Greg is known for many things. He’s a guitar wiz, he can add up large sums in his head at the drop of a hat, and he can play a mean game of dance dance revolution. However, he is not known for his awesome camera skills. So reluctantly I asked him to take a picture of me that I could use for my professional endeavors (website, cards etc.)

Although the picture didn’t turn out perfect, Photoshop really made him look like a professional. This is a shout out to Greg, the nearly awesome photographer!

It's not the exact same picture but you get the idea

We spent our Memorial day at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens. Even though we missed the blooming season, the area was gorgeous, and aside from the overaggressive geese, we had a great time. Although my camera is on the blink (it's fixed now, thanks maria!) we ended up with some great pictures.

Some of you may know that Jackson has an aversion to swings. As soon as I put him in, he grabs on to me with a death grip. You would think for someone who is so willing to throw himself off the lovesac (a dangerous activity) he would enjoy the gentle motion of the swings (a safe activity).

But today he was too curious. I took him to the park and he took a particular interest in two girls on the swings. He inched as close as he could without getting hit until one of them finally dismounted. He had his chance. He grabbed the swing with one hand. Jackson looked around for his mom and I came to his rescue. He got in the swing without protest and I even saw him grinning! He loved going really high. Although I didn't capture the grin on film you can at least see that he's not screaming!

For those of you who think Jackson is just the bravest boy in town, you can quickly dispel that thought. Jackson is still afraid of slides, cold water, dirty hands, vacuums, and until just recently, grass.

Jackson laughs at the silliest things...

Jackson has recently developed a taste for the cereal Oh's. I personally think they taste good but not worth the film residue left behind. Plus I prefer less crunch. But I digress. Jackson pops these tasty treats like candy. I often find him storing four or five in one hand. Well, today he had a few after dinner and he lost one...

Today we were just informed of a new budding trend in hiking that I thought was pretty interesting. It's called geocaching. It's basically computer geek meets extreme hiking.

So here is a basic rundown: Someone grabs a box and fills it with trinkets, coins, game pieces, etc. and hides it unburied on public property. They then record the GPS coordinates and post it on the web (there are a number of sites) and seekers use the coordinates to find the box. You may take anything from the box as long as you replace it with something else.

It has apparently become a worldwide trend. In our small city of Wilsonville there are roughly 10 geocaches stored around. A man in our ward said he does it with his kids, like a treasure hunt. And by the end they don't even know they have hiked two miles and gotten some exercise. He also said they hid one on a trip to Italy with directions that he wanted it to return to a different spot here in Portland near his home. In four months it made it's way to Seattle. Pretty crazy.

I thought it sounded pretty fun. Have any of you participated in one of these "treasure hunts?"

All you need to do it is a GPS system, but apparently, if you are buying a low end basic one for geocaching they can be pretty inexpensive. Any thoughts?

It's been awhile since Jackson got some face time on our blog, so heres a few photos we got of him at the park near our house.

My sister Hannah turned 13 on Wednesday. She's officially a teenager! So in celebration of this milestone, here is a list of some of my favorite memories of Hannah:

Hannah had tubes put in her ears at a very young age (her snoring was out of this world loud) and she had to eat popsicles, soup, and red punch. That's all she's been eating ever since.

Hannah had a hard time saying her R's as a kid, so my friend Tanner practiced with her over and over having her repeat: "Rooster, Roooooooster"

Hannah never cared what people thought. I often caught her tanning in the front yard at the ripe old age of 6. I also have a distinct memory of her skating with one skate on and holding a plastic bag with a string tied to it like a kite.

Hannah could beat anyone at 007 by the time she was 5.

Hannah was the sole organizer of a dance dance revolution contest for the 28 members of our family.

Whenever the nieces and nephews come to visit, Hannah is always the playmate of choice. Once I told her "Hannah they just love you!" she responded "sometimes it's better not to be loved"

Hope you enjoyed my tribute!

Let me preface this story by saying that most people who know me wouldn’t exactly categorize me as “adventurous”. If pressed for an example of something adventurous I’ve done, Heidi would probably point to the time when I rented a movie on a Thursday (not even a weekend!) or maybe the time when I brought some Frosty’s home before we had even had dinner.

So a few months ago when our Young Men’s leader presented the idea of hiking Mount St. Helen’s (the volcano that exploded in 1980), I was not exactly jumping out of my chair ready to volunteer. However, I felt the need to try something different and to support the guys and agreed to participate as a “leader”. Emphasis on quotation marks.

The short summary is that it was a good experience overall and a worthwhile trip. I’ll give the longer story below with pictures…

We started out the night before backpacking 3 miles up to our campsite. The trail was nice and clear, in the trees, with a slow and steady incline. The backpack was heavy and sure there was snow on the ground, but it wasn’t too different than hikes I’ve done before.

We set up camp in the snow and I found out that it’s a lot like the Sleepnumber bed we have (adjustable). The only difference is that instead of a remote control air chamber, you just take your fist or your foot and you can pound out a comfortable groove in the snow to your liking.

