Bailey & Nolan's 12th Birthday

Wow, it's hard to believe the boys are 12. It seems like just a couple of years ago they were tiny little 5-pound babies just coming home from the hospital. Where has the time gone? I'm so proud of the boys and what great young men they are becoming. They are polite, well-behaved, and constantly impress me with the good decisions they make. It's not easy being 12 - I can still remember how hard it was when I was that age - but they are handling it very well. Here are some pics from their birthday party. (Emma decorated their cakes!)

My (last?) craft project

I used to do a lot of crafts, but somehow - with 3 kids, a husband, a job, and trying to keep up with my training schedule - I have not had much time for it lately. I've started to give serious consideration to giving up some of my more sedentary hobbies in order to devote more time to being athletic. So I hereby present what could very well be my last major craft project for awhile: a wall hanging I did for Emma's room. I bought the letters already cut out at the craft store, and decorated them with various paper and embellishments from my (vast) assortment of craft supplies. It's hard to tell from the picture, but each of these letters is pretty large! Emma really loves this project. And it took me so long to finish just the 4 letters in her name, I was really happy we didn't name her Penelope!

Lake Padden

It was a hot day so we took the kids to Lake Padden for a picnic for swimming, playing on the beach, and meeting cute puppies!

A Day at the Fair

I took Emma and the boys to the Northwest Washington Fair up in Lynden; later Jeff met us out there, then grandma took the kids home and he and I went to the Chicago concert (as in, Chicago the 70's band). It was SO hot and muggy, but we had a lot of fun. Little did we know this would turn out to be pretty much the only week hot weather we would have all summer.

Swimming at Grandma's

We took advantage of the weather warming up and went swimming at grandma's pool.

Clear Lake Triathlon

While Jeff was on his little jaunt from Seattle to Portland, I raced in my second (and final) triathlon of the season - the Clear Lake Tri in Skagit County. It was a really hot day and I didn't do very well; but hey I finished, I didn't die, and I didn't come in last. Here's my race report if you like to read such things.
Here's a picture of me from the Padden Triathlon a few weeks ago. I didn't actually get any pics at the Clear Lake Tri. But in this pic you can still see some of my cool triathlon race gear (that's one thing they don't tell you at triathlon school - that triathletes are "gear junkies" and you will need a lot of race gear if you want to be cool). First, I have a lovely new road bike which my race sponsor, Scott Real Estate (a.k.a. Dad) helped me buy. I also have a hydration backpack that my sweet hubby (a.k.a. Jeff) bought me for my b-day. And of course I am wearing the uber-cool and trendy combination swimsuit/bike pants that are a must when you are a cool triathlete like I am! I also received a triathlon wetsuit for my birthday from Dad & Penny.

Jeff: the super-cyclist

On July 12, after years of dreaming and months of training and long bike rides around Whatcom and Skagit counties, Jeff celebrated his 50th year by finishing the 200-mile Seattle-to-Portland Bike Classic (STP)! The STP is considered one of the 10 biggest recreational bicycle rides in the country, drawing riders from across the nation and from other nations, and has been operating for more than 25 years. Jeff finished the ride in 2 days, spending the night at my aunt's house in Chehalis (just past the half-way point).

One of the really cool fringe benefits of training for the STP is that Jeff has fallen in love with cycling. He now rides his bike to work almost every day, even in the rain! It's hard to believe that just a couple of years ago Jeff weighed over 350 pounds and could barely make it up a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing. Now he is in the best shape of his life and has almost become like a different person!

We're back from Camp Meriweather

The boys and I (I'm an Assistant Scoutmaster in their Boy Scout troop) returned from a week at Camp Meriwether in Tillamook, Oregon. We really had a lot of fun and it was a beautiful camp, situated on a bluff high above the Oregon coast. We did everything from rowing and swimming to archery, rifles, and just playing on the beach. Since we were at camp over the July 4th holiday, we also got to witness a moving ceremony where a US flag was retired. Oh, and I was a finalist in the camp chili cookoff - I lost to a guy from Texas, and I'll admit his classic Texas chili was amazing. But my white chicken chili was pretty good, too, and it earned me 2nd place. Not bad for my first-ever cooking contest! One of the best parts of scout camp was just getting to spend some quality time with the boys, and watching them with their friends. One of the worst parts was that, late one evening, I was returning alone from the restroom and a mother bear and her cub crossed the path right in front of me.

The "Schooner" crew prepares for battle at

the sandcastle building contest (one of the

boys in our troop won)!

Nolan (in red) and his scout friends dig a

fortress on the beach.

Bailey prepares for a tomahawk throw.

My first triathlon

With Jeff busy training for the Seattle-to-Portland Ride in July, I decided to do something especially crazy and - along with my good friend, Quinn - joined a local triathlon club. On June 28, I completed my first race: the Lake Padden Triathlon right here in Bellingham. The race included a 1/4-mile swim, 10-mile bike ride, and 2.8 mile run. When I started training, my initial goal was simply to finish the race without dying. As I improved throughout the spring, my goal then became to finish the race without dying AND not to come in last. I'm please to announce I accomplished both! My goal for next year is to complete the longer version of the Padden Tri, which is a 1/2-mile swim, 20-mile bike, and 5.2-mile run.

Jennifer's 40th birthday

Jeff took the day off of work and we drove up to Vancouver to celebrate my 40th birthday. It is so amazing living this close to a great city like Vancouver, with its incredible diversity and absolutely phenomenal selection of restaurants. Today we found a great sushi place for lunch and had dinner at our favorite Chinese place, a dive over on E. Hastings called Penny Restaurant. Even though I'm still in shock at hitting the big four-zero, it was a fun day!

Father's Day Camping Trip

We've made it an annual tradition to go camping every year to celebrate Father's Day and my birthday. It's also become the yearly "shakedown" trip for our little 22-foot travel trailer, which we've nicknamed Ethel (the Suburban we bought to tow her is named Fred). Ethel, also known as a 1984 Kit Companion model, joined our family about 4 years ago after we rescued her and gave her a complete overhaul and remodeling. She's cute, she's cozy, and best of all she beats sleeping on the ground! This year we did our trip to one of our favorite (and nearby) campgrounds: Bayview State Park in Skagit County. This is also the trip where Emma learned to ride on 2 wheels on her bike!

We really enjoy taking the kids camping because it's a fun way to spend time together as a family, without the TV, video games, computer, and all the interruptions of daily life.

I've been published...sorta.

My "famous" Thai Green Curry Chicken Soup recipe was published in the Bellingham Herald! They even sent a photographer to our house to take a picture. Only the recipe appears on the website - not the picture - but that shouldn't stop you from trying the soup. It's VERY good, and best of all...VERY easy to make! Let me know if you try it.

Jeff's 50th Birthday

For Jeff's 50th birthday I surprised him with a weekend at the world-famous Sooke Harbour House on Vancouver Island. Famous for its award-winning restaurant and beautiful inn, Sooke Harbour House is a place Jeff has wanted to visit for a long time. It was fun to surprise him - he didn't figure out where we were going until we were on the ferry over to the island! What a great weekend it was - I hope we can go back again soon.

On the radio

Jeff and I (and our wonderful surgeon, Dr. Rabkin) were featured on a local talk radio show, and had a whole hour to talk about our weight loss surgery. The hour absolutely flew by! I thought we would run out of stuff to talk about; instead, I didn't get a chance to say a lot of the things I had planned. You can listen to the show here.

Welcome to our blog!

Welcome to our new family blog! We thought this would be a fun way to keep in touch with our friends and family around the country. Comments are welcome. Thanks for visiting!