Aunt Abby and Uncle Tim

It's about time! At a family gathering in Mill Creek Friday night, Mike and Hillary Isaacson announced very creatively that they are expecting a baby (on Tim's bday) in May! Susan opened a gift that was a blue bib declaring her the world's best grandma. We have to say we called it - and even moreso how excited we are to be an aunt and uncle! This kid (whom they are convinced is a boy) is gonna be spoiled. I just about wrote soiled. That too.

And at a wonderful campsite this weekend with Allan and Cristen, we saw spawning salmon along the White River. Guess it's that season....

NOTE to campers: Silver Springs near Sunrise side of Rainer ROCKS!

...to Coast again

well, after returning from our East/West coast tour, I was promptly informed I'd be returning sooner than expected to the East Coast - to DC - for a work meeting to present REACH's sex ed curriculum to the head of marketing for the Salvation Army. We saw some sights in the meantime. It's really good to be back though!
Minus a few camping or hiking trips while we still can this Fall, it will be good to settle in a bit with good friends, a good book, a couple movies here and there, some freshly baked goods and a hot cup of tea:).

Tim directs music video!

Coast to Coast!

We made it! From the East Coast to West in the blink of an eye (a rather tired , plane-cramped eye, that is!). Tim and I had a great time in Boston. We have some funny stories, too. We took a red-eye the first night so not as to waste vacation time, and when we got to Boston at noon we were ready to hit the town. But first, we hit our 4.5 star hotel on the Harbor (go TravelZoo!). Alas, they weren't ready for us. So we explored the harbor and cruised to the USS Constitution. Our real-life Navy captain gave a great history speech in the humid heat. Huzzah! After not much sleep and a long wavy boat ride, I was a bit wobbly that afternoon.

We headed back for some A/C and a nice comfy bed to nap in, and they still weren't ready for us. We waited and waited, and got some free drink coupons for refreshing mojitos, and waited in big comfy couches and chairs some more...and passed out.
We were beat! To the security guards 30 minutes later though, empty glasses sprawled in front of some grubby, smelly tourists with luggage strewn all around and drool probably dripping on their nice fabric, we were rudely awakened and escorted to the front desk asking what we were doing. Hello, we are guests waiting for a room which was supposed to be ready 2 hours ago....Oh! He said apologetically, let's see what we can do about that. Make yourselves at home. That's what we were doing! So we waited outside and slept on the concrete sidewalk benches until our room was ready. The wait was worth it though! Nicest room EVER! The bed was heaven itself.

Day 2 was spent discovering the history of "Beantown" (why Beantown? Stay posted for a video interview put together by Tim of Bostonians answering this question...) via a PhotoWalks tour. That was a fun way to get the history. We had yummy cappuccinos in Little Italy on the North end and meandered our way by foot pretty much everywhere. We ended the day at the Beantown Pub, across from the cemetery where John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Sam Adams are buried. It was the only place in Boston you could order a cold Sam Adams across from a cold Sam Adams. We did it.

Eventually we rented a car and drove north through a rainy Kennebunkport, Maine to our destination in old Orchard Beach. A ghost carnival town, really. Not what we expected, but 7 miles of sandy beaches that finally warmed up the last day we were there. Our b&b was an old mansion from 1730!

The next day in the other Portland (Maine), we finally tried lobster (not really, you'll have to see the pics to find out what Abby really ate) and we tried our seafaring legs out on a windy boat cruise through Casco Bay to see the Portland Head Lighthouse, first lit by George Washington.

Finally we left the Atlantic sadly one morning to find ourselves at the Pacific the next night! At a cabin with some friends playing on the beach, talking about kids (theirs), eating cotton candy ice cream and watching the office. It was a fabulous trip and well worth it! Not we're just adjusting back into worklife but we're thankful, blessed and in love! Hope you enjoy seeing and hearing about more of the trip at the link soon to be listed. "Huzzah! Her walls are made of iron!"

Miles

Yes we leave for Boston in a few hours, and I spent the morning at the Dr's office and running errands (apparently, Papaya Enzyme really helps maintain healthy digestion!) - still I wanted to post pictures of Miles, Steph and Reid's new dog. I'm cleaning up my computer pictures and these grabbed my attention. he's a lot bigger now! And very slobbery right after he dumps his head in the water dish. Go, Miles! You can reach your Great Dog Certification, I know it!

The Bomb

Camp was the Bomb! Of course it is every year...but started out with a minor hitch Thursday night - a trip for Abby to the ER, accompanied by Tim for support of course. Diagnosis: esophagitis. Inflammation of the entire esophagus. Time in the ER: 12 midnight to 6 am. Treatment: pills and no chocolate (!) or other acid-triggering foods. What a great start to a busy time when a lot of people depended on two healthy people. But we made it, and so did about 260 other people from 8 states total. Only 3 missing families this year...

Camp highlights: Rupert R. Davenport and Cornelius C. Cardigan, secret agents, fought the evil Dr. Donut and saved camp from being paved into a Donut Factory! The teens had the most unity of any year. New adoptive families with children from Ethiopia joined the regular crowd and added a new dimension never felt before at camp. Everyone had a great time. Keep checking REACH's website for pictures from this year's camp, coming soon! www.reachministries.org.

In the meantime, Tim and I head to Boston on Friday for a week. We'll post pics after we return!