New Years Resolutions!! (Yep...it's that time of year again...)

Ahh New Years...That wonderfully obnoxious time of year where people talk about how they are going to change and make plans to do so but fail to follow through. Yes, I am one of them. Every single year I set goals, some I achieve, most I fail at. Why? Because change is hard!!! Also, I don't really put a lot of thought into my resolutions. I tend to regurgitate what everyone else does. Exercise...sign me up for that. Get better organized...oh yeah, I should do that too. So after giving it some thought this year, I realized that the goals that other people set are never, ever going to work for me. I have to put some thought and effort into what I need and what I want to work on.

On my old running blog (which I deleted...sigh*) I had written a post about SMART goal setting. Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound. The theory goes that if your goals meet all of these criteria, you will be more successful at accomplishing them. Here is a wiki article for more information. While I had this in the back of my mind, the goals I laid out really don't fit within the SMART criteria. Yes, they are specific, attainable, and relevant. One of them is measurable but none of them are time bound because they are life long aims. Despite scoring 2 out of 3, I think they are still pretty smart. So, without further ado, here are my personal goals for this year...

1) No new volunteer commitments. Ever...ever again.

I love to volunteer, don't get me wrong! But...I have a habit of volunteering for EVERYTHING!!! Which in turn leads me to over extending myself and becoming super super stressed out. 90% of the volunteer work I do does nothing to forward my goals to be a better mother and provider for my family. If its not adding anything to my life, then its taking from my life and I can't have that happen any more.

2) Work towards eliminating TV from my life.

I gain absolutely nothing from watching TV, yet I find myself curled up on the couch watching it for hours on end. Sometimes, I will sit around and watch re-runs of the same movie or show that I have seen a dozen times. Not only is this not productive, it also takes up valuable time I could spend doing something else, like gardening, reading to myself or my kids, playing games with my kids...etc...TV is a time sucking vampire and I am soooo over it already.

3) Sort out my priorities. Family, Personal Health, Spirituality, & Wellness, Work & School. In that order!

There are a lot of things I put on the back burner because I am trying to be everything to everyone and have no time to be who or what I need to be. My goal for this year is to put a lot of time into my family and myself. Work on gaining experience and furthering my plans work wise and finishing up school by December so I can move onto my masters program. To me, these things are the only things that are important.

4) Embrace my inner night owl.

For years and years I have tried and failed (even setting this as my new years resolution on occasion) to get up around 5-6am to workout and get stuff done before everyone wakes up in the morning. For whatever reason, I have this idea planted in my head that getting up early is what "successful" people do. The early bird gets the worm after all... But I am not a morning person. Its not that I can't get up that early in the morning. Its just that I love sleep too much. I will try to go to bed around 9 in an attempt to get up early only to toss and turn for hours, look at the clock to see its midnight and then hit the snooze when 5 am rolls around. I am not a morning person. I get more done at night after everyone has gone to bed. My internal clock is set for sleep from 11:30pm-8:00am. I need to embrace that and stop fighting it. I think that in doing so I will save myself a lot of headaches and frustration with myself for not being able to get up when I planned to.

Overall, I think four goals are just right for this year. I will probably take the time to make out a list of how I am going to make these SMART goals (I'm an obsessive list maker...) and move forward from there.

The point I want to stress in this post is that if you are going to make resolutions, set yourself up for success. Don't look at other peoples lists and think, oh year...I should be doing all of that. No! You should be doing what you need to do to become the best you. Think about what you need to do in your life, for yourself and/or your family, that will enrich your well-being and add to your happiness. Remember: If its not adding to your life, its taking from it. Only aim for that which will add to your life.


Happy Planning,

Rachel B.

Post Christmas Report

I gotta say, I am glad the holidays are over. This year wasn't as stressful as most years have been. I got all my shopping done early, managed to keep baking/cooking to a minimum and spent a great deal of time enjoying my kids company. Christmas was a huge hit for me gift wise at least. My awesome husband bought me a new satchel and books!!! Books are hands down the best gift you could ever get me. I love books more than I love food and sleep. I have foregone both in order to finish a good book. On other blogs that I have managed (and since combined into this one) I had done book reviews. They were usually related to the books I read that pertained to that subject, example, running blog= running books, anthropology blog= anthropology books. But since I've combined everything together I haven't done any new posts. (And as a side note, I am considering picking back up the anthropology blog...just saying...some days I missed writing about humans...their fascinating creatures.) But I digress...

