Ozette Lake, Cape Alava, Point of the Arches, Shi Shi Beach

I remember 6 years ago meeting a guy at work that had just returned from the Olympic National Park and told me about his backpacking experience on the coast.  At that time, the idea of planning a trip to carry all gear for 3 days seemed impossible to me.  I couldn't even imagine how that all worked.  Finally, this past weekend, WE DID IT!  Olympic National Park has 73 miles of wilderness coastline that is not easily accessible and therefore very preserved for those that want to work at getting out there and experiencing it.  We are grateful to President Roosevelt who began the series of events to preserve this beautiful location. Troy took video and I took pictures.  Enjoy all this detail!

Video 1 = 15 minutes and there is sporadic voice and funny commentary
http://youtu.be/Oi0oqdiJScE

Video 2 = 15 minutes as well
http://youtu.be/FtWfJZYK49E

All the pictures are located in our 3 facebook public albums.

Album 1 - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150297375549446.358188.508919445&l=cd7558af25&type=1

 Album 2 - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150297427644446.358206.508919445&l=57b116affa&type=1

Album 3 - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150297453329446.358218.508919445&l=3519b16522&type=1

Summary of animals: River Otter, Steller's Sea Lion, Bald Eagle, Northern Spotted Owl, SanderBlack Oyster Catcher, Red Tailed Hawk, Glaucous Winged Gull, American Crow, Black-Tailed Deer, Olympic Chipmunk, Cascades Frog, Common Garter Snake, Banana Slug, Black Beetle, Nudibranch, Blood Star, Bat Star, Leather Star, Sunflower Star, Decorator Crabs, Sand Flees, Sand Shrimp, and I am sure more that I am forgetting.  Next time I am going to snap way more photos of birds.

 Day 1
6:30AM - Depart Maple Valley with our packs.  Troy = 42lbs, Nick = 39lbs, Scheris = 40lbs, Alyssa = 34lbs
7:30 - Stop and visit my barista sister in Gig Harbor
9:45 - Arrive at Port Angeles WIC to pick up permit and bear cannisters $29
12:00 - Lunch at Taco Time
1:15 - Buy Makah Indian Reservation Recreation permit $10
2:00 - Drop off vehicle 1 at Donna's parking $10/night = $30
3:15 - Leave Ozette Lake parking lot and began our 5.7 mile hike
4:14 - Low tide and a ranger gave us some unexpected news, it was time to put our hike into high gear
5:00 - Reached Cape Alava - westernmost point of the lower 48 states, viewed Ozette Island, Tskawahyah Island, Boldelteh Islands, and other sea spires.  Shipwreck of the Bark Austria 1/21/1887
7:00 - Forded the Ozette River at about 3 ft tide, and found our campsite - had the entire area all to our selves
10:00 - Constellation viewing

Ozette Island

Just 1 rock/island of the multiple miles of Flattery Rock National Wildlife Refuge, also part of the Washington Islands Wilderness and the Olympic National Park

Day 2
5:04AM: -0.6 low tide, but we decided to sleep-in and not begin hiking yet (later to be regretted)
9:00 - hung out with the two river otters and sea lion
11:31: 6.5 ft high tide, time to get ready and head out
12:15 PM: left our campsite with the intention that we wanted to be at the Point of the Arches at low tide, we had 5 hours to travel 6 miles - no problem (we thought)
12:52: first headland
2:10: Seafield Creek
3:20: Lunched while waiting on tide to lower more
5:10: 1.9 ft low tide
Father and Son Rocks came into view
5:50: Cove
6:15: Point of the Arches
6:20:Shi Shi beach, found our campsite
10:00: constellation viewing

This is not my photo, but it is shows the Point of the Arches, with Shi Shi on the left and we came from the right.

