pacific Ocean.
God blessed us with a totally beautiful day in September. We drove out to Astoria, Oregon, at the mouth of the Columbia River and visited the Astoria Column. Painted on the Column is a mural spiraling from the bottom to an observation deck, depicting the early history of Oregon.

One of my favorite things to do at the beach is fly kites. Each year Long Beach (WA) holds an international kite festival, and I figured I would have my own with Anne. She confessed that she hadn't flown kites since her children (now grown) were kids.

While at the beach, I couldn't resist the opportunity to have Anne drive on the "wrong" side of the road. The story I read says that originally folks drove on the left side of the road as a carry-over from the days when right-handed knights wore their swords on their left. They rode on the left and pulled their swords out with their right hands to defend themselves when approached by a foe. Apparently the drivers in the USA took the right side of the road in rebellion!

I had to ask Anne if she felt rebellious driving on the right and she said, "No. Mostly scared."

Whenever driving from Astoria to Long Beach, I take a look over my shoulder to see who's docked at the port. This day Atlantis was there and after a little smooth talking and lots of groveling, I managed to get the captain's permission to board with Anne.

Last time I was on board was in 2004 when I participated in the SEAS program and dove on the East Pacific Rise. I was so excited to have a friend on board to see the ship and the submersible, Alvin. Anton, one of the Alvin pilot-in-training, was kind enough to give a wonderful tour!

On Tuesday, Anne and I headed up to Seattle. We shared Starbucks coffee at the top of the Space Needle and took in a great view of the city.

We also took in a baseball game Tuesday night at Safeco Field. The last-place Mariners were hosting the Texas Rangers in a short two-night stand. On Wednesday, there was a terrific afternoon game that the Mariners won by one run, but when we attended on Tuesday, the Mariners stunk. Not only did they lose, they lost miserably...a terrible example of baseball for a Kiwi who had never been to a game before. :(

We arrived at the ballpark before the game to watch batting practice and to tour the park. As empty as the stands are here before the game, they were that empty during the ninth inning. The big difference is that it was dark during the ninth.

I'm not sure that Anne will start watching baseball when she returns to New Zealand, but she got a free Ichiro t-shirt out of this event.

On Wednesday, we drove up to the Canadian border and I delivered Anne to her friends just south of the border. Thus endeth our visit. Perhaps I should go to New Zealand next and see her side of the Pacific.

THE VIEW FROM HERE

2008-08-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

What a morning. Since school doesn't start until next week, I still have opportunities to wake up slowly, enjoy a cup of coffee and take in some some quiet time before getting busy. (Some days during the summer I never get busy!)
This morning I'm sitting at the kitchen table in a house of sleepers, listening to the rain and reading a great devotional through Christian Women Today (http://thelife.com/blogs/experience/devotionalforwomen/). The devo is about Paul's prayer in Ephesians for the eyes of the heart to be enlightened...something I've been talking over with God all week. And this morning, in the backyard, are a few creatures I enjoy watching. I thought I would share pictures.

The view through the slats of the kitchen blinds.

A momma and her babies.

The three settled have settled down on the grass and I hope they stay for awhile!

If the sun comes out they may stay all day.

FUN WITH FRIENDS

2008-08-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

It's time to enter the blast zone! That's what we do when friends from out of state come to visit.

My good friend, Linda, arrived Sunday with mom and aunt in tow and on Monday we took at drive to Johnston Ridge to view Mt. St. Helens.

I doubt that there is such a thing as having too much fun with friends, but I was willing to push the envelope in this regard.

It was pretty windy at Johnston Ridge...that's dust blowing about the volcano.

Mt. St. Helens was pretty cool when we arrived at Johnston Ridge. Here we're at about 4300' elevation and a distance of 5 miles from the volcano.
Inside the Johnston Ridge Observatory are two seismographs on which are recorded movements within Mt. St. Helens. The seismometer set in the center of the volcano's crater sent no movement messages to its seismograph, but another was active. I enjoyed watching the needle wiggle forth and back across the paper leaving a thick path of ink as it recorded movement of the earth just about 4 miles away. I couldn't feel a thing so I suspect these movements would have itty-bitty numbers on the Richter scale. (whew)

While driving about, we kept our eyes open for wildlife, DB Cooper and Big Foot. Here Linda poses with Big Foot. I have no idea how tall this thing is. I have no idea what it's made of. I have no idea why Linda would stand right there. (We were hungry and on the verge of delirium?)

I got Linda's mom and aunt to stay still long enough for me to snatch this picture. These two Swedes are a hoot!

My family and I were so glad to have Linda and the Swedish Sisters in our home. August weather in Washington is the best and we enjoyed lots of time in the back yard...eating meals, making s'mores, chatting online and hanging out! God blessed us!

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY

2008-07-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today we went to one of my favorite "can't miss" places when visiting the folks: LMU.

My kids, my dad and me!

Would you be able to take this professor seriously?
He explains with absolute glee how a beam of electrons are fired at a specimen within the vacuum chamber of the scanning electron microscope (sem), and how wonderful discoveries are made...a fruit fly with 3 eyes and the fracture pattern of aluminum alloys. The mischief in his eyes tells me that I do not want to know all of what he's imaged with this thing!

Brice takes a look at microchip via a common light microscope. Do you know how small microchips are? Dad took the same microchip and magnified it 700 times to reveal the LMU chapel tower etched in a corner.

Lily and Mabrie took more interest in twirling in wheeled chairs on the smooth lab floor than in any science that may be happening.

California...DISNEYLAND!

2008-07-22T12:33:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Disneyland!

Saturday (7/19) we ventured into the Magic Kingdom. The skies were overcast when we arrived shortly after 8:00 am, and we looked forward to a day of fun in the not-too-hot park.

Some of our gang (of 11) traveling through Thunder Mountain

Catherine.

Stephanie.

Mitchell and Wyatt cruisin' the roads of Autopia. Steve and Catherine took Mabrie for a ride aboard Dumbo in Fantasyland.
High school buddies can become life-long buddies, I have learned from Steve and Clark.

Is this what our lawmakers had in mind when they passed the “hands free” driving law?

(Check out the girl in the upper left corner…she’s actually talking on her cell phone!)
Brice and Mandy are such a fun couple with which to travel and play!

-----------------------------------------

THE CUTEST KIDS!

This is Lily and she makes a most beautiful Snow White!

Mabrie entered Disneyland as Cinderella and turned many heads!

These little girls are so precious!

Wyatt was invited to join the Jedi-training workshop at Disneyland’s Tomorrowland.

After completing the training course, Wyatt took on Darth Vader!

The Force was very strong with Wyatt, it was.

Wyatt and Mitchell duel with their newly-constructed light sabers.

(Can you see Space Mountain in the back? Oooo….scary ride.) Wyatt managed to catch a ride not in the brochure!

The buddies were back together for another summertime adventure.

Catherine and her daddy.Stephanie and her daddy.
Stephanie, Mitchell and Wyatt ride the flying elephant.
-----------------------------------------
Eventually "Snow White" felt the impact of a long, warm day

after the morning clouds burned off. Snow White or Sleeping Beauty?
In all honesty, it was Steve, Clark and I who were the first to poop out. We headed home from the park first with sore feet, sunburned noses, and aching bodies. Brice, Mandy and the rest stayed to take on California Adventure, catch the Electrical Parade and watch the fireworks.

What a totally fun day!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

2008-07-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

Last week we went on the road again with our friends, the Richards. Last year our two families ventured out from Washington to New Mexico to drop off Mitchell at the College of Santa Fe. We had a great adventure! (See August, 2007 entries.)
We decided to venture out together again this summer, heading straight down I-5 to Los Angeles, California.
Imagine: two cars leaving Longview, WA, at 10 pm loaded down with 3 small fries, 2 teens, a college kid and 4 adults with ambitions to drive straight through to L.A. (We don't need no stinkin' hotels. We don't need no stinkin' restaurants. We've got gas, groceries and Starbucks!!)
In the Maldo-car Steve was the number one driver, and he was happy to make it to Eugene, OR (about 3 hours). He had worked all day so we weren't hard on him for giving up the wheel so quickly. I had slammed down a Starbucks with an extra shot, a diet Pepsi (or three), and a No-Doze so I was ready to take the next leg of the drive. I disappointed myself when I gave in just north of the OR/CA border. Mitchell took over then, getting us through the fires of Northern California (the odor was intense) and into the sunshine of Thursday. Whenever we stopped to buy gas and use the "clean" restrooms, we applied plenty of hand sanitizer and snatched a snack from the food supply. By 4 pm Thursday we hit the north end of Los Angeles and after an hour of traffic through LA, arrived at my dad and mom's! Yippee!! Not bad time!
Note: for the drive home we plan to spend the night at a hotel in Northern CA. We're not completely nuts!

CHEER CAMP

2008-07-14T19:24:00.001-07:00

Three Rivers Christian School

goes to camp!

