The Hynes'

Try it again?

2011-09-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the recent changes in our lives justify a second try at blogging? We will try! We woke up a little sore today after a great backpacking/mountain climbing trip to South Sister with the Runberg's. But before that, let's rewind a bit and update you on events from the Hynes household over the last ~10 months: Last October (actually on Paul's b-day) he was offered a promotion that would require a move to Bend, Oregon. Bend was always a place we said we would love to live, so after prayer and thoughtful consideration, we took the opportunity. CRAZY! After we accepted the job, reality set in. Paul had been also working at a church as the Worship Director, so we had to let them know that we had taken the job and would be moving in the summer. We also had to put our house on the market and attempt to sell it on our own. The months wore on and the summer came very fast. I let my school and district know that I would not be returning for the 2011-2012 school year, and the goodbyes started. It was A LOT harder saying goodbye then I think I imagined. We had built lots of good friendships with members of the community and church, and moving away from my family also hit me hard. Along with that, we hadn't sold our house. We had several lookers, but no takers. Making decisions as an adult is hard! We set the 31st of July as our move date. I was taking summer courses, actively searching for a teaching job and we were packing up our place so the first part of summer was very hectic (we also threw in some running events and camping trips). We decided to rent out our place in Albany and hired a property manager (and our renters moved in just a few weeks after we moved out; praise God!), and we found a place to rent in Bend. With lots of helpers, we made our 31st goal and drove the biggest U-Haul over the pass to our new home. Damon and Kristi Runberg moved from Corvallis to Bend about a month before we did and it was/is so nice to have friends already in the area! As we were unpacking, I continued to search for a teaching job. Those who are teachers know how hard it is to be hired as a teacher right now. I was fortunate to get on the sub list, but I was still looking for that full time job. I interviewed at a Christian School in Sisters, but decided it wasn't quite the right job for me at this time. A few more positions were posted for the Bend-La Pine School District towards the middle of August and I applied for all of them. I was fortunate to have a total of about 6 interviews. I was able to meet lots of administrators and several kind people through all those interviews. On the Monday that teachers were suppose to be back at school I got the call to teach a 1st/2nd blend at an elementary school in Bend! Oh man...lots of praise and relief flew out of me! I quickly made it in and began to set up my classroom. Students start back tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited to start the school year! Bend is treating us well beyond our jobs. We have enjoyed having guests almost every weekend we have been here, lots of running, floating the river, fishing, hiking, biking and community events. And yes, this last weekend we backpacked in and then hiked to the top of South Sister. Paul has wanted to do this with me for a while and now that it is only about 30 minutes away and we had others to do it with the timing was perfect. The weather was great, Kristi and I were troopers, and everyone had a great time. Thanks for taking a moment to get caught up and drop by again soon!

What you would find...

2011-01-26T20:48:00.000-08:00

at our place tonight:

One lonely coffee cup since Paul has been out of town on business.

A sign like this in our yard. We are hoping to move closer to Paul's work so if you know someone who needs a cute/like new home in Albany send them our way! (Prayer for the sale of our house would also be appreciated.)

Papers to grade; life of a teacher.

And...

A cute dog named Duke. :)

Summer is my favorite!

2010-08-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

We hope summer has been treating you well! We love summer for many reasons. One of those reasons is because of all the awesome things we get to do outside. At the beginning of summer we ran relay style from Lake Oswego to Eugene Oregon. We had a blast, Paul doing about 20 miles total and Ashley doing 12 miles, and can't wait to do something like it again.

Another reason why we love summer is because of weddings! We have attended several weddings this summer and of course Paul had the pleasure of singing at a couple, too. We have a few more weddings to attend this year, including his brothers in San Diego, and couldn't be happier for everyone.

Ashley had the chance to travel to Australia to visit a teacher she teaches with who is doing an exchange for a year. She had a wonderful time seeing lots of amazing Australia things and visiting Diantha and her family! Being able to set her own schedule is another plus of summer! :)

We also love to be on the water during the hot summer months. Thanks for friends with pools and boats we have been able to enjoy lots of time in the water. Our garden is growing pretty well and we have been able to enjoy it's produce over the last couple of weeks.

That's a snap shot of our summer and all the fun things we get to do when it is so warm!

Up Early

2010-06-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

Paul and I woke up super early for a training run this morning. We ran about 6 miles as the sun was coming up. We are training for legs in the Epic Oregon Relay, which runs from Lake Oswego to Eugene. One of our friends won an entry after completing the Eugene Marathon. I am excited for this race, I don't think it will be very grueling running wise as my longest leg is only about 5 miles, but for other reasons I am a bit nervous. For one I am not use to running by myself. I, except when running at the gym, always run with someone. I like running with others; I think it helps pass the time. Another difference is that I will be running one leg in the dark. I have never ran in the dark. I am always very aware of my surroundings when exercising on the road (just ask Paul, if I ride my bike on the road I always have my bright yellow biking vest on) and running when drivers aren't able to see you as well makes me a little nervous. I am sure it will be fun and that we will have some good stories. We will definitely let you know how it goes.

#2

2010-05-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

I ran my 2nd half marathon this last Sunday down in Eugene. My brother-in-law and I ran it together (Paul trained with us but couldn't do the actual race because of church). It is such a beautiful course and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a race like that. Our time was 2:10.11, which is quite a bit faster than my time about a year ago. Now that my legs have rested for a few days I am excited to find my next challenge! :)

2010-04-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since our last post, and many amazing things have happened. The first big thing was that Paul's sister, Mary, got married! On April 10th Mary and Tim said "I DO" in a beautiful ceremony in Salem. It was a weekend full of family, love and God! We were so blessed to witness and be apart of this union.

We had our first garage sale as a couple this Saturday and were pretty sucessful. Our neighborhood was doing it so we put a few of our things out and stayed pretty busy.

I am all registered for masters classes this summer. I am hoping to be done in about 2-3 years, which means I will probably take 1-2 classes per term. I was excited about going back to school until I realized just how expensive master programs are! It is about double what undergrad courses cost and the other bummer is that I don't have a choice if I want to keep teaching I have to get my masters within 10 years of initially getting my teaching license. Oh well...

The half marathon is one week away! We did a good training run last weekend and I think I am ready to go. Paul won't be doing it with me this time since the race is on a Sunday, but I am running it with my brother-in-law.

We can't wait for summer and the warm weather! We love being outside and doing activities outside and summer is so enjoyable here in Oregon. We are excited to take advantage of our backyard and the little things we added to it last fall.

