Summer 2010 Visit to Minnesota.  A wonderful visit with G'ma Fagen...

A fun time kayaking at the lake!

Pictures from our 2010 Christmas...Love my family of MEN

 Just

a little "goose" for Christmas!

Grandma Evelyn's 92nd Birthday

Grandma Evelyn celebrated her 92nd birthday this April! It happened to coincide with the memorial for Esther Burgess. With that many people in town we decided to have a family get-together and celebrate! It was fun to visit with cousins we had never met, and bring the family together. There was lots of laughter and it brought Evelyn a lot of joy! Enjoy the pics!

JANUARY 2009

The year has entered with a bang, literally! We have been trying to sleep for the last week to the sounds of shingles sliding down our roof and blowing into things. We have heard many different objects bang into our house such as small swimming pools, recycling tubs, garbage cans, pieces of fencing, and various items that may not have been nailed down for the winter. I guess that is what happens when one has hurricane strength winds. Yikes! Darren and I were at the beach (it was 60 degrees and sunny with little wind) hosting a singles retreat. Brad and Spencer kept calling and texting, "What do you want us to do?" "Troutdale is falling apart!" We told them that it wasn't supposed to rain until the next weekend so do NOT go on the roof! Brad nearly got decapitated just from a shingle that came flying off of the roof as it was. Everyone was safe and it is still dry with just a light dusting of snow. We have covered everything with plastic and tarps while we wait for the insurance adjuster to give us the go ahead for repairs.

December Snowstorm

As I sit all snuggled up on the couch, the snowstorm rages outside. We live in Troutdale which is known as the 'Little Windy City' as it is the gateway to the Columbia Gorge. We typically lose shingles off of our roof during this time of year, but we do have fun out in the weather as well. Our cul de sac is off of 10th Street which is a large hill that the kids all sled down when it snows or ices over. We are thankful that everyone made it safely home and we can have nearby or outside.

December FUN 2008

We have had a great year. December is definitely a month of celebration. We started the month with our traditional trip to get the Christmas tree. We go to a farm outside of Sandy, OR but we ALWAYS have to go to Joe's Donuts on the way. Joe's is famous for great donuts and their huge bear claws. Last year the snow started before Thanksgiving so there were a lot of skiers and snowboarders and the line was outside and around the building. This year it was sunny and green ground. We had the shop to ourselves!!

Next, we headed to the tree farm to choose the perfect tree! It was a beautiful sunny day. We meandered through the field of trees and ended up at the section of trees the farthest away from the barn and our car. It turned out to be a blessing because it was on a little hill and the view of Mt. Hood was incredible!! Did we take a family picture with this stunning backdrop?? No, of course not. My goofy family decided it would be hilarious to take our family picture around a dead tree and use it for our Christmas card! We laughed and had great fun and created another great memory!

Just a week later, the snow started coming down. It doesn't come down very often in our area and it seldom sticks when it does. We had to get out in it as soon as possible. Brad and CJ were out sledding and I decided to through my coat on and go take some pics with Brad's camera. I was still in my pajama pants and Brad insisted that I take a little trip down the hill so he could take a pic. It's a good thing they are flannel and better yet that you can't see them in the picture.

MEXICO FROM THE EYE OF BRAD

Brad gets a lot of enjoyment from picture taking and we get to reap the benefits of his wonderful talent. Enjoy these Pics that he took!