For Christmas my husband bought me two books. The first one, (which I have not started yet) is the first book of the Divergent series.

I was not overly curious to read this before I heard about the movie but since they are making it into a movie series I figured why not. The story line sounds promising enough. Although, I will admit, reading the book series of an upcoming movie has been hit or miss for me. I absolutely adore Harry Potter. (Proud Potterhead! Tattoo and all...yes I am that serious about it...don't judge me.) Twilight on the other hand...I would rather eat dirt than read those books again...and don't even get me started on the movies. Watched the first one by choice, next two by force, and didn't even bother with the last one. With the Hunger Games Series I was okay...except I thought the way that Katness was written reminded me too much of a whinny Bella (from Twilight) and that annoyed me. So, as far as Divergent goes I am cautiously optimistic...fingers crossed and all. I've never been one for the popular book series. My husband bought me the 50 Shades of Grey books thinking I would want to read them, cause their books afterall...he thinks I will read anything. I did not want to read them but since the money was spent I read them anyway and hated them as much as I thought I would. I work in the field of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and could not remove my advocate hat at all...I spent most of the time wishing I could reach through the book and punch the guy in the face. Yes, he is a textbook abuser. Get over it. I have no intention of wasting my time with the movies. Anyways...moving on...

The other book that he bought me was one I have been wanting to read for a long, LONG time. 1984 by George Orwell.

About a year ago I got my hands on a copy of Animal Farm, another book by Orwell. Amazing!! Could not put it down for a second. If you have not read anything by Orwell, you should. He is a phenomenal writer. I've known of him since I was a teen but for whatever reason haven't got around to reading his work until now. So of course after reading Animal Farm, I had to read 1984.

I am only half way through the book and lets just say, I was upset I had to actually get some sleep last night in order to go to work today. Otherwise, I might have just stayed up all night and said screw sleep. Talk about a sitting on the edge of your seat, biting your fingernails down to the quick, thriller...holy cow! My intention is to do a full on review of the book once I have finished reading it. But so far, it has not disappointed.


Overall I am super happy with my haul on Christmas. I am a big book person and willingly admit to trying to force that onto others. My husband and kids get books for Christmas every year and will probably continue to do so until the day I die. In my opinion, books are the only gift worth giving. And just as a point to how crazy my book obsession has gotten, the satchel I got, I special requested cause I really, really, really wanted a nice bag that was big enough to hold a couple of books at a time, without actually having to carry a backpack around. My husband delivered! That's one of the many ways I know he loves me...he buys me books and crazy things to make carrying books on me at all time easier...lol.


Go pick up a book already...

Rachel B.

Christmas Bazaar

Well...its that time of year again...Christmas. Wow, that snuck up on me fast. A couple months ago I had signed up to do a Christmas Bazaar. Mind you, I have never done one before. My main purpose for doing it was to promote my new business, Raelyn Jack Studios. (Visit my Etsy page here.) My goal as a wedding gown designer was to have a sample dress made and ready to go to have on display. But displaying a dress would be just about the lamest table ever so I had to think of something to actually do while I was there besides take up space. What did I finally decide on? Gift wrapping!!! Gift wrapping is about the only thing I do well at Christmas time so I figured why not.

Because I live in a rather small community I bought enough supplies to be able to wrap about 50 gifts. I thought this would be an appropriate amount until I asked the chamber of commerce how many people the usually get through the event...6-700 people!!! Yikes...I know not everyone is going to want things wrapped but man did I under plan. After my shock wore off I started to get really excited about it all. I'm going to wrap gifts, sell my hand made salt dough ornaments, gingerbread cookies and sugar cookies. The event is this Saturday so needless to say I have a lot of work left to do. You may be seeing a lot of posts from me in the near future as I plan to take pictures of each of the different processes and then post them on here for others to do. Also, in the near future 2 Birds will have our own etsy shop selling handmade crafting goodies and children's wear! Check back for more updates...


Happy crafting,

Rachel B.

Things that Blow your Mind...

I found something today...something that I was certain was gone. Something that I wasn't even looking for. To anyone who isn't a member of my household, it's absolutely meaningless but when I saw it I was just floored.

