A WONDERFUL WEEKEND....

It was time for a road trip!

On the way to Walla Walla for the weekend we stopped for a little exploring and geocaching by taking a detour out of Soap Lake. The road led us through the countryside to an old, very primitively built stone mission to our first cache. It was tumbling down and littered with shooting targets from previous visitors. Very cool! On the road out we were surprised to discover a small river of water running over the roadway. we almost didn't cross, but then we remembered that we now own an awesome all wheel drive vehicle with large tires! No problem!

It was a fun couple of days visiting family.

I don't get to see everyone very often, but we always have a great time. I wish I would have taken some photos Saturday night when my aunts and uncles and cousins were all over! Dang it! Here are a few of the kids enjoying their Valentine's weekend!

and then the drive home...more geocaching!!!

This time we took another detour out of Othello, traveling up towards the Potholes (called the Seep Lakes area), stopping at several spots along the way. What a cool area! I bet it isn't green like this for very long during the year either. There were so many caches here that I know we'll go back. I guess there is even a lake called "Windmill Lake" that has a sunken windmill with coordinates to go to the spot in the lake in your canoe so that you can look down and see the mill. Cool! Here are a few pictures of the "Bonnie and Clyde" cache, the "Don't Look Down" cache and the "Kissing Rock" cache. We couldn't find the kissing rocks cache (our batteries were going dead in the GPS), but we had a great time taking photos. Check out Zoe's goofy hat she bought at the toy store in Walla Walla! She wouldn't take it off all day! This bridge was scary, narrow, and made out of wood (and we had to drive over it)!!!

Wow....I'm on a roll lately! Don't get me wrong...I should be correcting papers or lesson planning! Might have to stay up late again, LOL!

TRYING TO KEEP UP...

..with everything going on around here! It has been a crazy, busy week with Valentine's Day coming up this weekend! I can honestly say, as a first year teacher in an elementary school....I had no idea that Valentine's Day was that big of a deal! I had activities and crafts planned for my group of 18 kiddos, and they were so preoccupied with just opening and reading their cards from everyone, I didn't have to lift a finger! They were so excited! It was fun to see.

So let's see.....

ZOE's SOCIAL LIFE
is keeping us busy as well as making us feel older as we face such mature, yet normal phases in her adolescence. She is so into spending time with her friends, staying connected with them, sharing every thought and dream with her girlfriends, and hanging out at school events. Everything is so "EPIC" and OMG is a totally serious comment! We are lucky in the fact that Zoe tends to bring friends over to hang out at our house. We often have an extra mouth or two to feed, or study sessions at our dining room table. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Here is Zoe and her group....so excited to perform at last week's big "Monster Band" concert which consists of band members from every school in the county. The students meet for an entire day to practice their pieces before performing at the Performing Arts Center that evening. Not the best photo...it was dark and I only had my cell phone camera.

...and Zoe and her boyfriend Mike. He also plays the trombone. I'd love to get a picture of the two of them with their trombones someday. He hung out one evening and played the Wii with Max and Zoe.

LAST WEEKEND...
was Jeff's ski patrol weekend (Saturday and Sunday every other weekend), and the kiddos were off doing what they do (scouting events for both of them), so I decided to clean the house, clean the car, and go for a solo jog which was surprisingly satisfying. I've never been much of a jogger...in fact I've never been able to jog more than a block or two without giving up and walking. Something has changed however. I think I've finally found that once you get into that "groove" and past the hard part, it becomes easier. This day I ran 4.5 miles, only slowing down to a walk a couple times while climbing the hill to the cemetery. I had an awesome playlist on the MP3 player and just kept on going. It felt great! I'm planning on doing it again tomorrow (as long as the rain stays away)!

Entering the cemetery at the top of the hill...and a nice, clean (just like new...LOL) car!

Sunday I finished up the household chores and then joined my friend Julia for a birdwatching hike near Cameron Lake Road. Our birdwatching was not as successful as we would have liked. We were hoping to find some woodpeckers in the burned out fire area we were climbing through, but I think it is still too early. We did see some mountain chickadees, a pygmy nuthatch, and some horned larks, which was cool. We also picked up a stray dog (not too stray...he had a collar) that followed us all over the place. We felt like he was our own by the end of the afternoon. Julia had a hard time leaving the pooch behind. It was a gorgeous day to be outside!

Well...that's it for now! We're looking forward to a long, family weekend! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

BIG SHOCKER!!!! A NEW BLOG POST!!!

I know....I know....
I blame it on the ease of Facebook really, but I keep hearing it from my parents (and my in-laws) since they also like to read about our lives, rather than just seeing a photo or two. I'm really not one to journal about what's going on with us on facebook, so here we go. Bear with me, I've got a lot of catching up to do.

NOVEMBER

Thanksgiving Weekend was busy! We went to the Vancouver area to have dinner at Jeff's sister's house on Thursday! It was delicious! I haven't stopped thinking about that homemade cranberry sauce, and the Cheese Ball was delectable! Yum!

