My first race!

On Saturday July 14th, i competed in my first Outrigger Canoe Race. It was at Stevenson WA in the Gorge and was 9.5 miles. I survived it well with all the white caps from the wind and the barges and other boats going by. Our Team did really well. We came in 10th out of 24 overall with the Women's and Co-ed team. I was on the Co-ed team, and compared with all of the other co-ed teams we came in 6th out of 15. So overall we did pretty good and i was told that's the best our team has done. It was great to be a part of it all! We all had a blast!

Putting the Skirt on our boat so we don't get soaked- witch we still did anyway :)
My Crazy team! We had "diapers" or due rags on
our head, and we all had fake tattoo's on our arm
to make us look tough! What a crew!










Everyone that raced that day! There were three boat. A Woman, Men's, and Co-Ed.













Before the race to did a blessing on the boat
to wish us luck and ask God to look over all of us
as we are out there in bad water conditions.
Most of it was done in Hawaiian language. They
asked everyone to join in, so you can see my mom
and dad also joined us. WE all had our hands on
the boat. It was very nice! We also go anklet things
that were hand made by someone in the group that
was made from a seaweed type thing. Its also for
good luck.









This was our last "TEAM" meeting before hitting the water.















Here we are taking off out of the cove to head
down to the start line. I am the second from the front with the blue on my head.


Here we are about half way through the race passing another boat. It was a 4.5 mile course that we went around twice.














Here we are passing the finish line! We completed the race in 1 hour 41 minutes and 4 seconds. We were exactly 1 minute behind the 3rd place team!


This was after we finished, we paddled over to the cove where the mens crew and all the friends and family where there to greet us. You can see the top side of my new paddel i just got that morning. I wanted to have my own instead of borowing one. It is such a nice paddel! My mom and dad were able to drive up for the day to watch us, and Liz came up with me and camped for the night.





Liz and I at the finish! My dad is in the background along with some girls from the womans crew. What a relife to be done!








Thank You to all the people that were supporting me both there at the race and at home, and for the phone calles and good luck wishes! It was nice to know i had lot of friends and family thinking of me as i went out on my first big adventure.

My next race is in 3 weeks, August 4th in Seattle on the Puget Sound. Pictures and Stories to come!

My little Man!

A few weekends ago I went to my parents house as they were watching Ethan and decided i wanted to be the fun aunt. So i took my Pina Colada and some M&M's for Ethan and went to the side yard and started giving him M&M's at 7:30 that night! I told him he could not tell Grandma because she had him all night and would be upset if she found out.
I was laying on the grass and so he decided to lay down right in front of me with his nose touching mine, and in his sweet little voice says "m&m? " and then say the color he wanted! It's so cute i can't say no :)



After about 3 hand fulls, Grandma caught me and told me that he had already had a bunch earlier that evening... whoops :) That could explain why he didn't go to sleep till 9:30ish when he is normally in bed by 8:00. Oh well being an aunt is SO much fun!!!

My Parents

I don't have any fun pictures or stories to tell about Fathers day this year because they took a motorcycle bike ride with a big group of people out of town and didn't return till late Monday night. So instead of having a dinner or anything i just called him (like many other kids did) and it turns out that my dad was SO happy that both my brother and I called him to tell him Happy Fathers Day. I got a card for him but i did not give it to him because i found out that the phone call was ALL he wanted! So i sat down and made a list of what my parents have taught me over my life time ( which is only 24 years). Even though my dad was not around a lot when i was growing up because he was working graveyard and sleeping during the day- he always found time to teach me lessons, like when i would "forget" to bring the garbage can up after garbage day. He let me know about it. But Both of my parents were great parents and I could never ask for anything better! They both equally raised us with good morals and thoughts to live by in life. Here is a list of just a FEW things i have come up with:

• How to be independent- I should never relay on a guy to take care of me or to get me what i want. I can do it myself (which I did)
• Never believe everything you hear- guys will say whatever they think you want to hear to get what they want (this came from my dad). Also along with that was not to be gullible, so I'm so much the opposite i drive people crazy because i can never believe what they say!
• always have a savings account, put at least 50% of what you make into a bank- you never know when something will come up that you will need money for.
  
