A Day at the Beach

Tomorrow is the long awaited cardiologist follow-up. In an effort to keep Michael away from Google and Web MD we headed to the Oregon Coast. Bre had to work. We picked up Krista, Mom T and Mom G. 

Waldport Sighting

Gherkins on THIS side of the pacific

We discovered Arielle has a wonderful talent....she makes amazing sand art with her feet! 

Follow these steps if you find debris from Japan

Surreal to stand in Newport, OR and see a piece of the dock from the fishing harbor 2 miles away from our home in Misawa, Japan. 

This photo is just to show the amazingly pretty location where it landed....the dock is barely seen just below the "k" in the photo

Back in Florence for a family tradition 

Sand-boarding.....a new tradition? 

We came home tired, ordered a pizza, doctored Stacia's toe and watched Narnia on T.V.

I dreamed of PWOC Mentors: Deb showed up and told me she loved me. Victoria told me to pray, prepare, practice and present and that self-care was not selfish, Audrey and Becky were teaching me how to pack. ::snort::  Michael read too much at WebMD - think it's good we're seeing doc today.

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Tea, Airplanes and the Outback...

Another fine day in Eugene. Michael went to a men's breakfast study. I took the younger three to the pool     and soaked up some vitamin  D while I read the newspaper.

The girls, Sherri (Sister in law), Mom G and Mom T enjoyed a tea party at Mom T's. 

We all picked our favorite tea cup to use

My favorite which I didn't select as I figured it would be near impossible with the handle

Bad photo - but the only group photo I took 

Michael took the boys on a super secret surprise.....an airplane ride. 

We've had LOTS of plane rides recently so what made this special? Well - it IS a small plane....

and Michael piloted the plane. Michael attended the flight program at a college in this town...the boys had a blast....and Michael did too. The timing was right. 

I think there are a couple of girls who would like a redo on this tea/airplane choice...they want to have their tea and plane too. ::snort:: Another plane trip may be in the near future. 

Michael, myself, Arielle, Nolan, Zander and Stacia met Bre, Mom G and Rebecca for dinner tonight.  Then Arielle, Zander and Nolan went with Pastor Bre to work on a VBS banner. 

We brought Stacia home hoping to find a nice kids' movie for her to watch - you'd think as they have cable...NOPE nothing suitable for a child. She fell asleep. She hurt her toe this afternoon - I believe she'll lose the toe nail - it's loose and so she's a bit worn out. She hates, and is terrified of, blood. 

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Eugene on Tuesday

What is wrong with the above photo? No Internet in the room - yes I DID tell them on Saturday.  We had to decide today if we were going to spend eight more nights here or move to the award-winning hotel I love across the highway. ::snort:: Michael doesn't complain about hotels; but said he was ready to move. We decided to try to talk to the front desk. We really wanted a room with Internet, one without a moldy shower curtain...and I was so embarrassed but told her one room smelled like cat urine and the other like wet dog. I told her we were trying to decide if we should stay or check out. Turns out we were on the PET FLOOR. It was NOT our imagination. She offered us keys to four rooms to check out on another floor. We found two, side by side....two chairs in each room, microwave in each room....AND they smell fresh....no mold or pet odors, Internet in the room.  We stayed - it IS almost 50% less than the other hotel. (We don't NEED a hot tub and I can do laundry elsewhere).   As we left the hotel the front desk told me  an access point for Internet has been out and there was NO Internet - just like we'd been saying. ::snort:: 

We headed to Marie Calenders to have lunch with Mom G and Mom and Dad T. Turns out our messages weren't reaching each other and Mom G had a dental appointment over lunch.  I have committed to finding a recipe for Michael's favorite at Marie Calenders - Artichoke Mushroom Chicken

We were SO close to Valley River Center.....Krista suggested she take Arielle and I over. Michael and the other kids went to Rebecca's to see if they could catch up with Mom G. 

We only stopped in a few stores but Arielle found a pair of shorts and I found a couple of summer shirts. I plan to take the kids shopping at Target before we come home. 

We caught up with the rest of the family and enjoyed a nice visit with Mom G. 

We then zipped over to the cheap theater and met Bre (done with work) and Mom T. We watched Pirates Band of Misfits - in 3D. 

Krista has picked up eight more hours a week of teaching English to Koreans. She had a job interview this a.m. and was notified this afternoon she was hired to be a new librarian at New Hope Christian College.  She headed home to sleep - those English classes are at strange times due to the time differences. LOL 

We swung by the deli and took dinner to Mom and Dad T's to enjoy. Dad had been tantalizing us with tales of watermelon. 

There was also ice cream for those who like that better. We enjoyed another visit with Mom and Dad T and Bre....good times. 

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Experiencing Eugene - Monday

OK  - seriously - other than observe the life patterns of hotel goers - what DID we do yesterday? 


Michael and I took care of a lot of loose ends: 

• Tricare
• Medical appointment made
• Tickets changed to fly next Wed (will be moved up or back depending on appointment).
• RV storage paid for a year
• Trailer visited
• Sprint - revisited - hopeless; just hopeless. Yes, we've even called the headquarters...now we're resigned AND writing the Better Business Bureau.

Krista joined us for lunch and introduced us to "Burrito Boy," a Eugene original. This local chain began as a street vendor. 

We were all filled...and price is great. 

Krista took Nolan, Stacia and Zander - along with Taleena- to experience Eugene. They slid down the "Giant O"....

Played in the fountain, romped around....Mom and Dad T and Michael and I joined them after we'd run our separate errands. 

Beautiful Views

Will (my brother) and I used to play on this whale over 45 years ago! LOL  

Shelton-McMurphy-Johnson House built in 1888 - now a museum 

And look what I found when searching online for photos..a connection 

The Cogswell-Miller house was built by Cogswell in 1884 for his daughter DeEtta. 

Actually, Eugene Skinner (namesake of Park and City) is a relative of some sort....sort of fun to visit and think about legacy.  I wonder what he'd think of the unique flavor of Eugene these days. LOL 

The kids had a blast. We returned to Sprint to continue our discussion about Krista's phone....what a run-around. 

We came back to the hotel to swim in the outdoor pool - really refreshing.... Bre joined us for dinner at Applebees and we headed to Eugene to see if we could catch Mom G - couldn't.  We spent a bit of time with Bre at her apartment and headed home. 

Choosing Joy!

©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...