Packing up to go camping!

Our truck has been out of order this week due to maintenance. It's actually in our garage, up on jack stands. Jason has been diligently working on it for the last 7 days, hoping to have it ready to roll for our camping trip this weekend with our bible study group.

Looks like we will be taking the car...

How will we fit: 4 camp chairs, 2 sleeping bags, pillows, roll up table, 5 gallon water jug, air mattress, 3 clear packing tubs, 2 coolers, multiple grocery bags of dry food, ladder golf AND enough firewood for the weekend in a Honda Civic?

Maybe I'll go out to the garage and cheer Jason on - you can do it!!!! (You have to do it!)

I think we need a new look

I think our blog looks kinda depressing. I like the little picture at the top with the name and stuff but the black is starting to get old. I think we need a face-lift. Nothing to cutesy but maybe something more interesting...I'll have to bring it up with Jason.

Southern Oregon Vacation: Installment 2

Wednesday, July 1st we packed up all our stuff and hit the grocery store in Medford before driving up to Union Creek. Usually there is a pretty good temperature difference, being cooler at Union Creek, but not this day. It was really hot and sticky! I can't remember the last time I was at the cabin when it was so hot. We pulled in, and took a nap first thing. Jason went out fishing, only to return to say the mosquitoes were really bad, so we drove up to the store to get bug spray. We didn't really spend time outside because of the mosquitoes, we did manage to cook dinner on the dutch oven, but then came inside to eat. Lewis drove up from Klamath to have dinner with us. Basically we stayed inside for the evening, going outside once for about 15 minutes to play a game of Ladder Golf.

Thursday, July 2nd we got going in the morning so we could get a good hike in. We hiked Union Peak in the Crater Lake National Forest. The first about 3 miles were on the Pacific Crest Trail, and then turned off for 2 miles up to Union Peak. The mosquitoes again were very bad, we almost bailed. The trail had a good amount of snow still too which made navigation difficult. We were on the trail about 75% of the time. Luckily we had a GPS leaving us at trail. We made it to the top around noon, ate lunch and enjoyed the view, then headed down when we spotted thunderheads and heard a couple rolls of thunder! We made it down and back to the car around 2pm. We were ready to just sit on the tailgate and rest our feet and recover, but the bugs were thick, so we jumped in the truck and headed to Crater Lake. We drove up and got out and looked at the lake, then did the East Rim Drive around the lake. Beautiful drive, waterfalls, great views, overlooks, pictures, good stuff. After we left Crater Lake we headed to Diamond Lake and a campground that has hot showers! We felt much better after a shower, we discovered we were both sunburned and counted the bug bites. Pretty much the rest of the day we rested.

Friday, July 3rd we went up to Beckie's Cafe for breakfast and ate huge pancakes bigger than our faces. We waited until the Harden clan showed up, around 1pm. Altogether we had about 20 people at the cabin, and basically we spent Friday sitting around, catching up, playing games, fishing, and eating. More people seemed to help disperse the mosquitoes which was nice!

Saturday, July 4th we ate a big breakfast and then went out for a hike to Boundary Springs, the head waters of the Rogue River. It was a hot and dusty hike, but very pretty at the end. We took a group picture, sorry I don't have it, but it was kinda annoying because the bugs were really bad the whole time we were taking pictures. After the hike, people took napes, went fishing, while the more practical types got pedicures! Aunt Donna brought her little foot spa and did pedicures for whoever. It was awesome! We ate a yummy dinner of tri-tip and sat around the rest of the night.

Sunday, July 5th Jason and I were in charge of breakfast for the crowd. We made French Toast and bacon so we got up and started cooking! We ate breakfast then started getting packed up so we could head home. We loaded up and said good-bye to everyone and 4 hours later we were home! Side note: Last year the cabin trip was later, in August, and we were coming home to work on roofing our house! It was so nice to come home this year and just relax and not tackle a major house project!

And that is the story of our Southern Oregon vacation.

Southern Oregon Vacation: Installment 1

We only blogged 5 times in the month of June! Oh my gosh, that is a record low. July should be a little more eventful in blog land.

So we just returned for a 10-day vacation, nowhere tropical, but hot nonetheless: Southern Oregon!