• being sunburn isn't always a bad thing
• love is WAY more important than money. a nice car or house will not save a marriage, but love will
• its OK to be yourself and not someone somebody else wants you to be. If they don't like it, they don't have to be your friend
• Trust- You will always have my trust till you give me a reason to loose it, than you may never get it back. it will take a long time and lots of work to get it back
• the meaning of Family and Love
• How its OK to think for myself and not just go with what everyone else believes- Beliefs, Religion, life
• you have to work hard to get what you want- calling in sick will not get a paycheck, not going to school will not get you a diploma
• being nice always gets you further than being mean
• working hard will get you further in a job that sucking up to the boss
• EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!!!
  

Like i said this is just a short list that i came up with in a few minutes- but i think every single one of them is equally important and I live my life to them every day. i have learned so much from them!

What is something your parents taught you that you are glad they did? Anything stick out in your mind that you keep repeating over and over?

Thanks Mom and Dad! I love you!

Girls Night!

Friday May 18th marked are 2nd Girls Night Out at Kimo's sports bar and Cafe!! We all had so much fun, i have not laughed that hard in so long!

This is the View of the River from where we sat at!




It was such a nice night until the lightening hit! But here is the Sun Set we watched.





The awesome girls that showed up! It was like Espresso World reunion! SO fun!

From Left: Gretchen, Liz, me, Jill, Tiffany and Andrea!


Thanks girls for a great night!!

My Past 30 hrs!

So I'm going to warn everyone up front that this blog is going to be a bitch..bitch..bitch blog! I think over the past 30 hours everything that could have possibly gone wrong has for me!

Yesterday at lunch i was trying to buy something at Home Depot and used my Debit card. Well I had forgot my pin number so after trying to put it in 3 different times, it locked me out so i couldn't use it anymore... i tried to use a Simon Gift Card and of course that wouldn't work either, so i finally just paid with a check and left the store.

Last night I had forgot about the lunch situation and tried to use my Debit again (at a self check out station) and of course it was declined (cause it was locked from lunch when i entered the pin number wrong to many times!) So i just used my credit card and signed for it, when the lady comes over and says "Oh, you didn't pay for it yet so your going to have to re ring your stuff up". I hand her the receipt that has my signature on it that said i paid, but she didn't believe that i had already paid for it! All she could continue to see was where it said Card Declined and not the damn signature on the bottom from where i ran my credit card! So she had to take it to a manager to make sure i had really paid for the stuff.

I got home last night and what i bought at home depot was some sprinklers to put in my yard! Well... thinking i can handle it on my own i took off the old sprinkler and all the sand and dirt just fell into the hole and plugged up the hole where the sprinkler was to go. So i call my dad and he States telling me all these things to do and i could have sworn he was speaking gibberish's!! So i said screw it! I'm letting my grass die!!!! (My dad was nice enough to come over tonight and show me for the 100th time how to replace a sprinkler.... this time i think i got it so i wont let me grass die yet!)

Today I called GESA to try and unlock my debit card and they told me i could not use it for over 24 hrs! What a pain!

I had to call my insurance company cause they are refusing to pay for a medication that i need and its going to cost me $45 a month!!!! What a rip off!

Right after taking care of that, i got a call from Cascade Auto Glass who just replaced my windshield on my car last week, and said they tried to cash my check and it said "invalid account". I explained i had been using my checking and its not been an issue. Well it turned out that the guy wrote my account number down wrong so when he went to electronically file it, of course it was invalid! So that was taken care of.

RIGHT after that i check my e-mail where i get an e-mail from my AMA Canoe insurance that said the credit card is which we tried to pay with was declined!! (Thankfully that was my mom's credit card and she just had entered the numbers wrong!) At that point if it was my credit card i think i would have started to cry!!

