Last Day of Winter 2014

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring!  I realized the other day that I am really looking forward to summer here, to it staying light out until nearly 10 PM so that we have lots of time for fun in the evenings.  When it gets warm enough, we'll be frequenting some beaches nearby, especially Lake Wilderness!  I am planning to take the kids back up to Mt. Rainier this weekend for one final sledding adventure though.

Another milestone is coming up.  March 29th will mark our one year anniversary of buying our home in Maple Valley.  I am as in love with this place today as I was a year ago.  I do still miss my friends back in Illinois.  Perhaps in the years to come I'll have successfully persuaded a few to move west ... but for the near future, in a few short weeks we'll be heading to Illinois for a SUPER visit.  I call it that because not only will we be seeing lots of Illinoisan friends, but the many family members also heading there for my brother's wedding!

I'm a bit picture crazy ... Spring is upon us!  This was taken in the parking lot at Kent Station where the AMC Theatre closest to us is.

And these were taken at the Lake Wilderness Arboretum.

And here are a few other recent photos, from Cougar Mountain about 35 minutes north of us.

Lastly, I have lost seven lbs since January!

It's My Birthday!

I realized last night that my birthday is the last of our first birthdays living here in Washington.  My Mom's was in May, Zach's was in June, Evey's was in November, and Jeff's was yesterday.  Odd tidbit ... not really of any significance, but I thought of it so I'm sharing, ha ha.

Since my last post we revisited the sledding area at Mt. Rainier National Park.  We went on Superbowl Sunday and had a lot of fun again, despite it being less sunny this time.  Here's one photo I took on a bridge crossing over the Nisqually River.

Next week I took three days off work because Evey's school is closed for its mid-winter break ... bizarre to me since they have winter break and spring break as well!  I figure we'll have a good time further exploring things to do around here.  I have a couple ideas so far.  Visiting the Black Diamond Museum and the Cedar River Watershed Education Center.

On another note, I can safely say that working out and eating better have finally become habit again!  I have a long way to go, but there has been progress since we started this at the beginning of January!  I have lost about five pounds so far, hurray!

First Time Sledding at Mt. Rainier

The kids and I ventured up to Mt. Rainier National Park this past Sunday to sled at Paradise.  I was a little nervous heading to the Park in the winter, hoping the winding road up the mountain wouldn't be covered in snow and ice.  Luckily, the road was pretty clear, though as required my tire chains are in my trunk.  I had practiced at home that morning and was successful, but that still didn't mean having to use them in "real life" would be fun.

The highway into the Park from the north is closed during the winter so we had to drive the long way around and head in from the south.  It was still a pretty drive.  As we gained altitude we left the fog blanketing the lowlands and were greeted by clear blue skies and a spectacular view of the mountain.

My choice in heading out there Sunday was in part due to the thought that most Washingtonians would be at home fixated on their TVs watching the Seahawks game.  That and it was supposed to be a sunny day up there!  I was right on both accounts - there were still plenty of people around, but not obnoxiously so!

Our day of sledding got off to a rocky start when the brand new sled I had purchased broke into several pieces on the second time down the hill.  Luckily, we were able to purchase two sleds at the Visitor Center, and for a very reasonable price!  Evey also had a few moments of grumpiness, but once she ditched her coat (the sun was quite warm and the temp was about 40) and we found her misplaced mittens, and stopped trying to sled down the biggest two hills, we had a wonderful time.  I don't think I've ever had so much fun sledding before!

This is a view downhill toward the Paradise Inn and the Tatoosh Mountain Range in the distance to the south.

Goofy little Zach in his snowsuit for the first time!

This was the best spot we found to sled!

I learned on this trip that, while not so far this season, normally more snow falls at Paradise than anywhere else in the lower 48 states!

Now I'm going to get sentimental.  A few times, I paused with purpose to soak in our surroundings.  The colors of blue, green, and white were so brilliantly bold.  The sun was warm on our faces and the air was cool and fresh.  Even though I was chasing the kids around, constantly picking Zach up off the ground, and in general trying to keep the peace, I did feel at peace.  Surrounded by such beauty it was almost impossible not to.  I read this quote from John Muir at the Visitor Center: "Of all the fire-mountains, which, like beacons, once blazed along the Pacific Coast, Mount Rainier is the noblest in form."