We went up to Portland last weekend and rode some of the Hynes horses for a bit.

It is a busy time of the school year with programs, carnivals, and end of the year projects. I can't blieve we are almost done with this school year!

Cheers!

こんにちは

2010-04-09T06:43:00.000-07:00

That title is suppose to read "hello" in japanese! We hosted two japanese girls for a few days as they were visiting Oregon and the school I work at. We hosted two boys last year and had a blast so we were really excited to do it again. The girls only stayed with us for 3 nights so we didn't get to do many amazing things, but we had fun.

Easter went great! Paul worked very hard getting his worship team together, a chorus and childrens choir. Praise the Lord that no one got sick and his efforts were appreciated!

Mary's wedding is tomorrow! Family has arrived and the pre-wedding activities have started, and we are looking forward to tomorrow.

Spring Break

2010-03-27T09:59:00.001-07:00

Wow, it is hard to believe that spring and spring break are here! I spent the beginning of this week with some friends at the coast in the most beautiful weather! Paul and I got passes for the spring up at Meadows and took advantage of them this week. We stayed with some friends in Welches and skied 3 days in mix of conditions.

Besides spending about every weekend driving up to the mountain and then back down in time for church we have been spending some time working on our house. We painted and decorated one room to be like our guest room, and are in the process of redoing another room to be more of an office. Paul's sister, Mary, is getting married in just 2 weeks and we will have some family staying with us so it was good motivation to do some small projects. Next weekend we will be doing some work in the yard.

I can't believe that there is only 2 1/2 months left in this school year! Time has flown. I don't know yet what grade I will be teaching next year, but it has been so wonderful not going through the roller coaster of possibly not having a job like last year! Oh, and I am going back to school to get my masters! I am excited for this and I will get to complete the program while still working.

Well, I need to go and enjoy the beautiful weather up here at the mountain!

Good Life

2010-02-26T16:25:00.000-08:00

Things have been going well for us. Last week Paul and I took Friday off from work and went skiing at Mt. Bachelor. Then we met up with my family at Black Butte and went skiing at Hoodoo on Saturday, and came back to reality on Sunday. :)

Our community group is going through a video set done by Focus on the Family and we have really been learning some great things about truth, who man is and sin. Two of our couples have babies on the way and we are looking forward to that new chapter for our group.

I am signed up for another half marathon happening the first of May and that beautiful weather we had was good for training!

Let us know if we can be praying for you in anyway!

Can't Wait

2010-01-30T10:41:00.000-08:00

We are still working out the kinks, but this is where I hope to be in August! I better start practicing my Australian accent, mate!

Good News

2010-01-28T17:52:00.000-08:00

No, we aren't pregnant, but my twin sister is! Congrats to the Fifhause family; baby #2 is on its way! Check out their blog at www.fifinator.blogspot.com

January 26th

2010-01-21T18:12:00.000-08:00

I am not one who shares my opinions on things very freely as I do not want to offend others. However, I am feeling a bit more of a push in sharing some information about the upcoming Oregon election. I know it is easy for me to sit here and tell everyone that they should vote "yes" on Measure 66 & 67 as we do not make over $250,000 and a "yes" vote would secure my job for the next few years. But I am not going to tell you how to vote, all I am going to ask of you is that you really look at the facts of these measures before voting. Below is a link with more information on both measures and don't forget to get your ballots in on or before January 26th!

"The opposition's ad in yesterday's Oregonian claimed that Measure 66 is "a fairy tale" and Measure 67 the "wrong time, wrong tax."

But just last week, Education Week's study on education quality gave Oregon an F for college readiness, an F for teacher training and support, and a barely passing grade overall.

That's no fairy tale, and for our children, the time is now. We cannot afford to lose the $727 million Measures 66 and 67 will bring to protect Oregon schools."

http://www.stand.org/or/facts

A New Year

2010-01-05T19:05:00.000-08:00

The last month flew by. With hosting the worship team from Willamette to an appreciation dinner, shopping for Christmas gifts, decorating the house for Christmas, baking, and getting crafts/activities/songs ready in the classroom I was ready for winter break. I was exhausted!

Paul and I wanted to have the worship team over for dinner to show our appreciation for how much time and energy they put into providing meaningful worship. We moved most of our furniture out of our living/dinning room and put in tables and chairs to fit 30 people! We ate a homemade meal, played games and chatted. It was a blast and I hope we can do it again next year!

Paul took the 23rd off so we decided to spend the day at the beach. It was a gorgeous day with no wind and lots of sun!

We were in Albany until after the Christmas Eve service, then headed up to spend Christmas with the Hynes'. All of Paul's siblings were there except for two of his brothers. We skyped with one from Germany on Christmas morning which was really nice. Paul enjoyed skiing with some friends Saturday night while I spent some time with friends before heading back for service Sunday morning.

Paul's youngest sisters, Rachel and Elizabeth, came down on Sunday and spent most of the next week with us. We watched lots of movies, painted, baked and babysat my nephew. It was a lot of fun to have them down!

For New Year's we went to Black Butte with the Hynes family and some friends. We enjoyed playing in the snow and relaxing in the hot tub! Paul got some new skies so we had to hit up the slopes too and had a great time!

We have had a roommate for almost a year now. Not the same one for a year, but a couple different people. Well, our most recent roommate has now moved out and we now have the house to ourselves. I think it is a bit too quiet!

Well off to the gym.

Catching-up

2009-12-06T09:09:00.000-08:00

First, happy 2nd birthday Duke!

Second, we had a great Thanksgiving celebrating at my parents place in Corvallis. Both my sisters and their families were there and some of my parents friends. I worked a little bit Thursday, but we still got to enjoy lots of fun with our nephews and niece. On Friday we went to the Corvallis Christmas parade and Christmas tree lighting.

Jaden being super cute as always:

All of us at the parade:
href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I2Ek2ZGOCIA/SxvmTFoCy3I/AAAAAAAAAbc/HjklJB0nkaQ/s1600-h/100_1915.JPG">

Bedtime stories with Grandma J:

We are having the worship team over for a holiday dinner next Saturday. We know how much time and energy they give and wanted a chance to say thanks. So, our time this weekend and probably this week will be spent getting ready for that. Yesterday we got our Christmas tree and put up the lights. So many fun events planned for the next few weeks and we can't wait to enjoy them all!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T10:26:00.000-08:00

I went around and said why I was thankful for each of my students yesterday (I know totally cheesy), and then they wanted to say why they were thankful for me...such sweethearts! I love teaching!