Day 3
5:30AM: alarm clock
5:50: -1.0 low tide - explore tidepools, waited for sunrise
6:29: sunrise
2:00PM: Hike to Willoughby Lake - bush wacking, not a maintained trail
5:00: begin tidepool exploration
6:01:1.2 low tide

Day 4
5:30AM: alarm clock, head over to get ready for lowest tide yet
6:32: Sunrise
6:34: -1.2 low tide - explore tidepools
8:00: Returned to campsite, ate, packed up
9:30:Departed Shi Shi

I loved this hike and would do it over again.  We picked up on some learnings that we would apply to make this hike a bit smarter next time around. Next time we will take a tide pool field guide so we can identify more living creatures!  It was so amazing. 

7th Grade Home School

We are nearly to 7th grade, just a few more weeks! Some of you have asked about our homeschool agenda this year.... so here are some details.

Well.... once again, I do need to give credit to Mary and Christy who continually coach me through this journey.   With 5 and 9 kids, they have years of experience that is now saving me time and money!   

DECISION

We enrolled in the private Liahona Prepatory Academy that has a Distance Program from Pleasant Grove, UT, because our friends have participated in this school for the past few years.  This is a step away from the public WA school system we used the last two years called WAVA, which was great by the way! 

We wanted a program to educate while integrating the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ and provide a challenging academic framework by infusing secular knowledge with LDS Doctrine and values.  This would be for the benefit of our student so she can understand all knowledge in the context of eternity!  

We wanted to her to see how academic subjects become relevant to our duty to God and our fellow man.

The English teacher at this school produces the highest scoring kids in the state of Utah.

For example:  English concepts can easily be taught incorporating gospel text, “Jesus Commanded The Multitude” instead of just ‘See Jane Run’ or how about the making of the United States of America and the necessary components to setting up the foundation for the gospel to be restored in the 1800’s!

This program allows our child to use her unique talents, gifts, and learning style.

ACCREDITATION

Determine if we wanted to use the accredited route or non-accredited route, we are choosing non.  The reason is that the only goal here is to get her to be able to pass the community college running start compass exam when she is a sophmore. Once she does so, she is admitted into community college and off she goes, never needing to look back or prove how the information got into her big brain! 

We will use the subjects of Science, History, and English, from Liahona.  We will use Khan Academy to assist Troy with teaching her alegebra. We will also do art, music, PE, and Spanish this year!  It is a full load.

The school year is 32 weeks of instruction.
The tuition for this program is $1125.00 annually. 

PARTNER

We were introduced to the Quilcene SchoolDistrict Homeschool Exploration Program (HEP), here in Washington State.  We found that this public school system can be a partner to us if we register our student through them as a part time student.  There are varying degrees.  We chose to do .80 as opposed to 100% status.  This means that because our student is registered, they get the $ from the state toward their district and my local Tahoma District does not.  In return, Quilcene has a completely supportive staff to be sure that parents are held accountable for their Student’s Learning Plan (SLP), provide field trips, and give a $1500 annual allocation back to us for supplies/costs.      

For example:  While we can’t submit reimbursement for the religious curriculum or texts, we can submit for our private piano lessons, math book, spanish book, art supplies, & swim club costs. 

They also have field trips, we have two scheduled right now, Sept 9th to the Puyallup Fair Rodeo and to a Bowl & Skate Day in Lynwood.  So, the nice part of our combo this year is that we have two schools for Alyssa to feel a part of.   With Liahona, Alyssa get to attend Youth Conference in October following General Conference up at Aspen Grove.   I am also trying to organize a field trip to the RCECC, in Renton, which I visited in May as part of my police academy.

So.. we are thrilled to begin our new year.  If you remember last year.. it is nearly time to unveil her 7th grade school theme and present her star!  I can't wait.. it is waiting patiently in its hiding spot. We start home school on Monday, September 5.  Quilcene starts on Tuesday and the first week of Liahona's classes will be available by video on September 12.

It is so fun learning the material with her!  I am so glad we took a chance 2 years ago, thank you Cathy for introducing me to your sister.

