A Sweet Surprise

As I rushed in from the gym this morning, I nearly stumbled over something on the door mat. When I looked down, I saw a brightly colored bag, erupting with with tissue paper and a hand-made card.

I smiled.

The last few weeks have been pretty tumultuous for me and the giver of this package knew it.

Picking up the bag of Fun Mail (or would it be Fun Porch Package?), I brought it into the house, giddy as a small child on Christmas morning. Setting it on the table, I pulled out the contents with reckless abandon. Similar to Mary Poppins carpet bag, goodies kept appearing from the depths of this magical bag.

Juicy Pear, anyone? This smells divine.

I heart this movie.

Toasty socks to warm the toes on cool autumn nights.

An all-time favorite: the best brand EVER - all others pale in comparison.

Polka dots are a must.

They don't seem like much, but they are music to the mouth.

Sweet sentiments that are greatly appreciated.

To that dear friend that made me smile today, thank you - your package means more than you will ever know. Besides making my entire week, these sweet treats reminded me that I need to send out Fun Mail to deserving friends too.

Drum Roll, Please

I know, I know - I'm terribly late in announcing the award winner of my first contest, but better late than never, right?!

First of all, I wanted to thank all of the willing & quite funny participants. You each had some pretty hilarious happenings to share and the laughter was bountiful as I read through each entry.

And now, without further ado, the winner of last week's "Funny Story/Friday Conetst" is... Mindy Hales!! You made us laugh (and made me cry) - well done! Mindy, now all you need to do is leave a comment with your choice of the listed awards and I will take care of the rest. Again, I want to thank all those who participated... and be sure to stay tuned for next month's exciting contest!

If you missed her tale of mirth and woe, I've included it below for your reading pleasure:

The Fall of the Great Skirt

I was crossing the street on Montlake and Pacific in the U-District on my
way into work one morning and if you know anything about that area at 8 in the
morning you know that there is a lot of traffic. So, in order to get from the
parking lot to the hospital you have to cross once and then wait on a little
island in the middle of the street before crossing again. Well, one morning I
was waiting on the island for the light to turn so that I could cross again and
all of a sudden it felt really drafty and windy. When I looked down my skirt was
around my ankles right in the middle of busy morning traffic. I quickly bent
down, pulled up my skirt and walked as fast as I could into the hospital hoping
that no one I knew saw my tush.

Mt. Rainier: The Real Story

It's now been several months since the "highly-publicized" climb and Dave has had the time to physically & mentally recover from the effects of dealing with 17 year-olds (and their leaders) at high altitude.

Day 1: Camp Muir

Embarking from the Harbour Pointe area at the early hour of 5:30am, the motley crew began their adventure. And when I say motley, I mean it. At 9:30, the caravan arrived at Paradise - don't let the name fool you - where they ran into their first problem. Due to some minor issues with permits, the group packed up their stuff but could not start climbing until 11:30am.

For the next 5- 6 hours, they climbed the Muir Snowfield. It was really hot day and the snow reflected the sunlight so that they had to apply sunscreen every hour. Seriously, it was applied EVERYWHERE (not covered by clothes). I bet you didn't know that you could get a pretty bad sunburn inside your nose!

Dave and another leader were the first people to arrive at Camp Muir (10,500 ft). While they waited for the rest of the group to trickle in, they dug all of the tent platforms for their group. (In order to pitch a tent in the snow - on a mountain - you have to make a level surface. This takes considerable effort and the moving of a lot of snow, especially when you find yourself on very unlevel ground. You know, like the side of a volcanic mountain.) After everyone arrived, the group spent the next two hours cooking dinner and melting snow for drinking water. They dined on freeze-dried meals - and according to Dave, they were less than appetizing.

At Camp Muir, quiet hours begin promptly at 6pm because many climbers will be waking up 5-6 hours later to begin their quest for the summit. Because of the strenuous nature of the climb to Muir, the boys had no problem keeping this rule.

Day 2: Camp Muir to Ingraham Flats

Because Dave's group was taking an extra day to acclimatize, they did not have to wake up at midnight. Their next day involved a shorter climb to their high camp at Ingraham Flats. After dividing into rope teams and preparing their gear, the groups tied into ropes and began crossing the Cowlitz Glacier to Cathedral Gap.

Second Ascent

After a full, fun-filled summer of Pacific Northwest mountaineering, Dave decided to cap of his season of adventure with one final climb. Last weekend, Dave & Bret Webb took off for a climb up Mount Baker, along the Coleman-Deming route.