Nearly 2 years ago at our old house, my husband helped the boys put together a super top secret (no girls aloud) lair. But since I'm mommy I got a free pass to enter. Or it could have just been that they needed an evil villain to fight...I don't know. When you entered their top secret lair there were a couple planks of wood that were hung from a tree by rope. On one it said "top secret" and on the other was a "key pad" and 2 "hand scanners." About a month and a half before we moved some neighbor kids went up into the area and trashed everything (teens...pft). After that the boys didn't play up there any more. Admittedly, we also didn't clean up the mess that the teens left. The rope, planks, and anything else that was up there at the time was left to nature.

Fast forward to today...almost a year and a half after the destruction of the secret lair and our move to a neighboring town. I still work not far from where we used to live. There are a lot of really great hills near by and I thought I would go for a walk today. As I got near the area where we used to live I saw something on the ground next to the sidewalk. I was standing across the street walking towards it and it took a couple of seconds for my brain to register what it was. There, laying on top of the ground, nothing on it, barely dirty, still painted clear as day, was the plank of wood with the boys hand prints on it and the key pad.

Keep in mind its been well over a year since anyone of us has seen this! Not to mention that our old landlord had the hill where the top secret lair was cleaned and cleared shortly after we moved out. So to say I was surprised to see this just sitting there is a terrible understatement. I sent my husband a quick message with a picture of it and explained to him that the way it was sitting, the lack of debris on it, its good condition...it felt like someone had walked by a few minutes before I did and sat it there for me to find. It was a mind blowing experience for me cause I really don't know how it still exists.

Needless to say I lugged it all the way back to my office and its sitting on the floor next to me right now. The child like part of me is afraid that if I look away it will disappear as quickly as it reappeared. Tonight I will show it to the boys and see if they remember it. After that it will go up as art work in their room. Probably hung at a level where it can still be "used" to enter their new lair. It's sentimental to no one else but us...but boy does it now have an even cooler story to go along with all our original memories of it.



Finding treasure in unexpected places,

Rachel B.

Couples Fitness Challenge

So for anyone who doesn't know my husband and I personally, we are really competitive with one another. Most of the time it's in good ways, some times it's bad. (Like the fact that we bet on pretty much every single presidential election...yeah...we're those kind of people.) It's always in good fun though which I think is important and we never get upset about losing to one another. (Unless it's scrabble...neither one of us EVER wants to lose at scrabble.)

How I look losing at Scrabble...lol

Anyways...

Competition runs in our veins. Now this would be nice if we could harness it for something useful. 10+ years of marriage and that hasn't happened yet. Rewind to last night...we're setting in the front room and I make my all too frequent comment that I'm going to get up early and work out in the morning. Without missing a beat William scoffs at me and chuckles. Okay...so I say this a lot and never actually do it...so sue me.

I may have been feeling a little mischievous (with a capital M) when I turned to him and said "Oh yeah...why don't we have a competition..." and so it begins. After much deliberation about rules and dates and guidelines and such...and of course getting input from our facebook friends (who are probably shaking their collective heads at us right now) we finally settled on our latest game.

On July 1st 2014 (our 11 year wedding anniversary...YAY! We're still alive...lmao!) we will post "after" pictures of ourselves on Facebook. This will happen whether or not any change has occurred (so if we don't do any work we are up for some embarrassment). The catch is that we will be wearing a swimming suit that the other one picks for us. Can you say YIKES!!! I've already vetoed William's first choice. We do get some say after all.

I guess the good part about this is 1) we are putting our competitive energies to good use (my pictures are going to be way better than his...lol) 2) we are doing something fun together as a couple and 3) we are being held accountable for working out and staying healthy to a larger audience. My hope is that this will be a positive experience for both of us.

Now if only I could find a way to get up early and work out...


Rachel B.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Game Review

My youngest son Gryphy is a huge fan of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Last year I happened across the game around Christmas time and snatched it up. Before today we had only really played the game seriously once. Mainly because we tried playing it on Christmas day and there were other toys that commanded their attention. Since that time life has gotten busy and we have made attempts to incorporate family games into our routine but for whatever reason, this game migrated to the bottom of the pile. While the boys were doing homework I hopped into the game cabinet to see what I could pull out and this is what I settled on. Needless to say it was a huge hit! We only played one round but even Phoenix (who's 8) was asking for another round.