On our drive home, once we had descended to a certain altitude, I could clearly see the thick fog ahead waiting to re-envelope us in its misty haze.  I had lots of time to think, seeing as the drive was roughly two hours long, and my thoughts turned to comparing Mount Rainier and Mammoth Cave.  Mt. Rainier reaches over 14,000 feet into the heavens a short 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean while Mammoth Cave's passages twist and turn for over 400 miles beneath the rolling, green hills of south central Kentucky.  Both are majestic and unseen.  Sure, on many days we can see Mount Rainier, but there are more days where she remains entirely hidden in clouds, sometimes clouds of her own making!  I guess it's apparent that both caves and mountains fascinate me, a balm to my soul.  Their beauty and mystery call to me in an almost indescribable way.  I think perhaps it's that I can't separate my heart from what they are ... nature?  We are all part of it, from the tiniest of pine cones to the largest of caverns.  From sweet newborn infant feet to the aged eyes of an elderly man who has seen so very much in his life.  There are no words.

Time To Get Fit

Due to some familial peer pressure, I decided to officially join a gym, Maple Valley Fitness.  My mom has been going to the gym, albeit a different one, for a long time now and back in November Jeff joined Maple Valley Fitness.  Since I had made an unofficial resolution for 2014 to get my butt seriously back on track I decided to go with it.

We're both seeing personal trainers now, although I'll probably just see mine a handful of times so I can learn what things will help me the most and then maybe I'll make follow up appointments throughout the year.  According to my evaluation last week, losing about 12 lbs and gaining lean muscle are what's on the table for me to get healthy.  Since I'm blogging it, it means I refuse to fail!  I am, however, not brave enough to post any before pictures!!  I am tracking my weight and measurements weekly though.  Perhaps if they make me happy I'll post those in a few weeks!

I am really enjoying our gym so far.  The people there have been friendly even though I still feel awkward when I'm there.  I've never been a gym rat ... but I'm getting used to going.  It's especially nice that they have a kids room so we can bring Evey and Zach along to play.  Both Jeff and I are going three to four times a week.  Onward and upward!

Hello, 2014!

Oh yeah, I have a blog, ha ha!  Thanks must go to my dear friend Ralph for reminding me that not everyone is on Facebook and that some of my distant friends (and family) may rely on this for updates about our lives!  So, here goes.  We quietly welcomed in the new year this year, not that past years were very elaborate or exciting! We let the kids stay up to watch the New York Ball drop and then at our midnight we watched the fireworks display all over the Space Needle. Hands down, the Space Needle show wins, at least as far as watching it on TV goes!

The first time we set foot in Washington was mid-February last year so it's almost been one year.  We'll have been officially living here for one year on March 29th.  Since my last update, we drove to Arizona and back, and I flew with Zach to Kentucky.  Both trips had their trials, but were well worth it to see family and friends!

Autumn in Washington was beautiful.  There are enough deciduous trees here in the "lowlands" that we get to see the colors change still.  I heard it was a drier Fall season than the area has seen in awhile, and that worries me sometimes.  We need the rain here, to keep our ecology healthy.  Climate Change 101?

Speaking of Autumn, Evey started first grade this year at Lake Wilderness Elementary School.  She is doing very well, her reading skills have improved vastly since the start of the year.  They are learning about Australia this semester which should be fun!  Grandma has been to both Australia and New Zealand ... maybe one day I will go, too.

Our next big trip will happen in April when we all fly back to Illinois for two weeks for my brother and Melinda's wedding!  It will be great to see everyone living there and lots of family coming in from all over the country.  I'm sure it will also be a bit chaotic, wanting to spend time with so many different people over a relatively short period.

Ahh, dear Illinois ... of course nature decides to dump two and a half feet of wonderful snow the winter after I leave!  I am jealous of all that beautiful white fluffy stuff they got.  However, I am not jealous of the brutal cold that tagged along with it.  It has been in the low 40s here most of winter.  We did get a wee bit of snow a couple times.  The Friday before winter break we got "enough" snow that schools closed down!  Here are a couple images.  Granted the folks around here aren't used to a lot of snow, this still makes me giggle.

Another state comparison ... when there's no snow in Illinois in the winter, the land tends to be fairly drab and brown.  Here, it's still incredibly green.  Also, I can safely say I have seen more fog in the last few months than I have ever seen in my whole life!  I've been obsessed with exploring since we moved ... both on foot and vehicular.  Here are some recent hiking adventures we've gone on.

On one vehicular exploration trip I took the kids out near the northwestern edge of the Mt. Rainier National Park.  We didn't make it to the Park, but that didn't matter anyway because this entrance is closed during the winter.  I turned around when the wind and rain combined with the mountainous road began to make me feel uneasy.  My tire chains have not yet arrived so there's only so far up I can go in altitude.  Before reaching that point though, we had crossed a scarily narrow bridge over a deep chasm!  Good times!

Here's a parting image of Mt. Rainier from another hike we went on, in relation to our house and the mountain.  Maybe I'm weird, but I like to see stuff like this!