Prior to the climb, Dave had read some trip reports; one included a mention of the need of ice screws. Without going into a lengthy discussion on climbing gear, let's just say that they are required for steep terrain.





This year's approach was significantly more difficult than the route taken last year. In fact, Dave said it was one of the most challenging hikes on which he's ever embarked. Starting at the Heliotrope Ridge trailhead, the trail climbed moderately. The guys continued on the steady climb, which was always going up, until they reached the former site of the Kulshan cabin.



From there, the climbers' trek began to climb quite steeply. Reaching the toe of the Coleman Glacier at 6,000 feet, they came across a number of people who were camped just below the glacier. At that point, Bret & Dave pulled on crampons, grabbed their ice axes, roped up and climbed another 1,000 vertical feet with full packs. At 7,000 feet, they pitched tent on an icy spot of the Coleman Glacier.

Aftering cooking a hearty dinner of vaccum-sealed lasanga, they melted snow for water and crawled into their bags by 6:30pm. With summit attempts, it is necessary to follow the adage: "Early to bed, early to rise". Waking up at 1am, they ate a quick breakfast (protein bars and dried "stuff"). Climbing by 2am, they were guided only by the light of headlamps. Early on the route, they navigated through a maze of jagged crevasses; the glacier was really broken up on the lower part of the route.



Our fearless climbers continued up to the junction of the Coleman and upper Deming glacier, scrambling up a pumice ridge for roughly 750 vertical feet. Reaching the top of the ridge, they saw that the terrain was getting steeper (between a 40-50 degree slope). To get out of the elements and wait for better light, they hunkered down behind the ridge and waited for sunrise.

After a brief break, they climbed towards the summit cone; this portion of the route was very steep (55 degrees) which required them to use their hands and feet to climb. At about 7am, they reached the summit plateau. Walking across a large flat area called the “football field”, they achieved the true summit at 7:50am.

After such exertion, they took a moment to capture pictures and rest, while re-fueling for the return trip. Descending via the Roman Wall, they managed to get back to camp around noon where they slept for 1 ½ hours. By 5pm, they had packed up camp and made their way down to the truck.

To keep up with tradition, they hopped in the truck and headed straight to Mount Vernon's El Gitano (a great Mexican restaurant) for some much-needed nourishment and rest.

If this sounds a bit familiar to some of my long-term readers, it is because I wrote a similar post last year. For a glimpse at the adventures on the Easton Glacier, click here.

Another successful summit!

Funny Story/Friday Contest!

Everyone loves Friday, right? Well, to make this special day that much better, I wanted to sponsor a fun, little contest for my local readers*! Reach back in your minds and try to recall something funny that happened to you, someone you know or even an absolute stranger. You have one week to submit your funny story in the Comments section of this post. An esteemed panel of judges will make the winning selection.

But wait - what about the prize? Well, I figured that super funny people deserve something fabulous - so I'll give you a choice of one of my world famous (well - at least in Everett) desserts. A collage of my creations can be found below:

• Strawberry Yogurt Cake (the name sounds way too healthy, but I can tell you that it garnered a $65 winning bid in our YW auction, so you be the judge!)
• Chocolate Mousse Piroutte Cake (a picture is posted in the collage below)
• Cheesecake-filled Dark Chocolate Cupakes (do I really need to say more?)
• Apple spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Fudge frosting (these are a new addition to my baking collection)

Once the winner is decided, I will contact you for your address and determine the best time to deliver it to your house. How's that for service?!

*Sadly (& obviously), I have to limit this to my local readers... for now. Someday, I may figure out a good way to deliver my desserts so that they are in one piece and still fresh. Nobody likes mashed, dry cake parts in a box, right?

So... get to thinking and get to posting - and stay tuned for the results next week!

A Midsummer Night's... umm

Picture it, if you will:
Lounging in the car with the windows all the way down;
Gazing up at a bright, star-speckled sky;
Listening to a young couple chat softly on the back porch;
Feeling the cool breeze sweep over a warm, summer night;
Smelling the distinct, enticing aroma of an late-evening BBQ;
Hearing the melodic staccato rhythm of a million croaking frogs,
as if they were playing a sweet duet with the blinking orange hazard lights;
Waving local passerby to ease past my dead vehicle;

Thanking two lovely offers for assistance, as I covered a twitching eye -
begging it to cease the unceasing throbbing from an irriated contact;
Wondering why, why, why did the warning light not come on?

Checking my wristwatch for the current time,

only to realize that a few, scant minutes had passed

since my urgent phone call

to my dear husband,

kindly requesting him to bring gas...

presently*!

