So this happened.

I had a birthday... in October.

Birthday celebrations are special and I am thankful that it brought us together to celebrate.  I really feel like this photo is just like a classic snapshot in time.  Not because we are all miraculously looking and smiling at the camera (which we are!), but because of the people in it.

I really am so blessed that my dad, my mom, and Bill are still alive, and healthy, and able to travel.
I am thankful that family is a priority to my adult children. I know their schedules needed to be tweaked in order to be here.  All the grandkids (all 9) are together.  Currently they live in three different states so having them all together is extra special (and rare.)

. . . . . . .

We have been working for the last two years on a dream, which has come to fruition!
Talking Crow Coffee Roasters is now open!  Between that and homeschooling and running our home, I'm stretched pretty thin and will likely only blog here periodically.  The truth is the longer the time goes between posts, the harder it is to post at all.   (Sorry Mom and Dad)
I really don't like to post without a photo, and lately the only photos on my memory cards are of coffee product. (imagine that.)  I do take photos of the kids with my phone and post them on Instagram.  It tends to be a quick way to capture a moment in time.  What doesn't go with that is much of any deep pondered thought, but for now that's what is working for me because currently, I don't have time to figure out how to put into words what's on my mind.   ( I do hope this doesn't sound like whining!  You never know how things come across.  I'm not,  I'm just trying to explain my absence. 😊)

So basically, don't hold your breathe, but I might shock you from time to time.











 

Maryhill Fall Ride 2018

Hey, Hey...

This was the last skate race of this year (at least that we'll attend.)  The group that puts on the race, Maryhill Ratz, hired Hannah to take photos.  This was such an encouragement to her.  

Caleb was able to join us from Portland.  I will take every and any opportunity to see and hug him.

Maryhill is often windy so we thought it would be fun to bring bubbles along.

All Ellie had to do was hold the wand out.  The skaters loved it, and it makes for some fun shots too.

My favorite skater!

Soon, I won't be able to say that because several of the kids hope to join him next year.

We've been going to these events for about 3 years.  I have to be honest, our first event wasn't quite characterized as "family friendly".  It can be a rough crowd - colorful language, smoking cigarettes and pot, and drinking.  Not the best example for the kids.  But it's kind of to be expected.  A lot of these people come from broken homes and broken lives and they don't know Christ.  We've had lots of good discussions about that with the kids. 

We want to be the light.  Sometimes it's the things we say, sometimes the things we do, and sometimes the things we don't say and do that make our testimony.

I think it must be working.  There is one other family that has two young daughters who skate and luge, and the organizers are trying to make it a bit more family friendly.  They created an area they call the "Ratz Nest" and provided a drift trike, a gravity bike, a luge and this tiny clown bike that they were free to use on this straight/level part of the road.  I feel like maybe they've noticed we roll and little differently. (ha ha a pun.)  

This area is right where we park so I can sit on the hood of the car and watch the kids have fun.  While I love hiking up the hill to take photos - it has its challenges.  There are no bathrooms, it can be super windy and cold or super hot and we are up there for a while since each run takes about 30 minutes.

I enjoy watching the skaters.  Some of the corners are pretty dicey and their skills are really impressive.  Plus it stretches me to keep learning and trying new things with my camera.

But I know it can be a long day for the little ones.  They REALLY enjoyed this!

Hannah always wears fairy wings to these events.  It started with her wanting to wear something that would stand out so that Eric could spot her when he skated by.  Now, she is known as "that skate fairy" (@thatskatefairy on Instagram)

and then there is Jasper, the skate dog.

This time around I think the kids had a little more fun than Eric did.   Even though, from what I could see, he had some great runs, he fell a few times.  Thankfully, he didn't get hurt.  One time his wheels caught on another guys' wheels.  The first guy fell, and Eric went over the top of him. I'm glad I didn't see that! 

 Another time his wheels scrubbed out and he took it in a corner.

On his last run, his board caught a bad part of the pavement and he flew into the hillside that is mostly rock.  So glad that full-face helmets do their job.  But as the saying goes, "1 and done".  He needs a new helmet.

His leathers got a bit scraped up too, but I guess you can't very well take this hill and not have a scrape or two.

Keep in mind, he is going about 40 mph - sometimes 50 if there is a tail wind. 

 With skateboarding now being an Olympic sport, I bet Maryhill Loops Road will become quite popular.  We feel pretty fortunate it's just a four-hour drive for us. 

See ya next summer, Mary.