Where have I been?

Many years ago when I lived in Arizona we'd visit a restaurant called Luke's on occasion. Chicago-themed, the place is resplendent with decor of the city, especially sports themed paraphernalia. On the tables under glass are actual photographs and postcards and I always found myself drawn to one in particular. The image below isn't it, but you get the idea. Brrr. In the sweltering heat of a summer day, gazing at this photo was a breath of cool, fresh air.

It has been a year and a half since my last post. Why am I bothering to write? Where would I start? So much has happened since my last entry! The biggest change would have to be our cross country move from the suburbs of Chicago to the state of Washington, about an hour southeast of Seattle. We have lived here for five and a half months and now as life's more mundane aspects plop themselves down on our daily lives with increasing frequency I have felt a growing urge to not let go of how this beautiful new state has so captured my heart. My mom and I still frequently joke with each other about how it feels like we're on vacation except for the fact that we have to go to work during the week! So, I've returned to my blog. Yes, I post a lot, including pictures, of our new life on Facebook, but it's not always enough. I can't fully express my thoughts in such short blurbs. In my soul, I am a writer. I have been since before I could write words (as a small child I drew picture stories).

So, what the heck is going on with this all-over-the-place blog post? Well, I started with how seeing a photograph of Chicago made me feel back when I lived in Arizona because now that I am in Washington no photograph could ever make me miss that area. That does not, however, diminish in any regard how much I do miss my friends and family still there. If my brother had invented teleportation like he was supposed to (according to my world) then life would be so, so grand, ha ha! For as much as I adore my new state I still have a travel bug and the whole world fascinates me. I would never in a million years move back to Arizona, but next week we are taking a road trip there and I am excited! In October I'm heading to my beloved south central Kentucky, home of Mammoth Cave.

Let me tell you what the Pacific Northwest, in my limited experience, is not. It is not gloomy. The people are not cold nor unfriendly. I know it's supposed to rain a lot during the fall and winter and I'm perfectly content with that. If it didn't rain like it does, the land wouldn't be as lush and green as it is. The trees here are enormous and tower far above any in any other place I've been. I've flown back to Illinois twice for work now and I've been struck both times by how short the trees seem! But best of all ... the mountains. I LIVE near mountains now! Ever since visiting family in Colorado for spring break each year starting when I was ten I've want to live in or near mountains.

That is Mt. Rainier in all her awesome glory. I took this photo from the Mt. Rainier National Park a couple months ago, which is only about one and a half hours away from our house. The quote in the photo sums up life in Washington fairly well, "Grey is the price of neighboring with eagles, of knowing a mountain's vast presence, seen or unseen." ~ Denise Levertov. Thus far we've had a very dry spring and summer, experiencing a plethora of cloudless blue sky days with today being no exception. I grew up in northern Illinois where the sky can be slate gray for months on end during the winter. And I lived in Arizona for four years where the constant blue skies began to feel like living in a giant fishbowl. I'm not afraid of the rain that western Washington is known for. The cloudy, rainy days we have had were beautiful in their own right, with the clouds texturing the sky in several shades of gray.

We have so much more to explore around here, I can't hardly wait! But there's also no rush I have to remind myself. I'm not on vacation. This is my home!

Christmas is nigh

Wow, it's been awhile again!! Christmas is looming! We've yet to get any significant snowfall. :( And I'm a terrible blogger ... probably because I'm on Facebook so much. That and taking care of two kids, working full time, and volunteering with my favorite organization, the CRF. Alas, volunteering does not mean caving. But hopefully this spring I'll get in a trip or two! What it does mean is that over the summer I accepted the role of editor for our newsletter! When I was asked they didn't know of my passion for writing, reading, and proper grammar. I'm far from an expert, but I was thrilled at the opportunity to help in that way. I'm also still the Personnel Officer for the Eastern Operations. So, busy busy!

The kids - that doesn't sound so strange anymore - are doing well. There's so much I could say, but my bed is calling to me. Evey is now 5 years old! And little Zach is 5 months. Evey is a good, if not a bit over-enthusiastic, big sister. Breastfeeding is going very well - even though I have to pump 3x a day when I'm working which can be a bit stressful, especially during this time of year (this is the busiest time for payroll professionals). I believe the key for our success is that when we are together, he still feeds on demand. The Pediatrician "advised" we could introduce cereal to him at 3 months old! Huh?? We're waiting until 6 months, like we did with Evey. I know some kids start between 4-6 months, but I prefer to wait. He's growing just fine! He weighed 15 lbs 1 oz at his 5 month appointment. On that note, I will bid you all adieu before my rambling gets any longer! :)