Last week I got to travel with Catherine and our school's cheerleading squad to the beautiful University of Puget Sound (UPS) in Tacoma, Washington. The girls were there for Cheer Camp which started by 8:00 each morning and wrapped up around 8:00 at night. In those 12 hours each day, the cheerleaders learned so much! As I watch the video I took, it's so cool to see the confidence grow in the girls' faces and body language. On the second day of camp, the girls were supposed to do what's called an "elevator." A couple of the girls serve as bases, one girl is a spotter (safety person), and one girl is the top girl. We have this little thing named Lauren who doesn't like heights but whose body size makes her ideal for a top girl. She is such a trooper!! Early video captures terror in her eyes while video on the final day shows a super-confident flyer! Lauren learned her role, the other girls learned theirs, they practiced together a lot, communicated and learned to trust one another in some pretty cool stunts. Our student body is going to be amazed when they see these girls hit the court!

Another cool thing about Cheer Camp is that our group had devotions each night. At the end of each day we debriefed regarding the day's activities, I lead the girls through what I called The Ten Commandments of Teamwork, and we prayed together. It was so neat. Of the 16 cheer squads at camp, we were the only Christian school and it was important to the girls to let their light shine through every activity. And the way they prayed for one another, wow! I hope we get to do more of that when we go back to school.

CHESS NUTS

2008-07-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

Nerdy, I know, but that's me!
Although school is out until August 27, my brain keeps functioning and I try to occupy myself with little activities. Yahoo! crossword puzzles and online chatting are both fun, but I've discovered there is life away from the computer. I've been trying my hand at cleaning closets and washing window blinds and find that I need to pace myself. I've also bought a book to read (it's a chapter book!), but I haven't started it yet.
While still surfing online, searching for ways I might mount a few fans to my classroom walls, I ran across some interesting-looking chess sets. I got Stephanie involved and we stood at Lowe's Home Improvement store for almost three hours scheming and examining nuts and bolts. Stephanie came up with the final design for these chessmen, and together we assembled them at home. Nuts and bolts and super glue.

THE BRASS TEAM

THE SILVER TEAM

If anyone's interested, I made up a supply list and basic assembly sequence.

Click diagram to enlarge.

The Completed Project

After completing the pieces, Stephanie and I made a board on which to play. A little sanding, a lot of measuring and a little painting got the job done.

Next week Catherine and I go to Cheer Camp for four days. A far cry from chess and another great opportunity to hang with one of my girls.

Softball in the Sunshine

2008-06-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend Stephanie got to play in a softball tournament in Chehalis with a 14&under team. She's quite a catcher...I'll try to post a piture of her behind the plate. Here she is at the plate keeping her eye on the ball! (Too bad she didn't get a hit yesterday or today!)

Saturday her team (the Hurricanes) were 2-1 to qualify for the Golden Level of playoffs. Unfortunately, they lost their first playoff game today and were elliminated. It was a beautiful day today to hang out in the ballpark!

ANOTHER GRADUATE

2008-05-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

Check it out. . . I have another who graduated from college!!

My niece, Kristen, has been attending Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and she graduated two weekends ago. My sister sent me a few photos to share.

Here she is on graduation day with her husband, Mo, and their baby, Adrian. They are a precious family!

And here she is with her little brother, Kevyn. Isn't it funny how "little" brothers get so big?!

There's a cool family connection with LMU. Kristen's grandpa still teaches at LMU and I got to participate in the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program there two summers ago.
It's a gorgeous campus with terrific programs.
Kristen got her degree in education and I don't think she'll have too much problem landing a job. From what I hear from her proud momma, she's gotten rave reviews as a student teacher. And she's cute!

Another generation of teachers in the family...watch out world!!

THE GRADUATE

2008-05-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had the joy of traveling to Albuquerque to attend the graduation and accompanying celebrations for my nephew, Johnny. We skipped the big ceremony at The Pit (Johnny's choice) and attended a wonderful reception and ceremony at the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

John walks in the lecture hall with his UNM posse. I'm so proud of this young man -- he received his B.S. in physics and has been accepted to Boston University where he will pursue his doctorate in physics. He's a brainiac for sure! (And ruggedly handsome.)

These are the Three John Ogrens.

My nephew, John I., on the left,

my dad, John R., in the middle, and

my brother, John M., on the right.

I think they are adorable.

The Cousins.

Here's John after graduation at his casa with his cousins (my kids) and his little sister, Anna. The only one missing is his brother, Sam. Where's Sam?

Posing with Parents.

On the left are John's grandparents from Los Angeles and on the right are his parents

I love this picture!

I can hear my dad saying, "Now, now," as he holds back mom who must have said something crazy to the grad. That's the way they roll!

And the way my kids roll...

Mitchell and Catherine put together a banner to congratulate Johnny on his accomplishments.

A white sheet, a little spray paint and a bit of creativity are put together in Uncle John's garage.

Congratulations, Dawg!

We realized that in high school, Johnny was a bull dog, at UNM he was a lobo and at BU he will be a terrier.

So the question was posed, "Who let that dog out?" Woof!

It was a wonderful Saturday in New Mexico and a day of celebration!

I'm very proud of my nephew and pray he continues to learn and grow and find success (and not be afraid to fail) as he continues in Boston.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME

2008-05-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

Celebrations for John continued into Sunday as the gang gathered at the Isotopes baseball park.

The Isotopes team is a triple-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins.

<----The mascot is Orbit.

It was a beautiful and warm day at the ballpark. We got to see the 'topes hit a grand slam, the opponents blow an infield fly, and a message of congrats on the announcement board for Johnny.

Pictured above are half of the family and friends that showed up at the ballpark.

Sam was there for his big brother's celebration.

Anna and Carolyn cuddle in the 80+ degree sunshine.

Mitchell and his Dodgers hat.

Albuquerque used to be home to an affliate of the Dodgers, but the Dukes moved to Portland in 2000 and were renamed the Beavers. In 2003 the Isotopes moved in to Albuquerque.

Johnny and his significant Maddi and another gal who graduated with Johnny but I don't remember her name.

We sure enjoy our baseball!

Maybe it's the thrill of a homerun, the sunshine pouring down, or the warmth of sharing the afternoon with loved ones. For whatever reason, baseball has been a part of my family since I can remember.

It turned out there was a double-header for us, but some of us had to catch a plane back to WA.

Before leaving the ballpark, it was important to me to get a picture with my Dad and brother. I sure love them and am so grateful to have been with them this weekend.

On the flight home Catherine and Stephanie catch up on some homework.

I tried to sleep the whole flight.

CATHERINE'S FINAL

2008-05-14T01:13:00.000-07:00

Catherine signals from second base that there's one out or that they have one more game to play.

Oh, yeah...that's the "one out" signal.

Catherine tracks a popup (it's the little dot at the top of the picture) in the infield.

At the end of a season that involved 8 games cancelled due to rain, we enjoyed a cloud-free afternoon at the 7th Avenue fields.

How do you finish a season in which the weather has won more games than you have?

Catherine's up to bat and the team lines the dugout fence. Steve takes a stand and Stephanie sits bundled in a blanket at Catherine's elbow. (It was cloudless but not necessarily warm.)

Catherine gives this one a ride! She smacked a nice double, driving in a run and giving the Monarchs a two-run lead in the bottom of the 6th. This was a very good thing as in the top of the 7th, Ridgefield came back and scored one. Catherine's RBI ended up being the difference in the game and the Monarchs finished the season with a win!

SOFTBALL PICTURES

2008-05-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

CLICK the picture to enlarge it and get a closer look at the kids.
(It works like that for me!)

Catherine playing second base for Mark Morris Monarchs.

Up at bat with the only umpire in a motorized wheelchair. I don't remember his name, but I do know he's a terrific ump and the girls are always glad when he's behind the plate.

<< Stephanie up at bat with 3-0 count. She eventually walked.

Stephanie picked up another game today, joining a team of older girls in a tournament.

It was still a cold day and we grabbed our blankets, jackets, chairs and sunflower seeds

again and had four games this time.

Tomorrow the tournament continues, but Stephanie will miss the first game due to church.

If the team loses that game, they're out of the tournament so I sure hope they don't lose. I wouldn't mind another afternoon at the ballpark!

<<There's Steph in left/center shielding her eyes from the glaring sun.

Steph played catcher during the first three games, but in the fourth her back was hurting so coach moved her to the outfield.

STEPHANIE PLAYS BALL!

2008-05-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Our Friday night adventure this week involved grabbing our blankets, jackets, chairs and sunflower seeds to enjoy an evening of watching Stephanie playing softball.
Stephanie managed to get a hit and cover all the bases.

Watching carefully as she prepares to jet from first.

The girls have this silly dugout chant and it requires a response from the runner, so Stephanie gives her WOO HOO while sitting on second.

Stephanie takes her lead from third and looks for an opportunity to rush the plate.

Patience pays off. When there is a passed ball, Steph races home and slides safely across the plate scoring her team's first run of the game.

When Stephanie isn't running around the bases and trying to steal home, she's busy guarding it.

She caught a really cool pop foul, flinging off her catcher's mask and tracking the ball all the way into her glove.

GIRLS SOFTBALL in the Pacific Northwest

2008-05-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

Check out the short news story video. Makes me proud to be a softball mom.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/24395349#24395349

It's such an amazing story that I've lifted the article from FOX Sports and pasted it below.