Friday, June 26th we left Sherwood and headed South. We met up with Jason's friend Peter in Wilsonville and caravaned down to Grants Pass. I got dropped off at my grandparents house and Jason and Peter took off to 4-wheel on the McGrew Trail out of O'Brien. If you want to know anything about this trip, you will have to ask Jason! I was picked up by my mom and went on to Medford. I forgot how hot Medford gets in the summer! Oh boy. Yuck.

Saturday, June 27th was another hot one. Mom and I dinked around the house during the morning, Dad had to work. Around noon I headed out for a wedding in Trail. I spent the afternoon at the wedding, melting in the heat! As soon as I got home I took a shower and then lounged around the rest of the day, too hot! We rented "Slumdog Millionaire", interesting movie! Not quite what I expected, but still good.

Sunday, June 28th Jason returned from his 4-wheeling trip, dusty and dirty. We spent the afternoon getting him and his truck cleaned up and hearing all about his trip. And playing Ladder Golf in the back yard with Mom, Dad, Cassie-dog, and Lucy-dog.

Monday, June 29th we spent the morning trying to figure out what was wrong with the truck - the breaks we squeaking so we thought the brakes were bad, come to find out the 'tie-rods' (not sure if that's the right word) were worn. We didn't do anything about it (and still haven't) because Jason can do the work cheaper on his own. We had lunch with Kellie at yummy Senor Sam's - a Southern Oregon joint. Mom and I spent the afternoon running errands and Jason researched truck parts! More Ladder Golf.... Oh, and I got the phone call that I was being recalled to work for the fall!!! Yeah!!! Praise God.

Tuesday, June 30th we headed out, picked up Grandma Harden, and drove out the Merlin-Galice Highway to Graves Creek to hike the Rainey Falls trail along the Rogue River. It was a hot hike along the cliff above the river. We were able to watch a bunch of rafters put in and go through some rapids. We hiked about 4 miles total, and I didn't see any snakes so I count it a success!! After we got off the trail, we went down the river and cooled off our feet and let the dogs swim. Pretty much the rest of the afternoon was napping and staying cool. Have I mentioned that Medford is hot in the summer???

Next installment of this blog will include the activities of July 1st-July 5th...

Neskowin & Proposal Rock

Saturday we hit the beach for some fun in the sun - minus the sun, with our bible study group. I was going to write a blog post, but one of the other girls that went with us, Stephanie, wrote an amazing account of our beach adventures, so you can read her words!

A Lazy Weekend

Friday was Jason's birthday and the last day of school. Jason spent the day fishing with a friend at Lost Lake. I cleaned my classroom all day. We spent the evening in Forest Grove with the family and ate a yummy dinner!!

Saturday Jason went mountain biking with a different friend along the Mollala River Trail, and then went to another friend's moving party. I stayed home and worked on cleaning the house after neglecting it for my first year of teaching. I rearranged our bedroom and cleaned liked crazy, did tons of laundry, worked on a puzzle, and worked on a project (can't tell you what it is cause it's a gift, and maybe it is for one of you!!).

Today we slept in and went to the later service at church. We found a place in Sherwood that makes bubble tea and so we had bubble tea after church! We used to get it all the time at this little place in Corvallis near where Jason lived. If you don't know what it is, it's amazing yumminess! Basically black tea with fruit or flavors and tapioca balls that you drink with this massive wide straw. So good! The ones we got today were more like slushy fruit smoothies with tapioca balls. Jason got strawberry and I got mango! Uh-oh! A new treat we really like... :)

After our bubble tea coma hit us in full force, Sunday afternoon became watching golf on tv and taking naps. After we peeled ourselves on the couch we ran a couple errands. I made a strawberry-rhubarb coffee cake with rhubarb from our garden and strawberries from Jason's friend's garden. We went for a walk while it was baking and now we are...I don't know what we are doing now. I am obviously typing this blog, and Jason is out checking out the garden.

School is out now, but I will continue to work this week. Monday and Tuesday are make-up days from the snow we had before Christmas break. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are additional optional work days, that I am opting for so I can get paid for them!!! Still no word on being recalled for next year, we will keep you posted when we hear something.

The strawberry-rhubarb coffee cake smells sooo good, so we need to go eat it. Hope you all had a relaxing weekend too! Oh---this just in! A photo update from our garden, Jason just planted the lettuce. We also have 3 tomato plants, a rhubarb plant, and an artichoke plant.

From Drop Box