My overall opinion of the game is that its very simple. But most kids games are. The game is rated 3+ and I would say that is about right. However, if you have a Caterpillar obsessed 5 year old like I do then its still a great fit. My kids both love it and I am sure we will be playing it more in the future. It is only four players so if you have a large family it probably wont work so well. The majority of reviews I saw for it online were pretty negative, most focusing on the simplicity of the game. I disagree with them. Board games for kids should be simple, engaging and fun. This game is all three of those things. If you are interested in purchasing the game here is the link for it on Amazon.com. (Ahh...Amazon...) Although, I did not pay $18 for it at Toys R Us and I wouldn't pay that much. I bought it on a game sale during the holidays. If you can find it for less then I would recommend getting it. Your little ones will love it.

Here are some pics of my two little birds enjoying post homework game time...

Gotta love the chipmunk look of concentration...lol

Uh Oh! Grypy pulls ahead of bubba!

Its neck in neck...

Mommy for the win!! Poor Phoenix finally pulled ahead two spaces from the finish only to have me roll the magic number 4 right after him. I asked him to give me his angriest "how dare you face"...this is what I got...lol.

So close to victory, yet so far away...

The game ended and led to an impromptu reading session. Yay for books!!

Happy Learning!

Rachel B.

Defiying Nature: Growing Tomatos Indoors in the Winter

Living in the Pacific Northwest has its upsides and its downsides. On the upside, you absolutely cannot beat our outdoors. There are so many trails and natural oddities just within 100 miles of where I live that it would take a lifetime to explore them all. On the downside though, we really only have two seasons, Spring and Fall. Anyone who tells you we have a Summer is lying. Summer does not exist here. Our short seasons and mild weather leave me firmly planted in Hardiness Zone 6B where the growing season runs from about May to August. Granted this is largely dependent on rain levels. We get an outrageous amount of rain every year. One year I planted my garden at the end of May thinking it would be safe from rain storms and it was drowned out within a week. Sigh* So needless to say, being November right now, the growing season is over...or is it?

Right around the beginning of October I got a huge case of cabin fever, which I normally don't get until around January. While rummaging through the house upending and re-potting any plant I could get my hands on, I stumbled across an old packet of tomato seeds. I figured, why not try to grow them indoors. I had never tried that before but I have a great south facing window that gets full sun all day long so I went with it. It is now November 4th and my little indoor gardening experiment is paying off. I have 11 tomato plants growing in my windowsill. Yesterday I had to transplant them into their own little containers. I took pictures of this process but for whatever reason everything turned out blurry even though it looked fine on my viewfinder, so I apologize ahead of time.

Here are the pictures of the transplanting adventure:

To begin collect your supplies and sprouts.

For transplanting I used plastic cups, a bowl full of dirt, a knife and some scissors. The mason jar full of white stuff is crushed egg shells. Rumors in the gardening world has it that the calcium in egg shells is like crack to tomato plants so I've been collecting them for a while.

Sprouts (about 3 weeks old) and crushed egg shells

Recycled dirt

Plain ol' plastic cups for potting containers

After you have your supplies, look through your sprouts and determine which ones you want to use. From there, prepare one plastic cup for each sprout. To prepare the cups puncture a hole in the bottom for drainage and then fill with dirt.

Hole in cup for drainage

Next, take a long something or another (I used a paint brush) and swirl it in the middle of the cup to create a deep hole for the plant. You want it to be deep enough that you can fit all of the roots into the hole and the plant. 

Paint brush stick used to create hole in dirt for roots and plant

If you have an egg shell collection, add them now. I sprinkled them into the bottom of the hole so that the roots could get the calcium from them. 

Egg shells crushed into dirt

Next carefully take the sprouts that you chose out of their original container. The sprouts that grew in my tiny little flower pot actually had the best leaves. So these were the ones I transplanted first. You want to gently separate the plants so that you don't go ripping off every root. The object is to gently untangle the roots and separate the plants with as little damage as possible. 

Baby tomato plants...aren't they cute!!

Once you have separated out the plants that you want, carefully tuck the roots of the plant into the hole followed by the whole plant. And by whole plant, I mean, you need to bury the plant all the way up to the bottom of the two smooth leaves. 

Plant buried deep in the dirt.

Once you have buried the plant, cut off the two smooth bottom leaves from the plant.

Snip, snip...

Once you have done all of that, water the plants enough to wet the soil through and then find a nice sunny windowsill to put them in. 

Happy plants sitting in full sun...