Opponents carry injured home-run hitter around bases

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - With two runners on base and a strike against her, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University uncorked her best swing and did something she had never done, in high school or college. Her first home run cleared the center-field fence.
But it appeared to be the shortest of dreams come true when she missed first base, started back to tag it and collapsed with a knee injury.
She crawled back to first but could do no more. The first-base coach said she would be called out if her teammates tried to help her. Or, the umpire said, a pinch runner could be called in, and the homer would count as a single.
Then, members of the Central Washington University softball team stunned spectators by carrying Tucholsky around the bases Saturday so the three-run homer would count - an act that contributed to their own elimination from the playoffs.
Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman, the career home run leader in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Tucholsky.
The umpire said there was no rule against it.
So Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace put their arms under Tucholsky's legs, and she put her arms over their shoulders. The three headed around the base paths, stopping to let Tucholsky touch each base with her good leg.
"The only thing I remember is that Mallory asked me which leg was the one that hurt," Tucholsky said. "I told her it was my right leg and she said, 'OK, we're going to drop you down gently and you need to touch it with your left leg,' and I said 'OK, thank you very much."'
"She said, 'You deserve it, you hit it over the fence,' and we all kind of just laughed."
"We started laughing when we touched second base," Holtman said. "I said, 'I wonder what this must look like to other people."'
"We didn't know that she was a senior or that this was her first home run," Wallace said Wednesday. "That makes the story more touching than it was. We just wanted to help her."
Holtman said she and Wallace weren't thinking about the playoff spot, and didn't consider the gesture something others wouldn't do.
As for Tucholsky, the 5-foot-2 right fielder was focused on her pain.
"I really didn't say too much. I was trying to breathe," she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday.
"I didn't realize what was going on until I had time to sit down and let the pain relax a little bit," she said. "Then I realized the extent of what I actually did."
"I hope I would do the same for her in the same situation," Tucholsky added.
As the trio reached home plate, Tucholsky said, the entire Western Oregon team was in tears.
Central Washington coach Gary Frederick, a 14-year coaching veteran, called the act of sportsmanship "unbelievable."
For Western Oregon coach Pam Knox, the gesture resolved the dilemma Tucholsky's injury presented.
"She was going to kill me if we sub and take (the home run) away. But at the same time I was concerned for her. I didn't know what to do," Knox said.
Tucholsky's injury is a possible torn ligament that will sideline her for the rest of the season, and she plans to graduate in the spring with a degree in business. Her home run sent Western Oregon to a 4-2 victory, ending Central Washington's chances of winning the conference and advancing to the playoffs.
"In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much," Holtman said. "It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run."

THIS IS HUMOR?

2008-03-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

In case you don't already know this about me...I have a sense of humor. I think it's a good one.

For Easter we picked up some Laffy Taffy candy and I so love the jokes on the wrappers.

Here are a few worth sharing:

1. What is a fish's favorite country?

2. Why was the tomato blushing?

3. What kind of cat loves water?

4. How do hens stay fit?

Check Comments for answers.

Anniversary Day

2008-03-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

My favorite flower is the tulip, and although this is not the height of the tulip season, Steve always manages to find a bunch for our anniversary.

Today we celebrate 23 years of marriage and look forward to many more.

PLAY BALL!

2008-03-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

Check it out...softball season has begun!

This year Catherine is playing for Mark Morris High School again (even though she attends Three Rivers Christian School) and this year she is on the junior varsity squad. Last weekend Steve, Stephpanie and I drove down to Vancouver (WA) and got to watch the game. I'm starting to lose count, but I'm thinking that out of 6 scheduled games so far this season, the girls have had 5 rained out. This game at Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver last weekend was a make up game we were happy to get in. It was a bit chilly but since there was no rain, we were happy to be there!

Catherine swings a pretty good bat when she's at the plate and can that girl run!! Her first time up she swatted the ball into right-center and still managed to slide into second safely! (Yes, I applauded her efforts enthusiasticallly.)

On defense, Catherine plays second base and there she totally (I mean totally) robbed a girl of a hit. When the ball came off the bat, it sounded as if it was going to sail to the outfield. It was a sharp line drive rising over Catherine's head when she snagged it. I thought the force might knock the glove off her hand, but Catherine said it was a piece of cake. (Once again I applauded her efforts enthusiastically!)

Catherine and the Monarchs won the game 14 - 1 after five innings. I'm thankful for the "mercy rule" that says if a team is leading by 10 or more runs after 5 innings, you stop playing. I've been on the losing side of 23-3 games before.

Stephanie has started softball practice as well and her first game is schedule for the 19th of April. This morning we got a call from her coach notifying us that today's practice was cancelled...due to snow! Do you believe that?! First of all, it does not snow much here during the winter and secondly, it DOES NOT snow the end of March! This is very strange weather we're having this spring.

The Mariners have their opening game in Seattle on Monday, and I'm glad that Safeco has a roof so that game isn't likely to be either rained out or snowed out. Come on, let''s play ball!

YOU GOT SOME 'SPLAINING TO DO!

2008-03-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

This year for birthdays, Steve's mom blessed us with a gift certificate we had to redeem online. After a bit of "monitor shopping," Steve and I happily pulled together our certificates and made the perfect purchase!Yes! The COMPLETE SERIES of "I Love Lucy." All 194 episodes covering 9 seasons! This is so cool! Something we would never spend our money on, but a very nice gift. (Thanks, mom!)
So what's your favorite episode? The Chocolate Factory one? Vitameatavegamin? What about the one where Lucy stomps grapes in Italy? Whatever it is, we've got it and we cannot wait to totally veg out and soak in the comedy!

HE'S BACK

2008-02-17T16:30:00.000-08:00

Thursday I was able to cut out of school a little early and head up to Seattle with my girls to pick up Steve from the airport. It is wonderful to hear about his experiences and great to have him home again.

You can read about his trip by going to http://www.steveinafrica2008.blogspot.com/

He's updating the site to share his journal entries.

Last night Steve and I attended a "progressive dinner" with folks from church. Ya know, it was kinda fun. We started with appetizers at the church, traveled to someone's house for salad, traveled to another someone's house for the main course, and ended up back at the church for dessert and coffee. I'm not the social animal ,but I sure enjoyed getting to meet some new people.

JASPER

2008-02-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

My biggest sister, Jeane, sent me some pictures of her new grandson, Jasper. I got them awhile ago and was hesitant to expose him to the wide world web. But everytime I look at his precious face, I think that I have to share these! So here's Jasper!

Jasper is Rachel and Matthew's little guy. Rachel is Jeane's daughter and therefore, my niece! A very cool thing...Jeane lives next door to Rachel and Matthew, and Jasper was born on Jeane's birthday, November 4. How cool is that?

And isn't he gorgeous? He looks like he could be anybody's buddy.

WHERE'S THE BABY?

2008-02-09T09:16:00.000-08:00

This is my sister's daughter's daughter, Adrian. I have three older sisters and the connection here is with my second eldest sister, Ann. Ann's daughter's name is Kristen...Kristen and her husband, Mo now have a little girl, Adrian. Can Adrian work the camera or what?! She's a cutie for sure!

WHERE'S MALDO?

2008-02-02T17:00:00.001-08:00

This past Thursday, I dropped Steve off at Sea-Tac airport where he caught a flight to Amsterdam and then on to Uganda. I'm hoping to keep up with his blogspot so I'm not sure how much I'll be posting here. Feel free to check it out:

http://www.steveinafrica2008.blogspot.com/

STEVE IS ON THE MOVE soon

2008-01-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

On January 31, Steve departs with two others from our community. They'll be flying to Amsterdam and then on to Kampala, Uganada, where they and 12 others from the states will work with DOVE Uganda Children's Fund.

We (well, not Steve's mom) are very excited for this opportunity for him to help out with some very needy people. He's going to be gone for two weeks and you can track his adventures at http://www.steveinafrica2008.blogspot.com/. I've put a link on the side margin so you can click there.

Steve has been spending months getting ready for this mission trip and we greatly appreciate your prayers for him and the team.

MITCHELL

2008-01-14T09:33:00.000-08:00

Mitchell has been "home" for the semester/Christmas break, and he'll be heading back to Santa Fe on Wednesday. Last night we met with our traveling buddies at Chuck E Cheese's for a bit of fun before he takes off again.

Wyatt and Mitchell
PEACE OUT!

Jackie and Mitchell

I so love Mitchell's smile!

RITES OF PASSAGE?

2008-01-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

Catherine turned 16 in November and was more than ready to get her license to drive. We were so ready also as we needed a new go-fer since Mitchell's off at college. Besides running random errands for us, Catherine drives Stephanie and herself to school each morning, and she gets herself to and from her afterschool activities. And she is one busy girl!

I'm grateful that state law prevents her from having passengers (besides family) for another six months.

Days before Catherine got her license to drive, she had her braces removed. With one kid out of braces, it was time to put another in. (Our orthodontist loves us.) Yesterday Stephanie had her metal installed! It will take her some time to adjust to playing the clarinet...I cannot even imagine. I'm glad basketball season is over for the year and that she has time to adjust before softball starts.

