SORRY!!!

Okay everyone, I'm sorry I've been a slacker. My excuses are not as good as Kim's so I won't even go there. Suffice it to say, life right now is BOOOOOOOOOOORING. Nothing majorly exciting has happened since last I posted that Kim hasn't already blogged (i.e. B.W.'s birthday and an actual winter storm).

Actually, I guess I lied. Block three of classes ended for me, and I still have my solid 4.0, which is getting to be a more and more difficult feat to accomplish, but I WILL do it. Just a few more blocks and the baby degree is all finished. Can't wait! But for now, I just have to make it until the 22ND, when I get my first break since starting school eight months ago. It is a much anticipated event. Two weeks without worrying about school will be a nice change.

So, yeah, that's about it. Definitely haven't missed much. We're all excited in the house to be VERY nearly finished with Christmas shopping. We can't wait to get the gifts shipped out, and then focus on the REAL reason for the season. I promise, I will blog before then. After all, you have to see our pretty decorations, that is once they're put up of course!!!!

Birthday Bowl-A-Rama

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Isn't it hard to believe that the year is already almost over? Holy smokes, how time has flown by since January!

Anyway, onto the post for the week. Tuesday is normally Dad's and my league night for bowling. However, due to the holiday this week, they didn't have a League Night. Since I become absolutely even more horrible than I already am when I skip a week of bowling, Dad and I, along with our teammate and dear friend Ricky, decided we would bowl as usual. So, we did.

The super fun part of it is that Tuesday was also my best friend's birthday. So to celebrate, I picked up some balloons, Mom and Dad picked out a card, and we all bowled together. The six of us had a fantastic time enjoying one another's company,engaging in friendly competition and smack talk, generally being silly, and looking forward to more fun nights ahead.

Date Night

So, Friday was a super fun night. For the first time in quite a while, sad enough to admit, I got a fun date night. It actually turned out better than I could have imagined. By total chance, while waiting for Mom and Dad to get to the theater and while texting Ricky directions on how to print his ticket AWAY from the box office, I looked over. To my surprise, a friend I've grown up with was there with her husband. So, Steph and Steve, Mom and Dad, and Ricky and I all had a great time.
Being the addict I am, we went and watched Twilight. Bless our dear men who came along without even grumbling. What a fun treat! They were champs throughout the whole movie, well mostly. The guys had fun teasing us mercilessly, but it was a right they earned for sitting through one of the most ultimately chicky chick flicks ever.
Thanks Dad, Steve, and Ricky for humoring your hopeless romantics! We really do appreciate you! Despite the razzing we received, it turned out fantastically well thanks to our tolerant men.

After the movie, Stephanie and Steve went their own way while we went to dinner with another friend I've grown up with and her husband. Thanks to Ricky, we tested a really yummy restaurant. We'd never been courageous enough to try it, but we're so glad for the recommendation. What a fun night! Thanks boys!

Hot Mama!

Since Mom's operation in March, she has been morphing in front of our very eyes. Just thought you guys might like to see the miracle we witness everyday!

Did any of us imagine a year ago that she would be where she is? No wheelchair? Walking long distances (for Mom), dancing in circles? If your answer is no, take a look at this fun video!

Time Check

Saturday night was B-Man's region concert, and man was it amazing! It had me thnking back to my own experiences in various concerts, including one just like he had the blessing of participating in. In the various thought processes, it hit me. I double-thought the question, "Has it REALLY been 10 years?" Crazy to admit that it has. Those wonderful choir memories will stick with me through my entire life.

Anyway, it was a fun family night, and I was able to get some fabulous pictures-and video too! Just for you Catherine. Please forgive the lack of clarity. It's amazing it turned out as well as it did! What a fantastic night.

Mom and I had fun playing with Gracie after the concert. What a cutie she is!

And wherever there's a Haven, you can bet a Payten is not far behind. Such adorable sisters!