Happenings

2009-11-11T08:04:00.000-08:00

We have been busy as usual. This last weekend we went up to Portland and saw Paul's brother's place, then headed out to Gresham to see some friends and their two day old baby girl, and finished our time in Gresham with a surprise birthday party for Paul's dad's 50th birthday.

Church continues to go very well. We went to dinner at a family’s house this last Monday and had a great time getting to know them better. The pastor and his family are always very encouraging and supportive.

This week is National Young Readers Week. We are celebrating it in many different ways, but one thing we did yesterday was host celebrity readers (aka: parents!). My class had so much fun getting the room ready, laying out a red carpet, setting up a reception and escorting each reader in. I can't wait to do it again next year!

I have today off from school thanks to Veterans Day. I can't really upload pictures very easily from our desktop computer, but I will try to put a few up when Paul gets home with the laptop tonight.

Side note = everyone always talks about how fall is their favorite season. With all the pretty colors, warm fuzzy clothes, and warm drinks who wouldn't like fall?! But I just have to say that when it pours for hours and you leave for work in the dark and return home from work in the dark it is hard to love fall sometimes.

Advent Conspiracy

2009-10-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

Our church is starting this session on Advent Conspiracy. We watched this promo video this last Sunday, and I thought it was moving and inspiring. I am really looking forward to seeing where it goes.

Fire

2009-10-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

We had a fun weekend celebrating Paul's B-Day. On Friday night we went up to Tualitin, shopped at REI for a bit and then had dinner at Claim Jumper. On Saturday some of his family came down to celebrate. For Paul's birthday we got a fire pit for our back yard. Paul said he wanted to roast marshmallows for his birthday cake. I felt bad that he wouldn't have candles to blow out or anything that resembled a cake, so I made a pre-s'more cake. On Sunday we had a nice lunch with some of my family and then celebrated a bit with our bible study group. Happy birthday my love!

Today

2009-10-11T22:44:00.000-07:00

Happy 26th birthday, Paul!

Yeeha!

2009-10-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

Paul and I continue to pack in as much as we can into each day...I wonder if that will ever stop :)

Saturday was suppose to be a day that we would go get a coffee, maybe run a few errands and do some work around the house. Well, instead on our way to coffee I thought it might be a good time to pick Paul's bike up from Peak, so we headed over to Corvallis. Then we saw the farmers market going on so stopped at that before getting his bike. Then I went up and saw a friend in Salem for a few hours before we decided to go up with some coworkers of mine to the PBR (bull-riding).

We have started a bible study/community group at our place on Sunday nights. Paul and I continue to enjoy our time at our new church home and have enjoyed meeting lots of nice people. We have had 13 people each week at our study, which is perfect for our house.

Paul's birthday is this Sunday. We have plans to go to dinner with some friends Friday night and Paul's family is coming down Saturday.

Oh, and I have Friday off! I am so excited to have a day off; feeling like some canvas painting is in order!

All things Corvallis

2009-09-27T08:58:00.001-07:00

We got to enjoy some of our favorite things Corvallis has to offer yesterday:

Every good thing starts with some coffee...

and then some shopping at the...

and finishing with some football...

My Favorite Things

2009-09-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

Teaching this year has been going really well. Knowing from June that I would be teaching a blend and younger students allowed for me to pray a lot for my patients and ability to meet the challenge. My class of students have been gems, yes I am busy planning for 1st graders and 2nd graders, but having such sweet students totally makes it seem like not much. I keep meaning to take a pic of my classroom to post, but in the rush of things in the mornings always seem to forget the camera. Some day soon!

My first favorite thing: hanging out with friends! Paul and I feel like we have driven all of Oregon this weekend. Friday night we drove up to his families house for a family dinner because one of his uncles was visiting from back east. Saturday, we drove to Lincoln City to celebrate a friends 30 birthday. It was so gorgeous over there, one of the best days I have seen at the coast weather wise. Then we drove back to Salem to spend the evening with almost all of my college roommates (all minus Holly, Laura and Sarah). One couple has 1 1/2 year old twins and another has twins on the way! It was so much fun!

My second favorite thing right now: books! Last weekend Paul was at a men's retreat, so I went with my parents camping. It was such a relaxing weekend, and I read an entire book! What a great way to spend a few hours outside! I also went to the annual book extravaganza at Grass Roots book store in Corvallis. This is where teachers get together and hear/learn about new children's literature. Some highlights:

Change of Plans

2009-09-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

Well, Paul had really wanted to go backpacking over Labor Day weekend. We did this over Memorial Day weekend and had a really fun/relaxing time. We even made plans to meet up with Brock and his family on Sunday. But as the weekend got closer and closer it became very apparent that rain was going to change our plans. So, we made last minute reservations at Eagle Crest in Central Oregon and headed over there for a relaxing weekend. Our third wedding anniversary is this coming Wednesday so we coupled getting away this weekend with our anniversary celebration.

We found a very cute town house and took full advantage of the tennis courts, pools/hot tubes, jogging paths, restaurants, and Bend that is like only 30 minutes away. On our drive home we stopped just outside of Sisters and did a hike to 8000ft. It was a great way to spend the weekend before school!

BBQ's

2009-08-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

In the last two weeks I think we have been to 4 bbq's. It has been awesome meeting so many new people and eating such great food. Three have been with the church that Paul is now working for and one was a neighborhood party. We actually met a really nice couple about our age with two children and who are believers that live near us. We are planning on hanging out with them soon!

Paul did one of his favorite things, biked 100 miles. He rode with a friend in the Alpine Century a couple Saturday's ago. Most running and biking and triathlon events are on Sunday's, and now that he is working Sunday's we are limited to things happening on Saturday's, but that is ok.

School starts very soon. Teachers are to be back Monday and students come back the following Tuesday, however I have already been going in some the last couple of weeks. We had been storing all my classroom stuff in our garage over the summer, so I have returned it all and am in the process of organizing. I am excited for a new year, and I think I am ready for the new challenge of teaching younger students and teaching a blend.

Oh, and I wanted to start sharing some recipes. Paul and I love to cook, and we especially love to cook from scratch when we have time. So we will be posting some of our creations, but I am too tired right now to write one out; stay tuned!

Our trip: take 3 I think :)

2009-08-25T12:15:00.001-07:00

Ok...see if this works. If not I will try another way...sorry!

