We Finished!

Today was the Vernonia 1/2 Marathon, and we are surprised and happy to say that we actually finished it! We came in last place, but we didn't mind because we weren't sure we would make it, given that training was pretty sporadic, we all slept horribly last night, and we weren't feeling 100%. The weather hung in there for us which was nice. Most of us enjoyed the scenery :) Dad was a huge help in dropping us off at the starting line and picking us up at the finish line, so we didn't have to take a bus back to the high school. Afterwards we went to Helvetia and chowed down on onion rings, burgers, fish and chips, and sandwiches. We had to make sure that all of the calories we burned were immediately consumed! The pictures are from my phone, so they're not the greatest. We are looking forward to bringing the kids back on the trail for a long bike ride.

Sunday Relaxation Time

After an extremely busy week, we enjoyed some family time today by playing spoons, Rat-a-tat Cat, and Spot It. Peter and I went on a 6-mile walk and saw our friends and ended up walking with them for a few miles. Peter grilled delicious steaks, and I made some bland mashed potatoes and edamame. Afterwards we all went out to the new yogurt shop that just opened by our house. We are trying to get used to having both Peter and I both working full time again, driving the kids to three different sports, keeping up with the house, etc. One thing that really helped me this week was when I was putting Kelsey to bed after one of our busiest nights, she said, "Mom, I learned today that there are some girls who don't get to go to school because they have to walk for miles to get water for their families. Then when they get up the next day they have to go back to get more water." I really needed to hear that to help put all of our "busy ness" in perspective. One day I think I would really like to go on a mission trip with Kelsey. She has such a heart for other people.

The Beach

We had so much fun with our good friends at their house in Cannon Beach. It was actually sunny for several hours Friday afternoon and for the 4 hours that we were in Seaside on Saturday. We played lots of games and screamed very loudly while playing spoons! The kids enjoyed feeding the seagulls, writing their names on the beach, playing leapfrog, visiting every candy shop in town, trying on crazy hats (Peter liked this, too!), going on the bumper cars, watching tons of movies, and getting to eat snacks all day :) Thanks to the Brocks for inviting us - we had a wonderful time!

New Grill!

Peter loves to barbecue and has been wanting to buy a new gas grill for quite awhile. He had set aside his Christmas money to put towards a grill, and we decided that we would buy one after he got a job. He ordered it online and saved $150 by putting it together himself. He got it all put together in just a couple hours, and we celebrated the first day of spring by having a barbecue. The food was delicious! The best news of all was that Conner actually liked the burgers. When Peter grilled using our charcoal barbecue, Conner was always disappointed because he can't stand the taste of food cooked this way. Needless to say, he was disappointed a lot because we barbecue almost every week in the summer and early fall! Maybe I'll actually learn how to use it since it is so much easier than our other grill.

Peter's First Day

Peter started his new job yesterday at the United Way and really enjoyed his first day. He thinks he will enjoy working downtown - he gets to listen to his podcasts while riding the MAX and also can have lunch at the many food carts that are downtown. We were all so glad to see him when he got home from work. We have been wanting him to find work, but we were also sad because he won't be around as much! The girls have loved having him at home in the mornings and having hot biscuits for snack after school. He has done lots of projects, kept up with all the laundry, grocery shopping, carpooling, etc.! Last night Kelsey wanted to make him his favorite cookies to celebrate his new job. All on her own, she made molasses cookies, wrote him a note, and brewed up some coffee with his favorite raspberry syrup in it. I am amazed by how thoughtful she is - you should have seen the look on Peter's face when he came home from picking up Conner from golf and saw a big plate of warm, molasses cookies waiting for him!

Bread Class

Peter and I had so much fun today at a cooking class we took in Cannon Beach (thanks to a very generous Christmas gift certificate from Mom and Dad). We learned how to make several kinds of breads as well as breadsticks, pretzels, dinner rolls, braided bread, and cinnamon rolls. There were only 6 people in the class, including us, so it was a nice small group. We enjoyed everyone in the class, and the teacher was great. We took home so much bread that we had to freeze it! We also got a "starter" and learned all about feeding the starter. The weather was beautiful (sunny and no wind!) so we were able to walk a little bit before and after class. Of course we stopped at our favorite coffee shop. It was good, even though i could barely taste it. I finally went to the doctor today to get an antibiotic for a sinus infection, so I will soon be able to taste and smell again! We are very excited to start baking some delicious bread!

God is so good!

Wow - what a day we had today! On Monday I received a call from my doctor's office that they found "an area of concern" on my mammogram and needed to schedule me for a follow up "diagnostic" appointment. When I asked the person on the phone what the concern was, they told me that the radiologist and technician would talk to me about it at the appointment. They said that they would be doing another mammogram and possibly an ultrasound. It didn't sound good so I was pretty worried. I tried praying, reading my Bible, and listening to inspirational music, but I felt pretty numb. This morning, I read Psalm 46 that said, "God is my strength and my refuge, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore, I will not fear...." It was exactly what I needed to read. Peter and my mom went with me to my appointment at 9:00. I was so grateful to have them there. The technician did the mammogram, and results should no indication of any cancer. I guess it was so obvious that nothing was wrong that I never even saw the radiologist! Needless to say, we were extremely relieved and very, very happy! We were out of the hospital within 20-25 minutes. It's amazing how just a few hours earlier, I had no idea whether they would find absolutely nothing or find cancer. Tonight I feel like I've been given a special gift of appreciating things a little more and not being bothered by "the little things." Hopefully, I won't quickly forget these lessons. To top off the good news about my health, Peter got a call from United Way who offered him a position with their agency! This was his first interview since being out of work and got offered a position after only having one interview! He will let them know tomorrow whether he will accept the position, as he wants to negotiate salary a little bit. So, that was our day today. We are all grateful and thankful and go to bed tonight with very happy hearts :)