And there you have it...tomatoes in November. I am hoping that these will grow to be full on plants that will produce tomatoes for us over the course of the winter. Time will only tell though. I will be sure to keep everyone updated on their progress.


Happy Planting,

Rachel B. 

Ghostly Adventures in the Gorge...

My oldest son Phoenix and I both share a love for ghosts. Now...I've never seen a ghost and still hold a little skepticism but all in all I think the "idea" of ghosts existing is pretty cool.  Phoenix on the other hand swears up and down that he's seen a ghost. He calls him the "terrible terror" and no matter how many times he tells the story, it never changes. That's pretty important given the fact its the recollection of a 7 year old.

This year for his 8th birthday we were talking about what he wanted to do. He's really been stuck on visiting a ghost town. I found one that would be perfect to visit but given the fact that it's nearly four hours away, a trip there would require a little planning. So we needed something close and immediate. Lucky us...we live in the Columbia River Gorge where history runs deep. Knowing there had to be somewhere local with a reputation for haunting I set out to find our first ghost hunt.

Main building no longer houses guests.

The location that was eventually chosen was the Carson Mineral Hot Springs. The hot springs is one of the longest running hotels in the state of Washington and is reported to be super haunted. The worst haunting stories take place in the bath house but since Phoenix is not 18 we cant go in there...bummer. Other haunting reports come from the second floor of the main building but due to age, the current owners had to shut down that portion of the building because they couldn't keep it up to code. There are however cabins that run along the side of the main drive in that are still open and functioning. These cabins are great because, although not original, they sit in the very same spot that cabins have sat since the hotel opened.

The main reason that the hotel is haunted or reported to be haunted is the fact that the original owner Isador St. Martin was murdered on the property during a fight. His wife died shortly after him from heart break. The wife is the one reported to be on the second floor of the main building. As for the bathhouse, no one knows who haunts that spot. The only reports are that it is incredibly eery and slightly negative. 

I figured that this would be a really great location for our first ghost hunt and made reservations. I have also purchased Phoenix a tape recorder (for EVP's) and an EMF detector. Our plan is to record our little adventure on the two video cameras that we own and take tons of still images as well. We will then put together our own little ghost show for our family and friends to watch.

There is a part of me that hopes we don't find something cause I'm a pretty big chicken and then there is another part of me that wants Phoenix to have an awesome birthday and he seems to want the experience. (To each their own.) All I have to remember is that I am the adult and no matter how much we freak ourselves out, I have to be the one to offer comfort. Overall though I am really looking forward to the adventure. If nothing else Phoenix and I will have spent some really great bonding time together and will be able to share the memory of our first ghost hunt together. Memories are what matter.

Here is a link to a longer blog post about the Carson Mineral Hot Springs and it's ghosts...
http://www.thegorge.com/carson-hot-springs/



Rachel B.

NAKED EGGS!!!

I am a HUGE fan of all things science. Because of that I am constantly trying to instill in my boys a love for the subject. So far I have been hugely successful. Yay for Team Mommy! Every once in a while we break out in scientific fever and must experiment on something. Yesterday we decided to try out the naked egg experiment. If you are not familiar with the naked egg experiment you can read about it or watch a video here or watch the following video:

If you want to try this experiment here is what you need:

Egg
Jar
Vinegar

Yes...its that simple!

Pour the Vinegar into the jar and then place the egg inside. Let that sit for 12-24 hours and then dump out the vinegar and enjoy your super awesome naked egg!

What exactly is happening in this experiment?

Well...egg shells are made out of calcium carbonate. Vinegar has in it a substance called acidic acid. By putting the egg into the vinegar you are creating a chemical reaction. The way I explained it to my boys was that the acidic acid "eats" calcium carbonate, so you could say that the vinegar is eating the eggs shell. Because the egg has a "skin" inside called a membrane, it holds everything together when the shell is gone, creating a naked egg...an egg that you can see through. The guy in the above video says it takes 5-7 days but that's not the case. Ours was in the vinegar for less than 24 hours and it turned out great. There is another really great video in the other link provided that explains why the egg actually gets bigger once the shell is gone...(hint: osmosis!)

They absolutely loved this experiment and had a blast doing it from start to finish. Take a look at our pictures and then try it out for yourself!

Phoenix's egg before

Gryphon's egg before...he looks a little worried

Vinegar and our containers...gotta love Mason Jars!