Was this all just a Midsummer Night's Dream?
Nope, I would not be so lucky.

Just for the record - this has NEVER happened to me before.

*pres·ent·ly
adv. (Archaic At once; immediately.)

Play Ball!

Since we have been married, Dave has been a fixture on a city softball league that was originally created by some guys from Mays Pond Ward years ago. When he decided to play, I thought - "Fun! I love watching softball games under a star-filled sky during warm summer nights."

Little did I realize, this game is actually a year-round sport - even in the wet and windy Northwest. Being the dedicated fan that I am (or perhaps because I don't have the excuse that I have to put the kids to bed), I have only missed a couple of his games in the past few years.

Yes, folks - I am the team's #1 Fan (in my most humble of opinions). That means cheering them on in rain, sleet and snow. Ok, maybe not snow but I've braved freezing temperatures, armed with a thermos of steaming hot chocolate, a down jacket and wool socks. Even in the summer, it can get pretty darn cold.

Over the past few years, the team has morphed from the usual suspects (& stake presidency members), to powerhouse players, to singles ward boys. Last night, I realized that there are just a bunch of random guys that I don't know... but that could change by the end of the season.

Last night also marked the beginning of Fall Softball. I was excited to go see the game and catch up with the Softball Wives Club. Sadly, I was the only one there besides the wife who was keeping score - thus, no one to chat with during the game.

Fortunately, I brought a book and my writing notebook to keep me busy. However, as the game began to get exciting, I decided to grab my digital camera and play sports photographer, capturing some pictures of my sporty spouse & his buddies in action.

So, here's to another season - good luck, guys!

The Day We Almost Ate at McDonald's

Last weekend, we got the bright idea to go camping. With the stake. At Cascade Park.

To many, this type of camping is outdoor adventure at its finest. To my husband, it ranks up there with scrubbing toilets and cleaning dust bunnies underneath the bed. "Car camping = not fun" in his book. So, as you can see, it was with a bit of persuasion and gentle coaxing that I talked him in to this opportunity to bond with our ward and stake.

The clincher was the food: Dave loves experimenting with all of his nifty camping gear so we decided to try a new method of cooking, specifically the "seal/boil" method. A quick press on the sealer and ta-da: tasty lasanga! But did we stop there? HA! - if you think so, you don't know us well. We also sealed some scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese & sausages for breakfast. This was getting fun! Oh, should I mention the ketchup? THAT was a bit of a mess, but we ended up with the world's largest ketchup packet. And, what meal would be complete without dessert, right? In two snaps, we also had the world's largest (& only?) packets of white chocolate & vanilla pudding. If you are having trouble imagining this, just think super-sized Go-gurts.

I bet you're asking yourself, "Why all the detail? Is it really necessary?" Oh yes - now we come to the moral of the story.

After packing up our food, I threw together some chocolate-chip bar cookies. Last year, our ward had a dessert potluck and I thought it might be happening again, so the cookies were a quick option. As Dave was packing the last things for the car, I was wrapping the hot cookies. He asked if there was anything left and I said, "I've got these."

Seriously, in my excitement I meant (and only saw) the cookies. But Dave meant the bag of food which was sitting next to the cookies - the bag that was our reason for going in the first place. Fast forward several hours: the tent is set up, sleeping bags in place... and no food. Hungry, tired & cold, I was near tears and Dave was too - from laughing. At that point, we had a lovely lesson on love, patience, and the importance of good communication. In case you were wondering, we did drive the 30 miles back home to get the grub. It may have been a waste of time & gas, but the food was really good. And even I can laugh about it now!

To make it up to him, we are heading on a backpacking trip to Goat Lake in a few weeks. It will be a wonderful time to gaze at cool, cascading waterfalls; listen to the lyrical sounds of the woodland creatures; and try, in vain, to find a backcountry toilet. Oh, and we will be sure to double check that the food gets packed because there is NO way I'm hiking back for it!

Wish me luck!!!

Nie Nie Day

As we arrived at our cupcake activity this week, Linda told us that we would be doing another activity on top of the one originally planned. I shrugged my shoulders and thought to myself, "OK - why not?!"

Walking into her house, we took in the aroma of sugary cakes as we saw a big bouquet of colorful balloons hovering above her dining room table. While Rebecca prepared for the cupcake decorating activity, we were handed a white piece of cardstock and a wide variety of Sharpie markers.

The instructions were simple for "Nie Nie Day": get a group together, write notes, attach them to helium balloons, release the balloons, take pictures and tell their story on your blog.