To top it all off!!! I have been having some Lymph nodes in my armpits that have been enlarged and have been watching since November! I had a 6 month follow up with a Cat Scan done and everything was *unchanged*. So i go to the Dr. today just to make sure we are in the clear, and they are in fact enlarged from the last time i went in! Right now its not such a huge deal since they are pretty sure that its not Cancer. However it was not want I wanted to hear since i thought it was going to be a done deal after today! So now i have to continue to check up with the Doctor and possibly have a biopsy done on it! OHHH WHAT A DAY!!!!

I'm sure there were other things at work that annoyed me to make it much worse- but Thank God its over with and tomorrow will start a new much better day! Besides its FRIDAY!!

The best part was i got to come home to my first new rose on my rose bush!!! How Pretty!! But to compare to other people- i don't have it bad at all! Just a rough 3o hrs and I'm thankful that i have awesome friends and family i can call and talk to about this! Thanks to all the people i called tonight! I call each and everyone of you for a reason :)

PALM SPRINGS!

So I am Finlay getting around to posting about my Palm Springs trip! It was the most relaxing enjoyable vacation i have ever been on! It was so warm and beautiful! We stayed in an awesome modern hotel with a pool, a bar by the pool and cabana boys that served you, with a fire pit in the middle and all sorts of seating!
Here is Elise and I on the pier in San Clemente watching the sunset! It was so beautiful! After the sun went down we walked up to the beach where there was an awesome restaurant and we sat outside as the water went right underneath us! The food was so good!






This was at the Pub in Palm Springs where we spent a lot of our time :) It was 2 blocks from our hotel so we were able to walk back. Our hotel was not ready till late and we were to tired to continue to walk to this is where we ended up...Many, Many drinks later we found our way back to our hotel :)








This is Elise drinking our favorite drinks that we had lots of that night :)

















This is how i spent my vacation! The is the most comfortable thing ever!













Elise and I relaxing :)











This is my new skirt i got in Palm Springs, and we decided to go out in them :) But before we could go out we had to take more pictures :)











Here i am sitting my the fire pit at 3am! It was such a nice evening!




Needless to say I had an AWESOME trip and can not wait to do it again! Thanks Ryan and Elise for such an awesome time!! See you in July!

Pina Colada Night!

Jill and I decided that we needed some Pina Coladas one night! While doing so we went a little crazy with the camera :) We were having so much fun that the next night we decided to do it again and then i blew up the blender so we had to have Chunky Pina Coladas which were not nearly as good! :( Now i have to go get a new blender!






Here are our Pina coladas! We don't mess around with the small glasses! :)




















Me being Silly!



Jill Being Silly!

































Both of us being silly again! It was a wild night!






I love this picture! It turned out so good! I love having a friends over for drinks! What a good time Jill!! A must do again.... (once i get a new blender that is)

GO MARINERS!!!

On Mothers day Ryan, Gretchen, Jill and I all woke up bright and early to get on the road for a day long trip to watch the Mariners! We were all excited to get going when we found out Jill was all dressed in Yankee Gear! I knew from that point it might be a long day- even longer if her Yankee's won! :)






Here is Ryan and Gretchen in the back seat on the ride up to Seattle! Look how cute they are in there Mariner shirts!












Here is me driving up there... you can't tell but I'm wearing a Mariner Shirt as well!!










Gretchen, Me, and Jill all enjoying the game!















The Mariners won! So Ryan and Jill decide they needed to Party on the way home! Ryan was excited that the Mariners won, and Jill was sad after having to walk the Hall of SHAME after her Yankees lost- either way it was an excuse for them to have a GOOD time on the way home! Lots of drunken Karaoke was done and lots of pee stops! Many great stories and lots of fun! What a great time and game guys!

Happy Mothers Day!

We had our Mothers Day Saturday night do to a surprise to Gretchen that she was going to the Mariner Game on Sunday. We had a nice BBQ at my house ( the first one i have hosted since i moved in) and it was so much fun!



Here is Gretchen ( to soon to me mommy again)
and Ryan~ She is due in November but she already looks farther along! How cute!






We all decided to sit out back and let Ethan play in the hose as it was an extremely hot day! He had so much fun! (Man he sure is a "Payne" boy!)