The other thing I found out is that sleeping outdoors in freezing temperatures is about as cold as it sounds. The sleeping bag I borrowed didn’t quite reach my shoulders, so the comfortable groove I’d made in the snow was negated by the fact that I had to rotate side to side in the fetal position.

Only receiving 2-3 hours of sleep couldn’t douse my chipper mood, and I was ready to face the day.

Waking up to this campsite gave me a little more energy as well.

We embarked on our day-long hike (about 3.5 miles in length and about 1 mile in height) and I was feeling good. Unfortunately, our smoothly carved out trails and nice steady climb suddenly became a bit rocky.

Somewhere in the midst of the stretch above I had a revelation that hit me like a ton of bricks. I was standing on a rock, waiting to take a long step to a rock below covered in snow, which led to another long step to a rock covered in snow, which then required a small jump to a trail below…and I froze for a minute. Memories came flooding back to me of previous life experiences like being frozen on top of a roof for an hour while my friends jumped into a pool below, or not being able to climb fences as a kid, and then I remembered with clarity…I AM AFRAID OF HEIGHTS. WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING CLIMBING A VOLCANO?

Seriously, how did this not occur to me in the weeks of preparation for this trip? I had a really tough time trying to battle my mind, but eventually the rocky part passed and it was mostly a steady climb up the powder. I could deal with that a little easier.

Here’s a picture of the last quarter mile which is almost straight up the side of the mountain, and the home stretch where you walk over to the summit to see inside the volcano.


After about 7 hours straight of climbing, we made the summit. The view was incredible. You could see Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Ranier (background below) in the distance, and while it’s cliché it really feels like you’re on top of the world.


It took about 7 hours on the way up, and about an hour and a half to go down. Most of it involved sliding down, which was a blast and made the trip more worthwhile. At one point there was a ledge that gave us a little surprise because it just dropped off almost like the slides at waterparks that send you straight down. Good times.

For those of you who have not followed the details of my personal birthday history, here is a brief background to get you caught up to speed.

2004: Because it was one of the only days Greg got off work, we spent the day waiting in line at a smelly, ghetto courthouse in Van Nuys, CA getting our marriage license. We then spent a few hours in LA traffic and got lost on our way to the beach.

2005: We spent my birthday on a 6 hour plane flight returning from Greg's brother's Wedding in Washington D.C. (no offense Mike). No birthday cake.

2006: We spent my birthday driving across the beautiful Mojave desert on our drive from Phoenix to Burbank. Another memorable birthday.

So this year, needless to say, I wasn't expecting much. A cake alone would have been a step up from years past. So Greg heads off to work and Jackson gives me the gift of sleeping in until 8:00! What a great way to start off my day. So i decide to shower with my extra time rather than clean (Wouldn't you?). I shower and get all ready. By the time I get ready myself, get Jackson up, changed and fed we were pushin 9:30. So I quickly throw our sheets in the wash and sit down to play with Jackson. At 10:00 I get a knock at the door. Jessica (my friend and neighbor) hands me an envelope and says "I'm staying here and you are leaving." The first thing I thought of was 'my house is a mess...at least I got a shower.' She comes in and a card inside the envelope said that I had an appointment to get my hair done at 10! Is my husband thoughtful or what! So I got to go get my hair done WITHOUT Jackson and it was so wonderful.

So I came back from a great time and had just enough time to eat lunch and slip in a nap while Jackson napped, when I got another knock on my door. It was another friend with another envelope saying that I was to go somewhere and she was taking Jackson! Man Greg really pulled out all the stops this year. I got a 3 hour shopping trip to the Outlet mall without Jackson! I can't tell you the last time I have shopped without Jackson. I felt like I was on vacation!

You think it would stop there but the day continued to get better. Greg and I went out to Olive Garden for dinner (again we had babysitters for Jackson) and had a fantastic meal. When it came time for the check, our waitress told us that our friends (who worked there) picked up our check for us!! Can you believe it!?

So thanks to many willing friends, and a wonderful husband who knows the needs of an often demanding wife, I had the best birthday in years. I even got a cake!

Jackson already understands the fundamentals of how to support your team on game day. The Rockets should be closing things out soon enough to move on to face the Warriors (you can edit a blog right?) in the second round, and the little man has got his gear and his game face ready.

Hopefully it will not confuse him that we wear Rockets red during the spring, but never, ever do we wear red during college football and basketball season.

Greg (as if that was a necessary distinction)

Anyone that has played basketball with me for any amount of time has immediately noticed my talent for hoisting up a large volume of shots in limited possessions. Whether or not those shots actually go in depends on the day. However, one thing that remains consistent with my game is what some call my “matador defense”.

To trace the origins of this term, you need only to have seen a bullfighter in a ring. And to trace the origins of my defensive deficiencies, you need only to watch this video.