On August 17th, a young couple from Arizona was in a private plane crash which resulted in life-threatening injuries. The husband, Christian, was burned over 20% of his body but his wife, Stephanie, is in critical condition as she struggles to recover from burns over 80% of her body.

As they both fight to survive this horrible accident, their sister's blog has been filled with the miraculous experiences of a family grappling with loss, the fragility of mortality and a remarkable trial of faith. In the past few weeks, the entries have been heart-wrenching, yet sweet and beautiful in their simplicity as a family shows all of us the way to put our faith and trust in the Lord. People across the world are sharing their support to this amazing couple and their family by releasing balloons with their messages of hope and love.

This story brought to mind one of my favorite quotes, a beautiful elegy on trials:

“Here then is a great truth. In the pain, the agony, and the heroic endeavors of
life, we pass through a refiner’s fire, and the insignificant and the
unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright,
intact, and strong. In this way the divine image can be mirrored from the soul.
It is part of the purging toll exacted of some to become acquainted with God. In
the agonies of life, we seem to listen better to the faint, godly whisperings of
the Divine Shepherd.” (James E. Faust, “The Refiner’s Fire,” Ensign, May 1979,
53).

I cannot exactly recall the message that I wrote on my wish note, but it went something like this: “I wish faith, love and peace to anyone who has been touched by tragedy or sadness in their lives.”

As my bright, yellow balloon rose into the sky, I thought – “… and who has not?”

Memoirs of a Teepee Mom

In April, our high councilman took Dave & I aside to chat after sacrament meeting. At that time, he extended an invitation for me to serve as a teepee mom for the Lynnwood Stake Girls' Camp. "Well", I thought, "I love our young women and I love camping and I loved Girls' Camp when I was in YW... so why not?".

I thought I knew what I was getting myself into, but I had no idea.

And so began my immersion into the wild, uncharted waters known as Girls' Camp.

As I walked into my first meeting, getting high fives down the hallway from all of the stake leaders, I started to wonder what I had gotten myself into. When the meeting was in full swing, with an odd vocabulary buzzing through the air that I had never heard, I stopped wondering. I turned to one of the other leaders and said, "I'm not perky enough to be here"... she just laughed and said I'd be fine.

And yes, I was fine. I endured to the end but it wasn't easy or what I had expected. The journey was a rocky trail of laughter & lots of tears, filled with moments when I wanted to tear my hair out and, others, when I swelled with joy & love for my girls. During camp, if you asked me if I was having fun, I don't know what I would have said; adopting nine teenage girls at once is a challenging way to become a "mother".

Much of the week, I spent my time fighting off cliques, gossip & "that's unfair"; enduring an onslaught of heavy rain, freezing temperatures & a constant layer of dirt on everything; providing lots of hugs, encouraging words & a shoulder to cry on. This was not the Girls' Camp I remember: it was an emotional rollercoaster where I felt that I was lacking in so many areas.

Yet, beautiful miracles abounded throughout camp. A girl in our ward had a terrible toothache; in fact, they thought she might need a root canal. Immediately following a blessing, she said that the pain was gone - and all the girls in her teepee celebrated the sweet blessings of the priesthood. During Alone Time (where every girl in camp went to an isolated space for 2 hours to pray, read and write) I wrote notes to each of the girls in our ward, letting them know how wonderful they are. It was one, of many times, that I was blessed with an abundance of the spirit - a feeling for which I was very grateful. During each ward scripture reading, I found several scriptures that helped get me through a particular hardship of that day. Those tender mercies overshadowed all the teenage angst, nasty weather and less-than-appetizing food I experienced.

One of my greatest blessings was having a Laurel from our ward serve as one of my YCLs (youth camp leader) in our teepee. In the months planning for camp, she worked hard and seemed excited, but she was a little quiet and I wasn't sure if her heart was in it. But, at camp I had the great privilege to work with her and see her confidence explode and her sweet personality shine; her love for the Savior was evident as she took the younger girls under her wing. As she & I drove home together, we chatted about camp and she said, "I think this has been my favorite year at camp!". That made me smile - perhaps it wasn't as bad as I thought.

In the end, it was an emotionally exhausting, yet spiritually uplifting week as I arrived home a few shades darker (thanks to all the dust). And yet, you ask - "So, will you do it again next year, Michelle?". Give me a few months & (if I'm asked) I might just say yes... crazier things have happened!