TEDxRedmond - organized for kids, by kids

Reposting this September 2010 entry about the TEDx event that Alyssa attended.  The 2011 event is scheduled to take place in just 45 days on September 10.   We highly recommend your kids to consider.  It is invite only, so quickly send in an online registration!!  Alyssa will gladly play hostess to anyone that wants to go with her since she knows the ropes now.  It is recommended for ages 11+ and is all about inspiring kids to do great and hard things!  http://tedxredmond.com/

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Saturday, September 9, 2010 - Alyssa attended TEDx in Redmond.  There are more coming to the area if you are interested.  It is very inspiring to hear the stories of these amazing children who go above and beyond being average!  BING helped to sponsor the meeting, so it was held here at Microsoft.  HUNDREDS of children attended the 8 hour conference, with over 14 youth speakers who flew in specifically for this conference.

"In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At TEDx events, live speakers will spark deep discussion and connection. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized."

World's youngest teacher, Adora Svitak hosted this conference.  She is 12 yrs old, her vocabulary was astounding.  She published her first book at 7 and has written over 600 children's books.  She also is a student of WAVA the online school stystem that we and 150.000 other Americans utilize.  She has been featured on shows like Good Morning America and plans to win a Nobel Peace Prize someday. 

We also saw Jordan Romero, who is the world's youngest mountain climber to have done Mt Everest and 5 other top continent peaks.  He will summit his final and 7th continent soon.  He was very uplifting in his sharing his ambitions. 

Jessica Markowitz, is the founder of Richard's Rwanda.  She has traveled there the past 4 years and is now 15 years old.  She has raised thousands for the cause that moves her the most in life.  She attends a local girls school but has now connected with girls at 9 other local schools who opened their own chapters to follow the same cause.  Her quote, "One of the biggest things we have to realize is how privileged we are. Going and seeing the difference of how much we have compared to people in impoverished countries gives you the importance of valuing things. Many kids in the U.S. don't have that realization. Once they do, they want to help out." $40 sends a girl to school for an entire year in Rwanda.  Right now, she is raising $25K because Paul Allen has approved a match to that figure.  How amazing is she?!

Finally, we heard some amazing musicians on piano, cello, guitar and vocals too. 

If you have a chance to attend a conference, you should! It is free and you will learn so much about setting goals and making a difference in the world.  I believe Tacoma will host a conference in the next few months, watch for it.

I'll Send An SOS to the World I hope that someone finds my...

I'll send an SOS to the world

I'll send an SOS to the world

I hope that someone finds my

I hope that someone finds my

I hope that someone finds my

blanket in the hotel

blanket in the hotel

Another lonely day

With no blanket for me

More loneliness

Than any man could bear

Rescue me before I fall into despair

This really is no laughing matter. I don't remember the last time I prayed this hard... I can't live without my blanket that has been by my side for 36 years.  I believe I left it in the hotel last weekend, but for some reason it didn't turn up?!!!! How can this be? 

I have tried to stay calm believing this would turn up, but now I am begining to panic.  Please seriously pray for a miracle.  I know a miracle such as it just getting mailed to me from the hotel mysteriously could happen if the Lord was willing to bless me. 

 2nd birthday

 3rd birthday

A  week has passed since I lost my blanket

But I should have known this right from the start

Only hope can keep me together
Faith can mend my life
But loss will break my heart

This really is so very dear to my heart.  I do have faith that this could end well!!!

Decisions and Consequences - what a difference a month can make

We are sharing a little journey we have been on the past 3 months.  This is sure to stir up some comments from my mothering friends, but Alyssa partnered with me on this blog post, so please refrain from freaking out. I already know how people feel on this subject, so no need for you to share.

On April 4th, I traveled to Florida on business for a two week trip. 

Alyssa designed the menu as part of her Personal Progress goal.  

We shopped for the necessary groceries and she was going to take care of Dad while I was away. 

However, plans didn't work out so well.  

$200 of fresh foods went to waste, while the pantry was cleaned out of all packaged food. 

Clearly, when the cat is away, the mice will play. 

When I returned, we spent two weeks 'cleaning up the damage'. 

Two weeks later, I took Alyssa with me to Florida to try to mitigate the same disaster again. 

