A Day at the Beach

So we decided to take a day to play Labor Day weekend, since we have been either traveling back and forth between Bellingham and Newberg, or have been working to get unpacked and moved in. I made the executive decision to find the nearest beach on Saturday, so we traveled the 65 miles or so to Lincoln City. It is a great Oregon Coast town, complete with tourist shops, seafood restaurants, and best of all... a beach or two. (There is also an outlet mall, but fortunately for my pocket book when Nicholle asked to go, the kids were already wet and sandy, so we were in no condition to shop!) We did however notice one particular difference between Oregon coast beaches and the beaches of Bellingham and Birch Bay, SAND! Usually the weather can be a little unpredictable, with fog and cool windy temperatures being the norm. But Newberg was over 90 degrees, and the weather in Lincoln City was 80 Degrees and sunny with only a hint of a breeze, the perfect day! (annecdotally, I guess Sunday and Monday the fog was pretty thick all day) The kids had a great time!

The big waves from afar.....

Franny's "fear" as they approached (notice the size)

Juan doing what Juan does best.....we're just not sure what it is...

Happy kids that slept well on Saturday night!

We have decided to do more beach exploring in the future, and should anyone else decide to go, feel free to stop by, we are on the way!

Thirteen Months????? Really?????

Now that's just ridiculous! Our lives have changed dramatically in the last 13 months! The kids are all a year older, I changed jobs, we moved and for the first time in 16 years plus neither Nicholle or I have any callings in church (probably soon to change however). There is no way I can cover the last 13 months, so I am vowing right now to be more regular about updating this, especially since most of you who at one time followed us are no longer around us every day.... Suffice it to say, we are now living in a small town about 20 miles southwest of Portland called Newberg. It is small, about 25,ooo people but we love it. Originally a Quaker community, Newberg is home to George Fox University, a private liberal arts college sponsored by the quakers. I commute to Beaverton for work each day, not a bad drive at all, compared to the last 10 years of driving to Everett and back. Work has been getting better each day, and I finally feel like I am fitting in after 8 months. The kids all just started school and seem to be making friends, since both Mario and Franny have birthday parties to attend next weekend after their soccer games.

And then there is soccer. This seems to become our lives until November. And they are only playing rec league soccer with the parks and rec department. Fortunately they all have great coaches and are learning a lot, especially Juan, He even scored a goal in his game on Saturday! Having 3 children in sports is just plain crazy, and I have a new found respect for my parents and what they went through with several of us playing baseball at the same time! Fortunately for us, all three coaches scheduled practices for the same days of the week at the same field, so Nicholle just picks the kids up after school, gets them changed and hangs out at the practice field, Kindle in hand from 4 to 7 each Tuesday and Thursday. What a trooper! The kids really love the game, and Dad is finally figuring out the rules, having chosen baseball over soccer as a kid.

We will try to get some pictures posted in the next couple of days, and try to be better about keeping this thing up and going!