Camp Names

Each year, in preparation for camp, our stake YW leaders get together, discuss each teepee mom & youth camp leader, select their camp name, write a poem and make a personalized sweatshirt for each of us to wear at camp. My little poem, written by Julianne, was tucked inside a tan & aqua paper teepee (thanks to Kim) and said:

Michelle Goodwin

You're a woman of adventure, talent and love/Always remembering our Father above

Your friendship and compassion is important to many/And your strength and endurance is plenty

APEX is the name we chose for you/Scaling the summit is what you do

My sweet batch of 13-year-olds... and my great YCLs

Opening Ceremonies
Notice Brad Asay, from our bishopric, as the one with the blanket on his head, doing his wackiest impression of Rapunzel.

Going to Flag
I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Linda's expression at bottom left - all of the girls loved her and I was so grateful to have her there, showing me how to become a teepee mom.

The girls conquering "The Wall"

Yes - we are climbing machines too!

The Bishop's Challenge
Build a shelter with twine, a tarp & anything you could find in nature - oh, and do not let the bishop get wet... or else!

Death by Olympics

(Cue the Olympic theme song)

It's official - the 2008 Beijing Olympics are killing me.

It's a slow and painless death of cheering until your voice goes hoarse; a racing pulse from the severe adrenaline rush as your team races to victory; and drowsy, late nights of tape-delayed coverage, followed by early mornings when you do your best impression of the 50-yard dash as you run to catch the 6am bus.

Maybe I'm just getting old, but I don't remember needing to wait to see the prime time coverage events until 1am during the Athens or Atlanta games. But still, I'm doing it.

My work is suffering - propping ones eyes open with toothpicks is no way to conduct professional library work. My health is suffering - I've been walking around like a zombie... and let's just not even talk about my paltry gym attendance this week. Even my marriage is suffering - simply because we are both staying up entirely too late - and thus grumpy and tired the next day.

But, ask me if I'm going to stop - and I will pump my fist in the air, shouting "No way!" and then exclaim "Go USA!". (Actually, that's just the fatigue talking - I'm not that fanatical.) Although, if you ask Dave, he will divulge that I was shouting "Whoo-whoo!" when Misty May-Treanor made another amazing kill during the Beach Volleyball match against Belguim.

I absolutely LOVE the Olympics.

During the past week, I've been able to catch many of these great hightlights:

• The opening ceremonies - 1,000 drummers drumming, 500 ladies dancing, 100 fireworks bursting, little girls singing and one man running through the air to light the touch. WOW!
• Michael Phelps capturing 7 Gold medals and breaking how many Olympic & World records?! What's with these crazy, new laser-seamed suits?
• US Swimming - AMAZING: Phelps, Lezak, Vanderkaay, Lochte, Piersol, Coughlin, Soni - I love hearing "The Star Spangeled Banner" echo throughout the voluminous Water Cube.
• Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh - an awesome, fluid style, like a well-oiled machine. Watching them play inspires me to grab a volleyball & head straight to Golden Gardens & train for London in 2012.
• The US Men's Gymnastics team capturing the bronze medal, but the evening was so magical, it felt like Gold. Honestly, chills went down my spine when Raj Bhavsar rocketed into the air on the parallel bars, Horton spun off the high bar like a freight train and stuck the landing like he was planted there, and Sasha Artemev executed his pommel horse routine with powerful grace.
• Rebecca Soni coming from behind as the underdog, snagging Gold in the 200m breast stroke.
• Watching with a sad heart as the US women faltered in the team gymanstics competition. With Gold just within their grasp, Alicia Sacramone fell not only on the beam, which is her specialty, but on the floor exercise. As she crumbled to the floor, with her head in her hands, you realized that winning isn't everything but silver never felt so disappointing.
• Redemption for the US women! - Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson pulling the 1-2 punch for a historical moment with two US women on the medals podium for the All-Around. It was a magical night, reminiscent of Mary Lou's perfect 10 & Keri Strugg's one-footed landing on the vault .

Even if you are not usually very patriotic or interested in sports, it seems difficult to not swell with pride as you watch these athletes come together every four years and put on a heart-thumping, nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat, amazing show. I just hope I don't keel over from the emotional turmoil, the physicial exhaustion and thrill of it all!

Front Page News!

Well, it was on the front page of the local section... but that counts, right?!

I am still trying to wrangle up everyone's pictures and get the "real" story written about Dave's experiences climbing Mount Hood and Mount Rainier. However, I thought I would share this fun news article that appeared in our local papers... yes, multiple papers ran stories on their expedition. Apparently, this particular story in the Everett Herald is a bit dramatized (they never had any concerns about frostbite, for instance), but the breaking news and drama are what sells newspapers, I suppose.