Anyway, Words cannot express how proud I am of Bryan. He's stepped it up and become quite the young man. What a fun, great kid. I so can't believe he'll be eighteen in just a few short months! Can't wait to see the man he becomes. Love ya Dude! Have fun watching, or at least listening, to the videos. Then you'll be able to understand why we're just so proud! :)

Addiction

Hey Everyone! If you don't already know, one of my few addictions is the Twilight series written by Stephenie Meyer. Even though it's juvenile (for the most part), I absolutely LOVE it. Thank you soooo much Eliza. If not for your suggestion, I'd be in complete and toal ignorance.

Anyway, I was looking at a friend's blog, and his wife had taken a test to see which heroine she was. Usually, I skip over these things because they are ALWAYS wrong. However, this one was pretty accurate. It turns out that I'm Bella. Who would have thought? Just thought it was funny!


Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Catching Up with the Joneses

While in WA, we were able to catch up with Sid and his family after fifteen years of highly inter-mittent communication. When we knew we were headed up in his direction, we gave him a call, and sure enough, we were able to get in touch with him. After telling him the situation, he volunteered his home to us, and everything else we needed, including a car. He would hear of nothing else.

How fun it was to get to stay with them the week we were up there. It felt like there had never been anytime apart. He is still the same old Sid, just a little more mellow. I guess being 41 does that to ya! But we had a fantastic time with them each night after our wanderings and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Suzanne, and the kids, Gabriella (Gabi, 11) and Matthew (Mattie, 9). How good to know that the bond formed so long ago is still very much alive. We very much enjoyed our time with them. Thanks Jones Family!

What a Beautiful World

"Oh what a beautiful morning! Oh, what a beautiful day!"

It was so fun to see Mom by a real life waterfall. As long as I can remember, they've been at the top of her favorite things list, so she was like a little kid at Christmas getting to see Whatcom up close and personal.

So, if a picture is worth a thousand words, what's a video worth? Mom had so much fun at this gorgeous place. Whatcom Falls Park was a truly, amazingly, breathtakingly, astoundingly (and so many more adjectives) gorgeous state park that is about five minutes from the apartment we're hoping to get into. Enjoy for yourselves what we consider to be one of the many wonders of Washington.

And obviously, I was not far behind Mom. Having been deprived of free recreation, this was also an awesome sight for me. You can hear all of our exclamations! So funny. Any doubt we loved it?

Trying to get Dad to send a message to everyone was a little difficult-but the plus side is you can see he's still the same old silly Dad we all know and love. Mom, once again, was really neat to watch. Normally, as children, we watch our parents see their children's' dreams come true; it was neat to be on the flip side of that and watch a parent's dream come true. Love you MOM!

I apologize in advance for my poor cinematography in this next video. Definitely no academy award there, but I'm still learning this skill. Hopefully, it'll get better with time. I was cut off saying-"Wish you guys could be here." But it's still true, even if you didn't get to see it!

And, one last video for you all. We hope to play tour guide in person one day though! Maybe we should plan a 2010 Olympics Family Reunion since we'll only be about an hour away from the Vancouver Games. Then we could tour Bellingham together. How fun that would be!

I Finally Found Love-well sort of

At long last-my one true love. Well, it would have been were it real. Just to ease some minds, my hand is the only thing touching that germ-ridden creation residing at Squalicom Harbor. It was a fun surprise. So can't wait to see the real things playing in the ocean.

When considering the fact that the replica was an advertisement without words, it was highly effective. I'm sure you can guess what it was advertising-a charter that caters to tourists wanting to go whale watching.

Nice warm side of the whale. Have to love hidden sunshine.

Not so nice, FREEZING side of the whale. It's amazing how shade makes a difference everywhere else but TX. Soooooo cold. But so refreshing!