Click here to view these pictures larger

Pictures

2009-08-13T09:33:00.001-07:00

We have been so slow uploading all our photos from our trip back east. Here are just a few and I will get more up there soon!

Click here to view these pictures larger

Changes

2009-08-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Paul and I will be married for 3 years in September. Our first married year was spent in a one bedroom apartment in Corvallis while we both finished up school. Paul graduated that spring, but I had one more term before getting my degree, so we knew that we needed to stay local. We prayed a lot about the direction Paul should go with a career choice. He worked very hard and landed a job with Jeld-Wen right after graduating. Although the downturn in the economy has hit their company hard, the Lord has continued to make it a wonderful place to work for Paul and we are blessed that things have remained steady for his position.

I was finishing up my final term of student teaching in Albany with hopes of maybe continuing to teach there for my first few years out of school. We really felt that the Lord had us in Albany and opened the door for my first teaching job that will continue into this year.

We bought out first home here in Albany last year knowing that we would probably be living here for a few more years. Growing up in Corvallis I never thought I would be living in Albany, however the more we get to know the town the more we have realized just how much outreach the Lord could do through us here. As one couple put it "it is very humbling to live in Albany".

We have been attending NW Hills Community Church in Corvallis ever since we were married. Paul started attending as soon as he went down there for school. It has been a great place for him and us to grow closer to the Lord, and has provided us with many encouraging relationships. However, we have realized that our community now is Albany and have been toying with the idea of looking for a church home in Albany.

About three months ago Paul was approached by a church in Albany who was looking for a Worship Leader. We have been casually looking into the prospect of him doing this part time on top of his job with Jeld-Wen. Through many visits with the Pastor, church and Elders, and much prayer Paul has decided to take on this roll starting this Sunday.

We are excited about this new adventure, but are a bit apprehensive about Paul working 1.5 jobs. Please keep us in your prayers as we transition to a new church and as Paul transitions to working more hours. Thanks, and we will keep you posted!

Fair

2009-07-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

We got back from our trip back east on Tuesday and we have lots of pics and stories to share about our amazing time, but before then I wanted to post some cute pictures of my nephews at the fair. My mom and I braved the 100+ degree weather and took them to the Benton County Fair yesterday. We had a great time and it is always so fun to spend time with those two guys. Jaden is now 14 months and Garrett is 3 1/2.

Love is in the Air

2009-07-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of a wedding we went to this last weekend up in Ellensburg, WA. Paul's good friend Geoff married Michelle in a beautiful (and hot) outdoor wedding. We went up with a few other friends on Friday and enjoyed time with friends and the Anderson family. It was great to be apart of their special day.

We are leaving tonight for Washington, D.C.! We are so excited to see some of Paul's family and to visit the sites. I have been working quite a lot at my second job (I guess you could call it). It is nice to have something to keep me busy, but it seems as if things have gotten a bit too busy, so this vacation comes at a good time.

I love the summer and this hot weather. We haven't installed AC yet so we are surviving with ceiling fans and trips to the pool, but I love it! Blessings.

13.1

2009-06-29T17:47:00.001-07:00

We ran our first half marathon this last weekend (13.1 miles)! Although this isn't Paul's longest race (he ran the full Portland Marathon almost two years ago), it was my first and longest race. Sunriver hosted a huge sports festival this last weekend and we just did the half marathon. We felt strong and really enjoyed the course, and are talking about doing it again next year (who knows, perhaps the full 26.2? Probably not :) )

So that we didn't have to drive a long distance on race day and so that we could get acclimated to the climate a bit we camped near Sisters for the weekend. We had great weather, great company and a great time!

Phew...

2009-06-11T21:59:00.001-07:00

Today was my last day with the students this year. This year has gone by crazy fast and as I was walking the halls super early this morning my mind ran back to memories of the first week of school. Doesn't seem like that long ago! And....I have a contract for next year. With state revenue down all schools (or state agencies for that matter) have to make cuts. Unfortunately that means that several first year teachers were put on lay-off, but I was very blessed to be given a contract for next year!

We have been working very hard getting things all wrapped up before summer, but before that we were able to spend a very relaxing and adventurous weekend backpacking out of Roseburg. We went over Memorial weekend and couldn't have asked for better weather or weekend! We hiked a total of 12 miles and found very nice spots to camp each night.

Spring and summer are my favorite seasons and it is nice to have the summers more open to enjoy the activities that come with that season. We are running a half marathon the end of June, have some weddings we hope to attend in July and August, and are going back to Washington, D.C. to see some of Paul's family and the sites the end of July.

Thank you for checking in and continuing to keep us in your prayers!

Loss

2009-04-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

As I was sitting at my desk this morning a mom of one of my students came into the classroom. I could tell that something wasn't right, but said what always comes out of my mouth when someone approaches me "how are you?". As she continued to say not well, I realized how stupid that comment was. As she proceeded to tell me that her husband, the father of one of my student, passed away this weekend I couldn't believe she was standing there in front of me experiencing the deepest loss imaginable. As a public educator it is hard to find appropriate times to express and share the love of Jesus and the hope that comes with a relationship with him. I have felt burdened by this restriction before, but it was brought to the surface during this time when I am listening to this woman share about how this is affecting her daughter. As she finished explaining all that she could, all I could think of was to hug this woman and so I did (only after asking for permission). I spent every minute I could after that praying for this family and would ask for you to do the same.

Spring Break

2009-03-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

Although it hasn't been that much of a break with working in Corvallis, house projects and car repairs, the change of pace has been nice.

Paul and I enjoyed a very relaxing weekend up in Portland. We stayed on the river front at the Avalon. On Saturday we went to OMSI, did some shopping downtown & in the Pearl, ran 4 miles on the river front (beautiful!), and enjoyed a really nice dinner downtown. On Sunday we went to Solid Rock church and stopped at the new outlet stores on our way back home. It was nice to have the time together and get away for a couple of days.

We are having family at our place for Easter and I am having a hard time coming up with something for dinner. I could do a roast or something like that, but since I will be the one fixing and don't eat meat I thought about going meatless, but want to still keep it American. (Some how fixing Indian or some other cultures food doesn't seem right for that day.) So if you have great vegetarian recipes for an Easter dinner pass them our way!

Yippee!

2009-03-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

* That it is Friday

* That it is sunny outside

* That I(Ashley) for sure have my job for the rest of this year

* That Duke is actually using the new dog bed we bought for him (hey, we don't have kids, so we get excited about that kind of thing)

* That we signed up to help with the Relay for Life and for the Half Marathon in Bend the end of June

* That we have wonderful family and friends

* For so many things, thanks be to God!

