More Beach Photos

I couldn't resist posting a few more photos from this weekend. I love beach photos.



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Wordless Wednesday 29 Oct 08: Driftwood Adventure

J's Birthday Party, by AJ

AJ has been doing a unit this week on the writing process. She started with brainstorming ideas and writing a word web. Then she picked a few of her favorite details to include in the story, and numbered them in the order they belonged.

After that we wrote a first draft, revised it, copied the new draft (including some more descriptive words she chose from the thesaurus), proofread it (including looking up words in the dictionary to check spelling), and re-read it again to catch any errors that were missed the first few times.

Then it was time to "publish" her story. I decided to allow her to start her own blog, with careful rules and supervision. If you want her blog address, drop me a note via e-mail. I'm not going to share it online.

Here's AJ's story about her cousin J's birthday party the weekend before last:

One Sunday we went to our cousin J's birthday party in B------. It was fun. While we drove there, we counted cars.

When we got there we ate. The food was delicious. The games were fun. We didn't play the sock race game, but I played the balloon race.

On the trip home it was dim outside and shadowy inside. We were glad to go to bed when we got home. The day was enjoyable.

Here are some photos I took this weekend at Adventurous BIL's and Artistic SIL's property in B-----. It's incredibly beautiful out there.



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Impromptu Trip

We took a wrong turn Satuday night and ended up at the coast, so we decided to make an adventure of it. We spent a night and day at the coast, then came halfway home and stayed at Adventurous BIL and Artistic SIL's house the second night. After an afternoon exploring and playing on their acreage, we finally came home just in time to cook dinner Monday night.

It was a great adventure that the kids and I will remember for a long time.



It's a good reminder that God can take even a wrong turn and make it into a beautiful thing.

Wave Jumping

AJ: "I didn't know Mommy could be this energetic."

M&M: "Yeah, I've never seen her have this much energy before."

I'm paying for it today, but boy did we have fun.

AJ and AJ

Like mother, like daughter . . .

Family Socializing

Yesterday we drove from Rockaway Beach to the Silver Falls area and back--about 4 hours each way.

It was great to see DH's family and be a part of that family reunion. One of our older nephews was kind enough to keep an eye on the kids so that DH and I could get in on a family game of Boggle . . . that was so much fun! The kids were sad to leave their cousins. It's great fun for them to have so many cousins their age at the C family reunions, especially since they're the only grandchildren on my side.

We've had a lovely time playing on the beach with my parents and sisters, too. I'm taking lots of photos, but we seem to have mislaid the cable that communicates from the camera to the computer.

Right now M&M and Ebee are smearing sunscreen on themselves (I'll have to help with touch-up), AJ is eating plantain chips, and DH is gathering together towels for linen exchange. I'm drinking V-8 and typing a blog post. :) In a moment, we're going to go out on the beach.

Celebrations

Yesterday was M&M's birthday. She's 6. We celebrated with my parents and sisters at the beach. We've been playing in the sand and the waves a lot here at the Oregon Coast yesterday and today. M&M thinks the beach is the perfect place to celebrate a birthday.

The wedding on Saturday was lovely. I've known DH's nephew since he was probably junior high age. Seeing the look on his face when his bride walked down the aisle brought tears to my eyes.

I'll write more later . . . right now we're all going to take a nap.

Travel Mercies

I am starting to recover from the trip, I think.

I did end up requesting a wheelchair in the airports on the way home. It felt strange and embarrassing, but it really helped me not to be quite so utterly exhausted and barely-functional for the next few days. On the way out there I had a difficult time making it through the airports--especially the huge Atlanta airport. I had trouble getting from one gate to the other in time and carrying my purse and carry-on, and was especially tired and sore the next couple of days. Especially since I'm still recovering from mono, it just doesn't take much for me to overdo it.

I had been able to rest a lot after flying out there, but I knew I needed to be functional to take care of the kids when I got home. Ideally I would have liked to just have a cart transport me from gate to gate, but they didn't have that available, so a wheelchair was the best option. Still, it felt odd. I wasn't even sure how much to tip the skycaps for pushing me around.