The bubbles is the vinegar eating the shell...

Mesmerized!

The next day...the foam is the shell

Soft and squishy...eww...

Naked eggs are bigger than the regular egg

Squish!

Gryphon impaling his egg with a skewer

A popped naked egg: the membrane looks like pacman. lol

Phoenix holding up the membrane

Gryphon stirring up the left overs.

Happy Experimenting!

Rachel B.

A mothers rant about education today...

Trending on MSN today there is an article titled "Academic thinks there's no need for kids to lern how to spel anymore." Yesterday, I saw and read a longer, more in depth version of this article. Oh buddy! Did this story get me all worked up! To have a teacher, one who is actually very well known for his ability to advance education around the globe, come out and say something like this is mind blowing. Whats next...oh you don't really need to know basic math. That's what calculators are for. Are you kidding me?! Please tell me he's kidding!

Today's kids are probably well on their way to becoming our dumbest generation ever. Why? Because of stupid adults like this who think its okay to let technology think for us. The sad thing is, its not the kids fault either. We adults are allowing this to happen. Spelling, math, reading, all of those subjects are core to a basic education. Without them we are setting our children up for failure. As a mom, this is extremely painful to watch.

My son has actually brought work home from school that was given out in class that he did not finish. Didn't finish! Yet, he got a passing grade on it and earned top grades in all of his subjects, including the ones he routinely did not finish work for. This has lead to the new rule for this upcoming school year that if you don't finish it in class, you will finish it at home, in addition to any homework you bring home with you. Sorry but I don't want lazy kids. I want kids who know the value of hard work. I expect my children to get a good education whether that is at home or at school and I expect them to work at it. They are not going to want to take education seriously if the adults around them do not.

I think one of the biggest wake up moments for me came during college while I was interning at a local high school. I was in a science class where 9th and 10th graders were performing an experiment to find out the calories in a peanut and a marshmallow. I was grading papers and found myself actually having a hard time focusing on the task. I was distracted by poor grammar and poor spelling. On over half of the papers the words peanut and marshmallow were spelled wrong. Don't even get me started on the handwriting. The sad thing was when I mentioned it to the teacher they said that they are not an English teacher. It is not appropriate for them to mark up students work for spelling and grammar. They are there to teach and grade science work. What! Your a teacher...who cares what subject you teach. I realized in that moment that me becoming a teacher was probably a bad idea. If I was going to become a science teacher and have to grade papers like that without commenting, I was going to have some serious issues loving my job.

That's not saying I'm perfect. I'm not. But I know the value of a good education and I want my children to have that knowledge as well. This is why we are very active in our children's education. My husband and I are both on the PTA. We both attend every single parent teacher conference and we actually make our kids do their homework. If they fail to finish their homework, we walk with them into class and stand there to make sure they explain correctly to their teacher why their homework did not get finished. (Teaching accountability) If they are struggling in a subject we ask for extra work for them to do at home or we create our own work for them to do. Is it a little on the harsh side? I don't know. Compared to how involved my parents were (not at all) its certainly at the other side of the spectrum. Do we hover over the kids as they do their work or do it for them? Absolutely not. They have to do it themselves. I guess you could say I want my kids to know that I am there watching and making sure they are doing what they need to do to be the best student possible.

So in regards to the article the incited my anger, if I were to ever hear that the schools were going to stop focusing on spelling and grammar while my children are there...you can bet your bottom dollar I will be raising some serious fuss. Not to mention my kids homework load would just get bigger because I absolutely refuse to allow them to not know the basics.


Rachel B.

Dog Days of Summer

For a few years now my husband and I have talked about getting a dog. Sometimes we would start looking and then decide no, we're just not ready yet and then put it on the back burner. Recently, however, we decided we were finally ready to take the leap. Our children are older and more mature. They have interacted with a variety of animals in many different settings so I am confident of their ability to handle the upcoming addition to our family. Once we made the decision I excitedly got on petfinder to see what possibilities were out there. Although we love dogs of all sorts we did have some very specific things we were looking for.

First off, we live in an apartment so they would need to be small. Second, our boys are still young and we want them to have the opportunity of growing up with one dog instead of getting a bunch of old ones that will pass on every few years, so they need to be young. Because I work full time and William is in and out of the house at all times of the day, we really needed a pet who could handle being home without us for a couple hours at a time and was crate trained. Next we obviously wanted it to be house trained. I also thought it would be a great idea to have a dog who had lots of energy because it was going to have to keep up with the boys and not only that would have to love kids. Finally, I really really want a running buddy so not only does it need to have energy but it needs to be active!