Fun in the snow!

2009-03-08T17:35:00.000-07:00

We went down to the Bend area this weekend for some sweet skiing, hot tubbing and relaxing.

Good Times and Pics as Promised!

2009-02-26T16:54:00.000-08:00

Last week I made a couple of trips up to Portland to celebrate a friends wedding. We went out for a bachelorette party on Tuesday night and then the wedding was on Friday night. We had a great time! It is always so wonderful to see friends and family up there. We spent some more time with Paul's family before coming back early Sunday morning so that I could work back in Corvallis.

We bought a new car (well used, but new to us). It is another, but newer jetta. We weren't really in the place to buy our dream car and Paul already knows quite a bit about fixing jetta's so we kept it simple and stayed with what we knew.

One of the great things about winter is skiing season! We have only been able to go a couple times so far this winter, but have another trip planned to Bend and Mt. Bachelor in two weekends.

With all the cuts the state has to make there were a couple of weeks where my job was up in the air. It still isn't for sure, but it looks like I will be ok for the rest of this year! It is hard because in these instances they go solely on seniority and since this is my first year I am pretty much at the bottom. If you get a chance keep praying for us and our jobs during this time. Thanks!

Oh...and Duke started training classes this last Monday! Now if we could train the fur to stop coming out! :)

Trusting

2009-01-31T10:54:00.000-08:00

The last week has had its ups and downs. Last weekend was very busy, but very fun with lots of time with friends and family. Our friends Laura, Sam and her brother spent the night Friday-Saturday, had some more friends over for games and dinner Saturday night and then went up to Portland to celebrate my nephew's third birthday at the Children's Museum.

The week went by fast as students didn't have school on Friday, but we teachers got an awesome day of catching up and planning. Thursday was a more difficult day, but we can still see how the Lord has blessed us through it. Paul was in a car accident on his way to work on the back highway roads to Stayton. Such a blessing that he and the other drivers were all ok, but the car was determined to be a total loss. A couple other downer events happened on Thursday that we shouldn't speak publicly about, but are keeping us faithful in praying and trusting the lord.

A couple of teachers are going to Cabo during Spring Break; I think I want to join them!

Paul's brother is in India for a while so we had a Hynes family dinner before he left...

Update

2009-01-08T17:12:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas and New Year's with family and friends. Lots of short day trips to Portland and Corvallis. After a nice break we are back into our daily schedule and routines.

Please keep Paul's family in your prayers. Paul's grandfather, his mom's dad, passed away in his sleep on January 6th. This was a bit unexpected and they could use your prayers as they begin to plan for his service and life without "Papa".

At the Hynes house in Gresham; all the siblings.

Christmas morning at the Spence house in Corvallis; love these guys!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T12:19:00.000-08:00

Although it was a bit stressful, almost all of my (Ashley's) family has arrived to celebrate Christmas. My cousin was suppose to come in from California on Saturday, but after two canceled flights drove up and made it yesterday. Paul picked my aunt and uncle up at the airport yesterday (their flight wasn't canceled and on time!) and it took him about 10 hours to get up there and back. My older sister and nephew are scheduled to come down from Canby tonight, hopefully they will make it fine. We are celebrating tonight with games, food and movies at our place and then celebrating tomorrow at my parents house in Corvallis. On Friday we will drive up to celebrate with Paul's family. "It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

Snow Days

2008-12-16T07:56:00.001-08:00

Duke and I are sitting here drinking some coffee and catching up on the daily news. The schools are closed for the second day and I am trying to keep myself busy. I would much rather be teaching then staying home by myself, especially since I had such cute holiday things to do this week! But I can't complain too much as I am sure there are many who would like a random day off. We tried to get some good pictures of Duke playing in the snow, but it is a bit too cold for him and his bone inside seemed like a better idea. I had my best girlfriends from college and sister (see picture) over for a Christmas party a couple weekends ago so our place has been decorated for Christmas for a while now, but the snow is such a beautiful addition!

(I can't get the pictures to change spots, but the last one is our attempt to play outside and then the second to last picture is what Duke really wanted to do)

Early Christmas present...

2008-12-03T20:02:00.000-08:00

Meet Duke, our beagle/yellow lab mix bundle of joy. He is one year old and we brought him home with us from Portland this weekend. We picked him up on Saturday and he rode around with us until we finally got home on Sunday evening. Duke is a very good boy although we have found him to have good jumping skills :)

Living the dream...

2008-11-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

or that is what Paul tells me after a long day of work, "Baby, we are living the dream". He is at worship practice and so I am sitting at home trying to be productive. I brought home some papers to correct, but typing a blog sounded like a nice way to procrastinate. I just fixed some cheese sticks (you know you are out of food when the only thing to eat is unhealthy frozen food that has been in there for a year because you usually don't eat that stuff) and tried to put up some curtains. It is nice owning our own home, but you need so many more tools that you didn't need when renting (like a ladder and drill). I was all set to put the curtains up, but can't find the part to change out the drill bit so I gave up on that idea. We bought the movie Elf (my favorite Christmas movie!) so I think I will just retire to the couch grading papers and watching movies. Perhaps when Paul get home we can put up the curtains, but we are going to 5:15am spin class tomorrow, so getting to bed early would probably be a good thing (but I really want to get our curtains up!).

Oh and we are thinking of getting a dog! I have wanted one for a while now. My family has always had a dog and I think I have finally softened Paul's heart to the idea. We found a great one up in Portland (short hair, quiet yet active), but someone else got to her before we did... but we are continuing to look. Paul is very much on the go and doesn't like too much responsibility to tie us down, but I am hoping we will find a dog that can tag along on those adventures with us. Ever since Massaro, Yutaro and Nate left our house has been a bit too quiet for my liking and I think a dog is a great compromise!

God Bless.

Konichiwa

2008-10-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

Wow...we have had tons going on. We celebrated Paul's birthday up in Portland, ran back to Corvallis to meet up with friends, Paul rode 100 miles on his bike to celebrate his birthday, back up to Gresham to welcome Kristi and Darrin's baby boy and to see Tiffany Maddox who was visiting from California, to Gaston to listen to Paul's dad preach at a small community church, back to Corvallis for a wedding, and then back to Gaston and Gresham again this weekend. We try to limit our trips, but we wouldn't want to miss all these good things. In between that we had two Japanese boys stay with us for a week. They came last Thursday and left today. Masaru and Yutaro are 11 and 12 and came with their school for a visit to the states. The school Ashley works for has an exchange program and we were blessed to host these two boys. We had so much fun together; it was really hard to see them leave today. Below are a few pictures from their visit.