_________________________________________________

Mukilteo Scouts scale peaks in Washington, Oregon
By Scott Pesznecker
Herald Writer
Published: Tuesday, July 22, 2008

(Mukilteo-based Scouts Chris Carey (left) and Bryce Adams follow leader Dave Goodwin at 13,000 feet while climbing Mount Rainier in June.)

The summit of Mount Rainier was only 1,000 feet above, hidden behind the cloud Chris Carey was climbing through -- but he couldn't believe it.

He felt terrible.

One step at a time, Carey and his group of climbers battled gravity, the freezing air and their aching bodies as they slowly ascended Washington's highest peak.

One of the climbers from the Mukilteo-based Scout group had just turned back. The others, Carey included, had thoughts of doing the same.

Carey's boots were leaking, and his feet felt frostbitten. Beneath his heavy jacket, he was sweating. His sweat was freezing against his skin.

"But my mind said, 'You've got to do this, it's something you have to do,' " Carey said.

He did.

The group of three Scouts and four adult leaders reached the 14,411-foot summit about an hour later, thrilled and exhausted and ready to go home. The group climbed to the top of Mount Hood, the highest point in Oregon at 11,249 feet, less than two weeks earlier.

"They can do anything they want to, anything they put their mind to," said John Adams, an adult Scout leader who climbed the mountains with his son, Eagle Scout Bryce Adams. "That's the whole purpose. It's not about mountain climbing."

The climbers were part of Crew 7, a group affiliated with Boy Scouts of America Troop 7 in Mukilteo.

Each year, members of Crew 7 embark on a different adventure. Sometimes it's hiking, sometimes it's whitewater rafting. Once the crew paddled kayaks for 100 miles.

To reach Oregon's and Washington's highest points was the group's most ambitious goal yet. "These guys are an exceptional bunch, and we have people in our leadership who are experienced mountaineers," John Adams said.

(Members of Crew 7 ascend Oregon's Mount Hood.)

The Scouts trained for months to prepare for their climb up Mount Hood, which they treated as a practice run for Mount Rainier. Crew members went running and hiking, practiced on climbing walls and carried heavy backpacks up hills near their homes. They learned to use climbing equipment, cooked on backpacking stoves and practiced tying knots that could save their lives.

They climbed Mount Hood during two days in late June, spending the night in a base camp at 9,000 feet.

One of the adult leaders on that climb, Brendan Gates, didn't make it to the top. Gates, 18, of Mukilteo, was struggling with asthma and stayed behind at the base camp.

"Up until that point, I had never really reached a point where I just couldn't go any further," said Gates, an avid outdoorsman who has endured 50-mile hikes. "It was something else to me."

Nine days later, the crew was climbing Mount Rainier. The group for the three-day climb included four adult leaders and Scouts Carey, Bryce Adams, Calvin Jaung and Nathan Jenkins.

The climbers felt the mountain's might immediately. Altitude made breathing difficult and also made some of the Scouts queasy. By the first night, their bodies felt depleted.

"With Rainier, you just run out of energy after your first day," said Bryce Adams, 17. "You really have to rely on your friends to motivate you to get up."

The second day was easier, and the crew made camp that night at roughly 11,000 feet elevation. By 7 p.m., they were in their tents for the night.

They rose at midnight for their summit attempt. Donning warm clothing, crampons, helmets and headlamps, they tied into climbing ropes and carried ice axes.

They trekked around crevasses and blocks of ice the size of houses. Overhead, the stars stood out in the still night sky.

"You're leaving at 1 a.m. and you can't see anything, except for what your headlamp shows," Adams said.

With 1,000 feet of climbing still to go, the crew was hiking through a layer of clouds when Jenkins, who also has asthma, could no longer continue. With help from an adult, he turned back for camp.

For the others, doubt set in."It started really messing with our heads," Carey said. "(Our leaders) were telling us we're almost there, but we didn't want to believe them. We couldn't see anything."

But soon after, the group emerged through the cloud cover. The edge of the mountain's crater loomed above them.

Beyond that was the summit.

"I just wanted to sprint and get up there as fast as I can," Carey said.

Hugs were exchanged at the top. The Scouts snapped photos and signed their names in a log book stored in a small wooden box between heavy rocks.

Back at the trailhead, Brendan Gates was among the people waiting for the climbers with watermelon and root beer floats.

The Scouts were ecstatic and exhausted.They removed their shoes and socks, stretched out on the pavement and took a well-deserved nap.

