w00t!

We revived the Memorial Day Weekend bike trip this year. Trent joined us on his new bike! None of us were quite as "bike-fit" as Jim and I were last year, so we only went 100 miles on an overnighter. 3 days on the bike saddle might just have killed us.

Day 1:

Riding past Faraday Lake outside of Estacada. The road is closed to vehicular traffic, so we had complete freedom. It was nice not to be looking over our shoulders.

Only Trent could pull off an entire outfit of compression fit performance attire.

Trent is actually on his bike in this picture. I'm not sure why he looks like that.

Day 2:

This is the top of a BIG hill that we rode UP the day before. We were excited about riding down it in the morning. I stopped to take these pictures of the guys and after they sped off down the hill, I put my camera away and got on my bike. As soon as I was clipped into my pedals, I realized that my back tire was completely flat. The guys were out of view and already about a half mile away. So I pulled to the side and started working on changing my flat.


I flagged down the first car that passed and asked him to tell the guys what happened. But it was a little too late. As he drove off, I saw Jim powering up the hill AGAIN to come find me. What a guy. Trent apparently did not care if I had died.

We were surprised by unexpected sunshine all day on Saturday, so the on and off rain on Sunday did not dampen our spirits. A cup of hot cofffee and a few donuts in Estacada gave us enough juice to get home in the drizzle. I had one more flat tire, but now I'm a pro at changing them!

What a great weekend. I truly love the sense of freedom and independence about riding my bike. It's nice to know that I got from my house in Beaverton to the Mount Hood national forest without ever getting in my car (the MAX lightrail helped). I like it so much, I rode in to work today.

Good times!

p.s. - Jack slept in till 8am for Becky while I was gone.

After Jack and I took a walk the other day...i added a little gel to his hair so we'd have matching faux-haws.

We had a great weekend with the Pjaks in Wenatchee this last weekend. Brad posted about our awesome day of golf, so I'll focus on some of the other fun times. We planned our trip around one of Elliott's t-ball games. We got the bonus of seeing one of Brad's church softball games too!

This is one of my favorite pictures. For some reason, it really struck a chord with me. I immediately started thinking of how strange (and wonderful) it feels to be growing up. I remember watching my dad play church softball when I was a kid. I'm sure my mom spent plenty of time sitting on a blanket in the shade watching me run around the ball field. Now my wife is doing the same with my kid! Plus...it just feels great to have such great friends. We love the Pjaks and every minute that we get to spend together.

Jack sure found some good friends too this weekend. As you can see, he had no shortage of entertainment, and all 3 boys were really sweet to Jack. Wesley especially loved to come up and "tickle" Jack. Of course, my kid obliged with a huge grin every time.

I've been a little derilict in my posting, so here are a few to catch up.

Jack got his first swimming pool experince last Thursday. He was a little unsure at first, but didn't seem to mind it too much after a bit. A little stoic, but mom and dad had fun.

the first touch...

Hangin' with cousin Ethan

Standing up with Daddy

The best part...he actually sat STILL in my lap for a bout a half hour after the pool. Normally he's either wiggling or sleeping. Never just STILL. It was nice.

I had a great time this weekend with Trent, Jen, Carson, JoJo and Jim in Eugene for Trent's marathon. It was a great day, and Trent beat his old personal record by 12 minutes! He finished under 4 hours - totally awesome.

But, I sure missed this kid while I was gone. We took some pictures when I got home.

Chub-a-dub-dub...

This is the smiley boy that we get to enjoy all the time (not always smiling though...)! We are so thankful for his life! He makes our so much better.

I didn't take nearly enough pictures of our coast trip this last weekend, but it was a ton of fun! Here's one of my favorites...this is my nephew Carson on one of our beach walks.