It didn't work and we had a terrible week and I literally threw my hands up in despair on how to best guide her.  

Don't be fooled by this 'happy' photo taken in Florida.

I constantly analyze what I am doing that causes her behavior or when I might be wrong and need to revert.  I do want to do the right thing.  One learning that came of this busy time period is that my therapist told me take care of myself emotionally first and that may mean I would have to 'let go' of helping with other areas in the family.

After some thought, prayer, analysis of evidence, and discussions, I let go of managing our vegan diet and Alyssa's nutrition.  Since coming into her life, 4 years ago when she was a little girl of 8 years old, I have been actively teaching her about health and nutrition.  She enjoyed the benefits of that, little did she realize.  It was now her turn to apply the knowledge and own her decisions.

I let go of asking her to brush her teeth, floss her teeth, wash her face, take care of her continuous leaky ears, and all the other areas that I nagged her to keep up. 

Now backing up a bit; for three summers we were spoiled with Alyssa able to wear the same shorts.  Her waist stayed a size 8 while her height grew 8 inches in 3 years. This summer was the year to throw out clothes.

With a new hair cut and a new change in life, we took these photos at the beginning of June before she left on a summer vacation. 

 She came home 3 weeks later on June 30th a new person; an inch taller, 13 lbs heavier, and lots of red dots littering her face.  Grandpa wanted to be sure he wasn't blamed, it was simply his job to spoil, not to control her serving sizes!  :)

 

WOWZA, what an accomplishment! 

 Not 5 minutes into her arrival, she was heading out the door to go to swim team.  Because we were in the bedroom changing, it provided a quick opportunity to talk about the elephant in the room.  We both knew it was there, why pretend it wasn't? 

We had a discussion about decisions, consequences, ownership, and where to go from here.  I was sure to heavily impress upon her;  her weight and shape is great and I want her to be happy with her image.  I asked questions about; did she enjoy making her own food decisions, is she happy about her shape, does she want support in any area etc. 

Her coaches were thrilled with her new weight and her added strength.  They immediately saw a difference in the water. 

Later, she let me know that she wanted to be able to fit into her jeans again and not have her thighs touch.  I said.. good luck.. most of us women have thighs that touch our entire lives.  This was now a life long journey that all women and now most men must manage and control.  Food can be a drug, so pretending it isn't is just plain denial.

 She wanted to do a triathlon in August, she wants to eat vegan, but that she needs my help.  She also said she isn't sure how to deal with all the adults that make comments to her about eating vegan.

She jumped back into routine of swim, bike, and running.  

Two days after she arrived home she participated in an informal biathlon in Newport Hills. 

Nurse Nana and I begin discussing serving size and re-introducing Alyssa to a proper proportioned plate. Thank you Nana for your gentle support.  

We dont want to be a family that fears discussing weight or size, so we make it a common topic so it doesn't have to be weird. Everyone on here reading this knows I have struggled with my weight since I was 14. I hated my weight for most of the last 22 years.  I hope to inspire her enough to not live that same way.   

July 1 - 88.6

July 3 - 86.2

July 10 - 84.8

July 15 - 82.8

She doesn't have a number that she is seeking, nor do I encourage that.  She will determine for herself (without your comments) what shape and size she wants to be.  She definately hates it when others enable her eating by acting like kids can just eat any treat they want without considering the other foods recently ingested or the exercise level.

We know we can say goodbye to the pre-teen era as we are entering into the full blown teen years. 

So for now, we say good bye to the scrawny little girl that day dreamed of vacuuming in her suit. 

We are off to new adventures in a new phase that soon I will missing too, I know how fast these cycles go by.  Now that work has settled down, I am investing a lot more time into her and it seems to be paying off.  It's definately a journey, sometimes fun and sometimes not.  

Thanks for reading and really, try not to get too worked up over this 'touchy' subject that is supposedly off limits to most people. It's not off limits to us.  Ask us any day to see our id cards or what we weight that day.  There is nothing to hide, it is what it is!  