They had done it.

(From left to right: Scouts Nathan Jenkins and Bryce Adams, crew leader Dan Park, scout Calvin Jaung, adult leaders Dave Goodwin and Daniel Kohagen, assistant crew leader Karl Kohagen and scouts Brandon Richards, Chris Carey and Dallin Frank pose before their trek to the top of Mount Hood.)

Welcome, Baby Alice

My sister-in-law, Rachel, just had her second girl last month - congratulations to the happy family! In honor of this grand occasion, I was determined to make something for the newest addition to our family. And handmade gifts are much more meaningful anyway, right?!

I thought it would be fun to learn to make a tie quilt, so I headed to JoAnn's where I found this adorable, striped fleece material. Then, a friend showed me how to use the remaining fabric to make super cute (and super easy) baby booties. Together, the blanket and booties are a bit matchy-matchy, but I loved how they turned out. How could you not love these booties on the little feet of a precious, baby girl?

Cozy, colorful baby booties and...

a warm blanket will be perfect for the cool nights of autumn!

Do the 'do!

About a month ago, a co-worker and I decided to be a little spontaneous one night. We'd been discussing hairstyles of the rich and the famous on the ride home in our vanpool. When we arrived at our Park & Ride, we hopped out of our vanpool and hopped into our cars, heading straight for a local salon. While flipping through some random fashion magazines, the pages magically fell open in my lap to photos of the two people we'd been discussing. Obviously, it was fate.

So, that was that; she got the "Katie Holmes" cut and I got the "Victoria Beckham" style. Yes, that's right - I just chopped off 7 inches in one fell swoop! (I did consider Locks of Love until I saw the sorry shape of my freshly trimmed locks.) In case you were wondering, I was never under the illusion that I was going walk out looking like a Spice Girl alum. However, I did walk out feeling like a million bucks... and it was worth every penny of the $15 (+tip) that I paid!

If you're not on Facebook, or in my ward, it's likely that you have not seen the 'do. For you, I present my new, fun summer hair - now run out and get yours done too!

ABC's of My Life

Nana had this on her blog a few weeks ago and she tagged me, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Please feel free to fill our your own version, if you feel so inclined.

A--attached or single? Attached
B--best friend? How can I pick just one? I love them all!
C--cake or pie? Cake - but who doesn't know that???
D--day of choice? Sunday
E--essential item? Chapstick or lipgloss... I have them stashed everywhere
F--favorite color? Red
G--gummy bears or worms? Bears
H--hometown? Snohomish county
I--indulgence(s)? Dreyer's Fully-Loaded PB& Chocolate
J--january or july? January - it's my birthday month!!
K--kids? Not yet
L--life is incomplete without: Family & friends - & chocolate
M--marriage date? December 16th
N--number of siblings? 3 brothers 2 sisters
O--oranges or apples? Fuji apples rock
P--phobias or fears? Bees
Q--quotes? Be grateful, Be smart, Be clean, Be true, Be humble, Be prayerful-Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley (I borrowed this one from Linda)
R--reason to smile? My husband, our families, my YW
S--season of choice? Autumn
T--tag 5 friends: Rach W, Tiff, Sarah R, Jenni T, Mindy
U--unknown fact about me? I get uncontrollable stage fright when singing in public.
V--very favorite stores? Target, Gap & Nike outlet
W--worst habit? interrupting... though making a conscious effort to improve
X--x-ray or ultrasound? I have no clue
Y--your favorite food? Tied - Mexican & Thai
Z-- Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Conquering the Mountain

In an effort to prove that I have other things to talk about besides food, I thought I'd share some of Dave's latest outdoor adventures.

He serves in the scout program, which is a shared effort between our ward and Harbor Pointe. This summer, one of the HP leaders has planned a high adventure scouting trip, in which he plans to take 5 boys and 5 leaders on a summit attempt for Mount Rainier. In fact, at this very moment, he is sleeping on a windy, snow slope at Camp Muir, which is Day 1 of the Mount Rainier expedition. I do not have yet have pictures or details for that climb, but rest assured that I will share them as soon as our fearless crew returns.

In preparation for Rainier, a fews weeks ago the group traveled south to Oregon for a training climb on Mount Hood. Luckily, the weather cooperated with them on the trip. Although they encountered a precarious cat walk along the last ridge, they were able to successfully summit the mountain.

Beautiful vistas

(notice the steam vent, bottom left)

Taking a break and taking in the view

What goes up...

must come down!

