Ready for the snow to go!

A rare glimpse of sunlight on Monday

We had plans to travel to the coast to see Travis' mom and family, but the weather has thrown a wrench in our plans. Hopefully we can make the trip tomorrow. Here are some more photos from the past few days.

Sad day... Merrick is upset because Mom is outside shoveling snow while he's stuck inside. Little does he know one day that will be his job!


Who needs a fridge when you've got snow!

Even More Snow!

Well we woke up to more snow this morning. I'm guessing we have close to a foot now and it's still snowing. This weather is crazy! Travis attempted to go to work today, he walked about a mile to catch the bus and then found out it was still 10 miles away, so he decided to walk home and work from home today. Here are some photos of the snow accumulation yesterday and what we woke up to today.

12/21 at 9:20 am

12/22 at 7 am

No cushions on the chairs, that's all snow. Taken on 12/21/08

12/22/08 at 7:00 am

More Snow!

We got hit with more snow today, it's been snowing since at least 5:45 am this morning when I got up with Merrick and it has been going steady all day. I tried to measure the snow on our deck, we've got at least a solid 4 inches of snow.

We haven't ventured out to play in it yet, although I think we'll try tomorrow. We've been holed up in the house having fun with the Rock Band that Travis brought home from work. Merrick really likes to play the drums. He has also been enjoying the chocolate chip cookies that I made (what else is there to do when it's cold outside?).

Rock on!
Future Drummer?



Yum.. Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fun in the Snow

As most of you know, we were hit with snow yesterday. Travis and I left the house early Sunday morning to get in a long run before the snow hit. We joined some friends up at Leif Erickson to run about 7 miles. There wasn't much snow on the ground when we started and it was fun to run while it was snowing out. By the time we got done and headed down the hill, the snow was starting to accumulate fast. Thinking there still weren't many people out on the roads, we took the normal route home, which includes I-5. Big mistake! The road was a mess and there were cars either wrecked or abandoned all along the side of the road and many people pulled over putting on chains. What is normally a 20 minute drive took us 1 1/2 hours. We spent the rest of the day inside where it was warm.

Today I stayed home with Merrick and we decided to brave the elements and go out and play in the snow with Merrick's friend Zachary. It was really cold out and I made the decision to come in well before Merrick was ready to. The snow is like powder and doesn't pack well, so no snowmen or snowball fights today. Maybe the snow that is expected on Wednesday will be better!

Zoo Lights

Travis, Merrick and I decided to head out to Zoo Lights this evening. We figured since it was a nice evening, we would brave the crowds and head out to see the lights. It was the first time for all of us, and if you're not in the Christmas spirit after being there, you really must be a scrooge!

Bryan Adams Concert

Travis and I headed out Saturday night with Mike and Leann to see Bryan Adams at the Aladdin Theater. He did an acoustic show and because the venue is so small, we were able to get good seats. I was actually really impressed with his show. He sang for about an hour and 45 minutes without a break with either just his guitar or sometimes accompanied by the piano. I wasn't able to get very good pictures, but I was able to get some video footage through my camera.

Christmas Tree

Since we are hosting the annual Yates Holiday party this coming weekend, we had to get our tree earlier than we have in past years. We headed to Lee Family Farms in Tualatin to find the perfect tree. We spent some time walking around the property, getting to see turkeys and bunnies, before finding our tree. Merrick wasn't really in to finding a tree, so our trip was actually pretty short. Good thing Mom was able to find a tree quickly!

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving actually started last weekend with a visit from Grandpa Brad, Grandma Karen, Granny, Grandma Kathy and Grandma Sisco. We enjoyed a nice brunch and Merrick had fun entertaining and being the center of attention.

Merrick with all his grandmas and great-grandmas

Then on Wednesday we headed South to visit Poppa, Grammy and all the aunts, uncles and cousins. We had a busy couple of days, but also had lots of fun.