Squalicom Harbor-Bellingham, WA

One of the most awesome things about Bellingham is that it is literally right on Bellingham Bay, which flows out into the ocean. It was funny how we actually settled on Bellingham as the place to live. Knowing that I eventually want to work for the Center for Whale Research on Friday Harbor, I was looking for someplace relatively close to San Juan Island. Looking at a map, I saw that Bellingham was just a ferry ride away. So, location was definitely a HUGE factor in the decision. And again-see the sun reflecting on the water? I'm starting to think that all the tales of constant rain are just rumors. We heard about it, but didn't really see a whole lot of rain, thank goodness. If indeed the rumors are true, we'll get more than enough to make us happy. For me, it was nice not having the glaring sunshine around. I was surprised at how much I didn't miss it. Thank goodness for mountains on the south and west, ocean on the east, and Canada to the north. Even when it's sunny, as it was on this day, we won't have headaches from all the bright light. Gotta love it!



When I say that this kite was huge, I mean it was really HUGE. It had to have been at least 60 feet long. We literally first saw it about a mile away from where it was launched, and as we got closer, we became surprised at the sheer size of the thing. It showed us yet another fabulous perk to Bellingham-it's a perfect kite-flying place. There is a fairly constant wind being kicked up onto land from the ocean, so boredom should never be an issue here.

Has anyone watched Free Willy lately? If so, this scene probably looks quite familiar. Since that was the movie that first really inspired my desire to work with large marine mammals, it was a truly fun adventure for me to see this place. It became more fun when I realized that it is literally six miles from the area of town we are hoping to call home. I stood here for a good half-hour marvelling at the beauty such a place holds. I think it was standing on the shore that I realized my dreams are within reach. I felt like I was at home, and can't wait to get back,



One of the many waterfront hotels along the coastline. Between the picturesque architecture and the mini lighthouse, I couldn't resist taking the shot. While it's no San Antonio, Dallas, or Houston (thank goodness!), Bellingham is a decent sized little city. You get a feel for its quaint tranquility. To the side of this hotel, there's a relaxing courtyard. When I was walking around, the only sounds were the waves and the seagulls. It was easy to think I was in a dream land somewhere far away.



This is by far the best islands shot I was able to get. Beyond that lamp post and the sailboat, you can see three of the five major islands that make up a group of islands you may have heard of-the San Juans. It was so beautiful. Again, I completely felt the love of an all-knowing Heavenly Father. While I know it's not the case, it felt as if Father had created the place just for me. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time here. Throughout my entire life, the one thing that has always brought me the most peace, that soothes me quicker than anything, is the sound of waves lapping with gulls in the background. It was all here, and I can't wait to know that whenever I need an out, it'll be right there. I marvel at the blessings Heavenly Father bestowed upon me in leading us to a place that couldn't be more perfect for all of us.



In yet another display of crazy beautiful WA flora, this plant was hanging over a concrete planter. Even the walls along the highways were covered in gorgeous multi-colored ivy. Speaking of highways, blackberries grew wild along the side of the freeways. I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully conceptualize just how amazing the natural plant life is in this place. The fact that it can grow pretty much any time of the year is also amazing to me. You would never guess that winter was quickly approaching by looking at all the colors throughout the state. Can anyone tell that I'm homesick for a place I've never even lived? How pathetic am I?



It's not the greatest picture by any means, but you can see that Mt. Baker is covered in snow. When we were reading tourist magazines, we found out that Mt. Baker has the longest skiing season of anywhere in WA. I believe it. I think that snow is there from last year! In actuality, I have no idea, but it's still fun to know that I'll be able to see a snow-covered mountain peak off to one side and the ocean off to another. Can you ask for anything more?

Scenic Olympia-Tumwater Falls

First of all, I just have to explain, parks are EVERYWHERE in WA, and you don't even know it until you google which park is closest. All the tall trees block everything from view, and it so easy to miss a wonderful adventure without even knowing it. Tumwater Falls was about ten minutes away from Sid's house, and we found it on one of our very few relazing (it's a combo of relaxing and lazy-yes that was intentional) days. At first, it all looked like man-made waterfalls, but as I hiked (I could do it there without getting out of breath!) further back into the woods, I found some amazing little gems. This one was at the very beginning of the park, and trust me when I say it just got better from there.