Later in the weekend we helped Jeff's parents, Tom and Audrey, celebrate their 50th Anniversary! We all chipped in a little to help out with a small gathering including friends, family, snacks, and a slide-show that Jeff put together highlighting the last 50 years! It was a nice celebration.

Another evening we went over to my brother Randy's house to have dinner with his family. My parents were in town also, so it was another family celebration. Zoe, Max, and their cousins Ashlin and Mckenna decorated a beautiful gingerbread home, and we had a gigantic, delicious sub sandwich to share. My cousin Rob joined us too. I love going to Vancouver! It's always nice to see so many relatives in one short trip!

DECEMBER

It was Zoe's time to shine the beginning of December. Not only did she earn her "Silver Award" which is the highest award for 11-14 year olds in girl scouts (and was a heck of a lot of work, and hours and hours of dedication), but she also got her braces off! She just all of a sudden seems even more grown up!

Another 40th birthday celebration....on December 21st! Our friend Jon turned 40 in November and we helped celebrate in Spokane. After that, it seems like we've had a friend turn 40 almost every week (sometimes three or four a week, believe it or not). Corey's birthday was one to remember. Amanda reserved an entire row of seats at the Seahawks game and several of us met up to take in the game, plus a pre-game celebration at our hotel right downtown. What an exciting day! I love the Seahawk shirts that Amanda had made for her, Corey, and the boys! Everything was perfect!

We had another classic Cheeseman Family Christmas this year, complete with Winter Solstice celebration on the first day of Winter (our night home from Seattle), Christmas Eve appetizers and games, decorating Christmas cookies, and reindeer food sprinkled on the front lawn. The kiddos woke up at their usual "way too early" time on Christmas morning (I think it was 3:30 a.m. this year), opened their stockings and then let us sleep in until 7:30 (the CHIRSTMAS MORNING RULE). We ate our breakfast casserole which had been prepared the day before, played with our new gadgets, made family phone calls, and had our afternoon naps before preparing an awesome Christmas dinner feast of spiral cut glazed ham, butternut squash risotto, roasted vegetables, and a Gorgonzola, apple, and walnut salad.

JANUARY

First Night in Spokane was so much fun! My friend Julia made all the hotel reservations and plans, and we couldn't have been happier. Double Tree Inn knows how to ring in the new year. Us, the O'Connors, and the Streeters all headed over on New Year's Eve. The DT gave us an awesome welcome package including First Night pins to the all night event, hats and necklaces to wear, and even fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the First Night Celebration, several blocks of downtown Spokane dedicate the evening to family fun. The entire Convention Center is filled with arts and craft activities, magicians, juggling performances, dance performances, and musicians. The park had a snowboarding competition going on, with man made snow this year, and the streets were closed off to traffic to hold the hundreds of people. There were bonfires, musicians, dances, and food vendors. We managed to squeeze all 12 of us into Luigi's for an awesome Italian dinner without previous reservations (note to self for next time). After dinner we sat in on the most amazing Celtic band and dance combo show. Those dancers were amazing! We hit the sky-walks next where several smaller music performances, art demonstrations, and performance art was shared. At midnight, the event closed with the most amazing big sky firework display over the Spokane River at the park! After the "alcohol free" event, we made it back to the hotel, got the kiddos off to bed, and managed to make it up for a night cap between the six adults to recap the evening! So much fun!

The Birthday celebrations continue....with Jeff turning 40, and our friend Steve two days later. On Jeff's real birthday a student surprised him at school by delivering a sucker bouquet that Max and I made (idea from Corey's party). That evening him and Max had a cub scouts meeting so we had an early dinner; BBQ steak and shrimp, and presents. Later that week we took Jeff out to dinner at his choice, The Breadline Cafe...a favorite spot!

The next weekend Jill and I threw a 40th Birthday Party (70's-80's theme) for the Jeff and Steve. It was so much fun. Several people dressed up. We even had Devo visit! We had games, trivia, and prizes going on throughout the night, and all kinds of memorabilia around to remind us of our childhoods (games, candy, photos, videos, music)! It was a lot of fun!

The skiing has been great!!!! We've gone skiing probably a dozen times already this year between the Loup downhill and cross country at the South Summit. I am continuing to get better at the downhill version, but I still am a work in progress. Just yesterday I took a nose dive down Hugh's Run and missed getting off the chair lift at the top because I was sitting on the wrong side of the chair (I always have the same, familiar spot on the right). I fell down several times too, but Geeesh...You can't beat the views and the awesome outdoor experience. Here are just a few of the gorgeous shots I've taken in so far this winter.

I've been trying to do the Project 365 Challenge this year; to take a new photo every day for a year. I cheated once, and I've missed two days, but I'm still going for it. I might end up with a Project 200 in the end, but at least I am getting better about bringing my camera with me and taking in all the photo ops around me. I've been posting my 365 photos on facebook for anyone interested in seeing them.

OK, it's way too late for a "I have to go to work tomorrow" night, and I feel like I may be caught up with you all. I'll try to be better, but then spring is right around the corner (soccer...tennis...here we come!)

Have a great February everyone!