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Sis J and I were both tired and not feeling well after I arrived in SC, so we spent most of the next day (Wednesday) resting. Of course, it's not a good thing that we both have health issues, but it was kind of nice in a way that we both were moving at a slow pace and needed lots of rest. Neither of us was really holding the other back, or sitting around bored while the other took naps. We both rested as much as we could and were constantly looking for ways to conserve spoons. We spent much of the time napping and doing things like giving each other backrubs, scrounging for "safe" food, or lying down resting while we chatted.

I got to rest quite a bit more than J did during my visit, because I didn't have to be at all the activities. So I'd sleep 11 or 12 hours at night and then usually rest some more in the afternoon. J arranged rides for me back and forth from her apartment to the school when there were events I wanted to attend, which was really helpful.

It's funny; even though J surely felt worse than I did, she was always looking out for me. She could see right through me, too. I'd start feeling like I needed to sit down and she'd take one look at me and say, "We need to find someplace for you to rest."

I tried to look out for her, too. So then we'd both be asking each other if we were ok. J tried to make sure I had places to sit down when I needed to, and I watched out for things like sloped walkways and flashing lights that I knew would give her problems and tried to help with what I could.

When the rest of my family (my parents and little sister Sparrow) arrived, we were chuckling because we made quite a team. Mom had fallen and hurt her knees a few days before, and of course she has to be careful about a lot of things and keep to a strict medication schedule because of her kidney transplant. Sparrow, Sis J and I all have wierd health issues which involve chronic pain and fatigue, as well as food intolerances and some other stuff. Dad doesn't have any major health issues, but he seemed pretty tired after the trip. So we were all constantly checking on each other and joking around about things like brain fog.

Even though I missed DH and the kids, it was kind of fun to be just the 5 of us for a few days . . . Mom, Dad and we three sisters. We went grocery shopping together and I fixed a meal we could all eat, which was nice. And we all ate lots of chocolate. :)

The trip was special for me. I got to spend time with my family, especially Sis J who I hadn't seen for several months. I wished I could have helped Sis J more with things like laundry, but at least I brought her some food she could eat and got to spend time visiting with her.

I really enjoyed being at my old school, attending events and visiting with some friends from when I was a student there. It was especially nice that I got to see both of the teachers who were the most special to me (my favorite writing and speech teachers), and that they remembered me and encouraged me to continue in the skills they helped me develop. It was especially neat that I "just happened" to run into my speech teacher after being unable to find her listed in the yearbook or in the school directories. I'm so delighted that the Lord allowed me to find her just sitting on a bench on campus when she and I both had a few minutes free to visit.

It was a good trip. I'm glad I went.

Home Again, Home Again

I'm home. Very tired, but glad I went. I had a good time. It was great to see DH and the kids.

I'll write more after I get some rest.

Performaces, Picnic and Teachers

Today was a lot of fun. Mom, Dad and Sparrow got in last night, so they were able to pick us up and drive us around today.

J's friends have been wonderful about giving us rides, since neither one of us was up to walking the mile between campus and J's apartment. But it was nice not to have to worry about finding rides today. And, of course, it was nice to have the whole family together.

I skipped the morning activities and slept until 11AM. That left me feeling much better today. I wish J could have gotten some extra rest too, but she was required to go to all the scheduled convocation events.

We went to the performance of Henry V, which I enjoyed immensely. I had no idea it was so funny! I found myself wishing DH was here, because he would have enjoyed it as well.

We went grocery shopping in the afternoon, and then went to a picnic and met more of J's friends. Her friends are so nice. They made us all feel so immediately comfortable and included.

The commencement concert was thoroughly enjoyable, interspersing classical music with narrations from literature. Selections included The Hobbit, Tom Sawyer and The Wind in the Willows. Copies will be available to purchase, so I think I'll get one to take home. DH and the girls would like it, I think, and I'd enjoy being able to listen to it again.