25 big ones!

2008-10-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

We are off to P-town to celebrate Paul's 25th birthday. His actual birthday is tomorrow, the 11th, but he and some friends are riding in a century to celebrate on Sunday and didn't want to be up too late the night before. With Ping Pong, Scrabble, Phase 10, friends and a pony (?) it is guaranteed to be a good time!

Well I am off to meet a friend in Salem, hopefully to get a warm cup of coffee (for the next nine months I will be nothing but cold...did I mention that I love summer?).

Open House

2008-09-23T19:05:00.001-07:00

My school Open House is this Thursday night (bummer to have a Beaver game on the same night...now we can't go!). School has been so amazingly wonderful. Some times, at the end of a hectic and tiring day, I sit and think about how blessed I am to have a career that I love every day coming to.

I went to a wonderful presentation tonight on children's books at Grassroots in Corvallis. I love children's literature and learning about what new books authors have coming out and what new authors there are. Below is just a sample of some of my favorite children literature pieces. Enjoy!

We've moved...

2008-09-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

We moved into our new house this past weekend. We are so thrilled to be owners of our own home and to have the moving process done with. Thanks to everyone who so graciously volunteered to help, we couldn't have done it with out your help!

Our old place...
Our new place...Moving...

Happy Two Years!

2008-09-08T19:34:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow we will celebrate our two year anniversary; time flies!

Weddings!

2008-09-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends got married this Saturday! A lot of our weekends are filled with weddings in the summer months and we love it, especially when you know that the Lord has brought two amazing people together to fulfill his purpose as a team. Dru Davis and Janessa Nash were married at a beautiful piece of property just as the sun was setting Saturday night. They could not have asked for better weather. It was so special to be a part of their day and a part of their life together (we are even more excited that they have decided to stay local and are living in Salem; only 20 minutes away!)

Sunny Times...

2008-08-31T17:01:00.001-07:00

Heading home tomorrow...too soon!

More fun...

2008-08-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

Did we mention that we love summer? These last few weeks have been very busy (perhaps too busy as I don't think we will be able to attend church in Corvallis until the middle of September), but we wouldn't want to miss a thing. This last Friday we went to the beautiful wedding of our friends and Paul's second family Bethany and Danny Nedelisky up in Portland. The time was wonderful, but went by too fast as we then headed back to Silver Falls for some camping with Ashley's family.

Here are a few pictures of our camping trip. Despite some rain on Saturday morning we had a great time hiking, biking, playing games, cooking and playing with our nephews.

Paul and Jacob after a mountain bike ride:

My older sister and her son around the camp fire; he is so much fun!Andrea and Jaden at the falls; he is such a good little boy!

As we entered into August I, Ashley, had to shift gears and started thinking about heading back to the classroom. This summer I was fortunate to be able to sub for my sister at Home Life, Inc. as their Staff Development Coordinator. I have worked for Home Life, Inc. all through college and am sad to have to leave my positions there, but know it is time.

We still have many trips and events to come including the Jeld-Wen Tradition at Sun River, a trip to Tri-Cities for some wakeboarding, a trip to the Running Y and a few more weddings. We have also put an offer in for a house here in Albany and will hopefully be moving in the middle of September. Why Albany? Well, the Albany School District is actually one of the best districts in the state, it means that only one of us has to communte to our jobs, it is close to I-5 making trips to Salem and Portland a bit easier and we have come to find that there are many beautiful parts of Albany that you don't see by just passing through.

We love all our friends and family and appreciate all the time we get to spend with everyone.

Camping with the Hynes fam!

2008-07-29T11:41:00.001-07:00

Paul and I had so much fun this last weekend camping with his dad and youngest sisters, Rachel and Elizabeth. We camped at Detroit Lake and had an awesome time canoing, fishing, hiking, playing games, laughing, making smores, and resting. Here are a few pictures of our amazing time:

More Pictures~

2008-07-20T11:45:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of my family. My aunt came up for a visit a couple of weeks ago and these pictures are from her visit.

Our family:

My nephews; so adorable! Garrett is two and a half and Jaden is two months.

Garrett watering the garden (we were hanging outside together and when we started to water I asked Garrett if he should water Aunt Ashley and very matter of fact he said "yes!").

My mom and her sister, Judy, at the coast.

Random Pics...

2008-07-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

I LOVE my hubby!

We LOVE summer!

2008-07-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

Summer is our favorite time of the year. There are so many fun things we like to do outside in the summer that there is hardly time to accomplish it all. Golfing, swimming, camping, hiking, biking, running, tennis, boating, water skiing, and the list goes on and on! Paul and I went on our 2nd annual road trip down HWY 101. Last year we went through central Oregon and this year we started in Newport and went south into California and the Red Woods. We were gone for six days over the long 4th of July weekend. Below are a few pictures. We loaded our Jetta up (with the help of the Ameele's) and took all our "toys" to enjoy the beautiful coast.

I, Ashley, got to go with my older sister, Crystal, and nephew, Garrett, to visit some family in Santa Rosa, CA. They were so generous to us while we were down there and we got to enjoy some wine tasting, the beach, a hot air balloon ride and much more. Spending time with family is one of my favorite things to do and definite a highlight of the summer.

While I was gone in Cali, Paul had to keep himself busy and did so by backpacking with our friend Justin. They went to the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness and although they ran into some snow and slept on a rocky piece of land, Paul had a great time. He always tells me that one day in the outdoors adds years to his life; it is one of his favorite things to do.

We are house hunting! Now that I have a full time job we are looking to buy our first place. We have an excellent Realtor and a friend of ours is a mortgage broker, so now we just have to wait for the perfect house. We have looked at several homes, but the "perfect" one hasn't been found yet. We are trying to be patient, but since our fridge and air conditioner broke this week we are really feeling the need to get into something else (luckily the fridge isn't ours so we don't have to pay to get it fixed), plus I am so excited to get new furniture and decorate my very own place!

Here are a few pictures of the events over the last month:

Good news!

2008-06-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for about a month to write this post because I wanted to make sure all the kinks were worked out before announcing to everyone that I was hired at Liberty Elementary School in Albany, Oregon teaching a third grade class. This is such an answer to prayer, for the person leaving the position and for me who gets to hop right in. This is a permanent position, which means I will stay there as long as I want and the lord wills. Third grade is a good age group for me to be teaching and I already know the staff there so it should be an easy transition.

