5th place

Jason and his ChumpCar team participated in another race this month at Portland International Raceway.  Their hard work, time, creativity, and perseverance are paying off as they find success on the racetrack.  This race was a two-day event of seven hours of uninterrupted racing each day.  They had a few minor mishaps with some of their aerodynamic parts breaking, but otherwise they raced well and finished well. At the end of the two days, they finished in 5th place--their best finish ever!

The kids always love to see Daddy race.  They also raid the racing trailer for all the junk food inside.  When we got there, Jason was on the track and finishing up the day's racing.  It was exciting to see him in action!  (Jason is on the track behind Dallin's head in the pic below.)

Lest you think this style of racing is full of glitz and glam, think again.  The ChumpCar series is about racing and racing only.  Their rules and regulations limit the amount of money supporting a car and its team so the participants are forced to focus on maintaining and racing their car using their own creative resources and abilities.  Hence, the lack of beauty and shine on the race car.  It's not about money, it's about racing.  If you want to read more about the ChumpCar World Series, follow this link:  http://www.chumpcar.com/about.php

Kitty Chronicles: Fireside naps

This is the life.

Sleeping by the fire.

Warm, cozy, relaxing.

Aaahhhhhhhh.

Kitty Chronicles: Bed Buddies

It's rare my kids take a nap, but when they do they love to have Twig as their bed buddy.

And he's happy to oblige.

Hiking

We spent last Saturday hiking at Silver Creek Falls. Every time we go there, I'm awed by the beauty of this place.  It must be one of the most beautiful, incredible places on the planet.  Seriously.  Ten waterfalls within a 6 mile loop.  Amazing.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to hike the full 6 miles.  Jason hurt his tailbone last week ("You're grandma broke her coccyx!"--name that movie).  His injury has been the "butt" of many jokes (ha! ha!) in the family, and it limited his ability to trudge through the forest for a long period of time.  (His coccyx limited him, not the jokes.)  Anyway, we still enjoyed walking behind two beautiful waterfalls and an seeing an  incredible forest along the way.  We will definitely return and finish our hike when everyone is healthy and happy.

Survey

Who reads this here darn 'ol blog, anyway?  I'd like to know.  Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to the abyss--which is fine, I suppose.  I mostly use this blog to vent, document, opine, record, ponder, and amuse myself.  But, it would be nice to know if I have any sort of regular audience or if any of my words are appreciated.

So, will you leave a comment below to let me know if you follow along?  And how often do you read my blog?  And do always link through from my Facebook posts?  Or do you check the blog from your bookmarks or reader?

If you linked through from Facebook and don't have a Google profile to log in and comment, will you leave a comment on Facebook to let me know you visited?

Thanks!  Just trying to see who's in my fan club....

Time to build a house!

It's time.  

Time to build our house.  

Or, at least get the ball rolling.  

So, that's what we've done. 

Ball rolling.

We've picked a builder, started the financing process, chosen the house site,
relocated the house site, 

tested the well, plotted a site map, replotted a site map, can you tell this process
is going to take awhile?

I'm learning a lot about permits, setbacks, septic systems, variances, county offices.

I need to discover more about natural gas availability, driveway accesses, electricity usage, 

water heaters, gas fireplaces.

There is a lot to do, but I'm excited to do it.

I can hardly believe we are finally to this point.

Here's to more square footage!

Because letters to my posterity weren't enough....

Dear TV-series-I'm-ashamed-to-tell-people-I'm-addicted-to:

Why must you suck me in?  Even amidst all the crazy, unbelievable twists and turns of your plot, I stay awake at night and watch your crazy episodes.  I keep sighing and saying, "Oh, that's so ridiculous!" but by the end of the episode, I'm sucked into watching the next just to see what happens.  You're well written, in that regard.  I have promised to stay away after I finish season three.  No more.  I need my sleep.  And my sanity.