Okay, while it's nowhere near as big as either the UT or Yosemite one, the WA version of Bridal Veil Falls was very pretty. It was set back in a little cave of sorts, and it was so worth climbing through blackberry bushes (there was a path there) to see. I guess Mom's love of waterfalls is contagious, and since she couldn't manage the steep slopes, I tried to get as many pictures for her as I could. But I'd be lying if I said this one was just for her. I fell in love with it. There's just something about hearing water crashing down that makes me really excited. The best part of all this is the Washingtonians embrace the concept of Free Recreation, something that is pretty much unheard of in the land of Desolation (a.k.a. Texas).

Okay, so some close-ups should just be avoided. However, considering I was a lone wanderer on most of these hiking adventures, it was the best I could do. I was quite pleased that I was able to actually get me and the waterfall in the picture. This picture goes to prove that the sun does actually shine, even in Olympia, WA. It was a stunningly gorgeous day, and I had a ton of fun strolling all throughout Tumwater Falls.

I look at some of these pictures and think "Dang, I can't believe I actually took that!" Thank goodness for modern-day technology that produces cameras that can be operated by photography novices! This is one of those pictures where I'm especially thankful for my amazing camera. It captured what I wanted beautifully. It almost looks like it could be a postcard doesn't it? I promise, I actually took all these pictures. Insane isn't it? Considering that I used to be the ultimate out of focus, head chopping picture taker, I'm super excited when my shots are actually half-way decent! Again though, I give credit to my camera-and to Heavenly Father for making such a gorgeous place!

The Ferry to Seattle

I was made fun of by Mom, Dad, and Veronica for having never been on a ferry before. But the joke was on them; while they were laughing at me, I was laughing at the fact that they thought I'd been on board ferries before, but really, when would that have been? TX is not known for ferries, and that's what the Bay Bridge was for in MD. So, we all had fun on my first water bus adventure, despite the fact that it was FREEZING cold. My TX blood is going to have to thicken really quickly as I've reached the pitiable state where 70 degrees is cold. Pathetic huh?

At last, back to the ocean! I'm a firm believer that the prominent feature of wherever you're born gets into your system, never to fully leave it. Having been born in MD and spending the first eight years of my life on an island, the ocean is what entered my system. I loved getting to a place where I could smell the saltwater and hear the seagulls. Even more fun, I got to see quite a few starfish. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I took a huge breath of the salty sea air and sighed. People looked at me like I was completely nuts, but I so didn't care. For those of you who have been away from something you love, you know what it's like to come back to it. I couldn't get enough! So, I loved the freezing ferry!

I did have a video of the ferry, but all you could hear was the wind whipping across the microphone. As you can see, it was a bit cloudy, but not so much that you couldn't see the Seattle skyline from a good ways out. It was the lack of sunshine combined with the ferocious wind that made it so cold. But I still loved being out on the water again. It was an amazing feeling!

This should give you an idea just how windy it was. More than once, my sweater was in my face and Veronica's bandanna almost flew away. And they talk about the wind in TX! I have to say, not everything is bigger in TX. While in WA, we discovered flowers, wind, pumpkins, and yogurt that were all bigger than they are in the hometown Super S. But the wind could definitely blow across that water with nothing to stop it. I was trying to keep my teeth from chattering. Weather notwithstanding, I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

Being the Frasier fan that I am, it was fun to see the real-life Seattle Skyline. As it got closer and closer, I kept looking for the Space Needle in the middle of all the skyscrapers (thank you inaccurate opening credit illustration). To my surprise, it's a good distance away from the main skyline. I happen to be covering it in this particular picture. Ah well, it's still a super fun shot. Dad says this is one of the pictures where I look the happiest. And thank you transition lenses, you can't even see my eyes, despite the shade my bill provided. As we got closer to the port, it became brighter and brighter, so I was thankful for my "sunglasses." Contrary to popular belief, they came in quite handy during our trip. I guess we lucked out with the weather because it only rained twice the entire week we were there (and it is rainy season).