The best part was that while we were walking in to the concert, we ran into my beloved speech teacher, Mrs. H. Sis J and I had looked for her in the school directory unsuccessfully, and I was so disappointed that she didn't seem to be here. It was such a gift to see her and talk with her. She was just as I remembered her--so warm and articulate, with a twinkling smile and eyes that seem to connect directly to the heart.

We also got to see my creative writing teacher, Mrs. JLT. She remembered me and my classmates quite well, saying that we were a particularly memorable group of students. We really had a great mix of colorful personalitites in that poetry writing class.

Mrs JLT said that she uses one of my poems as an example in her class each year. Wow! That was flattering. She encouraged me to keep in touch, and told me to be sure and send her a copy of my first book whenever I get one published. :)

Seeing two of the teachers that were so influential for me really made me want to get serious about honing my writing and speaking abilities. I'd love to take more classes to improve my skills.

Unfortunately, I didn't even think to get photos with my teachers until later. I wish I'd done that. Oh, well.

I'm missing my husband and kids, and they're missing me. But we get to talk on the phone and/or via e-mail a few times a day. It will be great to be back with them in a couple of days.

University

I'm really enjoying my trip--spending time with SisJ, wandering around campus, meeting her friends and attending commencement activities.

It's strange being back at school again so long after being a student. Things are much as I remember them, and yet different.

The students look so young. One of J's teachers took one look at me today and said to J, "This must be your mother." We're less than 2 years apart in age, but J doesn't have gray hair like I do. I look and feel much older than my 31, I know. And yet, in other ways I still feel like I could be a teenager going to college with these kids.

J got all her papers and exams done, and did quite well on them. Now all she has to do is finish reading her Cellular and Molecular Biology book and take the tests for it, and then finish the psychology class she'll be taking in summer school. Lord willing, she'll get her degree in August.

Today we went to the awards ceremony and presentations, and then to the Knowledge Bowl finals and the pre-med banquet. J and I are both really tired, so we're going to bed early. Tomorrow we get to go to Artist's Series (this year they're performing Shakespeare's Henry V) and the commencement concert. Mom, Dad and my youngest sister Sparrow are flying in tonight, so it will be fun to have the whole family together for a few days.

I e-mailed my wonderful creative writing teacher from when I was here in '95-97, and she remembered me from Poetry Writing class! She isn't in her office today or tomorrow, but she told me where she'll be sitting at the commencement concert so I can find her there. I'm looking forward to that.

My other two favorite teachers don't seem to be here any more, but I'm glad that Mrs. J.L.T. is here. It was so nice to see, "Of course I remember you!" in the e-mail from her.

Trip

Well, I'm writing from South Carolina, literally across the continent from my home in the PacNW. I flew out to be with SisJ for the university graduation here.

DH has traveled enough for business in the last few years to earn a free flight, so I got to come out for graduation. I'm so glad I got well in time to travel; I was worried that I was going to have to miss the trip because of being so sick with mono. But I'm here.

Some lessons learned on the trip: always double-check to see that you have a fully-charged cell phone, some cash, several dollars in quarters for phone calls, a working debit card (and that you know the PIN if your husband set it up with a different PIN than usual), and the phone number and address of the place where you'll be staying (stored somewhere other than your cell phone, in case the battery goes dead). Oh, and a complete outfit and some pajamas in your carry-on in case your luggage gets lost or delayed. Thankfully, my sister's clothes fit me.

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I also forgot to double-check whether any of the flight information had changed between booking the trip and the actual date of travel. My flight got in an hour earlier than the itinerary said, and I had a shorter layover in Atlanta than I'd thought. Thankfully, I did barely make the second flight, just as they were about to shut the doors. One of my suitcases wasn't so lucky.