Mothers Who Know

In preparation for girls camp, I re-read Sister Julie Beck's talk called Mothers Who Know. 

Of course, I don't fit the mold of my favorite ladies, but I believe that the Lord will help me as I seek him out for guidance on how to be a better mother. I took these notes today in my journal.

Mothers who know......

• know who they are and who God is and use that for the good of their children.
• live by faith so their children have an example to follow.
• realize that possessions, positions, and prestige are not eternal, but that motherhood is.
• point children to seek eternal goals through appropriate sacrament attendance.
• make, keep, and honor their covenants with the Lord and have no reason to fear.
• create a climate for spiritual growth, a home the Spirit will dwell in.
• have homes that are pre-missionary training centers.
• plan, organize, influence, and teach continually.
• choose carefully because they know they can't choose it all.
• do not succumb to social pressure or worldly ideas of parenting.
• do not give up during discouraging times. 

....and he went home to reunite with his sweetheart today July 12, 2011

Alyssa had the wonderful opportunity to know her paternal Great Grandparents for 12 years of her life, preserving into her memory their faces and stories to last her a lifetime.  Jake and Arvena Schuring lived in a great Dutch community in Iowa their entire lives.  The Dutch Settlers of 1847 founded the town of Pella, when they arrived in the United States seeking religious freedom.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pella,_Iowa

Arvena Bernice Rietveld was born in Swan, Iowa on July 2, 1929 and was raised with 4 siblings.  Funny that she had a sister named Arlene and another Dena, what a mouthful her mother had trying to round up the sisters for supper by screaming for ... Arvena, Arlene, & Dena!

Across town, Jacob Louis Schuring was born in Pella, Iowa, on February 2, 1924. His mom Elizabeth died 20 days after he was born due to complications from the birth.  His dad remarried and with wife Henrietta they had 5 more children.

Jake received the PURPLE HEART while serving in the Navy.

He was on the Landing Ship Tank (LST)-749 when it sunk on 12/21/49 after being hit by a Japanese Kamikaze. 

Many of the personnel on the ship died instantly.  Apparently one survivor who was on deck at the time of the attack, dove in the water and swam to safety.  He has written his memoir and it is housed with the University of Utah. We are going to have to get a read of that experience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_LST-749

In 1947, when Arvena was just 17 years old, 22 year old Jake married her in Knoxville, Iowa on June 26th. Over the next 16 years, they had 5 children!  Jake was a painter and owned a wall paper store, thus the reason Troy's dad knows how to paint!   Arvena was a homemaker until her children left the home and then she was able to work as a nurse's aid for many years. 

This great grandmother passed away at the age of 81, just 2 months ago on May 19th. 

Near the end of Arvena's life, Jake had to do most of the caretaking.  When she passed away, he found a lot of time to go to and fro into town. We thought he would live for many years and be able to take coffee each day at McDonald's with his buddies.  However, he fell in the shower on Saturday July 9, and his health quickly declined.  He went home today to reunite with his bride, meet his mother, and join his other family members. 

Your earthly family loves you and misses you Jake, hope you enjoyed your journey here on Earth, you certainly had a good run!   We thank you for our heritage and your service for the United States.  We are sure you are happy back at home with our Heavenly Family!

It's only a short goodbye to Jake and Arvena, we will see you sooner than any of us can imagine!

My 27 year crush...

I didn't make time to do his blog earlier this week,

so here is a quick photo tribute to my best buddy and eternal partner.

Looking at these pictures reminds me why I have had a crush on this guy since 1984!

Happy Birthday My Love!

Troy with his sister Stacey

Troy and Stacey 

so adorable

 Troy's dad re-married and he gained another sister and brother

What a funny bunch of hooligans!

Troy and I in 6th grade

 I always loved Troy and Denise as a couple! 

She is a dear woman still and our friend.

this photo is not so good.  ICK

Troy was obsessed with Jordan

   Troy with his mom and grandpa

  Troy and his Pa

My hottie!

I love you babe.