BEACH VISIT

2007-12-29T19:46:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading on my friend's blog how she and her husband took the day off and visited the wharf and whatever in sunny New Zealand. Sailboats and tourists in t-shirts filled the photos.

Okay, here are my photos from yesterday and today. My husband and I took the day off too and headed to the coast. Funny, it didn't look at all like my friend's day. No sunshine for us...just dark skies and cold rain. This time of year, I would rather be in New Zealand!

PIG'N PANCAKE: Definitely our favorite place for breakfast when we visit Seaside, Oregon.

In spite of the rain, some crazy tourists rented unique bicycles and wheeled around town. I snapped this photo from the warmth and safety of my car.

Steve and I enjoyed a great dinner

when we arrived in Seaside Friday evening. This coastal town is pretty empty during the winter so we lingered for quite awhile at Girtle's Seafood & Steak Restaurant.

Seaside, Oregon, marks the end of the Lewis and Clark trail, and it's really pretty cool. We visit most often during the winter season, and will probably visit again on my birthday at the end of January. Sure to get plenty of rain then too.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2007-12-26T21:33:00.000-08:00

Yep, today is Stephanie's birthday and she's shining brighter than a new penny!

Groggy Stephanie opens presents from the parents.

Peppier with the puppy after shopping with her brother and sister at the mall.

Stephanie enjoying her birthday dinner at a local restaurant.

In deed, children are a gift from God!

The Two of Us

2007-12-20T18:49:00.000-08:00

Our most recent shot together.

We were at a birthday party and decided to splurge and we spent a token to have Chuck E Cheese sketch our portrait. Not too shabby!

It's Christmastime...almost

2007-12-16T22:18:00.001-08:00

In August we dropped Mitchell off at college in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Okay, we actually parted ways on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon as we handed him off to the Albuquerque family. Yesterday he came home for Christmas (and semester break) and he brought his grandma (Steve's mom) with him! What a treat to have mom for the weekend. At church this morning, Pastor Larry honored those with birthdays in December and it was so cool when mom (Dec. 23) received a surprise gift. Stephanie got one too as her birthday is Dec. 26.

Another treat came when Steve sang "Drummer Boy" during service. Mitchell played along on his guitar and Stephanie was featured on the drums. I knew that they were going to do "something" -- they had to run to rehearsal as soon as Mitchell got off the plane -- but I had no idea they were going to do what they did. It was beautiful. I was speechless.

Mom is the one through whom we got our dog, Meeko. Meeko is now 6 months old and I think he's totally silly! He's a 5-pound ball of fluff -- a toy!

Mom got some good photos of him in his Christmas sweater and in his Santa costume. Good thing he's an indoor dog as the other dogs in the 'hood would be teasing him.

He's cute though, eh?

Mom also brought some photos with her from New Mexico. The top dog is Reno, Meeko's father, and the one with the freaked out fur is Abby, Meeko's sister. (I dig the spiked look.)

Merry Christmas, y'all!

2007-12-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

As embarrassing as it is, I've joined the elf team. Click the link to see me dancing with my bad self. Be sure to have your sound turned on.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1249161850

Feel free to elf yourself!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

You play like a GIRL!

2007-11-26T21:38:00.000-08:00

I so enjoy how my girls are involved in sports.

Stephanie participated in the local "Hoop Shoot" (free-throw shooting contest), and after sinking five out of five in a shoot-off, she walked away with third place. It was so cool!

Unfortunately I was helping out on the court so I could not jump up and down and scream like a crazy mom. I had to play it cool.

We also celebrated the end of volleyball this month. Both of my girls played this fall -- Stephanie for the middle school team and Catherine for the high school team. Both teams had wonderful coaches and enjoyed victory after victory. (Punctuated by some character-building defeats.)

Coach Michel Ann presents a "Skor" bar to her number one scoring server. Stephanie has a powerful serve for sure!

Coach Jaimie presents keyring lanyards to co-captains Catherine and Myriah. Catherine also received "Most Inpirational" award for her enthusiasm on court. The kid played libero most games -- a very active and demanding position.

(I do believe that Stephanie learned her powerful serve by watching and following her big sister.)

I'm very proud of my girls, not so much for the athletic abilities, but for the teamwork they practice and the enthusiasm they show.

*\o/* *\o/* *\o/*

The girls also participated in Cheer Clinic this past month. Catherine is a cheerleader and with the other girls from school, put on a clinic for young girls. While Catherine helped lead the clinic, Stephanie learned a lot as a participant.

Stephanie and Catherine team together for a cheerful morning.

Mabrie got in on the fun as well!

(Remember our buddy, Mabrie? She and I did a lot of hiking together this past summer.)

911 Math Call

2007-10-21T22:29:00.001-07:00

25 divided by 5 equals 14?

2007-09-15T22:09:00.001-07:00

For a great lesson on dividing 25 by 5, check out this clip from Ma and Pa Kettle.

http://www.youtube.com/user/lyled

CLATSKANIE TOURNAMENT

2007-09-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

What a day...our volleyball team broke its losing streak!

And almost took the tournament trophy home.

Coach Jaimie takes a timeout during the Scapoose match to instruct the team.

The girls took the first game of the match handily and had to battle from behind during the second.

They pulled it off, winning the second game 26-24 and thereby winning their first match EVER.

__________________________________________________________________________

When we started our sports program at Three Rivers Christian School last year, our first game was when our volleyball team competed at the Clatskanie Invitational Tournament in Oregon. The girls had heart even though they didn't get a win. They hardly knew how to rotate positions and not everyone could get their serves over the net.

Today we returned to the scene of our beginnings and proved that we are a different team! After winning the first three matches (yes, the first wins ever!) the girls made it to the finals against Seaside. How exciting!! While Seaside took the first game, Three Rivers took the second game making a third game necessary. The final score of 17-15 allowed Seaside to take home the tournament trophy in the "overtime" victory. It was such an exciting day of volleyball!!

Celebrating a point.

< Leah and Myriah conspire at the net.

Check out the math in this set up!>

BACK TO SCHOOL

2007-08-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Tradition, remember, dictates that we take a photo in front of the house on the first day of school. Today was a little different as we took our photo without Mitchell this time.

Catherine and good friend, Nicole, hook up first hour in Bible class.

Stephanie strikes a pose! She's ready to rule the school.

WHAT AN ADVENTURE!

2007-08-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

We have made it home safely with lots of wonderful memories.

It was great to travel with family and friends and God as our guide!

WYATT

MABRIE

LILY

THE MALDONADO FAMILY

ZION

2007-08-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

This is the view we were treated to as we drove from Kanab, UT, into Zion National Park.

Checkerboard Mesa was one of the first structures to catch our attention.

The Maldonado foursome poses at the base of Checkerboard Mesa.

Along the journey somewhere in New Mexico, we talked Brice into buying a cowboy hat. Pretty cool cowboy with his little girl.

Weeping Rock is a solution niche in Zion National Park. A strata of red sandstone sits above and has absorbed water from rain and snow throughout the ages. As the absorbed water trickles down through the porous rock, it meets an impermeable layer of slate and moves horizontally to the edge of the cliff. The solution running down the side of the cliff finds a crack to enter and after a great deal of time causes the crack to increase. Gravity then helps the rock fall, leaving a chunk missing from the side of the cliff…this is the niche. Here at Weeping Rock, water continuously flows down the cliff and trickles past the niche opening.

Steve pantomimes his location.

The water flowing over the red sandstone leaves it moist enough for us to paint our faces. Wyatt takes it as war paint!

Wyatt continues his war cry long after we left Weeping Rock.

There is a great amount of vegetation in this section of the desert area of Utah. Brice and Lily lead the hike to the Emerald Pools.

A critter posed for us along our hike to the Emerald Ponds.

At the lower pool, this structure caught my attention. A piece of red sandstone stands vertically.
What happened here? It looks as if roots of a fallen tree hold the rock upright.

At the hotel in Springdale, the Gateway to Zion. Temps ran over 100 degrees and the view was beyond beautiful.

Catherine applauds as Stephanie successfully floats on her back. Steph loves the water but like her mother is unable to swim. After some coaching and encouraging from her dad, Stephanie floats on her own. A proud moment!!

Steve leads Lily on a cruise around the pool.

Moving with turbo power through the shallow end of the pool.

Catherine captures the waterbaby for a few minutes.

Steve and Brice served as sea monsters taking kids forth and back through the pool.

Lily has developed into a waterbaby.

The sea monster surfaces to surprise Mandy and Lily. Frightening? I think not!

IT'S SATURDAY

2007-08-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Yep, it's Saturday and I am pooped! Right now Steve and Brice are somewhere in Zion National Park with the little ones, Wyatt and Mabrie. The rest of us (Mandy, Lily, Catherine, Stephanie and me) are resting in an air-conditioned hotel room.

Women leaving Cedarosa
From left to right:
Mandy & Lily with Mabrie below, Diana & Abby, Catherine & Meeko, Cindy, Stephanie, Mom (Helen) & Reno the stud, and Linda.

The Richards get one last shot at Cedarosa.