I got on petfinder knowing that the odds of finding a dog that fit every single one of our criteria was going to be next to impossible. I figured I could find one that was close and we could train from there. I typed in our preferred breed (did I mention we had one of those too) and there she was...our doggy soul mate. I can't even begin to tell you how lucky we got! It was like I personally wrote her description.

"Hi I’m Kona, a JRT/Boston Terrier/Pit Bull Mix! I’m lots of dog rolled up in one cute little package. I love to snuggle and spend time with you and pay attention to you best when I’ve had my exercise. Of course, that’s only because I’ve got lots of terrier energy and need to burn some of it off so I can give you my full attention. I’m crate trained, sweet and playful. I’m good with kids and even get along ok with other dogs. If you’re looking for someone to cuddle up with please consider me. I am 1 1/2 years old and weigh 27#."

Holy cow batman!!! She's perfect! And the pictures they posted of her just made my heart melt. Needless to say I filled out an adoption application immediately and sent it off. It took a while to hear back because she was being offered through a placement agency but after a week I got a message saying we were approved! Sometime towards the end of this week we will finally get to meet her in person. Her current handlers are out of town. I understand that its not completely final yet. We have to feel shes a good fit for us and her owners have to agree. I am nervous that there is a chance it wont work out but on the other hand I am confident it will. In preparation for her homecoming we went out and bought her some fun stuff to make our home more welcoming. Even if things don't work out we will at least be prepared to bring another dog into the home. But I really want her so I'm trying not to think of that now. 

Hopefully the end of the week will roll around and we will go and meet her and bring her home with us! Until then I am sitting here, being hands down the most impatient human being imaginable. I have been waiting a long time for this and am finally excited to have the opportunity! Here's hoping we can call her ours! 

Rachel B.

Bridal Veil Falls, Oregon

This mornings hike marked the last hike for cubscouts this year. We chose to mark the occasion by going to Bridal Veil Falls. The hike down to the falls is only 0.6 miles and there is an optional loop at the start of the trail head going in the opposite direction that is 0.5 miles long. Because we were using this hike to earn our hiking badge we did both the trek to the falls and the loop. The boys absolutely loved the location. They had been there before but it was years ago so I don't think they remembered. Bridal Veil is just one of probably a dozen waterfalls located along Oregon Scenic Hwy 30. This is the same road that the famous Multnomah Falls lies on.

What I really love about this hike is that it is a great, family friendly, starter hike. Never been hiking before or a little out of shape? Have tiny little ones who you have to pack in or can't walk far? This is the hike for you. The path is very well maintained all the way down to the falls and the loop itself is completely paved. Viewpoints are fenced so there is little risk of accidents. Only major caution is that there is a lot of poison oak in this area. So please, please stay to the trail and keep the little ones from grabbing at plants along the edges. Last thing you want is an itchy, cranky kiddo cause poison oak got them. Ahh the memories of being slathered in calamine lotion are coming back to me now...sigh*

Family Hike Rating:

Kid friendly: Yes. You are unlikely to find a more kid friendly hike then this one.

Travel time: It's roughly 30 minutes from North Bonneville, WA. Your probably looking at an hour coming from Hood River or 30ish minutes coming from Portland. Please be careful driving on Hwy 30. 30 is a historical highway that is very very narrow. Not only are there areas where its difficult for two cars to pass through safely but you are also sharing the road with a lot of bicyclists who are out enjoying the waterfall tour.

If your going to visit Bridal Veil you should go early in the morning and stop at some of the other falls along the way. Some are only accessible by long hikes up massive switchback trails, others are directly off hwy 30 and can be seen from your car.

On the trail to Bridal Veil Falls

Leave it to a group full of boys to find the worlds biggest slug

Bridal Veil Falls

Mid Columbia Cubscout Pack 392. We rock!

Another pic of Bridal Veil from below the falls.

Aww...brotherly love...that rarely happens. lol.

On our way back to the trail head.

At one of the viewpoints along the loop

Columbia River looking towards Portland OR.


Want more information on hiking in the Columbia Gorge? Feel free to contact me!

Rachel B.