He thought it was so fun to drink out of the hose (but sticking the entire thing in his mouth) and then spit the water out all over himself! What a goof!











Ryan, Mom, Gretchen and Dad all enjoying the sun and watching Ethan play on my back patio.












He got so wet that we had to take off his pants :) I think that's the cutest butt you will ever see :)

We all had a wonderful time and Gretchen was all ready to get up the next morning to head to Seattle!

The mothers day BBQ was a success!

HAPPY MOMMY'S DAY!

Canoeing :)

Ok~ So here are some pictures of the canoe we are in 3 times a week. I am of course not in the canoe at this time but we paddeld today about 8-9 miles. From McDougel Bay to Howard Amon park for Paddelfest wehre we did a water demonstration. I was there to suport the people that were out there paddeling.

my new hobby!

Some of you may already know, but my mom and I started something new this year we have never done before! WE joined the Tri-City Outrigging Canoe Club. My boss was telling me about it and it sounded like fun so we decided to go try it out for fun, and decided we both really like it and became members today (which just means you have to pay money). It goes from April to October and its 3 times a week. Today was my third practice and i think I'm going to die! Thursday we paddled a little over 4 miles, and today was just under 4 miles. Our practices are Monday, Thursday and Saturday mornings at 8:45!! For those of you who know me well, know that I am NOT a morning person at all, but i decided what a better way to start your day than being out on the beautiful Columbia River. It sucked, it was kind of cold, and way to early in the morning, not to mention the hard work, but for some reason i am enjoying it so much i can't wait for the next practice. They are 6 person Canoes with an outrigger on the side so you do not flip (well at least not in the Columbia. There race in the George is a different story.) My mom and i decided at this point not to do any races, so we can just work on getting the technique down, but we may join to do some races latter on in the year depending on how it goes. Who would have thought that canoeing will use every muscle in your body! It is a great group of people to go out with and i have a blast every time. What a great way to get into shape and to be on the river when its so sunny and beautiful, and its cheaper than joining a gym :) If anyone in the TC is interested come check it out!

On a happy note: I am leaving Thursday to see my best friend and we are going t o PALM SPRINGS where i can relax and just let my muscles rest. Will post pictures when i get home :)

I Love You!

I was hanging out with my nephew today... as I love to on all my weekends, and it amazes me what you can learn from a 2 year old. I said something to him that i say EVERY time I talk to him or see him and today was the first day it dawned on me that what he was saying was something we should all say. I gave him a big hug and kiss today and said "I love you" and he looked at me and replied "Thank You". I stop and thought about it for a second and realized that when you say "I love you" the most common response is "I love you too". But I think "Thank You" is even a better answer. I think we need to Thank the person who loves us, for loving us. We say thank you to people all day long for many different reasons, but when was the last time you said "Thank You" to the person who said "I love you". So I think the next time I hear someone say "I love you", I think my new response will be "Thank you, and I love you too". Wow- 2 year olds are amazing!

Now one to the rest of our day. I decided to get my sprinkler in my yard running and Ethan was so happy to help me :)

Ethan playing in the sprinklers. The small one to the left is a waterfall sprinkler and he loved it!

He also LOVED the regular sprinklers!
Thank God mom and dad didn't see him :) He was so wet, he stuck his entire face in the sprinkler and soaked himself! What a fun day we had together :) Thankfully it was a nice day and he was able to dry off before i took him home.

Happy Easter.... a little late :)

So I'm a little late posting about Easter, but here's how my day went: Started with dad cooking LOTS and LOTS of food :)



What i choose to have:
Coffee
Cinnamon Roll
Ham and Cheese omelet

YUUMMMYYYYY :)

Ethan being a Easter Boy :) With mom

Aunt Amy got Ethan a Golf set:

Here I am trying to teach him how to do it properly before it turned into a pa ton swirling contest :)




Riding an Easter Basket is so much fun:



The Easter Egg Hunt...He got so good at it





Dad and Ethan Flying his new Kite he got from the Easter Bunny


The True Fun of Easter.... Opening all the Eggs!! He got quite good at that after he found out there were things inside :)

What a fun day that was...WE all had a wonderful dinner that night of Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, bread, broccoli dish and many other things along with some great company...