I actually had packed an outfit in my carry-on, but I forgot a slip and the hose I packed had a run in them. At least I did make sure to put my toiletries, my ibuprofen, and some food in the carry-on. My cell phone died at the beginning of the trip, and I had the charger packed in the suitcase that didn't make the flight. I did have food, which was a good thing since I'm still avoiding cow's milk and gluten and limiting sugar.

SisJ doesn't have a car and thought I was getting in on Wednesday, so I had to scramble around trying to figure out how to make phone calls and figure out how I was getting to her apartment. Thankfully she did find a friend with a car who was willing to drive out and pick me up.

On the flight from the West coast to Atlanta, I sat next to a guy who looked quite a bit like Bill Murray in What About Bob? It felt really strange to be traveling without DH and the kids. I read a book, dozed off, and enjoyed the luxury of being the only person I had to entertain. Long plane flights are much less tiring when you don't have to spend all your energy keeping young children quiet and occupied in a cramped space for hours.

Today J has exams, and I'm hoping to attend the meeting of the Greek letter society I belonged to when I was a student here, Sigma Kappa Rho. (Sigma--Kappa--ROSES! Yeah!) [Every student here belongs to a society--you chose which one to join as a freshman.] I'm also planning to look up some of my favorite teachers, and a few people who were students here when I was attending and are still in the area.

It's been 10 years since I've been in the South, and 11 years since I was a student here. It's really fun to be back again.

I hope DH and the kids don't miss me too much . . . I've certainly never been away from the kids this long before. They begged me not to go, but I know that they'll be fine with their Daddy. I never have to worry about how he'll do handling the kids by himself.

I got my hair cut yesterday . . . ahoulder-length is so much easier to take care of than waist-length, especially as thick as my hair is. I'll have to post before and after pictures when I get home.

Ebee did end up apparently having a stomach virus. She had a fever and diarrhea for a couple of days, but was starting to recover by Sunday. Hopefully nobody else will catch it. I'm praying that I don't get sick while traveling.

J has internet access in her apartment, so if I have time I'll try to check in again later.

Two Couples

I was photographing these two seagulls, then realized there was also a human couple walking nearby. Can you see them? I can see them on the laptop, but not on this computer.

I have determined that there's actually something wrong with this monitor. It's far too dark no matter how I adjust it--even after resetting and degaussing (which did help slightly, but not much). Thankfully, DH is going to switch with me since he doesn't do things like photo editing on his computer. I've tested his monitor, and it can be adjusted to display images properly with the tools Kevin suggested.

Truck Stop

I think the focus and contrast is pretty good on this one. What do you think?

Puddle Jumping

I didn't adjust the contrast on these . . .

Sun and Star

Sunset Threads:


I'm having trouble figuring out what these photos really look like, because everything looks dark on my computer screen no matter how I adjust the settings. I realized recently that adjusting photos so they look right on my screen makes them look washed-out on other people's computers.

Sunset Rocks with the original exposure:



Sunset Rocks adjusted to look right on my screen:


Starfish Swim 1:


Starfish Swim 2:



Do these look dark or pale to you? Which version looks better on your screen? (Click on any photo to see a larger version.)

Beach Photos

(Click photos to enlarge)



I think today has been one of the best yet at the coast. The tide was way out in the late morning, and we played in the little pools at the beach for a long time. The girls even found a little friend to play with.



Too bad it has to end all too soon. We're having a wonderful day today.

Vacationing with Kids

It's interesting how young children's idea of a vacation is so different from DH's and mine. We adults like to picture relaxing, resting, sleeping in, walking on the beach, that sort of thing--with some activities and exploring mixed in too, of course.

The kids, however, think that relaxing and resting are complete wastes of perfectly good time at the beach--not to mention sleeping!

They wake up early and are ready to go long before DH and I want to pry our eyes open. They'd be in the pool or surf most of the day every day if it was up to them. Of course, at ages 6, almost 5 and nearly 2, such activities require much intense supervision and interaction from Mommy and Daddy.

We're having a wonderful time, staying busy and taking lots of pictures. I think we'll come home rested in some ways and tired in others.