Our nephew is now two weeks old and is the sweetest little boy. We had the Fifhause family over for dinner tonight and can't wait to see him grow.

Welcome Jaden Fifhause!

2008-05-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

Ashley's twin sister and brother-in-law gave birth to their first son on Monday, May 19, 2008 (two and a half weeks early; what a great surprise!). He was born a healthy 6lbs 1oz gem! The delivery was a bit stressful, but all three of them are doing well now and returned home Thursday afternoon. We couldn't be more happy for them and truly feel blessed to be able to share in this special time with them.

Job Hunting

2008-05-07T16:32:00.001-07:00

Ashley is actively searching, applying and interviewing for full time teaching jobs for next year. Please pray for confidence and direction as she tries to decide what the best place for her would be.

My thoughts...

2008-04-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

So, tomorrow is my birthday and I was thinking about what that means to me. Most of you know my strong love for Jesus and all that his resurrection has promised for us all to enjoy. At church we have been on the topic of death and as morbid as that sounds it actually is a positive thing. We are all going to die and there is no getting around it, so we might as well talk about it. Celebrating my birthday, with my sister Andrea also, reminds me of how blessed I am to have reached 24 years of age. There is great joy everyday knowing there is a promise of a better place and that trials we face on earth won’t be in existence in heaven and that there will be greater joy than we can imagine. As exciting as celebrating a birthday is it is nothing compared to what the celebration will be like in Heaven and if anyone has questions about my certainty in that I would love to talk! Here is to me, Andrea and all others celebrating birthdays tomorrow and here is to the promise of a better eternity!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

We wish you a very Happy Easter and all the blessings that come with the promise of the resurrection. Paul and I are headed to Gresham tomorrow evening and are looking forward for the opportunity for Paul to sing at the Good Shepherd Easter services. We hope to meet up with some friends and especially looking forward to seeing Paul's family that we haven't seen since Christmas. On Sunday we will head back to Corvallis to celebrate with my family in Corvallis.

We love having so many important, inspiring, inspirational, loving, caring, strengthening, encouraging, and gracious individuals in our lives. Tonight we had dinner with Duane and Melinda Ameele and always feel so encouraged and revived after spending time with them. Yesterday we visited Kari and Conrad Venti and got to meet their six week old twins Nolan and Mila for the first time. What a beautiful gift from God! Our time together was very precious. A few weeks ago we spent some good time with friends from college, both OSU and WOU, and with friends from Paul's work that all play a crucial role in who we are in the Lord. We are looking forward to visiting with more of my friends from college next weekend and the joys that they continue to bring to my life. Jacob and Andrea Fifhause are always so giving to us and we appreciate your flexibility to let us spend the night/borrow cars/borrow clothes/ borrow house things/ borrow yard things/ etc.

You are all continuously in our prayers and we feel so blessed to be able to share our lives with you all!

Much love and Happy Easter!

In Loving Memory

2008-03-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

Ashley's grandfather passed away on February 20, 2008. He was a hardworking, loving, and honest man. He will truely be missed!

Louis Edward Spence
Oct. 6, 1922 — Feb. 20, 2008

Louis Edward Spence of Corvallis died at the age of 85 at West Hills Assisted Living Community.He was born in Elmwood, Ill., to Alva Lee and Wilda Tyler Spence. He had two brothers, Willis and Harry. The family moved to South Pasadena, Calif., in 1923, and he graduated from South Pasadena High School in 1940.

He joined the Army in November of 1942 and was stationed at Camp White and Camp Adair before going overseas with the 91st Division in March of 1944, where he served as a medic in Africa and Italy. He was awarded two Bronze Stars, three Battle Stars and the Medical Combat Badge while serving overseas. He was discharged in November 1945.He married Julia Bradbury of Klamath Falls on Feb. 26, 1944, in Corvallis. They moved in April 1946 to Klamath Falls, where he worked for the Miller Brothers Oldsmobile-Cadillac auto dealership for 43 years. He moved to Corvallis in July 2004. He was a life member of the VFW Post 1383, Elks Lodge 1247 and the American Legion.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Julia; mother; father; and two brothers.He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Clayton and Janet Spence of Corvallis; granddaughters, Crystal Becker of Canby, Ashley Hynes of Albany, and Andrea Fifhause of Corvallis; and great-grandson, Garrett Becker.

He thoroughly enjoyed many hunting trips with his son, family gatherings with his granddaughters, and dancing with his wife.

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Monday, March 10, at West Hills Assisted Living Community, 5595 S.W. West Hills Road, followed by a graveside committal with military honors at Oak Lawn Memorial Park.Memorial contributions can be made to a veterans’ organization or Elks Lodge of your choice, c/o McHenry Funeral Home.

All fixed!

2008-02-04T22:56:00.000-08:00

Our car is all fixed now. Thanks to Paul, Ramon and Justin's handy skills it started up on the first try and has been running great.

Cars...

2008-02-01T21:21:00.000-08:00

Our trusty 1997 jetta gave into its age and millage by breaking down on us this week. While Paul was changing the oil he noticed what looked like oil mixed with water, meaning our head gasket was most likely broken. Paul has worked on cars before and wanted to try to fix this problem on his own instead of paying someone else to do it. Therefore, our jetta has sat torn apart in our garage this week. In order to get to the head gasket you have to take apart basically the whole engine and so we were able to replace some other parts we had wanted to since it crossed over into the 100,000 millage club.

It feels like we have really been tested with cars this last month. We are very lucky that Paul is able to do most of the work himself and I admire him a lot for persevering through the struggles he has faced while putting back together the car. We have gotten by with one car for most days and an occasional borrow from my sister and Ramon. The lord has provided well for us and we are trying hard not to forget that and praise him in every moment. We appreciate all the help we have also gotten from friends and family in order to make this repair happen in no more (hopefully) than a week.

Here are a few pictures of the men hard at work:

All done, both of us!

2007-12-21T09:45:00.000-08:00

I, Ashley, finally graduated from college! I was talking with my friend Stacey last night and mentioned that at times it felt like I would never get to say that. Thinking back to all the changes that have happened during my time at Western Oregon it is awesome to think that our God had every piece planned out and I wouldn't change one bit of it, even if I took an extra year to complete my studies. Thanks to all of you who accompanied me on the journey!