A girl who likes realistic shows but is now addicted to a completely unrealistic drama


Dear Lindt:

You have created heaven in a pretty foil wrapper.  Why can't I eat just one of your Lindor Truffles?  So smooth, so rich, so melty-in-my-mouth.  Even your white chocolate, which I usually despise and don't even like to call chocolate, is heavenly.  I had to tell my husband today to please stop buying me bags of them because I can't stop eating them once I start.  A bag that is supposed to last a month or so only lasts me days.  It looks like I'll have to ban from myself from you in order to save myself from certain obesity.

Seriously addicted


Dear Facebook:

Over the past year or so you've dwindled my news feed to only a handful of my friends.  Why is that?  Why can't I see more posts from people I really care about?  It's annoying and exhausting to keep up with your constant changes and filters and privacy policies.  I prowl around searching for any sort of substantive posts from friends, but it's becoming more and more challenging to find them.  For now you'll remain a part of my daily news ritual, but I'd sure like it to be more meaningful.

Your billionth subscriber who may need to unsubscribe


Dear Facebook Friends:

What happened to the Facebook I originally signed up for?  You know, the one where I got to see what you were up to on a day-to-day basis, or what vacation you were enjoying, or what big news you had in your life.  The one where I felt like I was in touch with the happenings of people far away.  Now all I see are political opinions smattered on walls, social agendas shouted out for debate, religious issues being bantered back and forth, oodles of comics, quotes, sayings, and videos, blah, blah, blah.  Have we forgotten that staying in touch means sharing meaningful information with one another that helps further our personal relationships?  It's almost like it's too easy to throw our personal agendas out there for all to see/like/unlike/comment/share that we do it haphazardly and repetitively just so we can have something to post every day.  I don't mind an occasional post about the aforementioned things, but once you've made your opinion known, let's move on!  I'm much more interested in the personal happenings of your life and would love to hear about them.  Let's share our experiences, our joys, our hardships, our funny moments, our life lessons, our friendship.  That's what I want from you, my Facebook Friends.  That's why we're friends in the first place, right?

Your Facebook Friend with a life


Dear Children:

Do you know the meaning of the word "antagonize"?  You may not understand the word, but you certainly practice the verb.  I love you all, but this attitude amongst you to antagonize each other is getting out of control and making me weary.  I feel like I'm trying to put out a forest fire with a squirt gun.  Five against one is not fair.  Will you please try harder not to make faces at each other?  To quit mimicking and mocking each other when you talk?  To stop teasing and taunting?

Your mother who is at her wits end and ready to explode with frustration

Letters to my posterity #5

Dearest Kyle--

My sweet, sweet boy.  A mother could never custom order a child like you.  You are gentle; you are kind. You are obedient; you are good.  You are content; you are intelligent.  You are a joy.

You are a thoughtful, careful, meticulous boy who will likely do great and wondrous things in your life.  You have been born with the characteristics for success.  You quietly go about your way, hardly ever seeking accolades or attention.  At times, I take you for granted as I am distracted by the challenges that lie in my motherly path.  But you are never forgotten or ignored.  You are always there at the end of the day for me to look upon, smile, and sigh with relief that you are mine.

From a baby to a boy, I have loved watching you grow and develop into even more than I expected.  For all these years of seeing you content to be in the background of your busy, noisy siblings, I have recently seen a side of you that has surprised and delighted me.  You are most willing to jump in and try something new--at times, even before your brothers and sisters are willing to commit.   This first became apparent to me when we took a trip to central Oregon and explored places to climb rocks and boulders.  You immediately began climbing, clambering, and pulling your way through the obstacles--all with a quiet determination, energy, and quickness that I hadn't before known was in you.   It surprised me to see this part of you and I have noticed it in many cases since then.  The determination in you is strong and willful--a silent resolve to not give up and to try hard to complete the task ahead.

I also see in you a perfectionism that may become a hurdle in your life.  Trust me, as a fellow perfectionist, I know and understand the desire and satisfaction of having things be perfect and "just so".  This attribute can be a blessing and a curse.  I hope to teach you that, while it is wonderful to strive for perfection, it is best not to focus on it so much that it distracts or discourages you from moving forward or from being satisfied with your very best effort.  I guarantee you, you're best effort will be more than enough.