Bath time with cousins Micah and Quin

Visit from the Seattle cousins

Kira, Erik and the boys came to visit this past weekend. The adults went to the Blazer game, while the boys stayed home and got to watch Kung Fu Panda. Sunday morning we went to the children's museum and burned off some energy.Quin and Merrick with Travis

Quin, Micah and Merrick check out the Bob the Builder exhibit





Quin and Merrick enjoying the water exhibit
Quin gives the Aligator chair a try

Trick or Treat

Merrick really enjoyed Halloween this year and went trick or treating with his friend Megan. Megan knew exactly what to do and Merrick chased after her. After watching her get treats for saying "trick or treat" he would say "me trick or treat too" then he would run away saying "bye bye, see you later, have fun" it was quite entertaining.

Say Cheese!

Merrick is now willing to "smile" for you when you take his picture. Let's just say, we don't always get the smiling face we'd like...

Isaiah's Birthday Party

Birthday boy Isaiah!

Isaiah turned 2 and we celebrated his birthday with him last Saturday. The party was a costume party and Merrick loved putting on his Winnie the Pooh costume. I was even able to get him to say "Super Sleuths are on the case". The party was lots of fun and included pizza, cake and a parachute!




Super Sleuths are on the case!



Yummy cake!

Fun with the parachute

Marathon Babes

Leslie, Coleen and I having fun in the photo booth at the Nike Marathon Expo

San Francisco Weekend

I just returned from a weekend in San Francisco for the Nike Women's marathon.

Coleen and I arrived Friday night and got into the city at about 9. While going to get on the BART at the airport, I realized that I had left the directions to the hotel and all of our confirmations to pick up our race packets at the ticket counter in Portland. Luckily I remembered what stop to get off at and the address for the hotel and even luckier is that Coleen had a GPS on her phone and we were able to find our hotel relatively easily. We got checked in and then went to find some dinner. When we got back and I started unpacking my bag, I found a surprise from Travis. He had gotten me a new camera, which I've been talking about getting for months. I was so surprise and excited.

The next morning Leslie arrived and we went to find an internet cafe so we could print our confirmations to pick up our packets. We then headed down to Union Square to the expo. We got our packets, after a little hiccup and then went to experience all the expo had to offer. The three of us got our pictures taken in a photo booth and then got in line to try the oxygen bar. None of us felt like standing in line for a manicure or a massage, so we then headed over to Niketown to see what all was going on. They have a huge display that shows the name for every person in the race, so each of us had to find our name and get a picture. Then we decided to head back to the hotel and rest up a little before dinner. Susan had planned ahead and made reservations for all of us (there were 8 of us running in the race). It was great to see everyone, especially knowing that race morning was going to be hectic and that I might not see anyone.

Since I did the half-marathon last year, I knew a few things about the race start and what to expect. We were able to get our stuff in the bag check buses, use the porta-potties and make it to our start areas with no problems. There were over 20,000 people running in the race, so the start is very hectic. I had a hard time getting into a groove at the start and really wasn't able to break away from any part of the crowd until the marathoners split away from the half-marathoners. I ran a solid race and felt really good the entire way, the last two miles were probably the hardest part of the race for me. Mostly because you could see the finish almost the entire way and it felt like I would never get there. I didn't run my fastest marathon time, but I felt so good about the race, I'm already thinking about my next marathon.

The best part about the weekend was being able to celebrate finishing with my sister. She ran her first half-marathon and I am so proud of her. It is such a huge accomplishment. I also enjoyed being able to share the race with Susan, Bhavna, Sara, Gretchen, Leslie and Karen.

Beautiful October weekend

We had beautiful weather here in Portland this weekend. Friday, I took Merrick to the Children's Museum to see Bob the Builder and his gang. I didn't realize that there was no school on Friday, so the museum was pretty busy. Merrick especially enjoyed being able to "drive" all of Bob's vehicles. He also enjoyed using the computer and phone in the "hospital area". I could not get him to go play in the water though. Maybe another day... I bought us a museum pass, so we will have plenty more opportunities to go back and play on yucky, rainy days.

