Visit with the Schindlers

On our way up to Seattle, we stopped in Tacoma to visit Joy, Tyson, and Daphne who just so happened to be up visiting family. It was great to see them and let the girls play together. They live in Austin, TX so we don't get to see them as much as we would like to.

San Juan Islands

My cousin, Kate, invited us to her boyfriend's parents house in the San Juan Islands and we jumped on the opportunity. I have been wanting to check the islands out for a long time. Their house was on Anacortes (accessible via a bridge from Seattle) with an amazing view of the islands. We went crabbing on Saturday in their boat and caught 11 Dungeness crabs that we cooked up for dinner that night. What a treat to be out on the ocean and eat delicious, fresh crab. Sunday we drove down Whidbey Island and took the car ferry across to Seattle. This was Addie's first time playing on the beach at the ocean. She was so excited being able to make sand castles and collect sea shells. We look forward to exploring more of the San Juan Islands in the future.

Deschutes County Fair

Addie has a fascination with horses and always talks about riding one. A few months back, she rode a pony in Portland and ever since she has been addicted. So when we found out about the Deschutes County Fair we knew we had to take her. Our friend Bryn and her daughter Kate came along for some fair fun as well. The girls went on three pony rides, brushed goats, pet all sorts of animals, and saw young boys mutton busting (riding a sheep). Addie fell back in love with riding horses and talks about it all the time. Lately, she wakes up from a nap and the first thing she says is "Addie ride neigh please." She can't say horse, so she calls them neighs. We might have a cowgirl on our hands!

Crater Lake

On the way home from Applegate Lake we stopped by Crater Lake National Park. We were amazed by the beautiful blue color of the water. Crater Lake is almost 2,000 feet deep and 5 miles wide. It is the deepest lake in the United States and the ninth deepest in the world. Addie was asleep, so we weren't able to explore too much, but at least we got a few good photos to remember the beautiful deep blue lake.

Granite Man Triathlon

Two weekends ago we packed up all our camping gear and headed south to Applegate Lake near Jacksonville, Oregon. Ryan and Shauna competed in the Granite Man Triathlon- which involved a 3/4 mile swim in the lake, a 20 mile bike ride around the lake followed by a 6 mile run. It was a crazy bike ride (lots of granite and poison oak) and the run went on forever (according to Ryan). They both did very well and felt good throughout the entire race. Addie and I were so proud of the both of them. Aside from the race, we camped two nights near the lake in 105 degree temps. Our tent was so hot that even in the middle of the night we didn't want any covers. It was miserable being away from the water and shade come mid-day,but we survived and made the most of it. Addie loved playing in the water, roasting marshmallows, and sleeping in the tent. All in all, we came back super tired and Ryan brought home some poison oak!! But it was worth the experience and Ryan is looking forward to his next triathlon...go Ryan!