A Spoonful of Sugar

In celebration of Father's Day, I created a candy cake (complete with chocolate mousse filling) and I thought it would be fun to post a picture of the creation. This cake is always a huge hit with the kiddos because of the wide variety (and amount) of chocolately goodness it contains... but it never fails to make at least one person suffer from sugar overload.

Macho Man

A few weeks ago, our ward held their 2nd Annual Macho Man Cook-off. While Dave does not claim to enjoy cooking or baking, he is a fierce competitor so he decided to enter the contest. A few days previous to the big event, we had the missionaries over for dinner and I threw together a quick banana cream pie, which is one of his favorite desserts. I suggested that he could do that, quickly adding it would take him less than 30 minutes... and he was sold!

We ran to the grocery store, picked up the ingredients and rushed back to the house so Chef Dave could whip up his creation. (I decided to take pictures so that I could document the historic event!) To his credit, he was a whirlwind of activity and finished the pies in less time than when I had made them. Oh... & he made two because last year's event had record breaking attendance (~160 people), so we wanted to make sure that everyone could experience and vote for "Banana Dream Pie" (the title was totally his idea).

With much anticipation, we arrived at the church and placed his pies on the judging table for the "Utterly Sinful" Award. Here's a little secret: the recipe was extremely low-fat and fairly sugar-free; while we would not have chosen that category, it was the closest to a dessert award that we could find. After about an hour of taste-testing by the 40 people that actually showed up (!!!), the awards ceremony commenced. Much to our surprise, Dave's entry beat out a Mississippi Mud Pie, No-Bake cookies and homemade, gooey cinnamon rolls - and he took home the much-coveted prize. Congrats to the baker - Betty Crocker would be jealous!

(Disclaimer: the sunglasses were required - everytime the camera flashed, his eyes would blink.)

What a Difference a Week Makes

As I mentioned in a previous post, I felt good about the decision to move to a new employer. Since starting my new job at Hospital B on Monday, life has been good... and it has only been five, little days!

While cutting back to 20 hours a week is nice, having a manager who allows me the flexibility I need to do my job is awesome. As I sat and chatted with her this morning, I literally felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. I suddenly realized that there would be no more checking in when I need to come or go, no more getting questioned why I do this or that, no more waiting for the next shoe to drop. Not only is my new boss allowing me incredible flexibility, but she also wants & trusts me to use my professional experience and "know-how" to completely re-create my position. While I don't always feel super confident about my "know-how" (because sometimes I just don't know how), I feel so blessed to have found this position.

In hindsight, the bad situation taught me powerful lessons. Going through that trial was stressful and I felt there was no escape. To keep me going, I often thought "this too shall pass" & remembered the scripture "all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for they good" (D&C 122:7). Trudging through the yucky stuff taught me a lot about myself & faith (as well as office politics, communications skills and personality types). But above all, it made the good things that much sweeter.

Pearls of Wisdom

Everyone knows I love chocolate; it's just common knowledge. But I never realized how it could direct my life.

Recently, I purchased a bag of Dove Promises, which are simply divine and I eat in small portions on special occasions - like when I am tired, stressed, excited, happy, bored, etc. On a particularly stressful day, I was feeling a bit saucy and ate three (gasp!) as I worked on a project. Not only does Dove provide you with rich, dreamy chocolate, but they also include these fortune cookie-like messages inside the folds of red foil. Here are a couple gems that I collected over the past few weeks:

Tell someone you love them.
Keep the promises you make to yourself.
Be fearless.
There's no excuse not to dream.
Concentrate on the important things.
Own all of the moments of your life.
Make "someday" today.
(I really did not eat all of these in one day - I promise!)

While these "pearls of wisdom" are trite and not earth-shattering advice, I found them to be amusing and, at times, quite perfect for a particular moment. Eventually, I threw them out and forget about the advice. You may be thinking I'm crazy for taking advice from candy, but last week I had a moment that brought the little pearls back into focus.

A friend at work, who was having a perfectly normal day, went about her usual duties and headed for home. Walking in the door, she greeted her husband who was sitting on the couch. Moments later, she realized he had not responded. Sometime during the day, he had quietly and suddenly passed away. She & her husband were very similar to Dave & I: they've only been married for a few years, they were in their early 30's, they had dreams and aspirations for the life they were building.

Upon hearing the news the next morning, I thought of my own life and those trite phrases took on an entirely different meaning. Just read them and see for yourself:

Tell someone you love them.
Keep the promises you make to yourself.
Be fearless.
There's no excuse not to dream.
Concentrate on the important things.
Own all of the moments of your life.
Make "someday" today.