Saturday morning I went for an 8 mile run with Sara and Gretchen from Sara's house. We did a couple of loops around Mt. Tabor. Unfortunately it was still pretty foggy when we were at the top, so we didn't get to enjoy the great view of the city. Afterwards, I met Travis and picked up Merrick, so Trav could play flag football. I was able to have lunch and go shopping with my mom and sister, which is always fun.

Travis had prepared me that he had a surprise planned for me that night. He ended up tying someone at work and they both raised $800 for the Race for the Cure. His prize was a gift certificate to www.livingroomtheaters.com We met Kris and Sara there for dinner and a movie. We watched Kabluey www.kabluey.com and we were all surprised at how funny it was. It was so nice to have a night out without Merrick and hang out with fun people.

We took Merrick to Lee Farms today to visit all the animals and pick out a pumpkin. We saw goats, llamas, cows, pigs and chickens, all of which we were able to pet (except the pigs... apparently they bite). Merrick really enjoyed seeing the animals, but what he liked best was the giant slide. He kept asking and asking to go on the slide, so we bought some tickets and let him go three times. I think he would have stayed there all night, but Travis and I cut him off after three rides since it cost $2 every time he went. We tried to talk him into picking out a pumpkin, but he wasn't into it. So we will have to make another trip to the farm (or the store) to get our pumpkins.

Pictures will be posted soon...

Busy days

The last two weeks have been very hectic and busy. Travis travelled to Alabama to visit his brother and was home for a day before I had to leave for a three day work trip to Bozeman, Montana. I got home Friday evening and crashed. I was supposed to join Bhavna, Susan and Sara for a 12 mile run (our last double digit run before the race), but decided to sleep-in instead. I guess I needed it because I was in bed until 10 am. I haven't done that since before Merrick was born.

I got up and going just in time for Merrick to get sick. He had some kind of bug and was throwing up and had a fever for several hours. Thankfully it didn't last too long. Sunday morning we went to Corey & Rebecca's to cheer Bob on. It has been an annual tradition for the past 4 years to go to Corey and Rebecca's on the day of the Portland Marathon. They live right on the course between mile 19 and 20. We always know someone who's running and it is a great chance to cheer on all the runners.

Then Sunday afternoon I met Coleen at Leif Erickson for a run. I put in 12 miles and she did 9. I was incredibly proud of her. She has come a long way with her running and 9 miles is a huge accomplishment. She is going to do awesome at the half-marathon in SF. My 12 miles felt good, although I missed my running companions. I am really looking forward to my marathon next weekend and feel really good about the training I've been doing. Hopefully it all pays off and I feel good after the race.

Monday I headed off to Pullman, Washington for another work trip and got home around midnight on Tuesday. Only to jump in the car at 7 am Wednesday morning to drive to Centralia for a work conference. The good thing is I am home the week of October 13th, although I leave on the 17th for San Francisco, get home on the 20th and then will be in Corvallis for work on the 22nd and 23rd.

We just have to make it through fall recruiting... which ends towards the end of November.

Where have we been?

When I started this blog, I had every intention of trying to post every few days to keep everyone up to date on what we are doing. This summer has been really busy and I haven't been as good about posting as I would have hoped. Here's a re-cap of what we've been up to so far this summer.

July 4th - We spent the 4th of July with the Gissel clan (my mom's family) in Waldport. It was fun times with almost all of the family getting together. I have fond memories of growing up and spending the 4th at my grandparents house in Waldport and going down to the bay to watch the fireworks, building a bonfire and having smores! We didn't make it to the fireworks, but all of us cousins did make it down to the beach for a bonfire.

July 12th - Ben and Gavin's birthday. We got to help the Secrest twins celebrate their 2nd birthday. Merrick always enjoys getting together with all of the boys and burning off some energy! The party was "Bob the Builder" themed and we even got to have dirt cake!

