Katie's Head Shot

Working on Katie's hair for her play next week. I just love this shot!!! She's an easy subject to shoot.

Ramblings from a 41 year old.

So today is my 41st birthday. They say, whomever 'they' are, "that time flies." The word flies just doesn't seem like a fast enough term to me. I think I can remember pretty vividly when my own parents were 41 and that seems just yesterday. Although that would make me only 15 today and with obvious recogniton that my OWN daughter is 15 would make it quite impossible.
A wise woman has told me that the 40's are the best years! I look forward to that! My first two years in the 40's have been filled with many many joys. I am beyond blessed to have a husband (who doesn't look a day over 30) by my side everyday, patiently loving me through my middle years. Who has never forgotten that my favorite flowers are carnations, and that at least one week out of the month there should be chocolate readily available in the house. He is my life and without him I would surely crumble. I am thankful for our children who have much better memories than I and are able to point me in the direction of my car keys, cell phone, etc. Who have entrusted their lives to Jesus and live to please Him above all. Oh..and know the correct way to load and unload a dishwasher.
I am thankful that God calls me daughter. That Jesus desires to have a relationship with me and that one day I shall see Him face to face.

Everyday Occurrence

Yes, we see rainbows everyday here....because it is ALWAYS RAINING!!! LOL.

All Alone!

Racing on the Beach

Spent a beautiful day at the beach with the kids yesterday! We closed the plant for the day and the four of us headed over to the coast. We are fortunate to live only an hour away. The weather was glorious..and when we arrived there was not another soul on the entire beach!

Spring!

Yes! Spring is here! Trees and bushes are blooming out all over.

Trying to Keep up!

It seems some of the fans of this blog would like to see it maintained a little more often. ;-)
So. I will attempt to update this on a weekly basis. I don't know whether I can promise pictures every week, but I will try. I had an awesome experience last week attending this coffee class. www.bestcoffeeschool.com. I'm not sure how to provide a link yet. Anyway, there were some folks there taking pictures, if I get any copies I'll post them. I learned so much about coffees and making espressos and specialty drinks! So much to take in. Our church is going to be opening a coffee bar with the new addition and they are needing folks to train people on the machines. I'm afraid that's about all the time I have for today.

Katie's New Do!

Well...spring is here! I am happy to say the sun is shining bright today! The temperatures are in the 60's. We've been taking advantage of the clear days to delve into the yardwork. It's really taking great shape this year! We did not need to do nearly as much clearing of debris this year as last.
As you can see in the picture, Katie has a new haircut. She looks so much older to Mark and me. Daniel is doing great. I think he may have grown a few inches already this year. (Either that..or I'm washing his clothes in too hot of water)
Think I'll go and enjoy the sun for a little longer before night fall.

Off Road

So..it's already the middle of February!! Time has just been flying. We are certainly staying very busy with work, school, and church. The kids are doing well. Katie was very excited to learn that she has one of the lead roles in her troups upcoming production of "Towards Zero". She'll be putting in a lot of rehearsal time in addition to all her studying. Daniel underwent ear surgery again. This time a tube in the left ear and exploration on the right. It's probable that he will need surgery again somewhere in the future to have his right ear drum reconstructed..but for now..it's holding steady.
The picture is from our trip to SunRiver. We went for a little drive in the truck..to test out Mark's new tires.

A Snow Day

Hello All. Well today the kids had a 'snow day'. Yes, here in Eugene, Oregon, where supposedly it doesn't snow. We had a nice full day of snow. The kids had a great time hanging out and playing with the neighbors. Mark went in to work a little late so he could get the driveway shoveled and toss some snowballs with the kids.

A New Year!

A new year is upon us! We look forward to so many exciting things this year. Our 18 year anniversary in just a few weeks. The first of the nieces getting married in June. Katie turning 16 in August. We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for the Harts. The above picture was taken on our return trip from Sunriver. We absolutely love central Oregon and visit as often as we can.

One Week til Christmas

It's hard to believe Christmas is only a week away! Where did this year go? We've been so busy this year with a number of parties/outreaches/ministries/etc. Not too mention trying to get cards mailed...gifts wrapped...and cookies baked. Even with all that is going on..we try very hard to stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas and to remember the free gift that was given to us by God.

Notice Anything Different?

Well here she is! NO MORE BRACES!!!!!!! What an exciting day for Katie. She has had some sort of orthodontics since she was 7 years old! Alas...all that's left is to wear the retainer!

Race Day photo! So here we are at the finisher'sh check in tent. The race was great! The weather in San Francisco that day was just perfect. It was well worth all the hard work and training. My total dollars raised...$3100!

Happy Birthday Daniel

So today is Daniel's 11th birthday! I will post some pictures as soon as I can. He was so excited this morning..he was up at 6 a.m.! He has had a great day so far. His birthday cake choice this year?..... a chocolate pie..with Oreo cookie crust.

Wow...it's already the middle of Sept!

Okay so...very short haircut...it sure helps with the running!!!!
I can hardly believe it's already Sept. The school year has started and we are busy..busy..busy! I've redone the school room this year..with new mission style desks for Katie and Daniel..and myself! I'm very pleased with how it has turned out. Although putting all those desks together certainly took a lot of time! I'll post pictures when all the 'accessories' are in!
Both kids are enrolled in Homesource again this year..which basically supplements the homeschooling. Katie is able to take AP History..and Spanish II as well as volleyball.
Daniel is taking two computer technology classes..one which is focused on design and 3-D drafting. The other is a computer skills class. He is also taking basketball.
We are enjoying cooler temperatures this week and are anticipating rain soon.
My running is going well...I'm up to 10 miles now..yes that's at one time~!!
Business has been great and Mark is extremely busy. He and I are looking forward to a little R&R weekend together..ALONE...very soon!

Very hard to see the magnificence of this place with the haze.

Crater Lake Family Shot

So here we are..playing around at Crater Lake. The kids didn't think I could get a family shot by holding the camera with my left hand..but it worked! Too Cute! We had a fantastic week at Shasta Lake..then drove up to Crater Lake on the way home. Unfortunately there had been a fire in the hills and the lake was shrowded with a haze. Oh..and the cute little girl in the picture is now 15!! Yikes!

A Day on the River

The women of our church had a special rafting outing on Saturday. The men you see in the picture are our guides. We had a fabulous day. The sun was shining and the river was so clear you could see to the bottom. Katie and I went together. The rapids are a level 3 on the McKenzie and were for the most part subdued..with the exception of a few spots. We had one very quick scare when Katie fell out of the raft on a rapid! My adrenaline definitely kicked into overtime and I had her back in the boat in less than a minute. The guide's wife, Kim, also fell in! She said that was the first time she had ever fallen into this particular river..so Katie was in good company! The weather has been fabulous! We have been in the mid 70's to low 80's. We are enjoying lots of outside activities!

Happy 4th of July!

So here it is...my first 10K run. I ran Eugene's annual Butte to Butte. It was fun. Yeah..the guy next to me ran the whole thing in his bathrobe..carrying a coffe cup and his newspaper..too funny.

Mark was taking pictures at the finish line. I managed to run the whole thing with the exception of maybe 20 yards of a very very steep hill. Even with that..I was walking up it faster than most were running it. LOL

We have a relaxing rest of the day planned here at home, with slow-roasted ribs and baked beans for supper! We will light off some fireworks tonight with the kids.

Tomorrow I begin hill training with the Team in Training group. (hill training?--I thought I did that today!)