Thursday was a big day for us as we packed up our things at the ranch and got ready to move west and eventually back to the Northwest.

The Three Amigos at the ranch.

Steve had to pick up the car from Albuquerque first and then we traveled I-40 towards Flagstaff, Arizona. Along the way is one of my favorite places, Meteor Crater. It's just 5 miles off the highway and a must-see.

It may look like a big hole in the

ground, but it's a unique hole

formed by the impact of a meteorite.

Long ago a huge iron-nickel meteorite estimated to have been about 150 feet across and weighing several hundred thousand tons, struck the plain of northern Arizona with an explosive force greater than twenty million tons of TNT. As a result of the impact, the crater was formed with the floor 700 feet deep; it is now approximately 550. The crater is over 4,000 feet across and 2.4 miles in circumference.

Mitchell loves to hang with the little ladies! Here he is with Lily at the Crater.>

Lily, Mabrie and Wyatt pose after hiking to the bottom of the Crater.

Gotcha! (as Wyatt says) they're posing in front of a mural of the bottom of the crater.

We spent time gawking at the crater and mugging for pictures before scurrying to the car as a lightning storm rolled through. Then we made our way to Flagstaff, AZ, for the night.

Friday was even a bigger day as the entire gang took off from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon.

The Washington Maldonados

Mom and Steve

Wyatt and Mabrie up a tree at the Canyon.

The Richards on the rim.

The Washington Maldonados, the Richards, Mom (Helen), Linda, and the Three Amigos (Alfredo, Danny & Mitchell) headed together to the south rim of the Grand Canyon and it was there that we parted ways with our college-bound son. Mitchell took off with his grandmother, et. al. towards Laughlin, Nevada, while the rest of our family drove off with the Richards to Page, AZ, and the Glenn Canyon Dam.

Behind the dam is the beautiful Lake Powell.

Twenty years ago while attending Northern

Arizona University I took an 8-hour tour of Glenn Canyon Dam and this day was so happy to share this place with those I love.

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE

2007-08-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

It’s so nice to be on vacation without any hard-and-fast schedule. This morning we woke in Albuquerque with plans to go hiking at El Morro, or ride up to Sante Fe to check out Mitchell’s new college, or check out Chaco Canyon…we didn’t do any of these! Our car needed some attention so Steve was at the dealership by 7:oo am. When he returned for the rest of us, we took off for brunch at The Frontier, one of our favorites! Breakfast burritos with green chili! The Frontier is conveniently located across the street from the University of New Mexico where four of my nephews attend!! Danny and Alfredo started last year, Johnny (eldest son of my bro, John) will be a senior this year, and Sammy (John’s other son) just moved into the dorms as a freshman. I’m so proud of my nephews…Go Lobos!

While at The Frontier, we tried to hook up with John, the nephew, but he was tied up in orientation for his job at the university. We ended up hooking up with my brother John, sister-in-law Carolyn, and their daughter, Anna. What a treat! What a treat! What a TREAT! After visiting for a bit we started back to the ranch but ended up back at the car dealership for another look at our vehicle. We left it overnight as the compressor had bombed out on us and without a compressor…no air conditioning! For the next three days we will be in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah where air conditioning is a “must” during this time of the year.

The dealership loaned us a car and we headed back to the ranch where we fed the horses, rode the four-wheeler and did a little more exploring. This time Wyatt, Mabrie and I shared our adventures with their folks, Mandy and Brice.

Lily and Catherine stay cool in the house together.

It took a few days, but Lily has warmed up to all of us!

ON CEDAROSA

2007-08-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

A little lizard friend we found along the way.

Today we took time to hike around the ranch. Wyatt and Mabrie were anxious to see the horses so Catherine and I took them to the corral after we fed the ducks.
It’s so fun to experience the ranch again with little ones.

After Catherine returned to the house, Wyatt, Mabrie and I went on a hike to explore Indian ruins. Just south of the corral, over a little hill are the remains of an Indian dwelling. The foundation is discernable, and as we explored, both Wyatt and Mabrie found pottery shards and very, very cool rocks. My big find was a chunk of petrified wood.

After returning to the house for water and a potty break, we got the rest of the gang to go on another hike. This time Mitchell drove us up the hill behind the house to where my father-in-law is buried. As we all took a few minutes to honor him, Mabrie said, “Hey, I’m going to meet him because I’m going to heaven too!” (Don’t ya love three-year-olds?) Mitchell drove back to the house and the rest of us hiked to the top of the mesa and then back around behind the house where there are more Indian ruins. (No pottery was found this time.) We saw a jack rabbit, a very small but round lizard and many, many cool rocks. We managed to avoid the snakes and they avoided us!

Brice, Mandy and Steve (and Lily) pose behind the main house. The ranch extends to the mesa in the background.

Above and behind the main house sits a circular structure...either a kiva or a lookout. Due to the size and location, this is probably a lookout. We used our imaginations pretending to be Native Americans looking for the bad guys and then modern-day Anglos waiting for a Fed Ex delievery truck.

Three-year-old Mabrie is a great hiker and adventurer.
(And she's so cute!)

The day was a beautiful and very warm, so sunscreen and hats were good ideas.

Wyatt has become my explorer buddy!

He and Mabrie are always up for an adventure with me so I picked up some walking sticks for them at the local Dairy Queen/gas station/ tourist shop.

Lily joins the hike.

On this hike Lily wore little white shoes with built-in squeakers. (Yes, sneakers with squeakers.) Every time she stepped there was a "squeak squeak" to announce her progress. How fun!

After an afternoon of hiking, Wyatt and Mabrie nap on the livingroom floor.

I think that all of us ended up napping for at least a little bit.

The day concluded as we are drove into Albuquerque to watch the Isotopes (Triple-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins) play baseball. Yahoo!!

Although the 'Topes lost the game (terribly), we left the park with a dozen loaves of bread. Ain't baseball a blast?!

HORSE TALES

2007-08-15T22:13:00.001-07:00

Monday, August 13

Casey, above, is currently #1 on the I-hate-that-horse list. On our last visit she bucked off both Mitchell and Catherine, and on this visit she kicked and resisted all attempts to be guided.

Below left: Sox, Goldie, Casey and Pebbles in the corral.

Below right: Casey attempting to kick open the corral gate and gallop towards freedom.

What a day!! Steve and the kids went out this morning to clean the barn and corral. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long, and with that done, everybody wanted to ride the horses. One problem: no one had seen any of the horses since we arrived on Saturday. So the boys set out to find them. There are over 320 acres to the ranch and after a thorough search, no horses were found….just a downed fence! The horses were eventually found on someone else’s land and the long task of getting them back to Cedarosa began. I don’t know all the details but there was something about getting a truck stuck in the mud and it slipping down the side of an embankment with my 15 year-old behind the wheel. I’ll have to get details from the boys.

This is Mitchell's story...
Okay, this is what happened. Because of the recent flash flood that hit Cedarosa ranch, some of the fence around the property had been knocked down. So our brilliant horses decided to roam free and go wherever. So it was our task to locate them and guide them back to their home. Our search began on the back end of the property where we thought the hole in the fence was. We were in two “groups” which turned out to be me on the ATV and everyone else in the Chevy ranch truck. So I searched and searched over hills, going over all kinds of terrain and I finally reach the peak of a hill to look over the property and I see the truck stopped in the dirt with my dad and Brice standing outside and flagging me down. So I descend down from the hill to find out that the truck was stuck in about a foot and a half of mud. Because of the flood, the mud was ridiculously soft and squishy. So with all our might we try to shove the truck out of the mud with Catherine driving. Our first attempt failed, so after digging out some mud and using bags as traction, we finally emerge the truck from the mud. Unfortunately where Catherine was backing the truck there was a little bush, which made the truck tilt when she hit it, causing panic and mayhem. So, finally we got the truck out, but still no horses. So, everyone in the truck decide to go the freeway to find the horses and I look everywhere else. After about another 45 minutes they call saying they’ve found them, about a mile and half down the freeway, on someone else’s property. So a plan emerges, we pack up two saddles, the four wheeler, a bail of hay and two trucks. After driving over to the property, finding the horses, saddling up one of them to lead the others, we start our adventure. My father and I embark on a grand mission. We have to guide these horses over rough terrain, ditches, soft dirt, rocks and everything in between, on foot and on a 4 wheeler. All this with my uncle yelling at us from the freeway telling us what to do! So, through another good hour we manage to get up to the fence line, but there’s no gate, so we had to make shift one by shoving down one of the poles. But we’re still stuck on someone else’s property and we still can’t get these stupid horses on to ours. So to make this ridiculously long story shorter, we cut some fences, yell at horses, drive more trucks, tip the ATV yell at each other, mend the fences lead the horses back and finally collapse at home after a long, but eventually successful mission. It was the longest “chore” I have ever done at Cedarosa and I am not ready to do it again anytime soon. On the bright side, my farmer’s tan got much worse turning it into a “rancher’s tan”!

Goldie, the eldest of the six horses.
This is Sophie.

To the right are Sophie and Joshua.