Hope everyone had as great of an Easter as i Did!

God is in the small stuff!

I have been reading a book the past month that brings your spirits up and remides you things about life.. When i read this chapter I felt this feeling that i need to post about it... I think mostly cause it deals with Marriage and so many of my friends and family members are married... and than so many of them end with a snap of the finger. So I just want to pass this on to encourage all that are married to love your spouse. The book is called "God is in the Small Stuff..and it all matters" By Bruce & Stan. I am quoting from Chapter 33 "How to REALLY love your spouse"

"There are four ways to love your spouse. But only one way will keep your marriage together.

You can have affection for your spouse. You can consider your spouse your best friend. And your sex life can be great that Dr. Ruth wants to hear all about it. In fact, it's possible to have all three of these feelings for your spouse, which is great. There's only one problem. Feelings come and go, especially in a marriage. One day you and your spouse are best friends, and the next day you can't stand each other. It happens, And marriages fall apart because couples base the whole thing on feelings.

Which brings us to the fourth love, the love that will keep your marriage together, as long as both of you take it to heart. It's that love with the funny name-agape love- which is the love that desires the best for the other person. This is unselfish love that seeks to give rather than take. This is love that takes work.

Here's another way to look at it: love is in the details. For a husband this means paying attention to the small stuff. It means remembering and planning special celebrations for anniversaries and birthdays (hint: she loves flowers, dinner, and weekends away). It means helping around the House, especially if your wife has a career outside the home. And it means (okay guys, here's a tough one) actually sitting down and having a meaningful, interactive conversations.

For a wife, love is in the details means showing interest in his work and hobbies. It means taking a breath between sentences so you can hear what he's thinking, even if he merely grunts (learn to interpret his grunts-- there are many shades of meaning). And it means offering your support and encouragement (let's fact it, your husband is more insecure than he lets on- all men are).

If loving your spouse unselfishly is a challenge for you, think about the way Jesus love you. The Bible says that Jesus willingly "Made himself nothing" in order to completely serve those he loved. And now he asks you to love your spouse in the same sacrificial way.."


".....In the Small Stuff

*Loving your spouse is not enough. :earn how to demonstrate your love
* Compliment your spouse with elegant words
* Think back and remember one ting you really admired about your spouse when you were dating
* Be as enthusiastic to stay married as you were to get married
* Remember when you got married
* Remember where you got married
*Remember why you got married
*Trade in your car, not your spouse..."

( -I Left some of the small stuff out but if your interested in the others let me know)

I think this is something that every married couple should read- if your husband wont read it, maybe you should try to read it to him.. Being married is something so special and they often end way to fast without a fight. I'm not married but one day when i am I will come back and re-read this again... I hope all married couples can keep this is mind as they go though life everyday!!

I love being a BITCH

I got this in an e-mail and thought it was to good not to pass on... There are several names I don't like to be called, "a Bitch" is not one of them :)


When I stand up for
myself and my beliefs,
they call me a
bitch.

When I stand up for
those I love,
they call me a bitch.

When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts
or do things my own way, they call me a
bitch.

Being a bitch
means I won't
compromise what's


in my heart.
It means I live my life
MY way.
It means I won't allow anyone to step on me.

When I refuse to
tolerate injustice and
speak against it, I am
defined as a
bitch.

The same thing happens when I take time for
myself instead of being everyone's maid, or when I act a little selfish.




It means I have the courage and strength to allow myself to be who I truly am and won't become anyone else's idea of what they think I "should" be.


I am outspoken,
opinionated and determined. I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that!

So try to stomp on me,
try to douse my inner flame, try to squash every ounce of beauty I hold within me.
You won't succeed.

And if that makes me a bitch ,
so be it.
I embrace the title and
am proud to bear it

B - Babe
I - In
T - Total
C - Control of
H - Herself