There it is at last. We did get fairly close to it, but never actually made the time to go up in the famed Space Needle. Being terrified of heights, I have to admit that I was actually okay with that. The more time I have to prepare myself for that experience, the better. I hear it is an absolute "must-do" though, so eventually I'll get the courage to do it. I am actually looking to spending some more time in Seattle. The twenty minutes we were there, it looked like it could be a lot of fun. We wanted to stop by Pike's Place Market (we settled for a quick pass by on the way to drop Dad off at the airport), but that was also relegated to a future visit. Oh well, at least we can better plan for next time.

This was by far the best shot I got of the skyline. It was fun approaching the city from Puget Sound. It's funny actually because on one of my bookmarked favorites, I've got a picture of an orca right about where that buoy is. Unfortunately it wasn't there today, but there will be plenty of time to see those once we're up there for good. But until then, I'll content myself with being just a bit warmer than I was on that trip. Brrrrrrrrrrrr....so cold!

Bremerton

We went to Bremerton, and from there, took a ferry across the Puget Sound to Seattle. Bremerton is home the Naval Shipyard where Sid spends some of his weekends. Veronica and I had fun walking around and looking at all the different sights before catching the ferry.






Each of the blades on the propeller had various depictions etched all over it. This one was my favorite. I imagine that it is depicting the founder and early days of Bremerton. I was easily entertained as I stood there for at least twenty minutes looking at all the blades. I can't imagine the patience it must have taken to etch everything into that blade with such detail. The amazing thing was that every blade was done so meticulously. Can you think of how long that must have taken? I just thought it was really cool. What a nice, unique tribute to those who've gone before.





I thought this was so cute. The passing from one generation to the next hit the nostalgic bone in me I guess. It was just sweet. There's something about the older man passing the aircraft carrier to the boy that makes my heart all warm. I really don't know why it struck so hard, but it did. Hopefully you'll understand. If not, chalk it up to a sentimental Rachael.


There were also some fountains at the Shipyard. For those of you who visited Sea World when you were down here, the fountains in Bremerton are very similar to those that were going off during the Viva show. The water shot over head from one block to the next and bounced all over the place. It was a little cold to stand under them (or beside them) for too long, but it was fun nonetheless.
Veronica was having way too much fun snapping pictures of the tourists (namely me), so she took her camera with her EVERYWHERE. It wasn't as if we didn't have mine, but oh well, I guess the need to point out that I'd turned into one of the very tourists I always laugh at was something to commemorate.

Just in case you couldn't tell it was a Shipyard in any of the other pictures. :) My regret is that I wasn't able to get a shot of the WWII aircraft carriers that were at the entrance to the Shipyard. By modern-day standards, they were quite small, but still pretty cool to see. Being Dad's daughter, a love for history has taken hold of me, so we had fun talking about those for quite a while. I don't know if you can call a ship used in warfare "cute" but I can't think of another adjective. I guess quaint would work. But anyway, the yachts weren't that bad either. It reminded me of very early Annapolis memories. Being that I don't have a ton of MD reminders stored in my brain, I treasure what I do have, and it was fun re-visiting that memory. While these aren't as majestic as the sailboats and yachts there, it was a good enough association for my brain to bring up Annapolis.

Temple Day

So, I got to WA on Friday, and first thing Saturday morning, I was able to go to the temple with Veronica and her husband, Alan. I've implemented a tradition in my life. Every year since I received my endowments, I go to the temple to celebrate that anniversary. It was a remarkable day three years ago, and since then, the temple has definitely been a haven for me. It so happens that I was endowed on my birthday in 2005, so it's kind of a birthday present to myself to have the opportunity to go into such a wonderful place. As I was in WA on my birthday (which happened to be a Monday this year), I was privileged to go to the Seattle Temple. What a truly wonderful experience.

















The San Antonio temple is one of the many "baby temples" throughout the world, so when I saw how large Seattle was, intimidation set in (See, I can't even get the entire temple in the frame!). I was endowed in the Mt. Timpanogas temple in American Fork, UT which, while bigger than San Antonio, seems dwarfed by Seattle. How grateful I was to have dear friends in accompanying me, as I would have surely gotten lost. I had a great experience in the Seattle Temple, and after the session, had a lot of fun playing the tourist.






