Ranch, Oregon, and All the Places in Between

Well, I took my last week of vacation time for this year, and to Oregon we went. On the way, we stopped at Nate's family's ranch. It's a real working ranch that two of his uncles and their families live on. Pretty out of my box, but fun to be in for a while. Jack loved EVERYTHING about it, and Nate got back in touch with some of his roots. After two days, we made our way to Meford, OR. The kids did pretty well. We made a few stops on the way to get them out and moving every now and then. While in OR we had a fabulous time. Nate's parents had a ton of fun things lined up for us. We headed to the coast after a few days and spent some serene time on the lovely beaches of OR. After a fantastic week, we headed out on our way home. It's been nice to be getting back to our routine, but we miss Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks Mom and Dad for all you do for us. We had a GREAT time! Oh, and the pics are in backwards order, because Blogger and I don't agree with how easy putting pics up SHOULD be. So, if you want the proper effect, start at the bottom and work your way up. Cheese!

Winnemucca, oh Winnemucca. There's not a whole lot in Winnemucca. BUT... We found a veterans memorial with some retired awesomeness. Here's a retired fighter jet and my boys. It was a random find, but Jack thought it was pretty sweet.

Redwood trail on the way home from the coast. AMAZING! Huge, crazy huge. It was pouring rain which another hiker only told us made them more beautiful than usual. I just can't believe how big the roots are. Sheesh!

Ocean World. We got to pet sharks and watch a seal/sea lion show.

Jack LOVED the waves at the coast. We brought our weight in gold home in rocks. That's right, beautiful, unique rocks. Hand picked by Nate.

Crater Lake, OR

The Vortex House

Burney Falls... SO gorgeous!

Some ruins up above the ranch. "Jack, just look, don't touch!" No need to ruin the ruins ;)

On the porch at Uncle Ralph and Aunt Patsy's house.

Jack on his first solo horse ride at the Ranch. It was love at first horse.

Eureka, NV on the way to the Ranch. Fun old stuff to look at, but literally, the town, in it's entirety, is maybe a 5 minute walk.

Bonding Time!?

I just wanted to take a second. You know how some days you just wonder if you're the only one who feels the way you do? The days where you feel like your eyes are so tired that they burn with the crying sensation? The times you just want to sit on the shower floor, let the hot water sprinkle all over you, as you just let out the tears you push back... you know, because you're tougher than that? The times you look in the mirror and think, life is so crazy. Crazy in a good way, but crazy. You look at how different life is than how you imagined it 10 years ago, but yet, you embrace it, because in a weird way, it's better than you could've imagined, but at the same time, how did life happen while you weren't looking?

Do I make a good enough effort everday? I swear I try, but could I be better? I'm sure I could. Motivation... inspiration... goals are set and schemes are made. And yet, I don't know how good I am at making them all come to fruition. I've decided that life, a quality one, is a choice. It's a hard one to acknowledge and achieve. I can live life, or I can liiive life. Am I okay with complacency, or am I trying to be better than I was yesterday, last week, month? I honestly don't know why I'm rambling like a mad lady, but I was just thinking, and wondering, am I the only one? No, I know I'm not, but sometimes you just reach out. For a sense of human contact, emotional support that sometimes we just stop nurturing. Yes, I'm slightly crazy :) And oddly, I do feel refreshed. Oh the power of prose.

Summer Has Come and Gone

Today was the first day of school, for most kids around here. I just can't believe how quickly time seems to go. I'm excited for a little work relief. Back to School is one of our busiest seasons. *Deep sigh*

Other news... Ethan turned one last Saturday. He had his check up this afternoon. 18 lns 14 oz, 30 in. He's defintely the bigger of my 2 small children. 9th percentile for his weight, and 50th for his height.

Jack is potty trained except for bed time, has a curiosity for everything in life, and can light up any room with his over the top personality. One set back to being almost 4...he thinks he's soooo independent, and to let him get there I've realized I have to let him be and do exactly what he thinks he is and can. It absolutely kills me sometimes.

Sad, sad, sad is the blog situation. Ethan is just a wee kid in my last post. Good grief! I will have to get some pics up ASAP. Sorry for all the boring letters and no amazing pictures.