Disaster Camping - crash course #1

We attempted to go camping this past weekend.

Attempted being the key word.

It was HOT for us in the Pacific NW this weekend, mid 90’s, and luckily the heat was the least of our worries.

We get to the campsite about 7-7:30pm and it’s a ‘park wherever’ sort of place. We get one of the last spaces open, on a slope, but whatever.

We start to unload and open up the camp gear. Moldy/mildew-y tent, moldy air mattresses and broken tent poles. Our tent takes 3 poles. 2 were broken – one of them severely, like beyond repair broken – luckily Anna’s little tent had an extra pole (?) in the bag, so we jimmy-rigged that for ours.

Great.

I blew up the moldy air mattresses and flipped the flocked/moldy side down so at least we still had something to sleep on.

Needless to say, it was not a pleasant set up and I decided early on that one night (not 2, like planned) was going to be enough.

So, fine, we get dinner cooking - YUMMY hamburgers, thanks to Shawn - get the campfire going and settle in to watch the stars & meteor showers.

Without all the light pollution from the city, the stars are amazing!

Saturday morning:

We're up at 6am to rent the pontoon boat at 7. It's cold, it's damp and everything is dew-covered. Whatever.

Rent the boat, out on the lake at 7:15. Realize we don't have some fishing supplies.... they were *packed*, but either left at the campsite or in the Pathfinder.

We motor over to the boatramp at our campsite & have Anna run up and look. No luck.

We then proceed to motor over the the boat launch to look in the Pathfinder.

CLUNK !

another CLUNK !

We hit a submerged tree stump in the lake and the motor FALLS OFF OF THE BOAT!

Yes, falls INTO the water.

Luckily it is hanging on vy the power cord and the fuel line.

Anna & Shawn wrangle the motor back onto the boat and needless to say, we are never going near Mineral, WA ever again.....

Alpena, Michigan

** Pictures for now - text to follow

A very terrible tragedy

I haven't blogged in awhile and I know this isn't the best way to start back into things or the way to start a Holiday weekend, but.....

Well, there's always a but, isn't there?

I received some terrible, terrible, sad news this week. There was a fatal accident on I-90 (a major freeway here in WA) that left a young father & mother dead. Their 4 year old son as well as 2 other passengers survived.

The young mother was a teacher at Cole's daycare, Our InnSpiration, that he attended from age 1-1/2 up to first grade. They were like a second family to Cole & I. Lindsey, the young mom, literally helped raise Cole.

The story goes as follows:

"Sean Mitchell, 29, his wife Lindsey, 26, their 4-year-old son Cameron and two family friends were driving westbound on Interstate 90 near North Bend just before 7 a.m. Tuesday. Their 2005 Dodge Neon drifted off the left shoulder, into the guardrail and then hit a concrete bridge abutment.

The driver's side of the car was crushed. Sean was behind the wheel. Lindsey was in the seat behind him tending to Cameron.

"Unfortunately, it hit the guard rail and rode the guard rail down in such a way that it hit that bridge abutment in the worst possible place," says Trooper Cliff Pratt, Washington State Patrol. "I believe they were seatbelted, but this is one of the cases that when you hit so hard that nothing's going to help you out."

The Dodge was packed full of people returning from a weekend camping trip in Eastern Washington. They were trying to get an early start home. But troopers say the driver apparently fell asleep -- not even the rumble strips on the side of the road could wake him."

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Two-killed-in-rollover-accident-on-I-90-near-North-Bend-97389269.html

I met Lindsey when she was just 18, her first job was the daycare. She started shortly after Cole started there and was one of the sweetest people I've met. She had a natural knack towards kids and they flocked to her. I didn't ever hear a mean word come out of her mouth, she just didn't have it in her.

I remember when she was pregnant and found out that she was having a boy, "Oh, boys are the best, you're going to love having a little boy!" I remember telling her.

Cameron is with Lindsey's parents now and is in good hands. The family & daycare have set up an account for Cameron at Columbia Bank, here in Washington. "The Cameron Mitchell Donation Account" is the name.

Please donate what you can and keep him in your prayers.

http://www.king5.com/home/4-year-old-survivor-When-will-Mommy-and-Daddy-be-back-97550879.html

I know it is a heavy subject, but my wish is that this makes you all the more appreciative of your family and loved ones.

Love you all

Well deserved CONGRATS!

Spring is HERE! It’s official. We can’t go back now, right? We have had the mildest winter I can remember, since moving here in 1979. No snow – which was a bummer for the kids, but no huge storms or RAIN for that matter. (I didn’t just jinx it, did I??) We had one extremely cold week, reaching the single digits, but other than that – mild. It made you anxious for Spring. For flowers and fresh cut grass. For flip flops and capris. Bring. It. ON!

In the most Special, special, special and EXCITING news evar – I am so proud to announce that my husband, Shawn Wilson, is now the new TERMINAL MANAGER for YRC, Inc. in Tacoma !!!!

After years in the trucking industry and revamping & improving each terminal he’s been assigned to, he was finally awarded the Tacoma location! I am so, so, so proud of him and know that he has what it takes to make this work! He’s got his own show to run, which is what he deserves (plus, we get to stay in T-town – super big YAY!)

CONGRATULATIONS SHAWN!!! I’m so proud of you!

Mt. Rainier

(beautiful Mt. Rainier sunrise)

I'm lucky to live where I live

and work where I work.

Quote of the day:

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."

-Vince Lombardi

Funny Bus Stories

I'm not a bus rider. I'm lucky enough to be able to ride into work with my friend Shannon.

But my sister-in-law, on the other hand, gets to tell me funny stories. Chantale commutes from West Seattle to her law firm in Downtown Seattle. We were emailing today and I asked how things were going.

This was her response:

"I had quite an experience yesterday on the bus…I hate the bus.

Okay, so I get up early to get to work early…I have my ipod on at the bus stop but I can tell that the other people are slowly moving and looking away, shifting their feet away from this short little homeless looking man (not sure he was homeless or just messy/creepy)…soooo, I casually turn off my pod to see if I can hear anything and he is making his moaning/zombie/crying noise. I turn up the volume and pretend I did not hear it.

I get on the bus and get a seat about mid way back but before the accordion part (thank goodness). The zombie guy goes to the back. About 3 mins later about 15 people fly from the back of the bus and the first one says something to the bus driver and they all continue to stand in the aisle. I am innocently listening to Neil Diamond (or maybe it was Nirvana) when it hit me. The. Smell. Was. Ungodly. Me, being me had to look to see what was going on. The back of the bus is empty except for the little zombie guy…he had barfed.

And you?"

....... 'Nuff said.

Football & Youth Symphony

I have been up to my eyeballs in kid-stuff.

Should I be complaining?........ We only have one full time and the other on the weekends. I know some of you have 2, 3 and 4 kids - ALL the time!

I give you props. HUGE props.

Cole is in Flag Football, which means practice twice a week, from 5:30 - 7:00pm. Then a game every Saturday.

Anna - I praise her, she is SUCH a good kid! - auditioned and was accepted into the TACOMA YOUTH SYMPHONY !!!!!!!!!

She plays Viola and although we had all talked about it with her last year, her high school orchestra instructor really pushed her to start the audition process.

This is a HUGE honor and she - AND we - are SOOOO excited for her!!!

So she has practice every Saturday for 2 and a half hours. But it also means that we get to see her.... Every. Single. Weekend.

{insert perma-grin from parents here}

Cole's team (3-0) played the only other undefeated team this weekend. They gave it a good try, but ended up losing 36-32.

Cole running the ball

(action shot!)

Cole playing 'Center'