SUNDAY WITH FAMILY

2007-08-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Family time is very important to the Maldonado's, even if they're not related by blood. Our parents were lifetime family friends with the Lucero's who lived a few houses down the block in old Albuquerque. Their kids, Mel, Linda and Julia grew up with us and our folks.

Now, with families of our own, we still make it a point to get together often.
Pictured below are Julia (Lucero) Torrez, our nephew Alfredo and Steve's sister, Diana. Pictured above are Julia and husband Bobby (top), Mel Lucero and wife Kathy. (oh, yes, and Meeko).

We spent the afternoon at a barbecue and pool party and Linda (Lucero) and Cornell Heitzman's home.

The warmth and generosity of the hispanic culture is cherished and time together is more valuable than gold.

Our nephew and UNM student, Danny, looks cool in the pool.

There was a pretty intense volleyball game going on and I think the teams were stacked....Catherine, Mitchell, and Stephanie against Danny... Maldo versus Maldos!

Mandy and Lily floating around in the pool. It was 96 degrees that day so any time in the pool was particularly refreshing.

Wherever she goes, Stephanie has to play sports...even in the pool!

3-year old Mabrie (one of Brice and Mandy's clan from Washington) stayed in the pool until her skin was as wrinkled as a 98-year old grandma! (Not that we know any 98-year old grandmas!)

Mitchell and buddy Wyatt spending more time in the pool. Apparently Wyatt is also a human cannonball.

Later that night, everyone settled down at the ranch to rest. Stephanie, Mabrie and Wyatt played a children's version of Cribbage. Hey, it's a math game and it kept them occupied for a while! Whew!

Contributing to this post is Steve Maldonado, dad extraordinaire.

MEET MEEKO

2007-08-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

This is Meeko!!

When we reached Cedarosa, Catherine got to pick up her new puppy, Meeko. (She named him after the raccoon in Disney's Pocahontas) He is just a little thing, but such a cute little thing!!

Alfredo, one of the cousins in Albuquerque, takes a look at Meeko. My goodness, Alfredo's head is twice as large as the pup!

UTAH to NEW MEXICO via . . .

2007-08-12T23:30:00.000-07:00

Our plans were to reach Cedarosa (the Maldo's ranch) by early evening Saturday. On the way we took a couple of unplanned detours...

The first detour was to the Emergency Department at the hospital in Price, Utah. While the doctors checked out Lily (malady: two ear infections), the kids took to the parking lot to play a little whiffle ball.

Mitchell gets set at bat while
Wyatt delivers the pitch!

Fortunately, the E.D. at Price was empty except for us so we were out and picking up meds at the local K-Mart in an hour. As we zipped through southern Utah, we spotted something cool, Arches National Park. It was a quick decision to stop and check it out...we are all glad that we did!

The geology is terrific at Arches! God is such a sculptor!!
Arches National Park preserves over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, like the world-famous Delicate Arch, as well as many other unusual rock formations. In some areas, the forces of nature have exposed millions of years of geologic history. The extraordinary features of the park create a landscape of contrasting colors, landforms and textures that is unlike any other in the world. (National Park Service)

Delicate Arch (below) ARCHES PICTURES COURTESY OF CATHERINE.

Balancing Rock (right)

The Richards family pose among the rocks.

The Maldonado kids with Delicate Arch in the background.

After spending some time at Arches National Park and a much-needed rest in Cortez, Colorado, we took a planned detour to Four Corners.

The Four Corners is the survey point at the intersection of the four U.S. states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona and the high desert plateau region surrounding that point in the southwestern United States. This is the only point in the United States where four states touch. Four Corners Monument is located at the coordinates 36°59′56.31532″N, 109°02′42.62019″W. (Wikipedia)

Mitchell

Catherine

Stephanie

Mandy, Brice and kids pose on the Four Corners.

From Four Corners it was a pretty straight and uneventful ride to Cedarosa.
We arrived at the ranch about 9:oo pm and settled in for the night!!
Fortunately mom had food waiting for us, including tortillas and green chili (yum).

CRUISIN' THE ROADS TO NEW MEXICO

2007-08-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

We took off from home shortly after 1o:oo on Thursday evening. It has been our practice, that on the first day of school each year, to take a picture of the kids at our front door. Since we are off to take Mitchell to college in New Mexico, we counted this as his first day and took the photo!

After 15 hours on the road through Washington, Oregon, Idaho and into Utah, we stopped in Provo, UT, for the night. Our friends, Brice and Mandy and their three children are traveling with us. (They are so brave!!)

Mandy sits out with Lily (15 months old) while Brice takes the plunge!

Mitchell and buddy Wyatt (5 years old) take to the pool together.

Running into the deep end....

...and taking the plunge!

Peace out, dudes!

HOW CUTE IS THAT DOGGIE?

2007-08-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

Mom's dog, Reno, sired two little pups, Abby and Meeko.

Which is Abby and which is Meeko? We cannot tell by this picture, but further investigation will reveal that the girl is Abby and the boy is Meeko.

When we arrive in New Mexico later this week, Catherine gets to pick up her puppy, Meeko!

We are so excited!!

RHODA!

2007-08-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is my good friend, Rhoda, who is like a sister to me! A number of years ago (I'm not telling HOW many years) we taught together at Longview Christian School. During part of that time she lived with us and we kept her down in the basement. :) Remember the Mary Tyler Moore show and "Rhoda" who lived in the attic of her building? Our friend's given name is actually "Ronda," but ... you get it, don't you?

About seven years ago Rhoda fell in love and married Greg. She moved to Illinois with him and together they have Meredith and Macey. What beautiful children!

Rhoda, Greg and family return to Washington often to visit family and friends. Last night we gathered at the house of Rhoda's cousin, Dennis, in Kalama. What a beautiful place and what a great place to play.

A view from above: This is just about half of the backyard!

Rhoda's brother-in-law, Bob, gets ready to launch a pass (left) while Greg (far right) confers with his team in the intense game on a summer evening.

Meredith and cousin Garett attempt to escape the garage into the backyard. Luckily I showed up just in time so they didn't need to break any windows.

Macey is 18 months and ready to race! She's so her momma's daughter!

Uncle Bob helps Meredith catch up with Garett on the trampoline.

How many cousins can you fit on the roof of a child's cottage?

Meredith tries to join the big girls on top the roof. Macey is happy to rule the great indoors.

Rhoda joins the girls (and Garett) aboard the trampoline. Auntie Rhoda is always a hit at family gatherings. . . her own and ours! Once when she went with us to New Mexico, my nephew Danny asked, "Rhoda, what's your nickname?" She also holds the title of Best Belcher on our side of the family. (I'm jealous.)

A Mommy Moment.

Rhoda and Meredith share a word as the sun goes down.

Rhoda's been teaching the gansta pose to her little protegee.

Macey is in da yard!

SUMMER VOLLEYBALL

2007-08-02T21:46:00.001-07:00

Volleyball has been a great experience for the girls and their families at TRCS. We started playing last Fall with a great coach, and this summer we were invited to play every Tuesday and Thursday in the hottest gym in Washington! It was a fantastic experience and we were able to maintain our streak...we haven't won a match yet! The girls continue to get compliments on their sportsmanship -- I'm very proud of the character they display every game. A win is just around the corner!

Coach on and off the court building team spirit and having fun!

Catherine works off court with buddies Grayson and Gavin.

Billy and Gavin take a rest between matches.

Our last three days of play found us with games at 5:oo and 8:oo. What to do with a two-hour break between games? We organized a parking lot potluck! What fun sharing food and sharing stories. There was plenty of play on the grass...volleyball, board games and some good old-fashioned tickle time!

Mitchell and Jackie hang out while some of the kids try to keep the volleyball aloft.

I had a chance to introduce Lane and Kayla to the game, Othello.

Everyone brought something to share for the meal between games.

On court the girls kept their focus and played hard through every minute of every game.

Miranda and Stephanie practice on the sidelines.

Some nights we did not have many high school girls show up so Miranda and Stephanie were able to jump in and lend a hand. Both girls are entering 6th grade in September and will play on our middle school squad.

On the court and in the game!

Catherine gets ready to serve her

killer serve.

Myriah goes high for a hit over the net in our final game.

GO TEAM!!

MATHEMATICAL MADNESS

2007-07-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

Math Camp for the students was about doing math in the real world...their world!

Kids did research on birds, in particular on birds' wingspan, length and weight. They presented their findings on graphs and analyzed their data by finding the mode, median, and range. They also presented their work in front of their peers.

The kids did it...that's one of the valuable things about camp! Teachers guide and kids do a lot.

We moved from birds to airplanes (keeping the "Flight" theme) by constructing Bernoulli Bird Kites. There is lots of geometry to discuss while building these birds and students conducted test flights with an electric fan.

< Ashley tests her Bernoulli Bird Kite

Cazzie sends her Dart down the runway. (Below)

From there students constructed paper airplanes (in school?!), tested them on runways, gathered data on tables and graphed the data. Again they analyzed their data finding the mode, median, range and mean. They each made a poster and presented their work in our small group. Sounds a whole lot like what I've done while working with scientists from UW and Loyola Marymount. Real world stuff!

This is why airtraffic controllers are so important. Imagine all these planes taking off at once! It's a wonder no one lost an eye!