Now what? Well, I am waiting for my license to be issued from the state. The school has told them that I have completed everything and so I am waiting for the state to send me my license. I can't teach with out that piece of paper and so I am hoping to have it by the end of December to start substituting when school starts back up in January. I decided to sub for a couple reasons; 1) it is hard to fine a full time teaching job in the middle of the year, and 2) I will get to know more school districts and schools.

Love you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T19:47:00.001-08:00

We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! Hard to believe the end of November is among us. Next Monday my big work sample is due and then it is smooth sailing till December 8th when my graduation will take place. I am so grateful to have this section of my life almost complete. It has been a long road and I have enjoyed the ride, but am ready to move on. Teaching has been wonderful and it is going to be hard to leave the students and faculty. There have been a few fellow staff that have been diagnosed with life threatening things and it is wonderful to see everyone come together to support them.

We are staying local for Thanksgiving, spending it with the Spence family and a few other friends in Corvallis. My oldest sister and nephew are coming from Portland, my twin sister and husband, and my grandpa will all be there. We will miss the Hynes' during this time, but are excited to see them around Christmas!

Praises that Paul doesn't have any more traveling to do this year; Praises that Ashley will be able to work a few more hours during her time off from school; Praises that Andrea and Jacob are expecting their first baby! About a week ago I was able to celebrate the upcoming birth of our friends Kari and Conrad's twins, Mila and Nolan. Here is a picture from the shower, which I had a blast seeing my long time best friends also.

God is Good!

2007-10-12T16:38:00.002-07:00

Life has been busy since we last posted. Paul's job at Jeld-Wen continues to be a blessing we praise the Lord for everyday. Even though it can be stressful at times we have really enjoyed the company and the support they give Paul. Ashley is also enjoying her final term of student teaching in a 5th grade class. She starts full time teaching on Tuesday the 16th for 15 days and then will graduate in December.

Paul finished his first Marathon! He ran 26.2 miles in 4 hours 15 minutes and despite a trip to the ER for dehydration he is already planning his next adventure. On the 11th of October was Paul's 24th birthday and it was nice celebrating with friends and family.

Life in Albany continues to go well. Our house is fitting us perfectly, the driving is tolerable, and only on a few occasions does Albany smell bad.

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of months:

I've been tagged...

2007-09-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (If you don’t have a blog, email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
Random Facts about Ashley:
#1: I was on the Hoover Hop-To-Its jump rope team for five years.
#2: I don't like it when I have to take off my shoes at other people's houses because then my toes get cold (I guess this one only really applies in the winter).
#3: I an identical twin sister, but I think most already knew that about me.
#4: I have been married one year to a very adventurous man, some know him as Paul, and I love it (most of the time)!
#5: I am a vegetarian, but I try not to make it a big statement thing. I went hunting with my dad and grandpa one year and I thought it was sad when they killed one. Sorry Dad...
#6: I love dalmatian dogs. I have a whole box filled with dalmatian things (like pictures and little trinkets) at my parents house; they are so cute.
#7: I am kind of picky about others driving. I may be kind of snobbish, but I think I am a pretty good driver and it bothers me when I feel like others I am riding with aren't paying good attention to the rode. Just ask Paul, I am a good backseat driver!
#8: I am almost done with school! But now I have aspirations to get my Doctorate, so someday you might have to call me Dr. Hynes :)

Those moments...

2007-08-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Paul and I rode, along with 20,000 of our closest friends, in the Portland Bridge Pedal this last Sunday. What an amazing event! 10 Portland bridges were closed along with a few freeways, highways and local streets for us to ride our way around town. We did this with our friends Nate, Leanna and Krista. I have to say that I am glad we survived the race after seeing a few crashes and enjoyed eating at the Bite of Oregon afterwards.

Before we started...
That's our gang on our second bridge.
Krista and Leanna showing off their pink vests they so generously wore for some boys instead of the red ones.
Look at all those people! This was one of the times we had to get off our bikes to walk because of so much congestion.
We made it to the finish!

Beach Campout

2007-07-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

Paul and I went with our church on their annual Southbeach Campout this last weekend. It was a good time of relaxing, playing volleyball, eating, talking, and playing on the beach. Here are a few pictures:

Lots going on!

2007-06-27T17:49:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of events that have kept us very busy over the last few weeks.

Paul graduated with a Business Management Degree from OSU on Saturday, June 17, 2006. He is starting his job with Jeld-Wen on July 2nd and we are moving to Albany to cut down on the commute for him.Paul finished 22nd out of 95 athletes in the Lebanon Sprint Triathlon and got third in his age group!!!!!

Once a month?

2007-05-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

I guess maybe we are only going to be making these postings once a month. Anyways, we were very lucky to go on a ski trip with our friends at the end of April! The snow was nice, sunny weather, and hardly anyone else on the mountain.

We could really use your prayer over the next month as some big changes have the potential to happen. Paul is actively searching for a job and is feeling the stress of finding time for applying and interviews. We are still only using one car, which doesn't make the situation any easier. We are praying for the Lord to show us where he would want Paul to work and where we should live. Thanks!

Camping for my birthday!

2007-04-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

Paul took me camping at the beach this weekend for my birthday. We had such a good time at Devil's Lake campground and stayed in our yurt while it was raining. We tried some fishing, but didn't even get one bite! It was a nice and relaxing weekend, I don't think either of us were ready to come back. We met a lady who is biking from Vancouver, B.C., to L.A. California! I think this gave Paul the idea that he should do something like that.

A break...

2007-03-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

We are winding down this week, finals week, after a busy and successful term. Praises that Paul only has one more term of eight credits and that we get to spend a week serving others in San Francisco in the name of our awesome Lord. Thank you to everyone who has supported us through prayer and finances for the trip. We leave Friday at 1pm and return the following Friday, just in time to start Spring Term. Sorry, no pictures this time, but we will have plenty to share from the city.

We can't wait to spend some time with family and friends in Gresham over Easter weekend, but until then peace!

Paul's Conquests of Mt. Hood

2007-03-01T00:14:00.000-08:00

My wife has built this beautiiful blog for us with her own two bare hands and the raw strength of her mind. Here are my contributions of a trip to the top of the world. (almost...11,250 ft to be exact.)Am I blindingly white or what?

2007-02-26T22:35:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky to have so many of our close friends share in our special day. You will never know how much it meant to us.

We did it!

2007-02-26T22:26:00.000-08:00

After much encouragement from our friend Laura, we have created a blog. Our hope is that we will be able to stay in touch, even better, with our friends and family who live miles away from us.