In a truly sad commentary, I discovered one thing really quickly. I have NO idea how to stand on ground that is limestone free. Having been brought up where I was, rock is everywhere. In WA, there was no rock unless on the road or a sidewalk, so walking in heels was quite a fun learning experience for me. As demonstrated here, standing became quite the challenge. I sunk! Ah, wonderful soft ground. I can't wait to go back so I can walk around barefoot in the grass again! Back to the days of my early childhood-only without the pokey gumballs littering the ground. It will be soooooo much fun.


Have I mentioned yet how much I loved this temple? It was one of the many things we made sure were relatively close when we looked into moving to Bellingham. While it's about an hour-and-a-half away, it's a gorgeous drive down. And hey, what's ninety minutes compared to three hours (when we went to Houston) or five (when there was only Dallas "close" by)? So, we're excited to be close to a "big" temple again. Just pray that we never get lost in it-PLEASE! After all, I'm extremely directionally challenged, so that may be the only con to a rather long list of pros.

Can you believe that it really is that green in the middle of October? Considering it's not that green in TX at any point during the year, I was constantly amazed at how vibrant everything was. There were so many different colors to see,of which only a portion are in this picture, and it was extremely easy to get visually overstimulated. If the steeple hadn't been undergoing its scheduled cleaning, I'd have had the almost perfect temple picture. But alas, the chance passed me by-this time. Thank goodness there will be many more opportunities in the future.

I have to thank Veronica for being the photographer on all of my "tourist shots." She was such a trooper as I tried to get as many pictures as possible. After all, as Dad says, you can take a million shots and wind up with only a few acceptable ones. Thanks Veronica for improving that ratio! You did great and I really appreciate it! We had a lot of fun that morning.

The plants that covered the temple grounds were beautiful. There were even hidden gardens throughout the grounds. Seeing the temple landscaping when I did made me really excited to see the grounds come Springtime, when everything is in bloom. I think it was a mixed blessing that I saw everything during the "ugly time" because it was hard enough leaving as it was. I can't imagine how I would have hated leaving when everything is coming to life. As it was, I got a little taste of the joy to come. Being that I'm not a botanist, I have no idea what plant this is, but it was purple, so I had to capture it! Maybe it's lavender, just in a stage far beyond any I've ever seen. Who knows? But it did smell wonderful!





Has anyone seen a burning bush lately? When the wind blew, this thing literally looked like it was on fire. I'd only ever seen this plant once before, and it was during our Nauvoo trip about five years ago. I thought of the analogy then, but seeing this move in the wind completely reminded me of it. Funny how they seem to pop up on church grounds isn't it? It makes me wonder, was the bush Moses saw really burning, or was it one of these? Just kidding, but at the very least, it's a great way to remember the story.


Everything from giant burning bushes to delicate little flowers were at the Temple. While I know that's not where the Garden of Eden was, it was definitely easy to imagine. I definitely felt like I was in a place that could be Heaven on Earth. From the gorgeous temple to the smallest plant, I was grateful that Heavenly Father created this beautiful world for me!

I was reminded how much I love nature on this trip, and this was one of the many reasons why. It's rare in TX to have such nice days, so I tend to stay inside, where it's cooler. I am so excited to know I won't have to do that anymore, and I can once again go play in the wild outdoors! Who wouldn't want to do that when you can see such beauty all year round?




Remember the hidden gardens? They were in a miniature forest right on the temple grounds. Now you know why it's called the Evergreen State. Even in October, the everything was so green. This is Veronica, who we met down here in TX. She moved up to WA three years ago when she got married, so we caught up with her. I was thankful to have my own personal tour guide. But anyways, she showed me the wonderful forest, that had a winding sidewalk path through it (YEA! I could walk without worrying about getting a grass stain on my dress) and we had fun wandering through that. I was sad to leave that place, but knowing it wasn't the last time made it easier. Thanks for sharing such a great morning with me Veronica!