Beach time!

We purchased a groupon for Newport Aquarium tickets, as did our friends the Ross's, so a beach trip was therefore in order! We stayed at a place a little south of Newport called Waldport. Not much to Waldport, but who needs much really when you have the Ocean! The house was really nice, although when we got there, all the beds were unmade, and had clearly been slept in. So, we had to do a little laundry, but are getting our housekeeping fee back! It was a really relaxing trip, and the kids had their own little bunkroom with pingpong table and big screen tv....and adults rooms downstairs, plus it was a beachfront place. We enjoyed quality time with friends, played lots of Dominoes, hung out on the beach for a bit (it was pretty chilly), enjoyed a trip to the Aquarium, and did a lot of laundry.... :-) We for happy to get away and put our toes in the sand for a bit!

Annabelle...creating with shells :)

Annabelle, Ella R, Ella C, Tobin...gettin their feet wet!

Girls!

Chris and I, and our infamous, one-armed shot :)

All the sleepy kiddos...sometime in the 7:00 am hour...

All of us (minus Chris who is taking the pic), at the Aquarium

Jelly Fish

Little miss cutie pie Ella ;)

These three sharks all converged and ran into each other! The sharks are definitely the best part of the Aquarium.

Annabelle!

Cali vacation 2011!

This was the highlight of my summer so far! Such a treat to be with all my siblings for a week. We had a lot of fun together, eating, wine tasting, and playing. Not a bad life at all. Although, all good things do come to and end, and that happened for us in Roseburg, OR. We were almost home, on the last 4 hours of the trip, when after our lunch stop to McDonalds, the car refused to start. So, after some deliberation and frustration, we surrendered and called a tow truck and booked a night at the Super 8 in Roseburg. God is good though, we got the CRV into a Honda repair shop that morning and he had us out by 11! The girls consequentially thought that Hotel stay was the best part of the trip! Hmmm. I guess adventures are what these little ones live for :)

Varenyky making night. MMMM. SO. GOOD.

Mario's Ristorante Italiano!

A little nature....

My Belle :)

Mom and Jay, after Jay finished the San Fran marathon!

Jay, me and Bethany

Chris and Annabelle, enjoying a Mexican Brunch in San Francisco

Bethany, me, Chris and the girls

Two little girls, dipping their feet in Grandma's pond :)

Chris and I, wine tasting with Jay and Megan

Snow Cone!

Family pic at Mario's

My mom and siblings :)

Mom and Belle being silly!

Smores!!

Birthday Fun

October is always a fun, busy month for Chris and I since we both have October birthdays. This year, we really lived it up with a birthday dinner at HopWorks Urban Brewery in Portland with friends, I got a weekend away with a friend to her beach house on my birthday, and then Chris and I got to go to a cabin right on the Puget Sound in the Seattle area with another couple, this last weekend, thanks to the wonderful friends we have who agree to have our girls overnight (such a blessing, since we don't have grandparents in town!). I forgot to bring my camera to HopWorks Urban Brewery, but we did get to sit in a cool little separate room that was once a vault. But here are some pics of all our fun:

Happy 36th Chris!

Kristin and I in Pacific City, Or

My hot husband, finding lots of clams on the beach

Isn't he a beautiful little guy?! They are ALL over the place on the Puget Sound beach, it was like taking a field trip to the tide pools... we also saw a ton of clams and sand dollars, and even some crabs that were taken back and cooked right up!

This is the gorgeous view of the Puget Sound from our cabin.

Blessed weekend

This last weekend, I had the opportunity to go back to the place that I hold near and dear to my heart, Mt. Gilead, to attend their women's retreat with my mom. I could talk your ear off about this place. It is a wonderful place where I grew up in my faith and met my husband, and sometimes I wish I could live there (retirement!). It is in the heart of the California Coastal Redwoods, right outside Santa Rosa, Ca. Those form-able teen summers were all spent there, and I constantly realized my need for God. I came across a quote that I just love speaking to this exact thing:

"Of all the needs (there are none imaginary) a lonely child has, the one that must be satisfied, if there is going to be hope and a hope of wholeness, is the unshaken need for an unshakable God."
- Maya Angelou

Mt. Gilead was that for me. The people during those years at camp gave me hope and showed me I needed God in my life, and I truly believed it! Not only did wonderful people invest in my life but God met me there, every time. And when you meet God, you are changed. I am so thankful for having Mt. Gilead then, and now! Going back there was such a treat for me. The whole time I was there I could just feel all the distractions melt away, and I could just be with my God, and amongst other godly women. It was like needed therapy for me! I was in an complaining, un-thankful place when I left home, and just escaping to Mt. Gilead for 2 days, gave me the perspective I needed to see that my focus had shifted off of my Father and onto my circumstances. I was a much needed drink of water for my soul. Can you tell? I am getting poetic on you :) Anyhow, I soaked it all in, and am in a good place, and am admiring a good God, who is faithful. I also had some really wonderful, much needed time with my mom, got to see some old friends, and climbed the rock wall all the way to the top. Yay for taxes that allowed me to do this wonderful weekend!

Beautiful silence

Chris and I were invited by the Thoms to the Ochs Family Ranch in Rosewood, OR this last weekend, (friends of the Thoms). We experienced God's beautiful desert, silence, many hikes, and some great adult fellowship. Now that I have doubled the children I care for, I was in need of some serious adult conversation! It was an absolute blast and a blessing! Thank you to the Elders, Ross', and Andi for watching the kiddos, kinda last minute!

Watching a cattle branding.....the whole community comes out and tailgates with drinks and snacks and then they all celebrate with a meal afterwards!

A view of the plateau they call "flat iron", we drove/hiked up to the top!

This is at the bottom of a 20-foot deep cave that we climbed down into in pitch darkness (and a couple flashlights)

Me and my man in the wilderness

Here is a shot of the property...well the house anyway...the whole property equals a couple thousand acres!

Cali

The Curry's just took a little vacation/roadtrip to Santa Rosa California this last week to visit Amber's mom and siblings. We did a lot of relaxing in mom's beautiful backyard, barbequing, swimming, a day at the beach, a day at the coolest park ever, a day at Mt. Gilead (the camp Chris and I met at), a little bowling, some In-N-Out, and a day with grandpa Mallie (Amber's dad) in Coos Bay Or. on the way out of town. The girls did great on the drive down and back up. Here is a slideshow of our week...enjoy!


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Longbeach

Making sand angels
Playing Dancing Eggs
Shopping downtown
Driving on the beach!
Annabelle learned how to fish!

We were invited by some friends to their beach house in Longbeach, Wa. this last memorial day weekend. It was great fun! I had been to Longbeach on youth retreats to “The Dunes” retreat center, but have never really explored Longbeach. And fun fact for you…did you know that the beach in Longbeach is also a highway? It is dubbed “the world’s longest, driveable beach”. You are playing in the sand and watching out for cars all at the same time…pretty cool, and kinda weird. Gotta really watch out for your little ones. And longbeach is known for the very odd and somewhat vague “Marsh’s jake the alligator man", you can check him out at: www.roadsideamerica.com

A break from the rain!

The girls and I got a chance to spend last week in Santa Rosa, Ca. , at my mom's house for some sun and relaxation, and to see my sister, brother and mom and her beautiful yard that she and Mike have worked so hard on. Luckily it was all sunshine and warmth while we were there, so we spent a lot of time playing in the beautiful yard, and Annabelle even helped plant some new flowers with Grandma O'no! We missed daddy, but enjoyed the trip. Especially flying direct from the Portland airport into the tiny little Santa Rosa airport....made the trip so much easier!