I even got to send my 18" Dart paper airplane down the runway!

The other piece of Math Camp for students is Math Academy. This is a 40-minute time period we spent in the cafeteria playing games. It's a sneaky way to get kids to think mathematically and interact with one another.

This young lady, Courtney, taught me to play Othello. >

Blockus (below) is one game I did not learn during camp. Up to four players can participate at once and I hear it is fun. Something for me to learn next year!

One boy challenged me to Connect Four which I had not played since my kids were little. It's kind of like tic-tac-toe yet you have to get four in a row. That young man beat me four times before I finally beat him...talk about a humbling experience.

I was warned that after two weeks of Math Camp I would be pooped. So true! Yet if you ask me, or any of the teachers who attended, it has been energy well spent! We're all looking forward to doing it again next year.

MORE MATH INSTITUTE

2007-07-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

My colleague, Kay, with whom I get to teach every day during Math Camp. Bratty, eh? Kay is wild and crazy and I sure dig working with her this summer!

MATH INSTITUTE

2007-07-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

Someone said, "Math" and I said, "Where?"

That's what I replied when a former collegue walked into the meeting and asked what I was doing there.

Yep, someone said that there was a math institute this summer and I found out how I could get involved. It's for two weeks (July 16 - 27) and there are two aspects: kids come in for Math Camp from 9:oo - 11:3o and teachers receive training from 12:3o - 3:00. That's what I call, "FUN." Today's session was for teachers only, ran from 9 to 3, and the time flew! They feed us lunch too, so how can we go wrong? Math + Munchies = Happy Teachers.

The Math Institute is run by one of the local school districts and I am grateful that our Christian school can participate. I get to team-teach with that former collegue for the next two weeks and work with kids who just finished grades 6-8. woo hoo!

This year's theme features flight and

is entitled, "Wingspan: Measurements

and Data Analysis." I'm quite unsure as to all that is involved, but I do know that we get to make and fly paper airplanes at the end!

A DAY IN SEATTLE

2007-07-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

The kids and I arrived in Seattle just about 4:oo pm on Thursday and split at 4:oo pm on Friday. In those 24 hours, we had a terrific day!

I have a t-shirt that reads, "Life is Jesus...everything else is baseball" and that pretty well reflects my view of the game. I love it! Thursday evening we were able to catch the first game of the second half of the season...the Mariners opened it 2.5 games behind the Angels and battling Detroit for the Wild Card. We were pretty much guaranteed a great game against the Tigers and we got it! Two controversial plays, one player tossed and the Mariners ending up on top 3-2! What a game!

_______________________________

Our veiw from section 180, row 1.

The other highlight was meeting up with my friend, Danielle. She had never attended a major league game before, so the kids and I were happy to introduce her to the Bigs this way!

Arriving at Safeco...

...and waiting for the game to begin.

During the game Danielle let her hair down and the kids had a screamin' good time!

We don't know what happened with Ichiro, though. Our MVP went 0 for 3 for the night.

We took these pictures from our seats in left field using Catherine's camera. Cool zoom, eh?

SPACE NEEDLE

2007-07-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

We're no geniuses, but we did stay in a Holiday Inn Express after the Mariners game.

Here's a view of the hotel from high atop the Space Needle.
After spending the night together, the kids, Danielle and I set out to see some of Seattle. Within walking distance of our hotel were the Experience Music Project (EMP) and the Space Needle.

Photography is not allowed within EMP so I have no pictures of Mitchell and Stephanie jamming on guitars in a sound room and no pictures of Danielle on the electric drums. The four of us took a turn in a recording booth to talk about music. For 1.5 minutes we shared our experiences of "First Concerts" -- from the Beach Boys, to N Sync and dc Talk. If the folks at EMP have no objections, our recording will air in the Oral History exhibit.

After lunch we bought our tickets to ride up the glass elevator 520 feet to the observation deck of Seattle's Space Needle at a rate of 10 mph. What a view!

Thursday, as we arrived in Seattle, the high temp reached 82 F and at game time it was a beautiful 75 F at Safeco Field. Friday's high was 77 F so we had a comfortable day to walk around and enjoy this part of the city.

Mommy/daughter preciousness.

No wind on the observation helped me relax while so high.

Who could go to Seattle, ride up to the top of the Space Needle and NOT stop for coffee?! Not I!

(It was not Starbucks.)

Back on the ground we pose on some hot artwork and get ready to part ways.

The kids got a good taste of Canada without crossing the border! Thanks, Danielle.

FOURTH OF JULY

2007-07-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Fourth landing on Wednesday is so weird! It leads to a day off in the middle of the week...and just one day off! So we did our best to join the rest of America in her day of celebration as we headed to Lake Sacajawea. Lake Sacajawea is in the center of town and is the hot spot throughout the year. There are 3.5 miles of trails around the 120-acre lake and park for bicyclists, joggers and walkers. There are also numerous play areas, the Japanese Gardens and Martin's Dock. On the Fourth, the place buzzes with activity!

Jackie and Mitchell ^

We started our day at the lake with the Fourth of July parade at 10:00. The skies were clear and temperatures soared to 85 degrees -- a gorgeous day!

Stephanie and Steve, the dad. ^

Catherine surrounded by good friends, Lauren and Josh. Catherine spent most of her day hanging with friends at the lake. She's got wonderful friends from school and we have no problem letting her loose. Not that she's unsupervised...we have plenty of extra eyes around town and cell phone capabilities.

By 7:00 pm Steve and I were done. I had put three hours in at the school's coffee shack making "Polar Freezes" (the beautiful aroma of coffee!) and was pooped. Steve was done too after spending the whole day in the sun, so we scooted home leaving the kids among friends for the 10:00 fireworks show. I was fast asleep by 10:45 when Steve returned to the lake to pick them up.

PICTURE THE FOURTH

2007-07-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hanging out at Lake Sacagawea gives me opportunity to run into many school buddies. Here are some co-workers and students (current and former) we encountered.

SUMMER '07

2007-06-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

It's officially SUMMER!

School's out...June 21 has come...and the sun is still shining at 9:00 P.M. It's time for flip-flops, shorts and staying up too late. It's also time for me to slow down and breathe. This is great.

Last night Steve, the girls and I went to a Youth Worship Meeting where our son, Mitchell, was part of the worship team. It was awesome! Three hours of LOUD worship music punctuated by "spiritual exercises," scripture reading and testimonies. Wow. Definitely geared for teens. And I so loved it! It was an added blessing to see about 10 of my current and/or former students in attendance. (I cannot describe what that means to me.)

One of the scriptures that was shared was Hebrews 10:39 "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."

I like that: DO NOT SHRINK BACK.

FATHER'S DAY '07

2007-06-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day, Steve! Love, your kids.

ENGINEERING DESIGN EXPERIENCE

2007-06-16T14:14:00.001-07:00

Ninth graders presented their final products of the Engineering Design Experience Wednesday, June 13, before students and a review panel of teachers.

All teams approached the 3 meter track with hopes of covering the distance in less than 3 seconds.
None succeeded.

For a month students worked in science class on the Engineering Design Experience (sponsored by World in Motion and SAE). Working in teams they collected consumer information and learned about gears in order to design and build a motorized vehicle that would appeal to girls 6 - 10 years of age. Although no team met the speed goal, each learned much about design, teamwork, perseverance and dipomacy. I have plans to expand the project next year.

BUILD A BUG

2007-05-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

Seventh grade Life Science has been fun this year with dissecting flowers, earthworms, and squid. In the next week or so we will dissect frogs.
Besides taking critters apart, my students have put together some pretty cool ones as we've studied insects. Here are a few pictures of seventh grade entomologists building their own bugs.

<----Kody and Derek

Tony and Sean ---->

After three class periods to get the project started, students used their lunchtime to finish up. The insects were constructed of papier-mache', paint, pipe cleaners, hot glue and plenty of scientific imagination. We figure that God was pretty creative when he made all of us, so we were pretty creative in coming up with new bugs.

Dawnell attaches jointed legs to the thorax of her
"Blue Footed Referee Wasp."

Jon's joy is complete!

The metamorphosis of Jeff's creature is still in process.

TOURNAMENT

2007-05-19T20:48:00.001-07:00

This weekend Stephanie and her team have their first tournament of the season. We were all looking forward to it and then...

... during last Tuesday's game Stephanie took a swing at an inside pitch. Rather than making contact with the bat, the ball smacked into Stephanie's hand breaking two of her fingers. Ouch! Steph's out for the rest of the season.

Instead of helping the team out from behind the plate, Stephanie cheered from the dugout. She cheered and enjoyed hot cocoa on this cold morning.

The team dropped all three games Saturday...some sad. It rained (hard) during the second game so when that game ended we headed home. It's one thing to be supportive, but we are not crazy enough to sit in the rain all afternoon. We'll catch up with the team after church on Sunday to see how the tournament finishes up.

Not only does Stephanie miss out on the remainder of the softball season, she is going to miss her basketball tournament next month in Spokane. And with those fingers out of commission she can't play the clainet so she's out of band for the rest of the school year, and she's off the worship team at church since she cannot grip her drumstick. Bummer. I'm very glad that she didn't break the other two fingers instead! Imagine that!