July 19-20th- Micah's Birthday. We made a trip to Seattle with Poppa and Grammy to see cousins Micah and Quin. Micah turned two! For Merrick's birthday, his cousins got him a Kitty Keyboard, which he loves, but Mama and Dada don't always care for. The keyboard has a "meow" key that has all different meows. Plus it purrs when you don't play with it. Needless to say... we had to find something good for Micah's birthday. Merrick and I went to Toys 'R Us and we picked out an inflatable Pirate Ship, that is big enough for the kids to climb into, plus it plays music! We decided to inflate the ship on Saturday night, thanks to Kira and Erik's neighbors air compressor, and the kids loved it! I haven't had a chance to check in with Kira and Erik and seeif they are enjoying it as much as Trav and I enjoy the Kitty Keyboard!

July 26th - WCC Picnic. My company does an amazing job with their company picnic and this year was no exception. I was really excited about it this year because Merrick was big enough to know what was going on. The picnic was carnival themed and they had a huge carousel bounce house, carnival games, a balloon artist, face painters, a magician and lots of food, ice cream and snow cones. We all had a blast and came home exhausted.

August 2 - 3 - Rafting/Camping Trip. Travis and I went on a rafting/camping trip with a group of his co-workers. We left Merrick at home with Nana and Papa T. Travis and I had fun getting away for the weekend and ended up having a gorgeous weather in Maupin, while it was raining in Portland.

August 9 - MG2 Picnic. Travis' company picnic was at a large park near Battle Ground,WA. Merrick's favorite part was getting to see the fire truck and seeing what the firemen carry in their truck. He discovered they carry a SLOW/STOP sign and I'm guessing he's probably the only kid who has gotten excited about a sign. Travis' luck at the MG2 events continued and he won a $100 gift certificate to Higgins Restaurant. For those of you who don't know, he won a flat screen TV at their Christmas party. I don't know if he'll ever be able to top that!

August 10 - Grandpa Dick's 80th Birthday party. We headed to Aumsville to help Grandpa Dick celebrate his 80th birthday. It was fun to get to see all of the family from my dad's side. Most of my cousins were there and Merrick enjoyed exploring.

Did I mention we've been busy? Here's what's coming up next...

August 22- 23 - Travis will be doing Hood to Coast
August 29 -30 - A trip to visit Grandpa Brad and Grandma Karen
August 31 -Sara Sitter's Annual Kick Ball Party
September 6 -Fagan Family Reunion
September 6-7 - Travis plays in a softball tournament
September 20 - Counting Crows/Maroon 5 Concert
September 25- 29- Travis goes to visit his brother Jeff in Alabama

Gut Check

For those of you who don't know... I am training for a marathon in October. I've been very fortunate to have some great running partners to join me while I log some serious miles. This past weekend was no different. We knew that it was going to be a warm day, so we started out at 7 am for our 18 mile run. We had decided earlier in the week to run up Terwilliger all the way into Lake Oswego and back. For those of you who aren't familiar with Terwilliger... it's got some nice hills and once we got into Lake Oswego, I realized those hills were going to seem even bigger on the way back.

I've been running with Susan, Bhavna and Kevin for years and one of the things that I appreciate about them is that we have this unspoken agreement, that we can run our own pace. I was struggling a bit on my way back up Terwilliger heading out of LO and let the group get ahead of me. With about 6.5 miles left, they all decided to head off to a nature center to use the facilities. I was having a rough time and knew that if I got off course, even for a little bit, I wasn't going to make it, so I went ahead of them. This run was probably one of the hardest I have done, especially for a training run. It was a serious gut check for me. I was emotionally, mentally and physically drained by the time I finished. But the key thing is I finished.

It was a good practice run for what I will go through in October. Probably the hardest thing for me about doing that race is that I won't have the support of family and friends that I would have if I were running in Portland.

I am continuously grateful for my family and friends and all the support they give me! I owe a huge thank you to my running friends who have made those long runs a little easier!

London Slide Show!