There is a reason Mom and Dad call you "Smiles".  Your gentle, shy, smile has warmed our hearts since the first day you shared it with us.  I can always count on your smile to melt my heart and bring me back to what is truly important in my life.  That smile is a gift to every person who receives it.  Keep smiling, my boy.

Lovingly,
Momma

Kitty Chronicles: Dominance

There's a new kid in town.

I must assert my dominance.

Dominate.

Control.

Stalk.

Protect territory.

Terrorize.

Dominate.

I will eat the new kid's food.

I will sleep in the new kid's bed.

I will sit in the doorway where the new kid is staying and stare at her in the night.

I will cause the new kid to shake and quake in my presence.

I will attack the new kid from behind when she's walking down the hall.

My dominance will be known.

Forever.

15

April 10, 1998

Two apartments, one extended stay with family, and one house purchase later...

A waitressing job, a legal assistant job, and motherhood for Shannon...

A manufacturing job, a marketing research job, and an entrepreneur startup for Jason...
Two bachelor degrees completed...

Five babies born...

One move from Utah to Oregon...

A repeat business startup in a new state...

Two fish, one cat...

A blue Subaru, a red Honda, a green Jeep, a white Subaru, another blue Subaru, 

a white Honda, and a white Dodge truck...

One commercial building purchased...

Two hospital stays with broken or sick kids...

One bathroom remodel, one kitchen remodel...

Fifteen employees hired, two employees fired, one employee rehired...

Three nieces and three and a half nephews born...

Countless sleepless nights over children, family, work, worry, excitement...

Numerous vacations and memories made at Disneyland, the beach, amusement parks,
other states, visits to family, Washington DC, and mostly in our own backyard...

Hundreds of hours logged in watching ballet, baseball, soccer, horseback riding, 

basketball, scouting, biking...

April 10, 2013

Happy Anniversary, to the love of my life.  

It's has been a wonderful fifteen years full of joy, growth, happiness, love, challenges, and adventure.  

I have loved these years and look forward to all the years to come.

Spring outdoor fun

It's good to get out and play when the weather finally warms up.

Or should I say, when it stops raining enough to notice.

It's good for the kids.

It's good for Mom.

Here's to more days of outdoor fun coming soon!

Kitty Chronicles: A new bed

I walked into the bathroom the other day, 

turned on the light, 

and found this....

Kitty found a new bed, just his size.

Letters to my posterity #4

Dear Karina-bucket--

What strength you possess!  Your ability to carry yourself with confidence is unparalleled.  Even when you were a toddler, you oozed with determination and tenacity, and since then I have enjoyed seeing your beautiful personality develop around your inner-strength.

These past two years I have seen you start to fit comfortably into your place in our family.  You are becoming softer, gentler, happier.  It is a transition in which your daddy and I worked hard to help you feel of our love for you, even our fifth child.  We wanted you to reflect our love to others and you do (as long as we keep giving it).  It brings me joy to see you are a happy child.

I have no doubt that part of your strength comes with your placement in the family.  Being the youngest of five, with three boys ahead of you, has taught you survival skills like nothing else can.  I love that you are active, unafraid to get muddy, confident with a light-saber, steady on a bicycle, and determined to keep up with your brothers no matter what.  When friends come to play, you do better with the boys and their guns than with the girls and their dolls.  You certainly know how to hold your own in any situation.

You love to live in the moment.  You revel in personal attention, but in a positive, wonderful way.  I love the look in your eyes when you feel special or important--it is a sparkle that cannot be matched and is very endearing.  May you always keep that sparkle and share it with others through your excitement and joy of life.

You are intelligent, outspoken, outgoing, and independent.  You are a natural leader with the potential to wield great power with your abilities.  May you use those abilities for good, for righteousness, for truth.  May you remember to be kind to others and to lead them in gentle ways.  You will be so powerful if you do.  I'm excited to see your future unfold.  You will do great things, my dear.  I just know it.

Lovingly,
Momma