FASTPITCH

2007-04-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

Here's my girl, Catherine, with her fastpitch team.

I'm digging this picture of Catherine at bat not only because she's got a great stance, but in the background, sitting in the stands is her little sister, Stephanie.

Catherine has a menacing swing and I love to hear the opposing coach shout out to his fielders, "Take a step back!" When she connects (we encourage her to lay off the high ones) she sends the ball sailing! This season she's had a couple of doubles already. Once on base, this kid has wheels; she's an aggressive runner!

Catherine plays ball for our local public high school even though she attends Christian school. I love the fact that since we are still paying taxes, we have access to public school services. So here's my girl covering second base, playing ball and making friends.

IT WAS YOU

2007-04-25T11:00:00.001-07:00

Every day I receive a devotional via email from the Christian Women Today site. (There's a link to the site on my blog -- CWT-- as I benefit greatly from hanging out there.)
This morning the devotion was entitled, It Was You .

In Psalm 74:13-17 the author declares,
"It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters. It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert. It was you who opened up springs and streams; you dried up the ever flowing rivers. The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon. It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter."

Besides appealing to my love of Earth Science, I mark these verses because the author of the devotional pointed out that in these verses the Lord's power is seen in troublesome times. (To know that He broke the heads of the monster, you have to be aware of the monster in the first place! Scary monster.)
The author of the devotional encourages us to have a "personal litany of praise" with reminders of how the Lord has intervened for us. So here's mine. (The author shared hers in the devotional which you may access at http://www.tmdevotionals.com/women/ )

It was you, Lord, who brought me through the stormy sea;
you led me when I had no idea what to do.
It was you who opened the doors to teaching.
You gave me peace and healed me.
You gave me a family -- Steve, the children, and more.
You gave me courage when I was shaken and stability when I tripped.
It was you who brought me through sadness and preserved my life.
I will praise you.

Now it's your turn. How about taking time to write your own "litany of praise"? I would love to read it.

WE ARE FAMILY

2007-04-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

EASTER, 2007

Mitchell, Catherine,

Cindy, Steve and Stephanie

OPENING DAY

2007-04-14T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today was opening day for girls' softball. At 9:00 this morning we were at the ballpark for the annual Softball Jamboree!

Yesterday the weather forecasters said that today would bring cold temps and rain, RAIN, RAIN. We got the cool temps (high: 55 degrees F) but were blessed with partly cloudy skies and NO RAIN.

There was a year when our three kids played ball at three different locations throughout town and Steve and I played tag-team parenting effectively. Today was Stephanie's day as she's the only one still playing city ball.

Behind the plate Stephanie is an intense catcher...chasing down a wild pitch, digging one out of the dirt and patiently waiting for the pitch to come in.

The whole game was a blast! Stephanie played catcher and second base, tagging a runner for the final out of the game. It's a good thing that the girls wear helmets while on base as Stephanie almost took the runner's head off! Stephanie's team ended up on top with the score 14-8. Next game is on Tuesday!

KIDS

2007-04-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

Mitchell.

Catherine.

Stephanie.

Altogether now at Christmas. The sky was clear and the sun was bright, but it was so chilly! The scarves are not worn for fashion.

CEDAROSA

2007-04-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

Cedarosa is the family ranch in New Mexico.

Catherine took this picture of the
windmill at the pond and
played with it on the computer.

I love the results.

A couple of views from the main house. There is an arroyo, but water rarely flows through it. Heavy rains last year allowed for some flow.
The ranch is quiet, open, and simply beautiful. I love to sit at the pond, read, meditate and talk to God. At night the skies are cluttered with stars. I always take a constellation map to the ranch. During the summer monsoon season, thunderstorms roll in each afternoon. It's fun to watch the lightning play off the surrounding mountains, and the rains are refreshing!

Steve's folks moved to Cedarosa after living for years in Los Angeles. When they sold their floor covering business and retired, dad's dream of living on a ranch came true. He built a beautiful house, rode the horses with his grandchildren and got everyone involved in branding cattle.

This was his place to be with family.

In February of 2005, Dad passed away after a long, tough battle with cancer. He is buried on Cedarosa.

MY BOYS

2007-03-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

These are my boys...up top are my husband, Steve, and his brother, Danny. Down below are the primos, Danny, Alfredo, and my Mitchell. The three boys were born about the same time...Alfredo in November, Danny in December and Mitchell followed in April! Dad referred to them as "My Three Grandsons." Now all three have graduated from high school (this picture is from Alfredo's graduation) and are attending college. God has blessed me with wonderful men!

POLAR SCIENCE

2007-03-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Friday was a spectacular day! I took nineteen 8th grade students (and three chaperones) to Seattle's Pacific Science Center to experience "Polar Science Weekend 2oo7." It was so cool!

Me and my posse!

I had never been to the P.S.C. but had been wanting to go for so long. It was worth the wait.
The students received "passports" for the Polar Exhibit and of course I required that they get the passports stamped at each station. There were many researchers in attendance so I encouraged students to ask questions. (I gave extra credit points if students asked questions and got autographs from the researchers.) I got only 3 out of 10 stamps on my passport as I stopped at one station and chatted at length with a researcher who places moorings in the Arctic Ocean. Many of her instruments were similar to instruments I have seen used at hydrothermal vent sites. It was fun discussing research at some of the world's coldest and hottest spots. Makes me want to run out and find a teacher program that will send me to an arctic region for a little while!

One of the big exhibits at P.S.C. is Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body. Although it was not on our agenda, there is no way on earth you can keep a group of junior high school boys from diving into this one. I had to pull them out of a huge nostril (the little buggers) to get them over to the Polar Exhibit! To the boys' pleasure, this exhibit continued into the restrooms:

The day was a great success...the kids got into the science and I think they learned a lot and laughed a lot. The ride home took 3 hours and the kids chatted and played cards and seemed to enjoy just being together.

Aw, the pleasures of teaching!

COWBOY CHURCH

2007-02-24T22:57:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of "Cowboy Church"?

Not something I heard of while growing up in Los Angeles, but I'm not in L.A. any more.

A couple, a wonderful older couple, hosts Cowboy Church once a month at our church. Tonight Steve and I went dragging Stephanie along. (The two older kids went to Snow Camp this weekend.)

We had a terrific time! I've never seen cowboy hats worn in church before but they were there, and two teenage boys turned their violins into fiddles. It was great! I have come to realize that country life suits me better than the fast-paced, crowded city life (though I wouldn't consider where I live "country" really). Oh well. God is showing me new things almost every day!

PSALM 148

2007-02-16T22:57:00.000-08:00

Psalm 148

Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD from the heavens,

praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
you mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all cattle,

small creatures and flying birds,

for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

Praise the LORD.

WINTER FORMAL

2007-02-07T22:36:00.000-08:00

Winter Formal
Saturday, January 27

Catherine got together with some girlfriends to attend the school's Winter Formal at the historic Monticello Ballroom.

Nicole, Keela, Catherine and Lauren have been together since 1st grade. Catherine and Keela actually shared the hospital nursery as they were born only a day apart!

Are they not beautiful?!

It's so much fun watching my girl grow and maintain important relationships.

ANCORA IMPARO

2007-01-29T14:33:00.000-08:00

"Ancora Imparo" Apparently it's Latin for "I am still learning." It is my battle cry.

Yesterday I heard a message in church about process. In James 1:13-15 we are given the process by which evil desire "gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
Moving on in James 1, starting with verse 22 and continuing through verse 25, we are given a more uplifting process: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says....the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does." That's a great process to follow.

I have a birthday coming up and have been thinking of how busted-up old I am going to be. But then a good friend passed away suddenly at the age of 88. Doing the math...I have more than 40 years of living to catch up with her. Life is a process and I have a lot more learning to do!

MITCHELL & JACKIE

2007-01-22T22:42:00.000-08:00

2006

Poolside in California
and at the Winter Formal

A couple of hippies at Halloween! Mitchell is looking into the College of Sante Fe, a liberal arts college. I think he'll fit in!

DISNEYLAND

2007-01-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

This year we celebrated Christmas with family and friends in California.
Disneyland was a great adventure!!

MITCHELL

2006-10-22T22:42:00.000-07:00

This is our son, Mitchell, with his two loves.

Since he was a little guy, Mitchell has loved to dress up. Now he's in the big league learning costume design from youth leader, Dave. What a dynamic duo!

STEPHANIE

2006-10-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

Here's our youngest, Stephanie.

She's quite the character!

With her primo, Alfredo, doing the football thang,

and with Grandma Helen in Washington, D.C.

CATHERINE

2006-10-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

This is my daughter, Catherine. She loves photography, fashion and sports.

KIDS WITH KAYLA

2006-10-08T22:19:00.000-07:00

Kids at Fort Clatsop with their cousin, Kayla.

FAMILY GUYS

2006-10-08T22:11:00.000-07:00

My boys above, Steve and Mitchell,

and

With the folks in California.

At North Head Lighthouse

2006-10-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

Wondering what the future holds.